All My Dreams on VHS: A Man Who Loves to Dream

Dreams are fascinating, but to have an entire VHS collection dedicated to them, well that is

another story...

James is a man with a very creative mind. His dreams are vivid. so he records them to VHS tapes. Maintaining dreams...sounds a bit like Christopher Nolan's Inception right? To be fair, this isn't even close to Inception, but the notion of dreams does leave one of the characters curious. Erica, a colleague of James, drops by his apartment only to find herself in complete shock at the towering VHS collection. The titles of the tapes baffle her, as they should. Some of them are strange. Yet, it is the one tape with her name on it that sends her curiosity over the edge.

James leaves to go to the store down the street, leaving Erica to watch the tape about her. The audience does not see what is on the tape, but only what expression is left on Erica's face. The mystery widens when James returns, catching her watching the tape. He is clearly embarrassed while she is stunned by what she saw. Without revealing too much, the two discuss the tape and James is rather mystified by Erica's reaction to the tape. In other words, it is not what it seems...

The ending of the film regards James' past. I don't want to give away the ending so that is all I will say. Overall, I thought Thomas X. Atack's idea for All My Dream on VHS was unique. The script was witty and contained several funny moments of dialogue, especially during the dramatic scenes. I noticed that a lot of closeups were used which worked well as the mystery of Erica's tape was revealed. In the scene with Erica watching the tape, I found the lighting spectacular. One of my favorite parts of this film was the music. However, the quirky moments courtesy of both British actors are what made this film enjoyable.

Rest: Zombies Have Hearts Too

No one would ever expect to be compassionate about a zombie falling in love. Sounds odd to say the least. It is almost unheard of for a zombie flick to include anything but violence. This short film mixed up everything, but for the better. I have always liked zombie flicks and The Walking Dead is, in my opinion, one of the best shows on TV. I must say that watching The Walking Dead changed my opinion on zombies or rather my opinion on anything containing zombies as characters. Not everything that involves zombies has to revolve around zombies seeking humans as food. These films and shows can include human emotions. The Walking Dead manages to create a post-apocalyptic world with well-written characters with real emotions and struggles. Rest by Cole Schreiber mixes human emotions within a zombie as a main character. I have never seen this done until now.

The film opens at an isolated grave in what appears to be an abandoned world. Colors of gray and blue envelope the landscape. In a wide shot, a hand appears from the ground. Within a few frames, a dead corpse arises from the ground and returns to life. However, in this case, no extremely loud, frightening music is blaring in the background, for there is no reason to be afraid. He doesn't want humans. That fact becomes apparent as he travels into New York City looking for something. He merely passes by the crowds of people with no desire to feast on their flesh. It is difficult to determine what exactly he wants, but the intrigue leaves you wanting answers. Frame by frame, the zombies travels down roads, across rivers and through fields, searching effortlessly for something. His movements are strong, and it is clear that he is intellectual. He knows exactly where he is going...

Now, I don't want to ruin the short film, but I will mention this: zombies have emotions too. At least, they do in Cole Schreiber's film. At the end of the day, no one wants to be forgotten or lost. The heart leads the way.

As for the visual aspects of the film, I loved the cinematography. The focus on certain filters in specific scenes brought objects to life, like what appears to be a charm or necklace in one of the beginning shots. The camerawork was also extremely powerful in terms of the tone for the film. At times, images are blurred or distorted because they are supposed to represent the viewpoint of the zombie. Handheld camerawork was present. Perhaps one of the best film techniques used in Rest was the repetition of certain shots. Wide shots were prevalent in the film as were certain close ups to exaggerate or express the zombie's emotions. I won't reveal what the ending of the film was, but I absolutely loved the way it was shot. The minimal lighting was perfect, not too lit nor too dark. The candles provided the perfect amount of light. All was revealed in the end in a beautifully depicted scene.

This short film brought a whole new side to zombies. They don't just have to kill. Maybe at the end of the day they just want to be loved too...

George Lucas in Love: A Parody of the Creation of Star Wars

Imagine this: a young film student struggling to finish a project deadline, annoyed by writer's block until he meets his muse. Doesn't sound too uncommon. Mix in the concept of outer space and you have the creation of one of the greatest blockbuster franchises of all time.

