That random man says some interesting things but it definetely is forgettable.

A short by David Cronenberg with a good main performance and some interesting ideas on capturing life on film, but as a whole it feels too light and thinly spread compared to his other films.

Hmm. I mean, some of the ideas are nice, but it all feels a bit too cute for a film contemplating death and how temporary actors are compared to the art they are captured in. The aesthetic is far too advertish for someone like me who despises advertising. And I'm not so sure about the ending. But hey, some of the ideas are nice.

There's not really much to this movie and what is there feels pretty amateurish. If I didn't know this was a Cronenberg movie I'd have assumed it was from a first year film student. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just that there isn't much here. Though I must say the actor is great and the dialog is thought provoking.

Cronenberg confirms here that even with some bloated diction, he is still the only director/writer who makes effective film narration. Juxtaposing Film with DV is creepy here, and goes to show it should be creepy elsewhere.

Very good.

Cronenberg is no good at cute

Good short on the permanence of film and the impermanence of merely human filmmakers and actors. Goes down easy but never feels trivial. I would have preferred Leslie Carlson's performance be more naturalistic and less embellished; here he seems insincere whether captured in the elegant tones of 35mm film or the bleary, washed-out starkness of consumer DV. This can be found on the Criterion Collection DVD of Videodrome, for those curious.

Good short.

Terrific little short film from Cronenberg, produced for TIFF and included on the DVD for Videodrome (best of all, you can watch it in YouTube form in its entirety right off the Criticker page!). It's an interesting meditation on aging, death, and fading off the silverscreen into oblivion. Though the dialog speaks mostly about acting, most of it likely holds true for a filmmaker as well. Cronenberg wrings a lot of atmosphere out of the low budget and the film is pervasively creepy. Great finish.

Forgettable.