WARNING: Unscheduled Fangirling

[rosiedoes]

Sometimes, I think my affectionate mocking of Joe May overshadows exactly how awesome this guy is. He doesn't get nearly as much credit as he deserves for being hilarious, but he also rarely gets to really show his chops as a serious actor.

A couple of years ago, my friend CJ (who shares mine and Julie's fondness for Joe) created the short film Last Flowers, in which Joe plays a guy called Harvey Harris, a struggling writer who writes obituaries to make ends meet between the rejection letters from publishers and begins to go to the funerals of the people he writes about in an attempt to resolve his own issues.

The film and Joe were both nominated for Leo Awards for this, and you can totally see why.

The trailer for the film is below. You can watch the rest at www.fortyfps.com.

I know there are a few other things coming up (Brits, you've probably seen him most recently as Andy Button, the casting director on Episodes, or as Canadian George on Holby City) and I'm really pleased for him on that front, but he is genuinely one of the most under-appreciated actors I know of - even if his facial expressions make it nearly impossible to get a screencap of him that isn't ridiculous.

My friend Ruth (she's on LJ, but I won't give her name here) mentioned how she has a sisterly affection for an actor she runs a site for, and that totally sums it up. This is not a guy I fancy; that is so far from the point it's, travelled the full circumference (no pun intended) of the globe and is now standing right behind it. I've been following this guy's career on and off since I was maybe fifteen and he was on Casualty (it was a lot harder before IMDb), and I just really want to see him and his silly face do well.

Watch the film. Tell me what you think. ♥

Comments

[sassygirl.livejournal.com]

oh wow, this looks so good. Joe looks beautiful! This looks like a film I'd definitely go out and see. Is the full short film on his website, I shall check that out! Ooh, I'll watch it tonight :)

Regarding your feelings towards Joe and Ruth towards her site's actor, I've gone so past fancying Matt that I just feel loyal and dedicated towards helping him any way I can.
At my lowest points running a website/fan community over the years, I did feel like "well, if I don't do it, who would?" But I always shake it off as I like being helpful and organised, and like you said, following his career since I was 14 means you're dedicated and seen him through thick and thin. Matt's had a lot of up and downs in his career and it's difficult especially as a fan, as people associate with some of his most famous roles and overlook his more dramatic roles. But that could be said of anyone in Hollywood, I think it's something like 2% of the actors in Hollywood get 80% of the attention at any one time, so I like seeing that you, Julie and Ruth are running these sites. I feel less alone and awkward, haha. Plus it means I've got to meet people online who I can always squee with about material, and once in a blue moon, getting a few messages here and there from Matthew really helps..
Sometimes I wonder if they actually still have publicists and what exactly these peoplea are doing at the moment, haha.

[rosiedoes.livejournal.com]

The film is available in two parts via Vimeo on the site, yeah. Make sure you have a tissue handy.

Joe's career has been up and down in terms of appearing on TV, but he's been doing other stuff on the sly - video game VO, cartoon VO, writing his own stuff (which I am so excited to see at some point). He's had some really tiny roles in movies (he played a doctor and subsequently a zombie in Resident Evil and has about one line at the beginning of Wilde) and none of that has really given him much opportunity to prove himself.

He was adorable and hilarious as Andy in Episodes and, in all seriousness, probably the only funny thing in the show - especially the scene when he got fired.

The worst part of creating fansites is that people automatically assume you either fancy the actor or are some kind of stalker. Boyan I did fancy for a while, but at the same time, it was about the work he'd done - some of it was hideous, NGL, but the good stuff was good. With Joe I just can't see him that way at all, I am purely doing this (with Julie) because I like and respect the guy.

[anjak-j.livejournal.com]

Just watched Last Flowers. Just a very touching short film. I really like the fact that a lot of what is being said is actually unspoken on his part, and comes from his face and eyes. I actually think that works well and makes it touching without being overly mushy.

Harvey certainly wouldn't be as well played by anybody else.

[rosiedoes.livejournal.com]

I couldn't agree more. It was a really lovely film and I know that I went into it expecting it to be a cute little story about meeting at a funeral and learning to love and that sort of simple allegory. I was really shocked by the twist in the second half. I shouldn't have been, because I know CJ is more imaginative than that, but it still wasn't what I expected - which is definitely a good thing.

The cinematography in it is beautiful and Joe really does get to show that he can genuinely act in this. I was also really impressed with Sarah Slean. She was an absolutely perfect choice for the female lead.

[anjak-j.livejournal.com]

It really isn't what you expect and it kind of punches you in the gut a bit - not in a bad way, just in a 'that's not the twist I expected' way.

The cinematography is fucking awesome on this. I never cease to be impressed at the quality of the cinematography that can be found in short films.

Totally agree that this shows off Joe's acting chops, and while I love this, I would love to see him attack something longer. He and Sarah Slean really complimented each other well as the opposing leads. I would definitely be interested in watching her in other things as well.

[rosiedoes.livejournal.com]

Believe it or not, Sarah is more of a musician than she is an actress, which shows she's a bit of a natural, doesn't it? She had the perfect look for the role, too - so delicate and fragile; pretty without being extremely glamorous. The perfect balance for the character.

I'm really hoping that he'll get to do some longer stuff in the near future. I do know that he's got a short series that is coming up, but I can't say which one or anything like that. I'm still concerned it won't be a great forum for him, but I know CJ really loves working with Joe so I doubt it will be too long before he puts something together which is longer.

If you click around on CJ's site, there's an 11 minute film called Circumference that they did together, as well. Joe's back in his douchebag role for that one, but it's another context to see him in, and the film is very cleverly shot.

[anjak-j.livejournal.com]

Definitely a natural. And you're totally right about her looks being right for the role.

Hopefully both CJ and Joe will get to do some longer stuff together. CJ writes some really good stuff, if these shorts are anything to go by.

I watched Circumference. The idea itself - the whole 30 minutes of raw footage to make a short movie - was novel. And I liked what was done with it, though I wasn't as keen on this as Last Flowers. Though when you said 'douchebag', I expected that in a much more extreme way for some reason. In any case, Joe plays his role well, and again, the cinematography was great. I really liked how they used the door or doorway to carry on into the next scene.