Some nice reviews from Triggerstreet

off the tracks

What avery nice subtle piece. In todays mtv world its good to see a slowly paced and well thought out film. There was no hurry to this film and no rush. Even at this pace the film held my attention. The story was very poetic and quite moving. I liked the sort of ambiguous ending; where is she going to go, where is she going to end up? The visuals were very well done and obviously shot with great care and attention. I really liked the way you went about filming this as you described in your notes. Great idea to video it first and take photos for your storyboards. I liked the sound alot although i dont know if it was for the right reasons. It sounded very produced which gave the film an unreal quality. I dont know if you meant to do this or not. Geat film, make some more! -- By grifter110, Posted on Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Nice

This film followed very well. I liked you choice in music, and the voice over work was done very well. The story seemed to have sudden ending (mouthwash was a nice idea). I liked the flash back work and the first person view you gave. The camera work was good, and the lighting was perfect. Audio was clean and clear. Overall a verywell put together film that I enjoyed but seemed to end quick. Id give it a 7 out of 10. -- By Imaginationmachine, Posted on Wednesday, December 8, 2004

Stinking Cigar Brings Teenage Plight to Forefront

In Stinking Cigar, we are brought into a world of teen angst and uncertainty. Jennifer is properly portrayed as a young woman torn apart by the deception of family and unknown of the future. My only real complaint is that her lonliness could have been captured by more long shots, rather than the close ups used. This would give the viewer a more defined perception of the protagonists struggle. -- By whiteboyfunk82, Posted on Thursday, November 18, 2004

A wishful dream

great camera work that is for sure. The acting is solid. Definitly captures the feelings of tweens. Great writing and something that I haven't seen before on triggerstreet. This is a huge plus. I hope to see more stuff. Too long on the credits but that is just something that bothers me about most shorts. Best of luck and professional grade work. -- By theIndianMaiden, Posted on Tuesday, November 16, 2004

I am Jack's Voice Over
I just happened to come across your post in the messageboards before I reviewed this movie... One of my favorite movies (Fight Club) relies heavily on voice overs and just wouldn't be the same without it. Stinking Cigar is a well rounded movie with a lot of talent coming from a lot of different places. All I can say is stick to your vision, not everyone will agree, but from what I've read the majority does, including myself, so consider it a sucess! -- By jamescduff, Posted on Saturday, November 6, 2004

Great flick..
Great Flick.. For a suprisingly small amount of story and dialogue, this one went rather quickly. I suppose that has more to do with how well it was shot and scored. A very good job with the cigar, and the subject, Jennifer, was well cast. She seemed to understand her role pretty well. Well composed shots, a nice and easy film to watch. -- By InfoUp, Posted on Monday, October 25, 2004

Top Notch

This was movie executed in top notch style. I can really tell you put alot of blood, sweat and tears into the making of this movie. Brandon's (Hal e woode) colorization process put the cap on this "film look". The colors were rich and gorgeous and also gave depth to the movie that mini dv cannot, for the most part, deliver. Camerawork was nice all the way around - framing, shots, etc. Lighting - very nice. Sound - nice. Nice voiceover too. Editing - also nice, of course! The score written for this movie was awesome, as was the song "Daddy's gal". The beginning title hung on for a bit too long... I began to wonder if there were problems with the movie loading. Basically, that's the only mini thing I can bitch about! All in all, this is festival worthy! Thanks for the view. Oh... I might've failed to mention the acting. Acting was perfect. Good job, Aymee! -- By SeaMowse, Posted on Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Draws you in.

