PATHOMANIA - A film by J. Anthony Gonzales (cinealma)

[cinealma]

AMAZING sound work. but that was the case in your Adfest too. So far this is the scariest one I've seen. i will watch again and ask for your influences.

Thanks Dee. I'm glad you appreciate the sound. I work very hard and that aspect of my films. I'm just not a sound mixer. One day I'll get me one of those and my sound design will really explode!

Thanks again for watching. Glad you liked it!

Movies like this make me feel unworthy to be included in the fest. Incredible. Have you ever seen Begotten? Very similar flick. It also made me pee myself.

Thanks for the kind words.

Yes, I actually saw Begotten at the Sunset Lamelle theaters when it had a midnight run, what, 12 years ago? When it was over, most of the people had left. The biggest impact that film has on me was that I said to myself, "Wow! I just paid $7 at a movie theater to watch a piece of art." And it was great. It gave me some hope.

Thanks again for watching.

 

[cinealma]

Alright, so this is the first film in a dvxuser fest where I've turned to someone else watching and said "dude ... are you tripping out? ... ok good ... then it's not just me"

Very surreal and creepy, I had trouble sort of disconnecting myself between what looked like it was shot and then animated over and what was completely animated, there was to much difference between the two of them for me. Perhaps eliminating some of the backgrounds in the 'real' footage and replacing it with an animation would go far to sustain the suspension of disbelief.

I really loved the crazy circles animation and the traveling through the trees I thought was really well done as well, these parts captured me the most. Oh ... and the creepy tentacle thing. This must have taken an immense amount of time and patience behind a computer, and I applaud you for that, well done.

Thanks for watching! Yes, I agree. A lot of time was spent "figuring out things". The part from where the boy falls asleep and enters the dream world through the scene where the Malfachi tells him, "will you do muder?", I spent GOBS of time on. And then I looked at the clock and realized I didn't have much time left for the rest of it. Yes, there needs to be a better blend of the "real world" and the "dream world", definitely.

Yes, lots of patience. But worth every frame for me.

Glad you liked it and I appreciate your comments. Thanks! :beer:

 

[cinealma]

Just downloaded and watched this with NO IDEA what to expect - (hadn't opened this thread until right now).

WOW.
Damn good job.

10am, bright sun in my office...and I'm still creeped out.

Great sound, great visuals...not sure i followed the story, but honestly (with this one) i didn't care. It had a very dreamlike (nightmare like?) quality that I loved -

I'm really impressed.

***********POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW****************




My only small gripes (bc I'm pretty sure you'd want to get SOME sort of constructive criticism) would be the ADR on the Old man when he's talking to the boy - just seemed way off and didn't seem to match the scene very well at all. That may have been intentional, but it didn't really work for me and for that moment it took me out of the scene. I was actually very happy as the short went on and I realized it wasn't going to be filled with voiced over dialogue like that.

The other things I could have done without were the titles ("KILL" and "MURDER") -
the whole thing was so surreal and dreamlike, but flashing words up on the screen almost felt like it was 'waking' me back up...forcing me to use the logical and reasoning part of my brain... kind of took me out of the emotional visceral reaction I was having to the images and sound at that point. You had such a great purely emotional and surreal thing going on...why make me stop and read when the words are clearly repeated in the soundtrack (and much creepier to hear than see, I might add)
Does that make sense, or am I getting a bit too out there? (jeez...look who I'm talking to)


But again, overall, great work.
I truly enjoyed this.


I should add that I haven't read this thread at all in order to not color my feedback - so if I've repeated what's already been said - sorry.


*****************************SPOILER?????????????**********************************

Did he kill his parents?

Thanks for watching! I really appreciate the detailed comments.

Yes, the ADR on the doctor was lame. Some of my original sound files became corrupt so I actually had to record that and cut it in at like 10:30pm pm the night of the deadline. So, only person availabe was me. So, it is what it isn't. :grin:

I put the "KILL" and "MURDER" titles in because I thought it might add a little something visually to signal we are coming to the end of the film, like a turning point or something, within the five minutes. I realized I didn't need them, but didn't want to have to re-render/re-process. An experiment that didn't quite work.

"Did he kill his parents?"

Good question. Actually, this film is much larger than five minutes. And, cat out of the bag, I'm going to make a feature length project out of the idea.

