Episode 181 - End of Year Review 2021

Before we embark on a new year of films which didn't make it to the cinema but instead found their way to dvd, blu ray and streaming media, lets take a moment and reflect on what a year 2021 was.
 
In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve (and a cameo from Will) talk about their top 10 short films from the year, followed by our worst 5 and top 10 features. All films discussed have been covered on previous episodes.
 
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!

Episode 178 - Puppet Killer, The Last Matinee, Blond Purple, Resignation Day, The Puppet Masters

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve tackle three new releases...
We kick off with the quirky Canadian horror-comedy, PUPPET KILLER, which has the oldest set of "teens" you're ever likely to come across!
Next up is THE LAST MATINEE, a homage to the like of Argento (colour scheme) and Fulci (more eyes than you can shake a stick at!). What's more its the first film we've seen hailing from the shores of Uruguay!
Then there is BLONDE.PURPLE...yeah we've got some things to say about this film,...
Our Short Shot is RESIGNATION DAY, a film that was shown at the Fighting Spirit Film Festival and is now available on YT - click the link to take a look at this action comedy.
Finally in our DTV Throwback we check out THE PUPPET MASTERS, based on a novel by Robert Heinlein. (This is currently available on Disney+)
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 

Short Shots Episode 10 - Fan Films - Silent Hill: Restless Dreams, Forsaken Mandalorian and the Drunken Jedi Master, Immortal 65, Here Comes the Night, 1986

In this episode of the Short Shots we take a look at some recent fan-made, not-for-profit films!
We kick off with SILENT HILL: RESTLESS DREAMS which does a good job of not only evoking the atmosphere of the game but also the way characters speak.
Next is FORSAKEN MANDALORIAN AND THE DRUNKEN JEDI MASTER - unfortunately no drunken kung-fu but a great short nevertheless!
IMMORTAL 65 gives us a peek at one of the previous Iron Fists, searching for an important book.
HERE COMES THE NIGHT is a Friday 13th fan film. There are two parts - click the above link for Part one, and HERE FOR PART TWO.
Finally we review 1986, a classy DC/Marvel cross-over.
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 

Episode 173 - Whitetail, Potter‘s Ground, The Ghosts of Borley Rectory, Yellow Belt Fury, Tiger House

This week we have three new features to review. Mike and Steve kick off with WHITETAIL, about a family trying to bond after a tragedy by shooting a deer, only to find something more sinister out in the woods!
Next is POTTERS GROUND - I was initially nervous about tackling another low budget film set during the American Civil War, but this one surprised me!
Mike and Will then take a look at THE GHOSTS OF BORLEY RECTORY, the second film to be set in Borley by prolific director Steven M Smith. His previous film ended up hanging around the DVD top 100 chart for months - time will tell if this does as well!
Our Short Shot is YELLOWBELT FURY in which a woman starts taking karate lessons to wreak vengeance on the aliens who killed her husband!
Finally our DTV  Throwback is TIGER HOUSE, a British home-invasion style movie starring Dougray Scott and Ed Skrein.
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 

Short Shots Ep 9: Broken, The Witch, Warlike, Blood Thirsty

A much belated episode this, we recorded it back in the Summer but have struggled to find time to get it published, so without further ado...
In this episode, Mike and Rich tackle for action shorts worthy of your time. We start off with BROKEN, the latest fight scene from Art School Dropouts. Check the link for the short.
Next is THE WITCH, which gets points for trying something a little different!
Then there is BLOOD THIRSTY, which doesn't seem like it at first but is in fact a fan film, uniting two very different sets of heroes from the Marvel-verse!
Finally there is WARLIKE, in which a team of Spec Ops suddenly realise their target is right in amongst them.
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 

Episode 8 - Fighting Spirit Film Festival Round-up

In this slightly belated episode, Mike and Rich give their thoughts on this year's Short Film Competition which is an integral part of the Fighting Spirit Film Festival, held this year in Stratford in September.
We also single out the following films as they are readily available for you to watch, and we recommend you do!
DEADLY SHAPES OF SHAOLIN A tribute to the Kung Fu classics of old, dedicated to the onscreen heroes of Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest, and many others...
JIU JITSU SAVED MY LIFE TWICE Born in the favelas of Brazil, we follow the unbelievable life story of Neto Nunes - the journey of London's strongest Jiu Jitsu fighter and family man.
QUARANTINE WITH LOVE Joseph filled his fridge with his favorite candy to face quarantine, while Dagmar forgot to buy her own and is taking his chocolates one by one...A homage to Jackie Chan and the silent greats will take place when these two lovers face each other.
WELCOME TO THE STING A fresh faced fighter takes his first step into the deadly world of crime syndicates, endeavoring with an undercover detective to bring it all down, but he has to survive his audition first. 
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 
 

