Flip (2004) User Reviews

Excellent short film! Captures the very image of childhood!

[johnheavnerdotcom · 9/10 · 1 May 2004]

I saw Flip in January of 2004 at the annual Fayetteville Film Festival (Fayetteville, Arkansas). The story that originated as a web-cartoon has been artistically adapted to film to capture the very nature of any boy's imagination. Though I think anyone would enjoy Flip, it will inspire a certain nostalgic feeling in many males.

Flip is a young boy given a single dollar for his birthday. After being told to "spend it wisely", he finds a novelty toy advertisement in the back of a comic-book. As he considers the different toys listed, he imagines the fun he might have with each object. At last, he picks a UCONTROL MONSTER and places his order. Six to eight weeks later, his monster wasn't all that the advertisement led Flip to imagine. None the less, Flip has learned a life-long lesson.

Witty ideas for props, artistic editing, and a great story make Flip one of my favorite short films.

-johnheavner.com

Great for baby boomers--the younger crowd may not get it.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 4 June 2008]

For those of you who are 30 and younger, this film might make little sense, as you did not grow up with tons of ads in all the comic books that advertised the most amazingly cool products for mere pennies. Looking back, you realize that it was all a gimmick--the x-ray specks DIDN'T let you see through ladies' clothes and the giant 7 foot tall monsters weren't nearly like they appeared in the ads. It was all basically cheap crap marketed to gullible kids.

This film is a homage to these ads and was lovingly made--with the look and sound of the 1960s. The boy, Flip, has a buzz cut like that era and the music and sets were dead on for that time period. I appreciated it and it was like looking back to my childhood.

As for the story, Flip gets a whole dollar in a card in the mail and wants to buy some of this crap. However, he isn't sure which item to get and it's cute watching him daydream about how cool it will be and how the item he buys will change his life! It's highly reminiscent of the old Warner Brothers cartoon about Ralph Phillips--the little boy who is always dreaming and having the coolest adventures.

Pretty neat stuff for an audience over 40--younger ones might need an older person to watch with them to interpret!

A Film for everyone.

[profgriffin · 24 June 2004]

I watched MY purchased copy of 'FLIP' last night and I was very impressed. Not just with the delightful story and the sense of whimsy and fun, but with the overall presentation by a independent production company of a very entertaining short film. 'Flip' is a short film that is crafted with a real sense of love and pride.

And rightfully so.

'Flip' is a wonderful slice of Americana. That's exactly what it is. This is a film that SHOULD be submitted to the History Channel and Turner Classic Movies for broadcast. This is NOT a Horror Fan's short...it is a short for everyone who's ever found yourself saying..."oh, I remember that..."

That pretty much covers everyone on the planet doesn't it?

From the canned PD drive-in music, to the magic of Flip's imagination to the low budget horror movie that Flip sneaks out to watch late at night on TV...it works on so many levels.

My favorite shot of the entire film was the final shot...as Flip and Flip Jr. proudly examine Flip's newfound long lost prize, the mail order U-Control Ghost....and the older Flip explaining to his son (with wild arm gestures and excitement) what a wonder it was to see this thing in action.

(But we all know better)

Oh, our memories are all trapped in that same limbo, aren't they? If I ever got my claws on a Mego Mad Monster Castle again, would it be as wonderful as when I was a kid? No, it would be a flat, fold out, cheaply made vinyl castle. But I would treasure it, and display it, and marvel at it all the same. But I would most certainly share with MY son the thrills and chills of the terror-filled adventures that happened within it's purple walls.

That's 'Flip'.

I cannot wait to see what Spooklight does next. Perhaps another Flip adventure might be in order? Phantasmagoria? I look forward to seeing their first full length feature.

Thank you Kirk and the gang at Spooklight....and thank you 'Flip'.

A magical adventure that brings back those memories of the 60s to life

[david45330 · 27 July 2004]

Flip is a wonderful slice of life in the 60s for those of us who hurriedly ran to the corner drugstore whenever we had a dollar (or in those days, 12 cents was enough) to buy the latest DC or Marvel comics. Who can forget the wacky ads for novelties as seen in the film?! The weight programs, the lockers full of toy soldiers, the chance to win "valuable prizes" by selling greeting cards, seeds, or Grit, America's newspaper? The sad lesson for Flip though, is that the promises made in those books, just didn't always come true.

The film is a 15 minute wonder, suitable for the entire family. The DVD is filled with plenty of extras, including a "behind the scenes" look at how it was filmed on an incredibly low budget. Flip, the actor, is a charmer, and the four friends who comprise Spooklight Productions definitely have a future ahead of them. I can't wait to see what they come up with next. I may have to dig out those X-ray specs to get a closer look!