The plot is as complex as you would expect (or desire) from a beer-based zombie film. A drunken brew master has embarrassed the brewery for the last time, being exiled to the lonely late-night shift. He hasn’t let this setback interrupt his drinking, and while looking into a vat of… OK, let’s not over think this. We all know that beer turns guys into zombies, right? That’s the plot. Done.

Co-writer/director Rob van der Velden approached internet fame with his winning entry into Quentin Tarantino’s fake trailer competition (Dutch edition), Nailed by Nikita. Fitting with the tone of the faux trailers in Tarantino and Rodriguez’s Grindhouse, Nailed by Nikita introduces the touching tale of an abused, often naked woman, with a nail gun. God how I love nail guns. Van der Velden upped his game, with help from de Voogd, for Zombeer, surpassing the production values of most genre features, as well as almost everything which airs on the SyFy Channel. The last is pertinent because Zombeer screened on that channel, and was also nominated for their Shocking Shorts Award.

I suppose you could find some political commentary here, or a statement about alcoholism, but my mind never wandered into the land of deep meanings while watching drunken zombies take a bite out of tourists. Sure, it’s hard to become emotionally involved as the film never picks a character to focus on. And yes, it could be a more complete story and less of what feels like an intro to a larger work. But it is already delivering zombies and beer. To ask for more would be ungrateful.

Since Zombeer could stand in for the definition of “guy” film (definitions with words in them are way too feminine), don’t watch it alone. The Super bowl is nearly upon us, another stereotypically masculine bit of entertainment. Set out a few twelve packs, and make sure you have at least a case of Dutch brews chilling. Order up a few pizzas, and before the big game, start off the afternoon with Zombeer. Nothing could be more fitting.

A new film from Spy Films is always an event. This is the house that brought us Alive in Joburg, which was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film, and Trevor Cawood’s Terminus, which, thanks to Film School Rejects, I recently learnt might follow the same path.

Nuit Blanche is unlikely to follow in its predecessor’s footsteps though. Thinner in concept and almost non-existent in story, the 4 min film nonetheless is fat in style, featuring the customary groundbreaking VFX we expect from the house. Directed by Arev Manoukian, the film centers on a passing encounter by two people who share a charged moment. The B&W short faithfully reproduces a 50’s noir film effect that’s gorgeous in its own right before hyper-reality sets in.

I found this film via occasional SotW contributor Dek, who, after a long break, is back to publishing content at an inhuman pace over at No Fat Clips! He has a a 1080p version of the film you should check out. Also a making of is provided over at Vimeo.

Short Film (Live Action)
The Door—Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
Instead of Abracadabra—Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
Kavi—Gregg Helvey
Miracle Fish—Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
The New Tenants—Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

View the full list »

Earlier this week, the venerable festival bestowed its favor—the coveted Jury Prize for short film, upon Drunk History Vol. 5: Douglass and Lincoln. The previous iterations of this series have gained great fame on the interwebs via YouTube and Funny or Die, but, as the vol. 5 in the title suggests, it really has more in common with what we think of as a web series. Linked by a central premise, the filmmakers record drunken historians rambling about key moments in US history. Celebrities then act out the narrative in hokey costumes, with the filmmakers using self-reflexively ridiculous sets and edit techniques, to, admittedly, riotous comic effect.

The two newest entries which took Sundance by storm, the jury prize winning Douglass and Lincoln, plus one about the tragic life and times of Tesla, are not available, so we start instead at the beginning. Performed by a wasted Mark Gagliardi, Vol. 1 recounts that most famous of American duels, Hamilton v. Burr, with Michael Cera and Jake Johnson taking on the parts of the long-dead politicians.

There is a charm to the sets and anachronistic details of the approach. The radiant soft focus glow as faces emerge from the shadows is a spot-on mockery of the History Channel aesthetic, and Michael Cera’s Vans inexplicably crack me up. These two forces complement, as the parodying faithfulness to the form of historical re-enactments is undermined by out-of-place details. By far though I think the key element of comedy is the literal interpretation by the actors of the narrator’s words, which leads to some great moments such as “Alexander Hamilton shot a bullet right into Alexander Hamilton”. Don’t forget that our poor historian is blitzed, so fun slips like these are fortunately inevitable.

