User Reviews

A matter of style. I saw Tomorrow's Bacon about a year ago. Its outstanding art direction, score, and acting have so much style. The kind of style that filmmakers tries to achieve when they want to win an Oscar (see Ron Howard's Beautiful Mind, he "tried"), but they rarely get it because subtlety is not among their vocabulary. Tomorrow's Bacon is subtle from its title to its narrative. Mainly its narrative, character's emotions flow so well that you can watch this film without sound and understand the story. I'm glad the director used color instead of B/W (a showiness nowadays). If Scorsese's short film The Big Shave was considered a master piece, I can't wait to see Norton's first feature film.

This is a reasonably well made short film, though I never felt all that engaged. Much of it could just be the subject matter. Watching a couple scream at each other and treat each other like dogs is pretty tough to watch--at least for me. I never have liked "The Bickersons" or the "Mama" skit on "The Carol Burnett Show". Some of this could be because I was a psychotherapist and have simply heard enough. However, if there is such behavior AND the payoff is there, I can still enjoy the film. Unfortunately, the payoff is only okay--and not worth wading through the rest.

Now I am NOT saying this is a poorly made film--the acting and direction are just fine. I just feel that life is too short to watch this sort of stuff--thank goodness this was such a short little film.

Just not my sort of film, but perhaps you'll like it.

The look and feel of the movie is unique and bizzare. Not a lot happens in 'Tomorrow's Bacon"- with most of big stuff occurring off screen. Also, some people seem to think that the ending is ambigiuos. IT'S NOT! It's totally clear that the older woman has stolen the knife in order to finally put an end to a hatefilled, loveless marraige. The actress who played the waitress is perfect. She has just the right balance of wit and endearing qualities. If you can find a showing of this, check it out.

The Old Twilight Zone used an anthology format to tell sf/horror/fantasy tales. Rod Serling's dialogue often overburdened into shrill moralizing, but when he wrote well - which was more often than not - his stories always ended on thoughtful O. Henry-esque twists. The short episodes ended in places of thoughtful uncertainty where one's original assumptions were not always what they seemed. The writer/director of "Tomorrow's Bacon" seems to understand and appreciate this appraoch to storytelling very well. The story in "Tomorrow's Bacon" is a good, old fashioned film noir done in the style and with the atmosphere of the classic black and white low budget TV series like 'Twilight Zone' and 'Night Gallery'. Those originals can't be bettered by putting flashy production values to them. They can't be bettered by putting a fresh face on them. Their appeal lies in their basic production, 50's background music, style and starkness, which "Tomorrow's Bacon" does beautifully. Even the performances are appropriately stagey in some scenes. The neat twist "reveal" at the end is in the best tradition of those old shows.

The title is obviously inspired by the T.S. Elliot poem of the same name that goes: "Pig in a poke, you better start shakin'. Today's pig is tomorrow's bacon".........Get it?? .

"Tomorrow's Bacon" is a throwback to the good old days of thriller/noir movies when good writing was more important than cheap shocks and sledgehammer moralizing. Would make an excellent addition to an anthology collection of shorts in the same vein. The greatest thing about an anthology movie is that each story can get in, say its piece, and get out without overstaying its welcome. Even if a bad story comes along, you know you're not going to have to suffer for more than twenty minutes -- half hour tops. Compare that with a two-hour stinker. Tomorrow's Bacon, I think, may actually be too short!

It ended just as I was getting sucked in. 'Bacon' is a very professional looking product, and the acting is never embarrassing or self-conscious (sometimes actors in cheesy horror films act as if they are in cheesy horror films). The folks here seem to be giving it their best shot. Also, the concluding shot is effective and give the film more after the screen fades to black. In other words, this is 'old school' horror that will really strike a chord with the viewer, much like Rod Serling's 'Twilight Zone' or 'Night Gallery' episodes.

Tomorrow's Bacon is good little mystery/thriller that you could possibly call in the same vein as a really strong 'Twilight Zone' or 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episode. The four characters (two couples) are surprisingly well drawn considering the length of the film and the minimal dialogue. Everything suggests to us that these characters inhabit a world at night, a world away from the life they live in the day. The setting and year the film is set is also totally ambiguous, which is a real plus. I totally picked up on the 'pig' theme. As the film moves closer and closer to the climax, there is some eerie tension. You sort of have no idea where the film is going, but then that last shot...looking back, it makes sense and almost seems inevitable. See it twice and you'll know what I mean. Good music score too

My husband and I saw this film and many others at the NYU Film Festival. We love Tomorrow's Bacon. It was a creative story with some great footage, some corny laughs and a surprising ending, all in just 10 minutes. It was the one film we were still talking about the next day. A short little piece of genuine entertainment!

Tomorrow"s Bacon was an exceptionally well done first film by this talented director. I considered it a drama that had me feeling the dark emotions of the storyline which Mr Norton captured on film and made it seem real.It brought back memories of Alfred Hitchcock's ability to present the audience with suspense, just by the actors eye contact. The scenery was a beautiful winter wonderland with the shadows of tragedy hanging in the fog. I am sure Mr Norton will have great success creating film magic ,for that is his talent.

I saw this film at the Director's Guild of America screenings. It was a pleasant surprise to see a short film that had great acting, beautiful score, and was well directed. The whole film was shot at night, and has better production values than most independent

I never knew 10 minutes of film could be so compelling, Tomorrows Bacon has more character development and plot twists in 10 minutes than most of todays big studio full length features. From the fog laden beginning to the creepy final shot this film grabs the viewer and pulls them into the world of wishful thinkers and societies shameful pigs. Watch out Hollywood, we may have just uncovered Americas next great film maker.... NYUs Bryan Norton.

Most film audiences, especially modern viewers accustomed to unnecessarily long epics, would assume that it would be impossible to tell a concise, thought provoking, and effective story in under ten minutes. These people only need to refer to "Tomorrow's Bacon," a chilling and creative short that could easily fit into a collection of Twilight Zone episodes.

One of the film' strongest points is that it uses every second of screen time effectively and efficiently, never resorting to filler. All of the film's elements, including direction, photography, acting and sets, are excellent. Lastly, Bryan Norton's meticulous direction and writing thoroughly progress the narrative and engage the audience in subtle yet effective ways. It is because of these factors and many more that "Tomorrow's Bacon" comes across as impressive and engaging film, rather than just another student short.

Simply put, "Tomorrow's Bacon" is a great lesson in great filmmaking. I give this film a rating of 9 out of 10 stars.

A cool little film noir with striking ambinec and mood. The ending had me totally surprised and made me want to see the whole movie all over again. I loved the music and the use of 50's songs. It's like a David Lynch movie in some way

This movie was truly amazing. It was great to see Claudia Belmont challenge herself by playing the waitress, and Robert Dean and Michael Morrows always hold their own. But to be honest, it was Arthur Roses' stunning portrayal of the voice of Roy that truly carried this film. Roses was able to climb inside his character's head and it was a pleasure to watch/hear. This was a story about people, but more importantly, it was a story about bacon. The irony of bacon being both something we eat as well as 'bring home' to support our families was not lost on the viewing audience. The vision and preparation that Arthur Roses brought to Roy made all of this possible. Roy IS bacon. He is both prey and predator in a world of breakfast items that lurk beneath the surface of our morning facades. The fact that this this film has gained a 'cult following' and is screened at film festivals and on college campuses across the country is a testament to Roses' brilliance. I highly recommend this movie.