Lance Around Orlando

King's Point

The Olympian
In the late 1800’s Thomas Edison filmed a man who is considered the father of modern bodybuilding. This film is a simple juxtaposition of that film and a modern bodybuilder of today. Short. Fascinating. Well conceived.

Kings Point
If we’re lucky, one day we’ll be old. Ever wonder what life will be like then? This film gives a glimpse of life in a retirement community in Florida. Stark. Realistic. Beautifully filmed. Informative.

Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest
This short features the true story of Ingrid Pitt’s escaped from a Nazi concentration camp. Ingrid went on to become a famous actor. This was her last project. It was made in collaboration with famous shorts animator Bill Plympton. Most impressively, it was animated by a 10 year old.

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
This film shows heart wrenching, live footage of the March 2011 tsunami in Japan. Then the survivors are interviewed. After which, the filmmaker explores the powerful symbolism of the cherry blossom to the Japanese culture. Many ancient cherry trees survived the tsunami and their “rebirth” is held up as the epitome of the Japanese struggle to survive and overcome this horrendous disaster. NumberOneSon said this was his favorite of the four shorts.

Audience Response
“I cried three times and smiled at the same time,” reported Jessica Gasparolo. 

“I Loved the cherry blossom one–kinda showed the worst of nature and the best of human nature,” Said Harriett.

“I would say that the shorts have been just outstanding this year. We liked a lot of them,” claimed Helen and John Steele. They went on to discuss several of the shorts programs. They agreed with me that Shorts 1 was absolutely fantastic. While I loved The Other Side, they were more fond of High Maintenance.

It’s a testament to the diversity of the FFF that the one they liked the most, was the one that I thought was the least of all the Shorts 1. Don’t get me wrong–I really enjoyed High Maintenance–it’s just that I liked the other six even better.

But isn’t that what the FFF is all about–Different people, different opinions, thoughtful and provocative films for everyone to enjoy, analyze and review.

I love it!

This entry was posted on April 17, 2012 at 7:08 pm and is filed under Art Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.