A-Z
A.
Apeman (Production Canceled)
(2002, Cimmerian Films, 5 mins filmed)
d/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Carl Morris, Gale Ward
The fatal production of Apeman was a
brave, yet ultimately stunted course of Cimmerian Films career.
Charting the most expensive endeavours so far to bring a film to the
screen, the scenes shot were of moderate quality; well filmed yet
poorly acted. The death knell came when cast-member Carl Morris
expressed good old "creative differences", well, he hated the
screenplay. So, Owain called off the film with only a few scenes
in the can. He still keeps the idea in his mind and may one day
return to it, a story of a man who dresses up as an ape and is persued
by a woman addicted to soap operas.
Appetite For Murder
(2007, Hipshake Monkey Films, 10 mins)
d/sc/ed Jenna Gold
cast Amy Elliot, Owain Paciuszko, Claire Everson
A short film about an ambitious kitchen porter who winds up killing a fair few people in the hopes of becoming a head chef. I played the supporting role of the 'nice guy' in the kitchens, who oddly was named Owen.
(2007, Hipshake Monkey Films, 10 mins)
d/sc/ed Jenna Gold
cast Amy Elliot, Owain Paciuszko, Claire Everson
A short film about an ambitious kitchen porter who winds up killing a fair few people in the hopes of becoming a head chef. I played the supporting role of the 'nice guy' in the kitchens, who oddly was named Owen.
B.
Basements And Bastards
(2000, Ocorp/900, 20mins)
d Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris, Laurie Weller
Improvised latter Owain and Carl
film, one of the last before they began editing. It centres on
the trials of Derek the Knave (Laurie Weller) as he sets out to defeat the
terrible dinosaur of Rasputin Bastard (Owain Paciuszko) so he can win
the love of King Arthur's (Carl Morris) wife, Guinevere (Carl
Morris). One of the funniest of Owain and Carl's films, lots of
fast scenes, inventive special effects and dumb humour.
Highlights particularly being the post-modern Obi Wan guru who appears
during the dinosaur fight, and the sing-a-long at the end.
Particularly demented.
Basements And Bastards 2
(2004, Ocorp/900, 25mins)d/ed Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris, Jane Hesling
One of the most finely crafted
technically, but quite lacking in a sense of pace or direction until
the very end when the set pieces kick in. This is a prequel, in
fact, and centres on Arthur's quest to become King, and also tells how
Merlin became magical. Along the way we meet Lancelot (Owain
Paciuszko), a peasant (Carl Morris), a Gollum-esque creature (Owain
Paciuszko, disturbing) and a Hairy Man (Carl Morris). The
dialogue is lacking it's usual flavour, and the jokes are few and far
between. The use of outside locations works in the film's favour
incredibly well though and the music is stirring and exciting, some
neat sequences aside this is merely a rather average follow-up.
Basements And Bastards 3
(2005, Ocorp/900, 82mins)d/ed Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris, Heather Paciuszko, Taylor Paciuszko
A radical leap for Carl and Owain,
this is most apparently their first ever feature film, but also
represents their first foray into a much more controlled approach since
'Turnip'. Taking on a huge scale, scope and playing almost every
character themselves this film is only limited by their lack of control
behind the camera. The film looks confident enough, but could've
benefited from a more defined cinematographic presence. But
'Basements And Bastards' has never been about beautiful photography and
sweeping vistas, though this is distinctly the most epic so far.
The key factor of any 'B&B' film is the comedy and this one manages
to work the best. Despite taking its time to get going, once all
the elements are in place the film picks up comic speed and rarely
stops until the action-packed finale takes over. As well as the
old favourites we're introduced to two major new characters; Profitta
the Hag (Owain Paciuszko) is a panto-villain with a penchant for
borderline-perverse insult and Sir Bedivere (Carl Morris) is the
series's most welcome new comic creation, a sexually repressed knight
who looks like the lost member of the Village People.
The old favourites are well represented with Lancelot (Owain Paciuszko) coming off surprisingly well and Guinevere (Carl Morris) stealing her scenes just via pure shock factor. Our intrepid 'heroes' King Arthur (Carl Morris) and Merlin (Owain Paciuszko) don't fair too badly either, and though initially they act as side-gags and catalysts, once the story picks up they take the movie and run with it.
What most impresses about the film though is how the story manages to somehow come together in such a glorious fashion come the final act, despite the wobbly first. The presence of a script this time (from a thoroughly structured story by Owain Paciuszko) has really managed to anchor the comedy and keep things meaningful. In the early scenes it looks as if the written-word may be Morris and Paciuszko's downfall, but they soon settle into the rhythms of the writing and by the end are comfortably improvising around it, boding well for any further installments.
The film also features some more elaborate costumes and effects-work than we're used to in Morris and Paciuszko productions, and sees a noticeable step up the evolutionary ladder from 'The Other Side's effects-work. Here we have; two 80s-style wizard-battles - which work surprisingly well, an Undead Knight - who's suitably lumbering, and a 'giant' chicken - delightfully cheap. But even more impressive, for these two sport shy amateurs at least, are the sword fights; the first is noticeably choreographed but the second (intercut with the film's two other finales) manages to elicit a certain glee from it's slapstick choreography and faux-Jackie Chan nonsense.
