The Fish Curry (Maacher Jhol) (India) (2017)
A man about to come out to his more traditional Indian father cooks him a fish curry, his favorite meal, as a way to soften the blow. In this short directed by Abhishek Verma and written by Jayesh Bhosale and Abhishek Verma, the traditional and the new meet in a clash of beliefs. The way this is done on screen is beautifully animated and the emotional impact of the man coming out to his father. It also shows the power of a good meal and the love of a family in accepting each other for who they are. On a last note, the film’s music by Ers 126 is beautiful and fits the story and its images perfectly. The film has a touch of whimsy that helps deliver its message of acceptance and love.
Category Archives: Festivals & Events
The Shorts of Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival 2017 [Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival 2017]
The staff at Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival makes a great effort to bring all kinds of horrific, kooky, and fun shorts to their fest. The films chosen are of a wide array and all different from each other. Here are a few shorts reviews for a few of these short films:
Emilie Black at the “Last Rampage” Premiere
The following are some of the photos taken at the premiere of Last Rampage at the Harley Davidson dealership and store in San Diego California.
An Interview with James Allen Smith
“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.
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…?
Fantasia International Film Festival 2017 Wrap-Up [Fantasia International Film Festival 2017]
This year was a huge year for myself in terms of coverage I was able to do at Fantasia. Having moved back to Montreal (albeit temporarily), I was able to see a huge number of films at the fest, which led to an average of 2 films per day most days with just a few days off to recharge. 2 films per day may not seem like a lot, but when you factor in the reviews being written to publish as soon as possible and networking every night after the fest, the best festival of the year for this reviewer becomes the most exhausting. Your schedule shifts to live between 12noon and 4am most days, waking up then writing reviews, sending reviews, going to the fest in the afternoon or at night, then to the official pub to meet with filmmakers, reviewers, staff, and fans, then bed at 4am-ish most days, the schedule takes a toll. Kudos to the staff of the fest who are up all day working, then all evening and part of the night before doing it all over again the next day, this for 21 days. I know I could never do that for that long. Even with a few full days off to handle life and try to survive, it was an exhausting yet exhilarating experience to be able to be there from the programme launch the week before the fest to post fest goodness with friends.
Overdrive (2017) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2017]
A duo of car thief brothers runs into trouble after making a deal with a local crime boss in the South of France.
Written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas and directed by Antonio Negret, Overdrive is a fun car heist film with exhilarating chases, twists, turns, and beautiful vintage cars. It takes a few cues from The Fast and the Furious, Gone in 60 Seconds, the Transporter series, etc and makes them all its own. The use of the car is definitely a plot device, but it works quite well here. The characters are not particularly deep, but as the film is mostly action car porn, it doesn’t really matter in the end. What matters is that they are believable enough to take the viewer through the story and its twists and turns while being entertaining and fun to watch. This film is one of those that is made for the fun of it and not to pass on some kind of grand message, something that is perfectly fine and well done here.