Thursday, May 29, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Film: So many flicks, so little time

Mercury Short Film Festival presents a packed program of diverse cinematic treats

By Anthony Allison

Get ready to grab the supersized popcorn--or plenty of energy bars. Because this Saturday, Sin City cinephiles will need plenty of stamina when the Mercury's inaugural Short Film Festival debuts at the Brenden 14 at the Palms.

Program Director Kai Murphy has put together a packed schedule of 33 films that offers something for practically every taste, from the opening selection of international award-winners to the four programs of films that are vying for awards at this event. Those prizes, judged by a panel of industry professionals, will be awarded in five categories (narrative, alternative, animation, documentary and music video), plus best local filmmaker, best of fest (the audience award) and a future filmmaker award offering $25,000 of in-kind services to help the winner shoot a new movie in Las Vegas. Tickets are $9 per program ($5 for kids under 12) or $40 for an all-day pass. Info: 224-5544.

Note: Though the Mercury's editorial staff enthusiastically supports this exciting innovation, we were not involved in organization, selection or judging. Any opinions expressed in the following descriptions are, therefore, truculently independent of the views of festival organizers.

Program guide

9 a.m.: Program 1--Festival Opening

Award-winning films, not in competition, chosen by David Russell of Big Film Shorts.

Toy Soldiers (7 min.) Jackie May, Canada, comedy. Plagued by a bad conscience following a childhood transgression, Al gets a chance to put things right. But what's harder to live with, guilt or redemption? With Al Rae, Matthew Mahaffy.

A Soldier's a Soldier (7 min.) Bonita Drake, Johan Bromander, Wales, drama. England 1940. A little girl finds a German paratrooper hanging from a tree. Is he the most evil man on the planet--or just a wounded dad longing for home? With Wil Rottgen, Bethan Mansfield.

Visit Sherman's Planet (5 min.) Mike Fisher, U.S., animation, comedy. A prime piece of extraterrestrial real estate will soon be the destination for interplanetary vacationers--if only the annoying native life forms can be cleared to make room for vacation homes.

So Many Women, So Little Hair (15 min.) Jon Rubin, U.S., documentary. A comic profile following Jon Rubin as he attempts to pick up attractive women on the streets of New York, random encounters Jon calls "at-bats," filmed with hidden cameras. A provocative look at attraction, dating and the pursuit of love.

The Moment of Accepting Life (7 min.) Bob MacLean, U.K., comedy. Three newcomers surprise St. Peter at the pearly gates: the victim of a terrible fridge accident, the perpetrator and a third guy--but why is he naked? With David Pearson, Peter Dombi, Roger Andrew.

Self Storage (17 min.) Peter Brown, U.S., comedic thriller. All is not what it seems when one man helps his friend move some boxes into storage--and friendly banter takes an unexpected turn. With Rainn Wilson, William Mapother, Catherine Kellner, Kyle Davis.

Journey Man (15 min.) Dictynna Hood, U.K., drama. An unusual reality-based fairy tale. The need to communicate and the shards of unexpected magic in Mohamed's experience come directly from interviews conducted with asylum seekers in the U.K. With Usifu Jalloh, Ruth Madoc, Ifan Huw Dafydd. (Capsule reviews above, courtesy of www.bigfilmshorts.com.)

11 a.m.: Program 2--Fresh Look I

Who Makes Your Reality? (8 min.) Chad Simmons, animation. "The truth can be a hard thing to swallow: You just have to know who's doing the cooking." A couch potato has an epiphany about his TV-fueled world view, in this social satire.

Retirement Rehearsal (24 min.) Anisha Pattanaik, dramedy. In an intriguing variation on the About Schmidt theme, actuary George Norton (Daamen Krall) finds an unorthodox way of coping with his post-retirement blues. With D. Ann Nadeau, Marija Thomas.

Untitled (18 min.) Roger Erik Tinch, satirical drama. The final twist makes up for stilted acting and dialogue in this ironic take on fraud in the art world. With Nathan Van Dyken, Wesley Gatbonton, Deon Doughty.

Native Americans of the Civil War (17 min.) Stan Armstrong, documentary. "The only thing that's new in this life is the history you don't know," says Vegas-based filmmaker Armstrong, about this extract from his upcoming film about Native Americans from both Confederate and Union sides.

You Came Along [Y llegaste tú] (3 min.) Angel Rivera, music video. An amateurish object lesson in how not to wow MTV execs. Take a quick bathroom break.

Kung Fu Dream (1 min.) Jake Bass, Thanos Panagiotaros, Victor Woodall, alternative. Our hero (Bass) falls asleep watching a Jackie Chan flick, then wakes to a living nightmare. Witty and (very) short.

Barry Goes to the Cabaret (12 min.) Leonardo Portillo, Franco Carranza (a.k.a. The Maldito Brothers), comedy. The eponymous naive student (Portillo) learns that "gentlemen's clubs" aren't for toffs in top hats. This Vegas-made parody mixes sophomoric humor, (silent movie) intertitles, silly sound effects and an evocative mariachi soundtrack. With Sarah Parlow, Chuck Akin.

1 p.m.: Program 3--For the Family

This Is Our Time (7 min.) Christopher Broughton, music video. Flamingo Hilton stalwart Gladys Knight gets psychedelic against eye-popping backgrounds.

