Aided Migration
Story
A bird would like to migrate with all of his fellow birds, but he is not able to fly. He catches a plane flight to take him, but ends up on the wrong plane. He meets a bear that is trying to take a vacation because he cannot sleep. The bear and the bird both find themselves on a plane going to a place they do not want to go, so they have to figure out a way to get the vacation they are looking for.
Synopsis
Although the film was light and playful, it seemed to lack a decent ending. I liked the idea of the two different animals trying to get the same thing, but the ending was what really ruined it. There was not a good message told by the ending and it was not necessary. With a better ending it certainly could have been a very good film. The animation was interesting and the concepts of the story keeps you intrigued. Aided Migration is a fairly clean movie aside from the ending so it is appropriate for all ages.
There is irony and humor throughout the short film, but this is not enough to make up for the lackluster ending.
Raw Score: 6/10
Sharon Movie? No
5/16/2008
Short Film Review: Aided Migration
5/15/2008
Short Film Review: No Bikini
No Bikini
Story
A little girl gets a new two piece swim suit for the swim school she is going to attend for the summer. Her mom tells her to be careful about the swim suit because the top piece does not fit very well. When the girl gets to the lesson she decides to not wear the top and everyone thinks she is a boy. For those weeks she gets to pretend to be a boy. Although she never tells anyone she is a boy, everyone makes the assumption that she is.
Synopsis
This was an interesting story and a well made film. The camera work was excellent along with the picture quality itself being top notch. The story was one which makes you think about whether the way our society works really makes sense if no one could really tell whether the girl was a girl or a boy. Either way you may feel about the topic the film explores it with an unbiased account.
The narration gives deeper insight into the child’s thoughts during the film, but may not have been necessary to still get all of the information we needed for a complete story. Nevertheless, the narration worked and was not too distracting. There was not anything offensive in the film unless you find the subject matter itself offensive, but it might give a young one a bad idea if you didn’t want your little girl to do the same thing.
A playful and lighthearted look at what is socially acceptable in our society and how people will draw conclusions from how people look rather than who they are inside. There was plenty of depth to get the gears rolling in your head if you take the time to think about it.
Raw Score: 8/10
Sharon Movie? Yes
5/08/2008
Short Film Review: A Half Man
A Half Man
Director: Firas Momani
Story
This short film follows a man that like the title says, is only one half of a man. This man works hard to carry out the normal daily routines of life, but struggles with everything because he is only half a man. He gets his daughters lunch ready for school and takes her. Eventually he ends up taking a shower and falling apart.
Synopsis
Although I did not care for the animation or claymation and the rough around the edges style of the camera work, over time I have thought more about A Half Man and found there to be plenty of deep meaning to it. A Half Man is about a man that is only half there or that is only half the man he used to be. He is disconnected from his family and is not able to do anything really which is why if he is only going to be half there he might as well not be there at all. In the end he falls apart literally, but it is meant to have meaning. Even with all of the deeper meaning to the film I found it unpleasant to watch and it could have been a lot better with a more lighthearted and fluffy feel to it; and it still could have had the same impact if not more.
Raw Score: 6/10
Sharon Movie? No
4/22/2008
Short Film Review: Tell Us the Truth Josephine
Tell Us the Truth Josephine
Director: Valerie Buhagiar
Story
Josephine is a Maltese woman who swims in the ocean all the way to Canada (yes, it is a bit odd). Not only that, but then she decides to walk the countryside on stilts and has a hard time figuring out why everyone looks at her so weird. She goes along exploring her new venue while the film explores her past and the things she is running from.
Synopsis
It was very odd, but had plenty of depth to it which makes you think about things like why she decides to go to Canada or why she is on stilts. The problems come in the way of the very rough camera quality and seemingly random mix of past experiences and current situations. It is extremely hard to figure out just what is actually going on and the images and voices are often annoying and even horrifying (it does not seem like they should be).
If you can wade through all of the harsh video and sound, the story seems to have a lot of depth which may make you feel as though you have found a diamond in the rough. I found it difficult to get past all of the rough video and sound and actually did not find the story too compelling which warrants the 5/10 for effort. I would have liked to have seen this film have better picture quality and less weirdness to it. I love David Lynch films for the bizarre things going on, but it just did not seem to work here for some reason. I will admit the idea of her walking through the country on stilts was an interesting way of showing how she felt being an outsider in an unfamiliar country. You can check it out at Film Movement.
Raw Score: 5/10
Sharon Movie? No
2/26/2008
Foreign Film February Presents: The Violin
The Violin (2005)
Director: Francisco Vargas
Writer: Francisco Vargas
Genre: Drama
The Story
The Violin is a great story about an old man that plays the violin while his son plays the guitar and his grandson goes and collects tips from the people around. They live simple and poor lives in Mexico. As the Mexican army continues to take over villages and push its people out, the son and a group of people fighting for their rights try to defend their village and country. When their village is taken over by the Mexican army they have to try and get the ammunition that they had hidden without the army knowing. Don Plutarco, the grandfather, decides that the only way to get the guns and ammunition out of the village is to distract the army with his violin playing and then sneak around and get the ammunition.
Everything Else
The directing of The Violin was superb along with the acting. Don Plutarco (Ángel Tavira) is the main and most important character of the film. Tavira did an excellent job with his quiet style of acting and yet very daring acts throughout. He is the voice of reason and the one man that may have a chance to get the ammunition and save the cause that they are fighting for. Tavira's facial expressions speak a thousand words and truly brought the movie to life. The acting all seemed very sincere and believable and heightened the intensity of the situation.
The scripting filled the story out with great dialogue. Plutarco had many words of wisdom and even the General had a few telling lines. It made for an interesting look at the emotion and motivations of the two sides.
Although the film was in black and white it looked very good. The picture was crisp and clean even though the pictures I took do not give it justice. The scenery is simple but effective and down to earth. The main selling point of The Violin is the story though. The whole movie has excitement because you are worried that Plutarco is going to get caught, or that his son and those fighting against the Mexican army are going to attack and not have the ammunition that they need to make it a fair fight. The story is not only thrilling and emotional, but it also feels very realistic and sincere.
The Real Deal
I loved the fact that this month's Film Movement movie was a foreign film. It seemed very fitting for Foreign Film February. The Violin was a very good film. It was a little slower than I was expecting, but the story and character development were incredible. I enjoyed every minute of it. The only thing to watch out for is in the beginning of the film; there is an intense rape scene which could keep a lot of people from continuing on with the film. If you can get through this very brief scene though The Violin ends up being fairly tame. There is only a little bit of violence and some language after that. Don't miss this great film from Film Movement.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 873,282
Sharon Movie? No