Basically, the story is that a boy witnesses the brutal, horrible murders of his parents. For some reason, he is spared. He winds up in a mental institution because of it. He's not crazy, just a little "withdrawn" from the world. At the institution, he discovers a world that exists in his dreams. This same world is inhabited by all the other patients in their dreams, kind of like a big online game world (bad example, but kind of the same). This world is ruled by the Malfachi, gruesome, horrible creatures who want to escape the dream world into the real one. There's also other "things" that live there, too.

And that's about all I will say right now. So, uh, no, he didn't kill his parents.

Thanks again for watching. Glad you like it! :beer:

 

[sean90291]

Very cool. Refreshing to see someone make something that doesn't try to emulate big movie-making. And heck, so few seem to be able to tell an engaging story in their short films, so why not dump the idea of telling a coherent story and make an art film! Good choice. Creepy, interesting, Lynchian moments. Thanks for showing us.

 

[J.R. Hudson]

Hated it

Couldn't at all watch it. Not for me. Maybe if the faux-ani was a bit clearer. I don't know; even my 7 year old was like 'What the hell is this?'

 

[cinealma]

Very cool. Refreshing to see someone make something that doesn't try to emulate big movie-making. And heck, so few seem to be able to tell an engaging story in their short films, so why not dump the idea of telling a coherent story and make an art film! Good choice. Creepy, interesting, Lynchian moments. Thanks for showing us.

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

Hated it

Couldn't at all watch it. Not for me. Maybe if the faux-ani was a bit clearer. I don't know; even my 7 year old was like 'What the hell is this?'

John, my favorite review. Yours will have an honored place on my wall. :beer:

"Even my 7 year old was like 'What the hell is this?"
That's funny. :laugh:

It wasn't ALL "faux-ani". :crybaby:

Thanks for sticking it out. Did you get through the whole thing or did you walk out of the theater at some point?

 

[J.R. Hudson]

I stayed with it and appreciate your character in taking some blows on the project.

I just found it hard to watch and too abstract for my tastes.

Nothing but opinion.

Sorry about assuming it was faux-ani; one thing I can appreciate is that there was orginal art. I'd say it was refreshing to a degree to see you leap with this approach; takes some gusto to go out on a limb like you did.

 

[cinealma]

I stayed with it and appreciate your character in taking some blows on the project.

I just found it hard to watch and too abstract for my tastes.

Nothing but opinion.

Sorry about assuming it was faux-ani; one thing I can appreciate is that there was orginal art. I'd say it was refreshing to a degree to see you leap with this approach; takes some gusto to go out on a limb like you did.

Thank you, sir. Good or bad, yours are comments I value highly. A lot of people I showed this to found it hard to watch. One person likened it to a horrible Rorschach Test.

 

[Herman Witkam]

I just loved the sound design on this one. :thumbsup:

 

[Tom Marshall]

John, I really enjoyed this one, man. I've got a real appreciation for the stuff you do. I wasn't too crazy about The Beginner, but the Writer's block one was fantastic. I felt this one was great as well. I watched it with some buddies and they had Hudson's reaction... You kind of have to be an artist to appreciate something like this. Just like you have to be an actor to appreciate acting or a musician to truly appreciate music...

 

[Maximus]

Cool film. Not really into art films, but I can appreciate the time, effort and talent that went into this. Music and sound were very good. Definetely a Begotten/Eraserhead vibe, but I would have preferred live action to rotoscope. You are a real artist.

 

[cinealma]

I just loved the sound design on this one. :thumbsup:

Thanks Herman! I work hard on the sound design for my films.

John, I really enjoyed this one, man. I've got a real appreciation for the stuff you do. I wasn't too crazy about The Beginner, but the Writer's block one was fantastic. I felt this one was great as well. I watched it with some buddies and they had Hudson's reaction... You kind of have to be an artist to appreciate something like this. Just like you have to be an actor to appreciate acting or a musician to truly appreciate music...

From one artist to another... :beer::grin:

I have to get you up here so I can shoot and roto you.

Cool film. Not really into art films, but I can appreciate the time, effort and talent that went into this. Music and sound were very good. Definetely a Begotten/Eraserhead vibe, but I would have preferred live action to rotoscope. You are a real artist.

Thanks for the kind comments. I appreciate them. Thanks again for watching!