I like Drunken History, I wouldn’t give it a coveted feature on the site if I didn’t, however I am a bit worried about what institutional approval for a web series from something like Sundance means for Short Film. Often I look at web series and viral vids as in competition with short films for eyeballs and buzz. As unfriendly as festivals have been to the web, we don’t want them to jump ship, abandoning their traditional role as shepherd of short films. Sundance has self-consciously tried to make itself younger, more independent, and more web-savvy this year, embracing YouTube for shorts and rentals, so I do not think it is a coincidence that it was this year that a project like this broke though.

It helped though that it was Derek Waters who was involved. A Sundance alum, he had previously come to Park City with Derek & Simon, a web series he co-created with Mr. Show’s Bob Odenkirk, that had a famous run on the now-defunct Super Deluxe web site. Be warned Short Film, you’re already losing the web, now your festivals are targeted. Talent in web video is rising, and Drunk History’s creator is leading the charge.

In keeping with the Sundance theme, this Short of the Moment is a documentary that was well-received at the 2003 festival. It is a portrait of Fred Harwin, who straddles the Art/Science divide in his line of work—fashioning realistic fake eyes. The film is interesting, though not recommended for the squeamish. Nothing imaged is really any more traumatic than putting in contacts, but it looks a thousand times worse!

Speaking of looks, the film has a very slick aesthetic in its shooting style and edit. There is a dynamic tension in the quick cutting and juxtaposition of close-ups with wider shots, complemented by a propulsive soundtrack. Though a small story it is not an amateur production. Vance Malone of Station Film is the director and is a veteran filmmaker with many commercials and shorts to his credit. He’s back at Sundance this year with his new short The Poodle Trainer.

Filmed outside Barrow, Alaska, this short takes place on the beautiful yet terrible Arctic ice amongst the Inupiat peoples. The film’s dialogue is spoken in their language. A hunter, together with his pack of dogs, sees two men fighting on the barren horizon. From that point the film becomes a tense morality play, as the bystander must decide his level of engagement, and the participants must decide on the level of escalation. Further explication would spoil this simple, yet riveting story.

The challenge for a film like Sikumi (On the Ice), is overcoming its exotic location and culture—the same features that serve as an asset to lesser films. It is easy to dismiss shorts such as these by charging that their, admittedly alluring, foreigness is the primary source of appeal. Sikumi rises above such perceptions via superior craft, and a plot that is ultimately universal.

Rising star Cary Fukunaga served as DP on the project. His feature length directorial effort Sin Nombre, made many top 10 lists this past year, and he has now lined up a Hollywood adaptation of Jane Eyre for himself. While the vast white expanse of the arctic is an admittedly attractive backdrop, You have not seen it with this level of intimacy before. Planet Earth this is not. Fukunaga employs beautiful close ups and hand held POV’s to complement the obvious panoramas, shooting in anamorphic 35mm. All this while dealing with the challenging sub-zero Alaskan “summer”.

Writer/director Andrew Okpeaha MacLean though does great work in providing the story and tone for Fukunaga to visually relate. A Barrow native, MacLean writes what he knows, but is also writing within a long filmmaking tradition. Sikumi you see is really a Western. The frontier has not been tamed it has simply moved. Westerns are often about competing moralities,  tensions between personal codes. The weight of personal responsibility in these instances is heightened and rendered in sharp relief by the absence of societal enforcement. Typical protections afforded by Hobbesian bargains do not apply. It is within this space—the frontier of the ice, that the entirety of the film resides, and thus Sikumi is alternately suspenseful, scary, yet humanistic. The hunter with whom we arrive upon the scene with speaks very little, he is almost a non-character, as the onus of action quickly shifts to the perpetrator. Instead he serves as a stand-in for larger concepts such as Community, which judges and sets standards of conduct for a people , and  Conscience,  which, even in the absence of witnesses, must live with itself.

A startling spare and beautiful update on the Western,  Sikumi (On the Ice) takes full advantage of the stark and dramatic setting it employs, yet nonetheless could have been effectively  told anywhere using anyone. Thus it transcends novelty on the way to becoming one of the best shorts of recent memory.

Sundance kicked off tonight in Park City, Utah. I hadn’t heard any advance buzz about the 10/10 online series, a recent Sundance tradition that we covered last year, and so I sadly concluded that the festival had moved away from online distro for short films to instead focus more on its much-heralded pay per view partnership.

