Elsa (2022) Hollyshorts 2022

Portrait of Elsa Sjunneson a deafblind woman who is also a fencer, an essayiest, a speculative fiction writer, a comic book writer and several dozen other things. 

This is a short film that connects to and expands upon material in the American Masters film BECOMING HELEN KELLER.  It is also a killer portrait of a woman  who probably needs a whole feature about herself. There is simply too much to here to fill seven minutes without making you want to know more.

This is a solid short portrait. Sjunneson is a hell of a woman, and she is the sort of person we need now. A crusader for the rights of those with disabilities, and pretty much everyone else, she  is  woman who will not be stopped , nor does she want anyone else to stop. 

This is a super film. Its a film that made me  smile and filled me with hope.

Highly recommended. 

PRETTY PICKLE (2022) Hollyshorts

 A man begins to dwell on his girlfriend’s quirks until he makes a startling discovery.

My reaction to this film was that the film was okay until a certain moment at which point you just stare wide eyed and slack jawed at the screen. It’s one of those moments that comes out of left field and makes you sit up and gasp. I dare not say more because the whole film hinges on where this goes, however I will say that while at the same saying its the sort of thing that could make some people argue that director Jim Vendiola needs to be put away where he can't hurt himself or audiences

Recommended

The Fore-Men (2022) Hollyshorts 2022

TFMTrailer.mp4 from Zeus Pictures on Vimeo.

 This is one the most amazing films I’ve seen this year. It’s a visually arresting science fiction film that portends the arrival of a great filmmaker, Adrian Bobb, and, should they expand this into a feature (it's in the works), a potential science fiction classic.

The plot has two survivors trying to deal with a catastrophic event that compressed time. Beasts of all times are now roaming together. Things become complicated when the survivors meet the people behind the event.

I don’t know if the film makes sense. I don’t think the film is long enough to answer all of the questions it raises, but being a short it manages to brush away doubts because we understand there isn’t enough time. Additionally this film has enough going on that there is simply too much to ponder as s that you don’t have to worry about what isn’t there. You are just going to be blown away by what is here.

The real lynch pin to it all is the visuals. Kudos to Bobb and his team who give us a mix of stunning things to see and ponder. Giant beasts in the landscape mingle with some truly frighting dark figures.  It’s a visual delight of the highest order. What I love is that the film takes the aesthetic of Gareth Edwards and his film Monsters thus making the film feel lived in and real.

This film is a masterpiece and one of the best I’ve seen all year simply because it filled me with a sense of wonder I haven’t experienced much in the last few years. All films should be this maginficent.

Highly recommended, it plays this weekend at Hollyshorts in LA