Hey folks, Harry here with a great feature for you readers out there. God I've always wanted to have access to all the nominated animated and live-action short films... and both the short and feature length Documentaries. Alas... these are forgotten forms for the world at large it seems. I watch the documentaries at film festivals I attend, and try to attend the shorts as well, but often times the ones that get nominated aren't there... sometimes they are and you miss them... and then sometimes you get lucky. This year, I was lucky on the Feature length documentaries and saw 3 of the 5. But never saw any of the other films listed here other than Pixar's. Here's a reader that's seen em all... here you go...
Hey Harry and Moriarty,
Andrew-Wan Kenobi here. You may remember me from my reviews of 25th Hour and The Hours. A few weeks ago I did something that even that lardass Jack Mathews from the NY Daily News couldn’t pull off.
I managed to see all of the Oscar Nominated Documentaries and shorts for
2003. Since many of your readers will not have the opportunity to see
them, I thought I would share some insight and hopefully help make filling
out contest ballots on Oscar night a little easier. I’ll give a brief
synopsis and then my take on each one.
ANIMATED SHORTS
THE CATHEDRAL – On a strange world a pilgrim explores a strange cathedral. As he looks around he doesn’t notice that the ‘statues’ in the church are coming to life... and hiding a dark secret.
Lots of cool lighting, dark shadows and realistic movement. Not much of a story though. It’s more of a technology demo than an entertaining short film.
The CHUBBCHUBBS! - The lowly janitor of the Ale-E-Inn, a watering hole on the edge of space, causes havoc and gets fired. When he receives a warning that the CHUBBCHUBBS! are approaching he tries to warn the patrons of the bar… only to find himself face to face with the toughest creatures in the universe.
The most comedic short out of the bunch. It’s cute. It goofs on Star Wars & Jar Jar Binks and best of all; it’s laugh out loud funny.
DAS RAD – The Rocks are alive. But they move and speak very, very slow. So slow in fact, that as they talk to each other the world around them changes dramatically,
The most compelling and original of all of the animated shorts. The stop motion animation is very cool. It’s really hard to describe this one. You have to see it to believe it. My personal favorite of the bunch.
MIKE’S NEW CAR – Mike shows off his cool new car to Sulley. That’s when Mike experiences the ultimate in car trouble.
(Chances are this is the only short you’ve seen, as it’s included on the ‘Monsters Inc.’ DVD.) It’s good but not as good as last year’s winner ‘For the Birds’. It’s nice to see Mike and Sully again though.
MT. HEAD – A stingy Japanese man who hates to waste anything eats a bunch of cherry seeds. That’s when a cherry tree starts to grow atop of his head. And that’s just the start of his problems.
It’s very strange. The story is entertaining enough. But, its hand drawn animation isn’t anything special.
My Pick? It’s a tough call. I’m guessing that The ChubbChubbs! Will take
home the Oscar. Why? It’s the funniest. But lets not count out Pixar.
Putting "Mike’s New Car" on millions of family oriented DVD’s couldn’t
hurt, right? My Fav "Das Rad" has an outside chance though. But play it
safe and go for "the ChubbChubbs!"
LIVE ACTION SHORTS
FAIT D’HIVER – A man gets stuck in traffic on a cold winter night. When he attempts to call his wife on his new cell phone he causes irreparable damage.
Holy crap! This short is hysterical. And the best part is that it’s ‘short’ like a short film should be. I won’t ruin the surprise ending for you.
I’LL WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE – A lonely single woman rides the subway home in Paris. As luck would have it, a man proclaims that he is lonely and wishes to find a woman for an honest relationship.
Really cute story that has the audience wrapped around its finger - until a bleak and disappointing last 20 seconds. This ending sucks. Frickin’ French!
INJA (Dog) – A white South African farmer owns a puppy. The puppy likes a Xhosa boy better than the farmer so the farmer decides to teach it a nasty lesson. Ten years later, both of their lives will be at the mercy of the dog.
Ugh. Watching a man put a puppy in a burlap sack and kick to teach it a lesson is no fun for anyone. Watching the dog get it’s comeuppance isn’t the treat that it should be.
JOHNNY FLYNTON – A shy yet intimidating boxer tries to gain control of his life outside the ring, with the help of his very supportive wife.
The longest of the shorts clocking in at 37 minutes. Johnny is an up and coming boxer with a violent streak. Instead of being a contender, Johnny isn’t that interesting of a character.
DER ER EN YNDIG MAND (This Charming Man) – Lars is an unemployed man living in Denmark. When his ID number is mistakenly switched with a Pakistani, he decides to play the role and become ‘El Hassan’. That’s when he falls in love… of course the woman thinks that he’s El Hassan from Pakistan and not Lars Hansen from Denmark.
This Charming Man should be the winner here. Well-drawn characters, great
dialogue and a scathing comment on racism should be the combination to win
the hearts of the Academy. While ‘Fait D’Hiver’ is my favorite, it’s
probably too dark and cynical to be a winner. Inja is a serious morality
tale so it may have a dark horse of a chance. Again, look for This
Charming Man to take it back home to Denmark.
