Specific subject matter aside, what grabs me about Born Free is that it’s first and foremost a short film with a message and a promo second. It seems that with a few exceptions from time to time, music videos have become happy to occupy the ground of band performance piece or clever visual feast centred around a single kinetic idea or a ‘how did they do that?’ wow factor. What Gavras does, with the assistance of André Chemetoff’s gritty camerawork, is very quickly build a full and worrisome world through an abstraction, which to some may feel heavy handed, but is nonetheless powerful, probably because we’ve seen these images ‘for real’ in rolling news coverage of places we don’t live.

In hindsight the marriage of Gavras with the politically engaged M.I.A was an obvious coupling. Gavras is a co-founder of Kourtrajmé, an art and filmmaking collective in Paris, producing projects focused on social provocation such as the 2007 documentary, 365 days in Clichy-Montfermeil, which explores the issues of the 2005 French suburbs riots. Gavras also directed a hooded gang on a rampage through the streets of Paris in Justice’s controversial Stress promo, which was equally effecting but not loved by all; “For a few months, I was one of the most hated men in France, but it was fun.”

Within hours of its posting Born Free was yanked from YouTube for its graphic content and M.I.A has herself been slammed with accusations of sensationalism or ‘violence for violence sake’, contradicting her well known anti-violence stance. However, it’s a stretch to brand the promo as gratuitous; from the track’s sampling of Suicide’s 1977 Ghost Rider (which originally contained the lyrics, “America is killing its youth”), to M.I.A’s defiant chant of “I was born free”, this is a well crafted video with something to say in the vein of Peter Watkins’ Punishment Park. Perhaps 12 year old actor Ian Hamrick (whose character is shot in the head at point blank range) best surmised the film’s anti-genocide message when he was door-stepped by TMZ; “I think she was trying to show violence to end violence”.

I was happy to hear that Gavras is extending the dystopian world of Born Free in his coming feature Redheads, starring Vincent Cassel in a tale of “two outcast redheads on a road trip of hate, violence, and self-destruction.” We’ll have to see if the subject matter remains as compelling over the longer duration.

Since those days, this short has become sort of an online Halloween favorite, and it’s easy to see why.

As brisk as a nursery rhyme, The Cat with Hands is a twisted tale (so deliciously Grimm) about a well-dwelling cat that steals human body parts. That’s where the hands came from, see? Amazing how creepy the film manages to be just by attaching our normal limbs to the body of a household pet. Narrated by a single voice throughout, the story takes the shape of a freaky folk tale, and even has the campfire-style twist to go with it. This ghoulish concept originated from a recurring nightmare the director’s sister used to have when she was young, which stacks another evidence for children being the best source for all things messed-up.

Writer-director Robert Morgan’s experience with stop-motion animation is impressive, having also done a couple of really great grotesque shorts reminiscent of Brothers Quay (take a look at his Separation). Nowadays, it’s rare enough that stop-motion animation is used at all—unless your name rhymes with Schmenry Schmelick—let alone used as an effect. Funded by UK’s Channel 4, Morgan was able to shoot a portion of the film in stark 35mm live-action and a portion in stop-motion figures. The latter is specifically used to render the eponymous cat. It gives that side of the film an otherworldly effect: cartoony enough to be fantasy (which helps with hiding the revelation) but not so cartoony that it takes away from the spooky atmosphere.

Having been around for so long, The Cat with Hands may not be a discovery anymore, but it remains a favorite for its memorably simple creature and myth-like attribute—like a bedtime story that won’t go away.

Like Alive in Joberg, the 2005 short from District 9 director Neill Blomkamp, this feels much like a calling card, showcasing the creative talents of the director Fede Alvarez, who, along with fellow animator Mauro Rondan, were responsible for the impressive digital effects. The opening sequence of the boy playing with his toy robots as the giant machines begin their deadly attack is pure cinematic genius. Within the opening 30 seconds of this almost 5 minute short, when the colossal robots emerge from the fog, you can tell you are witnessing something very different and something very special.

As the film progresses there are no punches pulled nor any distractions used to avoid showing this breathtaking assault. There are no Cloverfield tricks at play here, this is a full-on action sequence, giant robots crash through landscapes and city streets and, accompanied by dozens of attack ships, they proceed to destroy Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo.

This is a film that relies on careful planning, inventive shooting and most importantly, unforgettable digital effects. Looking at the amount of money cinema throws at visual effects in modern times, it’s quite astounding to think this was created for such a minuscule budget. After shooting principal photography in 2006, the film took 6 months of concentrated effort spread out over 2 years to complete, but in doing so the team behind Panic Attack have pulled off the rare and enviable achievement of creating an effective, believable science fiction short, that at times can put many of Hollywood’s attempts to shame.