Not the case though! YouTube seems to have scored a coup, stealing the series from iTunes. Coup of course might be a bit strong of a word since, as usual, there seems to be no advance buzz or fanfare for the presence of these films, but the quality is high— I recognize several of them as winners from various worldwide festivals.

This move probably wouldn’t have happened without YouTube’s new video settings—many of these short films are available in drop-dead gorgeous 1080p. 5 of the films seem to reside in the Screening Room, while another 5 can be accessed via Sundance’s channel. For convenience though the film’s are linked below. I haven’t watched them all yet, but I’ll pour through them in the coming days. Let’s try and outsource this a bit though, please go ahead and tell everybody what to watch and what to avoid with your own mini-review in the comment!

Mr. Okra — 11 min — A portrait of the beloved New Orleans vegetable salesman.

Please Say Something — 10 min  — Cat and mouse tale set in the distant future.

Dock Ellis and the LSD No-No — 4 min  — See our prior review here.

The S From Hell — 9 min — Doc/Horror about the scariest corporate logo in history.

Voice on the Line — 7 min  — Experimental animation on Cold War hysteria.

old fangs — 11 min — A young wolf decides to confront his father. Animated

Para Fuera — 9 min — Documentary about a man turning 100.

Charlie and the Rabbit — 9 min — 4 year old decides to hunt a rabbit.

Thompson — 10 min — Doc about two friends on the verge of adulthood.

Let’s Harvest the Organs of Death Row Inmates — 2 min — An animated “Provocation”

For once I didn’t have to look for a film, this one found me all by itself! Front page of the New York Times web site, in a fancy pull-down banner ad. So yes, this means once again I’ve fallen for a glorified commercial. This one comes courtesy of Prada, and features the cinematic talents of art-world sensation Yang Fudong, designing the film as a centerpiece to the company’s rollout of the spring men’s line.

First Spring is rapturously shot in B&W digital, and revolves around three couples—snappily dressed of course, as they traverse a bygone Shanghai on the cusp of modernity. The film is dreamy and vague, yet rich in detail, providing an engaged viewer a wealth of material in which to dissect meaning, yet surely will frustrate the casual viewer with its lack of dialogue, perplexing narrative, and its (potentially) non-linear presentation.

Yang is an interesting choice for a promo film. Hardly a household name, yet growing in critical estimation, he just recently had his 5-hour opus Seven Intellectuals in Bamboo Forest make its stateside debut over the summer. He is considered a rising star of independent-filmmaking in mainland China, but his output, though possessing the visual fetishism and spiritual melancholy that typifies some of the best work to come from that country, can be seen as similar to the more opaque works of the nouvelle vague, with its self conscious profundities, and deliberately challenging stance towards audiences. The concisest summary of Yang’s career and aesthetic can be read here.

Fashion has always maintained close contact with the arts via the photography and the various forms of design necessary to market its product, not to mention the aesthetics of the garments themselves. Therefore I have found the recent trend in fashion films to be logical, yet fascinating. First Spring, seems an interesting progression of this trend, as it moves explicitly towards the art-side of filmmaking and away from the commercial leanings of previous high profile fashion films, such as Dior’s Lady Noire Affair, Jean Pierre Jeunet’s piece for Chanel no.5., or even Murakami’s artistic, yet accessibly pop films for Louis Vuitton.

The fashion consumer, that most prized of commodity, tends to appreciate fashion on a level far above mere status; they are appreciators of construction, technique, taste and most of all history—the narrative behind the brand and the way the pieces comment and innovate within a shared history of fashion. This sort of cultured sensibility is similar in so many ways to the consumer of modern art across mediums, and Prada seems to recognize that by commissioning a fashion film that feels more at home in a museum than on the web.

In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle obsessive Jerry Levitan tricked his way into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and equipped with a reel-to-reel recorder, he managed to persuade Lennon to do a spontaneous interview. Almost 40 years later, Josh Raskin (along with help from Jerry Levitan as producer) has moulded this interview into a mesmerizing animation, featuring time-honoured ink sketching alongside modern digital illustration.

