Section59
31 Reviews
Reviews
Repute
DQ = Lateness This short film focuses on political intrigue and the vagaries of loyalty and tenacity. Morgan Foster is leader of the opposition and a politician on the way up. Brian Clemens is Prime Minister of the day, and in for the fight of his life. Who is this mystery woman and what can be done to take her down a peg or two? Ambitious flunky Quentin has an idea that some forgotten footage might turn up, and the PM doesn't want to know any more than necessary. There is some excellent acting and moments of pathos and true joy to be enjoyed, thanks to the actors from Riccarton Players. This film rushes toward the end but does tell a story (and a story within a story). The editing is sharp although the continuity slips a little from time to time - especially if you are watching for it. Camera work is very good, more needed to be done on normalising the sound and correcting chroma. However I think Repute is the best movie we've ever submitted in this competition and I'm proud of the effort of the (mostly) amateur cast and crew - only 5 of 20 had past experience in 48 Hours.
Hide and Seek
Well it had a plot, and the twist at the end caught me by surprise, although I'm surprised at how many people chose to interpret "thoughtless" as "witless" or "brainless". Some nice camera work. A+ for the match cut. I wanted to give this more but... it just missed that little sparkle.
Something New
First of all, congrats on the location. Someone's nephew's neighbour was obviously the Night Manager at the central city hotel, or you just splurged on the budget and booked a room. Either way it was an inspired idea. Some great visual moments, particularly with the two characters sitting back-to-back toward the end. It was a heroic effort to capture what must be a damn hard genre, and I think there were enough stomach-cramping laughs to make up for the existentialist Woody Allen-cum-John Paul Sartre interplay between the newlyweds. The ring and balloon was hilarious, and the dog nearly made me wet myself. Classic cinema.
Dogma
Very funny and fast-paced shock ending movie. The shock wasn't totally unpredictable, but a nice twist with where the focus lay. Great acting and lots of bemused (I assume) members of the public left reeling in their wake. Some very good LOLs.
The Twins
This movie had a strong storyline and the ending - while 'shocking' to only a small percentage of the audience - was still nicely presented (especially the Tim Tams). It fitted a lot of information in, and had some snappy dialogue. Having two people with American (Canadian?) accents was a bit confusing, and you probably should have set it in the USA rather than using NZ Police stuff on the noticeboard. Just a stylistic observation. Solid movie, well presented.
Southern Casanova
I am speechless. The subject matter was cringe factor 10 and in the true spirit of 48 Hours. It's like you were frozen in 2003 and have awoken from your cryogenic slumber to produce this outrageous short film. I'm so impressed by the technical ability shown by you, if you aren't already working in the profession as a cinematographer or editor then you should be! The acting was... well enuff said. I don't think the plot required good acting, just a bunch of wigs. Actually your acting was pretty amazing, considering the length that you went to, to capture the female essence. My nomination for Best Strange Film :) Very boundary-pushing, loved it.
Early to Rise
JAGBOG always deliver and this was a wonderful story - told well - that was part horror, part comedy, part buddy movie all rolled into one. I kinda wished that they took the plunge and went all the way with the horror story, the elements were there and the jump-scare at the start set things up nicely.
No Rhyme In Crime
Musical is a bitch and well done for taking this head-on and not choosing the easy options. Your songs were great, did I detect autotune??? If so, well done. If not, well done. Nailed the thoughtless characterisation!
Us... But Mainly You.
House of Cards meets house of shame. Some great 'fourth wall' moments and judicious use of drone shots. Loved the bronies and bronytails! Tāua was a hoot. The match cut was pulled off with flair. You are a very versatile team - I also loved last year's effort too. Awesome! Also, very timely considering the tragedy of this story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/69095130/damp-state-house-played-part-in....
Find a Way
Awesome effort by this young team. Great songs and did I spot some harmonising in the finale? Yes I think so :) We liked the actor who played Dr Harrison. She'll go far in 48 Hour films! Some camera skillz and editing know-how will see this team be real contenders for the future. Lovely, complete story. It held our attention the whole way through.
#apocalypse2k15
Some LOLs here, interesting take on the characterisation (thoughtless=brainless?) and really good set dressing. I was a bit confused as to why she was looking for bread, and how the paleo theme contributed to the plot. That sounds a bit harsh, and it isn't meant to be. Last Person on Earth must be one of the hardest genres to nail while still being original. The little details supported the premise: the protaganist's need to create 50 twitter(?) accounts, her need for power and reception for her phone. All of these made a good statement about our reliance on social media and more importantly, social media's reliance on us.
The Stamp
Good take on Other Dimension, beautiful cinematography and wonderful acting. Possibly more time should have been spent on the story line, I finished this movie feeling a little lost. Was she in her own mind? Was she in heaven? How did her boss 'cross over' into the other dimension. Wonderful score too - some really awesome talent in Hummingbird! Our Producer (Erin) loved the "Tearable Pun" poster.
