Posts Tagged ‘student films’

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This is a gem. No pun intended because it actually has a gem in it. That’s just a co-incidence.

We all have our own personal peeves and preferences. I for one am always pleased to hear the phrase “It’s the rozzers”. This animation does not disappoint. Especially since it follows up with “step on it!”. It’s all part of the general retro vibe, from the cannonball heads of the gangsters to the domed helmets worn by the police. It’s Ealing comedy meets 70s cop show wrapped up in a Saturday morning cartoon. This is the sort of thing I would like to watch over a bowl of cornflakes, that’s if the postie hasn’t stolen my milk.

The minimal scribbly drawing and hand colouring is full of character and there’s enough going on to keep you entertained.

I did wonder momentarily whether Director Rob Zywietz was harbouring some secret loathing for postal workers until I realized everyone depicted in this short is pretty useless, from the dim witted police to the incompetent gangsters. Either way, this is fun, it has real pace, it even has a convincingly action-packed chase, helped along by Paul Harrison’s jazzy cop show music. It’s cleverly put together and feels oddly satisfying. Like I said, a gem.

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I’ve been fighting the urge to say, “what’s with all the quotation marks, Joe?” …I lost.

I don’t know what you think about crabs. Not crabs the parasitic insect species and notorious groin infestation. No, crabs the decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura. Yeah those! Real crabs are creepy, they scuttle sideways and have too many legs. Luckily cartoon crabs are cute. This one is anyway. “Jack” shows a lot of character as he takes us through this unexpected sub-aquatic retelling of children’s classic Jack and The Beanstalk. “Jack” turns out to be a bit of a bad-ass, pirate-botherer and crusading crustacean for consumer rights. Although for some reason he sounds like Mickey mouse.

The film was produced in 24 hours by Joseph Daniels and Jedidiah Mitchell and their crack team of volunteer animators. If this is all too much for you, go check out Unnecessary Quotes, which will leave you with a nice, comforting feeling of smugness.

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What makes people laugh out loud? What triggers that physical reaction? Is it joy?Relief? Surprise?

Whatever it is, The Birdwatcher has it.

I didn’t want to like this film, and I’m still not sure I do. There’s something a little bit uneasy about it, something in the strange muted colours, awkward cut out characters and incessant crowing that makes you recoil. Looking through the watcher’s binoculars makes you feel both claustrophobic, responsible for what is happening, and queasy.

And yet somehow I couldn’t stop watching. I was moved, I was annoyed, I winced, and, yes, in spite of myself, I laughed out loud. Several times. While cringing. More than the plot, it was graduating student Ross Phillips‘ directorial skills which surprised me. There are odd touches of brilliance, in the movement of the worm as he’s pulled between two birds, or the careful timing of the crows going about their ghastly business. ‘Don’t assume you know what you’re watching’, he seems to whisper. I will listen.

The Birdwatcher was one of our fist submissions to the Toon Boom competition. Keep ‘em coming!

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Some days, things just don’t work out the way you want them to. Say you’re an alien, and you shoot lasers out of your eye, and you’re feeling pretty smug about it. Say another alien comes along, and HE can shoot lasers out of his eyes, and this is getting in the way of you taking over a planet. You’d be pretty bummed out, right?

Well, bummed out is how I feel.
I’ve been writing this review all morning.  I’ve  griped about the “overbearing music”, while admiring the “quirky and convincing character design”. I’ve used phrases like “economic but sophisticated”, “tactile plasticity”, and “fine sense of timing and rhythm”.

All true, all ridiculous.

So, let’s make this simple:
Sean Mullen and Ben Harper , two students at the Irish School of Animation, have sent us this very good, inventive little film.

It has aliens in it. They shoot lasers out of their eyes. It looks ace. Watch it now.