Come the film's end the initial fumbles and mis-steps are forgotten and you're left with a very satisfying whole, a film that manages to be the first ever Ocorp/900 production that really feels like a finished product, and one that bodes extremely well for the future...
Carl's Review.
Now then; I think the final edited version of B+B is very good indeed. Even Charley admitted to it being better than she remembered, although she still does not like Guinivere. I think the wedding split-screen was done very well - it made me look twice anyway. It's a shame about compression rates etc, as they slightly mar the final product, but we must work with what we have, mustn't we? Watching it makes me want to do another one - I think the fall of Camelot would be fun to do, or maybe a Guy Ritchie thing? I am a little disapointed about the ending; I feel it should have ended on '...almost' instead of the bye-byes. Never mind. Also, I still say the fight scenes were too slow, especially the Undead Knight. Next time, I think we should work on them more so that we can do them more quickly and it would look more flowing in the final cut. Was over the moon to find the original hidden in my groin! 4/5
The second disk I am very happy with. I think the design is very good, especially Guinivere poking out behind Arthur. I really enjoy the making-of it makes me laugh outloud - we should do more with Dr. Jay and Mike West - they're fun. I also like easter-egg outtake of Mike West. The Crafting a Character bit was fun, although some of the title screens are merely a blip and you have to press pause to read them. The outtakes are great. Everyone who I have shown them to has laughed a lot and I think they enhance the overall filmic experience. It is a shame that there is no commentary, but that's not really your fault. It was also nice to see When Wizards Collide. 4.5/5
The old favourites are well represented with Lancelot (Owain Paciuszko) coming off surprisingly well and Guinevere (Carl Morris) stealing her scenes just via pure shock factor. Our intrepid 'heroes' King Arthur (Carl Morris) and Merlin (Owain Paciuszko) don't fair too badly either, and though initially they act as side-gags and catalysts, once the story picks up they take the movie and run with it.
What most impresses about the film though is how the story manages to somehow come together in such a glorious fashion come the final act, despite the wobbly first. The presence of a script this time (from a thoroughly structured story by Owain Paciuszko) has really managed to anchor the comedy and keep things meaningful. In the early scenes it looks as if the written-word may be Morris and Paciuszko's downfall, but they soon settle into the rhythms of the writing and by the end are comfortably improvising around it, boding well for any further installments.
The film also features some more elaborate costumes and effects-work than we're used to in Morris and Paciuszko productions, and sees a noticeable step up the evolutionary ladder from 'The Other Side's effects-work. Here we have; two 80s-style wizard-battles - which work surprisingly well, an Undead Knight - who's suitably lumbering, and a 'giant' chicken - delightfully cheap. But even more impressive, for these two sport shy amateurs at least, are the sword fights; the first is noticeably choreographed but the second (intercut with the film's two other finales) manages to elicit a certain glee from it's slapstick choreography and faux-Jackie Chan nonsense.
Come the film's end the initial fumbles and mis-steps are forgotten and you're left with a very satisfying whole, a film that manages to be the first ever Ocorp/900 production that really feels like a finished product, and one that bodes extremely well for the future...
Carl's Review.
Now then; I think the final edited version of B+B is very good indeed. Even Charley admitted to it being better than she remembered, although she still does not like Guinivere. I think the wedding split-screen was done very well - it made me look twice anyway. It's a shame about compression rates etc, as they slightly mar the final product, but we must work with what we have, mustn't we? Watching it makes me want to do another one - I think the fall of Camelot would be fun to do, or maybe a Guy Ritchie thing? I am a little disapointed about the ending; I feel it should have ended on '...almost' instead of the bye-byes. Never mind. Also, I still say the fight scenes were too slow, especially the Undead Knight. Next time, I think we should work on them more so that we can do them more quickly and it would look more flowing in the final cut. Was over the moon to find the original hidden in my groin! 4/5
The second disk I am very happy with. I think the design is very good, especially Guinivere poking out behind Arthur. I really enjoy the making-of it makes me laugh outloud - we should do more with Dr. Jay and Mike West - they're fun. I also like easter-egg outtake of Mike West. The Crafting a Character bit was fun, although some of the title screens are merely a blip and you have to press pause to read them. The outtakes are great. Everyone who I have shown them to has laughed a lot and I think they enhance the overall filmic experience. It is a shame that there is no commentary, but that's not really your fault. It was also nice to see When Wizards Collide. 4.5/5
SEE CLIPS ONLINE AT:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=kingoftheducks and www.myspace.com/kingoftheducks
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=kingoftheducks and www.myspace.com/kingoftheducks
The Bet
(2008, Toomeroo Productions, 25mins)
d/ed Owain Paciuszko sc Helen MacIntyre, Dan Witherall
cast Dan Witherall, Helen MacIntyre, Sean Connell, Cormac-Simon Lovatt
A scatty mini-episode/extended trailer for the dark-edged drama/comedy about manipulation, deception and social life in a rural University town. A slightly rough edged production that flits between well crafted scenes and awkward, semi-improvised moments. The lack of a strong narrative drive, in this pseudo-promo, is slightly problematic but it benefits from having a strange, laidback and occasionally naturalistic pace.
