Thief's Monthly Movie Loot - 2023 Edition

Floor 9.5 is a 2-minute short film that follows a young woman (Georgina Campbell) trapped in a mysterious "floor" in an office building. Will she follow the plea for help of whatever she finds on that floor?

This is yet another short film recommended by Tim Egan. It is one of those examples where a simple premise can get you far enough, as long as it's well executed. With such a small runtime, there isn't much to say about it, but it does have some eerie visuals and a creepy twist that might still catch you by surprise.

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Audio Guide follows Audrey Walker (Emma Wright), a young and aspiring artist that upon a visit to the Belle Epoque art gallery finds out that the audio guide system not only works to offer further insight into the existing works of art exhibited there, but also from anyone around her. Initially she finds it intriguing and amusing, until the audio guide system starts revealing more intimate and troubling information about those around her, including herself.

This is yet another short film recommended by Tim Egan. It is certainly an interesting premise that is very well executed by director Chris Elena and writer Lee Zachariah. Wright is also great as her character goes through a rollercoaster of emotions as she keeps on discovering new things.

On the surface, Audio Guide is simple enough to not be overwhelming, but it still packs a decent dose of existentialism in it, as the things the audio guide system reveals put Audrey's beliefs to the test. It begs the question of how much we really want to know about life, or how willing are we to be left "in the dark" about our most precious beliefs and our own future.

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For anyone interested, here are the links to these four shorts...

A Better Tomorrow follows two brothers – Ho (Ti Lung) and Kit (Leslie Cheung) – that have followed "different paths". Kit aims to join the police, while Ho is one of the top members of a powerful Hong Kong triad, along with Mark Lee (Chow Yun-fat). Ho is planning to leave his life of crime, but he ends up being set up and sent to prison, while Mark ends up injured in a shootout which leaves him disabled and disgraced.

This is my first venture into John Woo's Hong Kong filmography, and it was quite a thing. Before this, my experience was limited to most of his 90's American efforts which I wasn't that crazy about, other than Face/Off. A Better Tomorrow feels like the birth of that, as he gives us lead characters with conflicts between them trying to get through them via over-stylized ultra-violence (and I mean that in a good way).

One of my main gripes is that Ti Lung, who is arguably the lead actor, is a bit bland and is easily over-staged by Cheung, and especially Chow Yun-fat. Cheung provides a strong emotional performance and feels like the one to root for, but the script keeps him a bit on the sidelines. Chow Yun-fat, on the other hand, owns every scene he's in. Part of it is because of his charisma, but a huge part of it is the way that Woo shoots him, jumping in the air, two guns in hand, cool as fu¢k.

That's the main strength of this film, and apparently most of Woo's films. The action setpieces are well staged and choreographed, and yes, kickass. The story in between those, however, feels a bit melodramatic, with a sappy score and some weak supporting performances. That doesn't include Waise Lee, who gives one of those great, "slimy" and villainous portrayals as Shing, the triad lackey that ends up rising to the top after Ho and Mark are out.

A Better Tomorrow might not be as polished as other action films or even some of Woo's later films (at least based on what little I've seen), but it is still a worthy action film and a great introduction to Hong Kong crime cinema.

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They say that when it rains, it pours. A saying that highlights how when something bad happens, it is usually followed by more bad things. That is the situation in which Annie (Kristen Wiig) finds herself in this comedy. Bridesmaids follows Annie, as she prepares to fulfill her duties as one of the bridesmaids for her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph). But jealousy and chaos strikes when she meets Lillian's new "best friend" Helen (Rose Byrne).

Annie and Helen are joined as bridesmaids by an assorted array of characters that include all the expected stereotypes. There's the married, cynical friend; the naive newlywed, and the loud-mouthed sister-in-law, Megan (Melissa McCarthy). But even though most of the plot involves the various shenanigans they go through, the truth is that this is Annie's story and how she needs to overcome her many failures.

