Blowing Smoke

Another awesome short from Neato.
Really excellent blocking, direction, and performances.
I mean, it's perfect.
A worthy addition to the Metal Gear franchise.

Neato out here raising the BAR!!! I didn’t know these humble music video creators had this in them!! This fuckin RIPS!!! Luca was moving like agent SINS! The blocking at the start is SOO good! The kinetic camera movement keeps the whole thing pumping! I am a big fan of a goofy premise that's executed with serious intent, and NEATO nailed it! Also a huge fan of the guy getting drowned in the punch bowl! The extra effort of doing the SFX makeup for the cracker ninja star was not lost on me! Easily the best 80s action movie that wasn’t an 80s action movie! My only note is that in the shot of the cake being put on the table outside, the candle is clearly OUT! Took me out of the movie for just a moment, but all is forgiven for the banger of an ending! Amazing work team!

Had so much fun watching this one! Really dynamic camera work and I LOVED the sfx on the rice cracker shurikans!

What I liked:
Revenge over a stolen wish? Clever concept – liked it a lot. Great performances by our lead, and I enjoyed the smoky, determined voice-over. The fight sequence is very, very cool – plenty of action, cheap shots and great use of the environment and everything in it. Superbly filmed and edited and just a heap of fun. Maximum points for nailing the “think it’s done but it’s not” moments.

Take it or leave it:
Yeah, the candle was clearly out when put down on the table, in glorious close-up!

Final hot air:
An OTT revenge flick that absolutely perfects every moment. Should do very well at the finals.

Who amongst us in childhood didn’t have our candles blown out by someone else – such a relatable grudge and funny motivator for this action-filled revenge film! This film was a standout – really great pace, dynamic camera work, great cuts and transitions, solid sound design, and fun acting all combine for a hell of a good time. The SFX makeup with crackers slicing into the face – oh my god! One of our favourite action-based shorts this year.

A great premise, beautifully silly and earnest in its execution. A gruff villain. A pixellated childhood photo. Intense action brilliantly edited. Sexy stuntwork. Some really trippy shots. The broken arm has me absolutely wincing. The ninja crackers are delightful, as is the near-drowning in the punch bowl. Lovely pay-off at the end.

You fucking clowns :P

After last years milky surprise, I was very excited to see what you'd be cooking up for us, and you did not dissapoint! What a crowd pleaser. So cool to see the action on the big screen! Congratulations.

The setup of this one is excellent, one of my favourite concepts this year. Revenge as a genre gives a team so much flexbility of what the stakes are, and I think you guys did a great job of commiting to the bit, it's the commitment that really sells it as something with high stakes, despite the whole thing being completely absurd.

The highlight is of course the choreo, so slick, so fun! and so freaking tight from start to end (with the exception of maybe one shot that was sped up in a way that felt a little disjointed to the rest of it, but it also made me laugh so I forgive it lol). Breaking someones arm over a birthday wish is a kind of story telling that you can only see in 48hours, and I'm so here for it.

THE BEST THING: The commitment to the stakes! Excellent performances and fantastic delivery of those lines.

THE NEXT THING: Hard to say, I like that you made something fun, maybe the judges just needed more to chew on. You guys have all the right ingredients to bring something to the tippy top of the competition. You just gotta keep turning up and giving it your all! May the cosmic hand of 48hours judging continue to tip in your favour!

God I LOVED this movie!! Such a treat to watch at the heats and again at the finals. It is such a classic 48 hours banger. The delivery of some of those lines make me laugh as I write this. And the punch bowl gag is gold, what a moment and what a film!