Tag Archives: sundance

Chinese Penhold (short film)

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Directed by: Gabriel Sunday
Written by: Steve Sanders and Gabriel Sunday

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What a glorious film.

Chinese Penhold premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

I thoroughly enjoyed this five minute gem. In the opening scenes it reminded me of the film Peaceful Warrior. Certainly carrying similar themes of self-competition and distractions in life.

It follows a man Jake Scribner (Jake Miller) whose underlying passion for competition clashes with his girlfriend who isn’t the nicest of people.

Finding himself in a worn-out flat at a grotty party, he plays an intense game of ping-pong. He fights against his inner voice, his distracting girlfriend and struggling to stay focussed on the game at play.

I loved the parallel storyline of the white dog and what he represents. There is so much symbolism and so much thought gone into the use of colour, lighting and a fantastic amount of time put into the editing.

In my eyes,  at least one of the morals of this story is: to stay in the game and don’t over-think it. In other words, fight for what is important to you, don’t let anyone stop you, but don’t take it all too seriously, because you’ll overlook the point of it.

(Although I’m sure I’ve barely scratched the surface of unpacking this film).

I really enjoyed this short film. A lot of work and effort has clearly gone into the storyline despite the lack of dialogue.

A delightful watch!

Jodie.

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

The Louise Log (web series)

L_to_R_Morgan_Hallett__Joseph_Franchini__Danusia_Trevino__Everett_Quinton_PHOTO_by_Karen_SandersonI watched Episode 2, Series 3:

After reading a bit about the background, I found the short-and-sweet episodes to be easily digestible.

It is a popular underground web-series about a New York woman surrounded by ‘crackpot relatives’.

The episode I watched was quirky and weird, but almost to the point of being cringe-worthy. The characters were theatrical and outrageous – certainly made for the stage.

It is, however, created by several accomplished writers, directors and actors, particularly with Sundance Film Competitions on their CV.

Morgan_Hallett_as_LouiseAlthough this webcom is not my cup of tea, I can  appreciate the amount of work that must go into these weekly episodes. What dedication to make it to their third season of the show, raising over $20,000 to fund it! Plus, the bravery and perfectionism they have to change the actor playing the main character three times during the series.

A very specific kind of humour which I may be missing because of my lack of American culture. But worth a look!

Jodie.

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