I had heard some good things about this comedy, so while looking for something light to watch yesterday, I thought why not? The film follows a relatively predictable storyline. I mean, you can probably guess where things will go 10-20 minutes before they happen, but I appreciate the cast's chemistry and commitment. For the most part, those interactions work; especially with McCarthy, who is easily the most colorful of the characters.

But other than it's predictability, it's not a comedy that really made me laugh out loud. There were a lot of chuckles and solid moments, Jon Hamm has a pretty funny supporting role, and I really appreciate the bond that we can see grow between these friends. But beyond that, there's not a lot much to look at here.

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That's what Dr. Henry Howard (Jordan Lawson) screams as he witnesses his 237th attempt to create a strength serum become a failure. But oh my, what a joy it was to witness this "failure" last weekend. I stumbled upon the trailer for this gem by pure accident, and just like Howard does with the strength serum later, I just couldn't resist the urge to try it.

The Amazing Bulk follows Howard's attempts to create this serum under orders of his girlfriend's father, General Darwin (Terence Lording), all while trying to keep his relationship with Hannah (Shevaun Kastl) afloat. But when he tries the serum on himself, he becomes "The Amazing Bulk", a super-strong purple creature that wreaks havoc on the city.

There's a mixture of incredulity and joy in witnessing something as ineptly made as this still make it through to the masses. In one of the most baffling decisions I've seen on film, The Amazing Bulk was filmed entirely in a green-screen stage with the director, Lewis Schoenbraun, substituting the background with stock images (some of which inexplicably include leprechauns). The performances are downright awful, and the overall story makes no sense.

Still, there's such an undeniable earnestness in imagining someone looking at the end product and think "Yep, that'll do it." The Amazing Bulk is one of those films where you can't help but laugh at how bad it is, so even if it was for the wrong reasons, I was somewhat entertained. Opening credits in Comic Sans font, computer cliparts used as props, stock footage of space rockets passed as nuclear missiles, and an impotent bad guy that lives in a castle with guards that carry medieval helmets, shields, spears... and wear T-shirts?

Schoenbraun went on to direct another feature film titled Aliens vs. Avatars (yes, a mockbuster of those two films), which I can only imagine was just as inept as this. For better or worse, he decided "that's it!" and went on to teach film in the Philippines. Much like Henry Howard in the film, it seems that he had enough and wanted "no more failures!"

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I challenge anyone to watch this trailer, and resist the urge to watch at least a bit of this trainwreck

The Killer follows Ah Jong (Chow Yun-fat), a hitman that decides to perform one last job in order to pay for the surgery of a singer he accidentally blinded during a previous shoot-out. As a result, he ends up relentlessly pursued by the triad members that double-cross him, as well as Li (Danny Lee), a cop that might be just as determined as him.

In many ways, this feels like an improved version of A Better Tomorrow. Not sure if it's because I saw both almost back-to-back but I see a lot of parallels between both films. From the fights against triads, the climatic Mexican standoffs, the clash between cop and criminal, and the strained brotherly relationship down to the bloody end.

That "brotherly" relationship is what provides the backbone of the film, as we see both cop and hitman go back and forth; first as they play cat and mouse, and then as they join forces for a common goal. Chow Yun-fat and Danny Lee have a great chemistry and you really believe the way their relationship grows as the film progresses.

Incidentally, Ah Jong's relationship with Jennie (Sally Yeh) doesn't feel as fleshed out which neuters some of the dramatic weight of the film. Even Ah Jong's relationship with his friend and mentor Sei (Chu Kong) feels more realized and heartfelt. Shing Fui-On does a lot of scenery chewing as the bad guy, but that makes him fun to watch.

But beside the performances, the main attraction of this film is the action setpieces and choreographies. There is an almost operatic fluidness to the way Woo films these stand-offs and shoot-outs that you can't help but be amazed by how gorgeous and cool it looks. There is such a nice mixture between the excesses of violence and the dance-like movements that you can't help but be amazed by it.

