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Bird Drone (2023)
A wonderful short with a huge heart
I had the privilege of seeing this at the White Rose International Film Festival last night and it melted my heart. The animation is akin to The Snowman and has a very fluid and warm feel to it. I won't spoil the story but it's a moving, very tender tale with some real emotion despite there being no dialogue for obvious reasons.
The seagull character instantly captures your heart, staring into a bottle at his reflection and there's real sadness in how alone he feels, and the story unfolds at a steady pace introducing the drone and instantly creating a connection between the two that's both believable and heart warming.
Catch it where you can, it's brilliant!
The Eschatrilogy: Book of the Dead (2012)
A contender for 'Sleeper Hit of the Year 2012'?
I love horror films. Not the gorefests, or the ones that exist only to make you jump out of your seat every two seconds. No, I like CLEVER horror films - ones that make you think, keep you guessing and twist your perceptions of what you think you know. The Eschatrilogy is such a film.
When a stranger walks into the refuge of a lone young man following what looks like the end of civilization, and then faints at his feet, the man finds a book telling of 3 stories involving 3 different protagonists. This is the true genius of Damian Morter's storytelling, as you are treated to 3 sub-stories all interwoven together to slowly help the man (and the audience) put together the pieces of how things came to pass. Each story is wonderfully shot and told, and the actors (especially the children) are superb in showing everyday people faced with extraordinary choices.
Without giving any spoilers, let's just say characters from each story turn up in the other tales to varying degrees, helping to give a sense of continuity to events rather than it being 3 random stories. So what happens once he's read the book and the stranger wakes up? Well, that's a story in itself, and one that brings the film to a logical, yet fiendishly clever conclusion.
Look out for cameo appearances from Sarah Jane Honeywell (of CBeebies fame) and several other reasonably well known actors, all of whom lend a sense of credibility to an inexperienced but talented cast who will no doubt go on to great success following this work. If there's one small criticism, the opening 10 minutes could probably be trimmed but make no mistake - this is one of the best films of the year. Filmed on peanuts, with a cast of over 300 volunteers and with excellent cinematography, sound and a chilling score, catch this one on the horror convention circuit or eagerly await the DVD release in 2013. Clever, thoughtful and in places heart-tugging, this is no ordinary chiller!