Back for the third time with a Christmas special selection of the very best short films on the Coffee Shorts network, selected and mini-reviewed for Microfilmmaker Magazine every month! As part of the all pervading sense of Christmas wonderment we've thrown in a couple of bonus and totally unseasonal experimental film extras this month, and if that doesn't fulfill your short film fix then drop by Coffee Shorts for plenty more or have a browse of Microfilmmaker Magazine's own short film archive.
Kicking us off this month is this incredible and award-winning low budget short film homage to everything that is the modern zombie movie. A minor hit on YouTube, with just £1000 and a miniDV camera filmmakers David J Ellison and Mark Cripps of Far Atlantic Pictures in the UK have created a classic horror/thriller/slasher any Hollywood director would be proud of.
We follow a vengeful British cop called Jon Vincent through a dark urban London nightmare of gloomy alleyways and deserted train stations, peppered with deranged half-human cannibal zombies/plague-victims/bad guys armed with a variety of brutal weapons that Vincent has to battle his way through, determined to enact revenge for the loss of his family; as with most great short films though, there's something unexpected lurking in the last few scenes.
This is something of a triumph in visual style with a tiny budget and average camera looking pretty much as good as anything you'll get on the big screen. Every location, set up and battle is carefully planned and executed so you never get that "loss-of-belief" moment so common when indie's try and sever limbs or enact gory deaths on-screen; this is fluid and believable and beautifully produced, directed, shot and cut. The acting is solid and whilst all of it feels vaguely familiar influences are proudly worn on the sleeve with shades of Resident Evil, 28 Days Later and even the good old Texas Chainsaw Massacre getting it's nod.
The Insane is a classic example of how simple and available tools really can bring exceptional results if the craftsmen know what they're doing, are passionate about it and prepared to put in hours and hours and hours of hard work; let us all never blame the camera/budget/NLE again!
Coffee rating: 9/10
Notes: Indie goes Hollywood horror; inspiringly good horror filmmaking
If you've been following this section you saw a film noir styled trailer for this one last month; yet another no budget short from a very young British team (Crestfallen Productions) that really doesn't compromise on ambition because of the lack of finances.
Shot just after the team had left university this is an impressive debut piece that mixes up a big bag of classic film influences with a refreshingly odd storyline and delivers them through the eyes of the home video obsessed central character, with increasing regularity as the situation he finds himself in increasingly calls for some form of escape. Both the lead and supporting cast deliver comfortable and confident natural performances, remarkably silent throughout although you would never realise it until you reflect back later.
Technically it's good all round, well shot, cut and coloured the first half feels marginally too slow at times but the second half pick up in pace more than makes up for it. Complimented by a really strong soundtrack from a bunch of independent British musicians the entire project seeps indie-underground from every pore without ever disappearing over the precipice of outright weird; based loosely on an unusual but true story the filmmaking reflects that with unlikely situations and circumstances made believable and engrossing.
This is strong, creative, dramatic and black comedy tinged storytelling which rises far above what you would expect from a debut short and promising something really spectacular coming down the line from this York based team.
Coffee rating: 7/10
Notes: Impressive, ambitious and engrossing all-round filmmaking
