energy-hunter
Joined May 2006
Welcome to the new profile
We're still working on updating some profile features. To see the badges, ratings breakdowns, and polls for this profile, please go to the previous version.
Ratings24
energy-hunter's rating
Reviews2
energy-hunter's rating
Ars Electronica 2006, From: Dani Muek
Albert Arizza's short film "ENERGY HUNTER" is a fresh and clear reminder short films are neither a minor genre nor a field of training for future filmmakers, but rather a space where a complete and full work of art can be achieved in a few minutes of length. And this is exactly the time (seven minutes) Arriza needs to submerge us in a probable and catastrophic future in which the human race is a stranger to mother earth. A stranger whose only and last umbilical cord left to his mother is the need for energy. With this premise Arizza takes us to a backward journey- as opposed to the outward conquest of the universe. The return to a desolated planet superbly represented by arid deserts and iced mountains where only the most resistant species can survive.
Arriza's narrative is fluid, coherent and most important of all simple; free from any kind of artificial use of film technique, as a matter of fact his proposal is so straight forward Arizza does not need dialog. He relies on a very efficient soundtrack by Pink Floyd.
Nevertheless, what's most remarkable about Arizza's work is how it functions on the metaphoric and symbolic level. The journey Arizza's characters depart in search for energy serves as a beautiful metaphor for the ancestral search for energy of human kind; from the discover of fire to the unraveling of the atomic power men have always been on the look out for more powerful sources of energy. Energy that would enable us to a better technology- the technology needed to tame the earth. The short film engages that problematic without any complex, it shows us what that hunt for energy has brought to nature and subsequently to our earth and our life as human beings. Paradoxically enough, the ultimate source, for that always necessary energy, seems to be an ecological one. This paradox may explain the main symbolic of the short film, Arriza seems to suggest that even if an ultimate source of energy could be obtained the process would utterly bring as a dramatic outcome the destruction of the planet. And maybe because of that, this young film maker presents a quixotic symbolic with clear references to Cervantes' universe; his characters are what the Spanish writer would have brought to life should he had written a science fiction version of his legendary novel. So are too some winks like the scene on the windmill. Here Arizza seems to imply the race for that ultimate energy is nothing more than a chimera; just giants on the horizon.
There is no doubt we should keep a close eye on this young director for future works.
Albert Arizza's short film "ENERGY HUNTER" is a fresh and clear reminder short films are neither a minor genre nor a field of training for future filmmakers, but rather a space where a complete and full work of art can be achieved in a few minutes of length. And this is exactly the time (seven minutes) Arriza needs to submerge us in a probable and catastrophic future in which the human race is a stranger to mother earth. A stranger whose only and last umbilical cord left to his mother is the need for energy. With this premise Arizza takes us to a backward journey- as opposed to the outward conquest of the universe. The return to a desolated planet superbly represented by arid deserts and iced mountains where only the most resistant species can survive.
Arriza's narrative is fluid, coherent and most important of all simple; free from any kind of artificial use of film technique, as a matter of fact his proposal is so straight forward Arizza does not need dialog. He relies on a very efficient soundtrack by Pink Floyd.
Nevertheless, what's most remarkable about Arizza's work is how it functions on the metaphoric and symbolic level. The journey Arizza's characters depart in search for energy serves as a beautiful metaphor for the ancestral search for energy of human kind; from the discover of fire to the unraveling of the atomic power men have always been on the look out for more powerful sources of energy. Energy that would enable us to a better technology- the technology needed to tame the earth. The short film engages that problematic without any complex, it shows us what that hunt for energy has brought to nature and subsequently to our earth and our life as human beings. Paradoxically enough, the ultimate source, for that always necessary energy, seems to be an ecological one. This paradox may explain the main symbolic of the short film, Arriza seems to suggest that even if an ultimate source of energy could be obtained the process would utterly bring as a dramatic outcome the destruction of the planet. And maybe because of that, this young film maker presents a quixotic symbolic with clear references to Cervantes' universe; his characters are what the Spanish writer would have brought to life should he had written a science fiction version of his legendary novel. So are too some winks like the scene on the windmill. Here Arizza seems to imply the race for that ultimate energy is nothing more than a chimera; just giants on the horizon.
