dramamike

Pass Card

I loved the set up of the night club and returning home. I felt the next part of the film didn't progress the narrative as creatively as it could have, although the enjoyed the overheard conversation.

Redbelt

A potential winner for best DQ'd film, this film does everything it needs to.
Characters well set up.
Engaging story.
Great special FX.
Twists and turns.
Some great one-liners.
Definitely worth the watch.

Retirement Daze

I liked this one, although the pacing went up and down a bit. The auditions went well and this was well incorporated later. There were a couple of shots out of focus which detracted. Clearly a well organised team, had everything at their disposal and used it well.

Mystic Shore

This was a well presented film. The set up was quick and easy to follow. The development included some nice touches, but the ending failed to deliver for me. I loved the randomness of Morgan and would have liked more of this.

Sweets

"Disqualified Tim" pushes boundaries and the competition is better off as a result.
This is no exception. He didn't make a space station or submarine this year, he simply altered reality and made another great piece of 48Hours history.

This will win the 'Incredibly Strange Award.'

A simple story of a traveler seeking candy turns into a kaleidoscopic wonderland of the surreal. Well-conceived, crafted, and produced.
Tim Hamilton is a national treasure and should be making feature films with budgets that allow his genius to be shared with a wider audience.

Did I like this? Yes.
Will it win the nationals? Maybe.
Will it disturb the audience? Definitely.

No Strings Attached

There are not many sock-puppet-fantasy-lovers-on-the run films, so this one breaks new ground.
I liked the aesthetic and storytelling throughout.
To get an emotional reaction to sock puppets is not the easiest, yet in this film, they achieved it on many occasions.
Nice film, great work.

Apollo 69

There are plenty of films that play with space and this films references several. To make a zero- g film in 48 hours shows the amount of courage Qualified Tim possesses and the fact that he pulled it off says volumes. I'm pleased that Qualified Tim has emerged from the ashes of Disqualified Tim and made the deadline. This has final contender written all over it. Well made and brave, 'Apollo 69' will be one that people remember for all the right reasons.

Organic Matter

It is rare for a 48 Hour film to make me laugh out loud, but this did. Seriously hit the black comedy genre perfectly. Built to the climax well. I had two issues with the film, which are minor, but I feel need mentioning. The two characters in suits added little. I think it would have been tighter without them and really came alive when the other characters came in. The drone shots struck me as unnecessary.

BRICK

I liked the set up and there were some good comedy moments, but the whole film just didn't gel for me. I nearly peed when the top of the Watties bottle was spotted squirting the 'blood'.

Jumbo

I really enjoyed this. The humour, the effects, the Wellingtonness of it. I haven't seen many films blend animation with live action in the 48 Hours and this made for a nice change.

Us... But Mainly You.

I really enjoyed the thoughtless of Harper, it was played well and created a good amount of humour. A two person team is always a tough proposition, especially when you script so many characters. I thought you dealt with this well however and I enjoyed the charm of the ever-changing costumes. A tighter edit would have maximised the humour of the main character.

Favour From The Neighbour

The 'at night' element was largely achieved through stark lighting, which wasn't the most clever use of the genre. The flashcuts were a nice addition and added a spook factor and tension. I felt that the ending wasn't as strong as it could have been.

Happy CamperZ

Nails the genre.
This film does what it says on the tin.
An intriguing plot that twists the expectations.
The special FX crew clearly had a blast and the film benefits as a result.

YOLO

What a location! The bookstore was a real gem. The acting was good quality, with each character clearly established. A more satisfying ending would have seen the characters exit the shop. Not an easy genre and well attempted. The camera bobbled around a bit too much for me.

How Time Flies

This one confused the heck out of me. The story really did need to be clearer. A lovely sequence of the cast being arrested (?) near a fence was a highlight. Story is king. Get it right and the rest falls into place. This team could (and probably will) do better in the future.

Long Gully

A nice take on the woman wronged, with flashbacks to bookend the film. Some great dialogue (especially one line from Bobby) mixed with some that didn't have the zip. Good use of the elements, and was certainly one of the best in the heat. Overall, the story just didn't grab me for a higher star rating.

