Friday, July 25, 2008

NYILFF - Shorts Program - Made You Smile

I saw two shorts programs today but only have time to write about one. The other - Talk 2 Her will be reviewed later on.

Short Films: Made You Smile

La Leyenda Del Hombre Lento (The Legend of the Slow Man) – Director: Armando Del Rio – An odd man out type of story done with great humor and creativity. A very enjoyable start to the program, had the audience laughing out loud throughout the film.
Exposed Negative – Director: Stuart Altman – A humorous take on the whole celebrity and paparazzi phenomenon. A Britney, Lindsay type actress has been away from the spotlight and makes a deal with two paparazzi to make a comeback.
La Gordiranfla – Director: Anwar Safa – A very funny film about a notorious gambler who loses the truck that he and his wife use to sell gorditas.
Crossing Numbers – Director: Abel Gonzalez – An odd choice of subject for a humorous film but it totally works. The story focuses on border patrols from Mexico and the U.S. who don’t want to claim the body found in the desert.
Browntown – Director: Deepti Paul – I hope this short is a work in progress of a much longer film. I would love to see the characters develop and see where the story goes. This was the only film that I have seen so far that incorporated many ethnicities, a real “browntown” cast.
Hombre Rana (Frogman) – Directors: Roxana Ruzzante & Martin Escriche – Another odd man themed movie where a man has a successful life but yearns to leave it and go away.
Llora – Director: Pepe Caudillo – This 11 minute film, done in one take, pokes fun at filmmakers, where they will go to any lengths to get their take. Very well acted and directed piece of film.
The Tree – Director: Paul Starkman – Very funny film about a man who plants a tree in Brooklyn to get some shade from the hot summer days but the tree becomes the center of activity in the neighborhood. Great performance from the underrated Jose Zuniga.

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