NP Stream: Take A Hike (2012)

A young man takes his girlfriend’s father into the woods to ask him the daunting question. Stars Taylor James Brandt and Todd Terry. Directed by Mark Blitch.

Taking a straightforward story and fleshing it out with a solid sense of humour and two likeable performances, Mark Blitch’s second short film is a witty affair with plenty in the way of heart to boot. Working like a classic comedy duo of the goofy guy and his straight foil, James Taylor Brandt and Todd Terry feed off each other to great effect, embodying their characters in a short space of time with a grounded reality that lets the film work wonderfully as a piece of lightly engaging comedy. As a showcase of Blitch’s visual abilities, it works twice as well. He gets the best out of a great setting, making full use of the evening sun and the great openness of his location with some gorgeous wide angles. Save for a dodgy shot or two with the camera needlessly mounted on arbitrary objects, he fills his frames wisely, making the experience as pleasant visually as it is narratively.—Ronan Doyle

Next Projection

Follow Me on Twitter / View My Other Posts

Next Projection is a Toronto based organization that attempts to bring the best of today’s and yesterday’s films to fans of movies around the world while in the process stimulating a thought-provoking discussion of cinema through our film reviews, daily blog, and soon with our own film festival.