And yet—there’s always an “and yet”—fan films and the Internet are so gruesomely intertwined that to reject one is to reject the other, at least with regard to video. Only porn stands prouder as the flag-bearer of streaming distribution. It hurts all the more because of those very occasional gems that force fools like me back into the muck searching for another Troops or Pink Five.  As this site claims to represent the best in online shorts, we need to dip into the slime, and what do you know? I found a jewel, pre-shined and all.

The Hunt for Gollum needs to be watched twice, because a first viewing will be interrupted by your own exclamations of “This can’t be a fan film” and “There’s no way this was done for under £3,000.”  It is an amazing piece of work: sweeping vistas, ancient forests, goblins hordes, and all put together by unpaid fans.

The story, with an adjustment or two, comes from an appendix to the Lord of the Rings that I can’t recall reading. Gandalf fears that Gollum may be captured by the dark forces of Mordor and reveal the location of the One Ring, and sends the ranger Strider to find the warped creature and keep him away from their enemies. Does that mean nothing to you?  Do you need to be told who Gandalf and Strider and Gollum are?  Or who Peter Jackson is?  If so, this film isn’t for you. It makes no attempt to appeal to a wider audience. It doesn’t need to. Only Lord of the Rings fanatics, that is, fans of the humongous epic cinematic trilogy, need apply.

While it doesn’t stand on its own, as a previously unfilmed chapter in Peter Jackson’s vision, it works incredibly well.  Director Chris Bouchard has Jackson’s style down pat, and uses enough wide shots of mountains and marches though wildernesses, all set to music just this side of Wagner, to lead anyone to believe that The Hunt for Gollum is really a secret proof of concept piece that Jackson shot to prove to New Line that he could pull off the larger project.

Adrian Webster makes a convincing Aragorn, though the poor man is stepping into the slick, testosterone oozing shoes of Viggo Mortensen. “Convincing” is the best that could have been managed.  Patrick O’Connor is a level up as Gandalf, and for my money fits the literary wizard better than Ian McKellen, and I am fond of McKellen’s work.

Is The Hunt for Gollum non-stop entertainment and excitement?  No; it is laced with self-importance and drags for much of its length. But that’s exactly the same thing I’ve said of Jackson’s mega-film. If you found its tone on the money and were comfortable with its leisurely pace, than you will be happy with every moment of this work.

The Hunt for Gollum is that rarest of fan films. It matches its progenitor without feeling unnecessary or embarrassing. It brings action, depth of character, and effects worthy of its parent. If you’ve left Middle Earth behind, there’s nothing here to bring you back, but if you are twitching for the big screen adaptation of The Hobbit, here is your fix.

I’ve heard Jasper Morello described as a gothic horror, but there’s certainly a strong connection to science-fiction drawing from the genesis of the genre in the vein of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The sub-genre is a newer category, steampunk, which—for those unfamiliar with the term—is essentially a 19th century vision of the future where steam powers all. The allure is both a nostalgia for the Victorian-age aesthetic and a fascination with mechanics all set in a fantasy world with few limitations.

The unique style of animation is truly something to behold and reminiscent of the oldest surviving animated feature, The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1927). The simplified characters are reduced to silhouettes diverting our attention from the character to the action in the background—intricate workings of steampunk machinery and soft, ethereal skyscapes. Lucas created the characters out of various found materials and shot them in stop-motion—the silhouette effect, he says, was the result of a “happy accident” when a light blew out. The machines and backgrounds were created with the aid of a 3D computer rendering and all was composited together to created a very seamless, very unique combination.

Jasper Morello ran the festival circuit a couple years back until it reached the pinnacle of short film—an Oscar nomination— where I saw it for the first time. It did so well, that Lucas has three more Jasper adventures in the works. If you’ve already seen this film, it’s a great second-viewing. If you haven’t yet seen it, you’re in for a real treat.

A purple -bearded woodsman is our protagonist, running and jumping throughout the forest, singing of his joy and freedom. His freedom simply happens to consist of a lot of butchering of hapless woodland critters; that is until he sets his sights on bigger prey…

The violence, though bloody, has an insouciant charm throughout as the Woodsman revels gleefully in the massacres he perpetrates. He seems to be sprite-sized, which brings about an effective juxtaposition of his magical, marvelous nature with conventional depictions of faeries, gnomes, elves and other woodland dwellers, imparting a wonderful sense of transgressive irony.

