REVIEW: 2013 Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts

Quality-wise, this year’s animated short nominees are very solid and likeable at worst... and a slice of pure, transcendent joy at best. There’s a Biblical tale, a wacky bit of food porn, a couple of love stories and the freakin’ Simpsons! Also, interestingly, none of them have any spoken dialogue. That’s kind of cool. And the nominees are....

MAGGIE SIMPSON IN “THE LONGEST DAYCARE” (USA) -- Seriously, how surreal is it to see The Simpsons nominated for an Oscar? It’s about time! I missed this short when it debuted before the latest ICE AGE but clearly, good things come to those who wait; while I maintain that The Simpsons is still one of the most consistently funny shows on TV, this short is one of the best things to involve the family in some time. The story is simple: Maggie goes to daycare where she feuds with Baby Gerald, her one-eyebrowed nemesis, and tries to protect a caterpillar as it transforms into a butterfly. The film moves at a lightning pace and sight gags galore are crammed into its five minutes and it’s hilarious -- in other words, classic Simpsons. No chance it will win (though imagine if it did?), but here’s hoping its success leads to lots more Simpsons shorts from now on!

ADAM AND DOG (USA) -- I enjoyed this retelling of the Book of Genesis from the perspective of the first Dog, how he met Adam and became the first Man’s Best Friend. Director Minkyu Lee’s film is beautifully hand-drawn, with a dreamy, nature-intensive visual style that actually invokes such Disney classics as BAMBI (indeed, Lee is a former Mouse House employee) and is filled with both subtle humor and poignancy. (Also, lots of full-frontal cartoon male nudity, if that floats your boat.) While meant to be a deliberately-paced, meditative sort of film, at 16 minutes it feels a bit overlong. But if the Academy decides to give this award to non-mainstream fare -- as they are wont to do in this category -- it probably has the best shot.

FRESH GUACAMOLE (USA) -- Directed by Adam Pesapane (also known as PES), this wacky little ditty is noteworthy for being the shortest film ever to receive an Oscar nomination: 1 minute and 45 seconds! Using clever stop-motion animation, it shows you how to make guacamole using various inanimate objects, including a grenade, a baseball, dice, a pincushion and the houses from Monopoly. Each sight gag is funnier than the one before it and laughs are plentiful. At first I tried to figure out if there was any hidden meaning here -- perhaps the objects represent some kind of deeper sociopolitical message? But no... I think it can only be taken at face value... in which case, it is simply a fun & delicious way to spend a couple of minutes.

HEAD OVER HEELS (UK) -- This 10-minute claymation tale from first-time director Timothy Reckart tells the story of a couple who have grown so far apart that they literally live on different planes of existence: He lives on the floor, she lives on the ceiling, and their house floats aimlessly through the sky. They passive-aggressively argue about whether their wedding photo should be turned up or down -- but after so many years together, even as they share appliances and do chores and go about their days, their actions are still instinctively in sync. Will they ever be able to rekindle their romance and rediscover true equilibrium? Animation is a bit crude (and clearly influenced by Pixar’s UP) but it’s a funny and touching love story and an all-around strong nominee.

PAPERMAN (USA) -- I first saw Disney’s brilliant tale of the power of “the thunderbolt” before WRECK-IT RALPH, and while I liked the feature very much, it was the short that really stuck with me. Using a new-fangled blend of 3D and 2D animation in lovely black & white, director John Kahrs introduces us to a man who has a memorable encounter with a pretty woman on a train platform... only to have her rush off before anything can come of it. Convinced that the moment has been lost forever, he trudges off to work... but to his surprise, he spots her in a window in the office building next to his. So he decides to do what any quick-thinking, mid-20th century New York lonelyheart would do to try and catch her attention: He takes a stack of paperwork on his desk, makes a bunch of paper airplanes and throws them in her direction. I will not reveal what the fates have in store -- but if you’ve ever had a “missed connection” in NYC (and let’s face it, we all have, whether it’s fleeting eye contact on the subway or a passing smile in the grocery store), this simple, sweet story strikes a major chord.

I’M ROOTING FOR: Paperman, unquestionably the best of the bunch and a reminder that Disney (not Pixar, mind you) can still work some real magic.
WILL PROBABLY WIN: Paperman. But if anti-Disney bias rears its ugly head, I’d expect Adam & Dog to take it.

But wait, there’s more! We were also treated to three “highly commended” films to pad the run-time of the program and give us a bit more bang for our buck....

ABIOGENESIS (New Zealand) -- Vibrant CGI and cool visuals dominate this five-minute sci-fi extravaganza in which a machine lands on a lifeless planet and, well, brings it to life. That’s pretty much it. I’m sure there’s some kind of environmental message in there, too, but frankly, I was still fawning over PAPERMAN to much to pay attention... sorry, Kiwis!

