The Impotence of Hard Times

Was overall an enjoyable arc, few jokes here and there, but I felt like I was missing sympathy or care for the main character, which made the ending fall flat.

Cleanly shot and executed film - one expects nothing less from this team. Like a previous review has said, I never felt anything for the lead, which really set this team apart last year. Good enough to get an audience vote out of me though, Hamish's acting as the Hard-X saved it for me.

A man suffering from erectile dysfunction seeks out a medical fix after hearing a radio ad at work. Things seem a bit strange, even from the first phone call to order the product, but he has no clue what lies ahead... Multiple time CHCH finalists and one-time winner, The Eh Team's films are hotly anticipated by all. This film is as polished as you would ever imagine it to be, with some really nice lighting and smoke effects especially around the first briefcase scene. The shots of Hamish Parkinson in the goop are particularly creative, well imagined and expertly executed. The acting of everyone involved is pro-level, and the script felt natural yet humorous. Hamish's acting was as goofy as Dan Bain's was naturalistic. Only gripes I had with this film was the fact that there wasn't much compassion created for the lead character, which caused me to not invest in the story as strongly as I wanted too. In saying that, I imagine it is a tricky task to round out a character like that without making him look pathetic, especially in 7 minutes or less. The other gripe I have is that Hard-X's character wasn't very well-defined, and I never understood the reason he existed. I mean there were a lot of implications and questions there! What was he? Where did he come from? And why is he in the potion?! I thought it could've existed in the lead character's imagination, but clearly he is real judging by the end shots, so I dunno! An extremely polished short, with a solid story that nails the genre head-on. The Eh Team never fails to entertain.

Another polished film from a very creative team. Loved the man in the tube. Storyline was simple. Maybe need to build up more empathy for the lead or humor to keep it engaging. Thumbs up.

Felt way too over done.

Entertaining and creative film. Love The Eh Team and their films, and was distinctly reminded of last years film with the same quirky dialogue and humor. Well done.

I Love The Eh Team! Loved Your Film Last Year, Love This Film The Same. It Did Seem To Not Establish A Connection For The Characters, Which Left Me A Little Underwhelmed. But It Was A Great Film, Just Needed To Be Developed More.

As mentioned above, a man struggling with erectile dysfunction seeks help through "Hard X", a scientifically produced remedy. An accident with storage of the product gives it a life of its own. The Eh Team have produced another strong technical effort here, making a slick looking short. Photography, grading, sound, editing; tick, tick, tick, tick. The match dissolve was awesome and the make-up/effects used for Hard-X were impressive. As you'd expect too, the acting from the leads was top drawer. This is, of course, a great strength of The Eh Team and fortunate in this case as the story itself wasn't especially engaging - really not a a lot happens. I felt that one scene in particular was largely irrelevant in progressing the plot. I agree too with MR MKB above that we didn't have much in the way of empathy for the main character. Hard-X as a mentor was an interesting twist and there were some funny moments provided at the end as a result. Bound to be a finalist so I look forward to seeing it again! CHCH FINAL comment: I enjoyed this a lot more after a second viewing and it was unlucky not to place in the top two. Strong contender for the National Final despite this. I mentioned this above but Dan Bain is superb in this short.

Funny idea, the movie dragged on.

What I liked: Beautifully crafted movie, strong visuals, editing and effects (as always from the Eh Team). what this film does best (and indeed their other films have too) is very quickly build a rich and engaging world for it's characters. The performances across the board where great. the effect of Hamish in the blue paint/glue/gloop was great (I'm still trying to figure out how this was achieved) Unfortunately I don't think the story lived up to the high standard that the Eh team has set for themselves (and Christchurch) I was never very invested and I don't think the resolution of the main characters plight felt earned. City Finalist: Of Course! (it will probably take out a few major awards too)

Amazingly shot, well acted. The Eh Team never fail to deliver a good final product. My issue with this film was the lack of heart and emotional connection with the main character. We are meant to feel sorry for him but we dont... and ultimately it doesnt really pay off in the end. Great effects with the Hard-X guy, had some good laughs... It will of course make the finals but the heart was missing in this one for me. 'Is Love Enough?' took it all!

The Eh Team are local heroes for being a Christchurch team with high budgets that rival the Auckland heavyweights. I was a huge fan of their 2013 entry "Is love enough?" I thought they were robbed at the grand finals that year. This year however, was a bit of a disappointment. As with every Eh Team film, "The Impotence of Hard Times" looks gorgeous; all shots are framed well and have been colour-corrected giving it a very professional feel. Unfortunately the film falls a little short in terms of story. The concept is funny, but struggles to carry any narrative weight. While there are certainly some funny parts as a result of the whacky concept, the film suffers from lack of character motivation and empathy. Granted, this was an extremely difficult genre, but far too often throughout the duration of the film I found myself asking "so what?". Again, I just want to reiterate that I did like this film and it does deserve to be a finalist. However, in terms of The Eh Team and their usual standards this film was a little disappointing. Keep up the good work guys. I can't wait to see what you come up with next year!

The Eh Team once again give us astonishingly breathtaking cinematography and performances from two of the most hilarious 48ers. I look forward to The Eh Team every year to see what new ways Dan and Hamish will make me laugh. The make-up on Hamish is hilarious in this film, as is Dan's lowly protagonist. That being said, I do feel like the story was somewhat lacking this year, which was a similar complaint to last year's Eh Team entry. I only call this out because I've seen past Eh Team films wow me away with the storyline (Day 6 is awesome). I think the basic plot of The Impotence of Hard Times is great, a story about erectile disfunction can go anywhere, but the execution leaves something to be desired. Editing felt a little shoddy this year too, as the transitions between certain scenes were a bit awkward or out of place. But at the end of the day, The Eh Team are still one of the only teams to consistently deliver entertaining pieces year after year, and I can't wait to see what's next. Well done!