Episode 169 - FSFF Special: The Paper Tigers, Notorious Nick, Yakuza Princess, Fight to Win, Shootfighter, Interview with FSFF Programmer Will Blaik

This episode is being released in the leadup to this year's Fighting Spirit Film Festival (FSFF), being held on the 11th and 12th of September at the Stratford Picture House. As a tribute to the festival, which is now in its sixth year, this episode is all about Martial Arts, starting with THE PAPER TIGERS which is getting its UK premier at the festival.
Then we have NOTORIOUS NICK, based on the life of Nick Newall, who fought his way to a MMA Championship despite being born with just one arm!
After this its off to São Paulo in Brazil, which apparently has the largest number of  Japanese residents outside of Japan itself. This is where the dark, brooding action thriller YAKUZA PRINCESS is set!
Coincidentally, our Short Shot is also set in São Paulo - FIGHT TO WIN finds a young man's antibodies try to defend him against the Coronavirus! Click the link to watch the whole 5min short.
For the DTV Throwback we have a classic - SHOOTFIGHTER stars Bolo Yeung, as well as Cobra Kai alumni Martin Kove and William Zabka! This is available on Amazon Prime so if you are a subscriber, check it out!
Finally we finish the episode with a very interesting chat with Will Blaik, one of the programmers for this year's Fighting Spirit Film Festival!
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!

Episode 167 - Jason Rising, Bloodthirsty, A New World Order, A Feral World, Battlefield 2025, Deed of Death, Black Market Brawl, Cold Moon

In another stuffed-to-the-gills episode Mike, Rich and Steve tackle a whole bunch of horror, sci-fi and martial arts madness!
We kick off with a new Friday 13th fan film, JASON RISING - not the first nor the last Friday 13th fan film we're covering this year! This is almost an hour long and fits neatly into the series' timeline. Click the link to watch the whole film!
2021 seems to be the Year of the Werewolf, as our next film BLOODTHIRSTY is the fourth lycanthopic tale to come out this year!
Next we have three sci-fi movies: A NEW WORLD ORDER sees a young couple trying to evade the robotic overlords who have taken over. This leans very heavily into the concepts in A Quiet Place. Next is A FERAL WORLD which plays like a post-apocalyptic version of Oliver Twist! Then we have BATTLEFIELD 2025 in which a group of strangers' lives intercross on the eve of an alien invasion.
Our final new feature is DEED OF DEATH, a Malaysian film which I incorrectly identify as Indonesian in the episode! This film wins the award for most hated character on the planet!
Our Short Shot is BLACK MARKET BRAWL. If you enjoyed the short Bad Hit, we think you will like this too. Click the link to see the whole 10 minute short!
Our DTV Throwback is COLD MOON, starring Josh Stuart and cameoing Christopher  Lloyd. It has a bit of a rocky start but is definitely worth sticking with as it gets all kinds of crazy!
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!

Short Shots Ep 5: The Collector, Tiger Man, Lady (1&2), Redemption

Its all about action in this episode! Mike and Rich start with one of prolific director Godefroy Ryckewaert's latest films, THE COLLECTOR (I would say latest but he is so prolific he's probably made at least one more since we recorded!). If you're not familiar with Godefroy's work we highly recommend you check out his Youtube channel!
We follow this with TIGER MAN in which Elvis Presley shows off his skills while rehearsing in Las Vegas!
Stephanie Pham co-directs and stars in our next film, LADY 2  in which a mysterious lady comes to the aid of some women abducted by sex traffickers. 
Finally we have REDEMPTION, a classy action short boasting strong production values although some of its narrative is a bit wooly. 
 
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!

Episode 158 - Search and Destroy, The Fifth Execution, Cargo, Shakedown

This episode was originally recorded in Jan 2021.
 
Mike and Rich take a look at SEARCH AND DESTROY and have a very interesting debate on whether:
a. The film is MEANT to be toungue-in-cheek, and/or
b. The film is the most overtly gay-coded action flick made so far.
Check out the film on Amazon Prime and let us know if we are barking up the right trees on this one!
 
There's more confusion on our part with our next film, the totally bonkers THE FIFTH EXECUTION, which is definitely a film suffering from multiple personality disorders! Check out our review to hear us try and analyze just what the heck is going on in this film! (Also available on Prime as of time of publishing). 
Our Short Shot is CARGO, in which a new employee makes an unwitting and terrifying discovery on his first day!
Finally, our DTV Throwback is SHAKEDOWN, starring Erika Elaniak, Ron Perlman and Scott Wolf. Unfortunately, since recording this episode the film has been removed from Prime's library - For Shame, Prime! It can be picked up for a pittance though, and I thoroughly recommend doing so! (This is also a really bad trailer!)
 
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!