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1. Jessica Whitfield on July 15, 2023 at 12:33 am

   I saw the Friday night “After Dark” screening and got to see a variety of short films in many different genres by local filmmakers. Kansas City has a lot of talented people in the film community and it was fun to see of showcase of so many of them. Plus it is a great networking opportunity. Saturday and Sunday there will be a whole different block of shorts, so I will be back for sure!

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2. Leonard Batfish on July 16, 2023 at 3:42 pm

   Here are some reviews of the KCIFC one night stands from over the years. When you consider these were done in a day, it’s really impressive!

   In no particular order…

   Suburban Shopping Trends in Recessionary Times
   Written and directed by Jim Schweers
   Jim Schweers has been making audiences laugh for a very, very long time. His subtle understated humor takes you by surprise and before you are aware, you are barking with laughter. He’s a KCIFC treasure. This film is a simple build up to a punchline that pays dividends. Well executed all around. It’s a yard sale.

   A bad Example for the Children
   Story by Dustin Adair, Directed by Timothy Harvey
   Horror has been a go-to for KC filmmakers for some time now, and here is an example of how a filmmaker can take a common modern horror trope and flip it on it’s ear. It’s funny, well shot, well lit, and the sound is good, but most importantly it is really, really charming. You’ll be very pleased.

   Inside Voices
   Fraidy Cat Productions
   Directed by Angela Barnes, Written by Jeff Krakenberg, Will Frances, and Angela Barnes
   Here’s an awkward little short about the living embodiment of the inconvenient inside voices that creep into our waking life, causing us to doubt ourselves and our choices. The concept is clever, and it is enjoyable, but one must forgive the voiceover. It seems like the cart was a bit before the horse, as if it was shot with an idea of what might be written, but the writing didn’t happen until after it was edited. It’s an experiment that very nearly worked, and that makes it worth checking out.

   Demon
   Written and Directed by Marisa Grady
   Marisa explores suicidal ideation in this study of the duality of a mind suffering with mental illness. The Demon is always pushing. I would have liked to have understood the therapist better, as some of the dialogue is lost in the audio effects. Make sure to pay attention, but if you miss a bit, it’s contextual so you’ll be fine. It is an interesting film, and the few mistakes it makes in the execution (no pun intended) do not detract from allowing the audience to relate to the content.

   Blood Harvest
   Written by Steve Hays, Maria Maldonado, and Jason M. Ramey
   This film has a great foundation for a fun horror movie, and if you accept the B-movie nature of it, and you aren’t afraid to laugh at the parts that may not have meant to be funny, you’ll enjoy yourself well enough. A Gypsy (apologies for the insensitive label, but that is how she is described in the film) helps a farming family rescue a failing crop by…actually in hindsight I’m not sure how what she did was supposed to help. There is blood though, and some of the most awkward and ill staged kills I’ve seen in a while. Personally, I loved it. I’m not going to apologize for that. I loved that the visual effects were far less than perfect, I loved that the performances were somewhere south of believable, I loved that the framing in every scene wasn’t particularly…planned, the sound was clearly the camera mic, and I loved that it took three people to write a script that couldn’t have had more than one draft. Oh! The Scarecrow. Good gawd what a great horrible monster. You’ll see. This film takes itself far too seriously though, and I think that might add to the enjoyment, though we might not be enjoying what was actually intended. Props to Ginger Stegman for a fantastic monster mask.

   Traffic Girl
   Written by Jessica Whitfield, Directed by Gordon Lamb
   Here’s a sci-fi piece about a morally questionable government agency that finds human trafficking organizations and uses a very special technology to stop them. It’s got some pretty blatant issues, but the story is good. Technically, the sound could be better, the direction could be more attentive eye lines (in the interview scene for example) , and the dialogue is, for lack of a better word, clunky, but the story is there, and the visual effects are absolutely the star here. As far as the terror of being kidnapped and sold into prostitution and drug abuse, it could have gone a lot farther. The fight choreography could have been shot a lot better as well. I found myself viewing this without feeling connected to it. I almost was right there, but then folks started talking. All in all it gets away with playing it safe while getting its point across. Performances are at about a 4 when they should be a 10. This was a grand effort that ultimately gives us a great example of how important it is to get honest feedback during the production process. No pats on the back here, I’m afraid. One has to earn those.

   Chloe’s Happy Hour
   Written and Directed by Patrick Rea
   What a twist! A live stream from a newly single mom starts with a fairly innocuous and, dare I say, intentionally boring setup for an ending that pays off fairly well indeed. As usual Patrick Rea delivers a very good looking film. There are moments of redundant dialogue, but all is forgiven with an ending that leaves us feeling chilled to the bone. I’ve seen many of Patrick’s films, and had a teeny tiny role in one years ago, and in all honesty I have to say that this one is one leads the pack in terms of clever writing. He keeps it simple, his deceptive distractions are very effective, and that’s the most difficult thing.

   The Bellman
   Written by Garret Sanders, Directed by Paul South
   I’m not a hundred percent sure what I witnessed with this one, but I sure did like the look of it. It has a gritty, retro feel with its grainy film effects and score that sounds like John Carpenter himself showed up for the party. This was poignant for me because it is the last film featuring the recently departed Steve Williams, who will be missed by all who knew him. I rather enjoyed this one. It felt like the horror films I grew up with, for better or worse, and the way the title of the film ties in at the end made me chuckle. It had a few issues, but honestly, they didn’t get in the way.

   Lost and Alone
   Written and Directed by Patrick Poe and Lolo Loren
   An absolutely hysterical lampooning of trailers for Oscar winning films about surviving the harsh wilderness. I don’t want to give any part of it away, but it made me laugh so hard I had to cut off my own arm. A great idea, brilliantly executed.

   All in all, I’d say the KCIFC is doing great!

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