Finally got around to watching A Short Film..., and I didn't really like it. It was too long and too predictable to work as a joke, as far as I'm concerned, so I was fairly disappointed.

Till I noticed the extras. Man, am I glad now I never tried to get Live at the Aladdin... Great reading, that one, lovely performance, cool texts. I just love the Martha Soukup <sp?> poem, and how the rhymes for Soukup get more and more creative/desperate/absurd. Also, some very nice Q&A.

All in all, I would have bought the DVD just for the extras, even though I don't think too highly of the main feature. What did other people think, though?

I thought it sucked pretty bad.... It's predictable and not very well directed... It makes you realize how well directed similar mock documentaries ("This is Spinal Tap", "The Blair Witch Project", "The Office") actually are. This film definitely made me worry about the Death movie. Maybe someone else should direct it instead of Gaiman.

Well, since I don't think particularly highly of the Death books (even though I like Death as a character in Sandman), I don't really care how well (or not) the film is directed.

As a first effort it was . . . still pretty bad. Worth it for the extras though, and there were a few bits that worked well enough that I was able to enjoy them. The commentary track was more interesting than the movie, which isn't usually a good thing.

*sigh* am I the only one who thought it wasn't total crap?

I enjoyed it a lot the first time through, when I had no idea what the movie was about at all. The second and third times through I saw a bit too much behind the curtain.

I still love the ermine-skinning knife and the very end of the movie, particularly knowing that the tattooes aren't makeup.

Hee. For the first 20 minutes, I kept texting Maure : "This is a joke, right? These aren't real people, right? Please, please, please tell me this is a farce."

It was the gallery owner that perplexed me most.

quote:

Originally posted by GMZoe:
*sigh* am I the only one who thought it wasn't total crap?

----

I'm with you, GMZoe. I thought it was big time fun.

quote:

Originally posted by aitapata:
Hee. For the first 20 minutes, I kept texting Maure : "This is a joke, right? These aren't real people, right? Please, please, please tell me this is a farce."

It was the gallery owner that perplexed me most.

She was awesome. Her palpable displeasure at showing his pictures, hinting at a raging avarice lurking just under the surface . . .

quote:

posted March 31, 2005 08:07 AM

*sigh* am I the only one who thought it wasn't total crap?

Well, I liked it a lot. But I may be biased

hey long time no see mara, how've you been?

Hi, llama. I've been in hermit-mode for a bit, so, nothing much happening outside of the office. Must remember to try to get that thing that people have when they're not at work, that, what do you call it, oh yeah, "a life", that's the ticket. (But, then again, work today included an e-mail from Neil with "hugs" as his signoff, so, it's not all drudgery.)

So, not to thread hijack, - I really do love A Short Film About John Bolton. On the first viewing, I wasn't that taken, but, I partially blame the fact that I watched the making-of interview before watching the actual film. But I found that repeat viewings made it more enjoyable. I think the first time through it can seem anticlimactic. But when I watched it the second (and third, and umpteenth time) it seemed funnier. Carolyn cracks me up. And I love how the closer they get to the studio & sunset, the more confident & happy Bolton appears, while Marcus crumples away.

As far as the dvd itself, I wish I had a time machine. I'm mostly satisfied with the final product, but a couple of things got past me that I'll never stop beating myself up over. But, the past is past. I'll just make sure to apply what I've learned when it's time to do Dave McKean's shorts.

Edited to add - I also think that the Short Film bodes well for the Death movie, because I think it shows that Neil's sensibilities of character, pacing, and humor can be translated to screen sucessfully. It may not be the most visually stunning short film, but, it works for the material. We already know from the comics scripts that Neil knows how to set up visuals, so, as long as he finds a cinematographer who is on his wavelength, I imagine the Death movie will look good.

Saw it Saturday morning. I didn't think it was total crap but I got it at Clue 1: 'I just paint what I see' so it didn't unfold as well as it could have. From then on though I was really in suspense wanting to see what they looked like. The biggest failing for me was that I wasn't sure that Marcus left the crypt because of fear or boredom. Boredom works better but there should have been more cuts showing time passing to sell that idea. I think his words and acting showed enough fear that I was confused.

Bought the dvd a while back because, hey, it's Neil Gaiman. I actually haven't watched the Short Film yet *shame* but I love Live at the Aladdin. The Martha Soukup poem was hillarious (I love it when the audience laughed so hard that he had to stop reading and just say thank you), and the writers-drinking-alcohol-bit was extremly funny. And, just generally watching Neil on a stage, I so hope I can go to a reading with him some day (even if he gets old and wrinkly).

Say chupa-chupa if you love Live at the Aladdin!

I thought this movie was alright, I enjoyed it, but beware, Yepa, I tend to agree that the extras are definitely the best bit.

It felt like a film-school movie to me, and it might've been more amusing if I'd been watching it with a lot of friends and several cocktails. I didn't think it was bad, just interestings. My favorite person in the movie was the gallery owner. She looked so uncomfortable defending Bolton's paintings.

Spoiler:
To be honest, I think I would've enjoyed the movie more if it was an actual documentary. I really did want to know more about the nice, shy Englishman who decided to paint horrifying pictures of sexed up, naked, demonic vampires. And the female gallery owner who defended him. Oh, well. Not much you can do about it, I'm just saying. You can't really invent a documentary, can you?

Yeah, that's why I haven't seen it yet, I haven't had a chance to watch it with somebody else, and I'm not sure I'd enjoy it alone.. Unfortunately I don't know any Gaiman fans, or anyone else who'd be willing to watch it with me (Norwegians tend to be boring..), so I might end up watching it alone anyway. We'll see.

As much as I love everything he's ever written, this movie didn't do it for me either. But I'm sure that with the experience he got in the meantime from various movies he was involved with, the next one he directs will be much better.

And I'm with the rest of the crowd on the extras, I was mesmerized with him talking, especially since it was the first time I saw anything read by him. I also thought it ironic that the extras were longer than the movie. The DVD should be called "Live at the Aladdin" with the short film as an extra.

I bought it over the weekend and watched it last night. I actually thought it was pretty funny, laughed out loud in a few spots, and I imagine I'll find other odd bits that amuse me on subsequent viewings. I was a bit dense and didn't catch any of the clues, so the end was an a-ha moment for me. The the ermine-skinning knife was funny, and I particularly liked the gallery matron (I don't know what the hell you call her).

Didn't have much time to get into the Aladdin piece, but what I've seen has been a real treat. It was funny to hear the Q&A, though, knowing what we do on the movie projects

Overall it's been fun and I can't wait to show the movie to a couple of friends who should get a kick out of it and to view it with the commentary on. If there are any spoiler bits or inside jokes, y'all in the know need to share.

i just watched it. no i don't think it was crap, i think it was very neil. and tho meant to be a mockumentary a la spinal tap etc, but not meant to be similar. having spinal tap and such to compair it to makes it seem worse than it is i think. kind of bland. i think perhaps i'd like to see the story in another medium.

going to watch live at the aladdin now.

edit:
::finds drawn in darkness on the extras::
oh, see, i like that better...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: fluffyllama,

I didn't think it was fantastic--it did seem sort of student film-ish, but I liked it...it reminded me of that story Pickman's Model by Lovecraft....and I did feel very uncomfortable at the end, with the presenter in the basement....it was good fun...with more time and money, it could have been even more fun.