 

[gabrielflorit]

This was good. Very good. Best so far. The intro is brilliant! I love the music. How on earth did you make this? Really clever, and I adore the dream sequence. Reminded me of Spellbound. I think you could have done better with a different filter, it was really hard to make out the images during non-dream sequences. But overall this was phenomenal. Didn't feel like an amateur short. This was the real deal. Congratulations man! I love your style.

I just watched this a second time. Still blown away. This is miles above the competition, in every aspect. What a beauty.

 

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Really liked this.
My favorite of yours and one of the top in the fest.

I always watch your movies early in each fest, enjoy them, appreciate how unique they are, and think I can't really comment on them until I go back and watch again
because there is a lot to think about or absorb in them. Then the fest ends and I have not commented in your thread. So I wanted to tell you how much I liked it at least before that happens again.

I didn't get it, but I didn't feel like I needed to. Like Eraserhead, for which no critic or scholar has ever provided an interpretation of which match's Lynch's own, I felt like you knew what was going on and because your confidence was apparent and the world was so compelling enough that was enough to move through the piece and stay engaged.

Moments that felt less authentic/real/honest than the rest include the Sicilian relative that leave the boy their with some very expository information - it could be played so it felt as natural as the rest of the piece I think. Maybe simpler/realer with the ADR is the way to go?

Another less effective moment is the kill for me and murder speach with the text. I would prefer just the words to the words and the speach, though I think in skimming the thread you prefer just the words. Here's another cooky idea: What if the words for kill and murder are specific to the creature thingy's own language and unintelligible to the human ear ... so we might hear the sentence leading up to kill and then kill is just whatever abstract sound your brilliant tweaked brain comes up with, same for murder, then the KILL and MURDER title cards are needed almost as subtext ...just a thought ... avoids redundancy and fits in the abstract vocabulary of the piece.

Great work. I think you are the most artistic filmmaker we have here. You and Deedive I think - pushing the boundaries.

Thanks for another great entry.

:beer:

 

[Blaine]

Okay, John...I was drawn back to this and for the life of me I can't figure out why. When Tom mentioned watching it with a group, I was one of the group. I'm not really into art films. That is by no means a put down on this. I felt I was a bit flippant on my original review so I want to go back, watch it again and perhap give it another review.

I have to say, it's not my style of movie. I still don't particularly like it. That said, I can appreciate the art that went into it. I agree with Jack that it is one of the most original pieces in the fest. You definitely have and audience but it isn't me. That really shouldn't bother you because I think you achieved what you were going for and that wasn't the mainstream audience.

I've seen three of your films now. My favorite of the three is The Beginner which is the most mainstream of the three. You've been consistant in your "color" palette in the three films. You have a voice and I'm sure you'll reach your audience.

 

[cinealma]

This was good. Very good. Best so far. The intro is brilliant! I love the music. How on earth did you make this? Really clever, and I adore the dream sequence. Reminded me of Spellbound. I think you could have done better with a different filter, it was really hard to make out the images during non-dream sequences. But overall this was phenomenal. Didn't feel like an amateur short. This was the real deal. Congratulations man! I love your style.

I just watched this a second time. Still blown away. This is miles above the competition, in every aspect. What a beauty.

Thanks for the kind words. I agree that some kinks need to be worked out in the incorporation of live footage. I think the compression kills the lines a bit, as uncompressed everything's a bit cleaner.

Again, thanks for watching. I do appreciate your comments.

 

[cinealma]

Really liked this.
My favorite of yours and one of the top in the fest.

I always watch your movies early in each fest, enjoy them, appreciate how unique they are, and think I can't really comment on them until I go back and watch again
because there is a lot to think about or absorb in them. Then the fest ends and I have not commented in your thread. So I wanted to tell you how much I liked it at least before that happens again.

I didn't get it, but I didn't feel like I needed to. Like Eraserhead, for which no critic or scholar has ever provided an interpretation of which match's Lynch's own, I felt like you knew what was going on and because your confidence was apparent and the world was so compelling enough that was enough to move through the piece and stay engaged.

Moments that felt less authentic/real/honest than the rest include the Sicilian relative that leave the boy their with some very expository information - it could be played so it felt as natural as the rest of the piece I think. Maybe simpler/realer with the ADR is the way to go?

