Each week the folks at Cinema Circus show a series of short films on Wednesday evenings at the Chilmark Community Center. The films begin at 6 p.m. but at 5 p.m. the circus — complete with jugglers, face painters, stilt walkers, food and music — gets underway.
As for the movies, each week an advanced screening of the films is arranged with a young Island cineaste; in a world with few certainties, the kid critic is the critic to trust.
Unfettered by economics, societal pressure, perhaps even good taste, the kid critics have no agenda. They have no filters nor is there any chance of hyperbolic windblowing designed to get everyone to see the movie. In fact, fewer people showing up might mean more popcorn for these young reviewers.
This week’s reviewer is Miles Stone.
Snowflakes and Carrots (Dir. Samantha Leriche-Gionet / Canada / 2010 /4 min.)
A girl watched a family make a snowman. She took the carrot nose off the snowman. Then she went to other houses and took the noses of many snowmen. She put the carrots in a cloth and fed them to bunnies. There were no words in this film. I thought it was an okay movie. I would rate it a 5 out of 10.
The Gruffalo (Dir. Max Lang, Jakob Schuh / U.K. and Germany / 2010 / 27 min.)
A mother squirrel told her kids a story about a mouse. The mouse is trying to get a nut from a far away tree. In his travels, he meets animals that want to eat him. He makes up a story about a monster and the animals run off. When he got to the tree, he meets the made-up monster, who tries to eat the mouse. The mouse tells the monster that the other animals are afraid of him. He walks with the monster and found the animals. They were afraid of the monster and hid. Then the monster left the mouse alone. It was a great film. I really enjoyed this film, and remember reading the book when I was younger. I would give it a 10 out of 10.
KJFG No. 5 (Dir. Alexei Alexeev / Hungary / 2007 / 2 min.)
A rabbit, bear and a wolf were playing music. The rabbit on drums, the bear on bass, and the wolf howling. The wolf made a loud squeaky howl and a hunter came. Then the animals hid. I thought it was funny, but I don’t “get” the film. I would give it a 7 out of 10.
The Brunswick Browns (Dir. Ollie Ivin-Poole / Australia / 2009 / 3 min.)
A boy is telling about his chickens. He tells that he feeds them scraps and lets them out to eat bugs and weeds in the garden. Then he has to catch them. The family likes to eat eggs for breakfast. He loves his chickens and they love him. I take care of my 10 chickens, so I can relate to how he takes care of his. It was a pretty good movie. I give it a 5 out of 10.
The Gym Teacher from the Black Lagoon (Dir. Galen Fott / U.S.A. / 2009 / 9 min.)
A school is getting a new gym teacher. The big kids say he is green and hairy. They say he is so strict and almost kills the kids with deadly fitness tests. In the end he was a really nice guy. The big kids were trying to frighten people. It was funny. I loved it. I would rate it an 8 out of 10.
Don’t Go (Dir. Turgut Akacik / Turkey / 2010 / 4 min.)
This film was live action with a claymation alien. The main characters were a black cat and an alien. The cat wanted to get the alien and chased him all around the house as he danced and faked him out. The music was really loud and funky, and made me want to dance. It made me feel energetic. I give it a 7 out of 10.
After the children’s films, at 8 p.m. there will be a special sneek peak screening of Mission Blue, about oceanographer, explorer and author Sylvia Earle. She has led more than 60 expeditions, logged more than 6,000 hours underwater, been dubbed “Her Deepness” by the New Yorker and a living legend by the Library of Congress. Plus, she was awarded the TED Prize. Last year, in an effort to bring attention and solutions to the world’s ocean crisis, she convened an extraordinary group of scientists, philanthropists and conservationists in the Galapagos. Director Robert Nixon’s 80-minute documentary, Mission Blue, began on that expedition.
Tickets are available at tmvff.org or 508-645-9599 or at the Chilmark Community Center starting at 4:30 p.m. on the day of the show. Admission is $14, or $7 for members of the festival (you can join at the door).
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