The Box
(2004, Cimmerian Films, 7mins)
d/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Owain Paciuszko
Clearly made with no notion of where
it was going, this does however showcase good use of music and
camerawork for tension but falls very flat come the inexplicably
deranged conclusion. 3am film-making at its most blatant.
Broken
(2009, Vertu Media, TBCmins)
d/sc Jean-Paul de Claite Rosse dp Jon Nash ed Simon Dales
cast Owain Paciuszko, Amanda Sterkenburg, Cornelia Ivancan, Joanna Watt, Harry Neve
The story of a bar-tender - Stephan - who finds himself homeless, jobless and friendless after a misunderstanding. Quickly Stephan's life falls into disarray.
Broken
(2009, Vertu Media, TBCmins)
d/sc Jean-Paul de Claite Rosse dp Jon Nash ed Simon Dales
cast Owain Paciuszko, Amanda Sterkenburg, Cornelia Ivancan, Joanna Watt, Harry Neve
The story of a bar-tender - Stephan - who finds himself homeless, jobless and friendless after a misunderstanding. Quickly Stephan's life falls into disarray.
C.
Cake
(2008, King of the Ducks Productions, 37 seconds)
d/sc Owain Paciuszko, Mark Thomas
cast Mark Thomas
A photographic stop-motion animation to celebrate a delicious cake. Watch it here - > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHaQu8iuKlo
Counterbalance
(2006, Cimmerian Films, 9mins)
d/sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Carl Morris, Owain Paciuszko
A tongue-in-cheek parody of pretentious film-school student projects, ridiculously hammy voice-over, long lingering shots cut together with no sense or reason, though there is a loose plot about two people battling it doesn't have any character motivation or conclusion. However, that was intentional, and the score - composed by Carl and Owain - gives the whole film a sense of pace and urgency. Some neat and silly moments, but overall nothing too special.
Cream
(1999, Cimmerian Films, 10mins)
d/sc Owain Paciuszko
cast Taylor Paciuszko, Laurie Weller, Heather Paciuszko, Owain Paciuszko
Spoof horror short that moves into
more surreal territory near the end, subtle jokes lead to the ultimate
killer identity, yet beyond that one inspired notion it's rather flat
and uninvolving.
Crooks & Dudes
(2005, Cimmerian Films, 25mins)
d/ed Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Siôn Llewelyn Roberts
cast Owain Paciuszko, Siôn Llewelyn Roberts
Slapdash, haphazard comedy that is structullarly unsound and features a handful of inspired and funny moments.
D.
Dreamfit (Music Video)
(2006, Cimmerian Films, 2mins)
d/p/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko music Attack + Defend
Made on a whim, made up as it went along, at first it was being animated to a different song by the band Attack + Defend (http://www.attackanddefend.com) but then the choice of music was changed, and for the better! The combination of their raucous little tune Dreamfit and the hurried stickman animation is a perfect fit and both move along at an incredible and increasingly silly pace. An excellent - in my humble opinion - combination of music and visuals.
E.
F.
The Family Jools
(2006, Cimmerian Films, 10mins)
d/sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Carl Morris, Owain Paciuszko
One of Carl and Owain's most interesting and delightfully eccentric recent experiments, this purports to be a long lost soap opera from some unknown foreign country that has at last surfaced and been dubbed into English; it's about a dysfunctional family who solve all their arguments with quick bouts of inventive, amateur kung-fu. It's wonderfully stupid and the dubbing is marvellously poor, it runs out of ideas about half way through though, which is a pity, but, other than that, it's a nice quick dollop of lunacy.
Fear And Loathing In Aberystwyth
(2003, Cimmerian Films and FilmSoc, 10mins)
d/p/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko dp Michael Stokes
cast Owain Paciuszko, Daniel Witherall, Michael Stokes
The first Cimmerian Films production
in Aberystwyth, this centres on a bizarre conceit wherein a man (Owain
Paciuszko) is chased by another man (Daniel Witherall) only for the
tense chase to be revealled as game of 'tag'. It is competently
shot with an interesting shift in tone, pacing and feelings of
lunacy. It moves quite quickly from being an eerie, noir-70s
thriller into a more cartoonish Looney Tunes-esque affair.
Interesting, yet a little overlong.*
* October 2004 - 'Fear And Loathing In Aberystwyth' came 2nd in the FilmSoc 48 hour film competition.
My Mum's Review.
'This was not my first viewing of this earlier work having attended it's Cornwall premiere in Redruth, however this did not affect my enjoyment of this simple but cleverly filmed piece. I admired the way this film was constructed, the contrasting angles, the well chosen soundtrack, filming in black and white and the clever touches when the character being pursued went through a door to find himself on the beach. Although the 'punch line' may have been predictable it was still amusing and I think this is entirely down to the quality of the filming of the chase. All in all a very enjoyable short film.'
* October 2004 - 'Fear And Loathing In Aberystwyth' came 2nd in the FilmSoc 48 hour film competition.
My Mum's Review.
'This was not my first viewing of this earlier work having attended it's Cornwall premiere in Redruth, however this did not affect my enjoyment of this simple but cleverly filmed piece. I admired the way this film was constructed, the contrasting angles, the well chosen soundtrack, filming in black and white and the clever touches when the character being pursued went through a door to find himself on the beach. Although the 'punch line' may have been predictable it was still amusing and I think this is entirely down to the quality of the filming of the chase. All in all a very enjoyable short film.'
