Italian director Andrea Ricca doesn't really have big crews when he makes a film.  It's typically just him and his camera.  This time however, with his latest short film, The Furfangs, he went all out and included two others.  Gennart Acanfora did the 3D and composting, and Gianfilippo De Mattia did the music.  So how did it end up?  Well in a word...sweet!

The Furfangs is about this guy who's just sitting around minding his own business and admiring an engagement ring he's bought for his extremely beautiful girlfriend (who's not actually in the film, but we do get to see a photo of her).  Suddenly, this little spaceship crashes into the wall of his house and as he goes out to investigate, the back end of it opens up and these four little things pop out the back.  They kinda look like the Critters from the movie Critters, only their arms and legs are shorter and they're a lot smaller.  They're about the size of a Tribble that's gotten into the quadro-triticale.  They can also pick up things to use as weapons, which they do frequently.  The guy spends the rest of the film trying to fight them off and get rid of them, while at the same time snatching back the engagement ring that one of them took.  Needless to say, it's a pretty crazy film.

Coming in at just five minutes, this film is nothing short of amazing.  There's really not much in the line of a story other than what I already described, and there's no dialogue at all.  There is however, plenty of action, and it's not just regular old boring action, it's actually a lot of fun.  You can tell that the CGI stuff was composted in because it has that look to it, and you can tell the CGI is CGI as well, but so what.  It's cute and it's really well done, with the live action interacting with the animations beautifully.  I've seen a lot of crap CGI used in films in my day, but in this film, it all looked, and worked great.

Music is something I don't often talk about in my reviews unless it was really well done and / or plays a notable part in the film.  In this case, I have to say the music was absolutely amazing throughout and was utilized to its fullest potential.  Gianfillippo De Mattia did an excellent job scoring this film.  His music flawlessly both complemented and accented the action that was taking place in each individual scene.  I wish more films had scores that were as well done as what he's given us here.
This film is the perfect length for what it is.  It's edited beautifully, and we get a very tight five minutes of fun that not only shouldn't be missed, but is also actually available for everyone to check out!  Yes, you can view this film online right here.  While you're there, be sure to check out his other great films, which are also viewable on the site.

Andrea Ricca is a great director who's short films are sure to entertain.  It seems that with any film he makes, the enjoyment factor is a given.  He's found his niche in these short films, and you're pretty much guaranteed to enjoy whatever he comes out with.  In this case, I had a lot of fun and I have no hesitation at all to recommend that you rush right over to his website and check it out.