From the opening frame, Three Women brought back the smell of Blockbuster Video. Not the smell of bulldozed drywall dust in 2007, the smell of candy and freshly vacuumed carpeting in 1996.
The lounge-y tinsel town score. The muted golden glow and perseverating dialogue. Watching this made me feel like I was watching my parents rent “the one for them, for later.†The movie I wouldn’t get to see. Suddenly, I was eight again, sneaking downstairs as they Sauvignon’d their through the latest Miramax joint. Swingers or Chasing Amy, or maybe, Reservoir Dogs. Well, so what, right? Okay, here’s what. People don’t make shorts like this anymore. And, don’t get me wrong, we’ve made leaps forward. Films of all lengths are now more inventive and inclusive than ever before.
Still, I have to pay homage to this piece from Alex Beh and Tomas Pais–a pure character showcase for a strong cast and production team who chose to recreate a moment in time when plot took a backseat to banter, a look, a mood, a feeling. Hell, you can almost smell it.
Luke is an executive producer at CollegeHumor/Big Breakfast and a watcher of many web videos. Send him yours @LKellyClyne.