Sherlock Holmes, Spider-Man and Shakespeare (sort of) May 10, 2008
Posted by badblokebob in : Editorials, Short, 2007 , add a commentFifteen reviews from last year this time, including the first batch of four shorts.
I know I said I’d leave all of these posts the same as before… well, I have, but I caved on a little afterword-addition to one of them. Other than that, here they are:
- Chinatown (1974)
- Hello, Dolly! (1969)
- It’s All Gone Pete Tong (2004)
- Over the Hedge (2006)
- Ray (2004)
- Road to Morocco (1942)
- The Sign of Four (1983)
- Spider-Man 2.1 (2004/2007)
- Spider-Man 3 (2007)
- A Study in Scarlet (1983)
- West Side Story (1961)
Regular readers (with spectacular memories) will recall that in my last 2007 update I mentioned the lettery-numbery-convention (in desperate need of a better name) would find further employment in this update. Well, there’s Spider-Man 2.1 obviously, but also short films.
Short films have many merits, and not giving them a whole number is not designed to demean them, but, really, it’s not the same as a feature, is it? I mean, I own the Cinema16: British Short Films DVD — I could sit down with that for three-and-a-half hours and, if each short had its own number, my total for 2008 would go up by 16; whereas if I watched (for a random example) Once Upon a Time in America — which is about 20 minutes longer — it would only count as one. So, essentially for those reasons, shorts are subjected to the same numbering convention as barely-different extended cuts.
So, the actual reviews:
- Bus Stop (2004)
- The End (2002)
- Nine 1/2 Minutes (2002)
- Park (2005)
As I expect is obvious, there are more 2007 updates to come, including further shorts.
#52a: four short films May 21, 2007
Posted by badblokebob in : Animation, Comedy, Romance, 2000s, 4 stars, 3 stars, 2 stars, British films, Short, 2007 , add a commentI’ve decided to collate these four short reviews, as posting them individually seemed… wasteful…
The End
2002 | Tim Clayton & Rob Crowther | download
A very brief film with a slightly silly, slightly amusing idea at its core. It doesn’t outstay its welcome, but it does lose something in that you can see the end coming almost from the start.
Bus Stop
2004 | Matt Abbiss | download
An animated, somewhat bizarre short about two people waiting at a bus stop. Done in a very simple style with sparse sound, but it’s competently executed and often effective. It has some amusing moments. Not bad, but mainly for people who like this kind of thing anyway.
Park
2005 | Andy Pearson | download
“Some humans in a park act like dogs” is essentially the premise of this film. It’s a decent enough concept for a short really, and is well executed with some nice little moments. Prettily shot in the Autumn, too.
Nine 1/2 Minutes
2002 | Josh Appignanesi & Misha Manson-Smith | download
David Tennant (yes, David Tennant!) and Zoe Telford (she’s been in a variety of TV stuff) star in this comedic short about two people on an uncomfortable blind date that lasts just about as long as you might suspect. Genuinely funny for the most part, and easily the most professionally executed of these four shorts, but it does have a somewhat confounding conclusion. 
All of these shorts are currently available for free at LOVEFiLM.