thetragicfigure I found NOSTRADAMUS to be an interesting, challenging work, and one that sometimes requires an almost provocative level of focused attention from the viewer (which is actually to the film's credit--more on that later), yet it's also happily a film that really pays off at the end with the satisfying release of some ENORMOUS plot tension.(But before getting to all of that: I want to note that Amy Sloan did a wonderful acting job throughout the film of evoking "innocently sweet", "suspiciously serious", and then finally, "almost scary" sentiments without ever having to barely change her facial expressions or the tones of her voice. (I guess it's all in the eyes.) It's the unexpected presence of her character that provides the most immediate tension in the film, yet Austin Nichols' reaction to her sudden appearance -- almost as the "straight man" in a double act -- is a performance that should also be appreciated.)NOSTRADAMUS has a plot where you need to pay attention as the details subtly increase, so I won't get into any of those specific story details. I'll just say this: with a short film, one expects a stand-alone piece. Something that's complete and finished when it's over. It's done when it's done. It's an ordinary, reliable lunch on a Tuesday you spend at your favorite diner. You eat your burger, you pay your bill -- no surprises in the end.But what surprised and impressed me in the end about this film is that when it reached its conclusion -- and when everything was resolved and it became satisfying "a stand-alone piece" -- I was found wanting more. Almost as if I'd just watched a pilot to a new television series.This film may get a lot of favorable TWILIGHT ZONE or ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS comparisons, but in a lot of ways, this film reminded me most of various excellent episodes from the lovably-frustrating ABC show LOST: of episodes where you can feel in your body the tension rising desperately, and you have to try very hard to keep up with the rapidly surprising details, and it's almost starting to anger you until, BOOM! And then you go, "OHHHHH.... Yeah, that was pretty cool! Um, can we get some more now? I need the next chapter with these people!" It's a fascinating contradiction. Plot-wise, the film is COMPLETELY self-contained and fulfilling as a taut story with a beginning, middle, end. Yet still I'm utterly interested in knowing what happens after the tension release at the end. And I know that I'll never know, which heightens the effect in a positive way. A both closed- and open- ending that -- at least to me -- was very satisfying.So, anyway: NOSTRADAMUS is very well made, very surprisingly plotted, and VERY WELL SHOT (beautiful, expansive desert views at the beginning, contrasted with a cramped diner that mirrors the tension of the plot. Gorgeously shot work that I'm sure was done on a shoestring budget, which makes it more impressive).Check it out. It's very much worth your time, attention, and thought.

ThrowingChicken NOSTRADAMUS first came onto my radar when I saw that the director, Thomas Ikimi, has created a Kickstarter campaign to fund the film earlier this year. Having seen the director's feature length film, LEGACY, on Netflix a few years prior, I was impressed enough to want to chip in to help fund his little passion project and get myself an early screening of the film. I am not sure what the film's final budget was, but the campaign raised $16k, and if that makes up the whole of the film's budget then the production managed to stretch that into a short film that looks and feels far larger in scope. NOSTRADAMUS is largely dialog-driven, with impressive performances by Austin Nichols, Joe Holt, and, who I feel had the stand out performance, Amy Sloan. The film has some genuinely tense moments, and whatever location scout found that diner deserves a bonus.The film does suffer from a few hiccups, though. There were a couple of editing choices that felt awkward, though not to any degree you wouldn't find in a weekly drama. The score was overbearing at times and reminded me the JURASSIC PARK "Incident in Isla Nublar" arrangement – in some scenes silence would have been golden. And finally, after dwelling on it for a bit, I felt that because of the circumstances the lead character is thrown into, the final choice he has to make was far too easy for him; it did not seem as sacrificial as I think the filmmakers intended.All in all, despite a few gripes, NOSTRODAMUS is a fun little thriller worthy of your time.

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Nostradamus" is a 25-minute live action short film from this year that was written and directed by Thomas Ikimi. He got some awards attention, but I cannot really see the appeal I must say. First of all, the acting from the 2 protagonists was not very convincing and as much as I love Rene Auberjonois, his daughter did not impress me in here either This is a very dialogue-heavy film, still I must say I did not find their lines particularly memorable, but maybe it was just the mediocre delivery. As a whole, looking at the rating it got here, I hoped this could be a better film, but I must say that, even at under 30 minutes, this one was quite a drag occasionally. Not recommended and it did not get me curious about future projects by Ikimi. Thumbs down.