[Short Film] Usagi Yojimbo - The Last Request
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aren't the only anthropomorphic characters with martial arts backgrounds. Old school Ninja Turtles fans may remember Usagi Yojimbo, a rabbit samurai that appeared in a few episodes of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series and was part of the Playmates line of toys. With the Turtles making their return to the big screen, it only makes sense for Usagi to re-emerge, too, right? Lintika Films is doing everything they can to show that rabbits can kick ass, too.
This short film, Usagi Yojimbo - The Last Request, is a stop-motion animated spec demo used to show Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo creator, what they're capable of doing in hopes of getting the rights to create full-length, stop-motion animated film. It all worked, as Sakai has allowed director Roel Robles and his team to go forward with the full feature.
As stated, the short is a spec demo, so it's naturally rough around the edges. However, I enjoy the style and tone of the project. I'm not all too familiar with the comics and mythology behind Usagi Yojimbo, but I love the idea of using anthropomorphic animals based on Edo period Japanese culture. Here's hoping we'll see the full-length Usagi Yojimbo film sooner than later. For now, enjoy the short below.
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Independent Short Film WORSEBEHAVIOUR Needs Your Help
20-year-old music video director Peter Collins Campbell is eager and artistically equipped to break into the world of film- what he needs is to go the final stretch with his crowdfunding campaign, which you can contribute to through Indiegogo, in order to financially secure the budget for his forthcoming short film, WORSEBEHAVIOUR.
Many recognize Peter as a heartbeat pumping blood into the Chicago hip-hop scene. He has directed music videos for some of Chicago’s leading artists, such as Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, and Nico Segal (of Kids These Days), NoName Gypsy, Towkio, M&O, and others, and has made it clear that he is willing to go to extreme lengths in order to realize his dreams and give birth to WORSEBEHAVIOUR. Peter offers contributors a carefully thought-out mixed big of perks, which are described in detail on Indiegogo. The perks range from social media shout outs for those donating the minimum of $10, to having a music video, or whatever well-reasoned project the contributor has in mind, shot by Peter himself. The $1,000 deal also includes being invited and compensated for the premiere film festival screening and an invitation to the cast and crew premiere party.
Let’s just say this guy is itching to give his vision for WORSEBEHAVIOUR the TLC he deems fit. The itch is appropriate, considering that apart from the crowdfunding campaign, he’s operating out of pocket. He requires the means to compensate his cinematographer, production designer, and assistant director, in addition to location fees, production insurance, actors, and both food and transportation costs. The list of financial demands Peter faces is hefty, but keeping his artistic accomplishments and credible reputation in mind, conquering the final leg of his campaigning race anticipates the yield of some delicious fruit.
You can check out the WORSEBEHAVIOUR video pitch below.
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[Documentary] Chicago Hip Hop Profiled in "The Field"
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WorldStarHipHop, the website best known for knock out videos and general ratchet-ness, decided to bring their cameras to Chicago for a special video special titled The Field, detailing the in and outs of not only the Chicago hip-hop scene, but the social and socioeconomic ramifications that surround it as well. Shot by Sher Toor and Jonathan Hall, the doc is an interesting take on the issues facing the Second City, from those who have become rhyming reporters to explain what is happening around them.
The documentary delves deep into the "drill" movement, focusing on the record 2012 murder rate as the major catalyst for the rise of the haunting beats riddled with gunshots and stories of surviving with little and trying to find a way out. Upon first hearing about the documentary and it's publisher, I was immediately skeptical. Although named better than Vice's "Chiraq" documentary done earlier in 2013, The Field digs beyond the surface issues by going to the sources for the answers.
I found it interesting to hear artists like Lil Bibby, Lil Durk and Lil Reese talk about the stress from the success they've realized lately, what it potentially leads to. Hip-hop today has become such a game of numbers, it's interesting to hear some of the artists at the top of the game here talking about how far they've come with almost a semblance of regret, not unlike a star athlete that doesn't especially like sports. Music may be a passion to many, but to these young artists from the rough neighborhoods, it's more than that; it's a way out. Toor and Hall do a tremendous job organically demonstrating this through first person accounts and careful storytelling.
What the documentary really does is hone in wholeheartedly on a specific location in the country and demonstrates how hip-hop music is largely seen not as a way to get famous, but a vehicle to escape their current environment. By highlighting the likes of Bibby, Reese, Durk, King Louie and Katie Got Bandz, the filmmakers did an excellent job in drawing the very thin line between the artists and those around them. Given more time with the subject, the video could have possibly been the hip-hop Hoop Dreams.
The project is both inspirational and upsetting, casting a light on not just the murders that plague the landscape, but also the catalysts that lead to the current situation. It's a surprising production for WSHH, an interesting take on the rise of drill through the violence and crime of the south and west sides of the city. Riding through the streets, talking to the people that live there, it perfectly captures a very certain period in the history of Chicago by highlighting the good and the bad, and the unexpected.
