notesonafilm

Many apologies for the lack of posts lately, it has been a busy time!  Currently, I own two properties: a new house and the condo we moved out of.  So, I’ve spent the past couple weeks using all of my spare time painting, cleaning, washing and vacuuming trying to get this condo on the market, which I am happy to report will land on the market early next week.  For any of you looking to move to North Carolina, I’ve got a deal for you if you’re looking for a condominium.  Anyway, in regards to my movie/television watching behaviors, I’ve been working diligently through season 2 of Downton Abbey, so I’ll definitely be posting my thoughts on that soon.  Also, I hope to get back into the regular movie watching agenda quite soon as well to get more reviews up here at a regular interval.  In the meantime, however, I’ve decided to leave you guys with a short film to watch.

The majority of my production work, at least in a narrative regard, has been on short films.  Yet, I rarely ever mention much about short films outside of when I complete one of my personal projects.  So, being a lover of the medium, I’ve decided to start occasionally giving recommendations for short films that have left a lasting impression on me.  The short is a very different beast from a feature, there is less time to develop character, less time to incite plot and usually a much smaller budget than is available for feature productions, as shorts are usually independently funded.  Many young filmmakers cut their teeth on shorts, but there are still a plethora of seasoned feature film directors who will still produce shorts in between their larger productions.  For instance, a favorite director of mine, Terry Gilliam’s, most recently released production was a short film shot in Italy called The Wholly Family.

For our first short recommendation I want to present one of my favorite shorts that I think I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching.  For you fans of Groundhog Day, you will find much to like in this one, and remember, that this short came out before that film, so if you draw any conclusions keep that in mind.  The film is titled 12:01 p.m. and stars a familiar face to fans of That 70s Show, Kurtwood Smith.  It was produced in 1990 by Chanticleer Films, which used to be a wonderful production company that funded short films specifically.  I’m not sure whether Chanticleer is even still running, but if they are, their output has definitely slowed down.  Directed by Jonathan Heap, who I’m surprised has not really had a great career following this amazing debut, the film focuses on elements of time, space and human consciousness.  The film runs about 25 minutes, but I think you’ll be glad you watched it, and feel free to post your thoughts below!  Also, it’s worth noting that, though this film didn’t win, it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short in 1991.  I don’t want to spoil any of the fun, so without further adieu, enjoy: