Lockey
103 Reviews
Reviews
The Dagger
Honestly loved watching this - it was so great that you guys threw yourself in and just went all out on a massive story, with costuming and fight scenes and horses, all set outside. Obviously it was all a bit too much and the production quality/editing wasn't there - but I loved that you just went for it. I would just simplify your story next time, and maybe try for something shorter but nailing the basics.
Sound Sleep
Was gutted you didn't get a top 3 spot at the city final, I had my bets on you taking it out! Loved the classic Traces of Nut twist ending (much like you did in 'The Sleeping Plot'). It felt like a film that had been made in a much longer period. The sound design and music was brilliant, as was the editing and cinematography. The final scene was so tragic, considering the reveal (which I wont spoil). Best of luck with the nationals, let's hope you pick up some more attention!
Passing Lane
Stunning cinematography and a perfect example of a contained story done well - everyone in the team should feel proud :)
Fathers love toast
Definitely turned into an audience pleaser once the main gags started coming through. It was a little bit one joke and might have been stronger if the tone had shifted, or if something unexpected happened with the dead body - rather than just playing similar jokes one after each other. Overall though some pretty good acting, and a good sense of comedy throughout!
Unforgettable Date
Loved how quickly and effortlessly you set-up the time travel aspect, and then just let characters do the work from there. Had lots of great humour, and the ending had everyone laughing pretty hard.
Engaged
Looked and sounded great. My only grip was that the urinal storyline/joke ran a little long, and started feeling repetitive.
Kevin
The basic premise was good but needed a stronger performance from the lead to really nail it. A more likeable puppet design would also have gone a long way towards making the audience feel something by the ending. Pretty decent cinematography and technical skills throughout.
The Last Cuppa
Fresh take on the pending-apocalypse, with the character acting super blasé about it all. Some nice dialogue too. Some higher production values and a bit more variety in the shots could have bumped this up.
Pixel Dream Girl
Pretty excellent animation and great use of the split screen - keeping it simple and yet super relevant to the story was a great choice. Always look forward to your animations each year!
Hide and Seek
You have a good understanding of story and structure, but the film was let down by not being particularly believable. The mother didn't show enough urgency or worry, nor did the neighbour. I guess you nailed the 'thoughtless' nature of the mum though, because how could she have gotten that far out of the park without checking the four kids were with her.. It also didn't seem plausible for her to have that kind of money stashed in a few ornaments around the home (but i'm guessing I missed something in a line of dialogue to explain that - I know she mentioned something about a ****ing business, but I don't really know what that was referring to). It felt like the film was confused between being serious and being a comedy, and the result was that I didn't feel much in either direction.
Parallel
Pretty beautiful cinematography throughout - really loved the lighting and colour. The music was great too - awesome to tackle musical even when you didn't have to! I will admit I got a little bit lost on some of the story details through the middle and wish it was a tad louder so that the music had a bit more energy.
Baking Bad
Good on you for having a go at a difficult genre, and actually doing some singing. Store-wise, your characters and plot didn't feel age appropriate. You're clearly a high school team, so you might as well make a story that involves high school aged characters.
I am ball.
I weirdly find myself awake at night with a weird impulsion to re-watch your film. Having also animated our film this year in AE, I did in fact appreciate all the puppet tool work! The film felt complete and cohesive, despite the vast array of imagery, so congrats on making it work!
Rift
Definitely appreciated your attempt to create a serious, script driven film. Unfortunately I personally didn't really connect with the characters, so the dialogue heavy scenes became a little tedious. The cinematography for the most part was pretty good, and the editing/effects worked very well. As others have said, find the balance between dialogue and visual story telling, and you will do well in the future!
Toasted
Reminded me of the film "Rubber" (perhaps that was an inspiration?). I actually was hoping the film would have ended right after the first murder, after the 'toasted' title came on screen. It would have made a brilliant, 1minute film. In saying that, the overall narrative arc worked well, and there was good costuming and characters throughout. Also love the practical effects :)
Rubble
The initial set-up of the earthquakes did have me a little scared for the characters, but the humour used throughout the short seemed to dull down what could have been a very terrifying and close-to-home story. I liked that you tried to take a different, more subtle slant on the horror/splatter genre though. Of course, it was technically solid and looked amazing, as we are coming to expect from Noise and Pictures.