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
THE COLLECTOR OF BEDFORD STREET – Larry Selman is a 60-year-old man with mental retardation. What makes Larry ‘special’ is the thousands of dollars he raises for local charities every year. The community loves him so much that they come to his aid when he faces eviction and money problems.
During the film Larry talks about how the co-op board in the building tried to get rid of him because he was letting homeless people stay with him in his apartment. He also comments that these visitors wrecked his apartment, stole from him and almost caused a fire. "I don’t know why I do these things." Larry wonders aloud.
I’ll tell you why Larry. Because you’re retarded. (Just kidding.) At any rate the film isn’t very good. You never feel that Larry is in dire need. Hell, at one point Larry asks the filmmaker if the rabbi they just spoke to "signed a release". Poor sound and iMovie quality editing will only make filmmakers wonder if they could make a better film than this.
MIGHTY TIMES: THE LEGACY OF ROSA PARKS – Friends and family and eyewitnesses retell the story of Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement.
It’s done really well, but it isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. The reenactments look great. But the subject matter is nothing that we haven’t seen before. Very well produced and very ‘by the books’ documentary.
TWIN TOWERS – Cameras follow the NYPD Emergency Service Unit, focusing on one officer’s accomplishments and his ultimate sacrifice on 9-11-2001.
Heartbreaking, emotional and even slicker than the Rosa Parks story. It’s extremely well produced and has a ‘Third Watch’ feel to it. (It was produced by Dick Wolf and Maury Povich.) My personal favorite of the bunch.
WHY CAN’T WE BE A FAMILY AGAIN? – Two brothers struggle with their mother’s drug addiction while trying to stay a family.
It’s sad that the kids lost their mother to the world of crack and you feel for them. But you also see that they are loved by other family members, (including their Grandmother), so it’s not as sad as you might think. If anything, you really want to bitch-slap the mother for deserting her children.
THE WINNER? It’s between Twin Towers and "Mighty Times". Twin Towers deals
with a seemingly heavier subject matter. Not that racism should is thought
of as less important. If anything, it’s the timing that will give Twin
Towers the win.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE - Michael Moore’s exploration into the world of gun violence in America.
I enjoyed Bowling For Columbine… but I have problems with it.
One of my problems is that I think that Michael Moore can be a hypocrite at times. Example? In the film he goes to a producer of the TV show ‘Cops’ and asks him why he doesn’t do a show about corporate criminals. His reply was basically that it wouldn’t be entertaining. As a producer of a popular reality show, the man knows his audience.
On the other hand, if Michael Moore really wanted to do a documentary exploring why there is so much violence in the United States he would have asked psychologists and experts on violence instead of a bunch of celebrities, like Matt Stone and Charlton Heston, (i.e. people who don’t have any real answers.) So, why doesn’t he do this? Because not asking celebrities wouldn’t be entertaining. ‘Nuff said.
DAUGHTER FROM DANANG - A Vietnamese girl is taken from her family and sent to the United States and put up for adoption. 22 years later she travels back Vietnam and is reunited with her mother and siblings.
Great flick. The ‘daughter’ of the film had any trace of Vietnamese heritage wiped out by a southern upbringing. Hell, she doesn’t even look Asian. Talk about a stranger in a strange land. It’s really interesting to see these cultures clash.
PRISONER OF PARADISE – The story of Jewish Actor/Director Kurt Geron whose life is completely changed by the rise of the Nazi’s.
Let me state a theory that I have regarding the Oscars. If a documentary feature’s subject is about the plight of the Jews in WWII it will win. While ‘PoP’ deals with the holocaust the problem with this feature is that Kurt Geron was worried more about his career and largely tried to ignore the problem. He also comes across as selfish, which makes him less sympathetic. To top it off he, made a propaganda film for the Nazis which some audiences may find either morally reprehensible or the only way that he would survive.
SPELLBOUND – Portrait of 8 children who are competing in the 72nd annual National Spelling Bee.
Out of all the Docs this is the crowd pleaser. There is never a dull moment. During the footage of the contest you will ‘bee’ on the edge of your seat as the kids attempt to spell words that you or I will never need to spell.
WINGED MIGRATION – The makers of Microcosmos now focus on the world of birds and their fight for survival.
It’s as if you’re flying with the birds. I can’t wait to see the ‘making of’. But without the stunning visuals you don’t have much of a story, and it’s ultimately just a bunch of birds.
The winner? It has to go to Spellbound. As it’s the best documentary. While Bowling For Columbine is a thought provoking film it isn’t really a documentary in the true sense of the word. Docs are usually filmed by an outsider filming events and acting as merely an observer. Planning and setting up scenarios like going to K-Mart and buying guns at a bank really isn’t documenting anything. And if you disagree then you would have to call JACKASS: The Movie a documentary as well. (Yes, I liked Jackass)
So to Recap…
The ChubbChubbs! for best animated short, Der Er En Yndig Mand (This Charming Man) for Best Live Action short and Twin Towers for Best Documentary Short and Spellbound for best documentary feature.
Good luck to everyone Oscar Night.
