Second Annual Campus Moviefest
Michael Curran
Issue date: 5/30/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
The coming of Springfest signified the return of Campus MovieFest to Bridgewater State College. As a part of the 2nd annual competition, members of the college community were invited to view short films produced by fellow BSC students.
Campus MovieFest (CMF) is a yearly nationwide contest held at colleges around the country providing the necessary equipment for students to dabble in independent film making. Entrants are allotted one week in which to create their submissions.
The top 16 films were shown on Wednesday, April 22 and entertained a packed house. In the Drama category, two films left lasting impressions. The first, "Born to Die," followed a man on the run who is suddenly captured by men in gasmasks and beaten. The story was a little difficult to follow, however the cinematography was fantastic, as was as the musical selection. The all around look of the film was dark and brooding, making this one of the more visually memorable films of CMF.
The second memorable film coming from the Drama category was "Drift," directed by Tim Haber. Relying heavily upon its music to drive the plot, the wordless film features a lakeside love story. Haber avoided the "cheesiness" that often accompanies romance films and secured "Best Drama" honors.
The Comedy category drew significantly more entrants. Topics ranged from superheroes to babysitting and just about everything in between. "Molly," directed by Stephen Campbell, follows the story of a young girl being babysat by college student Steve and a series of misadventures that ensue. Molly's deadpan and silent performance was a great compliment to Steve's energy.
"Superheroes" was the story of two students who became masked avengers and their struggles of being new superheroes. The villain's obvious Arnold Schwarzenegger impression and the sidekick's repetitive dialogue were the little gags that made this film.
"Dorm Troll," starring Travis Condon, was like something out of Monty Python. The twisted plot featured a threatening troll that made this short, manic, wild, and great fun. Taking home "Best Comedy" honors was "No Good Deed." Following the seeming punishment of a man who tries to help a homeless gentleman, Joe Keaney, the film's star, ends up being chased by a gorilla, mugged by two women, and stripped down to his boxers. This film, while a simple idea, was very well executed.
The funniest movie at CMF was also the one that won "Best Picture." "Scrabble: The Motion Picture," directed by Alex Perry, had everything. Amazing special effects, tight editing, and a hilarious concept drove its success. The plot centered on BSC's Scrabble team trying to stop the Russians from finding a Scrabble piece that could end the world. The over the top dramatic acting, insanely overly-violent character of the Russian Scrabble team leader - played by Alex Lewis - and the 1980s action movie lines made this film the benchmark for others at CMF and truly deserved the title of Best Picture.
For the winners, good luck in New York. For the teams featured in the top 16 this year, congratulations. For all who made films keep it up; this is where great films start, with young kids and cameras.
Campus MovieFest (CMF) is a yearly nationwide contest held at colleges around the country providing the necessary equipment for students to dabble in independent film making. Entrants are allotted one week in which to create their submissions.
The top 16 films were shown on Wednesday, April 22 and entertained a packed house. In the Drama category, two films left lasting impressions. The first, "Born to Die," followed a man on the run who is suddenly captured by men in gasmasks and beaten. The story was a little difficult to follow, however the cinematography was fantastic, as was as the musical selection. The all around look of the film was dark and brooding, making this one of the more visually memorable films of CMF.
The second memorable film coming from the Drama category was "Drift," directed by Tim Haber. Relying heavily upon its music to drive the plot, the wordless film features a lakeside love story. Haber avoided the "cheesiness" that often accompanies romance films and secured "Best Drama" honors.
The Comedy category drew significantly more entrants. Topics ranged from superheroes to babysitting and just about everything in between. "Molly," directed by Stephen Campbell, follows the story of a young girl being babysat by college student Steve and a series of misadventures that ensue. Molly's deadpan and silent performance was a great compliment to Steve's energy.
"Superheroes" was the story of two students who became masked avengers and their struggles of being new superheroes. The villain's obvious Arnold Schwarzenegger impression and the sidekick's repetitive dialogue were the little gags that made this film.
"Dorm Troll," starring Travis Condon, was like something out of Monty Python. The twisted plot featured a threatening troll that made this short, manic, wild, and great fun. Taking home "Best Comedy" honors was "No Good Deed." Following the seeming punishment of a man who tries to help a homeless gentleman, Joe Keaney, the film's star, ends up being chased by a gorilla, mugged by two women, and stripped down to his boxers. This film, while a simple idea, was very well executed.
The funniest movie at CMF was also the one that won "Best Picture." "Scrabble: The Motion Picture," directed by Alex Perry, had everything. Amazing special effects, tight editing, and a hilarious concept drove its success. The plot centered on BSC's Scrabble team trying to stop the Russians from finding a Scrabble piece that could end the world. The over the top dramatic acting, insanely overly-violent character of the Russian Scrabble team leader - played by Alex Lewis - and the 1980s action movie lines made this film the benchmark for others at CMF and truly deserved the title of Best Picture.
For the winners, good luck in New York. For the teams featured in the top 16 this year, congratulations. For all who made films keep it up; this is where great films start, with young kids and cameras.
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