Another less effective moment is the kill for me and murder speach with the text. I would prefer just the words to the words and the speach, though I think in skimming the thread you prefer just the words. Here's another cooky idea: What if the words for kill and murder are specific to the creature thingy's own language and unintelligible to the human ear ... so we might hear the sentence leading up to kill and then kill is just whatever abstract sound your brilliant tweaked brain comes up with, same for murder, then the KILL and MURDER title cards are needed almost as subtext ...just a thought ... avoids redundancy and fits in the abstract vocabulary of the piece.

Great work. I think you are the most artistic filmmaker we have here. You and Deedive I think - pushing the boundaries.

Thanks for another great entry.

:beer:

Thanks very much for your comments, Jack. I know a lot of people won't get a lot of the "story", but as long as I can engage them, then I feel that I have succeeded.

The "Sicilian" relative. :laugh::laugh::laugh: I talked about this a bit earlier in the thread where basically, some of my files became corrupt and so I had to do a quick ADR literally at like, 10:30pm on the night of the deadline. That's actually me. Sicilian, huh? Awesome. :cheesy:

Yes, the "kill for me" speech needs more elements to it. I put the words on the screen as more of a way to drive the film to it's conclusion, kind of like some sort of cue or something. And it didn't really work out.

I love the idea of the Malfachi, the "creature thingy", having their own language and using subtitles. :thumbsup:

Anyway, you already know how much I respect you as a filmmaker, and I do appreciate you taking the time to watch and give feedback. Thanks again for the kind words.

Cheers! :beer:

 

[cinealma]

Okay, John...I was drawn back to this and for the life of me I can't figure out why. When Tom mentioned watching it with a group, I was one of the group. I'm not really into art films. That is by no means a put down on this. I felt I was a bit flippant on my original review so I want to go back, watch it again and perhap give it another review.

I have to say, it's not my style of movie. I still don't particularly like it. That said, I can appreciate the art that went into it. I agree with Jack that it is one of the most original pieces in the fest. You definitely have and audience but it isn't me. That really shouldn't bother you because I think you achieved what you were going for and that wasn't the mainstream audience.

I've seen three of your films now. My favorite of the three is The Beginner which is the most mainstream of the three. You've been consistant in your "color" palette in the three films. You have a voice and I'm sure you'll reach your audience.

Thanks, Blaine.

"I was drawn back to this and for the life of me I can't figure out why." Yeah, that's that subliminal , mind-****ing hypnosis **** I put in there. Works like a charm! :laugh:

I know that this is the kind of film people are going to like or hate. But I really do prefer the extremes then, say, "a so-so film, it's ok I guess".

As far as mainstream, it's probably most filmmakers's dream (well, most that I know anyway) to be able to one day make big budget mainstream movies and then in between make their little "art" films. I mean, one day I hope to make my big baseball film. So, there you go. :thumbsup:

Anway, thanks again for taking the time to watch and giving some constructive feedback. I do appreciate it.

 

[Darkline]

Very interesting John, as with 'cure for writers block' its a hard film to critique because you're working in your own universe.

That's a good thing. I wasn't mad on your last entry which was more straight drama, but this seems to be where you are most comfortable and excel.

I just liked the feel of this piece, it was kind of hypnotic and it must have took a long time to reach fruition.

It's not going to be everyones 'thing' and that's what I like about most of your work. Sometimes I cop out and try to make something with mass appeal, you just do what you love and I think that's very admirable. For me it worked, creepy moments, and some great contrasting sets of images. A unique short that stands out in this festival

You're one of the regulars at these fests and it would really lose some colour if you were not a part of them.

 

[cinealma]

Very interesting John, as with 'cure for writers block' its a hard film to critique because you're working in your own universe.

That's a good thing. I wasn't mad on your last entry which was more straight drama, but this seems to be where you are most comfortable and excel.

I just liked the feel of this piece, it was kind of hypnotic and it must have took a long time to reach fruition.

It's not going to be everyones 'thing' and that's what I like about most of your work. Sometimes I cop out and try to make something with mass appeal, you just do what you love and I think that's very admirable. For me it worked, creepy moments, and some great contrasting sets of images. A unique short that stands out in this festival

You're one of the regulars at these fests and it would really lose some colour if you were not a part of them.

Thank you, sir. I appreciate your nice comments.

"...you're working in your own universe."
Yes, my wife tells me that all the time on my projects.

You know what, I've actually been a little disappointed you haven't entered any fests since last year's HorrorFest, especially this one. "Halfway" was bloody brilliant. I hope you can shoot something next fest.

Thanks again for watching. :beer: