SFF, day 4: shorts, animation, and student films!

Yeah! No school to rush off to today!
My (early for me) morning block gave me a short and a documentary. Both had a theme of play, so that was a pretty low pressure way to get my day started.
The short, "Play Date", found a little girl eager for a tea party...and no one would play with her. Her parents were busy with the phones and the television, leaving her alone with her imagination. Then she noticed a homeless woman in their shed and invited her to play. Very sweet movie! I especially liked that the family was African-American and the homeless person was a white woman. The crowd-sourced short reminded us that everyone has a history, everyone matters.
The feature was a lot of fun! "Bounce: How The Ball Taught The World To Play" started with a man in a poor country, gathering trash together and recycling it as...a ball! An object for kids to toss and kick and chase and throw! A lot of history was included, as well as different ball games developed through man's time on this planet. I'm telling you, I wouldn't mind seeing this again!

Today, I lunched at The Flying Monk Noodle Bar. A cold was trying to lay siege to me, so I wanted soup to soothe my soul...and my throat. The White Elephant Soup, a variation on chicken noodle, certainly did the trick! I even had about half of it for later, which was nice.

But the lunch had taken longer than I had allotted! When I arrived for the eight films of the 'Animated Shorts', the first one had already begun. No worries... at least I had not missed it!
Plus, "Cooped" was all about a dog discovering ways to entertain himself. As a dog person, I know a lot about that! Here's the trailer, y'all!
"Cinderella, A Shadow Ballet" is an homage to Lotte Reiniger, who created the story, using silhouettes, in 1922. Carla Patullo, aka White Widow, is a musician who crafted a soundtrack for Reiniger's film. I wish my first niece could have been there - she would have loved it! I'll make sure she sees the original video here.
Next up was probably my favorite of the day! "The Orchestra" recognized that we all have our own soundtracks to our lives, even if they are a bit discordant now and then. (smile) Here, this Australian even uses the name of the apartment complex (Lovely Hearts to Lonely Hearts) to track the course of the romance between two older folks and their five-piece bands. Adorable!
"Sumer" took us to a post-apocalyptic future, with the last tree gone 17 years into the past. The Earth is a desolate desert under military rule. And then, everything changes when a blue feather blows into sight...you can watch the whole thing here.
Discovering the freedom in music is the theme of "The Mechanical Waltz". Puppets are freed from their workday ties, and given voice, by the rhythms laid down by a street musician. Be sure to check out the trailer and the soundtrack here.
A love story between clocks is told in the sweet "Between Times". A cuckoo clock in a bakery loves a pedestal clock on the street in front of the shop. One day, the clock man takes the street clock away! What to do??? See part of it here. It's delightful!
"Bear Story" is another delight, with a poignant afterglow. The trailer does quite well at capturing its essence, with the bear telling his life's tale to a young bear, via video, you may as well watch the entire film. This brought to mind my own steampunk 'bear', Robin.
"Guida", crafted by writer/director/animator Rosana Urbes, is about an older woman set free by art. Specifically, she gains a new appreciation of her middle-aged body by posing as a nude model for a sketch class. Imagine that!
Carla Patullo, of "Cinderella, A Shadow Ballet", was present for the Q&A afterward. Such a talented young woman!

After a brief break, back into the Lucas again! It was time for the 2:30 PM screening of the 12 films in the 'Student Shorts:Block B'. Hooray! These were all 'kid-friendly', too - I like that!
As always, here they are in the order screened.
"Raspberry Galaxies" was such a perfect way to start the block! Combining live action, muppetry, and animation, this was an enthusiastic combination of astrophysics and the chemistry of raspberries. Woohoo! I especially liked that the muppet scientist resembled Neil deGrasse Tyson - he's so supercool! Check out their fb page!
The next was "In Case Of Emergency", which I had seen in May at the SCAD Animation Film Festival.
Then came one that was new to me. In "Starlight", we are at a drive-in cinema, following a stray black cat as it explores the scene. Cute, but with an air of loneliness.
"Water From The Moon" continued the sense of loneliness, in the form of two children grieving their dead mother. The young boy, via his toy telephone, thinks he is communication with his mom and that he will find her at Mount Batur. Together with his sister, they make the journey and explore their concepts of faith and belief. Pretty heavy for an eleven-minute movie!
Back to a livelier tone with the animated "L'Americano Returns"! A stork returns to town, singing "Mambo Italiano", a song made famous by Rosemary Clooney! Definitely got my toes tapping! Click here to watch the animated film!
"Lies Beneath The Nightshade" continued the happier mood! Sure, in the trailer you see the grandson in prison and the old man left to tend the garden alone. But hang in there, buttercup! The punchline of the old joke made me laugh out loud! What a delight!!!
"About Dragons" was of slighter stuff. It was also a repeat for me, as I had seen it in May at the SCAD Animation Film Festival.
"The Present" was a pure delight! At first, the kid in this animated film seems like any other modern kid: too wrapped up in video pursuits to get off the couch. Then his mother brings home a warm and fuzzy gift in a cardboard box. What a great mom! Here's the trailer.
"No-A" is exactly the kind of robot I want. Even though I saw it in May, I very much enjoyed seeing it again. (It reminded of "Hephaestus".) You can watch it here.
A tale of a man and his dog is the focus in the live-action "Bie Pu (Home)" by Amelie Wen, writer/director/editor. Forced to move because of upcoming demolition, he is relocating to his son's house... but the dog cannot go with him. The man must also deal with a little girl who has run away from her 'home' and her argumentative parents. Very nice exploration of the sentiment 'Home is wehre the heart is'.
Time to lighten the mood, folks! How about some "Fishtale Follies" to bring smiles? Perfect! Let's see those mermaids ready the townsfolk for the upcoming rising-tide experience! Hey, wait a minute... was this an underhanded comment on global warming? Nicely done!
The next film was based on the science fiction story of the same name. "Bears Discover Fire" explored the increased intellect of the ursines following the consumption of some odd berries. How was the increase manifested? The bears were able to create fire and carry lit torches in the woods. (Smokey would not have approved, I'm sure. LOL!) Watch the trailer and decide for yourself!
Was there a Q&A session? Yes, there was! The first and last film were represented by writers Noah Sterling and Scott Riehs, respectively. The producer of "Raspberry Galaxies", Emily Croke, was also there with its writer. Kudos, y'all!

Following another brief break, the Lucas resumed screenings with 'Cinema Live!' I had looked forward to this one, as it was to combine film with a soundtrack performed by a physically-present musician.
The pianist was award-winning Paul Cantelon, who had also composed the score for one of the two films screened. He was expertly accompanied by Rochelle -something- on an accordion.
Both musicians were also present for the Q&A with the writer/director/producer of the two films today, Marc Turtletaub.
I liked the first film screened, "Looking At Animals". The 2009 story followed an aging loner who followed a meddling, peeping, teen-boy loner through the heart of suburbia. Admittedly, the biggest draw for me was Will Patton, one of my favorite character actors.
Nicely crafted + a fine ending + live music = excellent experience!
Sadly, the next offering was not as upbeat.
Brand-new, with the score composed by Cantelon, "The Breatharians" was a dour picture of a son trapped between a mid-life crisis father and a disconnected mother, each living in separate houses on the dairy farm. The boy is tasked with ridding the barn of cats and is to be paid for each tail collected. Grim.
Really brought down the energy in the theatre.
Fortunately, I had this card from my brother waiting to cheer me up! Thanks, Tony!