Taking the initial audio recording of the interview as it basis, Raskin develops Lennon’s words into a non-stop visual bombardment of the animated kind. Illustrator James Braithwaite lends his penmanship to the film and his scratchy style is the perfect accompaniment to the old school fuzzy soundtrack. At times Braithwaite’s designs and animations can’t but help elicit memories of The Beatles Yellow Submarine and although the illustrator’s vision is somewhat less colourful and psychedelic than it’s predecessor, you have to presume it played some part in his aesthetic choices. To add a modern edge to the film, Raskin employed the talents of Designer and New Media artist Alex Kurina, whose well-ordered, somewhat more precise style creates an intriguing infusion alongside Braithwaite’s.

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a film solely based in its visuals though, as however eye-catching they may be, there probably isn’t an animator in the world that could eclipse the thoughts and messages of John Lennon. The interview with Lennon may now be over 40 years old, but it’s incredible how applicable and significant his words still are. In a time still overshadowed with ongoing war and the threat of terrorism, Lennon could almost be speaking of the ‘establishment’ of modern day and the troubles it faces. Adding to the charm of the film, the Musician and Activist seems to have a frankness and honesty in his answers, when speaking to the 14yr old Levitan. These are words and opinions that may not have been so forthcoming to a more seasoned, professional journalist.

Together, this powerful interview combines potently with the strong, imaginative visuals of Raskin and his fellow artists, creating a striking film that is bound to stick in its audiences mind for a long time after watching. It’s easy to see why this innovative short was nominated for a Best Animated Short Film Oscar in 2008.

Animated cartoons that strike a chord with audiences young and old are the gold that the Hollywood studios dream. Too bad most end up smothered by pop culture references and watered-down stereotypical characters in bland stories. Adventure Time is a cartoon that gets it right. It features interesting, smart characters that actually say smart things.

Watch Adventure Time on YouTube or Frederator

It blew up last week after Motionographer blogged it, but through teasers and stills it would be in error to say it hadn’t been anticipated. The reason? CG so fine it’s starting flamewars over whether it’s all CG or not. Supposedly it is, with behind the scenes videos of wireframes to prove it, all done by a single person—Alex Roman, aka Jorge Seva of Spain.

There isn’t any plot, but the film is quite the eye candy. It is the Avatar of the unheralded archviz genre, a video design niche that produces visualizations of architectural projects for firms and developers. Alex Roman, dismayed with the clunky and rote nature of the work he and his colleagues produce, decided, on his own time, to create this work—a more artistic and soulful exploration of architectural design exploiting the freedom of 3D virtual space, treating us, the viewer, to a new and magnificent way of appreciating the one of the most heralded of arts. The somewhat ambiguous title refers to a philosophy of aesthetics that proclaims architecture and cinema as the third and seventh pillars of art respectively. Alex Roman details a little bit more about his unique approach here.

The Tale of How is part two of the Dodo Trilogy. Forget for a second that there is neither a part one or part three, the team is operating on an epic vision which I can appreciate. Despite that, the film exhibits a silly and light touch. The mundane names chosen, “Otto” for the octopus and “Eddie” for the savior mouse, coupled with the stoner-ish vocal delivery of Eddie, provides an element of child-like fun to the proceedings, though children might very well be alarmed by images of the dodos being torn apart front and center onscreen.

Speaking of vocals, as distinct as the visual style is the operatic delivery of the story’s narrative. My initial reaction was dismissive—hokum, and difficult to understand hokum at that. But the short runtime of the film allowed me to immerse myself in visuals the first time, and then listen closer to the lyrics the second time. Under closer inspection I realized they were well written if nothing else, and the idiosyncratic deliveries, themselves a slight mockery of operatic forms, were done well enough. The crew has published the lyrics online if you have a curiosity in deciphering some of the more opaque passages.

First coming out in 2006, the film has found many fans, playing the festival circuit, winning a prize at Annecy, as well as touring with OneDotZero and the much-missed ResFest traveling tours. Motionographer and Dek, who also has posted a “making of” vid, have previously featured the film. To capitalize on the popularity the filmmakers have put up a book for sale, featuring original artwork and some lovely prints, along with a DVD copy of the film. I am quite a fan of this approach. Though a little rich for my blood at $50, I think the secret to selling digital content is to package it with non-digital content that appeals to fans, and the book certainly looks lovely, and the quality of our linked Vimeo file is certainly a little lacking.

