~~~

 
2. “Welcome to the Club” – 8

This film reaches new levels in collaborative directing, ensemble casting and, dare I say, Extreme Horror. The question at hand: to be in the Club or to not be in the Club? Expecting the audience to be this excited or remotely interested in a “true story” about eating a club sandwich for the first time is certainly a tall order, but as the ironically unnamed antagonist of the story explains at a crucial turning point, “part of joining the Club is the Responsibility”. Perhaps this film is a merely a comment on those who are more acutely aware of their surroundings and the myriad of benefits therein? Eventually we find ourselves screaming at the screen, hoping that Frankie Ribbons (1979 – 2015, 2015) hears our warning and is properly keeping track of his toothpicks.

(editors note: Frankie Ribbons was denied membership, hence the chilling final image of 1979-2015.)

3. “The Accolade” – 8

Triumphantly acted and edited, Mr Y’s latest effort fulfills, for the first time, the requirement that all winners of The Haverhast “complete a film to be submitted the following year which must include footage of The Haverhast” (or something like that). Here we have a concise, and perhaps perturbing film about The Haverhast itself, which apparently does not disqualify it for being considered for yet another Haverhast! Top notch special effects and a very catchy anthem complete what seems to be a short film about graciousness and thankfulness, but could this piece be too sardonic for another run at the grand prize?

“Banned ’74: behind the music” – 9

“Excess, depravity and self-destruction… from the highest highs to a barnyard stall.” Herr O’s latest piece is probably his greatest as it tells the all-too-familiar story of rock ‘n roll self-destruction. Expertly edited and scripted as an episodic cable mockumentary, it challenges the the audience to pay attention to its message thru effective audio manipulation as well as painful Zayre and dog sweater commercials that take us back to a long forgotten time when there were still only 13 VHF channels on a thing called television. The only issue I had with the film is its ending, as it was a bit abrupt, and does leave the audience at a loss, perhaps wanting more.
“Steven” – 7

Despite avoidable technical issues relating to audio and video, as well as a few editing and titling snafus, this film actually does succeed at entertaining. Almost harkening back to the days of the Horror Vignettes-esque storytelling, we find ourselves and our Now Today hero “interviewer” up close and personal with “the world’s greatest chess player”, a very unlikable, arrogant and drunken Steven Ghostly and all his many faults. Pacing at times was far slower than it needed to be, but the original score accentuated the tension nicely. A rating of 7 is well deserved in my opinion for what is an acting tour de force by Visitor Blim and for this year’s surprise “sleeper”.

” … and I never saw her again” – 5

The “lost” full version of this infamous and unforgettable end credit score for “Extensions III: The Revenge” (1987) resurfaces and is sounding better than ever. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to that work again here. However, the imagery is not congruent. I would have preferred lost video footage or even genuine outtakes from that film (perhaps as a retrospective document of that masterwork’s 28th anniversary) to a repetitive vista of the Icelandic coast (as nice as that looks). The editing receives a nod of acknowledgment for the change in scenario during the song’s bridge featuring the Mistress of the Night Terrors and Horror looking straight on (imagery seen in an earlier film however). Still, a better connection between the song and imagery would have yielded a higher rating.

(editors note: although we’ve seen footage of The Mistress of the Night Terrors before, this footage (featuring Horror) has never been officially used. Although we appreciate the writer’s enthusiasm of the song, the song was originally a part of melancholic rock concept album. It’s use in “Extensions III: The Revenge” was coincidental, not the original intent of the author.)

“Rain Falls on our Shadows” – 3

I watched this again, recalling that it was deemed a music video of sorts and decided that it is very difficult to make a connection between the visual and soundtrack. There feels like a loss between the viewer and whatever it is trying to say. Even if it isn’t trying to say anything, it needs cohesion between the music and the assortment of repeating imagery. None of it related to the soundtrack other than perhaps the Grand Central Station footage, which I did like quite a bit. That footage moved with the music better than the rest and it connected to a degree, even though it is obviously a very familiar shot seen countless times since the advent of time-lapse photography.

“The Ascension” – 1

This is the only film I think I’ve ever given a 1. It has received a 1 because the soundtrack was irritating and not at all what I wanted to hear. Furthermore, its title needs not be plastered across the screen for almost its entire 30 second lifetime. That prevented me, literally, from sympathizing with or understanding the individual “ascending” up the staircase. The rating I gave it would have increased quite a bit if the bad music and title were eliminated. I think the idea of an extremely short film like this is interesting, but less is more and there is way too much clutter here.