CallaghanFilms
Veteran
From what I've heard, #2 would be more appropriate for spidey's film.John_Hudson said:
Actually I haven't seen them yet, but will asap.
Your Top 10's of Dramafest !
- Thread starter J.R. Hudson
- Start date
Actually I haven't seen them yet, but will asap.
khmuse
Tech Guru
Wow, I am so happy to have a film that I worked on included in your list.
My top five films are all represented in your list of nine. I sorted into three categories (good, ok and bad). This fest has less (in terms of a percentage of the total) in my bad bin than previous fests. Seems that this place is an environment that encourages and delivers improvement for those that participate.
Thanks all for another great fest!
My top five films are all represented in your list of nine. I sorted into three categories (good, ok and bad). This fest has less (in terms of a percentage of the total) in my bad bin than previous fests. Seems that this place is an environment that encourages and delivers improvement for those that participate.
Thanks all for another great fest!
ullanta
Veteran
Your top 10? Invites my top 10? Well, let's see... here's my top 8:
THE TOP 2:
--------------
Eighteen Seconds - Abssolutely beautiful imagery, very effective acting, story that works well, even if the car hit is a little too obvious. I like the dialogue-free approach, especially as compared to many films that were monologue-heavy - everything necessary was effectively communicated in those gorgeous images. Leaves one thinking a bit, which always helps.
Heritage - Also beautifully shot. A little heavy on the monologue. I loved the music in the whispering scene - most effective use of music in my opinion. Also most effective use of variable frame rates. Story was intriguing, but didn't quite come through well in the monologue.
THE NEXT 6
--------------
After Class - Beautifully shot - Best Compression prize! Nicely done but a bit predictable, and not as ambitions as some.
Not The Same - Some of best acting, a great look, somehow very real, somewhat familiar, yet a bit mysterious. Liked the lighting; best kitchen sound award!
bailey - Many beautiful visuals; story a bit predictable and melodramatic.
Middle Man - Nice mood piece. Interesting in nothingness. Acting worked well. Don't know that the ending did it for me...
NoMoney5U - "Click here to steal money" gets the Best Line Award. Somehow, which I can't at all explain, appealing in its kooky exhuberance. It really strongly references the metastory, even though it's all mystery. Somehow, the most appealing characters. Call me crazy, it somehow worked!
Katrina - Most of it nicely shot. Powerful close-ups (both in imagery and acting). I think it could have used a few more minuted to really develop!
NOTABLE MENTIONS THAT GET A FEW QUICK SUGGESTIONS:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Broadcast - Parts well done but predictable story - even without taking more time, I think you could have given the illusion of more time passing before the end.
Your Loving Husband - I didn't love the monologue (can you tell I'm not into that?), but the ending managed to be powerfully touching
Promised - DahopaFilms - The music killed this for me, especially in the murder scene, where it played like comedy. like comedy. I'm all for chicks kissing, but you have to give a little more motivation to avoid uninteresting and perhaps offensive stereotypes.
Where Silence Falls Very professional, film-like imagery (but what's with the vignetting?). Almost! I didn't buy into the rage, or the suffering of the neighbor. Denouement?
The Artist - Again, the music ruined it. Too heavy and foreboding, especially at the end where there's no reason for it to be at all. I would have used music to create a mysterious mood, not a horror-movie mood!
The Fallen - Hey, a lot of good work and some nice imagery, but i couldn't (and wasn't motivated to) get into the story at all. Not only a lot of monologue, a lot of mumbly-grumbly monologue. I think (this is becoming a general comment) when time is short, DON'T give in to the temptation to fill in a lot of backstory with verbage. It becomes like one of those poetry readings with flowers on the Classic Arts Channel. Use vision and sound as your main storytelling elements, not words!
Tempo - The Wrath of Indifference Nicely shot; not drama
Eric - Yardsale Oddly compelling. Reminded me for a bit of Puch Drunk Love
At The Park - predictable, but sorta worked... but, denouement?
untitled - didn't quite escape seeming coming off as racist, even though trying to be a statement against racism. That dude would forgive and forget getting creamed like that, just because he got his money? C'mon!
