Films: Throw Me To The Dogs, The Way We Fall, Boy, More Hate Than Fear, Fire, Jester, The Son, The Breaking, Oedipussy, & RinGtone

Another week, another film list, and this week's was absolutely crammed with short films, what with the London Short Film Festival in full flight. Which is a drag, since I have to check every single one for IMDB ratings - most of them weren't rated (you need at least five ratings for it to show), but it still takes time. When I finally got finished, it wasn't surprising that the whole top of the list was full of shorts - the top four (like most of them) showing in Hackney Picturehouse.

Now, the top-rated film (Stutterer) was showing in a programme that turned out to be sold out, but the next three (More Hate Than Fear, Murmur, and Seachild), which tied in second place, were showing in two back-to-back shorts programmes, yesterday afternoon. And I could have gone to both - except that, of course, I got caught up in doing something, and ended up just going to the second one - Boyhood, eschewing the first (Girlhood).

Well, Google Maps suggested that my easiest (and cheapest) route would be the Overground directly to Hackney Central. However, this was also the longest of the routes they suggested, and by the time I was ready to go, it wasn't an option. Instead, I cut across town: train to Victoria, Victoria Line to Highbury & Islington, and pick up the Overground there (the Overground runs in a roughly circular route around the city).

Google Maps is great for directions and suggestions - not so great on timing! The train they said left for Victoria at 5.13 didn't exist - I arrived at 5.06, just in time to miss one, and the next wasn't until 5.16. The rest of my journey was unproblematic, until I arrived at Highbury & Islington, where I had a six-minute wait for an Overground (they're not as frequent as other trains) that wouldn't get to Hackney until 6 - the scheduled start time. Ah well - it's not like this was a live performance, they wouldn't mind me arriving slightly late.

From Hackney Central, turn right (under the railway bridge), and the cinema is already just visible: the building with a blue neon sign, just up the road on the left. I queued for a ticket, then climbed to the second floor for Screen 1 - they were still showing the ad for the festival, thankfully, and although the house was mostly full, I got an end seat a few rows back from the (enormous) screen.

And we were off! Throw Me to the Dogs is a gritty short, about an only son, bullied by the neighbourhood kids, whom his father ends up coaching in a football team. A gruelling look at the effect that bullying can have, it has a harsh twist in the tail.

The Way We Fall is a touching look at a wheelchair-bound young man, attending his first wheelchair basketball training session and learning what it takes to cope.

Boy is quite a disturbing drama, about a woman who's recently lost her teenage son, and meets someone who reminds her of him. The twist is interesting.

More Hate Than Fear is the one whose rating brought me to this showing, and it was obviously highly anticipated by the crowd, who whooped and cheered at both start and finish. Based on real events, it follows a young graffiti artist as he starts his 3 1/2 year stretch in prison.

Fire is an imaginative short, about a young lad who learns to channel his rage into a powerful force.

Jester tells the tale of an ordinary lad trying to impress a posh bird. Great characterisation in this, and a great sense of humour.

The Son has a narrator telling the tale of an only son, who carries the hopes and dreams of his parents on unwilling shoulders.

The Breaking is the story of a young man, with a love of guns, who reaches breaking point. I found the ending unsatisfying, and I think the crowd agreed - the applause, which follows each film, was hesitant.

Oedipussy is a funny short about a young man whose interest in porn carries over into his daily life, where he starts to make associations with what he's been watching. Not as salacious as it sounds!

Finally, RinGtone is a cool little film, about a school leaver in 1999, who finds he can make a great business out of programming ringtones with popular tunes.

A great programme - but at the end of the two-hour session, I was glad I hadn't sat through two; many of the films were gruelling to watch, and watching so many films at once was a bit overwhelming anyway. Still, I was glad I came - it's great to see such well made films! Sadly, as usual I hadn't brought a pen with me, and couldn't complete their feedback form; well, it wasn't specific to the films anyway, but to the festival overall - they basically wanted my contact details.

I took the Overground all the way back - but having to be up early today to go to Guildford meant I had to be in bed too early to blog. Nonetheless, I'm ploughing on with going to things.. Tonight and tomorrow are longterm bookings, booked - as previously mentioned - when I was working my way towards The Nutcracker, as attended by Let's Do London - for less!, this Wednesday. So, tonight, I'm going to Harlequinade, with Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench, and tomorrow, I'm delighted to have got a ticket for La Soirée. Seen them before, and they're terrific.

Wednesday, as I say, Let's Do London - for less! are off to something good again. But guess what? "This Meetup is full" greeted me when I finally got up that date! I'd missed out by a matter of hours. Never mind - I'm off to an evening of poetry set to music: part of the Southbank Centre's Winter Festival. And it's free - I was lucky to get a seat though - told them I didn't want to stand, and it turned out there'd been a cancellation, so I don't have to! With La Soirée on in the Spiegeltent, right next door, that's two nights that are going to be really convenient for me to get to, as the venues are right by Waterloo.

Finally for this week, on Thursday the Cloggies are off on a tour of Kray country, in the East End. Followed by a curry in Brick Lane, natch. And then it's back to Ireland for the weekend..