film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Megan Williams

  • Geri’s Game: Disney+ Talk

    Geri’s Game: Disney+ Talk

    The Pixar short films are fantastic at showing and not telling. They’d usually be based around one scenario and would feature barely any dialogue, instead replacing it with facial expressions and movements to convey a characters’ emotions and actions to its audience. ‘Geri’s Game’ takes it one step further, by using editing to trick the audience into thinking the short features more characters than it actually does.

    ‘Geri’s Game’ premiered in 1997, and was theatrically shown before ‘A Bug’s Life’ a year later. It won an Oscar for Best Animated Short in 1998, as well as winning 8 more awards, including Best Short Film at the Florida Film Festival.

    The 4-minute short film centres around an elderly man who is in the park playing Chess against an interesting opponent – himself.

    This style of editing has been used before in films, usually to convey madness in a character, but is rarely used for comedic effect, and this decision was perfect for the type of scenario that was picked for the short. The short starts off by showing that the elderly man, Geri, is switching seats per Chess turn.

    However, as the short goes on, it skips this action entirely, just showing Geri taking his turn each time. This also brings in a youthfulness to the character, as Geri ‘tricks’ himself at the end of the short, thus winning the game. And the ultimate prize for winning? His own false teeth!

    ‘Geri’s Game’ is a clever short film, that uses a simple scenario as its comedy sketch, and the centre for its humour. It also gives Geri a form of youth as he tries to find ways of tricking himself to win the game. The phrase ‘growing old is compulsory; growing up is optional’ is one of my favourite phrases, and this short is the definition of that phrase.

    This is a very underrated short and, if you have 4-5 minutes to spare, I would highly recommend it. 

  • Feast: Disney+ Talk

    Feast: Disney+ Talk

    One of my favourite Disney short films is ‘Feast’. It was released in 2014, and accompanied ‘Big Hero 6’ during its theatrical run, and has just been added to Disney+. ‘Feast’ is a 6-minute short, telling the story of a human through the eyes of his adopted Bull Terrier and the meals the dog is given. 

    I am definitely a ‘dog person’; I own two dogs and love them very much, so the way the narrative is structured is not only unique, but adorable and innocent. Dogs are curious creatures by nature, so this helps carry the story.

    By choosing to tell the story through the eyes of Winston, the dog, it gives us subtle hints to what is happening to the owner in his life: junk food gets replaced by salads and fancy foods as he goes on dates with a woman, to then change back to takeaways as the woman breaks up with the owner. It’s a different approach to storytelling and is a delightful watch; just don’t watch this when you’re hungry!

    The overall short has a soft look to it, thanks to the animation style, symbolizing the softness and innocence of Winston and this works beautifully. This, and the editing are the main reasons why this is my favourite short.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=qbAYLAbhyxc

    The way that the shots flow seamlessly together makes this short not only satisfying to watch but interesting too. 

    Overall, ‘Feast’ is a delight to watch. It tells a simple story through a unique, and innocent, perspective, making this a one-of-a-kind short film. If you have not seen this, I would recommend watching this. 

  • Muppets NOW: Disney+ Talk

    Muppets NOW: Disney+ Talk

    As a child, I grew up with the likes of ‘Looney Tunes’, ‘Tom & Jerry’ and ‘The Muppet Show’. My parents even showed me ‘Muppets Christmas Carol’, which has now become an annual Christmas film for me. While I never loved The Muppets, I would always watch it if it were on.

    I even liked the Muppets Movie that was released in 2011. So, I was surprised to discover Disney+ had made an original series, with episode 1 being released a few days ago.

    The first episode of ‘Muppets NOW’ revolves around the muppet Scooter uploading the first episode…but not necessarily with the final takes that were chosen, as that day is the deadline to upload. Let the chaos ensue!

    The episode is split into four comedic skits: Miss Piggy has a fashion vlog, and her sass and arrogance is back in all its glory; In Muppets Masters, Walter mistakes Kermit’s photobombing skills as photography skills; the Swedish Chef tries to make a chicken curry and, in typical Swedish Chef fashion, completely fails, and Kermit tries to interview Ru Paul. Tries.

    The show’s familiar slapstick humour returns, but only gives us a teaser of the antics that is yet to come. The characters’ personalities have not been changed at all; the technology has just updated around them and, while it’s strange to see the Muppets in a modern setting, it works.

    The interaction between Muppet and human guest is also great and sharp; the reactions are believable, and each guest interacts with their particular Muppet perfectly. I look forward to seeing what other guests feature in future episodes. 

    Overall, this is a solid introduction to a modern Muppets show: the mayhem is still there, and the characters’ personalities haven’t changed at all, which is a delight to see. This is definitely a show I’ll be watching each week. 