In bread, love

Quirky take on the rom-com. The Lannisters would be proud of you. I liked the pun in the title too. For me one area to work on is the pacing- it just seemed to drag a touch during the interview scenes. I enjoyed the acting, particularly the priest and the Hmmming doctor.

Henry's 21st

48 Hour films are often weird- the time makes use do weird things. This is weird and they wanted it that way. I've seen a few heats over the years and this one had everyone, and I mean everyone, cringing at just the right moments. The images stay with you (in a good way) and the sound simply builds on what you see.

Raptured

Thrilling from start to finish, I liked the ending didn't find cheesy at all. Nice cinematography and some good acting! nice job everyone

Discord

Some lovely drone shots to open with, gave way to a narrative that just didn't come together for me. The tension that was attempted didn't make sense.

Strings Attached

Getting puppets to convey emotion and get the audience reacting should be the goal of any in this genre.
Elves achieved this in spades.
It was great to see the star appear at the heat and get the reaction he deserved.
I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and the tension that was built.

The Clock

This film got a good reaction from the audience- clearly there were fans around. The idea of racing against 'The Clock' was developed deliberately and carefully. Lacked the sparkle of a finalist contender, but did the job quite well.

Morgan is a Walrus

In some regards I liked this and in others I totally didn't. The use of the prop seemed totally forced and was not well integrated. The problem was I could see the end from the beginning and therefore lost interest. The end sequence was really well shot.

Hide

Thriller is a hard genre in my opinion and this team attempted it well. The plot was one that was always going to be hard to pull off and it just didn't quite hit the mark. Some nice use of shadows used, as were the flashbacks.

Residual

Here is our entry. Enjoy
Particular thanks to:
Brent, who did a complete rebuild of the sound because of the horrific cicada cacophony.
Mikey, who put it altogether so smoothly.
David, for capturing the images.
Stu, for allowing us to kill him again.

Nutbar News at Nine

Here is our entry.
We endeavoured to film at a range of locations, despite the lockdown restrictions.
Thanks for watching

Intervention

A new horror genre was created by this team, the demonic therapy genre. Impressive special effects, some lovely lines to play up the comedy, and overall well done. Nice. Impressive. Well done.

Sticks and Stones

I've just watched this in the screening room. I agree with the other reviewers, great effects and wobbly narrative. I liked the LOTRish tone, which would be bloody hard to achieve in 48Hrs. The setting, the costumes, the music, screamed Sir PJ. I loved Kumaras work last year and enjoyed the film this year equally. I would really have loved this in on time and with the narrative that tad clearer. Nice use of the reverse motion to mimic telekinesis. To the best of my knowledge Kumaras are a fairly new team, last year and this, but it strikes me that we have a new Wellington team that will year in year out be pushing for the podium.

Requiem for a scream

Mockumentary is a classic in 48 Hours and for good reason- it gets laughs. This one was a good angle on the genre, which integrated the elements nicely. The main actor worked well with his facial expressions and the camera movements were awkward yet effective. The concept for the film was strong and developed nicely. One of the stronger films in the heat.

Dead Last

A zombie athlete with a craving for brains. This film took the classic outsider who trains his way to the top into new territory. A well made-up zombie was put through his paces, before finally achieving his goal and getting the brains. The story built well, making good use of the location and narrative to tell an entertaining tale.

Bullydozer

A musical one-room was never going to be easy. But when you write and sing the entire thing from start to finish you deserve credit. A shame this was DQ'd, because it had a lot going for it. The audio was a little out of synch with the action, but the film was certainly watchable and the characters likeable. Good effort Hamsterdam

Trapped in the Act

I really liked this one and it got my fan favourite vote. The concept was solid and well executed through good editing and characterisation. Developed the atmosphere well, while the plot was steady.