Originally conceived as a comic book, the film retains much of the the comic’s feel and design. The creative irreverence of I Live in the Woods, is something that I feel the comic form does best, but Winston has successfully made the conversion. Still certain elements fared better than others.

Visually, the film is top-notch and innovative. The outdoor scenes are fun, and the sets are cool and well-designed. Mr. Winston put up an awesome time-lapse video of his shooting process here. However there was not a lot of content in the comic in which to go off of, therefore the narration is a bit sparse. Sometimes it was a poem, with rhyming couplets, other times it was song. Still at other times, the action took over and there was no narration at all. Stronger writing could have helped tie the story together more effectively, which is important in a story that is so short to begin with.

That shortness is thus the other factor. I most often complain about short films being too long, I Live in the Woods however was too short! That is a compliment of course, I was captivated and enjoying what I saw on the screen so much that I wanted more, but also a critique as well. While no amount of padding could have made the Woodsman’s leap into the clouds logical, I felt a little more time with him in the woods would have made made the climactic scene more resonant.

Still, we love stop-motion here at Short of the Week, it’s the stubborn little art-form that refuses to die. With young practioners like Max Winston, may it live long and prosper.

A Sundance 10/10 film: currently offline

Puppet is his finest creation. Like all his work, it is hand drawn, touches on real human feelings, is filled with suffering, and is exceptionally funny. I’ve seen it on a big screen with an audience and by the end, all you could hear was laughter.

A man happily makes a hand puppet, which of course, has its own happy face. But the puppet isn’t docile and its smile doesn’t form from kindly acts. It quickly sews a clone, and together, they control the man, taking him on a journey that can only bring him pain. The jokes remind me of the physical comedy bits in Bug Bunny shorts (and that’s the highest compliment I can pay any humorous film), though darker. This isn’t Looney Tunes, but Truly Disturbed Tunes. There’s also a good deal of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Puppet, though comparatively, Mickey’s adventures were a slightly rainy picnic.

The theme here is obsession, though multiple forms of masochism fit nicely. I wouldn’t claim Puppet is a statement against obsession since it’s unlikely Smith has any interest in being cured of his own artistic compulsions. Puppet just shows you what it feels like.

Technically it’s not a short film, it’s a music video from 1994 for the popular Japanese pop duo Chage and ASKA and thus I’m cheating. ASA and I decided a while back we wanted to stick more so to narrative pieces and shy away from music video and the like. But in my defense he did review The Owl a few weeks back, and this music video, with the care taken in the development of its characters, the intelligible plot and cinematic scope, make On Your Mark far more akin to an auteur’s short film than to an MTV style/technique showcase.

A quick rundown of the plot—two police officers raid the headquarters of a religious cult in a futuristic city. Inside the lair they discover a beautiful young girl with angel wings. She quickly taken away by a team in biohazard suits, but to the two male officers the image of the girl lingers—they decide to help the girl if they can.

Released to much fanfare in Japan, longtime fans of Miyazaki were excited to be able to see Studio Ghibli’s take on a futuristic cityscape, something anime is generally known for, but was a setting which Miyazaki and Ghibli had hitherto ignored in favor of either fantastic or idyllic landscapes in their previous films. Other elements remain the same though, the angel girl is directly out of central casting as far as Miyazaki heroines should look or act, and preserved from previous films, is his fascination and wonderment with flight.

Also preserved was the incomparable quality of the animation. A bit dated now, but still gorgeous, and for its time quite an achievement. On Your Mark was produced in part as an experiment by Miyazaki in using computers to supplement hand drawn cell-animation, a blending, rather than replacement of traditional techniques with technology that to this day is still the norm for the anime industry. It worked well too, as several of these then-experimental techniques were later employed in Miyazaki’s Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke).

Still the genius of Miyazaki has never been simply the look or feel of his work, but the tremendous emotion it is able to elicit. Constrained by the brief runtime, On Your Mark is still capable of pulling those heartstrings and engendering questions and thoughts. What exactly is the nature of the “restart” halfway through the film? I’ve seen the film several times and its still a mystery.

Painstakingly animated entirely in Flash, Bendito Machine avoids the usual pitfalls of Flash animation. Malis’s animation feels incredibly organic—supported by well-crafted sound effects. I must admit, this didn’t grab me immediately, but after awhile this short grew on me. And there’s something to say about a film that sticks with you—something profound. But I won’t attempt it here.

Check out more of Jossie Malis’ films at Zumbakamera.