“Haskell” is a short currently on the festival circuit, having played Fantasia and HollyShorts, that deals with themes of time and how it affects people.
Author Archives: Emilie Black
The Creep (2016) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]
A couple on their third date is back at his place going through the motions before heading to the bedroom. Once there, things take an odd turn as she notices a padlock on his closet door. What might this be for…?
The Limehouse Golem (2016)
Before The Ripper, another serial killer terrorized London, so much so that people believed the killer could not be human but a being called a golem. As the police looks for the killer, a woman finds herself embroiled with the situation.
Goon: Last of the Enforcers (2017)
Doug Glatt is aging, his physical and fighting form are not at their peak anymore, and he has a kid on the way. This leads him to try to be a responsible adult and get a regular job. Can he stay away from the game and be a responsible father?
Haskell (2017) [HollyShorts 2017]
Three moments from the life of a man who can manipulate time and how his ability is affecting him.
Written and directed by James Allen Smith, Haskell is a small part, or three small parts, of what feels like a much bigger story. The story deals with time and how it affects people, especially the man who can manipulate it and those around him. The story is one that is multi-layered and deals with plenty to become a full length feature easily. The way it’s written does make it feel like it’s a part of something much bigger and perhaps a proof of concept for a feature film. However, it does still work as a short where not everything is explained and the film works with some mysteries not explained.
No Roads In (2017) [Oceanside International Film Festival 2017]
No Roads In is a music documentary but also one about how music can transform lives.
Written by Christopher Leeson and directed by Josh Wong, this documentary follows a band as they record an album in an abandoned home in the Canadian Prairies. One of them finds this place while driving and brings the rest back to record a more natural, organic album in terms of sound and how it comes to be. The film follows these men and looks into their lives through interviews and music. The men shown include Adam Naughler, Jon May, Blake Reid, Aaron Young, and Jason Valleau who all work on the album together and have their lives and hopes discussed by themselves and others.
30 Minutes with Laura (2017) [Oceanside International Film Festival 2017]
A man meets with a woman in a restaurant where they get to know each other. As they talk, not everything is as it seems.
Written and directed (and edited) by Juanjo Haro, this short film takes a simple premise and spins it on its head. It builds what looks like a meeting between two lonely people in a restaurant through their conversation into something quite different. About halfway through the film, something happens that greatly affects the plot. As this is an important factor into this film, it shall remain a secret here. The film takes this and works with it, explaining itself in images, something that may not have been needed, but works well nonetheless.