The Character Project

Did you catch this when it came to your big city? The cable channel USA was promoting their tag line "Characters Welcome" by showing short films by different filmmakers, based on interesting characters, with sponsorship from professional filmmakers Ridley and Tony Scott. (In 2009 USA did a photo project.) The films were shown in a handful of major US cities and screened in shipping containers (the kind you see on trains and 18-wheelers). In Chicago this took place in the plaza at the John Hancock Tower. Since audience people would come and go, everyone got to decide what to watch next so I didn't get to watch all 8 there, just 6. 
Here's what I thought of what I saw:



Duck
Drama. A young urban teen has a phobia about being touched. His mother decides to try some innovative therapy, and takes him to a boxing club. One of the trainers works patiently with him and tries to get him out of his shell. By the end of the film you can see a hint of hope on the boy's face. The young actor was good, especially how he physically acted out his fear. The boxing setting was realistic.

Wyckoff Place
A documentary about several kids/friends living in a small apartment building in Brooklyn. A few of them are from different countries in the Middle East, one girl looks to be of mixed race, there is a white boy. They play out on the sidewalk together, have fights and bully each other. One kid seems to get picked on the most and I felt the filmmaker exploited this somewhat for this film.

The Dude
A doc of "The Dude," Jeff Dowd, the man whom The Big Lebowski was modeled after. He worked in independent theatres and eventually helped out on one of the Coen Brothers' earlier films, where they got to know him and his lines and mannerisms. He was also part of a group called The Seattle Seven, a radical protest group in the 70s, protesting Vietnam and other things. The film shows him attending Lebowski Fests around the country, where fans gather for a lovefest of him and his film character.

Perfect
Comedy. A bride on her wedding day is miffed because all everyone can talk about is her more glamourous sister. Her sister decides to give her a priceless gift. Although humorous, I think this plays up to the unflattering image of the diva bride who needs everything to be perfect on "her day."

The Fickle
Comedy. In one filmed take, a woman wakes up and proceeds to go through twelve lovers she has had in her life. Each of them have some minor but annoying habit that annoys her (and I assume apparently contributed to the breakups). At last she finds the perfect man, or does she?

Monster Slayer
Drama/comedy. A man decides to not take his ADHD medicine, causing his imaginary friends to invade his life, which risks his relationship with his girlfriend. He comes to realize he has to do the responsible thing.

The two I didn't watch
Fish
Doc on a celebrity chef at a seafood restaurant.

Love Without Regret
Drama. CGI of a tragic romance.

From other promotional clips you could see several of these short films had material that was cut out. The two starring women, while funny premises, I thought played into the "bridezilla" and "diva"ness of women, like everything and everyone needs to measure up to their very high standards. The Dude I felt was included because he was a pop culture character and while some aspects of his life were shown to us, they were the inflammatory or "big" stuff and we really didn't end up knowing the guy at all other than his public persona. I felt the best I watched was Duck.