by Stephen Milek
One of the highlights for me at the Milwaukee Film Festival is the Milwaukee Show. The Milwaukee Show highlights great short films from local talent. Recently they added two shows so now we get even more great films to watch. This year the talent did not disappoint. Below are my 10 favorite films from the Milwaukee Shows.
1. Recycle – The movie starts out normal. We meet a kid and his mom who is a drug addict. She gets killed by some drug dealers but the son lives. But then the movie turns into one of the most bizarre films of the fest. Now the kid is older and on a swat team and a bottle of milk the he recycled as a kid comes back to help him. Yup a milk bottle helps out the now grown kid. Me trying to explain it will not do it justice. Make sure to check it out if you get a chance.
2. American Zombies – This fun short combines horror and comedy. A normal zombie family is just trying to have a normal dinner. The mom and dad get in an argument and the son decides he is a vegetarian. It’s hilarious and has the gore factor you would expect from a zombie film.
3. Needlepoint - This was one of my most anticipated Milwaukee Short Films. Last year we sat down with Director Jon Phillips and his crew to talk about the movie. At the time he was reluctant to give too much info on the plot and had a few surprises he wanted to keep. So finally I was going to see it. What would he have in store? Well it did not disappoint. The story of an aging mother with dementia talking to her daughter is a slow build. But as we learn more and more info the mystery deepens. I don’t want to spoil the movie so I won’t say any more. But it does have one last twist that you don’t see coming.
4. Sterile – An eye opening movie about events that happened in the South. The movie sheds light on the Forced Sterilization programs that many states adopted in the 60’s to keep the population down of people they didn’t think were fit to take care of a family. The movie follows a woman who looks back to her past when she was subjected to sterilization. It’s a very powerful movie and a subject that has not been talked about much. The movie won the 2016 Cream City Cinema College Filmmaker Award. A well deserved win.
5. @ME - We live in a digital age. Even though we can be connected to hundreds of followers on Twitter and Facebook we still can get lonely. That’s what this movie is. It’s a look at a Stand-Up Comic who takes a walk on New Year’s Eve and tweets, snapchats, texts, and is constantly on her phone. And while her posts are funny you still get the sense that she is lonely. Finally one of her real friends decides she will try to meet up but alas communication gets lost and she is destined to spend the night alone. The movie like Spike Jonze’s Her is a comment on our society today and how much living in the digital world is no substitution to being with a great group of friends.
6. Northfound - While a lot of the films during the Milwaukee Show II were quirky, dark, or funny, Northfound brought the drama and emotion. Northfound is about two sisters who undergo an emotional journey when one of them is diagnosed with cancer. The sisters are played perfectly by Angie Campbell and Erika Sorenson. They have instant chemistry and are able to handle the emotional weight of the movie while also maintaining levity needed for the film to not become melodramatic.
7. Fox in the Fan – A mysterious signal comes over the air from the radio. What is this message and what does it mean? Those are the questions asked in this cool looking short.
8. Shangri-L.A. – Drew Rosas and Nick Sommer are no stranger to the Milwaukee Film Festival. Their feature film Billy Club had its world premiere here. This time they are back with a short film that will be part of a web series. The follows a bizarre cast of characters all trying to find their dreams in L.A. There is a special appearance by Milwaukee favorite Mark Borchardt. It’s bizarre and lots of fun. Can’t wait to see the full series.
9. The Seed in the Sky – I will be honest I am not sure what this movie was about. It will probably take a couple of viewings. But the animation is very cool and worth a watch.
10. Twin Sister – Shot documentary style in Cuba. The movie chronicles Bertha an older women and her daily existence in a rundown area. Her twin sister is in another part of town just returned home from the hospital after chemotherapy. While the movie is not a pure documentary it is based on Bertha’s life and recreates certain events. It gives us a look at what life is like in Cuba.
2. American Zombies – This fun short combines horror and comedy. A normal zombie family is just trying to have a normal dinner. The mom and dad get in an argument and the son decides he is a vegetarian. It’s hilarious and has the gore factor you would expect from a zombie film.
3. Needlepoint - This was one of my most anticipated Milwaukee Short Films. Last year we sat down with Director Jon Phillips and his crew to talk about the movie. At the time he was reluctant to give too much info on the plot and had a few surprises he wanted to keep. So finally I was going to see it. What would he have in store? Well it did not disappoint. The story of an aging mother with dementia talking to her daughter is a slow build. But as we learn more and more info the mystery deepens. I don’t want to spoil the movie so I won’t say any more. But it does have one last twist that you don’t see coming.
4. Sterile – An eye opening movie about events that happened in the South. The movie sheds light on the Forced Sterilization programs that many states adopted in the 60’s to keep the population down of people they didn’t think were fit to take care of a family. The movie follows a woman who looks back to her past when she was subjected to sterilization. It’s a very powerful movie and a subject that has not been talked about much. The movie won the 2016 Cream City Cinema College Filmmaker Award. A well deserved win.
5. @ME - We live in a digital age. Even though we can be connected to hundreds of followers on Twitter and Facebook we still can get lonely. That’s what this movie is. It’s a look at a Stand-Up Comic who takes a walk on New Year’s Eve and tweets, snapchats, texts, and is constantly on her phone. And while her posts are funny you still get the sense that she is lonely. Finally one of her real friends decides she will try to meet up but alas communication gets lost and she is destined to spend the night alone. The movie like Spike Jonze’s Her is a comment on our society today and how much living in the digital world is no substitution to being with a great group of friends.
6. Northfound - While a lot of the films during the Milwaukee Show II were quirky, dark, or funny, Northfound brought the drama and emotion. Northfound is about two sisters who undergo an emotional journey when one of them is diagnosed with cancer. The sisters are played perfectly by Angie Campbell and Erika Sorenson. They have instant chemistry and are able to handle the emotional weight of the movie while also maintaining levity needed for the film to not become melodramatic.
7. Fox in the Fan – A mysterious signal comes over the air from the radio. What is this message and what does it mean? Those are the questions asked in this cool looking short.
8. Shangri-L.A. – Drew Rosas and Nick Sommer are no stranger to the Milwaukee Film Festival. Their feature film Billy Club had its world premiere here. This time they are back with a short film that will be part of a web series. The follows a bizarre cast of characters all trying to find their dreams in L.A. There is a special appearance by Milwaukee favorite Mark Borchardt. It’s bizarre and lots of fun. Can’t wait to see the full series.
9. The Seed in the Sky – I will be honest I am not sure what this movie was about. It will probably take a couple of viewings. But the animation is very cool and worth a watch.
10. Twin Sister – Shot documentary style in Cuba. The movie chronicles Bertha an older women and her daily existence in a rundown area. Her twin sister is in another part of town just returned home from the hospital after chemotherapy. While the movie is not a pure documentary it is based on Bertha’s life and recreates certain events. It gives us a look at what life is like in Cuba.
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