DRIPPED (France) -- Cool-looking nine-minute ditty about an art thief who steals paintings, eats them and adopts each artistic style as a kind of superpower. Set mainly in a stylized 1950s NYC and featuring a fast-paced jazz score, this is a twisty-turny adventure and a visual treat if you have even the slightest inkling about famous artists (which is about all I have). But the real twist is that the film actually serves as a tribute to one artist in particular -- to say who would be a spoiler, so I’ll leave it at that!

THE GRUFFALO’S CHILD (UK) -- A couple of years ago, THE GRUFFALO was nominated for Best Animated Short and it bored the heck out of me, despite some cutesy animation and an all-star voice cast. I’m still unfamiliar with the Gruffalo, the kids’ book... and I’m even less familiar with the apparent sequel. Now the Gruffalo has a child, and one snowy night, the child goes off in search of the Big Bad Mouse, and hijinks ensue. At an obscene 27 minutes, it bored the heck out of me again. Please tell me this isn’t a trilogy....

REVIEW: 2013 Oscar-Nominated Live Action Shorts

The Live Action Shorts are funny because they almost always seem to follow a set pattern: There’s one about a kid, an ethnic one, an emotional drama, a American quirk-fest and a weird foreign comedy. This year, however, they’ve thrown convention out of the window and given us TWO ethnic ones that are also about kids! Crazy! All the others are there, though, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Let’s see what there is to see....

DEATH OF A SHADOW (Belgium/France) -- Nathan is a World War I soldier who was hit by the thunderbolt when he met Sarah... and then died, only to be given a second chance at life & love in return for an odd task: Using a special camera, he must collect people’s shadows at the exact moment of their death, for display in the mansion of an otherworldly collector. However, as the deal nears completion, it hits a snag when Nathan learns that his final target is, in fact, the man with whom Sarah has been in love all along. Tom Van Avermaet’s film is macabre, melancholic and beautifully shot with great visual detail that reminds me of Jean-Pierre Jeunet (particularly the creepy shadow portraits and steampunk-style machinery). It does succumb to some clichés in the end, but the overall originality more than makes up for it. An extremely enjoyable 20 minutes.

HENRY (Canada) -- Last year was a rough one for old folks in cinema. Michael Haneke’s AMOUR offers a devastating, clinical look at the harsh realities of old age. The Oscar-nominated documentary short KINGS POINT follows a group of elderly folks who are essentially waiting to die at a retirement home. And now this 21-minute film from director Yan England puts a genre-bending twist on the subject. Henry, a renowned concert pianist, goes for a walk one day, only to be informed that he is in danger and his wife has been kidnapped. Or has she? The mystery unfurls as Henry desperately tries to make sense of the situation, while flashing back to how he met the love of his life. Of course, things are not necessarily as they seem. You might pick up on the twist early but it still packs a serious emotional punch and provides another potent, heart-wrenching, deeply affecting perspective on the aging process.

CURFEW (USA) -- As this 19-minute dark comedy begins, Richie, a twentysomething New Yorker, is attempting to kill himself in his bathtub. Suddenly, the phone rings, and he is surprised to hear his estranged sister’s voice asking him to babysit his niece, Sophia. Despite the fact that he’s sitting there with blood dripping from his wrists, he agrees -- and thus begins a surreal adventure through a vibrantly-realized New York in which Richie & Sophia get to know each other and he rediscovers his will to live. Sophia is precocious, sassy and wise beyond her years and slowly breaks through Richie’s jaded façade. The film takes on a kind of AFTER HOURS-meets-Wes Anderson feel with all sorts of NYC weirdness -- most notably, a random bowling alley dance sequence that pushes the limits of quirkiness but somehow works. Fantastic work across the board from writer/director/star Shawn Christensen, with an underlying family message that resonates with me personally -- while I am unlikely to slit my wrists anytime soon, I do think it would be awesome to someday hang out in NYC with my niece!

BUZKASHI BOYS (Afghanistan/USA) -- My least favorite film of the bunch, this 28-minute entry from director Sam French tells a story of unlikely friendship between two Afghani boys -- a street peddler and the son of a blacksmith -- as they struggle to come of age and realize their dreams in their war-torn environment (the ultimate dream, we learn, is to become a superstar Buzkashi champion, which is a version of polo that involves a dead goat). While the two kids are fine, the film is thinly-plotted and an all-around bore. However, the story behind the production of the project is far more interesting: It’s a joint venture of Afghani and international filmmakers and one of the first major films to be shot entirely in Kabul, making impressive use of local scenery. That being said, in the end, it has an odd anti-“follow your dreams” message that makes me wonder just what kind of propaganda film (partially funded by the U.S. Department of State, I might add) this really is....

ASAD (South Africa/USA) -- Like BUZKASHI BOYS, this is another coming-of-age tale of a Somali boy named Asad who must choose between joining his peers and becoming a pirate, or becoming a fisherman as per his destiny. Unfortunately, Asad is not a very good fisherman -- but an eccentric old-timer nevertheless predicts that he will someday bring home the biggest catch their village has ever seen. The 18-minute film by director Bryan Buckley mixes humor and pathos to portray life in this run-down society -- plus, in an interesting bit of stunt casting, all characters are played by actual Somali refugees. In the end, we learn that the film is little more than an extended set-up to one ultimate punchline, which is wacky and amusing but not really worth the time it takes to get there.