  • Day & Night: Disney+ Talk

    Day & Night: Disney+ Talk

    While the Pixar shorts seem to be scarce nowadays before their feature films, Pixar have still created some of the most beloved animated short films. However, none is as relevant today as it was 10 years ago than ‘Day & Night’.

    Released near 10 years ago (release date was 19th July 2010), ‘Day & Night’ is a 7-minute short film that showed before ‘Toy Story 3’ It follows the personifications of daylight and night-time. When they meet each other for the first time, they immediately dislike each other, but then learn that they are actually similar on the inside and learn to let along.

    In current times such as Pride Month and the Black Lives Matter movement, this is still an important film. While each person may look different, we are human and we are all the same on the inside: we all breathe the same air and we all have the same vital organs. If we pushed aside our differences, then we can learn to get along too. Near the end, a radio host that is seen in Day’s body even makes a speech about this prejudice, stating that ‘They are afraid of new ideas and are loaded with prejudices, not based upon anything in reality, but based on…If something is new, I reject it immediately because it’s frightening to me.’

    It’s in our nature to stay in our comfort zones, but times are changing for the better, and that has to be accepted; if people constantly stick to what they’re used to, then progress will never be made. The cartoony nature of the short also makes this accessible to anyone of any age and can be used as a morale lesson.

    The visual styles of daylight and night-time are also fantastic: images inside their bodies project what is happening during the day and night, but also interacts with what’s happening outside. An example of this is when Night hits Day, but the sounds are that of a lumberjack cutting down a tree, which is seen on Day’s body. 

    ‘Day & Night’ may be nearly 10 years old, but it is still such an important, and enjoyable, film and relevant to current times. If you have not seen this, then I would really recommend seeing it. 

  • Skyman: Review

    Skyman: Review

    It has been reported that, as of 2018, 17% of Americans report a UFO sighting. While these mostly just stay as a statistic, Daniel Myrick went a step further and documented one particular man.

    ‘Skyman’ is a documentary written and directed by Daniel Myrick, and follows Carl Merryweather, a man who says he saw an alien when he was a child. Now, 30 years later, he wants to revisit the same spot he met the alien in, in hopes that they’ll reunite.

    The documentary follows Carl through this journey, as well as featuring news footage of the alien sighting in question. The documentary then gives its audience another perspective of Carl via interviews from family and friends; he’s someone who had held onto this one memory all his life and, in doing so, isn’t living in the present. While the documentary is fascinating. It also paints a sad picture of Carl Merryweather because of these other interviews. 

    Carl’s interviews are unbiased and do fantastically well at not painting him as the stereotype that is seen in alien invasion films; he’s a rational man who saw something extra-terrestrial when he was a kid. The news footage that is shown, reporting the same sighting as well as witness statements further imply that Carl may have actually seen what he said he saw. When recounting the UFO memory, it’s obvious that it affected Carl, and whether you believe it or not is irrelevant. Once something stays in someone’s mind, it’s there for their whole life; it isn’t something that can be forgotten. However, you can either act on old memories, or just keep them as memories and, for Carl, it’s the former. Ever since the sighting, he’s been doing research on other sightings, as well as preparing for his own re-sighting, if it ever happens. But the documentary stays unbiased and takes its time to let Carl tell his story.

    It also gives audiences a glimpse into Carl’s childhood home life, revealing that his father was a Vietnam soldier who lived through, and prepared for, the Cold War in case things went wrong. In one interview, Carl even says that his father ‘always had a plan B in case things went wrong’. As we watch Carl take us on a tour of his bunker-like home that he lived in as a child, his own research and preparation skills become clear, in terms of how and when he picked those skills up; the phrase ‘like father, like son’ rings true here. However, interviews with his sister and friend reveal that he doesn’t keep in regular contact with the people he knows as family and has become distant and the documentary changes its tone seamlessly, whether intended to or not. Like previously mentioned, Carl is holding and relying on one childhood memory and forgetting about the present in the process.

    If I were to critique anything, it’s that the documentary has a slightly unfocused start, and too many panning shots seemingly for no reason. The opening shot starts with a University professor explaining that sometimes we see something and, because we can’t identify it, our minds make up the rest of what we’re seeing. However, this is questioned later on in the film, when the film crew ask whether Carl has a back-up plan if no alien shows up. 

    Overall, ‘Skyman’ was a fascinating watch into someone who had encountered a UFO sighting. It was also a sad glimpse into someone who hadn’t let go of the past and, in doing so, wasn’t living in the present. If anything, ‘Skyman’ serves as a message to people: don’t keep holding onto the past in the hopes that it’ll return, because you’ll miss what’s happening now. Life may be out there, but there’s also life here on Earth, and that is your family and friends.