Filmchick1987

MOTHER

A simple, but emotionally moving story.
Awkward Animations never ceases to amaze me.

Unfinished Symphony

I loved this and was stoked to see it win the Auckland Final. It's simple, sweet and moving. A part of me feels like there could've been more to it (for example, some character development), but as a slice of life, reflective style film, it was great.

4/5

The Time Killer

This was one of my favourites from the family friendly heat. It's a very clever, fresh script with some great make-up to age the characters after they've been hit by the time killer. The time puns were great!

What let it down was the unbelievability of having such young police detectives, some editing choices that didn't progress the story, and also the performances at times (Though the time killer was delightfully campy, similar to Tim Curry in tone). I think building a storyline around the team's current ages and skillsets would've elevated this film significantly. Looking forward to seeing what you bring next year!

Courting Assistance Technology And Matchmaking Expert

Nice work. I enjoyed how you gradually revealed the true identity of the "love of her life" and how disturbing each suitor felt until then. It gave me a giggle.

What would have improved it is more dynamic performances (other than sitting down the whole time) and giving more of an urgency or purpose to her finding "the one". Either that, or 2 mins shorter to get to the punch line quicker. :)

3/5

But Wait - There's More!

This was a perfect balance of creepy and funny. I'll never hear the phrase "but wait, there's more!" quite the same way again.

Āta

Really happy to have read the comments here, as I honestly struggled to understand this film. Now some light has been shed, so I can enjoy my second watch at the Grand Final :)
However, I really enjoyed how absorbing and creative this was the first time round. Not your stereotypical horror, but disturbing none the less.
Well done!

3/5

Beware the Kraken

This was a clever, simple idea executed in a fun, hilarious way. The pacing and writing was really well done.

Party Puffers

It was so refreshing to see older actors get their chance to shine in this film - a rare treat during 48 Hours! The use of slow motion was absolutely brilliant and the overall story was simple, yet funny.

Holiday Hitman

The tension and hilarity of this piece made it a thoroughly enjoyable watch!

If I was going to nitpick, I would've upped the stakes a bit more and put their marriage on the line, showing the assassin was willing to give up his greatest desires to kill in order to save his relationship. This would've delivered an emotional punch at the end that it was lacking.

Other than that, super fun idea and well executed.

The Shroud

As a piece of abstract art, this was fascinating and disturbing. Not my cup of tea, as I didn't fully appreciate or understand what was happening, but it's still a beautifully crafted piece I can admire. Well done!

Open Home

A well executed film packed with plenty of laughs. Unfortunately, a number of films in this competition (this year and previous years) have done the Open Home storyline to death, so a more surprising twist than laxatives could've given this one an edge that previous films didn't have. It definitely had that emotional gut punch at the end though - I felt so sorry for him! A great effort overall!