Art History

I admire Nick Bicanic for making this short film. So many people leave a theatre and say, "That movie sucked, I could've done better", so many more say they are going to make a movie and never do. Nick was ambitious enough to put an idea to paper and find a way to bring it to life, he also made a point of learning a few things along the way. I liked the lighting effects in the gym, I liked the fast-motion driving scenes, they looked quite professional. In fact, in most scenes, the lighting is one of the most remarkable details.I applaud the efforts of anyone who finds the means to make a goal realized no matter how big or small it may be to others.

Art History may not be a great film but it got made. It may not be a great story, but it got told.

Gifted director Nick Bicanic and his DP, Todd Williams, combine to present a heist film that is both fast-paced and visually- compelling; and that's 'compelling' in the old-fashioned way, with creative camera angles, lighting schemes and story movement, rather than 'CGI this' and 'blue screen that' - (this is the way movies were meant to be made).

A quirky script (inspired by star Dominika Wolski, herself 'visually- compelling') reminiscent of other intriguing caper flicks such as 'Silent Partner' (another Canadian classic) and 'The Sting', invites the viewer to ride along with Stella, Alex and John as they make the transition from honor student roomies to big-time art thieves.

This cool little tale from Vancouver (with a kicking soundtrack) does not disappoint.

I ordered a dvd after visiting the home page and checking out the trailer. After watching it today, I'm amazed that this hasn't got a distributor - the quality of the film (with a first time director)is unprecedented, especially considering the format. The actors do a great job with some really new kinds of thief characters. I like the guy who plays Dan but also the chemistry between the two leads is really cool because it reminds me of people I know in college. The ones that always talk about this stuff at parties and you wouldn't be surprised if they actually went off and did it. I'd like to see what they do with a feature length version to show more of that part because the one thing that is a little obvious is that this is a shortened script. When you watch the film and then the behind the scenes, you'll see why I got the feeling this should be on the big screen. There's lots of cool angles and cool transitions (and some really funny one-liners) that make it feel like it never stops moving. (Plus, it comes in a really nice tin with some cool graphics on it.)

Watch the opening frames of this and you won't be able to resist the innovative use of technology and the unconventional heist-plot construct that are melded together visually before you. These are the driving forces behind what makes this film cool: I also can't deny it's one of the main reasons that the actors have so much fun 'playing' with these elements in it... without question, it was my reason for choosing to play the part of Stella. Nick Bicanic comes from a pretty atypical background for a director (see his imdb page if you doubt this) and the experience of working with a crew of insanely motivated/creatively "posessed" humans - not just the other actors but on all fronts (the DP and team BUILT a two-camera mount from scratch so our basketball scene would look cooler!. There is apparently a feature-length script for Art History which I would LOVE to see made (and the website for the film is one of the most satisfying ones for any actor involved in something of this size).. I think the scope and vision of Nick Bicanic and Jason Bourque has not only created a devoted cast and crew but also continues to inspire an audience with all the bold strokes they chose to make in this format and in this genre.

The acting of the main characters, Dan, Stella, John and Alex is stiffly amateurish. Conversations are stilted and without any sort of natural flow. The exhibitionistic behaviour of the Stella character is unnerving and lends nothing to the storyline which is, mischievous college students trying to come up with their next big prank. Theft is mentioned, theft is planned but not a real theft, just a make-believe theft. There's more but I can't give away the ending. I've heard rumours of a full-length feature being made, I don't see how they can do it with these actors in the lead, they could barely keep my interest for the 20 some minutes.

Some neat lighting and camera work, would be of interest to film students interested in the technical side of filmmaking but not much else of value in this almost too long short. I give it a 7 out of 10 for technical and a 2 out of 10 for artistic.