3MM

For our third installment, we took some liberties with our theme. We thought they were minor. For the well known mnemonic, we changed the F in EGBDF from the traditional “fudge” to “fun”. We thought it would allow more freedom for our filmmakers. As you’ll see here, some, namely Mark Smirl, thought this was unnecessary. Let it be known — the man’s a purist.

Greg Shirilla invites us on a journey to the American West with Hicksville Visit #3 (part 1). The content and cinematography suggest a trip into the past as well, and you’ll be sure to appreciate the spot-on song accompaniment to complete the experience. Roadtrip, anyone?

This selection from comes from the mind of David A Holcombe along with Adam Blaszkiewicz and Nicholas Reise.  Belly of the Beast keeps it light on story but really utilizes special effects and quality filming to keep you laughing.  We’re looking forward to more work from these guys!

Univore is back, and yes, they brought Marco Casale with them. Behold.

Univore is a media production duo concentrating in original music, video, and the written word operating out of Chicago’s Ukrainian Village.

Univore, more specifically, is Nicholas Flandro and David Bachmann. You ever seen that commercial where the guy mistakes charcoal for dog food because he needs glasses? That’s Nick’s. Ever seen that feature length horror film about a rock’n’roll cannibal chef? You will soon - Dave’s shopping around a script.

The two met in high school in Ohio, with David from Akron and Nick from Dayton. They split up for some years after graduation, reuniting in Chicago in July 2009. Univore as we know it officially began in February 2010.

Their first album was a spoken word collaboration with Marco Casale released in July 2010. You may remember Marco from his mad b-ball skills showcased in Doubters if you were at the February 3MM showing. Their second album, Love Letters, was released in March 2011 and was also followed up by music videos and more Casale. The third album is in the works, and we’re pretty stoked to see what Nick and David have in store for us.

You may be wondering where Marco Casale comes from and what is his role in all of this. Casale is an artist and poet who frequents Happy Village - where Nick tends bar. Casale also fits into what Univore has going on perfectly, so why bust up a good thing? 

Univore’s primary focus is the music. David’s first instrument is guitar. Nick’s is drums. That being said, between the two of them, they play just about every instrument there is - or would if they got their hands on it. The videos came naturally afterward and they’re f’in top notch. There’s this dark, smart humor in them all. At times they might make you a little uncomfortable - or maybe that’s just me (cue Chubby Luggage) - you will definitely laugh. It’s easy to take the filming and editing for granted, because they do it so well. They make it look easy.

These guys have been making stuff together for a long time. How do they do it? Isn’t there ever big creative conflict? “If one of us really has a problem with something, we just push it aside.”

Thanks Univore, for taking the time to hang out and let 3MM folks learn a little more about you. We can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

“The Contest” effortlessly builds suspense and begs the audience to throw out guesses as to what these two gents are building towards. Or, maybe more accurately, the expressive performances, magnetic cinematography, rhythmic editing and playful soundtrack all lend themselves to the feeling of effortlessness. What is clear is how successful Kamal Williams was in bringing his vision to the screen, proof being that even after the mystery is revealed, “The Contest” is eminently re-watchable.

No matter of what you think of Univore’s Marco Casale’s release on the court, there’s little denying his star-making turn in this 3MinuteMovie. “Doubters” is truly an original, with laughs and nods of recognition at every turn. I feel that in Univore we may have true auteurs on our hands. Enjoy.

It feels like Mark Smirl is waging a war in which he is the only one fighting. But make no mistake, he is winning. When we last heard from him, he appeared to be innocently focused on the aspect of time in his 3MinuteMovie experiment. We called it a meditation. Well, Mark upped the ante with his next contribution called “Extreme Meditation”, which is, you guessed it, literally just that. Bravo, Mark. We’re here, anxiously awaiting what you decide to throw at us next.

Credit Brian Foster for creating this engaging and cryptic psychological mystery titled “Another”. Existential questions persist in his short film, ending, as is does all too often in life, elliptically. And it’s easy to admire the high quality of cinematography, visual effects and sound design he employs too. Big ups, Mr. Foster.

Chicago winters will do strange things to people. Strange, hilarious things. Just check this out if you doubt that. Adam Blaszkiewicz and David A Holcombe take equal parts of the surreal and the psychedelic and add it to their catchy, humorous songwriting to create “Tranny Bear”. Yep, you heard right. Tranny Bear.

Beats and cityscapes, fools. That’s how T-Zanz does it.  

“The Commute Of Sisyphus” by Tara Zanzig brings dark footage of the routine and seamlessly fuses it with a dope, rhythmic soundtrack by DJ Enki to drive this 3MM. It’s harmony. It’s lovely. Your head will nod. 

Remember the old Mark Twain saying, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead”? You could argue our old buddy Nate Otto’s latest offering is 3MM’s version of that. I really don’t know if this is true in terms of time spent in its making, but if we’re talking solely of effectiveness, then I think it’s an apt comparison. Nate takes a simple premise and tells the story efficiently and effectively, once again bringing his lively and original animation to the screen. The result is a warm and charming film that is unmistakably his.

When we at 3MM HQ started assembling the movies last time around, we really dug how many different interpretations our contributors came up with for the theme “release”. It seems Craig Eisenhammer and Brent Young found all the possibilities interesting too. In making their flim, the two combine a number of these, define them on their face, and tutor us on the various definitions. It didn’t hurt that they chose music that was sonically and thematically on the nose to boot.

Comedy is hard. You hear people say that all the time. There are just so many elements to get just right to make it work as intended. But as Rick Rios shows us, when they do come together, the result is undeniable.

He starts with a simple comedic idea, executes it with impeccable timing and fantastic performances, shoots and edits it beautifully and with purpose. Add that all up and the result is successful comedy. I wasn’t even familiar with what might be considered a key component of the film and it still got me. That there is a sign of some fine work.