The Trasharama A-go-go is a short film festival held over here in Australia which showcases, according to its site, 'the cream of Australian Horror, Sci-fi, Bad Taste Comedies, Dodgymentaries, Sick Animations, B-grade Schlock and other Filmic Disasterpieces!!'. Basically, really low-budget B-movies, or even Z-movies.
Last semester, I submitted the old version of 'Forced Labour' here. The original 18-minute-long rough cut with overlong fighting scenes (now deleted and viewable here), and because being too long (the minimum length for entries is 15 minutes), I most probably disqualified myself. Despite this, I was given free passes to the film fest.
And so, two nights ago, on the 7th of October, I went there with a friend to watch these short flicks. I left before intermission as I wanted to catch the bus, so I was only there at the first half of the films. Here are my thoughts of these short flicks. Maybe I'll rate them out of 4 stars:
DIAL A DERO Dick Dale SA
Ad form. Make a phone call for homeless tramps who can help babysit your kids (by teaching them out to smoke weed), puke on annoying suitors, serve as security etc. Amusing stuff.
BABY PEPPER Carl Russo USA
Jonson Baby Pepper Spray. Spray it on babies, they'll feel the pain, but won't get rashes. Also in ad form.
DRACENSTEIN Tom Priestley TAS
Er, kinda animated. Or maybe it's done using paper dolls, I'm not sure. In the forests of Tasmania, mad scientist accidentally kills Dracula, uses his brain for his Frankenstein-like monster. Only a kickass, inhumanly muscular priest can stop him. Great stuff, lots of gratutious violence, like siamese twins getting smacked so badly that both heads fell off and splattered upon the stone wall.
THE CAT'S MEOW Kathryn Walton VIC
Unfortunately, I can't seem to remember which one this is. I might have gotten this mixed up with 'I Love You... Plop!'. Hmmm.
I LOVE YOU...PLOP! Timothy Spanos VIC
Two kidnapped women get murdered in ridiculously grisly methods, like jamming some chick's arm into a blender, or stabbing a chick with a dagger and have fountains of blood spurting out.
TO LET David Collins WA
This one is so hilariously bad that I laughed until I couldn't breathe. Badly done special effects, bad camera angles, bad acting, bad editing, everything I tried to avoid in my own short films, this one has it. It's perfect.
RETURN OF THE KILLER BIKINI VAMPIRE GIRLS John Silvestro WA
I think this might be done by Murdoch Students, since I saw some recognizable faces. But yeah, this is seriously funny stuff where all cliches in vampire flicks are featured. A couple making out in the park at night being murdered, a kickass vampire hunter, lots of blood and lots of gore, bikini-clad vampires running down the streets of Fremantle at night... again, and again, and again.
AN AXE, KNIVES AND VIDEO TAPE James Stafford QLD
One of my faves. A psychotic butcher and his hostage are watching a 'Big Brother-like' reality TV show, before they are interrupted by a salesman... selling all kinds of knives and cleavers. Can the hostage get away?
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD Ali Ramone SA
Guy gets mauled to death by a vicious poodle.
STILL BORN Emma Mitchell WA
Two young couples going to a hospital for abortion found their lives in danger when evil foetuses came alive and turned everyone into zombies. "What is black and blue and does not like sex? A rape victim." Haha! It's done by Murdoch Students.
BOMBS AWAY Sean Lahiff SA
Er, 'documentary' of people blowing things up with, er, firecrackers.
Last semester, I submitted the old version of 'Forced Labour' here. The original 18-minute-long rough cut with overlong fighting scenes (now deleted and viewable here), and because being too long (the minimum length for entries is 15 minutes), I most probably disqualified myself. Despite this, I was given free passes to the film fest.
And so, two nights ago, on the 7th of October, I went there with a friend to watch these short flicks. I left before intermission as I wanted to catch the bus, so I was only there at the first half of the films. Here are my thoughts of these short flicks. Maybe I'll rate them out of 4 stars:
DIAL A DERO Dick Dale SA
Ad form. Make a phone call for homeless tramps who can help babysit your kids (by teaching them out to smoke weed), puke on annoying suitors, serve as security etc. Amusing stuff.
BABY PEPPER Carl Russo USA
Jonson Baby Pepper Spray. Spray it on babies, they'll feel the pain, but won't get rashes. Also in ad form.
DRACENSTEIN Tom Priestley TAS
Er, kinda animated. Or maybe it's done using paper dolls, I'm not sure. In the forests of Tasmania, mad scientist accidentally kills Dracula, uses his brain for his Frankenstein-like monster. Only a kickass, inhumanly muscular priest can stop him. Great stuff, lots of gratutious violence, like siamese twins getting smacked so badly that both heads fell off and splattered upon the stone wall.
THE CAT'S MEOW Kathryn Walton VIC
Unfortunately, I can't seem to remember which one this is. I might have gotten this mixed up with 'I Love You... Plop!'. Hmmm.
I LOVE YOU...PLOP! Timothy Spanos VIC
Two kidnapped women get murdered in ridiculously grisly methods, like jamming some chick's arm into a blender, or stabbing a chick with a dagger and have fountains of blood spurting out.
TO LET David Collins WA
This one is so hilariously bad that I laughed until I couldn't breathe. Badly done special effects, bad camera angles, bad acting, bad editing, everything I tried to avoid in my own short films, this one has it. It's perfect.
RETURN OF THE KILLER BIKINI VAMPIRE GIRLS John Silvestro WA
I think this might be done by Murdoch Students, since I saw some recognizable faces. But yeah, this is seriously funny stuff where all cliches in vampire flicks are featured. A couple making out in the park at night being murdered, a kickass vampire hunter, lots of blood and lots of gore, bikini-clad vampires running down the streets of Fremantle at night... again, and again, and again.
AN AXE, KNIVES AND VIDEO TAPE James Stafford QLD
One of my faves. A psychotic butcher and his hostage are watching a 'Big Brother-like' reality TV show, before they are interrupted by a salesman... selling all kinds of knives and cleavers. Can the hostage get away?
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD Ali Ramone SA
Guy gets mauled to death by a vicious poodle.
STILL BORN Emma Mitchell WA
Two young couples going to a hospital for abortion found their lives in danger when evil foetuses came alive and turned everyone into zombies. "What is black and blue and does not like sex? A rape victim." Haha! It's done by Murdoch Students.
BOMBS AWAY Sean Lahiff SA
Er, 'documentary' of people blowing things up with, er, firecrackers.
