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The 2008 offering from Clarke M Smith; Shutting Down<\/strong><\/em> is really \u201cKay Otto\u2019s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.\u201d This bit of science fiction works several calamities into our protagonists day. The plumbing has gone awry, her breakfast does not seem very appetizing and the sun is dying.<\/p>\n All told, not a great day. <\/p>\n Our Flashback Friday review is about Shutting Down<\/strong><\/em>. This 16 minute short from Smith<\/a> <\/p>\n Kay Otto has breakfast, talks to her husband and has Don come fix the plumbing. The news is all about the sun burning out and increased UFO sightings. Don fixes the \u201cold fashioned\u201d plumbing system in her kitchen. He starts to tell her something about her husband\u2019s company. Don then starts \u201cglitching\u201d repeating himself like a record skipping on a verse. <\/p>\n Things get worse for poor Kay.<\/p>\n Kimberly Felipe Villanueva<\/a> is Kay Otto.<\/p>\n Kevin Rishel<\/a> is George Otto.<\/p>\n Tom Shay<\/a> is Don the repairman, aka Andy.<\/p>\n Luis de Amechazurra<\/a> is the Newscaster.<\/p>\n Sacha Iskra<\/a> is Annie.<\/p>\n Peter Beam<\/a> is Yuppie in Pod.<\/p>\n Villanuena is spot on as the beleaguered housewife. Rishel is very natural as spouse George. Kudos to Tom Shay for his portrayal of Don and Sacha Iskra, as Annie, shines through here *no small parts*. Everyone, bar the Yuppie, kills it here. Well done guys and gals your performances help sell the film and then some.<\/p>\n Smith gives us a splendid assortment of futuristic looking devices. The VFX in some cases is clunky. The whole thing works though. The toaster oven as scyfy cooker, the small smart phone, the automated house, et al. All these things work. Smith is responsible for all these things and he pulls it off brilliantly. <\/p>\n Shutting Down <\/em><\/strong>works.<\/p>\n It is a satirical look at the ugly realities of existence. In the film the middle class have been replaced. He takes the old theory of robots taking over the mundane jobs. We have become obsolete. Those of us not of the 1% clan are wiped out and replaced by \u201candys.\u201d <\/p>\n Shutting Down<\/em><\/strong> would not be out of place on Netflix\u2019s Black Mirror. Needless to say, Rod Serling would have loved it. Whether for The Twilight Zone<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>or the next installment of Serling\u2019s love for the weird and wonderful: Night Gallery<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Smith\u2019s genius is that Shutting Down<\/em><\/strong> turns on you. When Don first goes off the rails, it is creepy. The longer it takes, continuity errors aside, it becomes a little scary. <\/p>\n As the condition spreads it becomes, in turns, funny, disturbing and, finally, an odd combination of both emotions. You really cannot help but feel for poor Kay Otto and her terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.<\/p>\n My take on Kay\u2019s day the terrible, horrible, and so on, comes from the 2014 \u201ccomedic\u201d Disney offering. Titled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day I reviewed it for an online newspaper. <\/p>\n I loathed it.<\/p>\n The title itself seems, in my humble opinion, to be a perfect \u201csecond\u201d title. It appears to sum up poor Day Otto\u2019s dilemma in Shutting Down<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n Lastly, it was amusing, and oddly comforting, to see the good old Sky News logo. <\/p>\n Shutting Down<\/em><\/strong> is a solid 5 star film. Regardless of the UFO FX issues, this one is a winner. It is available on YouTube via TimeAxisMedia<\/a> channel. Head on over and see what you think.<\/p>\n \nThe story<\/h4>\n
The Main Cast<\/h4>\n
Cast in King\/Queen<\/h6>\n
Shutting Down BTS<\/h4>\n
It works<\/h4>\n
It turns on you<\/h4>\n
Side note<\/h4>\n
The Verdict <\/h4>\n
the trailer<\/h4>\n