Five Websites To Find The Best Short Films, Part 2

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Early Internet viral short “George Lucas in Love.”

Seven years ago I posted a list of five great websites you can find the best short films, and thankfully more indie film websites have continued popping up. The need for short films hasn’t thinned over the years, thank goodness. Short films are great launch pads for big time directors, they’re great for proof of concepts to sell to studios, and they can just be mini-masterpieces that, at most, are about thirty minutes.

Hell, major film festivals like Fantasia, Slamdance, and Sundance still have short film line ups, so there’s no denying short films are absolutely valid forms of filmmaking. If you find a great short film, time just flies. That’s the joy of being a film lover.

If you fancy yourself a connoisseur of short films, or are interested in reviewing them for your blog, or podcast, or tiktok, here are five I wholeheartedly recommend. 

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“Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” is an Exciting Introduction to the Wider “Gremlins” Universe

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It’s been almost thirty five years since we saw any semblance of “Gremlins” entertainment rear its scaley head. Now in the midst of reviving old IP’s HBO and Warner take a shot on reviving Joe Dante’s classic film series. “Secrets of the Mogwai” is thankfully built very much in the vein of the classic 1984 film, and less like “The New Batch.” It’s a dark fantasy (with charming animation obviously influenced by LAIKA Studios) with a lot of harrowing action and terror, but also revels in the inherent awe and wonder of Gizmo and the concept of the Gremlins, twisted as they may be.

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Pillow Party Massacre (2023)

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One of the things I wish horror movies would stop doing is the meta-dialogue drop where a character proclaims “I feel like I’m in a horror movie!” to which someone replies “Well this isn’t a horror movie! This is real life.” Please stop that. I know I’m watching a horror movie. I don’t need to know that the characters know that we’re watching a horror movie. That said, “Pillow Party Massacre” is a mix of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Slaughter High” but with none of the fun hacking and slashing that goes with them. There’s nary a pillow party or a respectable massacre to be had.

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Killer Kites (2023)

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With “Killer Kites,” you’re facing a movie that’s genuinely critic proof, and has a clear idea about what it is from the first moment it starts. It’s only an hour in length and spends a lot of its time trying to turn kites in to mythological monsters. So, you either go in knowing what to expect, or you turn around look for another means of entertainment. I have to admit that Alan Dale and Austin Frosch’s horror comedy won me over from the opening credits.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Tortoise Wins By a Hare (1943)

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2023 marks the 85th Anniversary of Bug Bunny’s first animated appearance in 1938’s “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” Debuting originally as Happy Rabbit, Bugs eventually became one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. In honor of the landmark anniversary, we’re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We’re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too.

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.

Tortoise Wins By a Hare (1943)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Written by Tedd Pierce
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Ken Harris

I don’t know entirely what the animators and writers had intended for Cecil the Turtle, when all is said and done. If he was intended as a villain, then they didn’t do a very good job, as with the sequel to “Tortoise Beats Hare,” he still comes off like a reluctant hero. If he’s intended as the hero, then there’s not a ton of logic behind making Bugs Bunny the villain. I get that they wanted to jump on the Tortoise and the Hare fable, but these pair of shorts where Cecil and Bugs race never works out in Bugs’ favor. Once again Bugs comes off petty, conniving, and kind of dumb. They’re traits that you figure the writers would have left way behind back in “Elmer’s Candid Camera,” but they insist on giving us a follow up to “Tortoise Beats Hare.”

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BAD MOVIE MONDAY: THE ROOM (2003)

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Today’s ridiculous regal refuse is very special to me. I first heard of this film almost twenty years ago after I mentioned to a friend that I was having a lot of fun watching weird oddball stuff like Zardoz, Exorcist II, or The Manitou. He then proceeded to give me one of those “YOU GOTTA WATCH THIS!!!” speeches, suggesting the title that I’ll be reviewing today. It is a true powerhouse of trash that went on to redefine what bad movies were for the internet age of fanboys and film bros. And so I present to you THE ROOM.

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The Mother (2023)

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Niki Caro is a fine director who doesn’t exactly utilize her talents in “The Mother.” It’s a movie that feels so very meticulously calculated as a means of reforming Jennifer Lopez’s film career from drama and comedy star to action star. Sadly, Caro’s direction is flat in what is pretty much a run of the mill mix of action adventure and family drama. “The Mother” has a ton of potential behind it, and presents seeds of interesting ideas. It just all gets lost in a haze of sub-plots, all of which are under developed, or left dangling in the air without much fallout.

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