2008 Woodie Awards
Fifteen minutes for a few
Maine Channel's second annual film festival brings together student talent
Kegan Zem
Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: Style
Last Thursday the Maine Channel held their 2nd Annual Film Festival in Room 101, Neville Hall. The festival, which featured a multitude of student films, drew a large crowd, filling much of the lecture hall. The audience was treated to popcorn, candy, soda and pizza before the films were shown, but when the lights finally went down, after some technical difficulties, the crowd was eager to see what kind of film talent the University of Maine had to offer.
The festival began with a 13-minute film entitled "Honor Among Thieves," directed by Paul Goodman. This epic tale of camaraderie, theft and Michael Bolton, was told from the perspective of one of the thieves. His fast-paced, foul-mouthed commentary drew plenty of laughs, as did the ridiculous situations shown throughout the film. It was certainly a great way to start the show and set the tone for the films to come.
Next was "Thinking With Portals," also directed by Paul Goodman in addition to Kurt Krohne. This film, part of a capstone project, was a special effects masterpiece, playing on the idea of the video game "Portal." In the film, the main character happened upon a portal that took him on his own mini-adventure.
"Alex the Dimwitted Carpenter," directed by Greg Wonder, was the biography of a fictional man named Alex who wasn't exactly the brightest bulb. It was supposedly an installment of the show "Lifestyles of the Mundane and Useless," and lived up to this expectation. The film got its share of laughs, of course, especially during the purposefully awkward changes in camera angle as the host Marty Stevens told Alex's story.
The mockumentary on hamburgers entitled "Mad Cow Disease" was a ridiculous look at the familiar dish. Directed by Thomas Barrows, the film was a combination of "Fast Food Nation" and "Borat," featuring narration by a foreign man in a absurd dialect. The subtitles only enhanced the absurdity of the material on screen, as the camera went behind the scenes in one local restaurant and to a backyard.
The festival began with a 13-minute film entitled "Honor Among Thieves," directed by Paul Goodman. This epic tale of camaraderie, theft and Michael Bolton, was told from the perspective of one of the thieves. His fast-paced, foul-mouthed commentary drew plenty of laughs, as did the ridiculous situations shown throughout the film. It was certainly a great way to start the show and set the tone for the films to come.
Next was "Thinking With Portals," also directed by Paul Goodman in addition to Kurt Krohne. This film, part of a capstone project, was a special effects masterpiece, playing on the idea of the video game "Portal." In the film, the main character happened upon a portal that took him on his own mini-adventure.
"Alex the Dimwitted Carpenter," directed by Greg Wonder, was the biography of a fictional man named Alex who wasn't exactly the brightest bulb. It was supposedly an installment of the show "Lifestyles of the Mundane and Useless," and lived up to this expectation. The film got its share of laughs, of course, especially during the purposefully awkward changes in camera angle as the host Marty Stevens told Alex's story.
The mockumentary on hamburgers entitled "Mad Cow Disease" was a ridiculous look at the familiar dish. Directed by Thomas Barrows, the film was a combination of "Fast Food Nation" and "Borat," featuring narration by a foreign man in a absurd dialect. The subtitles only enhanced the absurdity of the material on screen, as the camera went behind the scenes in one local restaurant and to a backyard.
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