Boston Science Fiction Festival 5

After taking a day off on Wednesday to spend some quality time with my Valentine, 25 years with my lovely lady. I went back to the festival a bit tired. Either I am not sleeping well or the act of actively watching so many things is wearing me down so I was dragging a bit and decided to only stay for the shorts. Twisted Twisters was the title for the night and here are some thoughts.

Dr Grordbort Presents: The Deadliest Game (2012) - Taking the great white hunter to an alien planet and set the characters in 1920s garb and verve. Add some wonderful CGI and a playful script and you have this great short from New Zealand. Directed by Media Design 3D Program leader James Cunningham it was a great story of a female reporter talking to a expedition leader who seem the most callous and clueless chronicler of life on a foreign planet imaginable.

Haze (2010) - A fascist future world where two rebels attempt to get into positions of power to take down the regime. Alec is being looked at by the Colonel Berg more closely than he likes and his cohort Janine is up for the promotion she need to get into the right place to do real damage. When the colonel presents her with a morale dilemma she seizes the moment to fulfill her plans. The world presented is a scary dystopian world where everyone is watch all the time and no one is easily trusted. Somewhat standard stuff for Science fiction :)

Air (2011) - At the end of the world there is still room to fall in love. Meteors have been falling and creating poisonous gas areas where they pass over. It really could be the end of the world. Aaron (David Chrysanthou) and his mate Kenyon are working in the attic of a old man when he comes across an old gas mask. Goofing he puts it on, at this moment Kenyon convulses and falls dead in front of him. Aaron freaked wanders out into the world to see people dead everywhere. His lucky find saved his life but here he is alone as everyone else in the world dies. He sees a girl Emily (Adelle Addington) who looks to be a patient in the hospital and they get together, she too is alive by the lucky chance that she happened to be on oxygen. The two realize though that her take will run out in five minutes and go on a frantic search for a new source of air. Throw in Clown Bud(Rick Stupple) a bullying hulk who wants the safety they have to replace the helium he is breathing from his collection of balloons and you have a tense show down. Well paced and a small world in larger cataclysms make this an enjoyable entry. Shame about that damn car driving through the background of the final shot though.

Mirage (2011) - The sound was off on this one so not as enjoyable as I think it could have been. The story of a man who works in the projection room of one of the last old time theaters in a future world. Some how he manages to find his way into the film he is showing and through the experience finds love.

Attack of the Mutant Chickens (2011) - original Muri Keno Mutant, is a delightful cartoon short about what else, mutant chicken. Great personality in this one which was completely enjoyable. You can see clips at youtube, Trailer 02 and the Teaser.
Great to see pieces from around the world get some attention, this one by Nayeem Mahbub deserves a viewing.

Bugbaby (2010) - Little Sammy is a special child and not because he is the light in his parents eyes. Bugbaby is a playful short about a baby who just happens to be an insect and the parents attempt to get help from the government in dealing with him. I have to say I really marked this one down because there was no bug baby reveal but it was still entertaining.