THE TOP 2:
--------------
Eighteen Seconds - Abssolutely beautiful imagery, very effective acting, story that works well, even if the car hit is a little too obvious. I like the dialogue-free approach, especially as compared to many films that were monologue-heavy - everything necessary was effectively communicated in those gorgeous images. Leaves one thinking a bit, which always helps.
Heritage - Also beautifully shot. A little heavy on the monologue. I loved the music in the whispering scene - most effective use of music in my opinion. Also most effective use of variable frame rates. Story was intriguing, but didn't quite come through well in the monologue.
THE NEXT 6
--------------
After Class - Beautifully shot - Best Compression prize! Nicely done but a bit predictable, and not as ambitions as some.
Not The Same - Some of best acting, a great look, somehow very real, somewhat familiar, yet a bit mysterious. Liked the lighting; best kitchen sound award!
bailey - Many beautiful visuals; story a bit predictable and melodramatic.
Middle Man - Nice mood piece. Interesting in nothingness. Acting worked well. Don't know that the ending did it for me...
NoMoney5U - "Click here to steal money" gets the Best Line Award. Somehow, which I can't at all explain, appealing in its kooky exhuberance. It really strongly references the metastory, even though it's all mystery. Somehow, the most appealing characters. Call me crazy, it somehow worked!
Katrina - Most of it nicely shot. Powerful close-ups (both in imagery and acting). I think it could have used a few more minuted to really develop!
NOTABLE MENTIONS THAT GET A FEW QUICK SUGGESTIONS:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Broadcast - Parts well done but predictable story - even without taking more time, I think you could have given the illusion of more time passing before the end.
Your Loving Husband - I didn't love the monologue (can you tell I'm not into that?), but the ending managed to be powerfully touching
Promised - DahopaFilms - The music killed this for me, especially in the murder scene, where it played like comedy. like comedy. I'm all for chicks kissing, but you have to give a little more motivation to avoid uninteresting and perhaps offensive stereotypes.
Where Silence Falls Very professional, film-like imagery (but what's with the vignetting?). Almost! I didn't buy into the rage, or the suffering of the neighbor. Denouement?
The Artist - Again, the music ruined it. Too heavy and foreboding, especially at the end where there's no reason for it to be at all. I would have used music to create a mysterious mood, not a horror-movie mood!
The Fallen - Hey, a lot of good work and some nice imagery, but i couldn't (and wasn't motivated to) get into the story at all. Not only a lot of monologue, a lot of mumbly-grumbly monologue. I think (this is becoming a general comment) when time is short, DON'T give in to the temptation to fill in a lot of backstory with verbage. It becomes like one of those poetry readings with flowers on the Classic Arts Channel. Use vision and sound as your main storytelling elements, not words!
Tempo - The Wrath of Indifference Nicely shot; not drama
Eric - Yardsale Oddly compelling. Reminded me for a bit of Puch Drunk Love
At The Park - predictable, but sorta worked... but, denouement?
untitled - didn't quite escape seeming coming off as racist, even though trying to be a statement against racism. That dude would forgive and forget getting creamed like that, just because he got his money? C'mon!
Zak Forsman
Major Contributor
for me, there were four stands outs that spoke to me in a way the others didn't. thus, we have a purely subjective group here...
1. Not The Same
2. Middle Man
3. 18 Seconds
4. Ajar
1. Not The Same
2. Middle Man
3. 18 Seconds
4. Ajar
Robert Eldon
Well-known member
Decisions, decisions, decisions...
I narrowed down my top 5. In no particular order, they are:
After Class
Eighteen Seconds
Heritage
The Artist
UKP
Top 10 to follow... Stay tuned.
I narrowed down my top 5. In no particular order, they are:
After Class
Eighteen Seconds
Heritage
The Artist
UKP
Top 10 to follow... Stay tuned.
Kyle Stebbins
AD GURU
so much competition in this fest.
SO many good films!!
i'll have to give this a go tomorrow. great thread!
-kyle
SO many good films!!
i'll have to give this a go tomorrow. great thread!
-kyle
Mark Harris
Pain in the ass
In no particular order:
Heritage - a downright scary channeling of Nathanial Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown (Am I the ONLY MO-FO on this site who actually reads books??????? No one else seems to know what the **** I'm talking about)
Where Silence Falls - it's all been said before. Great work, Norm.