The Wind in your Heart
This was genius - loved it from beginning to end. Loved that you weren't taking life too seriously, a tonne of classic Wellington wind gags, some vfx that were so terrible they were amazing, lion king references... what more can you want?! Hope you make it to the finals!
Noah
Nice and simple premise, and a decent modern adaptation of the whole Noah story. Though I did predict from the beginning that it was going to be a petting zoo rather than an arc, so I was a little let down by the expected ending. In saying that, your main actors performed well, and managed to keep it funny and interesting. I also liked how the weather went from raining to sunny within a few seconds ;)
Just Don't Die
One of my favorite in the heat! You nailed your genre, were un-apologetically silly, and had some pretty good laugh-out-loud moments! The number plate gag was genius... and I felt bad for the kids in the audience who might not have been expecting this...
Followed
One of my favorites in the heat! The two lead characters were great comedic actors, and the humour throughout was great. Loved the random golf bag and awkward walks off screen to fetch items :D
Normies
Super energetic and fun, loved the graphics and music. Nailed the punk genre and clearly enjoyed making it. Hoping to see you go further in the comp!
Henry's 21st
This was stunning - loved the style and the overall concept. Was really enjoying how it felt like we as an audience were being tested by the experimental tape and kinda felt like it didn’t need the ending with the family (though I see how that ties it into the genre). Great editing, visuals and sound.
Girl with Fig
Definite contender for cinematography - the whole production felt really high quality. Similar to others, I was totally engaged for the first half, but things got a little bit loose trying to tie the story up at the end.
Jack & Joni
A really good story, with likable characters and a good sense of comedy (as per usual!). The only thing that felt a bit underwhelming was the dialogue/sound in general feeling kind of low - without it, some of the usual energy that we've come to expect from Moffilaide films was missing. Some pretty amazing VFX throughout the film too!
Red River
This was brilliant - saw it at the city final and was sure you would take out the win! Congrats on second place regardless! Really great cringe comedy, great acting, direction and production design - just all round an awesome little film. Can't wait to see what you make next year!
Wool Rush
I was initially jarred by the young actor playing a grandma but I quickly got over it as the rest of your film played up the ridiculousness. It was a great play on the real time genre, and had some hilarious comedic moments. I loved the abruptness of the ending.
Princess
Loved the illustration and animation style, sort of abstract and surrealist! Totally refreshing kind of film to see in the heats, and awesome to see you doing something unique!
The Crow Jewels
Love the unique illustration/animation style - definitely not what people expect during 48 hours! Nice work getting so many shots done too. I felt like i didn't quite connect with the London-ness of it all, but I appreciated how unique it was.
Morgan "Fly Boy" Foster
The aerial footage wasn't quite enough to claim this film was a musical/dance film. I found the main actor pretty charismatic, but you definitely could have used some refinement in the editing - too many long pauses and messy cuts. Nice shots though in the sky.
Behind the frontman
The locations/set design was very believable for your genre, and there were some good moments of acting throughout. Unfortunately a lot of the jokes fell a little flat.
Panic planet
I loved your film last year, and this one was just as awesome! I think you stepped up your game, and produced some awesome, crazy, weird, bizarre stuff! I'm guessing you ran out of time to finish the last section, or some technical problem happened... but regardless, the film was super fun and impressive to watch!
The Portable Pizza Predicament
Really solid idea, and great execution! Nailed the sci-fi genre, had a clear story and good humour.
DOUBLE TALK
Woah the cinematography here was second to none - literally felt like watching a pretty polished feature film for the most part. Epic opening shot. Was helped slightly by the Bali location, though would have been nice to see a bit more outside as a good chunk of this occurred in a hotel room. Kinda lucky you drew Holiday as a genre right?? To be totally honest, I didn't follow the story and didn't quite get the ending...
Sweet Child Of Time
Is there an Incredibly Strange award again this year? You guys definitely will be a contender! Always great to watch an animation where you can tell the creators are having fun making it - and who are not afraid to push the audience to weird and wonderful places. Some really genius humour throughout - the robot tipping to get back in the spaceship was perfect! There was also a tone of animation produced (despite the deceptively simple style), which is never easy in 48 Hours.
Is it brilliance?
Some good consideration of composition and visual humour, and your actors clearly put a lot of effort in. Those lunges looked tiring. Considering the film was largely one big montage, i think you really could have tightened the edit, and made the pace a lot snappier. The story got a little lost somewhere, so worth focusing a little more on how you explain things to the audience for the future.
Wings of Fate
Loved the silliness, and the way you owned the low budgetness of the VFX, and that you tried something that was unique!
One Is The Loneliest Number
Cinematography was on point, and the opening scene was really well done. To be honest, I got bored through the montages that made up the chunk of the film, and ended up skipping through it a little.
Great Mysteries of Natural History
Really enjoyed your film and it was clear that you had heaps of fun making it. I loved your sense of comedy and 'Placeholdersaurus' is definitely the best dinosaur name ever.
#apocalypse2k15
The film could probably have started in the car-park, the international shots just felt a bit indulgent and unnecessary. I honestly found the lead character a little too annoying to care about her at the end of the film, and was hoping for a big twist or something unique to make it all worth it. In saying that, the film was shot really well, had good sound, good music and great locations.
The Tender Grace
It was clear that you guys have a super talented team. The cinematography, costuming, acting and location were all super impressive. Unfortunately, I really struggled to hear what the actors were saying and as a result, found it hard to follow the plot.
Safety On The Hand Job
This got a great reaction in the heat and was super fun to watch. Clever little concept, and had a well rounded story structure. That elongated kiss scene was pretty disgusting hahaha.
Are you ready Eddie?
Really loved this one - was nicely shot, had great performances and a simple story that built over time, with a great ending. The jokes landed and it felt like you guys had fun making it!
Bird & Bee
Really really enjoyed this in the screening room. Loved the use of stopmotion - not often used in 48 hours! Really liked how you showed the bee's story in a long one take with a lot of clever transitions - deserves a lot of respect! I reckon it could have even been nice to restrict the bedroom scene to just the top down view - the lighting was super nice and it would have been cool to see the story play it in essentially two long 'shots'. Narration felt slightly low quality in terms of the recording, maybe a new mic for next year?
Bread Actually
The story was great, and progressed at a good pace. The jokes generally worked well. Felt it was let down a little in the cinematography and editing, but the story held strong enough to keep me to the end.
The Unravelling
This was awesome - the main characters mind-blank montage was a perfect commentary on all the weird psychological problems that detectives have in these types of films/tv shows/real life. Super funny and self-reflective and a perfect ending sentence that acknowledged all the ridiculousness.
Particularly Unusual Bedtime Stories
Loved the character animations, they were subtle and pretty organic looking. Also loved the mixed media approach and great compositing. I thought perhaps the story could have been shortened a little, as some parts dragged on.
Beaten to the Punch
Your lead actor generated the perfect amount of likeability and pitty. I wasn't totally buying the 'cat and mouse' nature of film though. It could possibly have been made stronger by properly introducing the antagonist character, rather than jumping straight into having him annoy the lead.
A Dinner For Sinners
Had great potential but fell a little bit flat in terms of the acting. Cool to see an interesting style, and some experimentation being done in terms of the lighting and camerawork.
Noise Control
Clever way to attack the musical genre - was overall pretty fun and entertaining. Felt slightly one joke - but had a pretty good well rounded story.
Pallo
Really impressed with the detail put into the animation, and the huge amount of shots that you had to pull off. It felt a little bit like style over story at some points, and the edit could probably have been a little shorter, but overall it was a really good achievement for 48hours (or however long it took, if the reason you were disqualified was for being late!).
Entropy
Beautiful character design and animation! I thought the story was simple and well executed. I agree with others that the voice acting could have been produced slightly better, not just for clarity but also to give the cute dinosaurs more of the personality they deserve. I also felt the ending could have used a little more punch - maybe in the music/sound design, as it felt like the film just trailed off. Also extra star for having my favourite team intro so far from all the films I've watched :)
Clean Getaway
Beautifully shot, great acting, great editing, perfectly contained storyline, great costuming, great locations, great practical effects. My favourite film so far this year from the competition. Auckland must be strong for you not to be a finalist!