Fondue (Working Title)
(2009, TBCmins)d/sc Ellen Waddell dop Ryan Owen ed Ryan Owen, Ellen Waddell
cast Owain Paciuszko, Josephine Irvine
Snappily scripted farce about a social misfit who organises a dinner party with the sole intention of chatting up one of his two guests, whilst forcing the other to formulate an excuse to leave. The script smartly balances comedy and a serious dramatic arc, whilst delivering awkward laughs.
Forbidden World
(2007, 12mins)
d/sc Lee Thomas, Mark Thomas, Owain Paciuszko ed/dp Owain Paciuszko
cast Lee Thomas, Mark Thomas, Owain Paciuszko
A film cobbled together one Sunday afternoon that comically exploits a simple conflict. Two adventurers wishing to enter a 'Forbidden World' have to complete a few quirky tasks for its guardian, Andy Smith. Completely silly but pretty entertaining.
Frank & Beans
(2004, Ocorp/900, 5mins)
d/p/sc Carl Morris, Owain Paciuszko ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
The first of Owain and Carl's webcam
experiments, a collection of four skits about two friends who
consistently bother one another in increasingly more violent
ways. Very brief and funny, some of the act-it-slow then
speed-it-up technique doesn't quite work, but they are diverting and
bring a smile to the face.
G.
Garibaldi (Music Video)
(2006, Cimmerian Films, 4mins)
d/ed Owain Paciuszko music Attack + Defend
cast Mark Thomas, Lee Thomas, JT (Attack + Defend), Greg Mothersdale
A low-budget music video, filmed in tight time constraints, in fact the restrictions were remarkably similar to those of the 48 Hour Film Festival. The result is a very rough-edged and endearing video that moves at a quick pace and features some neat stop-motion effects intergrated with the live-action footage. The music and video match up well and the inclusion of sound effects helps merge the two elements, bolstered by Greg Mothersdale's scenery-chewing performance as Garibaldi and a general cartoon-like attitude which goes along excellently to the catchy, bouncy, electro-indie song.
Guhwuf
(2003, Cimmerian Films, 15mins)
d/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko
Fun little animations about a very
curious dog (doggywog!?) who gets involved in a variety of common
situations with a slightly surreal twist at the end of each. The
ideas are wearing a little thin by the last episode but it doesn't
outstay its welcome too much, at least.
H.
Human Being
(2005, Cimmerian Films, 30mins)
d/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Megan Jones, Kris Darby, Owain Paciuszko
An ambitious project, this tells the tale of a girl (Megan Jones) who is searching for her boyfriend (Kris Darby) through the deserted streets of a world that has, through unexplained means, become desolate. The film manages, quite successfully, to emphasie the girl's loneliness and adds a humourous touch to a number of incidents. However, it does, in the end only feel like part of a film. This is, with insider knowledge, due to the fact that Owain didn't manage to get all the footage for the end of the second act, or any of the third act. So essentially this is merely the first half of a film, an interesting one that becomes increasingly muddled as the surreal elements fail to enter the plot with rationality. Aside from these gripes the film does manage to set a tone, a sombre comic mood, it has some effective sequences and one particularly quirky musical moment. Not a total failure by any stretch, but a curiosity at best!
Hungry Cat, The
(2006, Cimmerian Films, 2mins)
d/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Fricka, Owain Paciuszko
A short stop motion animation that I filmed in a wardrobe over two or three days, it's about a man and his cat and I'll leave it at that.
(2006, Cimmerian Films, 2mins)
d/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Fricka, Owain Paciuszko
A short stop motion animation that I filmed in a wardrobe over two or three days, it's about a man and his cat and I'll leave it at that.
I.
In My Dreams
(2004, Cimmerian Films, 3mins)
d/ed Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Sion Roberts
cast Owain Paciuszko, Sion Roberts
A lyric driven music video that
basically shows what they're singing about, but benefits from the
sexual innuendo and stupidity of certain lyrics.
J.
K.
Knhackers
(2002, Ocorp/900, 25mins)
d/ed Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
Owain and Carl's most well-edited and
good humoured film, basically a spoof of all those computer hacker
movies; 'The Net', 'Antitrust' and 'Hackers'. This film revels in
the lack of tension created from tapping keys on a keyboard or
close-ups of flickering computer screens and comes boatloaded with more
invention than any of these genuine films, the final use of a
computerised chess game to represent the struggle against the good guy
and bad guy is inspired, yet comedic. The plot is basic, a young
naive computer genius (Carl Morris) is taken in by the worldwide BTEC
corporation and its megalomaniacal head, Schmike Schmichaelson (Owain
Paciuszko). This is told with snappy musical montages and witty
emotionally awkward scenes. Unfortunately the film is feared lost
and may never be seen again, a huge shame.*
*May 2004 - The film was at last rediscovered.
L.*May 2004 - The film was at last rediscovered.
