Friday, September 30, 2011

Fantastic Short Film Friday - Sign Language (live-action)
















And we are back with another installment in our Fantastic Short Film Friday series, as we continue to showcase films released in the "lesser" known form of cinema- the short film.

This week we have for you a really charming and sweet look at love in the most random of places. Here is a 5-minute live action British short called, Sign Language from filmmaker, Stephen Fellows. This is a heartwarming look at being happy with your job no matter what it is and the innocence of fresh love and taking chances.

Here we have a story about a 'sign board guy', a man who's job it is to stand on London's Oxford Street holding up signs, a man who spends his life making daily sale announcements but is too shy to talk to the girl handing out flyers across the street. It's just tons of simple fun and won a bunch of UK short film awards in 2010 and its easy to see why. You have to have a cold empty heart not to smile at this one. It just feels like a shorter and simpler version of the 2006 film, Once.

Check this out if you're in the mood to see a sweet form of innocent love in a jaded world. Check this out if you're sitting in your office unhappy with what you're doing because its how you perceive your job that affects everything around you. Enjoy this weeks dose of short form goodness in, Sign Language.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Episode 75: Drive

Hello there and welcome to the 75th episode of the Cinema Cafe Podcast, the bi-weekly, twice monthly film podcast by the fans, for the fans. Join us each week as we review new movies releases, look at some dvd's, talk some film news and share our general love for all things cinema. The main goal is to have some fun and hopefully provide the listener with some helpful insight. We are back and the podcasting world is alight once again.

We are finally back with recharged batteries and are ready once again to bring our loyal listeners some brand new bi-weekly content. Thanks for your patience and it feels so good to be back!!

This week we take a look at 1 movie that has been recently released and also of a few that are currently on dvd. With that said here's a look at what we discuss on this weeks podcast:

* Drive
* Upcoming movie releases for the weekend of 9.23.11 and 9.30.11

Also, film news and more, only on the Cinema Cafe Podcast. We hope you enjoy and happy movie watching.

Thanks as always to all our loyal listeners for sharing the ride with us as we've once again started producing the show. It's all due to your support that we have kept things going and we hope you continue to share the ride with us in the coming months.

We're also on Itunes so head over there and subscribe to the Cinema Cafe Podcast and don't forget to post a review! Thanks!!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Fantastic Short Film Friday - Pixels (live-action/animated)
















And we are back with another installment in our Fantastic Short Film Friday series, as we continue to showcase films released in the "lesser" known form of cinema- the short film.

This week we have for you an incredibly imaginative look at video games and how they can slowly take over our lives. Here is a 3-minute live action animated short called, Pixels from filmmaker, Patrick Jean. This is a wonderful blend of live-action and animation and is a must see for anyone who grew up playing video games in the 80's.

I'm going to keep this short and sweet just like the short. Pixels sees New York invaded by a bunch of 8-bit creatures (such as Donkey Kong and Pac-Man - Pacman eats our subway dots!) who slowly start turning the city into pixilized chaos which quickly spreads, taking over the rest of the world.

Check this out if you're in the mood to honestly have your mind blown away. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and am amazed it looked this good. There's true genius at work here people. Enjoy this weeks dose of short form goodness in, Pixels.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Fantastic Short Film Friday - Danny & Annie (live-action)
















And we are back with another installment in our Fantastic Short Film Friday series, as we continue to showcase films released in the "lesser" known form of cinema- the short film.

This week we have for you a wonderfully moving animated documentary about one couple's love story from its very beginning to its very end. Here is a 6-minute animated documentary short called, Danny & Annie from the filmmaking team, The Rauch Brothers. Unbelievably moving, touching and captivating, this will bring both a smile to your face and heartache to your soul.

This animated short was brought to life by Storycorp, the non-profit organization whose goal is to record and preserve stories of everyday life. I've been a big fan of their podcast for quite a while now, and well, this may be their best work yet. Here's the synopsis from Storycorps:

Danny Perasa and his wife, Annie, came to StoryCorps to recount their twenty-seven-year romance. As they remember their life together from their first date to Danny’s final days with terminal cancer, these remarkable Brooklynites personify the eloquence, grace, and poetry that can be found in the voices of everyday people when we take the time to listen.

This 6-minute short says more about love than any movie released this year. It's the kind of love everyone always dreams about, the all-powerful love of acceptance of who you are - warts and all - of everyday life love, where each simple moment is a love letter to one another. This is like a Shakespearean sonnet, a Robert Frost remembrance. If you don't tear up watching this, even a little bit, then well, you are much stronger than I am.

Check this out if you're in the mood to see some heartbreak with some joy, a love story so wonderfully average and yet uniquely special. There is truth here people, and this truth will make you stand up and take notice of your life. Enjoy this weeks dose of short form goodness in, Danny & Annie.

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Fantastic Short Film Friday - Kitty & Lala, 80 Impressions (live-action)
















And we are back with another installment in our Fantastic Short Film Friday series, as we continue to showcase films released in the "lesser" known form of cinema- the short film.

This week we have for you a beautifully shot documentary on wedding photography that brings to life a world I know very little about and yet have preconceived perceptions of. Here is a 6-minute Chinese documentary short called, Kitty & Lulu, 80 Impressions from filmmaker, Qiao Li. With the wedding on my mind these days, mainly wedding photographers, as Penny and I slog through endless artistic and black and white photo's to decide who would be the best fit to capture our most important moments- snapshots in time frozen to remember- I came across this documentary and it made me really re-evaluate wedding photography. I've always thought the art kitschy and somewhat generically cheesy, but this short has shown me that they can also be both fun and in a lot of ways culture defining.

