Category Archives: Short Shorts
New Issue of Rogue Cinema
The latest issue of Rogue Cinema is up, y’all!! w00t! So what’s on tap for this month? Well, this time around I got to interview Brad C. Hodson, horror author, about his newest novel “Darling”. It’s very Stephen King’ish so if you’re into that sort of thing, check it out!
Next up is a review of Benny Loves Killing, a meta-love note to film kind of flick that’s visually beautiful.
After that we’ve got The Feed, another sci-fi dystopian cyber punk body modification flick (seriously, when did this genre get so big??).
And last but not least (and personally my favorite), On The Horizon, a stunning short with which I fell madly in love.
There’s tons of other cool stuff in this issue too AND in case y’all didn’t hear, our very own Mike from Mike’s Film Talk is now writing for Rogue as well!! High fives all around!!! 
So go check it and I’ll be back later today with another fun-filled post! (Yes, that is the sound of the Horsemen coming, obviously the apocalypse is nigh if I am posting twice in one day… 
).
The Smalls Family
This isn’t even a review – this is just me sharing something that I find hilarious and AMAZEBALLS. ENJOY!!!!
THE SMALLS FAMILY is an experimental comedy based on the timeless lyrics of THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.
Biggie Smalls is considered by most to be one the great lyricists in the history of hip-hop music. His untimely death on March 9 , 1997 changed the face of hip-hop and left a legacy behind that has yet to be duplicated.
In the past, many great works of classic writers and poets have been reinterpreted over the years…most notably the works of Shakespeare.
In similar nature THE SMALLS FAMILY strives to pay homage to Biggie’s incomparable language….while refreshing it to a new audience.
The Devil’s Carnival
If you hated Repo! The Genetic Opera
The premise is three people die and they all wind up in Hell. From there we get three of Aesop’s Fables (another reason I loved this – fairy tales and mythology may be my big two things but I’m also a fan of Aesop!): The Scorpion and the Frog, Grief and His Due and The Dog and Its Reflection. Add to that the carnival setting, the quirky and sometimes frightening characters plus the stage and theatre setting and this girl was in love at first glance.
What’s NOT to love about this guy and his plastic hair??
And here’s the whole carnival crew!
There’s a lot of the same actors in this that were also in Repo – Alex Vega, Paul Sorvino, Bill Moseley, Nivek Ogre. I didn’t even notice Vega was here until I saw her name in the credits, then I had to google to find out which character she was. This also only clocks in at 55 minutes so it’s kind of something light and airy to have on while you’re doing other stuff…and by light and airy, I mean kind of morbid and grotesque…eh, we all have our own definitions for stuff. No nudity or sex to be found here (well, there’s a naked woman who is whipped during one of the songs but they don’t really show anything other than her back), just good clean devilish fun, so enjoy!
A Little Teaser…
Normally I don’t promote my Facebook page on here other than in the sidebar but the rough draft of the title sequence for “When the Lights Go Out” has been cut and unfortunately I couldn’t embed it here so I shared it on the Cinema Schminema Facebook page so if you’d like to have a look (it’s only 10 seconds long), head on OVER!
When the Lights Go Out (Behind the Scenes)
We filmed for 9 hours yesterday and got the first episode of “When the Lights Go Out” filmed! It was a super long day and it was super cold but it was AMAZING. My cast and crew are simply the best! Here’s a few pics of behind the scenes and an unedited video.
What are we studying so intently??? You’ll have to watch to find out…
Director/cinematographer/sound girl/Gal Friday EXTRAORDINAIRE!!
“Jordan”
“Tiffany”
“Jordan”, “Savvy” and “Tiffany”
“Harold” and “Tiffany” and the psychic hotline
Coffee breaks are the BEST
“Tiffany” recording her video diary.
“Harold” interfering.
Ghosts are scary, y’all!
Since I didn’t have time yesterday, I’m watching something today and will post it late tonight or tomorrow morning. Yay, Happy Monday, y’all!
Suburban Zombie or The Decay of the Mind
Suburban Zombie or The Decay of the Mind came to me via a commenter named Evan Jones. It’s a one minute zombie film (that alone got me – can one even DO a zombie film that’s any kind of decent in one minute?? Has Romero been wasting our time all these years with needless filler? Can someone out there in the intranets turn all of Romero’s films into one minute versions for my amusement??) with a twist.
The film opens with a guy sitting in a shed watching t.v.
Guy. Shed. ‘Nuff said.
Suddenly, his t.v. goes on the fritz (horror of horrors!!) and dude gets pissed. Seriously he goes all Hulk and smashes the t.v. Then he goes outside into the sun (which he obviously hasn’t seen in awhile since he tries to block it with his arms – “Arggghhhh! Sunlight!!” and we have a moment of “Wait is he zombie or vampire?”). Next, two mysterious figures in black appear (creepy!) and point to the shed indicating that he should go back inside. So he does and watches his broken t.v. Oooohhhh, get it??
I liked this for the social commentary it made about the mind numbingness of society. Seriously, these Kardashians and guidos I keep hearing about frighten me more than the upcoming zombie apocalypse. Our need to be entertained and our seeming unending quest for “15 minutes” is going to be our downfall. In my IMHO. And it likely will be via a zombie apocalypse – zombies have been the metaphor for our societal fears ever since Romero appeared on the scene.
So check it out, it’s just a minute!
Crestfallen
There’s a severe lack of snark in this review because honestly the first word that comes to mind after watching the short film, “Crestfallen”, written and produced by Russ Penning and directed by Jeremiah Kipp, is exquisite. From the main character played by Deneen Melody to the cinematography, “Crestfallen” has a radiance to it all while remaining unsettling.
The film is silent, coupled only with a haunting score by Harry “Friday the 13th” Manfredini. The story follows a young woman (Melody) as she attempts to take her life. Told mainly via flashback, we see the devastation wrought upon her as she catches her husband with another woman and sees her daughter taken away from her. There are several disturbing yet beautiful images throughout and since it’s silent, one is able to form their own opinion about what exactly has transpired.
Melody is achingly vulnerable and the first slice of her wrist is reminiscent of Juliet (“Oh happy dagger, this is thy sheath.”) while the lighting and mood is reminiscent of “The Virgin Suicides”. Melody does a tremendous job of handling a heavy story with only one bit of minor overacting that had me yell “No!” at the movie. It only lasts for a millisecond though so I was relieved.
I can’t help but to want to watch more from director, Jeremiah Kipp, and lucky for me I have two more shorts to follow up with!
