The Slamdance Film Festival runs Digitally and In-Person from January 19th to January 28th.
Short, sweet and to the point, Abby Falvo‘s silent horror comedy is a slick and funny tale about what happens when you mess around and find out. Originally filmed in a “One Take Super 8” event as part of the 2022 WNDX Festival of Moving Image in Winnipeg, the premise for “*666” is deceptively simple. It’s the tale of two women using a pentagram to contact a demon.
Director Luis Grane’s short experimental animated film is a genuinely unnerving albeit creative narrative that revels in its randomness. As with most of these kinds of shorts, “Nowhere Stream” is an existentialist computer animated nightmare that ponders on life on the internet as opposed to life in reality.
Dylan Tuccillo’s short drama is not what I expected it to be and that might be its best weapon. It’s a movie about marriage, and regret, and ultimately the lengths some of us will go through to correct what we think is the right course. Director Tuccillo really is great at catching the audience off guard, setting down on a normal hectic marriage one day where a trio of friends is bouncing back and forth with Josh, the best man trying to smooth things over between the bride and groom.
Director Alfredo Tanaka’s short film is more about the experience and technical prowess he presents than about the narrative. The narrative, to its credit, feels a lot like some kind of contemporary folklore that breaches the ideas about tragic love and living up to the wealthy and elite. “Marie” is a weird and absolutely bizarre movie, but one that works well thanks to the pretty great direction, top notch editing, and just bang up make up effects.
In 2013, pop music artist Robin Thicke released a massive hit song alongside music producer Pharrell called “Blurred Lines.” The song became almost iconic, but it also instantly became infamous. Robin Thicke was accused of stealing the tune to Marvin Gaye’s “Gotta Give it Up” by Gaye’s family estate. Despite their initial denial, Robin Thicke and Williams were taken to court and forced testify, leading to a startling musical precedent that also ruined Robin Thicke’s career momentum.
Oliver Murray’s “Now and Then” is not only a testament to the continued unending popularity of the Beatles, but to the genius that technology is capable of. In a year where AI has officially stirred up a humongous debate among artists, “Now and Then” is a great exploration of how Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr implemented groundbreaking technology to produce one last outing with their dearly departed friend John Lennon.
