"The Five Worst Days in the Life of Bartholomew Saxton" - Jason Spinos

Jason,

We are both completely blown away. We're not really making comments yet so we'll both come back later, but we couldn't resist giving you our first congratulations.

Jason and Susanne
 
I loved it! I was drawn in from the first second. Great story. That's what a good film should do, tell a story, and you did it exquisitely well. The camera got out of the way, there was no eye-candy to distract me, even the acting was very well done. Great! This is in my top three.
 
Awesome job with this Jason, Wish I had the post requirement to vote for these, but you know you have mine, looking forward to the next fest to see what genius unfolds from your mind
 
I love the fact that you managed to create a story that feels like a fairy tale even though it's grounded in reality. Some of my favorite stories could be described in that way.

The film, much each of the "worst day" posts leading up to it, has a charming sense of humor. The "killed by a cannon ball" line especially. I love how whimsical the whole thing feels.

Your lead actor was solid! The scene where he's carrying his bride into the bedroom is full of great little human nuances and details in the acting.

Oh! Skimming through the video I just remembered one of my favorite things about it. You have a great knack for closing a scene! The low-angle shot of young Bartholomew saying that he wanted the clock silenced. The cork popping. The awkward little scene at the end. Lovely ways to transition from one moment to the next.

Nice job! Congratulations!
 
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What impressed me most was the two characters who played Bart. They were really well matched, and certainly believable.

great shots, angles, and lighting, and most of all, a consistent, light-hearted feel all the way through. It never lost stride.

excellent job!!

A
 
Wow, you actually found a young kid who can act. That's a feat! He was really quite good. Some great shots, and a great tone. I really liked what you were going for, but I felt the writing took away a lot. The voice over was so darn clunky and repetitive. The film didn't have a punchline either, and it seemed to be leading me to one. But again, a great concept, some great shots, lots of potential in the short. Some real help with the editing and writing could have given you so much more from the great stuff you had. I think your concept, your style and your location could have won you this fest if you'd nailed the story and editing! Oh, I gotta mention the opening shot with the garbage can is probably the best shot of the fest for me so far. I just wish the VO had been different while watching that scene.
 
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This is one of my favorite films. I think you did a really good film. The work of the DP, the lighting, the music, the rythm - fantastic. I like so much this intelligent story - it needs a lot of creativ talent to make someting like this. One of my favorite takes is just at the beginning when Mr. Saxton found the baby in the rubbish bin - the view from the rubush bin to Mr Saxton's face is fabulous. I am a big fan of details and I found a lot of in your film. There were also one or two moments when the atmosphere reminds me on the film "Green fried tomatos" - this is a compliment!
Very lovely and excellent film!

Susanne
 
Cute film. A different kind of timefest story. I liked the dolly shots. I felt that the Voiceover was a bit overbearing and took me out of context a bit. I wonder if there was a way to show the evolution without the voiceover having to explain?

Thanks for posting!
 
I have not seen all the entries, but so far this appears to be the only one with a child actor. I write a lot of shorts with children's roles, but find most filmmakers are terrified of them (kids, not my screenplays, though I suppose both could work).

A recent forum discussion over in Zoetrope revealed just how removed 'grown ups' are from kids, and even had one brain-dead comment that 'they have nothing to offer'.

Hats off for not only writing a great role for a kid, but also for the superb acting/directing that gave him such a memorable role amongst the multitude here at the fest.

Alex
 
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This was a very clever film. It kept me engaged the whole time. While I found the acting to be a little stiff, there were some really good moments.

The camera movements suffered from some shaking which took away from their impact for me but I'm a perfectionist that way. The music was very effective, some parts towards the end reminded me of Thomas Newman...and that's a great compliment.

I found the movie both funny and touching and I liked the "pulp fiction" style ending that almost fools the audience into a happily ever after feeling but we all know it's anything but...

Nice job.
 
I enjoyed this movie and thought it fit well with your stories. I missed the man with no eyes as I thought he may play a role, but I love the way you ended it. Good stuff!
 
The Thirty-Ninth Worst Day in the Life of Bartholomew Saxton

The Thirty-Ninth Worst Day in the Life of Bartholomew Saxton

The Thirty-Ninth Worst Day in the Life of Bartholomew Saxton
 
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The whole "worst day in the life" stories thing has been reminding me of something, but I just couldn't put my finger on it until I watched the flick. It's very "Pushing Daisies"-esque for me, which I think is a great thing to remind someone of - I love that show, and the kind of black humor therein is evident here as well.

Kudos to you. Also, I loved the use of the cuckoo clock.
 
Thanks for the compliments dopeyname101. I'm from Midlothian, VA originally, and my family still lives there. I've never actually watched Pushing Daisies, but several people have made the comparison. I'll have to check it out sometime. I hear it's good. Thanks for checking out the film and commenting!
 
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