Indelible
As per usual, the cinematography was pretty stunning, and there was some really good performances throughout. The film picked up nicely from where Irrevocable took off - the music, the tone, the camerawork, everything felt like it was from the same world and made with the same level of production. I think the story got a bit lost in the editing and and some sound level issues pulled me out of the film a few times.
Organic Matter
Brilliant story and your ensemble case was great together. Some awkward camera angles/editing in places, and a few sound issues. Loved the end scene, but wished you'd cut before the long, slow motion shot, which kind of drained the mood. Not sure the drone shots were necessary.
Sims 3 Generation Expansion Pack
This felt like exactly what 48 hours is about - you clearly had fun making your film, the actors were even laughing at it throughout - and the audience was fully along for the ride. Hope this makes it further into the comp, was super fun to watch! Loved the cheesy camerawork too.
Bro
This was another nicely restrained story, set entirely in car. The general comedy of the 'Bro' dialogue worked pretty well and the third character's monologue was perfectly surreal and contrasted nicely with the other characters. My only gripe is that the main 'Bro' conversation felt like a ran a tad long.
The Drop
This was great. You used split screen perfectly - it was easy to follow and you knew where to look when you needed to, and then other times it allowed you to enjoy looking around and learning more detail, without ever loosing sense of the overall story. Some really solid bits of animation in there, specially some of those falling shots! Agree with some others around needing a little more variety in the facial expressions, but in saying that - the dude smiling the whole time totally played up the lie he was trying to keep up with his wife... Really impressed - must be tough in Auckland... reckon this would have had a shot at the finals in another city!
Musical Inception
Although the production value was low, and the songs a little rough, I still found this film entertaining to watch. It's nice to see a family making a film together for the weekend, and enjoying it! I appreciated the digs you took at generic musicals through the scripting. It might pay next time to work a little on the camera angles. You had a lot of straight on shots of your actors talking, when it might better have suited some over-the-shoulder shots etc.
CRACKED
Great idea for a contained and simple story line. Production values could have been better, and the character design of the eggs could have been developed more to give a better sense of personality to the different characters. To me, it felt more like a comedy, with a couple of songs added, rather than a musical.
The Painter
Awesome set-design, costuming and music. The opening was great, and there was some great moments of tension throughout. I liked the general premise but I felt like there was missing motivation for why the possessed painting wanted to do what it did - maybe a second viewing will make that clearer though.
Unravelled
Loved how restrained you were with building a story out of a very small premise, in one location, with really strong characters. The tension was perfect, as was the sound design and cinematography. I felt like the one scene away from the main location felt random, and I don't quite understand what it meant... I also got a bit lost with the ending, as to what exactly was the purpose of it all... In saying that, I have a feeling if i watched it again it might become clearer and everything about the film makes me want to see it again and figure it out!
Y2K
So sad this was disqualified! I loved the style of your film last year, and I was so happy to see you carried a similar feeling through to this year! The wide angle lenses, the intense acting, pacy editing, absurd comedy - it's all so good! Both actresses did a fantastic job too, and the overall story premise was perfectly simple, and executed without many flaws!
Barbara and Harper's Tea Party
Didn't predict the twist at the end, so it was a great attempt at the 'shock ending' genre. Some good acting in places, but some further editing might help to mask some of the more forced moments. To really nail the unsettled/scary feel during the middle section, you might have benefited from more dramatic lighting, rather than the flat, room lighting. Overall, the story made sense, and held my attention. Good job!
Follow Her
Really high production values, and some pretty fancy looking night shots! Some great tension was built, but it all ended a bit abruptly and didn't quite give justice to all the great build up. Kept me engaged the whole time though, and lots of respect for what must have been a pretty tricky shoot in the forest!
Hattie Hatpin
Love the use of stop-motion, and the stylized approach you took! The story took a nice twist half way through, and was engaging throughout. I think a slightly higher level of animation would have really made it stand out (but hey, it's 48 hours, who has time for that?!?)