Cinema 16: British Short Films

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Film Description

An excellent collection of short films and early outings from some of Britain's finest directors. Includes About a Girl - Brian Percival; Boy and Bicycle - Ridley Scott; Dear Phone - Peter Greenaway; Doodlebug - Christopher Nolan; Eight - Stephen Daldry; Gasman - Lynne Ramsay; Girl Chewing Gum; Home - Morag McKinnon; Inside Out - Tom and Charles Guard; Je t'aime John Wayne - Toby McDonald; Joyride - Jim Gillespie; The Sheep Trailer - Asif Kapadia; The Short and Curlies - Mike Leigh; Telling Lies - Simon Ellis; UK Images - Martin Parr; Who's my favourite Girl? - Adrian McDowall. A diverse and entertaining package that is also an inspiration for young filmmakers everywhere.

Film Information

DVD Extras

Audio commentaries from each director.

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Review by Matt Buckland on 9th April 2003

"Cinema 16" is very much like having a miniature film festival at your disposal, a great selection of some early work from established directors and a showcase of new talent.

Brian Percival's About A Girl is an illustration of how the short film format lends itself so well to the shock ending of this narrative. The tale of a liverpudlian girl, whose parents have split up, is a depressing portrait of the adolescent girl. As hard as her life is you will be totally unprepared for the ending.



Ridley Scott's Boy & Bicycle is the director's first work, shot with a borrowed Bolex camera. The story of a boy's day spent exploring his surroundings after deciding not to go to school. Scott's vision is evident even in this early work and the composition of his shots is artistic almost to the point of a painting.



Peter Greenaway's Dear Phone is an experimental piece showing Greenaway's fascination with the old style red telephone boxes. Images of the phone boxes are accompanied by the appropriate sounds, then we are shown a screen of text, a story of the relationship between barrow boys, their wives and their relationships. Strange in places but remarkably engaging, especially if you remember the old, now iconic, red phone boxes.



Christopher Nolan's Doodlebug, is a film school project from the director of Memento. Ideal as an aid to film students showing what can be done with limited resources, a special-effects film of the short genre.



Stephen Daldry's Eight was the forunner to his acclaimed Billy Elliot. Jonathan the film's protagonist is an eight year old boy in love with football, an obsession he has to hide from his mother. The film is both funny and tender and imbued with a warmth not often captured in the short film genre.



Lynne Ramsey's Gasman like the director's other work, Ratcatcher being the best and most enjoyable example, it 70s or 80s Glasgow, the struggling classes and a fairly grim outlook, but you see the little sparks of interest in real lives, and being a small story told very much from a child's point of view, it's much more hopeful, interesting and happy than it could have been. The characters, so few, and so little seen in the short still have immense believability and completeness. Arty, but not impenetrable, simple but thought provoking.



John Smith's Girl Chewing Gum is an artistic exploration of the director's will to have total control over the world in front of his lens. The process of control starts gradually, "a man walks from left to right", and eventually stretches to the ridiculous, "two pigeons fly into shot, the post office robber looks agitated and the boy comments about the time". The film is at some stages hilarious and at others fascinating, a real must.



Morag Mckinnon's Home is the tale of a council employed inspector visiting three houses within the film's strange and unhinged world. Funny and ethereal, the camera transforms the mundane into twisted visuals, a rubbish strewn council flat, looks like a gothic castle and the film spirals to an ending straight out of Lynch.



In Jim Gillespie's Joyride the short film format flirts with horror again: a power-line repairman gets off of work early and heads home. Unfortunately, he gets kidnapped is locked in the boot of his own car. The tension rises, but he doesn't seem to be able to free himself. Gillespie went on to make the neo-slasher "I Know What You Did Las Summer".



Tom and Charles Guard's Inside Out is the story of a chance meeting between a window dresser and a field researcher in Oxford Street, London. A piece of street theatre from the researcher wins the affections of the window dresser through the glass that divides them. Real warmth is conveyed and the film leaves you with a smile.



Toby MacDonald's Je T'aime John Wayne is an hilarious look at French new wave cinema of the 60's, you can be forgiven for thinking you are watching a Truffaut and it isn't until the Millennium Eye looms into view that you realise you aren't. The story centres around Belmondo an middle-class English boy wanting desperately to be French. The style of filming and dialogue make this film, it is truly a gem. The line "she is coming with me. I drive an Alfa Romeo, it has six gears" delivered with such sincerity - Short film perfection.



Asif Kapadia's The Sheep Thief is the final university project from the director of the acclaimed The Warrior. Kapadia's true genius is in his composition and use of India's landscape as a canvas in which his story takes place. A truly beautiful film.



Mike Leigh's Short and Curlies is wonderfully entertaining stuff. David Thewlis puts in a truly geeky performance that'd put any real-life nerd to shame. Alison Steadman's voice grates like sandpaper and again there's that bleakness we come to expect from Mike Leigh, but a sensitivity too, comedy of course and a depth of character not often achieved in short films.



Simon Ellis' Telling Lies is a DV short exploring the thoughts that people have in contrast to what they actually say. Excellently portrayed and both stylistically brilliant and funny at the same time.



Martin Parr's UK Images is a series of excerpts from Parr's documentaries, illustrative of an England full of teashops, washing cars on Sunday afternoons and motorway service stations. Brash colours, inane comments and cringe-worth Brits.



