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I’m usually a little reticent to watch indie short films, mostly because a short film usually means low-budget and in many cases inexperienced filmmaking, which usually makes for some dreadful watching. You can rest assured that this isn’t the case with this short film. Abraham Lincoln: The Motion Picture exceeded all my expectations, and when it was over, I was kind of disappointed because I wanted to see more of this wacky little world the folks at Ten Sundays Productions had created.

The film has absolutely nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln, and is basically a spoof of old school anti-pot flicks. A group of four dudes sit around in a basement talking and generally having a good time, when one of the crew busts out a marijuana cigarette… a seemingly harmless event that will lead to abortion commercials, ninja zombies, and murder. In short, this film is off the wall and hilarious as hell.

The humor in the flick reminds me of what would happen if the people behind Mr. Show made 25 minute long short films full of dark humor and bizarreness. Abraham Lincoln: The Motion Picture covers a lot of ground in such a short runtime, and pokes fun at tons of stuff, some of it offensive and some of it so offensive that you feel bad laughing at it. The humor is timed just right and there are no real lulls in the flick, so even though it’s only 24 minutes long, it still gives you more bang for your buck than a full-length Hollywood comedy.

Directors Ian Albetski and Paul Busetti do a terrific job with a $1,000 budget. The film feels large and expansive despite the low-budget, and the look of the film is awesome. Abraham Lincoln: The Motion Picture is filled with old school touches that make the film look as if it was shot in the fifties, with grainy picture, cheeseball canned sound, and enough picture mutilation to satisfy people that only watch movies on old projectors. Everything comes off well and the flick is definitely worth checking out.

The cast of the film is filled with no-name actors… and a couple of people who I first saw in Cowboy Killer (a movie which you should definitely find a copy of). Everyone works well together and you can feel the fun the cast is having throughout the movie. They give the short film an energy which is unexpected in a movie of this length.

If you’re a fan of irreverent comedy and spoofs that actually make fun of stuff, Abraham Lincoln: The Motion Picture is definitely worth checking out. I usually toss indie flicks as soon as I’m done watching them, but this is one that I will keep, because it makes me laugh. You can score a copy of this (and some of their other films) by checking out Tensundays.com.

Final Synopsis: This short flick is hilarious. Give it a chance.

Points Lost: -1 for the title, which won’t help the film find the right audience, -1 for uneven volume levels, which constantly kept me fucking with the sound on my TV

Lesson Learned: Pot leads to ninja zombies.

Abraham Lincoln: The Motion Picture
8/10

Tags: 2009, anti-drug, anti-pot movie, ben solenberger, comedy, francis abbey, horror, horror comedy, ian albestki, indie, james thomas martin, latest independent film reviews, latest independent movie reviews, latest movie reviews, New Independent Film Reviews, new independent movie reviews, noah jacobs, paul busetti, recent3, robert bradbury, spoof