Chop Cup (2010) User Reviews

Very Smart

[Theo Robertson · 7/10 · 22 April 2014]

I've seen a lot of short films but this is a contender for the very shortest short film I've ever seen which means it might be in danger of the shortest review I've ever written !

I'm taking no chances !!!! Suggestive Spoilers !!!!!

The concept is very simple . You've to guess what cup the red ball is under . Without cheating I actually managed to guess correctly so a big none prize to me . I also managed to notice the music which resembled a cross between a 80s video game and a piece of public domain music that has been used in things as diverse as the 1980 UK snooker championship and dubbed European porn films . I also noticed the Michael Jackson poster in the background . Then all your expectations are turned on its head . This is actually quite a smart concept when its revealed and reminded me of a breath taking documentary by James Burke in the late 1970s where human beings are effectively enslaved by their five senses . " Reality is a lie " ? This smart short does go some way to proving it

All about the last ten seconds (SPOILERS)

[bob the moo · 16 April 2014]

Inspired by the visual trickery of the "find the ball under the three cups" routine, this short film challenges you to follow the ball under three cups. Like me, you will do this because it is a natural thing to do – to try and beat the system even though you know full well that it is a trick and simply being able to follow the cup is not really going to be able to give you the solution. Normally the outcome is you lose money and wonder how they did it but in this short film the reveal is bigger than that as the entire shot turns out to have been one big illusion.

With literally 10-15 seconds left, the camera pans sideways to reveal that all of the objects in the background are in different planes and that even the presence of the hands is subject to perspective trickery. It is a satisfying reveal and one that made me rewind and watch those final few seconds again to really appreciate the work that went into the construction. It is a shame that the meat of the short really comes in the final few seconds but it is a nice effect that makes you watch again and I appreciated that it didn't milk the build up for too long.

It is a very short film indeed and the bit of it that you'll want to watch a few more times is really the final 15 seconds, but it is smartly done and quite satisfying.