Some AFI Dallas Short Films Part 2

Reviews By Shane Morton

The Lutheran

Directed By Brad Bosley

A minister that has lost faith.  This could be a doc or a drama.  But, in the capable hands of Brad Bosley, The Lutheran is a laugh riot!  From the beginning sermon of this film, you  realize that you are watching a minister losing it.  Kids are being kidnapped from his neighborhood and congregation and he is at an end looking for answers.  When he tries to help an abused child he becomes the prime suspect.  This film will get a lot of festival play because it is so good.  Well acted and wonderfully directed.

Rock Pockets

Directed By Trevor Anderson

Rock Pocket’s is a fun little film about being at the fair and watching all the head bangers (hard rock people) walk around. It is the reminiscence of a ten year old boy and how he made his childhood fantasy come true as an adult. A cute gay film about making dreams come true! Well shot and paced.  You truly feel like you are a spectator to the events unfolding.  A great narrative voice over.  I really like this film!  It has been making the festival rounds for the last year!  We saw this at Frameline, Outfest and AFI-LA.

Sharp Teeth VII

Directed By Limbert Fabian

The voice over in this wonderfully animated piece is read by the author himself.  This short feels like it is a chapter of a larger piece.  The animation is edgy and feels like you are seeing something new.  A beautifully made film, and one day I hope to see this as it is meant to be, a feature.

Song Of Slomon

Directed By Emmanuel Shirinian

Our correspondent Kiyomi Emi got to see this before she conducted an interview for the film and she loved it!  She talked about it all day, even.  A Rabbi gets a pop tune caught in his head and hilarity ensues.  A beautifully made film, and a great pop tune!

Spider

Directed By Nash Edgerton

It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye. This short won the audience award at AFI.  It is a fantastic film that keeps the tension building all the way to the horrific end.  A couple are traveling in a car and having an argument.  While getting gas the man buys flowers and a surprise.  Meant to put a laugh into the situation, but instead leads to terror.  Nash Edgerton is a fantastic filmmaker and I cannot wait to see what else he has waiting for us!

What Do We Want, When Do We Want It

Directed By Alex Jablonski

A letter written by a monk in Kentucky about war and struggle combined with footage from a peace march in 07 explores the reasons people march and protest peacefully.  This is a highly stylized film and creates an intriguing landscape for the letter in the voice over.  This is a really short film that gets its point across peacefully.  Well made and a nice treaty for peace.