Skulls
Directed by Nelson Lee, Kristen Hilkert, Amir Reichart, Vitaly Verlov
Written by Nelson Lee, Kristen Hilkert, Amir Reichart, Vitaly Verlov
Starring Eric Roberts, Pom Klementieff, Neil Jackson
Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi - Release date: 13 June 2018
by A.I. Tales is an anthology film containing four shorts (Seed, In/Finite, Phoenix 9, and ReduxA.I. Tales hit select theaters and VOD today, July 13th.
Seed is essentially a variation of 1976’ Logan’s Run, if you can remember that far back. Given the time constraints of the short, there isn’t a whole lot of room to fully explore the story, but we’re given enough to figure things out. Sadly, this tale might actually reveal much about the selfish nature of our current culture; it seems that with recent generations we’ve lost the self-sacrificing honor of the generation that volunteered to go to war in the 1940s. Double sadly, this short isn’t that engaging.
SEED TRAILER from Nelson Lee on Vimeo.
In/Finite deals with the real life concept of what a Mars explorer might go through at home if she were to volunteer for a one-way trip to the red planet. It’s not hard to imagine, but I guess since it’s fiction and deals with space exploration it falls into the category of sci-fi, although nothing really happens outside of a home setting and a post job interview.
IN/FINITE – Teaser Trailer from Kristen Hilkert on Vimeo.
Phoenix 9 might be the strongest short of the bunch, with the best writing, the best cast, the best special effects, and certainly the most sci-fi relevance. It might have something to do with some post-nuclear sci-fi book that I read as a kid, but this short really appealed to me. I like the sense of adventure, I like the group dynamics, I like the ominous twist ending. Basically, it’s solid story telling.
Phoenix 9 (teaser) from Hewes Pictures on Vimeo.
The last short in the anthology is Redux, which is interesting, but more in the sense that it taps into the nostalgia bone as it takes us back to the 1980s. If the title doesn’t make it obvious enough, the short is about second chances… sorta. You’ll have to watch to see, as not much can be said without giving it all away.
Redux (teaser) from Hewes Pictures on Vimeo.
The Verdict:
Production on all four shorts was good, the acting was good, and the stories were good. But since some fell short of what I think their potential could have been, full marks can’t be given. So, 2.5 skulls is where we stand.
Rock Hard \m/
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