I’M ROOTING FOR: My first instinct after the program ended was Henry because it packed such an emotional punch... but I’ve since changed my mind: Curfew is perfect.
WILL PROBABLY WIN: Curfew, because this is the one Oscar category where quirky is often king.

Next up: ANIMATION!

REVIEW: 2013 Oscar-Nominated Documentary Shorts

There aren’t many things that could have gotten to me to leave the house the day after a blizzard -- but last Saturday, my annual marathon of Oscar-Nominated Short Films at the IFC Center was one of them. This activity has quickly become one of my favorite movie-watching traditions of the year, right up there with THE TEN COMMANDMENTS on Easter weekend and 24 hours of A CHRISTMAS STORY. My day began with the Documentary Shorts, which were split into two programs, totaling nearly 3 1/2 exhausting hours; fortunately, they were generally quite strong and tapped into a variety of emotions. Let’s take a look....

KINGS POINT (USA) -- This is the true story of a bunch of senior citizens living together in a Florida retirement community -- find out what happens when they stop being polite and start getting real! Yes, on the surface, this 39-minute entry that focuses on the lives on several retirees (all former New Yorkers) at the Kings Point resort does feel like The Real World: The Golden Years, with all the humor, gossip, cliques and drama you’d expect. But as the layers are peeled back and we learn more about each person’s life, a much deeper story emerges about humanity’s desire for independence, our need for acceptance and ultimately resigning ourselves to the realities of the aging process. The group on which director Sari Gilman chooses to focus are eclectic and more than willing to share their stories and feelings with a mix of exuberance and melancholy. My personal favorite is Frank, an outgoing gent who enjoys female companionship but doesn’t want to get too close. At first, he comes off as a bit of a playboy, leaving broken hearts in his wake -- until he reveals that the reason he can’t bring himself to commit is because he has already buried one wife and doesn’t want to have to do it again. Sad.

MONDAYS AT RACINE (USA) -- In this 39-minute film from director Cynthia Wade, we follow the lives of several women who are battling breast cancer and learn about the impact the disease has had on their bodies, and psyches, as well as their families and personal relationships. Their stories are tied together by a Long Island beauty salon called Racine, run by two sisters who offer free services to women dealing with the effects of chemotherapy and hair loss. Their goal, on the third Monday of every month, is to help these women regain their confidence and dignity, while also giving them a place to meet & talk to each other. The result is both gut-wrenching and heartwarming, to say the least. If there’s one knock against the film, it’s that it doesn’t spend quite enough time in the actual salon; in fact, you could remove that framing device altogether and it wouldn’t lose any impact. But it’s still, obviously, great that the place exists, and the individual stories are extremely moving and more than make up for any cinematic shortcomings.

INOCENTE (USA) -- I really wanted to like this portrait of a homeless teenage girl who finds salvation and survival through art. Fifteen-year-old Inocente has been living on the streets and in various shelters in San Diego with her mother and siblings for nine years. But instead of succumbing to her dark childhood and seemingly-bleak surroundings, she focuses all of her energies into creating canvases that explode with color and passion. Directed by Sean Fine & Andrea Nix, the 39-minute film is told from Inocente’s perspective, in her own words, often accompanied by striking close-ups of her painted face, which achieves a sense of poetry and wisdom beyond her years. Unfortunately, the film also feels a tad manipulative and somewhat lacking in depth. Not to take anything away from Inocente’s struggles, but she seems like a very well-adjusted young woman, and while we are TOLD about some truly horrific things she has had to deal with, we never really SEE anything worse than her mother refusing to sign a permission slip. On one hand, this is a testament to her own strength and ability to overcome adversity and put it behind her -- but as a documentary, it feels somewhat incomplete.

REDEMPTION (USA) -- If you’ve spent any time in New York City, you’ve probably seen them but may not have given them much thought: People combing through the trash and carting around giant bags of empty cans and bottles, presumably to redeem them for a nickel apiece. In this 35-minute film, directors Jon Alpert & Matthew O’Neill follow some particularly memorable and charismatic members of this ever-growing legion, letting them tell their stories and offer insight into how the whole thing works, how they interact and feud with each other, and most of all, how they manage to survive in this rough economic climate. Even for a born & bred, self-involved New Yorker who is only peripherally aware of such subcultures, it’s interesting to see it in the forefront -- and frightening to think about how quickly such a lifestyle could become reality.

