Creature Comforts

I think this is by far the best Puppy Guts film for some time. Great take on the genre with a less than enthusiastic apartment lover in the company of a super chatty trail guide - and boy can he talk. Reagan and Karen are great in their roles and the character switch that happens is so well played out. I had wondered if the wholesome nature of this film was going to continue throughout but this is "Puppy Guts" after all and we get some horror/slasher thrown-in which actually works because character development, right? And, what the hell was that thing in the bush?

Well shot and edited - everything looks great and combined with an effective little story you get a very rewatchable short film. Nice work!

I think this is by far the best Puppy Guts film for some time. Great take on the genre with a less than enthusiastic apartment lover in the company of a super chatty trail guide - and boy can he talk. Reagan and Karen are great in their roles and the character switch that happens is so well played out. I had wondered if the wholesome nature of this film was going to continue throughout but this is "Puppy Guts" after all and we get some horror/slasher thrown-in which actually works because character development, right? And, what the hell was that thing in the bush?

Well shot and edited - everything looks great and combined with an effective little story you get a very rewatchable short film. Nice work!

Examining and championing the New Zealand wilderness, here we have Reagan Morris firing on all cylinders as a hiking guide who just wants to share his passions with a set of ears that isn't quite ready to listen. The tone is quickly set and the characters well defined in a meaty take on the genre that ticks all the boxes for mine.

Honestly really relatable stuff as everyone has their passions and interests and I think that we all get a little bit tone deaf in our lives sometimes. Initially it did seem like the point was emphasized just a smidgeon too long, but then the match cut to sharing food showed the signs of this odd couple really starting to understand each other.

Personally I love forest creature features; THE FINAL TERROR (go watch this one team if you're not aware of it) and DON'T GO IN THE WOODS are right up my alley so I was really pleased to see a very dramatic PREY-like turn escalate proceedings. The makeup and mask looked fantastic and really sold the horror of the tent attack really nicely.

I think the audio design was a particular highlight as well, and the edit and direction was really tight. From a cinematography POV I think that most of the film looked great with the lush greens never seeming too busy, but did notice a couple of camera shots seeming a little blurry possibly due to the reliance on natural lighting.

Also liked the role reversal ending but do wonder if the balance to earn that would have been ever so slightly more effective if we had seen our 2 leads just relating to each other ever so slightly more. Really enjoyed this one though.

One of my favourite films from the Wellington heats. Normally I watch the 48 Hours films and notice camera angles, lens choices and all that nerdy stuff, but the story was so compelling in this one that I realised I had completely zoned in on it. Very rare! Fantastic work PuppyGuts.