“Fun in Shorts: The Joker Tarot” (shorts program)
Hilton and Drew live in New York City, which is in the midst of a brutal heatwave. Hilton has a window unit air conditioner, but no clue how to install it. Drew comes over and manages to get the AC unit in the window and operating, but clearly not properly installed — you can see the flimsy tape holding it in place. Hilton and Drew get high (pot and also shrooms) and go wandering in the park, but return home to find disaster has struck. I give it a “meh.”
• IMDb page • Official website • trailer (n/a) •
In this spy film, an experienced spy (Rain Valdez, pictured left) is paired with a newbie (Shaan Dasani, right) to get their hands on some important information about an environmental villain. The plot is clunky, the dialogue is stilted, the acting is amateurish, but this short film is mildly amusing even through its preachy premise. I give it a “meh.”
Flight attendants Chris and Wes engage in a series of twisted dares in the middle of a flight, leading to a failed attempt to make an emergency landing after someone poisoned the pilot. I got the feeling that the writers had a brainstorming session for plot ideas, but instead of choosing the good ideas and weaving them into a narrative, they said, “Screw it, just use all of them.” The result was a “throw the kitchen in the spaghetti and see if the wall sinks” story, dreary and annoying more than funny. Just no.
Daddy Issues, dir. Matt Campanella & Stephanie Chloé Hepner, 2023, USA, 5 min. 👏
Dilating for Maximum Results, dir. Nyala Moon, 2023, USA, 14 min. 💖
A History of Sitting in Waiting Rooms (or whatever longer title you prefer), dir. Lorena Russi, 2023, USA, 9 min. 👏
New Yorkers in an apartment with paper-thin walls hear every conversation, every argument, every moan and groan, from the neighbor, Troy, and the steady stream of men who come to visit. They unexpectedly find themselves wrapped up in the real-life soap opera next door and then find it difficult to disengage. Cute and funny, clearly inspired by some actual neighbors. Highly recommended.
Sunday, June 18, 11:00 am, Castro + streaming encore
AC Unit, dir. Grace Godvin, 2023, USA, 13 min. 🫤 • 🌐 World premiere
Agents of Change – Project: Polymer, dir. Jett Garrison, 2023, USA, 15 min. 🫤
Cock ’n Bull 3, dir. Nathan Adloff, 2022, USA, 24 min. 👎
Daddy Issues, dir. Matt Campanella & Stephanie Chloé Hepner, 2023, USA, 5 min. 👏
Dilating for Maximum Results, dir. Nyala Moon, 2023, USA, 14 min. 💖
Diomysus, dir. Emily Morus-Jones, 2022, UK, 5 min. 👏
A History of Sitting in Waiting Rooms (or Whatever Longer Title You Prefer), dir. Lorena Russi, 2023, USA, 9 min. 👏
Troy, dir. Mike Donahue, 2022, USA, 16 min. 👏
AC Unit, dir. Grace Godvin, 2023, USA, 13 min. 🫤 • 🌐 World premiere
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| AC Unit |
• IMDb page • Official website • trailer (n/a) •
Agents of Change – Project: Polymer, dir. Jett Garrison, 2023, USA, 15 min. 🫤
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| Agents of Change |
Cock ’n Bull 3, dir. Nathan Adloff, 2022, USA, 24 min. 👎
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| Cock ’n Bull 3 |
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| Daddy Issues |
Oliver (filmmaker Matt Campanella, pictured right) has a college education, but has decided to train for a career as a professional dom. He gets a surprise client: Dad, and then has to cover when the supervisor comes to check on them. Cute, well executed, fun. Highly recommended.
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| Dilating for Max. Results |
Young Black transwoman Dreya (played by Nyala Moon, How Not to Date While Trans [watch on YouTube!] in the “Oh, You Pretty Things” shorts program, Frameline46) has a steamy virtual thing going with a guy who wants to get together IRL, but Dreya hasn’t kept up with dilating since her bottom surgery 4 years ago (hooray for pandemic isolation), so she’s a bit anxious, trying to make up for lost time so she can have that non-virtual connection. It’s a light-hearted take, with some serious issues sprinkled in the mix, expressing a joie de vivre that will draw you along for the ride. With two wonderful shorts to her credit, I can’t wait to see what Nyala Moon does next. (Please, please make a feature film!) Definitely a MUST SEE, even if you skip most of the other shorts in this program.
Diomysus, dir. Emily Morus-Jones, 2022, UK, 5 min. 👏
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| Diomysus |
Actual polyamorous humans talk about the joys and the challenges of being poly. The audio interviews are the backdrop to puppet mice, giving the audience something to look at while preserving the anonymity of the interviewees. Cute, well done, insightful. Highly recommended.
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| A History of Sitting |
Six-year-old Lorena sits in the waiting room for her dentist, sits in the waiting room while her mother sees the oncologist, sits in the waiting room for who knows what, and talks to her imaginary friend Boo, the ghost of a Civil War soldier. In the meantime, puberty begins, with confusion about her place in the world and connection to (actual living) people. Cute, sweet, well executed. Highly recommended.
Troy, dir. Mike Donahue, 2022, USA, 16 min. 👏
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| Troy |
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