Coffee Swap
Good acting by male lead, very nice set design. As expected from Knawtra the production values were excellent. I got a bit lost in the story towards the end... did they get their bodies back, or was there an extra woman's name mentioned? Who was that then? And what was the scientist doing in the background? Body-swap was a safe and well-tried Science Gone Mad trope and this team pulled it off well.
Baked
Great acting and great concepts. Really funny characters, although the Jamaican(?)-sounding bread dealer felt a little out of place. Nice impersonation though! This film stretches the boundaries of movie-making ethics at one point when a child actor starts to cry in a very realistic way... he must have studied The Method for years to give that performance! Call CYFS or give the boy an Oscar? Hell, it's 48 Hours, here's the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor young man :)
Hopeful Gardens
Pretty much the other reviewers have said it all, aside from the Star Wars homage at the gates. The sermon was pretty good, very... Masonic. Good attention to detail esp. with the costume changes. That must have taken a bit of effort, as the sun slowly crept across the sky! All in all, a good stab at the genre. Needed to be clearer on the treatment as we were left a bit confused.
Furious Filmmaking
A film about an atypical short-film maker and his race against time to meet the deadline. It's a tough genre to nail, but I couldn't help thinking that the judges would end up having to watch several films in this group that used 48 Hours as the subject material. The French guy was not fully explained, and the bit about the funeral was superfluous to the plot (I know Morgan Foster was supposed to be a lier, but it didn't really tie-in so well). This movie was served up in desaturated colour but perhaps could have made better use of contrast in post-production or shadows/lighting during the shoot itself. Was squashing the cat really necessary? I certainly think that dangerously passing in the Lyttelton Tunnel wasn't!!! Sorry, I wanted to be a bit more positive but I can't get past those two things.
Second Skin
In today's 24-hour news environment we are exposed to many tragedies, but never have I felt so utterly devastated than when I saw that this movie did not make it to the finals. I can sum this short flick up in one small word: Fresh. It's wonderful to see such a different strategy taken to tell a story. Beginning with something every Kiwi remembers as a kid - losing a ball over someone's fence - this film examines the concept of the 'other', one who is not like us but who is different. Why different? Maybe because they are truly strange, or perhaps simply because we don't understand them. Another excellent observation on the state of humanity is that our homes are our castles. Who knows what goes on behind closed doors? The imagination can run rife, but in reality things are possibly even weirder than we can dream up. This movie is evocative of Japanese horror films: adopting a linear storytelling approach while interspersing snatches of emotion in a way that appears random but is designed to unhinge the mind and allow the viewer to fill in the gaps with their own sickness. A juxtaposition of the 'normal', and the uncomfortable tentacled lunacy that lurks behind the thin veil of the subconscious. H. P. Lovecraft got it, so does this team. You truly deserved to be in the finals. I hope PJ gets to watch this film and feels the same.
Stealing Thoughts
The thoughtless characterisation was a very clever part of this story, executed well and... highly innovative. Beautiful cinematography, good sound that added to the darkness of the film. Spooky and unnerving. (reviewed by the Christchurch s59 team members)
Southern Casanova
I am speechless. The subject matter was cringe factor 10 and in the true spirit of 48 Hours. It's like you were frozen in 2003 and have awoken from your cryogenic slumber to produce this outrageous short film. I'm so impressed by the technical ability shown by you, if you aren't already working in the profession as a cinematographer or editor then you should be! The acting was... well enuff said. I don't think the plot required good acting, just a bunch of wigs. Actually your acting was pretty amazing, considering the length that you went to, to capture the female essence. My nomination for Best Strange Film :) Very boundary-pushing, loved it.
Pass Card
Genre: nailed it. Match cut: fucking brill. Laughs: a-plenty. Pass Card is a fun flick where the protagonist experiences the mistaken identity thread at the same time as the audience. Wonderfully written, beautifully acted. I really want to know - was there a heated discussion between a faction of the team that wanted to put pubic hair on the comb and those that didn't?
Rising Tide
Going to dinner with my elderly aunty - who has dementia but was a gourmet chef - reminds me of Team JAGBOG: I never know what will be served up, but am always delighted. They nailed the characteristic of Morgan Foster and left the audience with a nasty taste in their mouths. Great locations, nice visual humour, a real tour-de-force of rabid insensitivity and gratuitous violence. And also slightly weird. Loved the homage to 2011's character Bobby Young.
Disturbed
I was a little discombobulated about the whole movie, but I get where you were going. Unfortunately this didn't seem to have a beginning/middle/end kind of plot: it was more like a snapshot than a story. However, creepy lead actress with some good makeup and also good use of the prop. The music kept the tension going too. Nice effort.