OPEN HEART (USA) -- If you are a child battling rheumatic heart disease in Rwanda, the odds are stacked against you. The one hospital in all of Africa that offers free cardiac surgery is located 2,500 miles away, and only a select few children are fortunate enough to get there. Director Kief Davidson presents a two-pronged story: First, it follows eight children who are chosen to leave their families and make this long, life-or-death journey. Second, it is a plea to ensure that this treatment continues to remain available. The doctors at the privately-run, state-of-the-art Salam Center, located in the Sudanese desert, led by Dr. Gino Strada, work tirelessly to save as many lives as possible, while negotiating with the government for funding and support. There’s a lot of information crammed into 39 minutes that might have been better served as a feature film -- in particular I would have liked to know more about Dr. Strada, a blunt and outspoken Italian who knows his stuff and isn’t afraid to talk back to no less than Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. As it stands, you can’t fault the film for focusing more on the kids, which it does well and, naturally, packs an emotional punch.

I’M ROOTING FOR: Kings Point, the most well-rounded (and entertaining, despite its innate sadness) of the bunch.
WILL PROBABLY WIN: Open Heart, for the double-whammy of emotional impact and humanitarian importance.

Next up... LIVE ACTION!

REVIEW: 2012 Oscar-Nominated Live Action Shorts

Very strong collection of Live Action shorts this year. They follow similar themes that past shorts have explored: There's one about a kid, an ethnic one, an emotional drama, a American quirk-fest and a weird foreign comedy. That being said, these formulas work and I liked them all... and even loved a couple of them. And the nominees are....

PENTECOST (Ireland) -- A funny Irish tale from Peter McDonald that pits the two greatest religions of the world against each other: Sports and... well, actual religion. Damien is an altar boy who has been suspended from duty after accidentally hitting the priest with an incense burner. As punishment for embarrassing the family, Damien’s father has grounded him, which means no watching his beloved Liverpool football matches on TV! However, when it is announced that the bishop will be visiting for Sunday mass, Damien -- still the best damn incense carrier in town -- is called back into action. If the mass goes off without a hitch, Dad promises that Damien will get back his football-watching privileges just in time for the European Cup finals. But at what personal cost? Featuring a solid performance from the lead kid, this 11-minute short is highlighted by the priest’s pre-mass motivational speech that could have been lifted from any inspirational sports movie playbook.

RAJU (Germany/India) -- This mystery/drama is about a German couple visiting Calcutta to pick up a boy they’ve adopted from a local orphanage. Four-year-old Raju is very cute with his big cartoon eyes and the mother, desperate for a child, falls in love immediately. Seems like they’ll all live happily after after... until the father takes Raju to a market and subsequently loses him. A harrowing search through the crowded city ensues, but the police offer little help; in a particularly disturbing moment, they post Raju’s photo on a wall filled with hundreds of “missing children” notices, a striking commentary on what is clearly a big problem. The search eventually leads the father to an investigator who specializes in tracking down missing children -- and that is when a horrible truth comes to light. Director Max Zähle paints a gritty, often tense and unsettling picture, but the whole thing feels overlong at 24 minutes.

THE SHORE (Northern Ireland) -- A wonderful 31-minute epic (by short film standards, at least) from director and past Oscar nominee Terry George (he co-wrote IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER and HOTEL RWANDA). It stars one of my favorite actors, Ciarán Hinds, as Joe, a man who returns home to Belfast for the first time in 25 years to show his daughter, Patricia, their roots. Meanwhile, we’re also introduced to Paddy, a local fisherman, and his wife Mary, who are living a happy life by the shore -- and who, we soon discover, share a connection with Joe that goes back many years. As the layers of Joe’s life are peeled back, we learn about these relationships and the events that split them apart, building to an emotional and revelatory reconciliation. Aside from being a touching story of the power of love and friendship, the film is a celebration of Irish life & culture, filled with beautiful scenery, traditions and history. The story is somewhat predictable but nonetheless moving, thanks in no small part to some tremendous performances. If there were acting awards for short films, Hinds (who you may also remember from such diverse films as THERE WILL BE BLOOD, MUNICH, HARRY POTTER 7.2 and the HBO series ROME) would have an Oscar in the bag -- hopefully someday his talents will be given their due notice on the big stage.

TIME FREAK (USA) -- I really liked this little slice of sci-fi while I was watching it (and immediately after), but I find myself loving it more and more as the days go by. It’s a simple, ingenious twist on the time-travel genre: An obsessive-compulsive geek named Stillman invents a time machine with aspirations of travelling back to ancient Rome, only to get caught up in trying to correct the little things that occurred yesterday. Director Andrew Bowler puts a fresh spin on the repetition of GROUNDHOG DAY, fuses it with a Woody Allen-esque neurosis and the result is 11 minutes of zany, hilarious, expertly-crafted brilliance, complete with rapid-fire editing and cheesy lightning bolt effects for the time machine that made me cackle. Hugely satisfying, even though it gave me pause because I’m sure that if I ever got my hands on a time machine, I’d be tempted to use it in the same way -- space-time continuum be damned!