[Short Film] Aningaaq (Official Gravity Spin-Off)
With 2013 close to ending, I think it's safe to say that Gravity is still near the top of my favorite films of the year. One of the most pivotal scenes of the film is when Sandra Bullock's Dr. Stone finally makes contact with somebody, only for a language barrier to separate the two. The crux of the film spins out from the conversation she has with the person on the other end, but it hasn't been revealed who she made contact with... until now.
Aningaaq is an official short film spin-off of Gravity that illuminates who was on the other side of Dr. Stone's radio transmission. The titular Aningaaq is an inuit fisherman in Greenland that receives Stone's call. However, due to the aforementioned language barrier, they're unable to understand each other. There's a thematic parallel between Bullock's desperate tumble through space with Aningaaq's moral dilemma of having to sacrifice his dying dog.
The short, written and directed by Gravity director's son, was originally intended to be included as a special feature for Gravity's home release. However, reception was extremely high, convincing the filmmakers to submit it for an Academy Awards consideration. Its brief, touching look adds an extra layer to Gravity without altering much of the film's narrative. While I loved how the film kept its focus tight and centered on Stone's struggle, Aningaaq's little glimpse outside of the space conflict proves to be a welcome exception to my initial feelings.
[Short Film] The Four Players
Hollywood screenwriter Evan Daugherty (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) has taken the Super Mario Bros. series and adapted them into four gritty, realistic short films centered on the series' four protagonists: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad. Each short reimagines the aforementioned characters into specific character roles. For example, Mario is the hard-working, always training "Fixer" that is called upon to fix the world's problems; Luigi is characterized as an "Addict" who may or may not have hallucinated that the plants he uses for his drugs imbue him with fire powers; Princess Peach is the "Star" singing a sad power ballad about her captivity by the Koopa Troopas; a Toad represents his life as a "Soldier" endowed with the responsibility to watch over the kingdom... no matter the cost.
Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper, this is not. However, much like the ample (ample!) problems I had with the original film adaptation of Super Mario Bros. in 1993, The Four Players has to stretch to make semblance of an interesting plot out of the series. Do all modern film adaptations of Super Mario Bros. have to go the gritty, realistic route to be compelling? I speak out of a bias against the Mario games, and while I actually REALLY liked these four short films and wouldn't mind seeing more, I just wish their wasn't this inherent necessity to make a vastly dark depiction of Super Mario mythos for it to work in a medium outside of video games and cartoons.
Nevertheless, watch The Four Players below!
[Short Film] The Ghost of the Hotel (The Movie)
To celebrate Halloween, arguably the greatest holiday ever, the Odd Future guys released a horror parody late last night. Entitled The Ghost of the Hotel (The Movie), Jasper, Taco, L-Boy, Earl Sweatshirt, and Tyler, the Creator star in a horror short about... a ghost of the hotel. Earl and L-Boy star as two detectives assigned to the case, Detective Ray and Detective Tony, respectively. When they confront Mishon (Jasper) and Donstell (Tyler) about a ghost-related murder, they detect something suspicious about the two. Will they be able to solve the mystery, or are they too little too late?
Odd Future's humor can be hit-or-miss. Much like the Adult Swim lineup, their humor is absurdist and irreverent. The quality of the short follows in line, as it's shot on a handycam, the acting is over-the-top, and the musical cues are ridiculous. In saying that, I really like The Ghost of the Hotel (The Movie). It's very obviously a parody, and some of the lines are legitimately funny.
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[Short Film] Superman 75th Anniversary Short
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Can you believe it's been 75 years since Superman made his red underwear debut? The comic book industry has grown exponentially since Clark Kent first took the glasses off. There have been both ups and downs, especially in regards to the various Superman films, but one thing's for sure: comic books wouldn't be around if it weren't for Superman's popularity.
To commemorate the Man of Steel's 75th anniversary, DC employed Man of Steel director Zack Snyder and iconic illustrator Bruce Timm to create the Superman 75th Anniversary Short that runs through a montage of iconic moments in the superhero's history from his first appearance in Action Comics to this summer's Man of Steel. Can any diehard Superman fans out there point out every single reference and allusion?
[Short Film] Top Floor
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Last week, we posted the trailer for Nascent's short film, Top Floor. Today, the short film is here for all of you to enjoy.
Top Floor uses a nonlinear narrative covering three days in the lives of two bank robbers, Cindy and Kathleen. Following a successful bank robbery, the two attempt to escape Chicago. However, a presumed secret Kathleen is keeping from Cindy causes the latter's increasing jealousy to erupt. The short film attracts viewers with its style and energy, exuding a very Pulp Fiction/Quentin Tarantino-esque style. Top Floor's influenced and inspired by pulpy, '70s exploitation films, and it shows. The two leads put in well enough performances, but auxiliary characters fumble a bit.
One other complaint is how the short ends abruptly. I can understand the attempt to keep the story short and simple with a cliffhanger ending, but there's a huge difference between leaving viewers guessing and simply going to black on a dime. However, in saying that, I express my interest in wanting more. The 12-minute runtime doesn't do Top Floor justice. Here's hoping the concept gets expanded in the future.