There is something really interesting about watching a film like The Killer, and recognizing its fingerprints in other action or crime films. From Woo's own Face/Off to The Matrix and John Wick; even L.A. Confidential, as different as it might be, has a ton of stylistic and thematic parallels to this. As it is, The Killer is probably one of the best action/crime films I've seen.

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You should check out Hard-Boiled as well. It's also great.

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I like A Better Tomorrow more than you do, but you should still check out the sequel. There's a scene in it that you could make an entire Movie Loot episode about.

I have Hard Boiled in the agenda for later this month.

@ThatDarnMKS spoke highly of it to me on Twitter, so I will try to check it out as soon as I can, but I have three more Woo to check before that one.

Set in an isolated farm, The Eyes of My Mother follows Francisca (Kika Magalhães), a young woman that finds herself immersed in loneliness. The remoteness of her life, only accompanied by her father and mother, is hit by tragedy which only drives her further into stranger and darker things.

This film came highly recommended by @ThatDarnMKS, and it really didn't disappoint. Being the debut from director/writer Nicolas Pesce only made it more impressive. He has a way to patiently set the mood and create simple but disturbing images, but not necessarily with what he shows but rather what he implies. There really isn't much gore, but the implication of the things that happen is way worse.

Pesce uses deliberate camera movement and long takes to heighten that eerie and uneasy ambience. Plus, the black and white cinematography is gorgeous and gives a certain elegance to all the horrific things that are happening. That contrast of beauty and horror elevates what could've easily been an exploitative mess in less capable hands. The pace is slow, but I never felt it meandered or dragged. I suppose the 77 minute runtime also helps.

The film has a small cast of only a handful of significant characters, with Magalhães being the centerpiece. For a film with little dialogue, she manages to do a lot with expressions, looks, and body language, transmitting mixtures of confidence and insecurity, fear and trauma. Olivia Bond is also pretty good as the young Francisca, while Will Brill has a brief but unnerving performance. I also appreciated the way Pesce handled the character of the Father by mostly keeping him silent and in the background.

I still felt like something was missing, even if I can't fully put my finger on it. As disturbing and horrific as it is, I don't think I felt it hit me as hard as I was expecting or would've wanted. Regardless, The Eyes of My Mother is a finely crafted and harrowing portrayal of a lonely woman driven to the edges of sanity in strange ways, and I definitely look forward to more of Pesce's work.

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That's how Kari's babysitting gig with Jack-Jack began; like any normal sitting, you know, with the reassuring of the parents. But as she will soon find out, weird things can happen when you take care of a hyper-active, hyper-powered super-baby like Jack-Jack.

This short film was filmed at the same time as The Incredibles, and the basic idea of it was supposed to be included in the film. However, it was eventually cut and expanded into a short film that was included in the DVD. It takes place within the same timeline of the climax of the film as Kari takes care of Jack-Jack while the Parr's are fighting Syndrome and his robot.

One of my favorite things is Bret Parker's voice-work as Kari. But overall, the short is fun and clever as we see all the ways Jack-Jack's powers manifest and how Kari reacts to *anything* the baby dishes out. With a 4-minute runtime, I'm sure you can totally handle it as well.

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Set in a weird gravity-challenged chasm, Wind follows a kid and his grandmother as they both try to use the few resources they have at hand to escape. The short is part of Pixar's SparkShorts initiative to encourage young animators and storytellers to tell personal stories through animation.

The above quote is from producer Jesús Martínez who, along with writer/director Edwin Chang, used both their family backgrounds as immigrants from Mexico and Korea respectively to propel the story. Some of that context is kinda there as you see the short, but reading about Chang and Martínez' inspiration really helped me appreciate it more.

Wind is a simple, but emotionally powerful short with some beautiful animation. But at the end of the day, it is a story of sacrifices and, like Martínez says, where we come from and what we do for those we love.