TUBA ATLANTIC (Norway) -- Like THE SHORE, this one touches upon themes of reconciliation, but does so in a much more bizarre way. Oskar is a 70-year-old curmudgeon who learns that he has only six days to live. He is then visited by Inger, a peppy young “death angel” who is tasked with making sure Oskar dies peacefully. Inger soon learns, however, that Oskar is not a pleasant man to be around -- he’d much rather massacre seagulls with a machine gun than worry about his own demise. (He sort of reminds me of a weird Scandinavian mix of Carl Fredricksen from UP and Clint Eastwood’s character from GRAN TORINO.) But deep down, what he really wants is to reconnect with his estranged brother living in America. The key to this may be the mysterious gigantic tuba sitting outside his house -- but can he get the thing to work before time runs out? The 25-minute film, directed by Hallvar Witzø, is wonderfully acted, touching, gleefully macabre, and, like the Live Action shorts program as a whole, ultimately satisfying.

I’M ROOTING FOR: Time Freak -- though The Shore would make me happy, too.
WILL PROBABLY WIN: Time Freak -- it is the clear standout, and this is the one category where Oscar seems to prefer laughter to tears!


The Oscar-nominated shorts are now playing at NYC’s finest gem of an indie theatre, the IFC Center. Yes, three separate programs means three separate admissions, but it's totally worth the time and money. Check them out before the big show and come back here to discuss!

REVIEW: 2012 Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts

I gotta say, this year’s Animated shorts are probably the weakest bunch of nominees in the four years I’ve been attending these IFC Center screenings. That said, they’re not all bad -- and there may even be a gem or two to be found. Let’s take a look....

SUNDAY/DIMANCHE (Canada) -- I think this ten-minute mess by Patrick Doyan is supposed to show a Sunday in the life of a boy from his perspective. As the day goes on, the boy experiences many things: He puts coins on railroad tracks so they get flattened by passing trains. He goes to church. He visits Grandma’s house and must endure a dinner party with nattering adults. He witnesses a dog get hit by a car and devoured by crows. There’s a bear head mounted to Grandma’s wall that appears to still be alive. It is unclear whether some of these things are figments of the boy’s imagination, or if it is simply how he perceives the mundane world around him... or if there is any connection at all. Even more egregious is that the perspective is constantly shifting, which spoils that effect and seems to defeat the purpose. Doesn’t help that the animation style, hand-drawn in drab browns & greys, wears thin quickly.

A MORNING STROLL (UK) -- This short by Grant Orchard is based on a supposedly-true story in which someone spied a chicken walking down a city street and watched as it knocked on a door with its beak and was let inside. The film uses three radically different animation styles to show this event occur in three radically different time periods: There’s old-timey black-and-white in 1959, two-dimensional color in 2009 and crazy whacked-out CGI in 2059. Of course, there’s a message about the state of society (particularly NYC, which is where the short is set; the chicken even displays some New York attitude -- or at least, New York attitude as perceived by someone from England) in each time period, but mostly it seems like the animators just wanted to say, “Hey, look at all the different kinds of animation we can cram into seven minutes!” Amusing but insignificant.

WILD LIFE (Canada) -- I very much enjoyed the impressionistic animation style of this 13-minute western (of sorts) from Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, but the story wears thin fairly quickly. It’s about a Brit who emigrates to the Canadian wilderness in the early 1900’s. He lives alone on a small ranch in the middle of nowhere, at first overconfident about his future success (note that his adventure is financed by mum & dad), but eventually realizes he’s gotten in over his head, is overcome by loneliness, starts drinking and ultimately meets a tragic end. Through the use of intertitles, his experience is compared to the life cycle of a comet, so while it is a slow-moving, introspective tale, it is not particularly subtle.

THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE (USA) -- This little ditty is a lovely mix of old silent comedies, THE WIZARD OF OZ, ALICE IN WONDERLAND and PLEASANTVILLE, with added inspiration from post-Katrina New Orleans and a general affection for books. One day, a man (a clear homage to Buster Keaton) is reading on his balcony in the French Quarter when a huge storm hits, literally blowing the letters off the pages, sending him flying through the air and dumping him into a strange wasteland where he finds that he has been rendered black and white. But when he happens upon a house filled with fluttering, personable, piano-playing books (they’re alive, you see), his life is given a new purpose. The 15-minute film combines several animation styles, including one of the most clever uses of a flip-book in recent memory, and is beautiful to look at. While it doesn’t contain much in the way of character development, William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg’s ode to the power of the written word is whimsical, poignant, and important these days -- I’ll take a printed book over an eBook any day!

LA LUNA (USA) -- At this point, saying that the Pixar entry is my favorite makes me feel a bit like the boy who cried wolf. I know, I root for them every year -- but this time, their film really IS the best (actually, it was really the best last year, too, but never mind). This seven-minute short from writer/director Enrico Casaroasa is an absolute joy. It’s about a little boy on a nighttime boat ride with his squabbling father and grandfather. The moon rises, and they ascend a ladder to the lunar surface, where they find millions of shiny gold stars. From there, we learn that the older men are indoctrinating the youngster into the family business of moon-sweeping -- though what exactly that entails, I will not say, because the film’s punchline is both funny and wondrous. With an animation style that invokes a child’s bedtime story book, this is a film that, in true Pixar fashion, works on multiple levels and may be one of their most timeless shorts ever. After the perceived failure of CARS 2 (which failed to earn them an Best Animated Feature nod for the first time ever), it’s a relief to see that they weren’t completely asleep at the wheel last year!

