Felix_Elliott

The Getaway

The decision to shoot the film vertically was straight up inspired; really pulling the viewer into the narrative in a way that some of the more generic cinematographic approaches simply don't.
The narrative conceits really synergized with stylistic decisions here, allowing for a clearly explored concept.

The leads were at their best here; both felt super natural and comfortable in a way that many performances don't, even in mass media.

Finally, every gag landed for me; I was cry laughing for the majority of this film.

Super impressive film, great concept, wonderful execution.

The Haast and The Furious

Some really solid audio in parts! I think with a little more visual flare (beyond some impressive drone shots), and a bird prop, this would have been a great story.

Standout performance from Cameron Richardson; really enjoyed the energy there.
Sensed a bit of "too many cooks" scriptwise. The ending, while thematically cohesive, undercut the character journeys for me.

Overall, a really promising submission; this team is one to look out for going forward!

The Reserve

First off, a tour deforce performance from a young lead actor. Working with some difficult material, he rose to the challenge and dare I say, he slayed.

Unfortunately, the story lacked a sense of direction, and the film dragged at several points. Additionally, the audio mixing might have used a little more time in the oven.

Where the film excels however, is with its cinematography. Some truly inspired decisions help the Reserve itself to feel like a character; a truly sinister, monstrous and unbeatable antagonist.

Overall, a well acted and stunningly realised vision of a sinister, eldritch concept which could have used a little more work in terms of narrative.

The Adventures of Shart Boy and Larvae Girl: 3D

Stunning, energetic camera work which stomps all over the "chip commercial" look any day in my book.

While the decision to present the film in 3d was a technically ambitious element, I would have loved to see more of a narrative thrust, and a little more spectacle.

Some really awesome animated elements on display here; I've never seen a film play with the medium to such a degree, and I really hope to see more of that in future. I think this film questions what exactly a 48 hour film can be, and really commits to a direction in a way so many entries don't.

Magic in the Sack

Some really solid filmmaking on display here.
First off; the visual storytelling was always very clear.
The key idea of the story was pretty funny, and led to a great reveal around the halfway mark.
Unfortunately, the rest of the film sags a little as the opening gag about costuming had me feeling like I was watching Scary Movie, and a couple of moments felt like they were explaining the jokes a little much.

I loved the ending of the film; it had a real Midsommar vibe to it, where she was freed of her trash boyfriend.

What’s truly baffling is the aspect ratio. Choosing the super cinematic letterboxed look over a more sit-commy 4:3, or standard 16:9 draws attention to a pretty bland setting that isn't particularly interestingly shot or lit.

Overall, some solid performances and direction. Could have used more commitment to a specific vision as opposed to going broad with it.

Stage Fright

Really sweet film that executes well on its premise. The film hinges on a strong and committed lead performance and energetic camera work which helps keep a strong pace.
I guess it could have used some more curated, dramatic lighting, but environments and tone are established effectively without it.

Birdy Nom Nom

A structurally impressive film that slowly gets more surreal as it goes on, adhering to the absurdity curve with impressive tenacity.
The film has an enchanting "slice of life" quality which takes the perfect amount of time to define each character, while still leading the audience along with a strong narrative drive.

I was also very impressed with the technical elements; both camera work and audio were up to a really high standard.

Zero Mum Game

A very standard, unambitious 48 hour project; the sort of thing you see a lot of.

What elevates the film is a powerhouse lead performance, stellar direction all around, and a breakneck pace.
This film does a very simple thing, very very well.

Technically competent enough to take the Christchurch win this year, with some absolutely stand out colour grading.
On a more controversial note, the cinematography didn’t do a lot for me personally. Competence wins out over creativity here, and we’re left with the visual flare of a cleanly shot delisio ad.

There are also a number of script problems here, primary of which being the protagonist’s journey; it’s never fulfilled. While the film opens with the Mum feeling unappreciated because she has trouble making jokes, she never gets the chance to put this right. Instead the film ends with her outside the house, not even interacting with her family again.
Further, it might have felt more fulfilling had the message been more along the lines of “learn to feel comfortable with your strengths” as opposed to “go change yourself so people like you more.”