Letter, The
(2004, Cimmerian Films, Umeno Pictures and Ocorp/900, 10mins)
d/p/sc Carl Morris, Owain Paciuszko ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Carl Morris, Owain Paciuszko
A chronologically skewed Chekov-style
melodrama, revolving around the cause and effects of a mysterious
letter. Smart use of clever edits and backwards story telling
render this much more than average, the music also elevates this to an
almost moving status. However, the plot remains absolutely
confusing.
Life Of Die
(2005, FilmSoc, 5mins)
d/p/sc James Ellard, Ilona Burton, Lisa Burke
cast Owain Paciuszko
Loosely based on the cult novel 'The
Dice Man' this is visually vibrant, yet chaotically edited film, but
nevertheless highly entertaining. Quirky and sinister at the same
time.
Little People
(2001, Ocorp/900, 20mins)
d Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
A brave experiment in no-budget
special effects, Owain and Carl attempt to create a world within the
kitchen tiles where a citizen (Carl Morris) dreams of leaving his
miserable life on the black tile for a better one in the white
tile. He is tracked down by a robotic tax collector (Owain
Paciuszko) and his fish assisstant. The plot is secondary to a
number of chases, visual gags and minor-scale set-pieces - a cup of
water being spilt resulting in a tidal wave, a footfall turning into an
earthquake etc. The film's strongest area lies in its second act
after our hero is left penniless and working for a Shylock, the fun
musical sequence and chase are bright, breezy and entertaining.
M.
Me Two
(2004, Cimmerian Films, 10mins)
d/ed Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Jane Hesling
cast Jane Hesling, Owain Paciuszko
The old doppelganger chestnut is
given a burst of life by some visual flourishes and stylistic leaps,
the ropey dialogue and resolution aside this is quite an enjoyable
little flick.
Millionaire
(1999, Cimmerian Films, 15 mins)
d/sc Owain Paciuszko
cast Laurie Weller, Taylor Paciuszko, Joss Paciuszko, Heather Paciuszko, Owain Paciuszko
Short that inspired 'Turnip', this
sees a guy (Laurie Weller) winning 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?'
only to die in his sleep and have his friends murder each other for the
money, basically a string of poorly executed murders that lead to a
tried and tested final punchline, superiorly executed in
'Turnip'. One moment stands out; where one character is trying to
dispose of a corpse, but is caught, and puppeteers the corpse to try
and make it seem that they're still alive.
Mission: Improbable
(1998, Ocorp/900, 25mins)
d Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris, Taylor Paciuszko
The first Owain and Carl film is a
curious little film, a saggy opening leads to a rather demented and
flawed set-piece at the Oscars where milk sings and celebrities keep on
dying. The film is barely entertaining beyond a few silly gags
and mistakes, it is the flaws that make this film watchable, in one
instance the cast try to improvise around their laughter and pass it
off as coughing!
Mission: Improbable 2
(2001, Ocorp/900, 25mins)
d Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
Superior sequel to the first film
made much later after one sequel was already made and lost! In
this instance a new team members turns up and disco dances inbetween
double crossing the team. This film wears a bigger self
patronising smile and moves faster and dumber, with a truly hilarious
disco dancing ending.
My Right Hand
(2004, Cimmerian Films, 8mins)
d/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Siôn Llewelyn Roberts
Neat little film, that shamelessly
rips off 'Evil Dead 2' and 'Idle Hands', about a young man whose right
hand develops a taste for phoning dirty hotlines and a battle of
willpower becomes quite cartoonishly literal. A well executed
film shot and chopped in the space of three hours with great use of
music by Iggy Pop and Danny Elfman.
N.
Night Of The Cursed Terror
(1998, Ocorp/900, 20mins)
d Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Carl Morris, Owain Paciszko, Heather Paciuszko
Rather poor 'Tales From The Darkside'
style romp that falls foul of not expanding on the cliches it presents,
a couple of nice visual gags aside this is pretty poor.
O.
Other Side, The
(2005, Cimmerian Films, 27mins)
d/p/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Kris Darby, Megan Jones, Owain Paciuszko, Joe Stokeld, Jennie Williams, Dan Witherall
The most impeccably crafted of the
films so far; this tells the story of two strangers, Gilmer and Bellamy
(Paciuszko and Stokeld, respectively) and their endeavour to travel to
the other side of a hill. Quite simply on their way they meet a
giant (Witherall), a Rubbish Wizard (Witherall, again), two sirens
(Jones and Williams) and their angered suitor (Darby). The film
is entertaining, occasionally stunning, swiftly edited and makes good
use of music. The ideas come thick and fast and it's a witty
enough diversion, still showing great promise that, hopefully, will one
day be fulfilled.
* June 2005 - 'The Other Side' came 1st in the FilmSoc 48 hour film competition.
My Mum's Review.
'This film was in danger of not getting a fair critique due to technical problems. The DVD kept getting stuck and started playing freeze frame mode only. I had to play the DVD over and over again only in order to advance a little further each time before we were back to freeze frame. I have to confess I was beginning not to care what was on the other side. Having postponed any further attempts until a second screening was arranged in London I was (hurrah!) able to watch it all the way through and luckily the break had refreshed me and I was no longer sick of the sight of Gilmer and Bellamy. Very enjoyable contemporary fairytale, the characters in all the vignettes were original and funny and the best piece was definitely the very well choreographed and amusing fight scene. So glad I made it to see the end EVENTUALLY!'
