I’m a huge fan of Wholphin, a quarterly DVD filled with short films published by the fine folks behind McSweeney’s and The Believer magazines. It’s one of the chief reasons why my appreciation for short films continues to grow. So I was delighted to discover that Wholphin’s founder and editor Brent Hoff would be in Toronto to attend the Worldwide Short Film Festival. He graciously agreed to talk with me about the “magazine” and his passionate belief that films should be free to be just the right length. Extra credit for sitting down with me after spending 4.5 hours in the hot sun watching the Blue Jays win a 15-inning nailbiter.
An added bonus was the presence of Sundance Film Festival shorts programmer Jon Korn, who pipes in now and then. I’ve actually been promised a fuller interview with Jon soon so look for that in the weeks or months to come.
Special thanks to AJ Schnack for granting permission to use his photo of Brent enjoying himself at the 2008 True/False Film Festival.
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Editor’s Note:
Love You More is available on
Wholphin No. 8, a great compilation of short films from the same people who publish
McSweeney’s.
Love You More (Director: Sam Taylor-Wood): Based on a short story by English playwright Patrick Marber, this slice of life evocatively recalls the powerful combination of music geekery and sexual discovery that makes our teenage years so awkward and exciting. Buzzcocks fans Georgia and Peter meet at the record store on the day the band’s new single is coming out, but there’s only one copy. Cool Georgia invites the geeky Peter back to her place to listen to it. Their awkward attraction is unshackled as the 45 spins on the turntable, again and again.
In just 15 minutes, Taylor-Wood, known mostly for her photography, is able to convey so much. The swagger of teenagers, and the underlying terror of not knowing as much as you think. The way that shared musical taste can make you notice someone you never noticed before. The crumbling border between childhood and adulthood. It’s a beautiful piece of work, anchored in two brave performances and a couple of killer Buzzcocks singles.
Official site of the film
(8/10)
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I’ve got the first two issues of Wholphin, the McSweeney’s–affiliated DVD magazine of short films, and was wondering when the third was coming out. In checking out their site, I discovered that included on the upcoming issue will be a 15-minute excerpt from the strangest and most-wonderful film I’ve seen in a long time, Funky Forest: The First Contact. That’s reason enough to rush out and buy it when it comes out in mid-December.
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