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REVIEW: The Blue Umbrella [2013]

2013/06/172013/07/17 Jared Mobarak

The biggest impediment to Pixar’s short film The Blue Umbrella is how close its release is to that of sister studio Disney’s Paperman last year. Its story set in an evening downpour depicts the love at first site of the titular colored parasol and his red counterpart bobbing over a city sidewalk. With an unspoken attraction and embarrassed stolen glances, their would be union’s demise is simply due to their owners traveling in different directions. But much like the paper airplanes of John Kars’ 2012 film, destiny wins out with…

REVIEW: Dust Request: A Last Will and Testament [2010]

2013/06/072013/07/18 Jared Mobarak

“If you could look into my eyes you would witness my soul missing you” There is a fascinating mystique surrounding Kevin K. Shah’s short film Dust Request: A Last Will and Testament that only bolsters the powerful hold its visuals possess. Listed as a documentary on IMDB.com and credited as starring Surya Chandra and her late husband Arjun, its personal account of a deceased man’s last wish can’t help but speak towards your humanity. The film’s only words come from an intimate recording Arjun left for his wife to hear…

REVIEW: Model/Photographer [2009]

2013/06/032013/07/18 Jared Mobarak

“Let’s keep going” Writer/director Zak Forsman appears as though he can do no wrong when it comes to emotional heartbreak and the romantic connections we all form in our lives. Unlike his first short I Fucking Hate You’s glimpse into the impossibility of remaining close with one another post break-up, however, the six-minute Model/Photographer seeks to portray the inherent confusion of trying just that. While some are able to carefully adhere to a foreign delineation of boundaries—removing the romance to otherwise retain what was platonically—not everyone has the strength, desire,…

REVIEW: I Fucking Hate You [2008]

2013/06/032013/07/18 Jared Mobarak

“I didn’t hide it very well, did I?” It isn’t easy to let someone go. The pain, guilt, anger, regret, and lingering love mixes together into a pool of emotion you cannot simply move on from without introspection and time. For some a final meeting can go a long way towards tying loose ends and saying a real goodbye far from the open wound of that initial parting of ways containing little but hatred in your heart. It’s hard to remember good times once they’re over because the heartbreak overshadows…

REVIEW: Trouble [2013]

2013/05/222013/07/24 Jared Mobarak

“Character separates the certain few from all the rest” I don’t think I have the objectivity necessary to teach because I interpret everything I come into contact with through my own personal visceral and emotional filter. With film I’m all about whether it speaks to me on a deeper level than pure artifice; if it makes me feel something other than appreciation an the artist who created something I have no aspirations of ever trying to create. I saw it in college when a professor would strain himself at the…

REVIEW: Tillman [2011]

2013/05/162013/07/18 Jared Mobarak

“Dad, can we talk about Mom?” Some short films suffer due to their brevity and Tillman is one of them. A fifteen-minute piece depicting a sad-sack car dealership owner named Richard Tillman (Wayne Joseph), the film creates a mood very different from what its synopsis hopes to cultivate. Explained as a portrayal of a father-of-three’s seemingly idyllic life soon unraveling into the depressive reality he’s kept hidden beneath the surface, it’s never shown to possess anything other than ambivalence. Richard is obviously unhappy from frame one and our entry into…

REVIEW: CARGO [2013]

2013/04/102013/07/18 Jared Mobarak

What would you do amidst a zombie apocalypse after discovering your baby daughter thus far spared in the backseat and a gaping wound on your arm signifying an expiring clock before making her your first meal as an undead daywalker? The options seem few: secure her somewhere high, run far away without looking back, and hope she’s found or perform a mercy killing to ensure she’ll never be turned into the monster you’re about to become. Both solutions are a death sentence, so the choice is ultimately one made out…

BNFF13 REVIEW: Submit the Documentary: The Virtual Reality of Cyberbullying [2013]

2013/04/082013/07/18 Jared Mobarak

“Perhaps we were unprepared. Or maybe just naïve.” After the tragic events surrounding Williamsville teen Jamey Rodemeyer’s 2011 suicide helped spark a public outcry against the phenomenon known as cyberbullying, it’s only fitting to see Muta’Ali Muhammad’s Submit the Documentary: The Virtual Reality of Cyberbullying make its second appearance on the festival circuit here in Buffalo, New York. Inspired by Lady Gaga’s music, this openly bisexual young man posted on YouTube, Formspring, and other Social Media sites to share his experiences and work towards preventing the act of which he…

REVIEW: Mondays at Racine [2012]

2013/02/162013/08/07 Jared Mobarak

“There’s a beauty that can come out” Mondays at Racine is a very worthwhile story touching upon the myriad points on life’s spectrum by branching off from its simple subject towards the much more personal and powerful realities facing cancer patients across the world. Oscar-winning—her documentary short Freeheld—director Cynthia Wade probably began her journey into Rachel Delmolfetto and her sister Cynthia Sansone‘s lives without any clue as to what she would discover next. The film may retain a title speaking towards the compassionate service these siblings give to a community…

REVIEW: Redemption [2012]

2013/02/162013/08/07 Jared Mobarak

“If you don’t do it full-time you ain’t gonna get what you need” As the economy struggles and paying jobs become few and far between, people need to do whatever is necessary to survive. For many New York City residents, canning is the one thing out there that will ensure they have at least a few dollars by the end of the day. Some of these cart pushers are homeless, some immigrants, and some even war veterans without the ability to find work after factories and/or restaurants employing them have…

REVIEW: Kings Point [2012]

2013/02/162017/11/21 Jared Mobarak

“Staying here is just about all you can do” It was always the stereotypical retirement locale—Florida beckoning with open arms. Great weather, a new community of age-appropriate friends, and a simpler life away from the harsh cold of northern winters awaited everyone who migrated down. Some had to move due to doctor’s orders, others wanted to let their children have their own lives. To move south was to be reborn as a newly single soul on the prowl or as a couple transitioning into their so-called “golden years”. But like…