First, to all faithful readers of the Loft contest reviews, I missed last month’s contest because my wife Julie and I had a baby boy, Lincoln. That was one day before the host-with-the-most, Max Cannon, and his wife Ginny also had a baby boy, Miles (congrats Max and Ginny!). So Max and I both missed the event, which from all reports was a hoot and a holler without us.

The Loft was kind enough to loan me the winning film from last month’s contest, so I have to give a shout-out to “Have Coffin, Will Travel” by Sarah Sher. (Watch the film here.) Rarely does a documentary take the prize at the Loft contest, but this gem is beautifully shot, deftly edited, offbeat, and affecting – plus it has the mouse-cat-dog man of Bisbee in it. Congratulations Sarah, excellent work! “In Film We Trust” will be back at the Loft contest this Friday, Nov. 3.

This review focuses on the films made under the gun of a 48-hour turnaround for the first, and hopefully annual, 2006 Tucson 48-Hour Film Shootout at the Loft last Friday. Teams had 48 hours to make a film according to the contest guidelines. I’m delighted that Tucson now has its own shootout, and with it the opportunity for local filmmakers to reject sleep and sanity in the noble pursuit of the motion picture art. I yearn to participate next year.

Again, due to childcare duties, I was unable to attend the event, but I did watch all the films on DVD. The flicks show a wide range of style and ability. And given the tight deadline and strict rules (teams are given a prop, a character, a line of dialogue and a genre), several of them rocked the screen. I rated the films myself before I learned about the choices made by the jury of esteemed Tucson film reviewers for Best Film, Best Comedy, Best Horror, Best Drama and other categories.

The film that really made me laugh was “The Ostrich and the Bull” by the Day For Night team. Nick Kaufman helmed this kooky tale of a goofy young man who is going to meet his online sweetheart for the first time. His friends convince him to wear a ridiculous inflatable costume that makes him look as if he’s riding an ostrich, and soon enough he’s stolen a pumpkin and he’s being hunted (we see his image in the crosshairs of a high-powered scope) by the neighbor whose pumpkin he stole. The clever camera work, strong comic acting by leading man Dave Phillips, and ultimately sweet storyline (his date shows up in an inflatable bull costume) pushed this one to the top for me.

The other two films that showed promise were “Dream Afternoon,” a disjointed yet creepy horror tale from the Crown Chimp team, and “Diary of a Werewolf” by the Sparkle Kids. Strong camera work, disorienting dream logic and some freaky shock cuts propelled “Dream” into a mini version of “Jacob’s Ladder.” And although it ran in the “horror” genre, “Diary” plays as a dry, dark comedy from Nate Buchik and his team. Nate has mastered this comic tone – the images of lanky, naked Patrick O’Connor as he muses on his werewolf bloodlust are hilarious – and there were many lovely shots.

The Reel Philms team entry, “Against the World,” also deserves mention – the film looked great, and it had an earnest happy ending. I just could not swallow the idea that the two healthy, sane young men in the leading roles were sad-sack homeless dumpster-divers.

So how do my picks compare to the pros? For Best Overall Film, the jury picked “Diary of a Werewolf,” and I have to go with “The Ostrich and the Bull.”

For Best Horror Film, I agree with the jury and pick “Dream Afternoon,” although both “Dark Deeds” and “Headlights” show glimpses of filmmaking talent.

For Best Comedy, the jury picked “Pulling Teeth,” and again my favorite was “The Ostrich and the Bull.”

For Best Drama, the jury voted for “In and Out.” I know I’m a dim bulb, but I had a hard time following the story in this film. So my choice is “Against the World” because it worked better than any of the others. Drama is far and away the toughest genre to deliver, especially in 48 hours.

The nod for Best Actor went to Patrick O’Connor in “Diary of a Werewolf.” He did a good job, but I have to vote for the comic chops of Dave Phillips in “The Ostrich and the Bull.”

And Best Actress went to Valerie Mitchell as the D.A. in the film “In and Out.” This is a tough call. Few of the films had female leads, and several had no female characters at all. So, back to my favorite film, I’m going to choose the Jackie Karas as Kristen, the Internet sweetheart, in “The Ostrich and the Bull.”

For Best Use of the Prop (a pumpkin), the jury liked “Pulling Teeth,” and while I liked the shots where the camera shot though the carved pumpkin in that flick, I have to go with “The Ostrich and the Bull” since the pumpkin inspired such calamity in that film.

For Best Use of Dialogue, (the line everyone had to use was “I don’t know, I’m not a dentist.”) the jury chose “Diary of a Werewolf.” I have to admit that I did not know this was a category, so I was not paying enough attention to make a call.

Likewise, for Best Use of Character (every film had to include a character named Bob Johnson), the jury went with “Diary of a Werewolf.” Again I was not thinking about this category when I watched the films, so no vote from me.

Congratulations to everyone who tested their skills in the Tucson 48-Hour Film Shootout. I welcome all your comments. Keep making films! See you on Friday for the monthly Loft contest.