I’m not sure if it was the spirit of giving brought on by the holidays, or a warm theater on a cold night, or just the several pints of beer, but love was in the air at the Loft’s First Friday Shorts contest this December, and the hook-up sparks were flying. Or maybe it was because the Daily Star’s own Caliente picked FFS as a great first date spot. Thanks to the Caliente plug, Max dubbed himself “Cupid” for the evening, then picked and paired several singles from the audience for the duration of the show. I’m pretty sure some lucky film fan got to visit Max’s groovy shag-carpeted van after show, too. I keep angling for an invitation to the van myself, but Max just soaks me for beer money and never gives me the nod.

As usual, Max led off the night’s screenings with a ringer, a darkly comical mock-commercial for herpes medication. Maybe abstinence ain’t so bad after all. The first film in competition, “Devil Fish” by Patrick (missed the last name), followed an animated little fish chased by an animated big fish. And Harrison Sim’s “Red Shirt Man” followed, another animated tale with a little guy punching out an evil blind man. So far, the little guys were fighting hard and the blind first date couples were saying hello. The next Max pick, a short about a restaurant called IHFM (I Hate Fucking Mondays) spoofed the TGIF restaurant chain, and it’s worth a look:
 

Next up, former FFS prize winner Alex Hulsey brought “Auto Slayer,” a flick that cut together old film footage to tell the story of a homicidal woman in a red sports car. In between films, Max questioned the date couples who were all seated in the front row. By all reports, things were heating up. FFS veterans Tim Lavoie and John Tuller brought “Wanna Start Sumthin?,” a funny riff about two guys who get into a confrontation on the street and end up starting a band. The next flick, a standout mock-doc from the 48 Hour Shootout titled “RDD” for Republican Dysphoria Disorder, interviewed liberal parents whose ‘tween son turns Republican so they take him to the doctor and get him treatment. Clever and well executed, kudos to Henry Rubin and his cast.  See it via YouTube:

After some zany Christmas clips from the Found Footage guys, Pat O’Rourke screened his impressively professional film “Sacrifice” about a dad who robs a bank to pay for his little girls medical treatment. It was very well made; O’Rourke’s got talent. Ironically, this was much the same story as the trailer for “JCVD” that played before the show. “JVCD” being the newest Jean Claude Van Damme vehicle that features the star playing himself and robbing a bank to get his daughter back. As we all know, FFS is a great venue for developing talent, but talent may not win over the crowd. Laughs almost always win over the crowd (they work well for dates, too), and the last two films drew roars from the audience.

“Titanic Spoof” by Zahit, an ingenious satire of the nude drawing scene from the blockbuster movie, features an East Indian guy (Zahit?) in a blonde wig. The flick brought the house down, and the reveal is priceless.  See it, if you dare, on YouTube:

Before the big clap-off for the night’s big prize ($200 cash money!), Max checked in with the first dates. Most of them had at least traded digits. Some of them seemed destined for the nasty. All of us were giddy with the heightened sexual tension. Caliente got it right; FFS is the perfect ice-breaker for the romance dance. And the winner, to thunderous applause, was… “The Gift,” that final quick flick of the night. Congrats to Mazerini for a funny film. My vote went to “Titanic Spoof,” which delivered some images that still haunt my dreams. And I think that if Zahit had kept the cut shorter (he does a repetitive gag reel thing at the end), he would have won the night. All told, a delightful evening of entertainment. Praise to all the filmmakers. Happy New Year to all, and see you on Friday for the first FFS of 2009!

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