tim.diddle

No Strings Attached

That freaky lil puppet can go to hell.. But this film can go to finals in my opinion.

Walcom to New Zillund

This is BRILLIANT. A twist on a true story is tough. tonnes of in jokes. A period piece film. It's a such a shame the filmmakers will probably fall down 3 flights of stairs before this film can screen.

Kaylor

A steel potato film! Rare.
I think this film has the building blocks. Steel potato has figured out all the tricky bits of making a 48 hour. Story, camera, sound, location is all there.. which is more than most 48 hour teams manage. I'd like to see more polish on each element next year and I know there is some whacky out the gate idea down in that great brain of his I'd love to see Dave latch onto and release into the world.

BooTooth

Just so wonderfully absurd. Thank you for bringing this into the world.

SPARE

YES!! How can you make an entire audience feel for a bowling ball. THIS is what 48 hours are for. Off the shelf whack.

Tender

Eggs!

CHICKEN

There is so much joy in this film and in the filmmakers and it translates. It’s not the best technically but films this fun deserve to be rewarded. Well done!

Redbelt

This film is great! A devestating DQ.

Zero Mum Game

In a different year, Chester would have taken first place. But the competition this year was unusually stiff.
Great film overall. Story was well told, performances were great, held together as good as most winning films. It just needed something that made it unforgettable. Clearly not an amateur team. Yet It’s worth remembering this entry was from a first time entrant.. they will adapt and deliver something mind blowing soon I am certain.

*#@

Legendary Status.

P.B. & Jay

This is one of my all time favourite films. In and out of the competition.
I want to lick peanut butter boy.

Sweets

Hey RainingBrit.
I trained custom software ahead of time but absolutely did not write, film, pre compose scenes, or edit.
Prep is acceptable in my view. It is common for an animator to pre rig a model for use in the 48 hours, but I didn’t do that either.

Thank you for the compliments otherwise.
Enjoy your sweets.

Slán Go Fóill

Woah!? Man there were some bangers we didn’t see at nationals weren’t there !? This is so well performed. It’s got guts. Never expected a performance like this from Andrew. What possessed him? He’s brilliant! (You’ve always been brilliant Andrew, but the last live action I saw with you in it was ghost shark 2)

I’d love to see all the energy go into one film next time. This had all goods except the production value this performance and writing deserved.

S(p)lash

This film is a refined vision from Underwater Dreams and one of my most look fowarded to films.. not because I knew anything about it but because Kathleen clearly has vision.
I fear this won't be rewarded as past works like break out film "Jebivetar" or Queer masterpiece "If You See Them" as it is more David Lynchian than David Lynch. It's for people who want to experience as apposed to be entertained.

One of the hardest things to communicate in this competition is atmosphere yet this has a world I can sink in. S(p)lash offers something unique in the run of 48 hours film skits and is an example of what this competition can create.

WOAH MUMMA

It is a joy to watch Ash and the family progress. Ryan is a star. The Wiliams's are so charasmatic to watch. Great twist ending, Soft core story. Easy watch. loved it.

Deep

Well, I liked it.

The Crowning

For close to a decade we have watched Cinetrance almost stick the landing. Having a full production team, costume, AD’s, composers, editors, caterers and a dedicated camera crew is a losing strategy in this competition. All 500 other entrants have accepted that a full production is impossible in 48 hours. But not Dan Lynch.

“Brian”, their last film in 2022 was a clear sign they would one day figure out how to pull it off.

Now, for the first time in 48 hours history we have the full hog on display. A period piece, sexy nurses, anamorphic flares, rich sound, impeccable VFX, costumes, dark brooding performances, ATMOSPHERE! Truely raising the bar for what is possible in a 48 hour film.

Deep

I particularly liked the sound design.

Brian

I would like to update this review.
I did not mean that ONLY the secondary cast are hot. Every character in this film, except the zombies is hot and I would watch any scenes of any of them mud wrestling.

Heartfelt

I love you nutbar. What an utterly unusual film watching experience. It's what I came to see and nutbar delivered.

No Strings Attached

So.. apparently there are multiple puppet films with the same/similar names and this review is for someone else.

HOWEVER, I have now seen this film and loved it. Another quirked up puppet film where no-one seems to think the puppets amoung them are particularly out of place.