The directors have repeatedly hinted of a prequel emerging soon for this film, we’ll keep you updated if and when it surfaces. Until then, there is the 2009 United Airlines commercial the team did, which is of a similar, marvelous aesthetic. I cannot believe this actually played on TV!

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.

As much as arbitrary demarcations of time (Happy New Year!) serve as an opportunity to reaffirm one’s faith in a better future, they are similarly useful in enforcing a reflection on the how’s and why’s of where we’ve come to be. In that spirit I share Last Minutes With Oden, a glorious film eulogy about a dog who transformed his owner; putting him in a position to be optimistic about the world again. Through said owner’s description it is clear that Oden’s passing serves as the close to one of those natural epochs in life that prompt reflection and engender hope. A simple but beautifully touching tale.

Via Ticklebooth

It's been a great year for online films which has made it tough for us. Nevertheless, all of us here at Short of the Week have banded together to bring to you the official top 10 online films of 2009. Like a well-balanced meal, there's a little bit of everything: comedy, drama, animation, and plenty of stuff too difficult to categorize. One thing is for sure, you're certain to find a gem. So sit back, refill your eggnog, and enjoy the best films of 2009.

Duration: 103 min

1

Skhizein

Drama about  Decay in  3D Animation
February 8, 2010

A meteorite encounter causes a man to exist 91cm from himself in this beautifully haunting illustration of a self-destructive mind.

2

The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello

Sci-Fi about  Desperation in  Stop-Motion
February 8, 2010

Adventurous tale of a navigator's journey to save his ailing wife set in a beautiful world of Victorian science-ficiton.

3

Hirsute

Sci-Fi about  Growth in  Live-Action
February 8, 2010

A young time traveler is confronted by an arrogant and hairless future version of himself.

4

The Most Beautiful Man in the World

Drama about  Childhood in  Live-Action
February 8, 2010

At a major moment in her life, a young girl encounters an unknown man outside her house, in this ambiguous, poetic film.

5

That's Magic!

Musical about  Redemption in  Live-Action
February 8, 2010

A dispassionate master of the stage is brought to see the magic around us every day

6

Sorry I'm Late

Adventure about  Perseverence in  Stop-Motion
February 8, 2010

A fun, simple story of a man's adventure getting home all animated in life-size, stop-motion with real people and bizarre objects.

7

Spider

Dark Comedy about  Revenge in  Live-Action
February 8, 2010

It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

8

The Black Dog's Progress

Experimental about  Abuse in  Animation
February 8, 2010

Tragic story of a dog's trail through abusive owners told through a series of cascading flip books

9

The Cat Piano

Fantasy about  Loss in  Animation
February 8, 2010

A dark, animated fantasy pulled off with style and panache. The Musicians of this cat-town have disappeared, sacrificed to the infernal Cat Piano. Our world-weary hero must fight to get them back.

10

Photograph of Jesus

Documentary about  Life & Society in  Stop-Motion
February 8, 2010

The humorous requests received at a photographic archive are the fodder for this splendid animation.

Anxious for your creepy holiday films, I know, so allow me to present Alma. This 3D animation by Pixar alum, Rodrigo Blaas, is beautiful to watch and very well-crafted as a story. Enjoy it for a limited time this holiday season.

This fast-paced, rambunctious musical centers on a parking attendant who dispenses free parking and free compliments—validation of a greater kind. It’s the kind of simple play on words that makes for a fun 5-min short, but here director, Kurt Kuenne, strings out into a broader story. We follow the attendant as his gift for sincerity grows to international proportions. At a visit to the DMV, he meets his true love—a beauty behind the camera with a curse of the frowns. His life mission now is to win her over with sincerity and bring a smile to her face. He fails at first, of course. But then he fails again. And again. Eventually falling so far that he loses his faith. Eventually though, a small favor he does wins over his true love, and he’s finally given his own validation. It’s predictable, but that doesn’t matter. In fact, it’s how the film MUST be. Validation is a film that itself validates the good nature of human beings.

Or so you might think. Validation is actually a film about action. It doesn’t ask us for faith in human nature but rather calls on us to create it by consciously looking for the good and dignity in everyday people.

