Live and Animated Shorts
I have been somewhat out of it this awards season. I missed Golden Globes, Actor’s Guild, Grammys, and I know there were others that were probably telecast on Bravo or something. I only saw one of the Best Pictures (The Departed) and a handful of those with actors up for awards. I meant to see more, and wanted to, but it just didn’t work out that way.
Instead of trying to cram in some feature lengths, I thought I’d go a quicker route and see all of the live and animated international shorts up for the Oscar this year.
I went to the Music Box Thursday and spent about three hours in the small theatre, with their notoriously uncomfortable seats. I was surprised how many people were there, and it was a responsive crowd, which made it a bit more fun.
First up were the Animated International Shorts. We saw four of the shorts up for the award and five that were shortlisted. They were all very good. Most of them were really funny, with gotchas at the end. One of the shortlisted (The Wraith of Cobble Hill, a claymation piece) was really dark. I found it hard to choose my favorite because the animation styles and content were so different. I think my favorite was the first one I saw, The Danish Poet.
The Danish Poet
This is a sweet and funny little tale about family, inspiration and fate. The animation is very simplistic, but the story is heartwarming. It is very charming.
Maestro
This is one of the “gotcha” shorts, and it is excellently played. It is very short, with very CG 3-D animation. It is about a bird opera singer, or so it seems, getting ready for the performance. The camera swings round and round the bird and room until the performance. It is funny.
The Little Matchgirl
This story is a family favorite, so I have a soft spot for this short. This is a beautiful version, putting the girl in late 1800s Russia, middle of winter and all of the tones are in grays. It has a beautiful score and no dialogue and I was a little teary by the end.
No Time For Nuts
This featured Scrat, of Ice Age fame, bopping around time after his prized acorn. It was very silly and funny, but I thought a couple of the shortlisted films were more interesting than this one and was a little disappointed it was up for the award.
The Live International Shorts are all funny. Well, the Senegalese one is not funny, but it is sweet. I had a hard time choosing favorites again. It is a toss up between the Spanish and Israeli submissions.
The Saviour (Australia)
This is a funny story about a slightly mixed up missionary. I was unclear if he is Mormon or just Mormon-like. He falls for and gets seduced by a woman he’s supposed to convert, only to have her dump him. He tries to figure out why and becomes a little obsessive.
Helmer and Son (Norway)
This is a story about family issues. A son gets called to the nursing home where his father lives because the father has locked himself inside a large wardrobe and won’t come out. It was funny, but not my favorite.
Eramos Pocos (One Too Many  Spain)
This is a very funny tale about a good for nothing husband and son and what they do when desperation sets in after the wife/mother leaves them. When she’s gone they are more concerned with not having food around and the apartment quickly devolves into a sty. They hatch a scheme to get the mother/wife’s mother out of the nursing home and trick her to stay and keep house for them. The mother in law is only too happy to be sprung, but she may not be exactly who she says she is. This is a funny story about symbiotic relationships.
Binta and the Great Idea (Senegal)
It is hard to think of an appropriate adjective for this short, but I think it is adorable. Which is an odd way to describe a movie, but it is narrated by Binta, the cute little girl who writes out a letter her father dictates about how he thinks he can help the world. It’s a story about small things rippling to affect the greater good, and community and joy. It’s about progess without greed.
West Bank Story (Israel)
For the animated shorts, I have no idea who is going to win, but I will be surprised if this hilarious musical send up of musicals and the Arab-Israeli conflict won’t take home the award. This was definitely the crowd favorite, with people howling with laughter. It takes West Side Story and sets it in a border town in Israel, with two rival fast food joints, the Kosher King and the Hummus Hut.
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February 25, 2007 at 11:04 am
[...] Oscar weekend continues here at newcritics, with posts by M.A. Peel writing about Peter O’Toole, Claire Helene reviewing the ...
February 25, 2007 at 9:14 pm
[...] Well, Claire Helene’s not asking what the short films are. She knows! She went and saw them all the ...
June 14, 2009 at 2:58 pm
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