Coming of age/rebellion films are so regularly bad, this could have been a real stinker. But you pulled it off. Mainly, I think, due to the subdued, very real performance of the lead actress. She brought a calmness to the film that made me incredibly interested in her outcome. Your cinematography added a beauty to her story that drew me in even more. Music was well suited and very well encoded (the end credits sound great). My biggest issue with the film is the poorly encoded video. I really had to squint (sat back a few feet too) to get a decent, unpixelated version. Otherwise, great work. Keep it coming! RC -- By scobee, Posted on Monday, October 18, 2004

Brave attempt

This is a bit of a rarity these days. A film that wants the audience to fill in the gaps. Indeed it was a very adult treatment of a complex but universal theme: the transition to adulthoold. And the film's strengths outweigh its weaknesses. Some lovely shots and lighting, with nice use of visual metaphors (kicking of the bottle, mouthwash) shows a lot of thought went into the script. And a great central performance in the lead in what was not an easy role to perform. In fact the whole treatment had a depth that far outweighed its short running time. Key detraction for me was the music. It had a real 80's feel to it which did not fit with what I thought was a very contemporary view of the teenage years. Script wise I also was not sure I liked the new man. It provided a focus for Jennifer's angst and a reason for her emotions. Therefore, reducing the universality of the theme. And for me, it was tapping into the difficulties of growing up for us all, that is this film's strongest attribute. Well done. -- By neilg117, Posted on Saturday, October 16, 2004

review

First off, Arun's "Stinking Cigar" is a short film that looks amazing. The beautiful cinematography and camerawork made me want a DVX100 and their talents badly.Editing was also very good, as their choice was for a slow paced, heart felt story. The lead actress delivered her lines very well in voice over, and did a good job on the role.Thumbs up! -- By bskubs, Posted on Thursday, October 14, 2004

Profound and excellent! Great use of theme!

This film was excellent. It clearly depicted a phenomenon that is far too common in our modern culture. The film was eye-opening, profound, and sad all at the same time. The story was just long enough to get the message across that children long for their families to be whole and happy. I love how the girl used the cigar in vain. This movie deserves to be in the TriggerStreet competition! -- By arthouse, Posted on Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Not An Easy Ask Growing Up

Yet another production of Arun Vaidyanathan, one of the most prolific filmmakers in the TS community. I believe he has re-uploaded this short, for I reviewed it a few days ago and now found it again on my assignment list. No prob, I'll do my duty one more time :-)I've now got quite use to Achalam's style i.e. (Mr Vaidyanathan name on TS). I've watched and review quite a few shorts of his, and if I may say, I've seen his experience growing.'Stinking Cigar' is probably his most accomplished project. Cinematography has incredibly improved. No more strong shadows on white walls! This time we can get concentrated on the visuals because they well support the storyline, instead of being distracting to the eye. Audio levels are much better then on the previous 'Stinking Cigar' version I saw; I could actually clearly hear everything they say. Which is good, it doesn't always happen...Acting is ok, nothing superior but performance-wise this project wasn't let down. Editing was good. No gymnics, just pure cut and paste 101. And hey, the longest Synopsis ever! :-)Best of luck. -- By matteo prezioso, Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2004

End Of Innocence

This film shows something that so many parents fail to consider - the effect of divorce on their child. And there is even more to this film than that - it also shows with clarity what happens when parents fail to consider the consequences of setting the right example, and also how simple neglect can leave lasting, lifetime damage. Jennifer craves attention and love but knows she will not get it, even if she misbehaves. She smokes the end of a discarded cigar hoping to get any kind of reaction from her mother, even punishment - that would still be better than nothing. But nothing is all she gets. She has made an unwilling, early entry into adulthood, her childhood long gone. Young Aymee, under Arun's direction, is poised and confident in front of the camera. The combination of her VO and physical delivery of the character brings the story to life. Her reluctance to go home during the first half is clearly evident, and at the end she dreams of being punished - all these beautifully brought to life. Srikanth has delivered yet another beautiful, haunting score. Excellent camera work, every shot has been composed and shot perfectly. Al Sotomayor's brief appearance is creepy and scary - great job by him. Arun, this is your best yet. -- By Spodaking, Posted on Wednesday, September 29, 2004