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Creative processes can sometimes be tough and nerve-wracking. Whether it is because opportunities don't come or because things don't necessarily come through the way you envisioned, it can all lead to anxiety and frustration. The above quote is how director Madeline Sharafian describes the moment when she was offered the chance to direct a short film for Pixar.

Burrow follows a friendly but shy rabbit that has a plan to build the burrow of her dreams. However, her creative process is affected as she finds "obstacles" in every hole that she opens. The "obstacles" are none other than fellow creatures and "neighbors" that inhabit the same space, but the rabbit is too shy to allow others to see her project, moreover ask for help.

This is yet another short film that's part of Pixar's SparkShorts initiative, which gives Sarafian the opportunity to dig up and build what she has referred to as a "passion project". Burrow is a charming short that's full of cute animation and an earnest story for children, but one that we, as adults, can still get something from.

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Kitbull follows the unlikely bond formed between a stray cat and an abused pitbull. The third of Pixar's SparkShorts initiative that I saw this month, it was written and directed by Rosana Sullivan, a storyboard artist that has worked with Pixar since 2011. She described the experience of writing the short with the above quote.

It is so refreshing to see art like this being borne out of personal experiences instead of corporate brainstorming. Like Burrow, the animation in Kitbull is simple but effective. Despite that apparent simplicity, it is charming and touching, but also powerful in its depiction of animal abuse.

However, the most important thing is the way the short shows these two unlikely animals putting their trust in each other and creating a bond. It is an invitation to step out of our comfort zone and connect. The results might surprise us.

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Ever felt like you're trying to communicate with someone who just doesn't understand you, and you get stuck in a loop? That's the situation two young kids find themselves in this beautiful short from Pixar. Loop follows Renee and Marcus as they share a canoe trip at camp.

The thing is that Renee is a non-verbal autistic girl, while Marcus talks quite a bit. I don't have a lot of experience with non-verbal autistic people, but I feel like this short film does a great job of portraying their struggles at communicating. One of the most notable things is how Renee uses a sound app on her phone to transmit her various feelings.

But the most important thing the short does is in how Marcus is always willing to engage with Renee, make her feel comfortable, and even when things get rough, he has the patience to give her space and wait; anything that can be done to break out of that miscommunication loop.

I do think that the short peaks halfway through, but seeing and reading about the making of the short, I really appreciate the efforts that director/writer Erica Milsom and her team went to cast an actual non-verbal autistic girl for the voice of Renee. It gives a true sense of authenticity to the short; one that I wish can teach us, much like Marcus, to be patient so we can break out of those loops.

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If you don't do an episode about this just so you can call it The Movie Loot Loop I swear to...

Out follows Greg (Kyle McDaniel), a young gay man that's struggling with the decision to come out to his parents. But things get crazy when they unexpectedly visit him to help him move, and he ends up with his mind swapped with his dog, Jim. Greg/Jim then spends the rest of the short trying to hide any evidence of him being gay from his parents.

I'm not gay, but I can only assume that coming out has never been easy. Stigmas and discrimination makes the process really hard on everybody involved, and more often than not, people get hurt in the process. However, sometimes the hurt doesn't necessarily come from the "revelation", but rather from the lack of communication and trust between the family.

That's what happens with Greg's mom (Bernadette Sullivan) when she says the above quote. In his efforts to prevent his mom from looking at a picture of him with his boyfriend, Greg/Jim bites her. But ultimately, the hurt doesn't come from the bite or from her son being gay, but from losing that connection between each other.

The fact that it is inspired in director/writer Steven Hunter's own life experience only makes it more real... except for the mind-swap thing, of course. Maybe the way that mind-swapped thing is tossed in there seems a bit odd and out-of-left-field, but it does reinforce the theme of "pretending to be something else", while also putting out the way that we hurt others while trying to hide who we are.

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