Eternal Bond

A no dialogue film is extraordinarily difficult. This film embodies what a 48 hour film should be. Brilliant.

Doom Scroller

A very classic 48. Strong concept but ultimately needed a bit more production design for such a high end concept. Great simple vfx though.

Gutted

This is one of the best short films I have seen.. of all time. Not just a great 48 hour film. Obliterating the idea that this competition is for amateurs.

Excellent work. Role model filmmakers.

Fist Full of Mince

One of the more rounded stories overall I thought.

Demetri's Law

Squint eastwood is consistently strong. Everyone expected Dazza and Bazza 3 but we were rewarded with something better. Very impressed to see live action elements integrated this year and get a glimpse at who may be behind the squint eastwood alter ego.

Knuckles Deep

I love it.
A great throwback, great work on the lenses and overall tight post. All the standard boxes are checked.
What resounded well with me is the story at its core is about aging out and becoming irrellevant. An extremely meta approach and very relevant as the film is one big reminder of puppy guts' big win and how much the competition has changed over the years.

For me, a sequel is often not satisfying. I remember with Jack and Jonie 2 it just left me thinking about how good the original was. Oringinality and edging boundarys it what I crave from this competition and although arguably the sequel is technically much better it's hard to make a sequel feel original. The sound design was good but I could feel it wasn't mixed well.

That said, a few years back puppy guts would have wiped the floor. This comp has gone so far and they have achieved all the standards. no visable vfx, no dropped or out of sync sound and a good edit with good camera.

Peformance 4/5
Production 4/5
Production Design 3/5
Post Production 3.5/5
Execution 4/5

Brian

This write up is janky. I Apologise in advance.

Cinetrance is possibly the most criminally underrated team in the 48's.
Many of us know the extraordinary lengths Dan has gone to secure a large team doing all the typical roles you would see on an A-tier production.
Until now I used to squint perplexed at this superflous team with unfinshed parts (in much the same way many of you see my fun but bumbling storyless entries).
In the past, Dans films read like a Chris Nolan film. Nolan' is superb given the time and focus required to unravel his complex ideas. But Nolan would make awful shorts.

But Nolan is finally dead and "Brian" is finally a complete film from Cinetrance.
Dan has done the seemingly impossible. He hasn't cut the fat, streamlined and edged me with glimpses of best bits of meat like every other team. He has finally put all the flavor of the whole sausage in my thirsty little mouth and I am gagging through tears "Yes, Danny, Yes!".

Sure, the Majority of Dans film is a few people chatting in a room BUT production wise everything is there. Special effects, visual effects, stunts, background extras, peformance, anamorphic lenses, setdesign, a lighting team and all the catering, producers, transport locations and care a risky world like this takes.

Faced with a decision to go with the trend or break new ground Dan has done what many of us old timers seek: Something new. For 20 years the competition has been slowly narrowing down a skit and simplify formula.
Eventually the wilder films like "shit chat" have fallen to the sides. It's clear Dan has stuck to his wild idea of a full team that many of us gave up on years ago and finally got it together.

The elephant in the room is the post. Although the edit is SUPERB the grade, sound design and music are all simply not there and it is clear they are supposed to be. In a comp where all those things are called "the edit" I fear the editor won't be recognised. Because of this I doubt it will be the winner, but Cinetrance should be recognised for the what they are: A complete film crew.

His secondary cast are classicly and distractingly beautiful too and a lazier director like me would love to see Kelly and Jono up the front in leading roles. Given the easy option of a love story with a hot young cast the story went deeper and looks at the zombified corpse of a metaphoric and literally dead relationship.

Genius. Fresh but heartbreakingly unfinished.

Peformance 6/5
Production 6/5
Production Design 5/5
Post Production 3/5
Execution 4/5

Happy CamperZ

YES!

Chasing the Horizon

This film is better than its production quality suggests.

Its current status as a shortlisted film is down to one major draw card. Te Wairangi Ratana has charisma, spunk and gusto in that order.. This solo film says so much about one man who has taste, wit and charm.. in that order.

Is it a bit shit? Yes. TW99 is not here to win best cinematography, production design, VFX or make up.
He is here to take-out best director.