Jamie Daily

Tuba Atlantic (2011)

Tuba Atlantic (2011)
84th Academy Awards 2012
5/5 Stars
Nominated for 1 award.
Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film (Hallvar Witzo).
Watched October 31, 2012.

 

photo source: Time Entertainment

Out of all the short films I have seen so far from this year, this one is by far my favourite.  Humor, wit, and machine guns--what more can you ask for?

 

In a short film, you have to get to the point pretty quickly--something that Oskar (Edvard Hægstad) and his doctor (Terje Ranes) seem to understand.  Oskar has precisely six days to live.  "Would you like to die at the hospital or at home?" the doctor asks.  Being a stubborn old man stuck in his Norwegian old ways, he refuses all help and returns home where he counts out his last days on the calendar.  

 

The next morning, his appointed "death angel" shows up--a young girl who is trying to earn her wings by helping the dying cope with their untimely demise.  Oskar, however, is not someone she had bargained for.  He seamlessly processes through her stages of dying--denial and anger being the first two--but what she didn't expect was his extracurricular activities.  

 

He is waging a war against the seagulls.  Yes, seagulls.  With machine guns, explosives, and even his own two feet.  Although his promise of death has not dulled his hate for the birds, it has softened his heart toward his brother, to whom he hasn't spoken in a good thirty years.

 

If you aren't a fan of short films, you will be a fan of this one.  If you are a fan of short films, you will be a fan of this one.  It is perfection, although once I tell you that it features a giant electric tuba built to reach all the way across the Atlantic you might not trust my judgment any more.  The acting is spot on, the timing of the humor is perfect, and despite the possibility of animal activists being incredibly put off by Oskar's pastime hobbies, I hope that they can see the humor in the completely absurd old man.

 

The ending has just enough cheese with the continued pattern of perfect timing that the 25-minute short is rounded out nicely, with all loose ends tied and fewer seagulls soaring the skies.  If you have never listened to any of my suggestions before, you should definitely start now by watching Tuba Atlantic. 

 

 

Sources: Time Entertainment, IMDB, 411mania, Opinionless, Paste Magazine, Smells Like Screen Spirit, The Independent Critic

Time Freak (2011)

 

Time Freak (2011)
84th Academy Awards
3/5 Stars
Nominated for 1 award.
Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film (Andrew Bowler, Gigi Causey)
Watched October 21, 2012.

 

photo source: Movie Wiseguys

A fairly well done short, Time Freak is a breath of fresh air in the form of comedy amongst its fellow nominees.  Unlike The Shore, it has good timing and a consistent story that answers an age old question about time travel.  

 

A college scientist has done it!  Stillman (Michael Nathanson) has successfully invented a time machine!  When his roommate and best friend Evan (John Conor Brooke) searches him out after not hearing from him in three days, Stillman tells his whole tale.  First he went to the dry cleaners to get his shirt, but the man behind the counter was a jerk and Stillman felt bad about how he treated him, so he went back in time to try and fix it (don't worry, in Stillman's story there are no paradoxes).  This begins his mourned back and forth trying repeatedly to fix the problems and minute details of yesterday.  Evan is understandably concerned and decides to take it into his own hands to fix the situation.

 

The acting is average, the cinematography is basic, and really there is little unique about its creation apart from the semi-clever story line.  This is certainly something that could be made into a feature if more plot twists were incorporated.  However, there was pretty good character development for only a 10 minute film.

 

All in all, if you have some time, this would be a good comedic short to search out.  But then again, if you have a time machine, you have all the time in the world.  

 

Sources: IMDB, 411mania, Opinionless, Paste Magazine, Smells Like Screen Spirit, The Independent Critic, Every Oscar Ever, Movie Wiseguys

The Shore (2011)

The Shore (2011)
84th Academy Awards 2012
1/5 Stars
Nominated for 1 award, which it won.
Won Best Live Action Short (Terry George, Oorlargh George).
Watched October 19, 2012.

photo source: Album Art 

 

Unlike many of the critics, and the Academy itself, I was not such a fan of The Shore, particularly after seeing Raju last week.  The imagery of the film is absolutely breathtaking, but the script and acting were fairly lacking in comparison.  

 

Joe (Ciarán Hinds) has been living in the States for the last twenty-five years and has not been back to Ireland since "the trouble."  He finally brings his grown daughter back with him after his wife passes away.  Everyone is incredibly pleased to see him, but it is soon revealed that his daughter Patricia (Kerry Condon) doesn't know much about her father's past, like the fact that he was in a band, or that he hasn't spoken to his best friend since he moved away.  

 

The story with Joe and his daughter is so slow moving and dialogue driven that it throws off the pace of the entire short.  Condon's acting doesn't help the situation.  Joe tells the whole story of how he lost his best friend, Paddy, and how his secret ex-fiancé is now married to his ex-best friend.  Patricia then convinces him that he should visit Paddy and set things right.

 

My favourite aspect of the film (I prove that I am a huge romantic, yet again) was the relationship between Paddy (Conleth Hill) and his wife Mary (Maggie Cronin).  There is no doubt that they have an amazing amount of passion in their marriage.  Their chemistry is out of this world, which in turn casts a blinding light on the lack of chemistry between Hinds and Condon.  

