Sensate Reviews

The Man Who Met Himself (2005)

Low Budget Filmmakers live the Cinderella Story

[7/10 · 18 July 2005]

I covered the story of Preti Taneja, Ben Crowe and James Brown for Channel 4's Ideasfactory and I was impressed by their enthusiasm and creativity. The Man Who Met Himself is a short, impressionistic film where the dialogue is separate to the action, thus making the incident of Stephen Maker's apparent suicide a part of the audience's own investigation. While some of the voice overs could perhaps be more convincing, on the whole, the almost Traffic-esquire visuals and moody motifs of the soundtrack make this an impressive debut from the team. Selected for 2005's Short Film Palme D'Or competition at the Cannes Film Festival, The Man Who Met Himself was the only British film in competition and completely self funded.

TrashHouse (2005)

Ambitious if not entirely successful

[6/10 · 18 July 2005]

A nice attempt at the classic locked house storyline. Let down by CGI on a shoe string and rather neon pink blood but notable for its performances... including a strong turn by Amber Moelter as the defiant anti-scream queen and Tom Wontner as the sensitive love interest. Would have been better played more psychological than blood and gore, but the wish fulfillment machine is an interesting "MacGuffin" although bringing together the "most stable" individuals in the country and locking them in a house is bound to be a recipe for disaster. Go for loonies like Big Brother, much safer. Fun and a respectable "stab" at the horror genre.

My Yacht (2006)

My Yacht's Bigger Than Your Yacht

[6/10 · 18 July 2005]

An awkward length that perhaps does this charming story a disservice. A tighter cut does exist but I've not seen it yet. A charming idea, and a great chance to get a sense of the Cannes vibe if you haven't been and to understand some of the wannabes hanging around the Croisette... some may be love lorn romantics. Slightly let down by the lack of chemistry between the two leads, but Anna Neil makes a beautiful "fair maiden" for Tom Wontner's romantic to yearn for. Huck Melnick has the right level of quirkiness to bring life to what could otherwise be an irritating voice over and the other actors are fine in roles that add colour to the story, such as the best friend's shallow machinations and the stooges brought in to help Tom look more like the big shot producer he thinks Anna wants him to be. A sweet ending where all is revealed is ambiguous enough not to be cloying.