HeyUGuys are conflicted. We exist because we love film and celebrate the artistry and endeavour of anyone who has the sack to commit pen to paper and scenes to celluloid but sometimes we despair of a world where originality has been overthrown by the banal, the safe and the (ick) reimagined. As a rule we’d prefer not to revisit old ground but – as a wiser man than HUG once observed – it is the exception that proves the rule.
Empire and Jameson understand that wisdom well and, furnished with this knowledge, created the genius that is the Done in 60 Seconds project. Done in 60 Seconds is a competition which encourages budding filmmakers and movie lovers worldwide to celebrate and encapsulate their favourite celluloid triumphs in one short minute of film. The longlist of entries was assembled last autumn and, after careful consideration, reduced to a shortlist of twenty sixty second films which were presented to an illustrious judging panel and a motley crew of journalists (and biased friends) this evening at London’s 24 Club.
It would be impossible for us to accurately capture here the utter brilliance of the entries. Suffice it to say, if you have never seen the Evil Dead story told entirely in plasticine, Top Gun recreated with slurs on $cientology or There Will Be Blood in its arcade game incarnation you should click the links and prepare to be bowled over!
Empire assembled a panel of judges, including Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’s Edgar Wright, to crop the list to a manageable five ahead of Sundays Jameson Empire Awards when the winner will be announced. HeyUGuys will of course be on the red carpet and inside the after party to bring you the news as it happens but, in the meantime we have the Top Five 60 second movies for you and a wee word from Mr Wright himself.
The nominees, in no particular order, are:
Irish entry, There Will Be Less Blood (Tom Rowley, Dublin 8.)
Russian entry, True Lies
UK entries, Evil Dead (submitted by Lee Hardcastle), Top Gun (Mark Wong / produced by Chris Slaughter) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Michael Whaite)
When we exclusively caught up with Edgar Wright moments after the decision he told us the judges were fairly unanimous in their choices. There were no dramatic battles over the nominees because the Top Five were clear to all three. Despite appearing at the 24 Club on only two hours sleep, Edgar was gracious (and coherent) about the overwhelming reaction he has had to the newly released Scott Pilgrim trailer which debuted at Kick-Ass screenings around the country tonight. He acknowledged finding the excitement over the 80 second trailer “weird” but had had “so much fun” on the judging panel that he was distracted from the hysteria. On our journey home we also noted that Mr Wright had had the cheek to pinch one of HeyUGuys exclusive Twitter photos to share with his army of fans across the Twitterverse. Ordinarily we’d cry foul but we’ll excuse one of the site’s favourite directors as long as Scott Pilgrim lives up to the promise of its trailer.
As for the HUG verdict: well, we had a bit of a soft spot for Seam Callanan’s condensed Inglourious Basterds and an amazingly clever clown take on District 9. That aside, we rather agreed with the judges’ verdicts. It will be interesting to see which film triumphs at Sundays Jameson Empire Awards and whether its creator goes on to greater (and longer) glory in the future. For now we have had an amazing night at the mini-movies and we look forward to seeing what Sunday will bring…
With huge thanks to Empire, Jameson & Mauricio Samayoa at We Are Social!
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