Adrian J McDowell's Who's My Favourite Girl a coming of age film. Two Scottish boys discuss the nature of becoming a man, from fluffy hairs down there to kissing girls. The performances are excellent by both Ross Wright and Tarek Hamad as John and Andy. Each have their little quirks, the elder singing to Kylie tunes while the younger is yet to "develop" and is taught kissing in a mirror by his storm trooper helmet wearing friend. Funny and surprisingly upbeat culminating in a punch line that leaves you queasy.

View more reviews by Matt Buckland

Review by Luke Morris on

"Cinema 16" is very much like having a miniature film festival at your disposal, a great selection of some early work from established directors and a showcase of new talent.

Brian Percival's About A Girl is an illustration of how the short film format lends itself so well to the shock ending of this narrative. The tale of a liverpudlian girl, whose parents have split up, is a depressing portrait of the adolescent girl. As hard as her life is you will be totally unprepared for the ending.



Ridley Scott's Boy & Bicycle is the director's first work, shot with a borrowed Bolex camera. The story of a boy's day spent exploring his surroundings after deciding not to go to school. Scott's vision is evident even in this early work and the composition of his shots is artistic almost to the point of a painting.



Peter Greenaway's Dear Phone is an experimental piece showing Greenaway's fascination with the old style red telephone boxes. Images of the phone boxes are accompanied by the appropriate sounds, then we are shown a screen of text, a story of the relationship between barrow boys, their wives and their relationships. Strange in places but remarkably engaging, especially if you remember the old, now iconic, red phone boxes.



Christopher Nolan's Doodlebug, is a film school project from the director of Memento. Ideal as an aid to film students showing what can be done with limited resources, a special-effects film of the short genre.



Stephen Daldry's Eight was the forunner to his acclaimed Billy Elliot. Jonathan the film's protagonist is an eight year old boy in love with football, an obsession he has to hide from his mother. The film is both funny and tender and imbued with a warmth not often captured in the short film genre.



Lynne Ramsey's Gasman like the director's other work, Ratcatcher being the best and most enjoyable example, it 70s or 80s Glasgow, the struggling classes and a fairly grim outlook, but you see the little sparks of interest in real lives, and being a small story told very much from a child's point of view, it's much more hopeful, interesting and happy than it could have been. The characters, so few, and so little seen in the short still have immense believability and completeness. Arty, but not impenetrable, simple but thought provoking.



John Smith's Girl Chewing Gum is an artistic exploration of the director's will to have total control over the world in front of his lens. The process of control starts gradually, "a man walks from left to right", and eventually stretches to the ridiculous, "two pigeons fly into shot, the post office robber looks agitated and the boy comments about the time". The film is at some stages hilarious and at others fascinating, a real must.



Morag Mckinnon's Home is the tale of a council employed inspector visiting three houses within the film's strange and unhinged world. Funny and ethereal, the camera transforms the mundane into twisted visuals, a rubbish strewn council flat, looks like a gothic castle and the film spirals to an ending straight out of Lynch.



In Jim Gillespie's Joyride the short film format flirts with horror again: a power-line repairman gets off of work early and heads home. Unfortunately, he gets kidnapped is locked in the boot of his own car. The tension rises, but he doesn't seem to be able to free himself. Gillespie went on to make the neo-slasher "I Know What You Did Las Summer".



Tom and Charles Guard's Inside Out is the story of a chance meeting between a window dresser and a field researcher in Oxford Street, London. A piece of street theatre from the researcher wins the affections of the window dresser through the glass that divides them. Real warmth is conveyed and the film leaves you with a smile.



Toby MacDonald's Je T'aime John Wayne is an hilarious look at French new wave cinema of the 60's, you can be forgiven for thinking you are watching a Truffaut and it isn't until the Millennium Eye looms into view that you realise you aren't. The story centres around Belmondo an middle-class English boy wanting desperately to be French. The style of filming and dialogue make this film, it is truly a gem. The line "she is coming with me. I drive an Alfa Romeo, it has six gears" delivered with such sincerity - Short film perfection.



Asif Kapadia's The Sheep Thief is the final university project from the director of the acclaimed The Warrior. Kapadia's true genius is in his composition and use of India's landscape as a canvas in which his story takes place. A truly beautiful film.



Mike Leigh's Short and Curlies is wonderfully entertaining stuff. David Thewlis puts in a truly geeky performance that'd put any real-life nerd to shame. Alison Steadman's voice grates like sandpaper and again there's that bleakness we come to expect from Mike Leigh, but a sensitivity too, comedy of course and a depth of character not often achieved in short films.



Simon Ellis' Telling Lies is a DV short exploring the thoughts that people have in contrast to what they actually say. Excellently portrayed and both stylistically brilliant and funny at the same time.



Martin Parr's UK Images is a series of excerpts from Parr's documentaries, illustrative of an England full of teashops, washing cars on Sunday afternoons and motorway service stations. Brash colours, inane comments and cringe-worth Brits.



Adrian J McDowell's Who's My Favourite Girl a coming of age film. Two Scottish boys discuss the nature of becoming a man, from fluffy hairs down there to kissing girls. The performances are excellent by both Ross Wright and Tarek Hamad as John and Andy. Each have their little quirks, the elder singing to Kylie tunes while the younger is yet to "develop" and is taught kissing in a mirror by his storm trooper helmet wearing friend. Funny and surprisingly upbeat culminating in a punch line that leaves you queasy.

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Article - "Small is Beautiful - Short films on DVD" by MovieMail
Tuesday 2nd May 2006

DVD is a natural home for short films and there are some excellent collections that are worthy of your attention. The latest in the Cinema 16 series is out this month and concentrates - appropriately enough given that its name is taken from the influential New York-b...  View article in full

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