Further, the film is haunted by the spectre of the “women in comedy” issue. Here, Mum is unable to grasp the joke-making process without the help of an outsider; a man.
The message seems to be “women aren’t funny unless they get help from dudes.”
It felt like a really odd note to end on in what I was hoping would be a deeper analysis of motherhood and familial affection.

Overall, I could watch a 15 minute director’s cut.

God Has Abandoned Us (The Devil Is Here)

As the writer/ director, I'm biased, but here we go.

The story was a little too ambitious for such a tight time frame, and struggles to bring it all together towards the end. Some clunky exposition and ropey audio also bogs down the first couple of minutes.

I was extremely impressed with the performances on the whole; though they were a little overwrought at times, the actors really committed, and that's the most important thing.

I was disappointed that the devil ended up being a dude at the end; I would have loved for it to really go off the rails, in the vein of the girl's head catching fire. I feel it ultimately didn't really commit to the absurdity towards the end, opting for more of a sappy emotional ending (which I feel isn't the film's strong suit).

Overall pretty satisfying, and a solid learning experience.

Terrible, 80s comic book title though.

Brought back for the Shot

Stunning colour grade on this, along with really competent audio.
While the cinematography really worked at times, I get the feeling a full frame setup would go a long way for this team, allowing for more flexibility in terms of the lighting effects that didn't quite come together here.

I was impressed by the quirky, grounded yet ambitious narrative, though I would have felt more satisfied without the montage sequences, which went by a little quick. In addition, the ending goes somewhere insane, which is a lot of fun, but isn't necessarily a satisfying narrative conclusion.

I'd love to see more films follow the ambitious, yet grounded approach of this one.

Noise Complaint

Really fun movie that really goes for stylistic flair to mixed results.
Conceptually, there's nothing wrong here; I think with enough time, and some more technical equipment, this would be a super solid entry.

Slán Go Fóill

This film grabbed me instantly with some of the most stylized, effectively executed, and inventive cinematography of Christchurch's 2024 offerings.

I continued to be impressed by the sheer ambition of the subject matter, and strong commitment by two impressive leads.
Stilted dialogue leads to a wonderful ambiguity as to whether the leads are humans, or fallen angels, alluding to more powerful forces at work, and giving the whole film a welcome sense of gravitas.

Finally, consistent audio is rare, and well worth praising here.

Overall, a really engaging watch.

Inspection

Fun wee movie, if a little unambitious. While some of the gags were a little played out, the majority of them really landed and had me in stitches.

It's a real shame to see something with such energy film in a nice, modern house. I feel with the sheer level of commitment on the table, this team could have gotten super creative with a more visually engaging location.

Fairly mixed on the technical side, but the camera work was extremely competent and did a great job conveying important story beats.

Would love to see more films with this level of energy and commitment.

Spicing Things Up

While the pace didn't FLOW as much as I would have liked, it was great to see these character PLOPped into such a difficult scenario.
Seeing the look on their FAECES when they realize what's going on SCATtered a smile on my face.
I would POOt this film amongst my favorites this year.

Stage Four Law

First off, the story feels really heartfelt. Controversially, I thought that the concept of trying to sue cancer is brilliant. The theme of loss is tackled in a really sensitive, thematically cohesive way.
I think it’s a beautiful, poignant statement that closure can’t be achieved in the same way when you lose someone to diseases like cancer.

As a brain broken individual, I couldn’t help but notice something of a “sony look” to the image, with a whole lot of flat, grey shots with a whole lot of sharpness to them. I wonder if that decision made the whole thing feel a bit real for some people. Maybe a shallower depth of field, and more of a dreamlike grade could have softened that a little.

The film is tonally confusing. The initial reveal of the cancer blob seems geared towards a comedic reaction, while the performances strike an exquisite sombre note that sees the whole thing become a bit incongruent.

There is also the graveyard question. It made me pretty uncomfortable to see an actual graveyard used for this project. If it was a fake graveyard, that’s super impressive, and I’d love to hear that be the case. But in the meantime, I personally feel pretty troubled by that choice.

Overall, pretty great in a lot of ways, but falls short fairly dramatically in others.