 

The Shore is a half-hearted comedy and a half-hearted drama--it never successfully scores in either direction.  The timing is off, most of the characters have little depth, and the lines are so transparent, it's a wonder the actors could pull anything remotely Oscar worthy out of Terry George's winning piece.  

 

If your opinions tend to be more in line with the Academy when it comes to shorts, or if you would like to catch a glimpse of Ireland's beauty (which is expertly captured, might I add), then by all means you should search out this film.  Otherwise, I would not recommend it.  

 

Sources: Album Art, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, 411mania, Opinionless, Paste Magazine, Reeling Reviews, Smells Like Screen Spirit, The Independent Critic

Raju (2011)

Raju (2011)
84th Academy Awards 2012
5/5 Stars
Nominated for 1 award.
Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film (Max Zähle, Stefan Gieren).
Watched October 10, 2012.

 

photo source: Persistence of Vision

Line up Raju with last week's Pentecost and realize that there is no comparison.  Although they are incredibly different from one another, Raju packs a punch with its entire package.  A twenty-four minute short that felt half as long, it is both deep and action-packed.

 

Jan Fischer (Wotan Wilke Möhring) and his wife Sarah (Julia Richter) have traveled all the way from Germany to a reputable orphanage in India to adopt a little boy named Raju (Krish Gupta).  He is a precious four year old with big eyes and ears who constantly speaks in untranslated Indian gibberish.  The day after they pick him up from the orphanage, Sarah wakes up sick, so Jan and Raju go out exploring together.  Immediately they have an adorable connection, helped by Raju's fearless display of affection.  Jan is taken with the boy.  While they are near the end of their day, they stop at a market and while buying food, they notice a flock of kites flying over the buildings.  Jan inevitably takes his eyes off of Raju for two seconds, and when he looks back, the little boy is gone.

 

Raju is certainly more action packed than your typical Oscar nominee, using editing and music techniques more common to a Bond film.  Because it is a short, it gets you onto the edge of your seat pretty quickly and keeps you there for most of the film.  Imagine the absolute terror of losing your child in a foreign country, only to find out that it's much bigger than simply a lost boy.  

 

Everything considered, Raju is probably my favourite short I've seen so far.  It wasn't necessarily the most original plot or the most thought-provoking script, but its execution was fairly flawless.  If you're looking for a short to accompany your Friday night movie this week, I would highly recommend this Max Zahle creation.

Raju from Ourense Film Festival on Vimeo.

 Sources: IMDB, 411mania, Opinionless, Paste Magazine, Smells Like Screen Spirit, The Independent Critic,  Persistence of Vision

Pentecost (2011)

Pentecost (2011)
84th Academy Awards 2012
2/5 Stars
Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film (Peter McDonald, Eimear O'Kane).
Watched October 1, 2012.

 

photo source: Beyond Hollywood

Our first live action short on this blog is an Irish favourite, but a flop in my eyes.  The eleven-minute film was too long (seems impossible, I know), and its parallels were so incredibly obvious that I lost interest much sooner than anticipated.

 

I wanted to like Pentecost so badly, but couldn't.  The humor needed better timing and the ending needed work, but the acting and cinematography were very well done.  It is the story of a young altar boy named Damien (Scott Graham), who "accidentally" almost hits the priest with an incense burner.  Furious, his father grounds him and tells him he cannot watch any more soccer.  Damien emphatically opposes his father's punishment because it is his favourite team's first time in the European Cup Final.  

 

Luck, it seems, is shining down on him, when there is an emergency and Damien must once again be the altar boy.  Cue the long, drawn-out humor and obvious parallels between the church and shorts.  The priest gives a pep talk to a row of altar boys for over three minutes, which in an eleven-minute film is excessive.  

 

It is cute and deserving of a few laughs.  As it is a short, I would encourage you to see it if you have an interest in Ireland, the church, or European soccer, but otherwise you might want to find something else to do with your eleven minutes.

 

Sources: Beyond Hollywood, IMDB, Travis Pflanz, 411mania, Opinionless, Paste Magazine, Reeling Reviews, Smells Likes Teen Spirit, 

Wild Life (2011)

Wild Life (2011)
84th Academy Awards 2012
4/5 Stars
Nominated for 1 award.
Nominated for Best Animated Short (Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby).
Watched September 26, 2012.

 

photo source: Canadian Art Junkie

This Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby animated short is both genius and a boring mess.  There are many reviews online, both positive and negative, and it is easy to understand everyone's perspective.  

 

The animation is incredible.  Each frame is an individual oil painting which results in a constant flickering of color.  It isn't the best when used to animate humans, especially in an era when one has become accustomed to Pixar, but it is reminiscent of impressionist paintings.  

 

It is a story of a British man who moves to Alberta in 1909 to pursue being a rancher.  Really I don't think he was pursuing anything because the only thing we see him do is sit and read or write, although at one point he walks onto a railroad track and shoots a gun.  There are certainly impressive scenes, of which my favorites were in winter when the snow was falling and the stars were out in full force.  

