Nearly every Pixar or Disney animated film is preceded by a masterful short which I then claim is the best yet. This one is the best yet…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Feast:
It will take you longer to read the review of this short film than to watch it, so I’ll keep it brief: Feast is an unbelievably adorable and lovely short that will absolutely warm your heart.
Released in theaters attached to Big Hero 6, and also on the blu-ray release of that film, it is irresistibly cute with a great heart. There is no real dialogue and none is needed. These animated shorts just keep getting better and better. Should it take home an Oscar? Who knows. All of the films are always top shelf and deserving. Whether Disney gets an edge due to their visibility or whether the name brand acts as a cooler I don’t know. It is a wonderful short that deserves recognition and far more importantly your attention, because you’ll love it…
Poster:
Trailer:
http://youtu.be/msmruQogEaQ
Bechdel Test:
n/a
The Representation Test Score: n/a
[schema type=”movie” name=”Feast” description=”The story of one man’s love life is seen through the eyes of his best friend and dog, Winston, and revealed bite by bite through the meals they share.” director=”Patrick Osbourne” ]
Dungeons & Dragons turned 40 years old in January of this year (2014). In recognition, we are rebranding our site for one week to Now Very Beholder… and focusing just on the films that star or in some way revolve around D&D.
140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW
Live-action short film version of the completely ridiculous scare-mongering comic pamphlet of the same name should be funny, but it isn’t…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Dark Dungeons: The Movie:
Occasionally I read about projects that are seemingly perfect, only to be underwhelmed by the result. I wholly applaud this idea and the effort that went into it. I just really didn’t enjoy it at all.
Dark Dungeons was an alarmist comic strip put out in 1984 by an evangelical nutjob whose name I won’t repeat because I’d hate for even one person to increase his web traffic. His company puts out “tracts”, series of pamplets, often in comic form that are the ideological and well-reasoned equivalent of the guy walking through the train station screaming at the top of his lungs about going to hell. It’s probably genuinely intended to help people but as well-meaning as it may be, it’s hateful, ignorant stuff that generally gives respectful Christians a bad name.
In 1984 Dungeons & Dragons was white hot and wackos everywhere were getting concerned that this stuff was satanic and dangerous. I eagerly look forward to a time when all right-thinking people will be able to look back on this type of propaganda and see it for the shameful fear-mongering rubbish that it is.
So on paper, the idea of doing a satire based on this material seems to be a surefire hit. This is ripe for spoofing. But I’m sorry to say that as much as I wanted to enjoy Dark Dungeons: The Movie I found it joyless and tiresome – even at only 40 minutes.
It just isn’t funny. I may have completely missed the tone they were going for here, and if so, hey, my bad. I thought this was supposed to be a send-up. Maybe I misunderstood – they may have been playing it completely straight so you could see for yourself how ridiculous these fears are. And if that’s the case – nailed it. Because it’s really well done. The production quality is great for the short money they spent and just succeeding in making a film for so little cash is impressive. But it sure seemed to be marketed as a comedy – every piece I read talked about how funny it was.
Also, isn’t going after a 30 year old bit of trash a little like making Richard Nixon jokes? It is possible to turn the lens on an ancient stupidity well after the fact (see Life of Brian or Cradle Will Rock) but middle distances are much harder and unless there is a modern allegory you had better have a very sharp pencil to make it work.
I really wanted to like a picture with such a great premise, that of sticking it to ignorant people by using their own words against them. Sadly, I couldn’t get behind the execution. The film is so faithful to the original work that they received permission for this adaptation. When the people you’re trying to insult are perfectly happy with what you’re doing, who’s getting the last laugh? Spewing out hateful doggerel verbatim for 40 minutes simply did not achieve a sense of amusement or satirize the original work. It just grated. Go watch Mazes & Monsters instead…
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test & The Representation Test Score:
I’m not doing these for this thing; it fails automatically based on the source material.
[schema type=”movie” url=”http://www.darkdungeonsthemovie.com/” name=”Dark Dungeons: The Movie” description=”Innocent students Debbie and Marcie arrive at college eager to save souls, but will they be able to save their own when they’re seduced by the exotic and sinister world of role playing games?” director=”L. Gabriel Gonda” ]http://www.darkdungeonsthemovie.com/
Incredibly clever and funny send-up of both dubious Best Picture winner Shakespeare in Love and the Star Wars legacy. Very cute this is…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of George Lucas In Love:
A great reminder of the innovation and creativity found in short films, George Lucas in Love is a perfect satire and simply a lot of fun.
The story finds a young Lucas at USC film school in 1967 with a case of writer’s block. Everywhere around him are interesting characters, but he’s still struggling to finish his screenplay. With the help of fellow student Marion, he sees the world around him anew.
This film is just a ton of fun. Sight gags and Star Wars references are everywhere. It’s cutesy and gimmicky of course, but it’s a short film. By the time you start to wonder how long they can sustain this – it’s over. If you haven’t seen it, you’re in for a (short) treat!
Poster:
Trailer: (Actually, the whole thing)
Bechdel Test & The Representation Test Score:
Skipped for short films.
[schema type=”movie” name=”George Lucas in Love” description=”1967 film student George Lucas has writer’s block trying to finish his “Space Wheat” script, until a beautiful fellow student with a familiar hairstyle teaches him that the best stories are in plain sight.” director=”Joe Nussbaum” actor_1=”Martin Hynes” ]
1967 film student George Lucas has writer’s block trying to finish his “Space Wheat” script, until a beautiful fellow student with a familiar hairstyle teaches him that the best stories are in plain sight.
Lovely little stop-motion love story from Disney & Google in time for Valentine’s Day. Sans dialogue, visuals need to be amazing. They are.
What’s more:
Disney puts together some great stuff sometimes that reminds you how the company started and what it still does best: animation.
This is a sweet short film (clocks in just under 40 minutes), without any dialogue, but with an excess of quality stop-motion. Decidedly old-school, the animation is top-notch and beautiful.
The story is small but not slight: Blank & Bow, two Vinylmation figures (a Disney collectible) fall in love at first sight, and seek each other out after being separated. That’s all it needs; it’s a nice little tale, full of emotion even with silent and expressionless characters. Quite a feat, really…