My Mum's Review.
'This film was in danger of not getting a fair critique due to technical problems. The DVD kept getting stuck and started playing freeze frame mode only. I had to play the DVD over and over again only in order to advance a little further each time before we were back to freeze frame. I have to confess I was beginning not to care what was on the other side. Having postponed any further attempts until a second screening was arranged in London I was (hurrah!) able to watch it all the way through and luckily the break had refreshed me and I was no longer sick of the sight of Gilmer and Bellamy. Very enjoyable contemporary fairytale, the characters in all the vignettes were original and funny and the best piece was definitely the very well choreographed and amusing fight scene. So glad I made it to see the end EVENTUALLY!'
Owain Street
(1995, Cimmerian Films, 20mins)
d/sc Owain Paciuszko
cast Owain Paciszko
Rather disturbing film made by Owain
entirely on his own, where he acts out six five minute episodes of a
soap opera in which one character turns out to be a woman and then
their best friend can profess their love for them at last! Odd,
hushed and strange, not for the faint hearted.
P.
Pandora's Box
(2004, Cimmerian Films, 16mins)
d/p/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Megan Jones, Owain Paciuszko, Adam Perkins, Dan Witherall, Paul Cernicharo-terol, Dave Parker
Swiftly paced, kirtly written and
soberly eccentric romantic comedy with hints at greater
aspirations. Marred slightly by a handful of technical quibbles
and soundtrack contrivances, this is nevertheless thoroughly
entertaining and, while not requiring hankies or side's being sewn back
up, manages to engage for its running time though remains somewhat
forgettable afterwards. Shows much greater promise though.
My Mum's Review.
'This immediately struck a resonant core as I seem to have the same flatmates as Pandora! This was an original idea and I enjoyed it very much and thought all the cast put on a good performance. The soundtrack caused some problems though with some of the dialogue being lost which was a shame as the script I did hear was very clever and I was frustrated to completely lose lines in places. The outside scenes seem to be fighting with the wind of Aberystwyth - although this only really became apparent at the viewings I attended in Redruth and London, seems on my feeble Tv with no fancy speakers this was not so much of a problem.'
My Mum's Review.
'This immediately struck a resonant core as I seem to have the same flatmates as Pandora! This was an original idea and I enjoyed it very much and thought all the cast put on a good performance. The soundtrack caused some problems though with some of the dialogue being lost which was a shame as the script I did hear was very clever and I was frustrated to completely lose lines in places. The outside scenes seem to be fighting with the wind of Aberystwyth - although this only really became apparent at the viewings I attended in Redruth and London, seems on my feeble Tv with no fancy speakers this was not so much of a problem.'
Pierre And Jeunet And The Flying Egg
(2000, Ocorp/900. 15mins)
d/sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris, Chris Paciuszko
Filmed in one continuous shot, this
would offer comparison to 'Russian Ark' if it weren't so silly.
Basically inept detectives are called to find a flying egg, for the
next ten minutes they meander around and mutter strange babble to one
another; Jeunet's obsession with his own ass being a highlight.
At the end they find an egg, throw it in the air, it breaks and someone
says that this is stupid; too true. The film's highpoint comes
when Owain's dad interrupts proceedings to tell him not to ruin his
coat.
Q.
R.
Revolution Commercial
(1999, Cimmerian Films, 3mins)
d/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Chris Paciuszko, Carl Morris
Brief commercial spoofing 2001 that
lead to the idea behind 'Apeman'. A gorilla (Chris Paciuszko)
runs through a forest only to stumble upon a monolithic bottle, he
drinks from it and becomes modern man (Carl Morris). The forest
scenes and interesting and well shot, unfortunately the final moments
outside of a nightclub are shrouded in darkness and illegible, thus
rendering the whole commercial pointless. Still, always fun to
see a man in an apesuit.
S.
Shorts
(1998, Ocorp/900, 20mins)
d Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
Three in the morning film-making at
its weirdest, Frank (Carl Morris) goes out to get some more kit-kats
late at night and comes across a man fishing off his stairs, two
bickering grown-up children and a guy who lives in a toilet.
Ultimately he gets his kitkat and his friend, Horaldo (Owain
Paciuszko), joins the army... weird and a little discomforting.
Silence
(2006, Cimmerian Films, 15mins)
d/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Kris Darby, Tom Davies, Katie Errington, Ruth Gordon, Megan Jones, Owain Paciuszko, Adam Perkins, Siôn Llewelyn Roberts
Simon Price (Kris Darby) is on the verge of killing himself, as fate intervenes his day gets progressively worse and the people around him becoming increasingly more foolish. A neat little comedy that looks at relationships with a surreal edge. Generally well played and shot, it features a couple of laugh-out-loud moments.
Speakman's Quest - Episode IV: The Parallax Reversion Silence
(2006, Cimmerian Films, 15mins)
d/sc/ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Kris Darby, Tom Davies, Katie Errington, Ruth Gordon, Megan Jones, Owain Paciuszko, Adam Perkins, Siôn Llewelyn Roberts
Simon Price (Kris Darby) is on the verge of killing himself, as fate intervenes his day gets progressively worse and the people around him becoming increasingly more foolish. A neat little comedy that looks at relationships with a surreal edge. Generally well played and shot, it features a couple of laugh-out-loud moments.
