THE OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2009 (ANIMATION PROGRAM) — ★★★ — Compilation of animated short films from around the world; not rated, probable PG (violence); Tower Theatre.
THE OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2009 (LIVE-ACTION PROGRAM) — ★★1/2 — Compilation of live-action short films from around the world; with English subtitles (European and Scandinavian dialects); not rated, probable R (violence, profanity, brief sex, vulgarity, brief nudity, slurs, brief drugs); Tower Theatre.
As they have for the past several years, Shorts International and Magnolia Pictures have teamed up to present programs comprising the 10 animated and live-action short films that have been nominated for Academy Awards.
As always, the two programs are mixed-bag quality. Your enjoyment of both, or either, will depend on your particular tastes and sensibilities:
THE FIVE NOMINEES in the animation program barely run 45 minutes, so four other awards-eligible films have been added to bring the program to feature-length. The additional shorts include the 2005 Oscar nominee "Gopher Broke" and "Hot Dog," the latest from animator Bill Plympton.
As for the five nominees, they're nearly dialogue-free and are heavy on supposed "pantomime" comedy.
Disney/Pixar's "Presto" — about a mischievous rabbit who nearly ruins a magician's stage act — is delightful. (The short was also seen last year preceding "WALL
E").
But it's not the only charmer in this bunch. The French short "Octopodi" is amusing, and there's an appealing sweetness to Russia's "Lavatory Lovestory."
The best of the bunch, though, might be "Le maison de petits cubes," a Japanese short that, stylewise, resembles impressionist paintings.
IN COMPARISON, the live-action shorts program is less impressive than the supposed "cartoons."
The German-Swiss romance-thriller "On the Line" features one of the least likable main characters in recent cinematic history.
Germany's "Toyland" treads the same ground as the feature-length "Boy in the Striped Pajamas."
However, Denmark's "The Pig" — about an elderly surgical patient (Henning Mortizen) obsessed with a pig painting — is good fun and makes its point about cultural differences and tolerance without becoming too heavy-handed.
"The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2009 (Animation Program)" is not rated but would probably receive a PG for animated violent content, including slapstick pratfalls and vehicular mayhem. Total running time: 88 minutes.
"The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2009 (Live-Action Program)" is not rated but would probably receive an R for some strong violent content (a beating, bullying and an auto-pedestrian accident, implied), strong sexual language (profanity, crude slang and other suggestive talk), brief simulated sex, vulgar humor (a bodily function gag), brief female nudity, derogatory language and slurs (some based on nationality and race), and brief drug references (painkillers and anesthetics). Total running time: 94 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com