Do I even need to point out that TJ Thyne does an amazing acting job in this role? You may know his work from the TV series Bones.

After winning recognition at a number of national festivals, Kurt posted Validation online last year. To further prove its broad appeal, it’s been screened for a number of spiritual organizations, leadership training programs, and corporate employees to boost morale.

Watch Kurt’s other shorts online: Slow

An extremely fun 4min no-budget short. Its runtime is small, but the length feels interminable—not because it’s dreck mind you, but because the minimalist suspense conjured by writer/director Damian McCarthy is so excruciatingly high.

Watch!

If, unlike me, geeking out over art direction and animation styles is not your cup of tea, then Madame Tutli Putli might be an underwhelming experience. Not to be too harsh on the directors and writers Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski, the film is in almost cases engrossing and exhibits a fine grasp on the nuances of suspensful tension, but  its metaphorical journey is ultimately an unsatisfying head-scratcher, hinting at the edges of death and redemption, damnation and revelation, but ultimately not giving enough clues to support any interpretation. Despite that, the short, produced by the NFB, is one of the most remarkable claymation films yet achieved, perfectly instilling the desired mood and incorporating novel technical innovations.

The film follows its titular character as she boards a train, carrying along with her all her worldly possessions. The extremely expressive animation, of which more will be said, conveys her dejected and defeated demeanor. She is physically and metaphorically weighed down. The first hint that the film will lead you in unexpected directions though is included in this early scene, as Tutli Putli, bedecked in 1920’s garb and accoutrements, boards what appears to be a hyper-modern train.

Aboard the train Madame Tutli Putli surveys passengers around her, an eclectic bunch.  It is at this point that the film takes a startling turn. Madame Tutli Putli seems to flit back and forth between dream and reality, confronting demons that may be personal or external, and the mood and direction of the piece tilts towards suspenseful horror. A psychological parable? A stylistic thriller? Answers are left for the viewer to decide.

Well received in 2007 upon its release, the film has had its detractors. The incredible nuance of its look and movements have had many on the web crying, “uncanny valley!”. Personally I do not find this to be an apt critique, and the sheer fact of such a concept being applied to claymation(!) gives you a sense of the technical achievement of the film crew. Undoubtedly a major reason such feelings could ever arise has to do with the film’s most singular innovation, the compositing of actual actor’s eyes onto the clay models. Special Visual Effects artist Jason Walker was largely responsible for the technique’s development, and documents the process nicely on his website. As the NFB has done for many of its flagship projects, the film has an individual site that has a bevy of media that goes further into the creative process and behind the scenes. In the interviews those filmmakers certainly look worn down, I hope they got a good break after the 4 years of work this project took!

Oscar-nominated in 2007, many of you have likely gotten the chance to view the film previously, as it has been included in Cinema 16 and Wholphin collections, as well Magnolia Pictures Oscar Short Film screenings. the NFB has now brought it to the YouTube screening room, likely in honor of yet another probable Oscar-nom for this year, Cordell Barker’s Runaway. Madame Tutli Putli lost out on Oscar that year in spite of its audacious furthering of  claymation’s limits. The winner though was of course Suzie Templeton for Peter and the Wolf, maybe the most exciting practitioner of claymation in the short format today. Yeah, claymation is in a good place again.

Doug Purver out of NYC runs a one-man production outfit called RoadNorth. This film was shot for Psst!3, but evolved into this 3 min gem about a boy fishing in the sky. Heavy with the post-production trickery, you can see some behind the scenes footage at Roadnorth’s Vimeo account, and a writeup at CG Society. The film is light on story and I’m not too wild about the silent-film motif, but when the boy gets above the clouds, your eyeballs are treated to some lovely imagery. Would LOVE to see a Little Nemo movie that captured this same style of nostalgic fantasy.

Watch

It’s good to see an evolution of this technique present in his latest piece, The Black Dog’s Progress. The film opens to the disquieting strains of Sorenious Bonk’s score with a single repeating flipbook panel, surround by soon to be populated white space, which depicts the Black Dog’s arrival in a gift box. His new owner promptly sneezes all over him and to say that this is as good as things will get for the Black Dog would be the understatement of the year. Animation or not, this certainly isn’t one for the kids! As the panels appear and shift to make room for each other, we’re presented with an interconnected mosaic of abuse and indignity piled on our four legged friend that belies the pleasant cartoon style of the drawing (somewhat reminiscent of the transformed creatures in Shynola’s promo for UNKLE’s An Eye for An Eye). At its height, the frame contains 24 flipbook panels of action, which your eyes continuously flit around in fear of missing something. However, Irwin quickly focuses our attention with a spotlight that guides us through the gruesome tableau.