I’M ROOTING FOR: La Luna, by a landslide.
WILL PROBABLY WIN: La Luna (Pixar hasn’t actually won in this category since 2001, so aside from being the best choice, they’re due).

But wait, there’s more! Since the nominated shorts were so... short... we were also treated to FOUR additional, highly commended shorts:

SKYLIGHT (Canada) -- A very funny faux-documentary and cautionary tale by David Baas about the hole in the ozone layer and its effect on the poor little penguins in the Antarctic. Pretty much five minutes of non-stop visual hilarity -- turns out penguins can still be funny after all these years! Would have actually preferred to see this one get a nod over pretty much any of the actual nominees other than LA LUNA or MORRIS LESSMORE.

NULLARBOR (Australia) -- The Nullarbor Plain is apparently the longest stretch of flat, treeless desert in Australia. And there’s a road that goes through it. And this CG short by Alister Lockhart is sort of a Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote adventure pitting a douchebag in a sports car against an old guy in a jalopy. The result is ten moderately entertaining and amusing minutes.

AMAZONIA (USA) -- A cute, five-minute adventure set in the Amazon rainforest, starring a little green tree frog named Bounce who can’t catch a meal to save his life. But he soon meets Biggy, a big blue bullfrog who helps show him the ropes. Featuring super-vibrant colors, hyper-realistic characters & backgrounds and classical score, Sam Chen’s film is fast-paced & fun, with a chuckle-inducing ending.

HYBRID UNION (USA/Ukraine) -- A four-minute tortoise vs. hare story from Serguei Kouchnerov, featuring two entities known as Plus and Minus who must join forces and become the Hybrid Union in order to renew their energy supply and defeat a new rival in a race across a futuristic Cyberdesert. There’s a message in there about energy efficiency and such, but I mostly like the nifty-looking characters, based on the filmmaker’s own oil paintings.

Up next:  LIVE ACTION SATISFACTION!

REVIEW: 2012 Oscar-Nominated Documentary Shorts

On Saturday night, I spent 7+ hours at the IFC Center overdosing on OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORT FILMS, an event that has become one of my favorite movie-watching traditions of the year! This year, aside from the Animated and Live Action nominees, I also saw the Documentary Shorts -- first time I have EVER seen any of these nominees in all the years I’ve been watching the Oscars. They cover some particularly heavy subject matter, which made for an exhausting 2½ hour program, but I’m excited to finally be able to make an educated guess in this category! Here are my reviews so you can, too:

INCIDENT IN NEW BAGHDAD (USA) -- Not a bad film, but the problem is that director James Spione tries to cram what could have been at least two interesting full-length documentaries into 25 minutes. On one hand it tells the story of Ethan McCord, a U.S. soldier who fought in Iraq and now experiences post-traumatic stress syndrome as a result of the atrocities he witnessed there. One of those atrocities was the infamous incident in which a U.S. Apache helicopter opened fire and killed eleven civilians in Baghdad, including two journalists, a video of which was later released by WikiLeaks (thus putting that organization on the map). It’s also interesting to note that McCord eventually denounced the military’s practices and now gives talks on behalf of PTSD sufferers. There just isn’t enough time to give due respect to any of these threads and the result is a provocative but disjointed rush job.

SAVING FACE (Pakistan/
USA) -- In Pakistan, hundreds of women per year are attacked with acid, usually by their husbands, leaving their faces horribly scarred and disfigured. These attacks often go unreported, and even when the victims do try to seek justice, punishments are few and far between. But this doc from Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy follows several survivors as they attempt to rebuild their lives, including one whose infuriating case gains worldwide attention and, it is hoped, could help change the system. That story is fascinating and all the victims’ plights are treated with respect and dignity. But the film loses steam when it focuses on a renowned Pakistani-born plastic surgeon who returns home to help these women repair their faces -- an extremely noble cause, to be sure, but the guy is so pompous and self-aggrandizing that you kinda want to smack him upside the head before you thank him.

THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM (Japan/USA) -- This film opens with incredibly harrowing depiction of the Japanese tsunami of 2011, using actual footage of a massive tidal wave hitting the Eastern coast. The camera holds steady as the water sweeps through a village, obliterating everything in its path and sending people running for higher ground. It is terrifying and I found myself filled with anxiety as the water, along with cars and entire houses, barreled closer & closer to the camera. From there, the film focuses on the recovery effort, using the cherry blossoms, which came into bloom about a month after the devastation, as a metaphor for human resiliency. Seems like an obvious parallel, but it is never manipulative, relying instead on the natural power of the imagery and events. Director Lucy Walker recites what is essentially a cinematic poem with beautiful cinematography, music and candid interviews with survivors. Well-crafted, potent and effective.

