Short films are fun because you can watch so many of them in little time. This year, for instance, it will take you about 70 minutes to watch all five of the nominees, and there isn't a bad one in the bunch.
To peak your interest, here's what's nominated, what they're about, and what I thought of them. And though I really liked all of them, I am ranking them in order from least to most favorite:
5. THE LADY AND THE REAPER (La Dama y la Muerte)
Though the animation is perhaps the most bright and crisp in this film of the five nominees, the subject feels like one I've seen before. This one has the least to say, really. It's about an old woman who is ready to die and join her husband in heaven when, just as the Grim Reaper takes her hand, a hero surgeon revives her. There might be a political statement about the right-to-die in here, but it's a little too silly for that. And plot-wise, a little simple. Running time: 8 minutes. (3.0 out of 4)
4. GRANNY O'GRIMM'S SLEEPING BEAUTY
Again, the animation itself here made me gasp, it's so good. But again, this one isn't about much. I give it the slight edge over "The Lady and the Reaper" because the Granny character is so funny. This one is simply a grandmother attempting to put her granddaughter to sleep with a bedtime story, but the story is such a twisted, dark and violent take on "Sleeping Beauty" that the child is traumatized instead. Pay special attention to the very end as Granny leaves - what she says and what she sings are priceless. Running time: 6 minutes. (3.o out of 4)
3. FRENCH ROAST
Here's a great example of how a short film can have a lot of heart and a message in such a small timeframe. "French Roast" features a patron at a French cafe who rejects a panhandler looking for change and then, when it comes time for him to pay his bill, discovers that he is without his wallet. Mortified, he instead orders many more espressos until he can come up with a plan to pay. I won't give away what happens, but it's witty and touching. Running time: 8 minutes. (3.o out of 4)
2. WALLACE AND GROMIT IN: "A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH"
Nick Park is the god of the Animated Short Oscar category and an Oscar darling. He has won this category three times before, twice for Wallace and Gromit shorts. In addition, a Wallace and Gromit feature, "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," won the Oscar in the Animated Feature category a few years ago. This year's entry, "A Matter of Loaf and Death" is, at almost a half hour in length, the longest of the nominees and, thus, the most plot-driven and fleshed-out. This time around, the lovable dope and his wise dog are operating a mechanically-driven bakery when Wallace falls in love with a rival baker who turns out to be not what she seems. Just as Wallace gets engaged, Gromit discovers that his master's fiancee is a serial killer...of bakers...and she's going for a baker's dozen. Another instant classic from Nick Park, with a particularly inspired scene involving a recreation of the pottery scene from "Ghost," but with dough. Running time: 29 minutes. (3.5 out of 4)
1. LOGORAMA
"Logorama" is a copyright nightmare, and so unexpectedly and shockingly irreverent and funny that it takes you by surprise. A high-speed cops and robbers chase through a cartoon world made up of every corporate logo you can possibly think of has two foul-mouthed Michelin men in pursuit of a hostage-taking, cigarette-smoking, machine gun-wielding Ronald McDonald. The Michelin cops have a scene of dialogue that will remind you of Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta in "Pulp Fiction." Keep your eyes open for a gay Mr. Clean as a tour guide and an ass-grabbing Mr. Pringles. You won't believe how clever the integration of the logos are in this gem of a short. Whether or not it's a political statement about the over-advertising of our culture, "Logorama" is a profanity-laced, hip joy ride. I was not expecting what I got, and I can't wait to watch it again! Running time: 16 minutes. Note: I could only find this one in two pieces on YouTube, but there's nothing missing from it. (4.0 out of 4)
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