(2001, Ocorp/900, 15mins)
d/sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
A 'Prisoner' homage that manages to
transcend its parody and develop its own ideas, interesting concepts
and mythos. Speakman 72 (Owain Paciuszko) has taken refuge in a
deserted 21st century house, a strange alien attacks him but instead of
hurting him uses a device to reveal certain truthes to him.
Mysteriously Speakman 72 now has the word 'Parallax' marked on his hand
and then discovers a disk at the seaside that informs him he has to
kill someone, oddly that someone is himself! Well directed, shot
and played with a 1970s flair... It grows from a lighter film
into something darker and connects with the viewer very successfully.
Steamboy
(2002, Ocorp/900, 20mins)
d/ed Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
An ironing superhero!? That's
the concept at work here in Owain and Carl's most recent film, when
Conan Cowley (Carl Morris) is told by his home ec professor to clean
himself up he goes too far and becomes endowed with the powers of an
iron. At the same time his friend and university professor, Logan
McBrogue (Owain Paciuszko) experiments a new fabric on himself and
becomes a demented creature called Clothesman. This film
showcases some inventive effects and good fight choreography, it's well
edited and features some effective use of music but drowns out any
characterisation or dialogue. Still, good fun.
Steamboy 2
(2005, Ocorp/900, 25mins)
d/ed Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris, Taylor Paciuszko, Heather Paciuszko
It's three years later yet nothing
has changed in the life of Conan Cowley (Carl Morris), still parading
around as his alter-ego Steamboy he finds his life of heroism
intruding, once more, on his studies. His new home economics
professor Kelvin Kendall (Owain Paciuszko) wants Conan's final project
in, and the ham-fisted result turns Kendall into a maniacal villain
called The Stainiac. A few plot holes aside this is suprisingly
stirring stuff, it moves generally at speed with one lull in a
graveyard scene, but otherwise it showcases a lot of inventive skits,
feeling more like a collection of ideas than a movie. However,
it's all pulled off with a lick of panache and style lacking in the
earlier effort.
T.
Teletubbies
(1998, Cimmerian Films, 15 mins)
d/sc Owain Paciuszko
cast Taylor Paciuszko, Laurie Weller, Joss Paciuszko
Odd short about a teletubbie toy left
in the care of a girl (Taylor Paciuszko) that then proceeds to kill her
friend and attack her, soon she and a Lieutenant (Laurie Weller) are
battling it on rollerskates!!! Very quick and silly and not much
else.
3rd Floor, The
(2004, Cimmerian Films, Umeno Pictures and Ocorp/900, 10mins)
d/p/sc Carl Morris, Owain Paciuszko ed Owain Paciuszko
cast Carl Morris, Owain Paciuszko
A dark horror with some odd comic
moments, great musical momentum and the increasing prevalence of
special effects in Carl and Owain's films makes this a very exciting
and interesting piece. When Timothy Kirkpatrick (Carl Morris)
decides to hunt out reclusive composer, Wilhelm Jurgenano (Owain
Paciuszko) he doesn't realise the extent of this eccentric's final
composition! Aside from wonderfully inventive moments, the film
also displays a lot of limitations and some laughable moments.
Turnip (1999. Ocorp/900, 20mins)
d/ed Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris dp Owain Paciuszko, Michael Pearce
cast Kirsty Mawby, Carl Morris, Leah Symmons, Owain Paciuszko, Michael Pearce, Alex Perrelet, Caramel
Large scale production about a
household of six flatmates all named with numbers. When Flatmate
6 (Alex Perrelet) wins one million pounds on a children's gameshow he
is quickly murdered, and then there's confusion between the flatmates
as they all start dying one by one. Well shot, inventive and
brisk it features some inspired sequences of madness - the freezer
leading to a field, the final gag and quite a pathetic children's tv
presenter. Flawed and with some awful acting (No names Flatmate
3!), but still an entertaining watch.
Alex Perrelet's 'Turnip' Review.
'i must first offer my appologies for not contacting you sooner with my response to the dvd you kindly sent to me, but you see watching turnip somehow enduced a four week comma in which i was allowed to explore the inner intracacies of the universe through my dreams. I have only just woken up.
but a round of applause please for a class A piece of entertainment, It was the most kringe-worthy, budget, nostalgic, masterpiece I have ever seen, superbative.
I have to say it bought back some surreal memories. Mallets mallet, the freezer and not to mention the pain endured in the making of my death scene. it was worth every second. loving the extra features too, some treats in there. especially your Odyssey film short, which in many ways is a stroke of genius.
well sir thanx again for the dvd it will cherished (I will put it into my special box along with my collection of pogs and my invisible pen, which I am begining to belive doesn't actually exist.)
alex'
Alex Perrelet's 'Turnip' Review.
'i must first offer my appologies for not contacting you sooner with my response to the dvd you kindly sent to me, but you see watching turnip somehow enduced a four week comma in which i was allowed to explore the inner intracacies of the universe through my dreams. I have only just woken up.
but a round of applause please for a class A piece of entertainment, It was the most kringe-worthy, budget, nostalgic, masterpiece I have ever seen, superbative.
