Brendon Udy
47 Reviews
Reviews
Subject 57
Entertaining short, loved the 'body-switch' pun - you're a team after my own heart. Didn't see the ending coming, which was great. The infamous brazilian scene was horribly awesome.
iBrobot
Ditto Mike. Loved the awkward awesomeness of the end scene, reminded me of a Taika Waititi entry a few years back - did a dude play the mother? 101111001!!
BROKEN SILENCE
Everything about this film was top notch - cinematography, sound, music, and especially story and acting. As has already been mentioned it takes a while to fully understand what's going on, but at no time can you look away, and that ending packed such a strong punch that the audience were floored. Best use of prop without a doubt, and it would be a serious crime if they don't make the finals.
A Song For Mum
Quote from a teammate - "these guys have been doing 48 so long they've now got babies." Loved the humour in this, and using babies in a musical was such a good call. Story wasn't all that strong, but this film was so cute and sweet that it didn't need to be.
FRAMERACE
Very well-executed film with an impressive array of different animation styles thrown in. The story was a bit light, but the way it was all put together and the amount of work that must've gone in over only 48 hours really blew me away. Some great comedy in there too, which got the audience on board quickly. I would love to see individual films done in any one of the different animation styles you showed.
A Song For Mum
Quote from a teammate - "these guys have been doing 48 so long they've now got babies." Loved the humour in this, and using babies in a musical was such a good call. Story wasn't all that strong, but this film was so cute and sweet that it didn't need to be.
Speak to Me
This film was really nicely done, with a decent concept, solid acting, and easy on the eyes cinematography. It would have done really well in any other heat, but still a great effort among such strong competition.
Void
This caused much discussion among our team as to what actually happened, so congrats on making us think. Some really nice performances and I liked the way you established the insomnia aspect with cross-cutting. Non-dialogue is always tough, but you did an honourable job.
17
Solid start to what was a consistently above-average heat. These guys have continued to improve since year one, and this was by far their best effort to date. Acting a bit flat at times but it worked, well shot, and the freeze-frame ending was pitch perfect.
Polyphony
Musical is a difficult genre for even the most seasoned teams, but Hybrid proved they were more than up to the task with this delightful rom-com. Not sure if all of the actors are natural singers, but they all sounded great together and played off each nicely. The songs themselves were catchy and told the story well, and the comedy throughout was spot on. Deserved winner of audience favourite.
The Black Dog
I was confused by this one as well, although I think I understood the reunion aspect of it. Some decent acting and reasonably well shot, just needs a bit more clarity in the story to really sell it.
Black and White
Really subtle take on horror, but it worked surprisingly well. Set up the twist nicely with some fine misdirection. Beautifully shot, strong performance by the lead and excellent choice of music. Well done.
Dead Meat
[Watched in screening room] This was a great film, excellent take on End of the World, acting was brilliant for such a young cast, really nicely shot and the story was perfect for a short film. That ending was brutal, and I loved it. Would definitely pay to see the feature based on this story.
Behind The Spaghetti
An interesting concept and good use of the required character, but I don't think the story quite went far enough to work and the ending felt a bit tacked on. Great performances by the leads though, and the subtitles were a nice touch. I liked that it stayed on these two the whole time, and the awkwardness between them was felt by all.
Between Light and Shadow
The banter between the two leads was brilliant, and the comedy / horror worked well. Some technical issues, but it ddidn't take away from the film. Excellent use of the prop :)
The Institute
So glad these guys weren't DQ'd this year, with a film that showed some of the strongest technical ability I've ever seen in this comp. The decision to have so little dialogue was a great call, and the lead carried the film brilliantly. Like most action flicks the story took a backseat during the middle, but the slow-burn beginning and payoffs at the end more than made up for it.
Headshot
For anyone hoping idiotvision wouldn't produce the goods again this year, you're out of luck. Really great use of the one-room genre, top-notch performances all round and well-shot (as usual). Highlight was the awkwardness between them the first time, absolutely spot on.
Surcease
Really great effort again from Hybrid, how did this not make the final? Superbly acted, beautifully shot, and perfectly paced. I think I would've died if we'd got Inspirational, but you killed it. Only issue I have is that there wasn't a whole lot of conflict, but everything else was spot on so I shouldn't complain. Well done again!