THE BARBER OF BIRMINGHAM: FOOT SOLDIER OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT (USA) -- A touching portrait of James Armstrong, an 85-year-old African-American barber in Birmingham, Alabama who had been active in the Civil Rights movement since the ‘50s and lived to see Barack Obama elected President of the United States. His barbershop was a hub of sorts back in the day (Martin Luther King, Jr., himself would come in for a trim whenever he was in town) where the charismatic Armstrong would educate customers about the importance of the right to vote. Later, it continued to stand as a time capsule with newspaper clippings and photos covering the walls as Armstrong shared stories of his experiences as a “foot soldier” -- among other things, he served as flag bearer during the infamous Bloody Sunday march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. The film’s strength occasionally wavers as co-directors Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin (who, sadly, died shortly before the film made its debut at Sundance) shift focus away from Armstrong, but it is nonetheless a nice tribute to a man who deserves recognition for his efforts.

I’M ROOTING FOR: Tsunami
WILL PROBABLY WIN: GOD IS THE BIGGER ELVIS, the one nominee that they couldn’t screen because of licensing reasons... so I’m sure it will win just to piss me off.


Stay tuned for ANIMATION DOMINATION!

Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Episode II – Live Action

While the Animated shorts left a little to be desired this year (with one or two notable exceptions), the Live Action nominees were outstanding across the board, to the point where I’m finding it very difficult to pick a favorite. They’re pretty much all Oscar-worthy, feature some great writing & acting, run the gamut of emotions and are even a little on the twisted side. Let’s take a look at the nominees and try to figure out which one will take home the gold....

THE CONFESSION -- This one is crazy. It’s the story of a boy who is scheduled to make his first confession, but he's concerned because he doesn't really have anything on his conscience worth confessing. His best friend comes up with a seemingly-harmless prank to help him out -- but things go horribly, tragically, shockingly awry. I can't really say any more... other than that this film was like a kick in the gut... and then another one, and another one. A tremendous film that I like to think of as the origin story of a future religious sociopath. Yikes.

WISH 143 -- A teenage cancer patient with a short time left to live is granted a dying wish by the British equivalent of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Unfortunately, they cannot provide what he really wants: Quite simply, to get laid. Poor David doesn't want to die without having known how it feels to roll around with a naked woman and he goes to great lengths to make this happen, from placing a misguided newspaper ad to staging an elaborate hospital escape. Will an understanding priest, an ex-girlfriend and/or a friendly prostitute help him in his quest? This film is as poignant as it is hilarious -- considering the subject matter, those of you in Oscar pools might consider putting your money on this one.

NA WEWE -- In Central Africa, a tour bus carrying a group of ordinary citizens is stopped by a band of Hutu rebels. The passengers are lined up and the rebels attempt to figure out whether each person is a member (by blood, if not ideology) of the opposing Tutsis. What ensues is sort of an Abbott & Costello / "Who's on First?" take on the horror, confusion and madness of the Rwandan genocide. Wouldn't be surprised to see this unique, frightening, darkly comic look at a crazy situation strike a chord with the Academy voters.

THE CRUSH -- A boy named Ardal is madly in love with his grade school teacher, the luminous Miss Purdy. He gives her a toy ring, which she accepts, and marks their wedding date in his ten-year forward planner. But when Miss Purdy later reveals that she has gotten engaged to her real-life boyfriend, who happens to be a douchebag, Ardal decides he's not going down without a fight. He challenges the amused boyfriend to a duel in the handball court after school -- and that's when things get crazy. I can say no more other than that I watched this movie with a combined look of slack-jawed astonishment and heart-soaring glee on my face. I'd be surprised if this wins, but I'm kinda leaning towards it as my personal favorite....

GOD OF LOVE -- This black-and-white, noir-satire romantic comedy tells the story of Raymond Goodfellow, a lounge singer / master dart thrower who is in love with Kelly, his band’s cute drummer, and prays for her to return his affections. One day, he receives a mysterious package filled with darts that have the power to make a person fall in love with the next person they see for six hours... after which time, all bets are off. After testing one with great effect on a band mate, naturally he decides to use one on Kelly (who is actually in love with his other band mate and best friend Fozzie). For those magical six hours, Raymond & Kelly have the time of their lives... but it just doesn't stick. Will Raymond continue to stick her with a magic dart every six hours for the rest of their lives to ensure her requited love -- or will he learn a lesson about the nature of "the thunderbolt" and, perhaps, discover a new purpose for his own life? This installment from Brooklyn, USA, may be a little too quirky/hipster-ish for its own good, but it is nevertheless some funny, enjoyable stuff.

So, in conclusion:

I'M ROOTING FOR: The Crush 
WILL PROBABLY WIN: Wish 143 or Na Wewe

Here’s hoping that I get to see the Documentary Shorts sometime between now and next Sunday. Oscar Night is almost upon us!!

Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Episode I - Animation

On Friday night, for the third straight year, I nestled into a comfy seat the IFC Center and embarked on a four-hour journey through this year’s Oscar-nominated animated & live action short films! This has quickly become one of my favorite movie-watching traditions of the year and I can’t recommend it enough to movie geeks and casual fans alike. (This year, they’re also showing the Documentary Shorts for the first time ever, but I haven’t gotten around to seeing them yet.)

Let’s start off with the Animated Shorts, which, I have to say, weren’t quite as strong as they’ve been the past couple of years. Still some good & worthwhile stuff in there, though. Here are nominees:

MADAGASCAR, CARNET DE VOYAGE -- This French offering is essentially a scrapbook come to life, detailing a person’s trip to Madagascar and the sights, sounds, people and customs that he experienced there. Visually, it is quite impressive, as it seems to utilize every imaginable animation style, ranging from water colors to pencil etchings to claymation to CGI. There was also some amazing use of multi-plane animation that looks as close to 3D as you can get without wearing glasses. But in the end, it is little more than a Madagascar tourism brochure and didn’t particularly interest me.

LET’S POLLUTE – A satire in the style of those ridiculous ‘50s educational films, this hand-drawn American entry teaches that pollution is a part of life, has been the driving force of civilization, keeps the economy strong and is just plain cool. It goes on to instruct us how to be better polluters to ensure a more prosperous future, most notably by incorporating the Twice Rule, wherein we are instructed to “Always buy twice what you need, never use the same thing twice, waste twice as much as yesterday and never think twice about it.” It gets a little too preachy and over the top with the metaphors, but overall it’s funny stuff.

THE GRUFFALO -- Here we have a children’s story-turned-film that seems to suffer from some of the same problems as the failed WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE adaptation. I’d never heard of “The Gruffalo” before (should I have?), but it seems like it is also a very short tale that absolutely did not need to be stretched out so far (in this case, 28 minutes). Maybe five minutes would have worked -- as it stands, it’s just too damn long. Animation is glossy and cutesy and fine, but nowhere near Pixar-level CGI. It does probably contain some of the most impressive voice talent I’ve ever heard in an animated short (including Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Wilkinson, and Hagrid himself, Robbie Coltrane), but in the end, I was underwhelmed.

THE LOST THING -- Definitely the most bizarre, stylistically, of this year’s nominees. It’s the story of a boy who comes across a strange contraption/creature on the beach that nobody but him seems to notice. Turns out the thing is lost, and after bonding with it, the boy takes it upon himself to return it to its home. Bizarre visuals abound, as well as a clear commentary about living in a world where people are so caught up in their own routines that they don’t notice (or care to notice) anything out of the ordinary. An enjoyable film, albeit a bit slow -- I’m sure it will have its fans, especially among those who instinctively go for the odd stuff, but it didn’t really do it for me.

DAY & NIGHT -- Another year, another Pixar nomination -- and this time, they’ve outdone themselves with a little slice of brilliance that introduces a happy little fellow named Day to a surly stranger named Night. At first, Day and Night are appalled by and suspicious of each other’s differences -- but eventually they come to appreciate the qualities that they each have to offer -- and ultimately discover that they aren’t so different after all. The social commentary is not subtle, but it’s a hell of a lot more effective than, say, CRASH. It features the perfect mix of originality, outstanding animation, humor and poignancy -- very worthy of having preceded the great TOY STORY 3. I know I am a Pixar fanboy, but this is my favorite of their shorts in some time -- by far the best animated short of the year and most deserving of Oscar gold. Honestly, if the Academy has any sense at all, the voting shouldn’t even be close.

So, for the record, and to maintain my usual format for Oscar predictions:

I'M ROOTING FOR: Day & Night
WILL PROBABLY WIN: Day & Night

But wait, there’s more! As usual, to pad the program’s running time and make it worth the price of admission, we were also treated to two “highly recommended” shorts:

URS -- This was a bizarre and sad one -- maybe a little TOO bizarre and sad, which is why it wasn’t nominated despite featuring some pretty cool-looking animation. It’s about a German man who looks after his aging mother and decides to find a new home for them. Despite her protests, he straps her rocking chair to his back with her sitting in it, and embarks on a treacherous journey up a mountain. By the time they reach the top of the mountain, he finds that she has died. Something about the futility of life in there? Perhaps. Crazy Germans.

THE COW WHO WANTED TO BE A HAMBURGER -- I liked this one more than some of the nominees, too. A fun little ditty about a calf who sees an advertisement for a hamburger franchise and decides that he can’t wait to grow up to become a hamburger himself! He then goes to great lengths to achieve that goal, much to his mother’s horror. The animation is simple and the story is breezy and funny -- obviously loaded with commentary against the power of advertising, and, perhaps, eating meat. Personally, I didn’t want to see the cute little calf turned into a hamburger... but a nice veal parmigana? Yum.

Next up: Live Action Madness!