There is no doubt we should keep a close eye on this young director for future works.
Todd Brown from Twitch.com. October 7th.
Since seeing the very first stills from acclaimed short film director Albert Arizza's feature debut Ramirez early this year, we have been struck by obvious sense of style and skill for composition. Clearly Arizza can shoot quality film. Anticipation grew as footage appeared - and disappeared - on the web and now Ramirez has finally taken its first step into the public eye, screening as a work-in-progress here in Sitges.
A surprisingly poetic and gently rhythmic film, Ramirez is a study of young Sebastian Ramirez: aspiring photographer, low level drug dealer, and highly accomplished serial killer.
Sebastian Ramirez appears to have it all. He is young, attractive and - judging from his car and his clothes - reasonably wealthy. The only significant flaw in his life would appear to be his seriously ill mother, a woman Ramirez feels so little sympathy for - and for good reason - that he won't even visit her when back at the family home. Ramirez lives a fairly carefree life, drifting easily from day to day, doing what he wants when he wants with no need to worry about cost or consequence. Not so lucky are the young women Ramirez meets in bars or picks up along the road. No, they are not so lucky at all for while Ramirez may be charming and attractive he is also a smooth, lethal predator, one who has linked sex and death in his own mind - a combination that leads to a handful of missing person's reports in the few days covered by the film's chronology.
Yes, the serial killer film has been done before but it has seldom been attempted quite like this. Shot digitally on an impossibly small budget Ramirez the film takes on the sort of chill out jazz tone of the music preferred by Ramirez the character. Arizza offers neither excuse nor explanation for Ramirez's behavior, instead his camera simply observes, creating a quietly intimate portrayal of his character. Arizza has a stellar eye for composition and a rhythmic approach to editing - the multi tasking Arizza also wrote and co-produced the film - and draws an excellent performance out of lead actor Christian Magaloni, who has the potential to be a major star.
While most films of this genre go for the big shock, for the big kill scene, Ramirez takes the exact opposite approach. This is film as a form of portraiture and it is an intriguing little experiment by a very talented film maker.
Since seeing the very first stills from acclaimed short film director Albert Arizza's feature debut Ramirez early this year, we have been struck by obvious sense of style and skill for composition. Clearly Arizza can shoot quality film. Anticipation grew as footage appeared - and disappeared - on the web and now Ramirez has finally taken its first step into the public eye, screening as a work-in-progress here in Sitges.
A surprisingly poetic and gently rhythmic film, Ramirez is a study of young Sebastian Ramirez: aspiring photographer, low level drug dealer, and highly accomplished serial killer.
Sebastian Ramirez appears to have it all. He is young, attractive and - judging from his car and his clothes - reasonably wealthy. The only significant flaw in his life would appear to be his seriously ill mother, a woman Ramirez feels so little sympathy for - and for good reason - that he won't even visit her when back at the family home. Ramirez lives a fairly carefree life, drifting easily from day to day, doing what he wants when he wants with no need to worry about cost or consequence. Not so lucky are the young women Ramirez meets in bars or picks up along the road. No, they are not so lucky at all for while Ramirez may be charming and attractive he is also a smooth, lethal predator, one who has linked sex and death in his own mind - a combination that leads to a handful of missing person's reports in the few days covered by the film's chronology.
Yes, the serial killer film has been done before but it has seldom been attempted quite like this. Shot digitally on an impossibly small budget Ramirez the film takes on the sort of chill out jazz tone of the music preferred by Ramirez the character. Arizza offers neither excuse nor explanation for Ramirez's behavior, instead his camera simply observes, creating a quietly intimate portrayal of his character. Arizza has a stellar eye for composition and a rhythmic approach to editing - the multi tasking Arizza also wrote and co-produced the film - and draws an excellent performance out of lead actor Christian Magaloni, who has the potential to be a major star.
While most films of this genre go for the big shock, for the big kill scene, Ramirez takes the exact opposite approach. This is film as a form of portraiture and it is an intriguing little experiment by a very talented film maker.