The Shorts

I went to see the Live Action and Animated Oscar Nominated Short Films again this year. Overall I enjoyed the shorts more last year, but I still think they are two fun showcases to see. I wrote last year how short films tend to have a surprise or punch line…I didn’t see that as much in this years collection. The live action tended to be way more serious. I think the quick plot twists or the punch line of a short film is really what I enjoyed the most last year. I hope that there is more of that in next year’s collection. Instead of reviewing these films I’ll just give a brief overview of the plot and then do similar superlatives like last year.

Best Short Film: Animated

Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”- Maggie Simpson gets dropped off at daycare and tries to help a butterfly escape the grasp of another over zealous todler.

Adam and Dog – The story of mans best friend from a creationist viewpoint.

Head Over Heels – An older couple lives in a house together with opposite gravitational pulls. Even though they are together all the time it can seem they are living in different worlds and it can be hard for them to connect without putting in the effort.

Fresh Guacamole – A cute two minute stop motion animation about making guac…using objects instead of actual food…

Paperman – A man tries to get the attention of a pretty girl using paper airplanes across buildings…when they fail to get her attention…the paper won’t let him give up!

Most Adult Themed	Head Over Heels
Most Kid Friendly (TIE)	Longest Daycare / Paperman
Most Abstract (TIE)	Fresh Guacamole / Head Over Heels
Funniest	Longest Daycare
Cutest	Paperman
Most Original	Fresh Guacamole
Personal Favorite	Paperman
Oscar Prediction	Paperman

Best Short Film: Live Action

Asad – A coming of age story about a boy in Somalia trying to become a good man like the wise fisherman while dealing with violence in his own town.

Death of a Shadow – A man is trapped in limbo assigned to capture images of shadows as people die. After he has taken 1000 images he has a chance to go back life…but should he?

Curfew – As a last resort, a severely depressed man is called in to watch his niece after school…with very strict rules to follow.

Henry – An older man deals with the terrible confusion of Alzheimer's while remembering his beautiful wife and their life together.

Buzkashi Boys – Two boys in Afghanistan have big dreams of becoming Buzkashi riders (a horse sport in Afghanistan) despite their seemingly depressingly predictable fates.

Most Serious	All
Most Kid Friendly	None
Funniest	Curfew
Most Abstract	Henry
Most Creative	Death of a Shadow
My Favorite	Curfew
Oscar Prediction	Buzkashi Boys

Did you go see the short films this year? What did you think? I liked them but I definitely enjoyed last year’s nominees more (particularly in the Live Action category). But I’m still excited to see who will take home the big prize on Sunday! Stay tuned for more movie posts before then!