Guinea Pig Funeral
When this started I wasn't sure if I liked it, but as the story developed and we saw Vic crawl through the ground I fell in love. The comedy in this worked so well, the comedic timing and delivery from the girl who played the guinea pig was golden. Had a Wes Anderson meets New Zealand feel to it, and was such a great film to end the night on.
Stuck In The Mini With You
Oh Haynesfilm.Ow, how I love thee. Once again a top-drawer effort, and one of my favourites from this heat. Solid story, and some nice performances all round. Comedy was a bit low this year, but the film's approach was clearly serious and that's why it worked so well. Auckland finalist again? Highly likely :)
Paralysis
Of all the films in the heat, I think this one nailed its genre the best. Beautifully shot and acted, the ominous tone was established from the opening shot and never let up. Seriously dark and genuinely creepy.
Morgan Freefall
Another one of my favourites, so bizarre but so good. The green screen was impressive, especially given how much the actors "moved" within that world. So many hilarious moments and the ending was perfect. Really well done, would love to watch it again.
Let Cheating Gods Lie
This film was a little too arthouse for my tastes, but that seemed to be what they were going for (and have in the past), so kudos to them for sticking to their guns. The story was difficult to follow, and the jump-cut style didn't help, but there were some decent performances from their actors and the overall quality of their picture & sound were good.
Bedtime
This was an all-round great film, with beautiful cinematography, top performances from the cast (especially the young lead), and a simple yet effective story that packed a lot of punch. They nailed the genre, and had the audience in their hands from beginning to end. Absolutely gutted they were DQ'd, because this film would have gone far.
Come rain come shine
This film reminded me of just how much fun you can have during 48. Nicky Brick was hilarious. Good call going with doco style, it worked nicely.
Adrift
Nice use of the fantasy genre, and the young lead did a great job. Let down a little by some sound issues, but the film looked good and the story was well told.
iBrobot
Ditto Mike. Loved the awkward awesomeness of the end scene, reminded me of a Taika Waititi entry a few years back - did a dude play the mother? 101111001!!
Daylight Robbery
Goodfellas, I love you. Consistently at the top of the pile, and this film was no different. Really nice use of the one shot, camerawork was superb and it felt like this film was always meant to be one shot regardless of if it was required. Shame about the sound issues, but still a top film.
Roundelay
Ditto Simon. These guys ooze professionalism, and that opening scene set up what I thought was going to be a hands-down best film of the heat. Unfortunately like Stonedmason said, there really wan't much of a middle to the film. Still, one of the best on production value and acting alone.
Suck My Life
Grand Cheval really stepped up their production value this year, and there were some amazing special effects in this. Story was a bit lacking this year, but the acting was top notch and the twist at the end was great.
Balls
I initially thought this film was going to go much bigger than it did, but I'm glad it stayed tight and only focused on the two characters. While the concept of why they were both there was a little farfetched, the exchanges between them worked well and came across quite genuine given their situation. Morgan was suitably creepy, especially his smile, and the female lead carried the film well. The ending became predictable, but it still got a great laugh from the audience.
The Golden Pronged Goddess
This was one of my favourites of the night, with a quirk concept and an awkward comedic style that worked brilliantly. The lead male deserves a lot of praise for his comedic timing, and his line delivery was superb. The female lead was equally strong, and her yoga scene was a stand-out. Would happily watch this again.
Echo
This film really caught me by surprise. Big props to the lead actress for committing to the role, unfortunately it felt like more of an art house film and the story wasn't very clear. The juxtaposition of the paintings was brilliant.
Come rain come shine
This film reminded me of just how much fun you can have during 48. Nicky Brick was hilarious. Good call going with doco style, it worked nicely.
FRAMERACE
Very well-executed film with an impressive array of different animation styles thrown in. The story was a bit light, but the way it was all put together and the amount of work that must've gone in over only 48 hours really blew me away. Some great comedy in there too, which got the audience on board quickly. I would love to see individual films done in any one of the different animation styles you showed.