Synopsis

SHORT: The epic story of one man's encounter with what could be the most relentless murderer of all time.

Official Review

A while back a friend turned me on to a short film called Criticized. The 18-minute film tells the story of a film critic who, after writing a horribly scathing feature review, is abducted by the filmmaker in question and tortured. Having written a few terse reviews in my day, I enjoyed the film immensely despite quivering at the notion. I can only assume that Writer/Director Richard Gale made the film in response to the treatment he received on his first two features—The Proposal and Pressure. And yet, despite the intense violence on display in the production, I couldn’t help but feel that Criticized was a brilliant tongue and cheek viewing experience that offered more than a little catharsis for the man behind the lens. The short went on to win several awards including best film at Montreal’s esteemed Fantasia Film Festival and the New York City Horror Film Festival. …Read More