Untitled - MobileDeli - A very good film, which got basically no attention here. I'm not sure why. I mean I KNOW why, but more than so many other films receiving so much praise, this was a real drama with real character action, objectives, character development, a good, well rounded script - all of those things that DramaFest was supposed to be about. Anyway, go watch it. It certainly has its issues but it's quite stunning for a 6 min Drama.
TTN - though I can't wait to see the longer cut, because I think the story wants it.
After Class - A nearly perfect little movie with a great performance by Concannon. I read a lot of people complaining about the stereotyping, etc, but I really got the sense that THIS MAN was like this, and not that it was some tirade against religious whackos - though that would've been fine with me too.
Not the Same - Really great intimate drama with absolutely no pretense. Something kind of rare in this fest.
I dunno, I guess I will come back and add to it later.
Heritage - a downright scary channeling of Nathanial Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown (Am I the ONLY MO-FO on this site who actually reads books??????? No one else seems to know what the **** I'm talking about)
Where Silence Falls - it's all been said before. Great work, Norm.
Untitled - MobileDeli - A very good film, which got basically no attention here. I'm not sure why. I mean I KNOW why, but more than so many other films receiving so much praise, this was a real drama with real character action, objectives, character development, a good, well rounded script - all of those things that DramaFest was supposed to be about. Anyway, go watch it. It certainly has its issues but it's quite stunning for a 6 min Drama.
TTN - though I can't wait to see the longer cut, because I think the story wants it.
After Class - A nearly perfect little movie with a great performance by Concannon. I read a lot of people complaining about the stereotyping, etc, but I really got the sense that THIS MAN was like this, and not that it was some tirade against religious whackos - though that would've been fine with me too.
Not the Same - Really great intimate drama with absolutely no pretense. Something kind of rare in this fest.
I dunno, I guess I will come back and add to it later.
Mark Johnson
The Dude Abides
Totally spot on reference, Mr. Harris! Damn, I thought I was the only one here that read those English Lit assignments
What a great comparison between Harrison and Hawthorne's dark little story.
preston
Well-known member
that's how I felt about Ted's I.D. - am I the only one who compared it to Poe's Tell-Tale Heart?Mark Johnson said:Totally spot on reference, Mr. Harris! Damn, I thought I was the only one here that read those English Lit assignments
sorry, wrong fest - I know. I just really liked I.D.
Charli
cool little "title"
1. The Fallen - loved the visuals, camera work, cuts, as a screenwriter, this one did it for me, from start to finish.
2. When Silence Falls - the acting was stellar and the dialogue believeable.
3. Ajar - that freakin' spinning chair, that shot of the guy's head in the tank, wonderful little surprised that made this film work.
**
Honorable mentions
Artist - nice twist, but it was so creepy that it left me not wanting to see it again.
Katrina - you can tell a lot of effor was put in the overall look to this film.
Threading The Needle - a lot of extras, a lot of a lot, I don't think this film really showed Mark's FX prowess (the longer version will I'm sure), but it did show that Theo is on the right track on directing.
2. When Silence Falls - the acting was stellar and the dialogue believeable.
3. Ajar - that freakin' spinning chair, that shot of the guy's head in the tank, wonderful little surprised that made this film work.
**
Honorable mentions
Artist - nice twist, but it was so creepy that it left me not wanting to see it again.
Katrina - you can tell a lot of effor was put in the overall look to this film.
Threading The Needle - a lot of extras, a lot of a lot, I don't think this film really showed Mark's FX prowess (the longer version will I'm sure), but it did show that Theo is on the right track on directing.
nitramlehcar
Well-known member
My picks were based simply on those that prevailed the best in not boring me into staring at my own reflection on the computer screen. There were others, but these held my intrigue the most.
I have an insurmountable bias for a couple of films, so these are not in order.
ajar
At the Park
18 Seconds
To Kill a Rockstar
After Class
The Broadcast
Life is Good - I simply cannot leave out such a great scatalogical drama.
Great job everyone! Can't wait to see the next round.
