Clearly Mr. Christie has an understanding of irony, though he may not think the same of us. And though I do not question his talents for producing a quality short film, I can't help but feel that the tag-line falls flat. It IS cliche to joke about being cliche, a cheap gimmick that ties this entire piece together.

Self revealing, touching and risky.

i'm into the overall tone, style. and i'd like to see greg happy. i'm not convinced that making a guy's dreams come true constitutes a narrative, ifc being not oprah.

This film feels melodramatic and self-indulgent. Forgive the crude expression, but Greg needs to grow some balls and make it happen--and make us laugh a little along the way. What are the stakes? Taking a few years off from corporate life? Having to find another girl? He's too young to be convincingly tied down, too old to be so self-important.

A makeover of tone would make all the difference. And apologizing for the story's banality doesn't make it less banal, it just makes us know that even the filmmaker fears it's a bore, too.

Greg's film really does show "balls" in my opinion by putting himself out there raw for everyone to see. Possibly the least pretentious film I've seen in this competition. Isn't everyone tired of watching banal movies about hipsters running around Brooklyn taking drugs and eating falafels, or the newest bunch of "arty" "independent" and "shocking" Tarantino ripoffs. Finally something real with feeling. Way to go Greg!

I agree with Jimmy. The film sort of makes me feel uncomfortable. It's almost too personal. But I do think there's humor in it. I like the self depracating tone, almost reminiscent of Woody Allen. I think it's obvious that Greg is making fun of himself. Yet, it does walk a very fine line between sarcastic humor and melodrama. The balance is a bit off but still a commendable effort. If you can't see the stakes, I'm not sure what kind of world it is you live in?

Giving up a stable job in our current ecomony, going across the world to win the heart of someone you haven't seen in who knows how long with the possiblity of opening up all sorts of old wounds? All while allowing yourself to be openly ridiculed by the world while doing so?

No Balls?! Really? I think that's the one thing you can't say against this pitch.

It definitely is self indulgent but I'm not sure if that's a fault. Isn't most art self indulgent? Isn't that the point? To see and hear something from the artist's perspective? You're free to dislike it, and it's great to hear why. But merely saying something is self indulgent shouldn't be used as criticism.

Greg is being very naive and foolish with this entire proposal. There's no way this is going to have a happy ending, but as awful as it sounds, I think the audience will be the ones who would win in that scenario. This will most likely end up being a series about "moving on" and accepting our realities by actually confronting those painful memories and long standing obsessions that we all have.

I'm not sure how "ballsy" it is to construct a cute story that merely pays homage to one of your favorite directors. If this contest is about "individuality," I'd say this piece, Free Style, and Venice Blvd are the only ones that adhere to that.

Best of luck to everyone involved.

The film really, really puts it out there...this dude, opens up his personal journey of his experience's and lost love...pretty big balls to show a glimpse of himself. I stranger in a strange land who embraces a culture far from his very own and finds love, loses it...and hope's to reclaim what's lost and never lose it again...that my friend, takes mad balls, good "fucking" job, DUDE......"Word Is Bond"

I believe these entries should be evaluated on 2 criteria....the quality of the video itself and the just how compelling and "individualistic" is the story of the subject(s) of the video. All of these shorts are nicely produced and competently shot, most are cute and clever and fun and I would be happy to see more of what happens to the protagonists. But, without question, the most complex and layered and interesting video to watch is #4, Japan O Phile. Not only is it like a 3 minute mini-movie, beautifuflly concieved, shot and edited, with an amazing soundtrack (who are those guys?), it is truly original and utterly compelling....I would absolutely want to follow Greg back to Japan to see what fate awaits him! There is so much going on in this video it can be watched repeatedly with new revelations at each viewing....try it!! Is there another video here that even comes close to "individuality" in form or content? Great work Greg.

Great story line - has terrific potential to be interesting -- I want to see more - of what he does to stay alive in Japan - Great editing -- this guy really has an eye. Sound track seemed original, I think it was a terrific bridge between the story line and the pace of tokyo. Get this guy out of his civil servant job and send him to tokyo so we can see where this goes.

seen the others and have only been impressed by this one. the only complement worth anything when analyzing a short film is i wish it had been longer and this is the only finalist that i wish i had the chance to see more of.

Stuff White People Like! Asian Chicks!
Sorry, I'm pretty disinterested in the plight of the white, lovesick, American male. It's a decent effort, but I think it's too self-concious and self-indulgent to translate into a compelling series.

This one's my favorite. I think a lot of people can relate to his situation. Who hasn't wanted another chance with the one who got away?

The filmmaker seems to know what he's doing as well, the clip looks great, and the music is phenomenal. I'd like to see how this plays out, for better or worse.

Good luck, Greg. I'll be voting for you, brother.

real solid, and a great diary film. deep, thoughtful and genuine.