This short is about a team of photographers who's photo blog, 80 Impressions, is one of the most visited blogs in China. The pair are known for their unique and playful takes on wedding photography. They have an incredible sense of colorful style and what's so amazing about them is the cultural conventions they've shattered by being playful, by thinking out of the box. For those that don't know, traditional Chinese wedding photographs are the most generic you can get. One background, 2 people, snap snap with smiles on their faces, like right out of your neighborhood family Cosco portrait. Every photo of every couple always looks the same. However the group behind the blog 80 Impressions have moved away from tradition and by seeking to make their couples photos unique have brought about the concept of individual identity, modernism and expressionism, showcasing in their art the modern values of the new China born generation. It's playful stuff yes and a hell of a lot of fun, but it's also societal defining.

Check this out if you're in the mood to see some beautiful imagery that will make you re-evaluate what wedding photography can be. Me, I would love to fight zombies and dress up as a zombie for my wedding photo's but the future missus isn't having any of it. Enjoy this weeks dose of short form goodness in, Kitty & Lala, 80 Impressions.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Episode 74: Columbiana

Hello there and welcome to the 74th episode of the Cinema Cafe Podcast, the bi-weekly, twice monthly film podcast by the fans, for the fans. Join us each week as we review new movies releases, look at some dvd's, talk some film news and share our general love for all things cinema. The main goal is to have some fun and hopefully provide the listener with some helpful insight. We are back and the podcasting world is alight once again.

We are finally back with recharged batteries and are ready once again to bring our loyal listeners some brand new bi-weekly content. Thanks for your patience and it feels so good to be back!!

This week we take a look at 1 movie that has been recently released and also of a few that are currently on dvd. With that said here's a look at what we discuss on this weeks podcast:

* Columbiana
* Upcoming movie releases for the weekend of 9.09.11 and 9.16.11

Also, film news and more, only on the Cinema Cafe Podcast. We hope you enjoy and happy movie watching.

Thanks as always to all our loyal listeners for sharing the ride with us as we've once again started producing the show. It's all due to your support that we have kept things going and we hope you continue to share the ride with us in the coming months.

We're also on Itunes so head over there and subscribe to the Cinema Cafe Podcast and don't forget to post a review! Thanks!!

Monday, September 5, 2011

Episode 73: Conan the Barbarian and 30 Minutes or Less

Hello there and welcome to the 73rd episode of the Cinema Cafe Podcast, the bi-weekly, twice monthly film podcast by the fans, for the fans. Join us each week as we review new movies releases, look at some dvd's, talk some film news and share our general love for all things cinema. The main goal is to have some fun and hopefully provide the listener with some helpful insight. We are back and the podcasting world is alight once again.

We are finally back with recharged batteries and are ready once again to bring our loyal listeners some brand new bi-weekly content. Thanks for your patience and it feels so good to be back!!

This week we take a look at 3 movies that have been recently released and also of a few that are currently on dvd. With that said here's a look at what we discuss on this weeks podcast:

* Conan the Barbarian
* 30 Minutes or Less
* Glee the 3D Concert Movie
* Upcoming movie releases for the weekend of 8.26.11 and 9.02.11

Also, film news and more, only on the Cinema Cafe Podcast. We hope you enjoy and happy movie watching.

Thanks as always to all our loyal listeners for sharing the ride with us as we've once again started producing the show. It's all due to your support that we have kept things going and we hope you continue to share the ride with us in the coming months.

We're also on Itunes so head over there and subscribe to the Cinema Cafe Podcast and don't forget to post a review! Thanks!!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Fantastic Short Film Friday - Portal: No Escape (live-action)
















And we are back with another installment in our Fantastic Short Film Friday series, as we continue to showcase films released in the "lesser" known form of cinema- the short film.

This week we have for you an amazing fan-film (fan film because it wasn't licensed by the creators and not because of quality) that brings a video game world more to life then any 10 video game adaptations combined. Here is a 7-minute sci-fi action short called, Portal: No Escape from filmmaker, Dan Trachtenberg. Those that follow podcast's will know Dan as the totally excellent host of The Totally Rad Show podcast. He has done what many film critics always dream of, created art in the medium they love. He is now a part of that medium we so love to study and talk about.

Based on the video game from Valve, this short works so well because you don't have to have ever played or even know anything about the video game to enjoy this short. This short is about a female prisoner locked in a cell who discovers a gun that can create portals in the walls that will allow her to escape confinement. It seems like a simple premise, but in the hands of Dan and his FX team, it's anything but simple. Fans have been clamoring for years for a Portal film, but sadly nothing has seen the light of day. This short has built up so much buzz in such a short time (over 3 million hits in 1 day!) that perhaps Valve will take another look into making a feature length film. If not well, there is no real loss because we have this amazing short that shows what imagination and perseverance can do in the face of budget and time constraints.

Check this out if you're in the mood to see some amazing sci-fi video game action. This is big in the way that Panic Attack was big for Fede Alvarez. Watch out for Dan, he'll be directing feature length films within the next 5 years if this short is any indication of his talent. Enjoy this weeks dose of short form goodness in, Portal: No Escape.