Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

Jetée · 03-07-2010, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BadNick

so I wonder who's winning the Academy Awards?

I've had this one website opened in my browser for more than 3 weeks, and only yesterday did I finally read the 4+ paragraphs that left me trembling.

Turns out, I could've watched all the Academy-Nominated live-action short films all this time (or maybe since March 2) and been caught-up in time to pick my favorite. I didn't though.

Here's the link within the site: Shorts International Present - The Oscar Nominated Short Film 2010

I already posted all of the animated short film nominees here (as well as a few of the shortlisted ones that perhaps should have nominated instead of Granny O'Grimm, among others).

My heart wants "Lady and The Reaper" to win, but this one paragraph really sums up what you could expect to happen:

The idea of releasing the ten Academy Award nominated animated and live-action short films in one package into theaters is such a great one that it's a wonder no one thought of it sooner than a few years ago. As with any collection of shorts, these are always a mixed bag, especially given the Academy's century-long penchant for awarding "important" films rather than good ones. But lo and behold, there are some wonderful things here, too, and one, The Lady and the Reaper, that is just flat-out excellent.

I will refrain from making any predictions here, as it's nearly impossible to guess whether the Academy is interested in quality or in the mood for messages. Not to mention that there is one X-factor: Nick Park. Up to now, Park has won every single Oscar he has been nominated for, except one, and that's only because Creature Comforts and A Grand Day Out competed against each other in 1989 and one of them had to lose. Will the Academy feel obligated to give Park a fifth Oscar? Or has Wallace & Gromit grown a little tired over the years? Personally, I found A Matter of Loaf and Death highly accomplished and enjoyable, but fairly minor; it's not much different from the last entry, A Close Shave.

and here's the live-action film summaries:

Quote:

In the live-action category, there are three message movies and two comedies. One of the message movies, Miracle Fish, actually does a fine job of disguising its agenda until the final moments, which is a welcome approach. Directed by Luke Doolan and set in Australia, Miracle Fish tells the story of a lower-class boy who endures the cruel ridicule of his classmates for not getting anything more than a cellophane "miracle fish" toy for his 8th birthday. He sneaks off for a nap in the nurse's office and when he wakes up, everyone is gone. He begins to enjoy the solitude, until the other shoe drops. The treatment of the child actor is fairly shallow, but young Karl Beattie has a presence that grows on you.

Patrik Eklund's Instead of Abracadabra, a comedy from Sweden, is arguably my favorite of the live-action batch. A very geeky magician (with a scraggly little moustache and bad glasses) still lives at home with his parents and is on the verge of having to get a real job when he meets his pretty new neighbor. To impress her, he convinces his father to let him perform at his 60th birthday party, where he plans to try the old "saber-in-a-box" trick. Eklund keeps a quirky pace throughout, and there are some funny lines around the magician's favorite magic word: "Chimay," which he uses "instead of abracadabra."

The other comedy, The New Tenants, is from America, translated into English from a screenplay by Anders Thomas Jensen, though I'm not sure whether it's a "remake." Two men move into a new apartment. Unfortunately, the former tenant had some unresolved issues that brings several new visitors, including an angry husband (Vincent D'Onofrio) and a fast-talking drug dealer (Kevin Corrigan). Director Joachim Back keeps a steady, deadpan pace, and writer David Rakoff cooks up some terrific dialogue.

Then we have the message movies. Juanita Wilson's The Door takes place in Russia just after the Chernobyl incident, and it's a pretty typical Oscar contender, with heavy, self-conscious symbolism and weighty importance. A father must break into his own house to steal a door upon which to lay the body of his daughter (dead of radiation poisoning). Directed by Gregg Helvey and set in India, Kavi is probably the worst of the lot. It tells the story of a boy who must work making mud bricks for a tyrant to help pay his father's debt; he'd much rather play cricket. The film sets up some very awkward moments of violence and suspense (it feels too rushed) and pays off with a printed onscreen message about real-life slavery.

Being a glass-half full type of guy, I came away from this collection excited for the good stuff I had seen, and hopeful that the voters will see excellence in the same places. (It's always a bonus on Oscar night to have seen the short films. It's fun at parties!) Overall, this is a collection worth seeing.