I have to say it bought back some surreal memories. Mallets mallet, the freezer and not to mention the pain endured in the making of my death scene. it was worth every second. loving the extra features too, some treats in there. especially your Odyssey film short, which in many ways is a stroke of genius.
well sir thanx again for the dvd it will cherished (I will put it into my special box along with my collection of pogs and my invisible pen, which I am begining to belive doesn't actually exist.)
alex'
U.
Unthinkables, The
(1998, Ocorp/900, 25mins)
d Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris, Joss Paciuszko
A rather average comedy about two
cops who are reunited and go up against a villainous 'giant' apple, a
very basic structure allows for some more manic visual gags - the
mobile phone and the commisioner - but beyond their this film lacks a
certain punch found in Carl and Owain's better work.
Unthinkables II: Think Harder, The
(2000, Ocorp/900, 30mins)
d Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
Slightly lengthier sequel, and it
shows! Lacking the visual gags of the first one and focusing on a
more 'emotional' plot of dead friends and corruption, this film fails
by not being that funny. One neat chase and some early banter
provide a few smiles, but beyond that this film looks good but tastes
bad.
Unthinkables 3: The Voyage Home, The
(2002, Ocorp/900, 25mins)
d/ed Owain Paciuszko sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris, Taylor Paciuszko, Caramel
The final part of the trilogy* looks
different, edited as well! The jokes are faster but the plot is
weaker, also a horrendously overlong car chase is noisy not fun.
Beyond that there's a few interesting dialogues, a couple of references
to the previous exploits and one last neat idea with a phone.
Familiarty helps this film and keeps it watchable, but in itself it's
only moderately entertaining. Best of the series though!**
*Until we made a fourth one six years later.
** Until we made a fourth one six years later.
*Until we made a fourth one six years later.
** Until we made a fourth one six years later.
Unthinkables: Part Four, The
(2008, Ocorp/900, 35mins)
d/sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
(2008, Ocorp/900, 35mins)
d/sc Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
cast Owain Paciuszko, Carl Morris
Despite being really rather long this installment of the seemingly never-ending saga manages to rocket along by rarely outstaying its welcome, a few early scenes meander like earlier installments, but without the verve. However once the plot gets in motion things skip giddily by building towards a pretty entertaining climax riffing on 'The Bourne Supremacy' car chase and 'Live Free Or Die Hard's stupid stand-off.
V.
W.
Warning, The
(2003/2004, Cimmerian Films, 10mins)
d/sc/ed/dp Owain Paciuszko
cast Sion Roberts, Jennie Williams, Dan Witherall, Owain Paciuszko
A plot loosely based upon Macbeth
does no favours to this highly underwhelming effort, sour performances
and a lack of momentum hamper this. Ultimately it's a laughable
effort, saved at the last minute by one neat, sick, blackly comic
idea. Poor.
My Mum's Review.
'Having been warned by the maker that this was not one of his best efforts I can agree that it falls short of some of his other work. However this doesn't mean that there is nothing to find praiseworthy within the film. Again some clever filming most notably in the murder scene - the red lighting and the variation between close and distant filming. If nothing else this film will convert you to the music of Ed Harcourt! It was a little disarming how well Owain played the part of a sleazeball like Murray and his sisters and mother found listening to the 'offstage' soundtrack a little uncomfortable!'
My Mum's Review.
'Having been warned by the maker that this was not one of his best efforts I can agree that it falls short of some of his other work. However this doesn't mean that there is nothing to find praiseworthy within the film. Again some clever filming most notably in the murder scene - the red lighting and the variation between close and distant filming. If nothing else this film will convert you to the music of Ed Harcourt! It was a little disarming how well Owain played the part of a sleazeball like Murray and his sisters and mother found listening to the 'offstage' soundtrack a little uncomfortable!'
Wrong Music, The
(2004, FilmSoc, 10mins)
d/sc Chris Frost
cast Owain Paciuszko
A witty little tale of a hapless
idiot (Owain Paciuszko) who seeks revenge on his colleagues, but his
plan is misconstrued. After a slow start the film gathers comedic
momentum and is a very satisfying watch.
My Mum's Review.
'Although not written by Owain he was perfect for the starring part because of his wonderfully expressive face, obviously crucial to the role. This film proves the old adage that the simplest ideas are often the best as this was a very simple story idea but extremely funny and I was dissapointed when it finished.'
My Mum's Review.
'Although not written by Owain he was perfect for the starring part because of his wonderfully expressive face, obviously crucial to the role. This film proves the old adage that the simplest ideas are often the best as this was a very simple story idea but extremely funny and I was dissapointed when it finished.'
X.
Y.
Z.
(Above:) The Ocorp/900 Boxset containing 'Turnip - Criterion Edition',
'The Unthinkables 3 - The Voyage Home', 'Knhackers/Steamboy Double Pack',
'Steamboy 2' and 'Basements & Bastards 2'.
Transporting all of the film equipment can be a bit of a chore, so sometimes it's best to use a car. Being insured whilst driving is pretty important, so if you compare the market and then settle for something from norwich union car insurance or theaa.com. By doing this, you should be avoiding having to get some aa loans just to pay for repairs to your car.