Short Film Reviews #3 - It’s Always Sunny Semifinalists
Erick posted before explaining the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” contest that asked for video submissions of would-be sitcoms. Hosted by MySpace, the 20 semifinalist videos have been uploaded, ready for you to stream.
The videos had to be 5 minutes or less, and simply had to make the judges laugh. The site claims that about 3000 videos were submitted.
I watched all 20 videos, or at least the first few minutes of them, and was pleasantly surprised. I doubt any were done specifically for the contest, and so they don’t seem rushed like I worried they would be. There’s even a few name actors who make appearances.
I’m not going to get into all 20, but here’s the videos you should watch and consider voting into the finals.
Division III -
About the football team at a small liberal arts college, where they don’t get the normal respect from their peers. With Andy Dick as the coach, this packed a lot of laughs into five minutes. Over the top, but definitely has potential to be a winning sitcom. 3 and 1/4 stars.
Good Cinema -
Two filmmakers order a couple of pizzas and take the delivery man and woman hostage, then force them to act out a scene. Possibly my favorite of the 20, this is really a short film that might have trouble translating to the small screen. But I think the people who made this could figure out something extremely funny to make with the $50,000 prize. 3 and 3/4 stars.
15 Newsflash -
Bizarre. A faux newscast of a live car chase, with the twist that the driver is a mouse. The mouse is in a toy tank on a track the filmmakers have set up, and the newscaster describes the action with a straight face. The end gets silly, but this gets my vote for creativity. 3 stars.
Two Cop Presentation -
With some improv (UCB) comedy veterans in the starring roles, this seems similar to “Reno 911″ in premise, but it’s too funny and promising to really care. McGinty and Sullivan play off of each other and the victims or criminals they have to deal with. Ian Roberts is particularly funny, and this series would have a lot of UCB power behind it, so it would be great. 3 1/2 stars.
Party Animals -
Not the smartest comedy in the world, this faux documentary is about a fraternity of losers. Many of the shorts were clearly influenced by “The Office”, with many actually taking place in an office. This is the funniest of the bunch, although not the most well made. Looks like it was made by a college comedy troupe, and so there’s plenty of funny, and most of it’s not too sophomoric, which is saying something given the subject matter. 3 stars.
The Comedy Team of Pete and James -
Another documentary-style show, this is about a now defunct stand-up comedy team. One is extremely succesful, and one is trying to tell the same jokes he was in the 80s, without his balancing sidekick. Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla make appearances, and the leading character is likeable enough. This wasn’t my favorite, but it’s worth seeing. 3 stars.
Also worthy of mention are “Peanut Hut”, “Jay Hole” and “Men”. Worthy of avoiding are “The Stupid Adventures of Captain Happy” and “Snowmen”. Check them out and help make someone a star!