Rating: variable (B- to E)
Dir: Justino Gaveleto
[12] Amateur films are usually at their best when they attempt things no Hollywood director would, and this batch of shorts mostly appeal in direct relation to their incoherence. Wisely using film stock rather than video, Justino produces some striking, surreal, and weird images, especially when (as in Death) he’s unencumbered by plot. Then there’s Gratuitous Violence & Garlic, which tries to tell a vampire story, but is let down by seriously bad acting, and actively annoying technical shoddiness. These represent the two extremes – most are in the middle, dumping raw imagination onto the screen without much intervention. While the ideas are definitely there, a willingness to edit out failures would be welcome. Justino would make a fine director of photography, but definitely needs to keep an eye on any storyline. I’ll still be interested to see his next project – a ‘heroic bloodshed’ shoot-out. Contact Just, 77 Crystal Palace Park Road, London, SE26 6HT.