Well, howdy there! Let’s talk about them short films, or whatever the young folks call ’em these days. Movie shorts, yeah, that’s it. Used to be, movies were long, you know? Took all afternoon. Now, they got these little snippets. Kinda like snacks instead of a whole meal.
So, what makes a good movie short? That’s a head-scratcher, ain’t it? It’s like tryin’ to figure out why the rooster crows at sunrise. Some things just are. But I reckon I got some thoughts, seein’ as I watched a few of these things when the grandkids come visitin’.
First off, it gotta grab ya right away. No time for dilly-dallyin’. You got, what, ten minutes, maybe twenty? Gotta get to the point, like a hound dog on a scent. Like that one cartoon, Quick Fix, they called it. Boom! Showed ya a whole fella’s life in six minutes. Zipped right through it. Kinda sad, but it sure got your attention.
- Story’s gotta be strong. Can’t be wanderin’ around like a lost calf. Gotta have a purpose, a point to it all.
- Characters gotta be memorable. Even if they’re only on screen for a few minutes, you gotta remember ’em. Like that fella in that drug movie. What was it called? Somethin’ about pills. Anyway, he was poppin’ pills like they was candy. Made me shake my head, lemme tell ya.
Yeah, prescription pills and addiction that was it. Scary stuff, even if it was just a cartoon.
- Gotta look good too. Now, I ain’t talkin’ fancy-schmancy special effects. But it can’t look like somethin’ the cat dragged in neither. Gotta be clear, gotta be easy on the eyes.
I saw one, a real humdinger, called Starfuckers. Don’t ask me what that means, I ain’t got a clue. But it was about this… well, let’s just say a “working girl” and a movie fella. And boy, was she mad! It was somethin’ else. Kept me on the edge of my seat, even though it was over before I could finish my tea.
Another thing, these movie shorts, they gotta make you feel somethin’. Happy, sad, scared, even angry. If you just sit there like a bump on a log, then it ain’t worth a hill of beans. That little animated one, just a plain little thing, but it packed a punch. Simple, but powerful, that’s what it was. Showed ya that you don’t need a lot of bells and whistles to tell a good story.
Now, where do you find these movie shorts? Heck if I know. The grandkids, they watch ’em on that…Net-somethin’ or other. Sounds like a fishin’ net to me. But they say it’s got all sorts of movies, big and small. Guess that’s where all the young’uns are these days.
And if you’re lookin’ to figure out if a movie is any good, well you just have to pay some attention. If you weren’t paying attention then what are you even doing there in the first place? Don’t go and watch somethin’ if you ain’t gonna pay no mind.
So, if you’re lookin’ for a quick entertainment fix, these movie shorts might just be the ticket. Just remember, they gotta be quick, they gotta be strong, and they gotta make you feel somethin’. And if they don’t? Well, there’s plenty more fish in the sea, as they say. Or movies on the Net-somethin’, I guess.
To sum it up, a good short film movie needs a good story, strong characters, it needs to look good, and you gotta pay attention when you’re watching. If you follow these rules, you are sure to have a good time.
Tags: [Short Films, Movie Review, Quick Movies, Animated Films, Film Criticism]
