Happy Valentine's Day
This is an absolutely incredible film built almost entirely in CGI, but with a big twist – nearly the entire film is backwards. But, telling this story backwards might be the best way to tell the underlying story. What do you think?
The Heist
Okay, so this is one of the better parodies I've seen recently. All the "Oceans" movies wrapped up into one tidy short film!
Piove (It's Raining)
It is a day like any other for Tony Bianchi, a respected doctor of a small village; between work, talk to the barber and a game at the bar, the doctor lives his personal routine punctuated by the "unexpected" encounters with the colorful characters of the country, that lead him to confront his role in that small and weird world. And then, as punctual as usual, comes the rain…
Beneath the Ink
In Ohio, there's a tattoo artist that's decided to do his part to "erase the hate." Not only is the story compelling, but the cinematography in this poignant short film is powerful, too.
Powder Keg
By Alejandro Gonzålez Inñårritu
Of all the films from the BMW "The Hire" series, this one is definitely the most cinematic and the least like a car commercial. Frankly, it's devastating. Believe it or not, the director based the events in this film on an actual massacre – known as the Aguas Blancas massacre in Mexico. The fictional events in this film, however, take place in Colombia where the driver is trying to get a war photographer safely out of the country. Curiously, the director claims he was making a kind of love story – the love that a son has for the wisdom of his mother. What do you think?
Regardless, pay special attention to the gritty, raw, cinema verité style used. The color palette is almost totally washed out. The dialogue is sparse, but intense. Most problematic? What does it say that this film focuses on a white male photographer who admits he does nothing but photograph atrocities, but ends up being the hero of what is essentially a corporate commercial?