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LadyRochford
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- Review count3
- Helpfulness votes0
- First reviewFebruary 22, 2009
- Last reviewFebruary 17, 2011
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.7
LadyRochford's Reviews
Overall rating
4
/
5
Oscar Nominated Animation Shorts
PostedFebruary 17, 2011
LadyRochford
from Manassas VA
This program always adds a few that just missed being nominated. I really felt that one of the two shown should have replaced my number 5 of the nominees.
"Highly Commended" The Cow That Wanted to be a Hamburger - USA - traditional hand-drawn 2D A calf sees a billboard for Happy Hamburger and desires to become one. Then he gets his wish and discovers to his horror what his dream really means.
It's funnier than it sounds. It was a cute story, but the 2D animation style was very primitive.
"Highly Commended" URS - Germany - computer animation. A man, URS, desires to take his elderly mother over a perilous mountain range to give her a better life.
Beautiful animation. Very stylized characters and the contrast between the golden mountains and the grey/blue impoverished farm is stunning. Sad story - ending a bit predictable. Should have been nominated over the number 5.
5. Let's Pollute - USA - traditional hand-drawn 2D. In the style of the patriotic campaigns of the 1940's and 1950's this is a satire of man destroying the environment.
Cute for about 1 minute, shame it lasts 6.
4. Madagascar, Carnet de Voyage (the travel journal) - France - French with subtitles - a mishmash of styles including hand-drawn, stop motion, computer animation, rotoscoping and some live action.
It's exactly what the title says - a journey through a man's visit to Madagascar and a focus on his invitation to a funeral ritual and party.
Great animation showing off great technique. That's about it.
3. The Gruffalo - UK - computer animation - was shown on ABC Family during the 25 Days of Christmas this past December. A squirrel tells her children a cautionary tale of a mouse who tricks three predators into not eating him and then discovers a new problem when the imaginary creature he created in his mind appears. Based on the book.
A very gentle fable with some well known British voices. A bit slow in its paces, but a nice film.
2. The Lost Thing - Australia - computer animation. A man reflects on the day he found a lost thing and how he helped it find a new home.
A surrealist piece, very Dali in style on the lost things. Appears to be a commentary on how mankind conforms to a set way of life, missing the hidden beauty in the world. Liked it a lot...but
1. Day & Night - USA - hand-drawn and computer animation originally released in 3D. Disney/Pixar collaboration cleverly using day and night imagery to tell the tale of two rivals, jealous of what the other has and how they become friends.
Disney/Pixar hasn't won this category since For The Birds. It's a great little film. Liked it better in 3D, which it is not being shown in with these shorts or on the Toy Story 3 DVD/Blu-Ray. Just won the Anime award. Should win.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts
PostedFebruary 17, 2011
LadyRochford
from Manassas VA
If I were a member of the Academy this is how I'd rank the five nominees.
5. Na Wewe - Belgian - in French, subtitled. A story set in during the Rwandan massacres. A white man and his driver are picked up by a van. Stopped at a checkpoint the Hutu soldiers demand that they separate into Hutus and Tutsi's for execution. The white man is ignored. All of the others try to convince the leader that they are Hutu or of mixed race or foreign born. A young schoolboy is singled out for interrogation.
There's always at least one with a social commentary theme. This is it. While a taut drama, I felt that it was just a bit much for my taste.
4. The Confession - UK - Two boys face their first confession. One of the boys can't figure out what he's done bad that he can confess. His troublemaking friend suggests that they steal a scarecrow. This theft leads to a deeper tragedy. Ultimately will the boy truthfully confess his role in the ensuing tragic events?
Heavy Catholic symbolism (we get it a scarecrow resembles Christ on the Cross). The tale was a bit heavy handed for my personal taste.
3. God of Love - USA - the only American entry this year and the only film in black and white. A comedy involving a nightclub crooner and dart champion and his wish that his prayers would be answered and the drummer in his band would fall in love with him. He receives a gift of love darts. What will he learn about love?
It's a student film from NYU. The lead actor, writer and director are one and the same. While I liked the film, felt it was a bit of a vanity project.
2. The Crush - Ireland - An 8 year old boy has a crush on his schoolteacher and gives her a toy ring. After deciding that he will marry her when he's old enough he is crushed to find out she just got engaged to a man that the boy doesn't think deserves her. What does he do? Challenges him to a duel.
This was a clever little film. A bit of a black comedy it does make you a bit uneasy during the duel. But it has a very satisfactory conclusion.
1. Wish 143 - UK - a terminally ill teenage boy is offered a Wish from the UK version of the Make A Wish Foundation. However they can't grant him what he really wants - to lose his virginity. Through a friendship with a sympathetic priest (Downton Abbey's Mr. Carson) - he gets the chance to fulfill his dream.
This could have been maudlin. Instead its a delightful dramedy with a few unexpected twists to the tale. It does not turn out the way that you expect. If I were a voter this would get my vote.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
2nd year in a row
PostedFebruary 22, 2009
LadyRochford
from Manassas VA
This was a great day in the theater. The audience tends to be respectful. The only recommendation would be that if the staff is going to do trivia contests they need a spotter so that the same people don't get picked on every time.
Hey, maybe add the animated shorts in between pictures for the fun of it.
Hey, maybe add the animated shorts in between pictures for the fun of it.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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