independent – NZ Film Freak

My Lonely Me

My Lonely Me short film poster review

Written and directed by Joe Scott, who also wrote Tamla Rose.
Released: 2015
Production company: Ace Film
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A slightly abstract musical about a young woman uncovering mysteries of her childhood.

Reiga (Sabrina Dickens) is a music student suffering from flashbacks and hallucinations, particularly of a little girl. As the movie goes on, it gets darker and even rather creepy.

The little girl is Reiga’s younger self, who helps her uncover family secrets and come to terms with the tragedies of her past that she has mentally blocked out.

A fantastically lit, well-made feature-length film. I thought Sabrina Dickens was a believable actress whom I enjoyed watching.

Although I’m not a fan of musicals – usually because they get mellow-dramatic rather quickly – I found that the songs not only fitted in very well with the tone of the movie, but actually carried the story further. Particularly because the protagonist was experiencing surreal delusions, so the realism wasn’t broken when the actress began singing.

Despite the occasional shot hinting at the film’s low budget, I think it was a creative and an incredibly brave storyline that was pulled off well.

I think the only way this film could have been improved, would be to play around with the lighting a little, or even using simple in-camera tricks to highlight the creepiness and uneasiness of the situations.

Despite that, I think it is a great film with great songs. But I am particularly impressed with the continuity and set lighting. Even though there wasn’t a huge amount of creativity within the set design, the crew certainly stuck to what they know and do best. Limitations are an important thing to recognise on a low budget, and these guys used it to their advantage.

Check out their Facebook page and website: www.mylonelyme.me.uk

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

Sunshine (short film)

Director: Michael Tracy
Writers: Michael Tracy
Released: 2014
Starring: Rebecca Hanssen, Colin MacDougall and Julie Martis
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This is an independent short film by Scottish filmmaker Michael Tracy, who also wrote and produced it.

It’s a horror-drama, which, based on the trailer looks like it could certainly be a thrilling watch about an affair that has shocking a twist.

It is a struggle to make a film independently, so there are a lot of things you can forgive. However, it’s a shame the darkly-lit scenes were a tad grainy. If the filmmaker had shot it with more light and then put a dark filter over the scenes in post, I think the final product would have looked higher quality.

Judging purely by the trailer, the acting seems pretty top-notch though – making it pretty creepy and compelling!
I think the best thing independent filmmakers can do is keep cast members low, keep the sets few, and keep the production short. I think Sunshine has ticked the boxes there, so I think this short film has decent foundations to be a scary watch.

I haven’t seen the film, but I am certainly intrigued.

Jodie.

Check out their Facebook page, and trailer:

Pizza Shop

Director: George O’Barts
Writer: George O’Barts
Released: June 2013
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A “raunchy off-color comedy” is an accurate description of Pizza Shop – a cringe-worthy and slow-paced film.

To be fair, the director and writer of the show has said the film is aimed at the audience of immature males. Therefore, I am not the target audience!

An hour and a half of blatant toilet humour and crude content, possibly inspired by the fertile imagination of three teenagers. (At least I hope it wasn’t inspired by real life!)

I wanted to enjoy this movie but the set-ups were too long, the characters weren’t likable or relatable, and the camera work was static – or drifted from side to side indecisively on a dolly.

Wide shot after wide shot kept the viewer disconnected from the action, and the audio quality was poor. From room reverb to the occasional ‘hum’.

The acting wasn’t smooth, with the actors waiting for each other’s lines and occasionally breaking the fourth wall.

The dialogue explained every thought and action, nothing is left to the viewers’ imagination.

Unfortunately, not a film to be recommended unless you enjoy crude, filthy humour, and have insomnia

Good effort, though. Making a feature-length film requires a lot of dedication and enthusiasm. So kudos for the effort.

Jodie.

If you’re keen to have a look, you can buy Pizza Shop here

Check out their official site here

Book me to independently review your favourite song, music video or film here.

Beer & Seed (Indie film)

An independent film by Bill Cox.

Making a feature-length long film is not easy. The amount of organisation, preparation and dedication put into this independent film, Beer & Seed, does not go unnoticed.

Accomplishing all these things on a budget only makes it more difficult; the cast and crew deserve immense credit.

Beer & Seed is well shot, well lit and well framed. However, the acting is sometimes wooden which lets down the feel of the film somewhat.

Many of the characters are college students. who are portrayed as one broad stereotype; undedicated drug-taking drinkers. Although the opportunity for character development was skimmed over, it was comedic nevertheless.

The dark themes, the basic sets and the static shots created a stage-play look which worked well.
Although I do think a ‘mockumentary’ style would have done wonders – using the rough look of the filming to its absolute advantage.

Beer & Seed reflects a team of creative and dedicated filmmakers.

Quirky and entertaining, although certainly a ‘seedy’ storyline.

Worth a watch! Check them out at their website here or rent/purchase the film on Amazon.

Book me to independently review your favourite song, music video or film here.

Locked (Short Film)

I wondered what I was going to be watching when I first saw it actually…
This short film is about a man who calls a lock smith to get him out of a compromising situation.

It is tastefully done and leaves most of it to the imagination – making a bigger impact! The clever thing about the film is that it is based in one room with only two characters and no music, yet it still tells a convincing story.

It will be interesting to see the final cut, so that I could comment on the lighting and audio. But certainly a solid effort was put into acting a scripting with clear morals.

It’s an interesting concept made simple and entertaining – I’m very keen to see the final cut!

I was lucky enough to see the rough cut, but if you are keen to take a look, keep up to date with their progress on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/lockedmovie

Read up about their film here on IMDb.

Jodie.
Book me to review your favourite song, music video or film here.