Using inspiration from William Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress (1733) as a jumping off point, The Black Dog’s Progress was originally conceived as an online commission for Animate, which Irwin has said influenced the development of the concept as he envisaged viewers being able to “explore the narrative and scrub through the timeline at their own pace.” After designing the multi-frame layout and deciding how each panel would interact with its neighbours, Irwin created 50 physical flipbooks (with additional variants as needed) that were then scanned to create the animation.

As disturbing as it is, The Black Dog’s Progress is a short that demands repeated viewing, inviting you to return time and time again to marvel in the decent of its protagonist, as if you were the one forcing him through the pages of his story.

Also somewhat surprising was to see what occupied the top slot, And She Stares Longingly at What She Lost, Philip Van’s dreamy and damn depressing entry in the Exquisite Corpse filmmaking series. Philip though happens to be a fine director with a very nice visual sense who has done some other work in short film and so I figured he’d be perfect to do a filmmaker update for.

Dunny is Van’s 10 minute film about an over-weight and bullied youth, who nonetheless is resolute in his courtship of a popular girl. The film stretches our definition of the filmmaker update I suppose because he made it before “And She Stares…”—it was in fact his NYU Thesis film, and is precocious in its quality. The film pulls no punches as our protagonist attempts to give the girl a note expressing his feelings and is surprisingly invited over for dinner by her mom, which leads to more embarrassment. These types of shorts which revel in uncomfortableness are usually difficult for me to watch, but I know they resonate for others, and I can appreciate the fine craft of the piece, exemplified by the thoughtful and reserved camera movements and Van’s typically excellent production design.

Van has done some commercial work which may be where more of his attention goes in the future, but,  while I have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy the bleak outlook expressed in his art, I do look forward to the potential for new shorts from him in the future.

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via FirstShowing.net

That’s Magic! is a fifteen minute musical, not a music video.  It is a touch surreal, but not incoherent.  The story is slight, but that is generally the case with feature musicals, so is not a detriment here.  A janitor takes his son to meet “The Magician” in order to feel a bit of magic, but the performer is a sad cynical man whose depression manifests as soon as the curtain closes.  He has no magic to show, and no belief in it.  Left alone in his misery, The Magician dwells on the futility of existence, but a mysterious muse emerges from the shadows to guide him to true magic.

The power of music, and thus, the musical, is to summon up emotions without lengthy narrative or the need to deal with the distractions of life.  Yes, life is complicated, but the basic truths of life usually aren’t.  It’s in the paths to those truths where twists and turns exist.  That’s Magic isn’t interested in twists.  Its point is clear, pure, and in your face and summons up the likes of The Wizard of Oz, where there is no mistaking what is being said.

Of course such crystalline certainty only works when the music can sweep us along and here That’s Magic! excels.  For the modern show-tune enthusiast, this is as good as it gets.  Nickolas Kirk and Billy Wilkerson’s songs are rich and unforgettable.  Let’s hope you don’t mind a tune bouncing about in your head for days, because the only way the title song will vanish from your mind is when it is replaced by another, Second’s Glance.  The performance quality matches that of the songs.  The singing styles are more reminiscent of Moulin Rouge! than Seven Brides for Seven Brothers—this is a modern musical after all.

Director Brandon McCormick has created a must see fable: fabulous in its look, intoxicating in its sound, and a treat for whatever senses are left over.  The first time I watched That’s Magic! I enjoyed it.  The second, I was brought in deeper.  The third, I was captivated.  After twenty viewings, I like it even more.  It will grow on you.  Seek it out, and let it.

It’s the 1970’s and Major League Baseball is far from the drug-scrutinized organization it is today. Pitcher, Dock Ellis, tells a hilarious, meandering story that leads him to one of his greatest moments in the sport. The animation is graphic and simple—like a graphic novel set to spoken words. This is definitely worth 5 minutes of your time.

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