I have an insurmountable bias for a couple of films, so these are not in order.
ajar
At the Park
18 Seconds
To Kill a Rockstar
After Class
The Broadcast
Life is Good - I simply cannot leave out such a great scatalogical drama.
Great job everyone! Can't wait to see the next round.
spidey
Shogun Assassin
nitramlehcar said:My picks were based simply on those that prevailed the best in not boring me into staring at my own reflection on the computer screen. There were others, but these held my intrigue the most.
I have an insurmountable bias for a couple of films, so these are not in order.
ajar
At the Park
18 Seconds
To Kill a Rockstar
After Class
The Broadcast
Life is Good - I simply cannot leave out such a great scatalogical drama.
Great job everyone! Can't wait to see the next round.
thanks so much for the love
jeremytuttle
Well-known member
This is the hardest thing in the world, trying to pick one that is the best out of all these amazing movies. I tried my hardest to try and pick ones that fit within the "drama" category but I also gave people some credit if they made a big effort and went the extra mile. So without further delay my top ten list (not in perfect order but close... I'm still on the fence with a few of these and obviously I left At The Park off because I'm a touch bias toward it):
WASTED:
Simple production (at least compared to some here) but very well made, well acted, and well written.
HERITAGE:
Great flick, if the acting would have been a little better this would be higher on my list.
EIGHTEEN SECONDS:
Just plain beautiful and I'm a sucker for stories like this.
THREADING THE NEEDLE:
This has it's issues but is very enjoyable and it felt like a big cinematic movie.
AJAR:
Okay, maybe not exactly 100% Drama, but one of the most entertaining on my list.
DISSONANCE:
Unique and one of the more original shorts of this fest.
WHERE SILENCE FALLS:
It's not At The Park but it's pretty dang good Seriosly though, Rebecca did great here and it looked great.
NOT THE SAME:
I loved the dialogue in this and thought it was very good.
THE ARTIST:
I really liked this one, but because this is DramaFest it was put a little lower on the list. If this would have been SpyFest, you would win in my book.
ANOTHER DAY:
*Argh, I can only have 9 images*
I liked the message in this one, I'd like to see a longer cut if there is one. I thought the mother didn't compare to the son's more "powerful" acting other wise it would be higher on the list.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Breathe, Fallen, UKP, After Class, Germanity, .Static, Erica, Bailey, Middle Man.
Also if Katrina would have been in competition it would have been pretty high up on the list.
Any way, that's my 2cents.
WASTED:
Simple production (at least compared to some here) but very well made, well acted, and well written.
HERITAGE:
Great flick, if the acting would have been a little better this would be higher on my list.
EIGHTEEN SECONDS:
Just plain beautiful and I'm a sucker for stories like this.
THREADING THE NEEDLE:
This has it's issues but is very enjoyable and it felt like a big cinematic movie.
AJAR:
Okay, maybe not exactly 100% Drama, but one of the most entertaining on my list.
DISSONANCE:
Unique and one of the more original shorts of this fest.
WHERE SILENCE FALLS:
It's not At The Park but it's pretty dang good
Seriosly though, Rebecca did great here and it looked great. NOT THE SAME:
I loved the dialogue in this and thought it was very good.
THE ARTIST:
I really liked this one, but because this is DramaFest it was put a little lower on the list. If this would have been SpyFest, you would win in my book.
ANOTHER DAY:
*Argh, I can only have 9 images*
I liked the message in this one, I'd like to see a longer cut if there is one. I thought the mother didn't compare to the son's more "powerful" acting other wise it would be higher on the list.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Breathe, Fallen, UKP, After Class, Germanity, .Static, Erica, Bailey, Middle Man.
Also if Katrina would have been in competition it would have been pretty high up on the list.
Any way, that's my 2cents.
Last edited:
J.R. Hudson
Spirit Animal
Wow Jeremy
Such a detailed example of the films you enjoyed; and really, thank you for the add. My hats off to you!
Such a detailed example of the films you enjoyed; and really, thank you for the add. My hats off to you!
jeremytuttle
Well-known member
John_Hudson said:
Thanks John, I thought it might help bring a little deserved attention to the films.
Thanks again for the vote (YES... we have ONE vote):beer: