Customer Reviews

Filmfest 3

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This review refers to the "Film-Fest - Issue 3" DVD

Lovers of shorts and the world of independent film making will love this edition of "Film-Fest". In this issue of this great series of video magazines, you'll be swept away to the Toronto International Film Festival(1998) and Santiago, Chile for a Short Film Fest.This later one takes place in the middle of a poltical demonstration, with fire bombs going off all around...but...the show must go on! Jim Jarmusch and Harry Conick Jr,are among the interviewees and Kevin Spacey with Danny Devito, Bruce Willis with Nick Nolte and Natalie Portman with Susan Sarandon share some anecdotes of their time working together on various films.Robin Williams and Elton John also include some of their views.

On top of all the wonderful interviews and after touring the film festivals, you'll be treated to 4 of the most clever and innovative short films around. First up is "Desserts". At only 4 minutes and no dialouge this one starring Ewan McGregor will leave you speechless as well, with it's surprise ending."When Day Breaks" is a uniquely animated short using a combination of pencil drawings and paint.Then in the span of about 12 minutes, "The Robber" has the tables turned on him. It is a clever story with lots of unpredictable twists.And finally, in the hypnotizing "Dolphins", you'll be lost in Lara's world for about 40 minutes. Although lock away in a clinic, she manages to escape through her fantasies. The director, Farhad Yawari, makes great use of shadows, light and colors.This is one you'll be talking about with fellow film buffs for some time afterwards.

The total time of the DVD runs a little over 2 hours and has a great interactive menu. You can watch it straight through or go to a sub-menu for any of the features your interested in.It also includes previews for some of the other films from the festivals that were coming out at the time("Onegin" ,"Ghost Dog" and "The Way of The Samurai" to name a few).It presents a very good picture and sound in Dolby Digital.These DVD's are becoming collector's items and are hard to come by. Some are outrageously priced by the sellers, but if you put them on your wish list you can watch for a reasonable price.(one that is comprable to your average DVD). And I would just add to the producers of "Film-Fest"...subtitles for those who may need them would be a nice feature for future releases.

So attend these film festivals without leaving your couch, enjoy the films by some rising stars in the filmmaking world and spend some time with your favorite celebs. It's a fun and entertaining two hours......Laurie

I have every collection published so far of short films on DVD, and this disk contains two of my absolute favorites. "Dolphins" is a stunning masterpiece of cinematography and scoring, exceeding the best hollywood production values. "Desserts" is also an all-time favorite, but I won't say any more or it will spoil the surprise! The film festival footage is also fun, but it's the short films themselves that will keep you watching this DVD again and again. An excellent choice if you're new to the short film medium, and want to see some magnificent examples of what freedom from Hollywood can empower independent filmmakers to create.

I originally bought this DVD for Natalie and it's true...she's not in it for very long. There's only a short excerpt of her at a press conference promoting Anywhere But Here.

But while exploring the DVD, I saw the short film, "Dolphins" which blew me away. It stars the beautifully shot Julia Brendler who is absolutely stunning as a patient trapped in a mental hospital, longing for the sea. The score is the narration and dialogue in this "silent" movie and it makes for an incredibly moving 40 minutes.

Nat fans, do NOT pass up on this dvd. Take the chance and you won't be disappointed. For me, this was one of life's nice surprises and I want to pass on the good fortune.

This DVD is alright, but nothing special. It is a compilation of interviews, documentaries, and short films from and about the Toronto Film Festival. There are four shorts. The first is called "Desserts" and it has Ewan McGregor. It is really short and sort of surprising in the end, but it wasn't anything great. The second is "When the Day Breaks" and it is a crudely drawn cartoon with a plot impossible to follow. The third short is "The Robber" and it is a nice little film about a robber that gets trapped in his victim's house. It is slightly humorous and I found it quite entertaining. The last short is "Dolphins". It is a little artsy fartsy, but it is pretty good. It is forty minutes long, with no speech or dialog. But the characters communicate through looks and actions. "Dolphins" is a very good film with camera work like you wouldn't believe. It is pretty easy to follow too. The problem with this is the fact that on the front cover is has Natalie Portman's name and on the back, it has her picture, but the interview with Natalie and Susan Sarandon is very brief and Natalie only says one line in the whole thing. So if you're a fan of short films, go ahead and buy this, if you're a Natalie Portman stalker, go ahead and skip this one.

The cover guy does give an exclusive interview from the Cannes Film Festival - overall superficial but interesting if you're a fan of his.