Why Watch? In this short film from Chris Shimojima, a young woman (Jenny Murray) meets with the mother who abandoned her (Ginger Grace) when she was a child. As their conversation shifts between niceties, the young woman’s internal monologue gives a convincing speech about why she shouldn’t care about the complete stranger sipping water from a mason jar across from her. The shooting here is simple — mostly done in jarring close-ups and meaningfully off-kilter over the shoulder shots — but the real power comes from the editing. A few moments are left to simmer, others flash by, and the rhythm of it all denies us the solid footing that the main character doesn’t get. Pushing that empathy further, Murray (who was recently highlighted in this short) does a stellar job being the main visual focus and proving that it takes 6 minutes for water to boil. It would be easy to say that she shines most...
- 5/21/2014
- by Scott Beggs
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Why Watch? Beautiful in its layers, this short from Chris Shimojima chases a masked pixie dream girl through picture postcards. It’s constructed with gorgeous shots and pleading dialogue (that finds itself bleeding into flashbacks and new visuals), and in doing so it creates a great sense of useful frustration as a young man desperately tries to see a young woman’s face during a few days of adventurous bliss. That dreamlike, shifting sand structure gives the story a strong momentum even when the characters are calm and reflective. It has a singular goal, but respects the journey and offers a glimpse at the joy that the young man wants to hold on to. On that front, David Melissaratos offers a slam poet’s cadence as the lovestruck and naive, but it’s Anita Anthonj — using only her body and voice to magnetize — that shines here as a salsa dancing enigma. What...
- 9/3/2013
- by Scott Beggs
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Madeleine Zabel is the story of an infamous, Lindsay Lohan-type young celebrity named Maddy Z, and a stressed out reporter named Elliot Snow (Chris Henry Coffey) attempting to capture her in a controversial light. Both characters are far from happy. As we can imagine, Maddy Z (Jenna D’Angelo) is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, juggling too many “projects” from her modeling and music to fashion. Elliot is worn out but determined, potentially risking his own relationship during this brief 10-minute phone interview with Maddy Z.
Written, directed, produced and edited by Chris Shimojima, Dp and editor of the acclaimed web-series Downsized, Madeleine Zabel tears away the makeup laden exterior of a fictional pop star and exposes the fragile, broken humanity that lies beneath. Jenna D’Angelo portrays the questionably talented, yet equally popular and criticized Maddy Z with a convincing range of emotions. She hides her true feelings until the end,...
Written, directed, produced and edited by Chris Shimojima, Dp and editor of the acclaimed web-series Downsized, Madeleine Zabel tears away the makeup laden exterior of a fictional pop star and exposes the fragile, broken humanity that lies beneath. Jenna D’Angelo portrays the questionably talented, yet equally popular and criticized Maddy Z with a convincing range of emotions. She hides her true feelings until the end,...
- 8/25/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.