shenmansell
3 Entries and 70 Reviews
Entries
Reviews
Debbie Danglebeef's Revenge
I liked the yarn conspiracy web Go bigger and bolder! Attempting ever more outrageous ideas will make your failures more wonderfully Z grade! I was left wanting to know more... Who was the killer? Why did he hate women? Kudos for creating a movie that caught my interest
Last Christmas
Beautiful camera & sound & acting Wilhelm scream felt a bit forced Nice comic relief with the other 2 Santas.
The Claire Witch Project
Enjoyed the mockumentary style. Good humor, liked the unicorn typing up the document I got a bit lost at the ending. What was the takeaway/moral supposed to be? The costumes were in the sweet spot so they didn't look too cheap or too try hard.
Smiling
Film was let down due to editing on a low brightness / contrast monitor. All the outside the spotlight areas looked inky black.
On a newish TV, the outside areas are clearly seen, revealing a lot of abruptly cut off jpgs and things thought to be hidden (invisible??)
In summary, best viewed on a cheap cellphone, as the editor intended.
Promotion Road
Fantastic, really leaned into the gross factor, and got a lot of laughs from it I got a bit confused about the plot at the start I really liked the bloopers at the end
Mary's Descent
Great location, camera work , and score The dialogue gets plenty of room to breathe, and the actors get to act. I like how it doesn't go for the full 5 minutes! The scream at the end is a bit jarring, it doesn't fit in with the rest of the film somehow. Maybe a bit too loud, or the guy doesn't seem like a Wilhelm screamer? I like the differing pace of the two intermingling stories.
Split Sibling Decision
Best cinematography of the night imo. The voices in his head were a little bit hard to hear.
Claws and Effect
Loved the computer generated backgrounds Good ramping up the intensity. I would have liked to see something at the end to wrap it all up in a bow or make a final forceful point.
Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
This is what hp 48 hours is all about for me. Had a little taste of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and a little bit of Killer klowns from outer space Loved the puddle scene.
CUT
Great ULTRA film, made good use of the split screen, mixing it up and keeping it fresh Good humor throughout Easy to follow plot and nicely paced. A+ effort
Wrong Target
Good to see a team going balls to the wall. I was surprised that the first 3 heats didn't have more films like this. I thought the energy got to 8 or 9, pushing it to the limit is fantastic, but save some for the end for a final blast! Not sure what the ending meant with the pointing to the head and the mouth. Thing in the top of the head killing effect was used like 3 times! Good shot with the dagger in the back of the head, and the human dog. This film is the embodiment of what I want from 48 hours.
Lifeboy
Beautifully shot and edited. I particularly liked the WHOOMP effect / zoom during the teleports.
Clock - the second hand
The dark man was an interesting evil villain. Enjoyed the dance scene at the end. Wonderful dedication to using the full 5 minutes!
Trap
The camera work for the mouse did a good job of creating and conveying character via movements. The gratuitous rack focus between the cheese and the poison got a laugh from me. The ending opened more questions for me than it answered Well told story with minimal talking. Show not tell at its finest.
Not Again
Some wonderful eyebrow and facial expressions on the lead actor, NZ's answer to Jeremy Piven. Incredible location shots! The plot was the weakest link, because the rest was all such high caliber. Liked the understated effects for the abductions and aliens. Fantastic silhouette work for the 2nd abduction
Perpetual Pause
I especially like the guy frozen looking down at his paper with the weird face. A few actors moving that could have been replaced with a still frame overlay. Good idea, and well shot. You told a story and the characters were different at the end.
The Immortal
Thumbs up, good work. Props for going under the full 5 minutes. Cool lighting and nighttime effects.
I would have liked more action and less talking
Title with the font and the eye looked bad-ass, and I loved the super hero genre tied into the historical setting
A Time and a Place
Good concept. Princess had a legitimate gripe, I thought, since she would have come from a situation of extreme privilege. What was her life now? That might have helped hammer home the disparity. Why did she come around in the end? Because the councilor was a traveler too? I would have liked to see the characters butt heads more, or see their struggles in the current time, like ug & the eggs.
Let Them Air Dry
The guy rapping in the full room scene was hardcore. Dialogue in some scenes was hard to make out. I liked the bonus scene with the dog at the end.
Rookies
Good sound and music. Plot was straightforward. I would have liked to see a bit more heart, or sass, or struggle. Excellent camera and drone work, looked like a professional commercial.
Guess Who?
Loved the bleep on "he doesn't have a bleep fucking chance" I think there was a joke where he asked "Does he have brown hair?", and then couldn't work out which people to cross off. This could have been done a bit more deliberately to help people understand the joke and sell it. ie. close up of the board, his hand going over some, wavering, close off some of the wrong ones. Little girl was funny and well used
ESP
A touching film about alienation. Really liked the editing in the dinner scene, it gave a great sense of building tension and anxiety. It could be a good awareness raising video, it just needs a little informational splash screen at the end.
The Delivery
Great special effects. Good humor. I was left unsure about why was the Charlie Flowers in the house angry at the delivery Charlie Flowers - surely they are on the same team? Overall - Bravo!!!
Unbe-weeb-able
Liked the scenes with the pillow, the sword and apple, and the anime special effects. Loved the end scene with the blocking on social media.
Uber Cyborg 2.0
Wonderful action-packed short. Would have liked the action to be a little more hands on or visceral. Ended fast and left me wanting more. End credit fx were amazing.
Last Day for Stan
Fun light fare. The continuity errors with the check marks disappearing bugged me. Loved the alien gloves and the teleportation shot.
Shank'd
Top notch satire. Why did all the shows have the same graphics design for their title cards?
Knitting, Crotchet & Embroidery
Liked the sometimes hamfisted writing + main character Puppet was funny Some good jokes in there
Yarn Bombers
Loved the look of pain and sadness on the lead detectives face after the bombers got away behind the tram. The playful, caring vibe of the bombers contrasted nicely with the anger and seriousness of the cops. Nice scene where the bombers cover the detective.
One More Time(s)
Actor has plenty of on camera presence Not the strongest use of genre. Loved the shot with the "How to build" document, where she was typing in dfgdfgdffgdgdgdgdgd
K9 Catastrophe
The lead actress got good laughs, and a great performance by the dog. A simple story, and told well. I got a bit confused at the end when she ran after the "cat", did she get hit by a car or something?
END
Had a tense, sad vibe, by design. The acting did a good job of backing up the script. It kept me interested and guessing. While watching I thought the woman was already dead somehow.
The Stile
Great acting by the lead. The team shot lowered the tone a bit. Loved the twist at the end.
Glitchers
Good use of the horror genre. I would have liked to see a bit more about the why or how of the glitcher sisters. I liked the knife in the neck kill.
Hunt for the Woolderperson
Sniff detective was funny Start of chase was funny "flee and with haste" Good videography, some nice shots.