One Dollar Difference (4 min.) Doug Shutte, drama. An overworked waitress (Darcy Mae Wright) learns an important lesson when a young customer (Dakota Whidden) orders ice cream. A heartwarming gem, inspired by an anonymous e-mail.

In Hot Pursuit (15 min.) Davah Avena, romance. Lonesome Latina Lupita Lopez battles a curse that prevents her finding her dream man, in this creaky comedy. With Darren Reiher, Eugenia Cross.

Horses on Mars (8 min.) Eric Anderson, animation. With trippy, computer-animated images, this cute tale of a microbe's incredible journey through space and time may elicit profound existential meditations.

Phoenix (19 min.) Steven Bordelon, sci-fi. A kid with telekinetic powers (Blake Neitzel) escapes a sinister research facility with help from a sympathetic janitor (Jason Alan Erickson). Striking visual and sound effects belie this atmospheric thriller's shoestring budget.

Essence of the Force (8 min.) Pat Kerby, sci-fi spoof. Marauders, led by the evil Mewey Maul (Steve Sharp), invade the peaceful planet Doozadu to steal the planet's most prized possession, which, fortunately, is protected by a powerful Jedi knight (Thomas Dupont). This witty parody of a certain, aging space opera showcases the best of Las Vegas' filmmaking talent, with superb stunts, makeup, costumes, sound and visual effects.

3 p.m.: Program 4--Something Different

Rattle (3 min.) Ed Chen, animation. A striking, monochrome meditation on envy, power and violence, from the cradle to the grave--and beyond.

Thor at the Bus Stop (13 min.) Mike and Jerry Thompson, comedy. The Nordic god of lightning (Jerry Thompson) encounters a little girl (Sabrina Marshall), a "white trash" punk (Mike Thompson) and a guy with a serious cone problem (John T. Woods) in this surreal, Sin City-shot romp.

Know Self (7 min.) Kevin Mason, alternative. A violent struggle between a boy and his inner self plays out in a head-scratchingly teasing, elliptical narrative. With Kyle Nelson, Grady Stebbins, Scotty D. Mason.

Perfect Sense (19 min.) Chris McInroy, satire. Trip out to this whimsical comedy about Dr. Albert Hofmann's accidental 1943 "invention" of LSD. With Sean Boyd (Hofmann), John T. Woods.

Hysteria (6 min.) Scott Michael, music video. It's the Rocky Rapper Chainsaw Show with motormouth hip-hop bellhop Bret Lucich and much ghoulish campness.

The Zombie Project (22 min.) Brian Mills, horror parody. College student Jennifer Christine and friends battle a living-dead army in the biology lab, in a cheesy B-movie spoof. With Glen Shelhamar, Rob Goodman, Rex Benson, Japheth Gordon, Gene Costa.

Barry's Last Hurrah! (15 min.) Franco Carranza, Leonardo Portillo, comedy. The hapless student (Portillo) learns the importance of being an organ donor in another episode of the Maldito Brothers' daffy series.

5 p.m.: Program 5--Fresh Look II

What Remains (15 min.) Curtis Schmitt, alternative. A grief-stricken artist/drifter (Evan Thomas) copes with loss by retreating into his art in a visual tone poem that teasingly mixes past and present, dream and reality. With Jennifer Laks, Verena Podack.

Bring Me Your Love (9 min.) David Hartstein, drama. "Let's not make a goddamn soap opera out of it," scowls a man (Ken Dresen) who faces accusations of infidelity when visiting his wife (Jennifer Matyear) in a psychiatric hospital. Intense acting and forthright dialogue mark this searing drama, based on a Charles Bukowski short story. With Anika Kunik.

Last Night (3 min.) Eddie Guerra, music video. Boy meets girl and, next morning, relives the gruesome aftermath, in a convoluted nightmare scenario.

Cliff's Notes: On Romance (13 min.) Christiaan B. Cecil, romantic comedy. Boy (Joey Grasso) endures awkward second date with girl (Charlene Amoia), who meets an old admirer (Jo Jo Wright), in too-cute dating romp.

Up (11 min.) Tracie Laymon, drama. Gaby George (Gwendolyn Hanson) struggles with her inability to communicate with her indifferent lover and cheapskate dad, and escapes through sexual fantasy to a more satisfying life. With Don Cass, Ross Alsavor, Annmarie Mignini.

Fueling the Fire (22 min.) Tanja Mairitsch, drama. A late-night murder is witnessed from three different points of view in this intriguing, Rashomon-style meditation on truth, prejudice and the vagaries of human perception. Co-written by Mairitsch and Jorg Ihle. With Amy Moon, Darrow Igus, Jessie Mae Holmes, Rachel Rogers, Alec Tokar, Marcus Fields.

7 p.m.: Awards Ceremony

Seven nightclub, 3724 Las Vegas Blvd. South (at Harmon Avenue)

Critic's choice

Though the program is peppered with remarkable gems, only the most assiduous festivalgoer can realistically enjoy a whole day of viewing without suffering Glazed Eye Syndrome. So here are a few unmissable treats:

Essence of the Force (Program 3, 1 p.m.) Don't tell mad king George. But this Vegas-made spoof is way more entertaining than anything Lucas has directed since 1977.

One Dollar Difference (Program 3, 1 p.m.) A small, simple parable that's sure to thaw the icy heart of the most jaded service-industry minimum-wage slave.

Fueling the Fire (Program 5, 5 p.m.) An alarming lesson about the reliability of eyewitnesses and the vital importance of video surveillance.--AA