Wholphin No. 13

Edited by Brent Hoff

I've really fallen behind in watching these Wholphin's lately (I blame it on getting a PVR for my TV, and discovering some high quality late-night reruns and some wonderfully low quality bad reality shows).

Anyway, this thirteenth edition of Wholphin has the second dramatic turn of young actor Alejandro Polanco, in 'Mosquito'.  Polanco caught my eye in the wonderful movie Chop Shop, and it's very nice to see him again.  In Mosquito he plays a teen in New York in the 70s, who is stuck somewhere between playing with the little kids and avoiding the older ones.  He's awkward and fanciful, and really doesn't fit in, but has an inner strength.  Jeremy Engle's short is the best thing on this disc.

'Successful Alcoholics' is a very funny short film directed by Jordon Vogt-Roberts, and co-written by co-star TJ Miller.  As the title suggests, this is a comedy about two high functioning alcoholics, who drink to escape the tedium of their lives together.  It's fantastic.

The French and Hungarian co-production 'The History of Aviation' is spell-binding.  Director Balint Kenyeres sets up these long set-pieces in this period piece about a group of upper class people enjoying a picnic on some cliffs, until a little girl goes missing.  This looks like it was a very expensive short.

'Crossbow' is an Australian short by David Michod about a teenager who has horrid parents, and who one day decides to carry a crossbow outside when police are called to break up the parents' party, with predictable results.  The narration in this film is great.

'N Me for Myself', a Greek short, is very interesting.  It's about the challenges faced by a man with only one arm.  'Arsy-Versy' is an odd documentary about a Slovakian man who studies bats for a hobby, and is a true eccentric.

Dash Shaw provides an animated series of shorts called 'The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century AD', a surrealistic look at the future, and the future of art modeling.  The biggest laugh on this disc comes from 'Delmar Builds a Machine', but I can't discuss why without spoiling it.

In all, another very good outing from the fine people at Wholphin.