Pulp Features

Here we are again with another compilation of found films from the web. Lots of stuff, no theme. Have fun.

Shorts

Three Litle Words

How difficult is it to write a love letter? What is so hard about saying those magic words to the one of your dreams? How can it possibly go wrong? Come with us on a journey, a trip into the mind of a man obsessed with finding exactly the right words to express his love.

Three Little Words is funny, poignant and only 4 minutes long.

The Oscar Controversy
Peter Serafinowicz parodies the entertaiment media with a report on the controversial new Oscar.

Powerdate
The dangers of being a judo dog on a date. Very silly. Very funny.

Harvie Krumpet
Life has not been easy for Harvie Krumpet but, throughout all his disasters and hardships, he manages to maintain a sunny demeanour in the gently funny stop motion animation from Adam Elliot.

The film is narrated by Geoffrey Rush and won the 2004 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

Excursion
And while I’m on the subject of narrated comedies, let me also point you in the direction of Excursion, a surreal experimental comedy about the absurdity of daily life.

If David Lynch had made The Office, this is how it would have looked.

Edit>Love
Director Kiyong Kim snagged a very well deserved first place spot in Atom Films‘ Intel Indies Film Contest for this sweet short.

How to Tell When a Relationship is Over in Ninety Seconds
Breaking up might be hard to do, but this handy 90 second guide makes it easy to spot.

Short, sweet and very funny.

Clips

Scorchio!
Elena Bouryka was the ‘microphone girl’ on Italian mock talk show, Bla Bla Bla. Now you can see here read the weather forecast.

It’s Italian. That really is all you need to know.

I’m a scientist. I don’t believe in anything!
This is a great clip from B-movie spoof, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.

Super Mario Kill Bill
If you’ve ever wondered what the Chiaki Kuriyama vs. Uma Thurman figth scene from Kill Bill Vol. 1 would be like if the soundtrack had been lifted from Super Mario Bros., then wonder no more.

Trailers

Brokeback to the Future
The touching story of a romance that could never be. If you haven’t already seen Brokeback to the Future, now is your chance.

Must Love Jaws
The classic romantic comedy about two men and a shark.

And Finally

Hurra Torpedo - Total Eclipse Of The Heart
I’ve only recently discovered Norwegian Appliance Rock band Hurra Torpedo but, having just seen their take on Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart, I’m hooked. And so should you be.

So here we are, with the first online micro-cinema compendium of 2006. And, this month, there seems to be a bit of a religious theme to the procedings.

The God Delusion
This is a clip from the first episode of The Root of All Evil?, a two part series on Channel 4.

In the clip, evangelical Christian Ted Haggard lectures Dawkins on a subject about which he is clearly ignorant - and then accuses him of being arrogant. On the face of it, it’s quite funny, but when you consider that there are people out there that take Mister Haggard seriously, it becomes more than a little worrying.

You can also find an audio version of the entire program here.

Supamonks
This is fantastic! It involves monks, vikings and heavy metal and really is very, very funny.

I Will Survive
Lord have mercy and pass me the tambourine!

The Passion of Benny Hill
Sticking with dead prophets for a moment, here is the version of The Passion of the Christ that Mel Gibson would have made if he had a sense of humour.

Jesus is Watching You
This one is a bit of a shoe-in, but not verything is as it seems when a thief breaks into a house to steal some jewels and encounters an array of religiously devout pets.

South Park explains what the Church of Blaintology is really all about
Less of a short, and more of a full length episode. And in this one, the SuperbestFriends take on the cult of David Blaine. As ever, with South Park, there are some very valid points tucked away in all the crudeness.

Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee in Fight to the Death
From a god of religion to a god of celluloid. The unique Bruce Lee faces Chuck Norris with an all new soundtrack. And captions.

Dawn of the Gap
I’d probably be stretching things to say that all religion is horrific. But Spike Jonze’s commercial for Gap is also a homage to George Romero’s anti-consumerist Dawn of the Dead, and well worth a look. If only for the in-store carnage.

(Note: The subtitle for this edition of Eat My Shorts is lifted from HG Wells who once said, “Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.” Don’t say you never learn anything on this site)

So it’s the end of November and time for the second edition of Eat My Shorts, and this time we have a theme.

All the films this time around are spoofs, and most of them are pretty funny.

Enjoy.

The Old Negro Space Program
This film - or mockumentary, if I may - is a superbly funny fake history that works on several levels. It’s both funny and moving and should be seen if only for the letter home.

The Meatrix
This four minute flash animation that both spoofs the better known trilogy from the Wachowski brothers in order to highlight the faults with factory farming is the winner of the Media That Matters Film for Thought Award. And it represents the best of political filmmaking - both funny and thought provoking. Go watch it if you haven’t done so already.

Happy Ending (Reunion)
“My name’s Stranger. Misterious Stranger. All the most trivial characters from the movies meets in this viral for a film festival.” Advertising that entertainingly spoofs all those minor film stereotypes that we’ve come to know and expect.

Robot Chicken Star Wars Spoiler
Increasingly improbable plots? Start Wars? Nahh!

The Shining
Trailers for well known films seem to be an increasingly ripe source of spoofs, as this particular work of genius superbly demonstrates. If it was believed, you’d have the very strong impression that The Shining was a film about a writer struggling to complete his novel and his cute, but neglected son. The sort of film that culminates with a tearful reunion and - maybe - some kite flying inspired family bonding.

Psycho: A Love Story
And while we’re discussing spoof trailers, this one for a romantic comedy about two lonely people brought together on a rainy night is well worth checking out.

Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning
Not last, but longest and certainly not least, Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning is a feature-length sci-fi parody, seven years in the making. It is the product of a core group of five Finns, and over 300 extras, assistants and supporters. The film combines some spectacular visual effects, a stack of great one-liners, plenty of laugh out loud moments, and a passion that provide the basis for the first-ever Finnish science fiction adventure.

Meet the Liar
And finally. Not quite a spoof, but The God Who Wasn’t There director, Brian Flemming, has analysed a clip of Senator Tom Coburn claiming to be a human lie detector.