Tag: Leland Montgomery

Short Film Spotlight: Hotter Up Close

Screenwriter and star Christopher Matias Aguila delivers a heartwarming and hysterically funny lead performance in the delightful 15-minute comedy Hotter Up Close.

He plays Chris, a barista who is nursing his wounds after a recent break-up and feeling some apprehension on the eve of his 30th birthday. His self-esteem takes a nose dive after an awkward encounter with Aiden, a hunky coffee shop customer and distant Facebook friend played by Francisco San Martin.

But when Aiden invites Chris and his plucky best friend Dana (played by a scene-stealing Liz Jenkins) to a gay pool party, he gets an unexpected opportunity to show off his new swimming trunks and, just possibly, win over the man of his dreams. He’ll just need to learn to accept the fact that sometimes ‘awkward’ can be ‘cute.’

Packed with quotable dialog and hilarious supporting performances, Hotter Up Close is a winning short rom-com that we only wish was longer. We’ll just have to wait to see what Aguila and director Leland Montgomery have in store for us next.

Watch a short teaser trailer for Hotter Up Close below. The film is now streaming on Dekkoo.

Short Film Spotlight: Cruisers

This charming and ultimately bittersweet six-minute film, packs a lot of guarded emotion into its short running time.

Cruisers stars Christopher Matias Aguila and writer-director Leland Montgomery as Paul and John, two young men, strangers to one another, who are attempting to share a casual hook-up.

Whenever they’re about to embrace, however, something manages to stop them. As they wander around together through the East Bay hills, they share details about their lives both big and small, trying to establish some sort of intimacy to break the tension.

We learn that John has recently returned home for his mother’s funeral and finds himself as a bit of a crossroads. Paul, who has a boyfriend, might not be ready to take on such tricky emotions.

Well-acted and beautifully shot, Cruisers explored what happens when casual anonymous sex goes awkwardly wrong.

Watch a short teaser for Cruisers below. The full short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.