 

As a huge documentary fan, I appreciated the style, which moved from first person narrative in form of letters to interview style with the small town people who greatly disapproved of Englishmen.  

 

The reason I gave it four stars is because, despite the lovely animation and documentary style, the story itself was lacking.  There is very little character development and the ending is just odd.  I found the short very humorous and therefore the ending seemed very inconsistent.  

 

 

 

  Sources: Canadian Art Junkie, 411mania, Lights Camera Jackson, Opinionless, Paste Magazine, Reeling Reviews

The Bread Game (1977)

The Bread Game (1977)
50th Academy Awards 1978
5/5 Stars
Nominated for Short Animated Film (Ishu Patel).
Watched September 14, 2012.

 

Surprise!  A short film that is not being posted on Short Movie Monday!  What is this?!  Don't feel gypped, this is a great little five minute short that I think you should all go watch right now!  It is stop motion animation, which is one of my absolute favorites.  It started out a little slowly and immediately I was rash and foolhardy and said, "Oh this is very simple, I could do this.  This might be a long five minutes."  Don't worry, though, I was quickly humbled and in awe of this colorful, intricate, statement piece.

 

The reviews for The Bread Game seem to be in short supply.  It begins with small organisms, but you aren't exactly sure what they are, only that they seem to be chasing each other around and morphing together, then separating into something different, and so on.  Suddenly the organisms become something more--small crustaceans and other ocean life that continue to chase each other and devour one another.  It quickly becomes apparent that this is a type of "circle of life" piece.  The animals progressively get larger and eventually become monkeys and then man.  Once man is introduced, it is no longer about consuming another animal, but about killing other men.  From Cane and Able, to Romans, and onward, it is a statement piece on war and men and humanity.  Animals, for the most part (unless you are a Velociraptor), kill for food and to sustain themselves.  Humans do not.

 

Ishu Patel's use of color pallet and movement are amazing.  There is always motion and a stark contrast between the black background and the light, frolicking movements that represent death as well as life.  The music choice is also very fitting--very tribal and a bit chaotic.  

 

Soure: IMDB

 

 

A Morning Stroll (2011)

A Morning Stroll (2011)
84th Academy Awards 2012
3/5 Stars
Nominated for Short Animated Film (Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe)
Watched September 19, 2012.

 

photo source: DC Shorts Film Festival

There is so much to say about this short, and yet I will say very little because so much would be given away!  That's the trouble with shorts--7 minutes of film doesn't give a lot of room for mystery in your review.  

 

It is the story of a chicken, but is told from three different eras in three different animation styles.  The animation isn't the best, especially when set next to something done by Pixar, but I enjoyed the change.  It begins in 1959 with black and white silent film style, accompanied by simple stick-figure-like animated characters that are fairly time appropriate.  

 

Next is a longer sequence, perhaps emphasizing a move from the simple into the distracted and chaotic 2009.  Here we are introduced to carelessness, pointless video games, cell phone distraction, and lack of respect.  

 

The last time we visit is 2059.  If you are wondering how the world will look forty-seven years from now, you will have to see this short, as I'm not going to mention anything except that it holds the best animation of the short.  However, it still falls a little flat and I am left in more appreciation of the classic simplicity of the 1959 animation.  

 

There are a lot of laughs and somewhat unexpected turns, complete with a cute, cheesy ending that makes the entire film worth it.  It you can locate this one I definitely suggest you watch it.  I think that any generation will be able to watch it, appreciate it, and connect with it in completely different ways from one another.   

 

 

Sources: DC Shorts Film Festival, 411 Mania, Lights Camera Jackson, Opinionless, Paste Magazine 

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2011)

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2011)
84th Academy Awards 2012
4/5 Stars
Won Best Animated Short (William Joyce, Brandon Oldenburg).
Watched August 28, 2012.

photo source: Los Angeles Times 

I didn't like this short quite as much as last week's Dimanche/Sunday.  It is a story inspired by hurricane Katrina and the Wizard of Oz, complete with flying houses.  The main character is an author whose words get blown right off the page in the storm.  His once vibrantly colorful world is suddenly stripped black and white.  He walks past overturned homes and mourning neighbors as he searches for the letters that were once a part of his book.  Suddenly, he sees a woman flying past, being helped along by a flock of flying books.  One of her hard backed companions -- Humpty Dumpty to be exact -- jumps ship and leads him to a giant library of vibrantly colored books.  Through the help of Humpty Dumpty and several thousands of books, he finds the inspiration to write again, as well as to bring the books to the masses.

 

A cute, inspirational piece about the power of books and words, I felt like it was a bit too long, but well done overall.  It is done in the old, silent film, MGM style that I have been experiencing a lot of lately.  Because of that, I found it a little flat and modern and was wishing for an original silent film.  However, for those who haven't been watching Richard Barthelmess or Janet Gaynor lately, this might be an enjoyable blast to the past with a modern twist.  If you want to spend 15 minutes of your life watching books fly, this would be a good choice for you.

 

Sources: IMDB, Huffington Post, Metromix New York, Black Plume, Los Angeles Times