Sticks and Stones

I've just watched this in the screening room. I agree with the other reviewers, great effects and wobbly narrative. I liked the LOTRish tone, which would be bloody hard to achieve in 48Hrs. The setting, the costumes, the music, screamed Sir PJ. I loved Kumaras work last year and enjoyed the film this year equally. I would really have loved this in on time and with the narrative that tad clearer. Nice use of the reverse motion to mimic telekinesis. To the best of my knowledge Kumaras are a fairly new team, last year and this, but it strikes me that we have a new Wellington team that will year in year out be pushing for the podium.

Snoopy Rupert, Aro P.I.

Saw this at the finals and really enjoyed it. I loved the humour and style of this team. Well scripted and acted, with cinematography to go with it. Quality film.

Project 7

Polished and sharp, this team have backed up last year's film with another good one. The plot focusses on a man hearing voices that finds himself with inside knowledge of something sinister. I felt a twist was really needed to lift this film into finals contention.

The Sleeping Plot

Wow. I saw this in the finals and it blew me away. It played last of the finalists and prior to it the top award was fairly open with some strong films. Then Traces of Nut came and stole the show. Great story, well told, with fantastic images on the screen. The acting was first class and hit all the spots. Clearly ToN have spent their year away from 48 Hours kicking some serious ass. If this doesn't win the national finals then whatever does will need to be unbelievable. I think this team need drug testing because they were so good.

Stealing Thoughts

I liked the set up in Civic Square and you really had me at this point. Unfortunately the film took too long to get to the climax for me. It started to create a haunting mood on a couple of occasions, with the figure in the background, but this wasn't built upon.

Monarch

So this didn't make the Auckland short list? Wow. A slick and haunting short, this film builds tension and character in spades. Nice effects and camera work, combined with a great script and sound make 'Monarch' a good film.

Michael & the Vegan

Achieves what it sets out to do.
This film felt like a campaign video for PETA, but as a narrative/film experience, it lacked the impact it could have.

Fetus 5000

Finalist. Puppy Guts have a reputation and have lived up to it with their latest film. Genre: Nailed. Production Values: Highest order Acting: Polished A film that disturbed in a good way, entertained throughout, and got great reactions at every request. The only thing of that prevented a full star rating was one shot that doubled up.

The Sleeping Plot

Wow. I saw this in the finals and it blew me away. It played last of the finalists and prior to it the top award was fairly open with some strong films. Then Traces of Nut came and stole the show. Great story, well told, with fantastic images on the screen. The acting was first class and hit all the spots. Clearly ToN have spent their year away from 48 Hours kicking some serious ass. If this doesn't win the national finals then whatever does will need to be unbelievable. I think this team need drug testing because they were so good.

Girl with Fig

This film looked great, sounded great and was well acted. The narrative structure also worked well, until the final act. It set it up, developed it and then kinda fell away (but only in comparison to the high quality of the previous 3-4 minutes). Many 48 Hours films would love to have an ending as satisfying, it is just that this film deserved more.

The Crowning

Great production values and the amount of preparation this team must have done was immense.
Their film builds well, with great costumes, set design, and storytelling through the first two acts.
The ending is unexpected and (intentionally) jarring.
A Wellington finalist.

Sound Sleep

I saw this at the finals and loved it. The narrative is both complex and yet easily followable, which to achieve in the realms of 48 Hours is (in my opinion) the Holy Grail. Beautifully shot, nicely balanced humour and serious themes. This team is a powerhouse and they have again delivered. Personally think this should make its way to the National Finals.

Gutted

Couch Kumara make consistently very strong films. See if you can find one where they screw up? They just don't.
This is no exception. How they achieved this in 48 hours is incredible.
A simple, ish, storyline, with a tight script and strong acting, supported by great special FX, results in a worthy finalist and almost certain national finalist.
Funny, moving, and gross in equal parts, 'Gutted' is one to watch (but it's not for the faint-hearted).

Full House

I liked this film and felt the use of the black and white added plenty to the moodiness and creepy factor. Simple in its construction, I'd have liked a bit more their back-story suggested. The tension needed to rise, and with the nature of the narrative this was always going to be tough. Perhaps the use of more energetic editing in the later part of the film would have worked. The male protagonist had glimpses of Antoine Dixon about him.