FLIP: A SHORT FILM (2004)
Directed by Kirk Demarais
Spooklight Productions DVD
Buy It From Spooklight Productions
Reviewed 07.28.04
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba

THE FILM
There are slices of great filmic happiness in life; certain moments when everything else shuts off and you find yourself swept under the broom of creative bliss. What’s most exciting about this all-too-rare feeling, you ask? The fact that it can hit you while viewing a brand new film that defies any “normal” means of conception, while at the same time recalling the basest powers of vintage cinema: heart and magic.

Meet Flip. He’s a little kid from the late 60s, pleasantly monster-obsessed and filled to the pop-culture rafters with the coolest house and room you’ve ever seen. Flip receives a belated birthday card from his grandma, topped off with a dollar bill and a few words to the wise -- “Spend it wisely!” Dollar in hand, Flip rips through his dog-eared copy of “The Haunted Casino” comic book, googly-eyeing the 99-cent huckster ads -- U-Control Monster! Phony Cast! Hypnotism at your fingertips! Amidst humorous daydreams interpreting the powers that such novelties could bring, Flip fends off neighborhood bullies and sleep with a good dose of late night creature features on the tube. Flip soon makes a decision regarding his lucky bill...but like nearly every toy, book, or movie you obsessed over as a kid, the actual item in question turns out to be less-than-stellar. But that’s ok, ‘cause who could have conceived the powers of Ebay in the late 60s?

Running 15 minutes and produced independently by four guys from Arkansas with dreams of making a movie, Flip: A Short Film is a simplistic nostalgia-nod to adults who grew up with Robot Monster and Lee & Ditko’s version of Spider-Man. Simplistic is a tricky word though. This film is packed with an incredible attention to detail, especially for filmmakers that had, well...never made a film before. So within this (somewhat) simple plot, lies mouth watering 60s prop visuals, an excellent sense of visual design, and a level of story-telling sophistication that completely belies the film’s budget and expertise. While there were moments that revealed the limitations of those very things (background noise, an instance or two of noticeable lack of acting chops), Flip holds its own as successful proof to the minds of determined individuals the world over.

As Flip tuned in to a fantastic movie-within-a-movie called Revenge Of The Robot Beast, I found myself smiling. Ten minutes later it was all over and I was still smiling. This is fifteen minutes of fully realized movie enchantment, regardless of the budget or experience of those involved. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta go wind up my Coffin Bank...

AUDIO AND VIDEO
Shot with a Canon XL-1 and edited in Final Cut, Flip appears in surprisingly nice anamorphic widescreen. The picture is smooth and totally free of compression. For such a low budget project, there’s a very strong sense of production value, mostly thanks to the brilliant set design and smart camera set-ups. The score was comprised of public domain exotica (none of which I recognized) and dialogue was very minimal.

EXTRAS
As a perfect compliment to the feature, the supplements are top notch and plentiful. Starting off, there’s a 28 minute making-of documentary, containing interviews with all involved, as well as behind the scenes video footage of outtakes, near disasters, and a giant “Flip” float that drives around during an unexplained Xmas parade. Great watch.

Next up are a series of brief, but excellent, shorts. We have the two original Flash web cartoons from director Kirk Demarais, which sparked the idea for a live action feature. Both ‘toons are just as enjoyable as the feature, with “Phantasmagoria” sparking nostalgic pings for spookhouse rides that scared me as a kid. “Revenge Of The Robot Beast” is a two minute trailer for the movie Flip watches on TV, a bad 50s schlock homage and just the kind of thing I like, fake film scratches and all. It also features a lot of footage that doesn’t appear in the film. Rounding out the shorts is a storyboard to film comparison gallery, a gigantic gallery of props, sets, and behind the scenes photos, and a nifty “Comic Book Ads Vs. Reality Gallery.” Did those x-ray glasses really work? Totally.

And then we have the commentary tracks. Wisely, the commentaries are split up into five separate tracks, which eliminates confusion and surprisingly contains very little overlap. Included are individual commentary tracks from director Demarais, actor Landon Knowlton, cinematographer Scott Clayburg, production designer Todd Knowlton, and executive producer Scott Alan Clayburg. Each track is thorough, enjoyable, and made me appreciate the accomplishment of the film even more.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Flip is a special little film. Obviously, it will mostly appeal to people that can connect with the subject matter, but beyond that, the visual flair and genuine heart is undeniable. Not to mention the stunning DVD presentation. Don’t procrastinate.

"Haunted Casino" gets read


Mythic five and dimer


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U-Control!