I cannot deny the fact that I am a nerd. I loved Star Wars as a kid. The concept of a new world fascinated me. When I saw that this short film mixed the ideas of Star Wars with concepts from the Academy Award winning film Shakespeare in Love, I had to watch the short film George Lucas in Love.

The film revolves around a young George Lucas in college. He is desperate to finish a script, but has no inspiration until he meets his muse. Basically, the entire short film is full of references to the Star Wars films. Most of them were hilarious. The little details made them funny, like the Princess Leia hairstyle on the girl. The music was also essential to this piece. It opens with romantic music similar to that of Shakespeare in Love. The references to the Star Wars films are great. My favorites were the Darth Vader neighbor, the Yoda man and of course the Princess Leia look-a-like. The scene in the theater was ironic, considering that it is George Lucas, but I found it funny nonetheless.

I found the script to be very well-written and witty. One line that stuck out to me was "write what you know." Clearly, a close attention to detail was made. I loved the music throughout the film. It adapted perfectly to the scenes. The cast was great. The camera work was simple, but it worked perfectly with the script. No crazy special effects were needed. The overall idea was so unique that I fell in love with it. In my opinion, however, the best part was the hilarious plot twist at the end. I died laughing.

If you have watched the Star Wars films, then you will catch the references and find the short film to be enjoyable.

The Hunt for Gollum: A Return to Middle Earth

The Hunt For Gollum (HD version) by HuntForGollum

Ok, I'll admit it. Just the idea of Lord of the Rings intrigued me into watching this film. Why Lord of the Rings you may ask? Let me inform you of a rather important fact about me: Lord of the Rings was a major part of my childhood. I can remember from the age of about 10 thinking that the film trilogy was one of the most beautifully shot movie franchises. I must clarify. At the age of 10, I had absolutely no interest in pursuing film as a career, yet I found the films to be stunning pieces of art. The films inspired me to read the books (which I managed to read in a week!) I quickly found myself addicted to the world of Middle Earth, but not in a creepy way. I grew to appreciate the concept of LOTR as one of the most ingenious literary works of all time. So, in essence, finding this short film brought me back to my childhood. Then I started watching it, and I found myself laughing. Perhaps not the greatest sign, considering that the film is not a comedy.

DON'T GET ME WRONG! Chris Bouchard's film brought Middle Earth back to life in a rather realistic way, considering that it is a short film. However, I found the actor playing Aragorn to be...well, put it this way: he is no Viggo Mortensen, at least in appearance. Maybe, I still have the image of Viggo Mortensen's rugged Aragorn stuck in my head...

I'm just not completely convinced by this new portrayal of Aragorn. Something is just off

(his voice maybe?) On a brighter note, his acting is superb. He does manage to capture

the warrior aspect well.

THAT is my major problem associated with Chris Bouchard's The Hunt for Gollum. I found

every other aspect of this film so strikingly similar to the Peter Jackson films. The precision to details

is evident from Aragorn's fight style to the music and closing credits. The cinematography was beyond

perfect. It was as if this short film was shot in the same locations as the original films. Even the CGI

(yes, it was a bit cheesy at certain points) matched the tone of the LOTR film trilogy. The fight scenes

were well choreographed. One would find it hard to believe that a director could manage to bring

a fantasy world to life in such an accurate way on such a small budget. That fact alone is brilliant.

Ok, some of you may be wondering: Did this guy try to remake the LOTR trilogy into a short film? To put is simply, no. However, he managed to make somewhat of a prequel to the first film. I hesitate to say prequel because there actually is a prequel to LOTR - The Hobbit - however, Chris Bouchard put his own take on the story. Basically, this film centers around Aragorn, before the Fellowship of the Ring is formed, on a quest to find Gollum to prevent him from revealing the location of the ring.

To end this rant, I must conclude by stating that this is not your ordinary fan film. Bouchard clearly masters Peter Jackson's film techniques, like the wide shot, in this film. Any LOTR lover should give this film a chance. The visual and technical aspects of this film alone are enough to intrigue any film buff. If you are dying for the release of the Hobbit this December, then this film may be for you. Although it is no 3 and a half hour epic, it is enough of Middle Earth to tie you over until the next part of Peter Jackson's LOTR franchise.