Fantastic Short Film Friday - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (animated)

And we are back with another installment in our Fantastic Short Film Friday series, as we continue to showcase films released in the "lesser" known form of cinema- the short film.

The Oscar's have just been announced with a lot of fanfare, and while many critics are ooohing and aaawing at the "major" categories, I like to do what I do every year, check out the short film nominations. Now this can prove a daunting task at times since many of the shorts are not easily available (which always makes me wonder how many of the voters have actually seen all the shorts). But I soldier on to bring myself and yourself the looks at what Oscar deems worthy of their special recognition. The first of the bunch I'll be taking a look at is a 14-minute animated short called, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from filmmakers, William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg. This is a stunning work of art, one that leads me to much sadness on why more people aren't made aware of such incredible filmmaking.

Here's the synopsis from the Itunes store:

Inspired, in equal measures, by Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz, and a love for books, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story. Using a variety of techniques (miniatures, computer animation, 2D animation) award winning author/ illustrator William Joyce and Co-director Brandon Oldenburg present a hybrid style of animation that harkens back to silent films and MGM Technicolor musicals. Morris Lessmore is old fashioned and cutting edge at the same time.

Now I can't embed it since you can only watch the full short by downloading it on Itunes, but its a free download! Check out the films website here and then go to Itunes. With just a click you'll be able to see it in all its HD glory. The above description from Itunes is right on point. This feels like the child of Keaton and Oz, of black and white film technology and wonderful technicolor, of the feeling of warmth books can bring to any soul.

Check this out if you love to be filled with the awe of wonder of childhood memories. Check this out if you're a lover of books and the written word. Check this out if you love classic films. Heck, just check this out period. Enjoy this weeks dose of short form goodness in, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

Penny's Oscar Picks (2010)

Tonight's the big night in film. I've watching all the best film noms, so therefore a majority of the nominees. Of the 10 best film noms, here's how I'm ranking them--I was a bit hard because some of these films are so different, it's hard say one is better than the other, in some cases it's just as good but "different."

1. Inception
2. True Grit
3. Toy Story 3
4. The Fighter
5. 127 Hours
6. Black Swan
7. The Social Network
8. The King's Speech
9. The Kids Are All Right
   
10. Winter's Bone

As you can see, my clear favorite is Inception with a close second and third with True Grit and Toy Story 3. If you did not tear up in Toy Story 3, you have no heart. All the movies after that, it was really hard to rank. I'll say, I didn't NOT like Winter's Bone but it was very slow moving with a just as slow pay off. Jennifer Lawrence was amazing but it just wasn't my cup of tea, even though I'm known to like boring movies. Social Network could have been ranked higher but everyone knows my disdain for Jesse Eisenberg so I couldn't go any higher; Andrew 'hotsie-totsie" Garfield on the other hand kept it from slipping any further.

Honorable Mentions: Shutter Island; Kick Ass; The Town; Never Let Me Go; Catfish; Jack Ass 3D (seriously, this was hilarious and would never in a 100 years be nominated but hell it was good ole fun)

Who I'd like to see win:
Best Actor: James Franco
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (thought it should have been Hailee Steinfeld but she didn't get this nom)
Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush / Jeremy Renner (cuz I still love him from the Hurt Locker and he needs some recognition)
Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld
Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky

Enjoy tonight!

Fantastic Short Film Friday - Logorama

You all may remember Joshua's post a few weeks back on Fantastic Short Film Friday on Logorama. Well, this isn't a re-post or a re-tweet. Instead, since I follow @ThatKevinSmith, he sent around the full short for Logorama, which you can view here. Logorama won the 2010 Academy Awards for Best Animated Short.

I've checked it out and as someone who works in advertising there were two things that stood out for me. One, calling this "Logorama" is a bit of a misnomer. All the "logos" you see in this computer animated short are not logos. Some are branding elements of a brand and others are mascots. I know that's a technicality but as a responsible MadMan, I just wanted to point that out. Second, I saw brands here that I have worked with in the past and one a current Client so that's very cool and I'd like to know how the usage rights were handled.

Anyway, I'll put my marketing hat off and say that this is quite an interesting short. Being able to incorporate all those logos and branding elements must have been difficult enough and to do it in such a creative way and weave a story with social commentary attached is quite a feat. This was well done, well thought out, and very creative. And the social commentary regarding consumerism is spot on. It's not preachy or over the top but subtle enough to get the message across.

Enjoy, here's the link again: Logorama

Leftovers - The Oscar's (or How I learned to sleep with my eyes open)

I've spoken many times of my dislike for the Oscars. I see them as a sort of necessity (to shine a light on the public, films they may not have seen but should have seen), but I've never liked the idea of the rich getting richer, the famous pumping themselves up even more on a national stage. Still, for the past 2 years since we've started doing this podcast, we've held an Oscar party, and kudos to our friends who show up every year, kudos to their friendship and commitment because god knows the Oscars are damn boring to watch, last way too long and well, there are bouts where I just want to turn off the tv, kick everyone out and go to sleep. Here are some of my thoughts on the 82nd Annual Academy Awards Show:

• My god, the Oscar's didn't end until 12:30AM EST, and then when the final category, Best Picture was announced, the show quickly went to credits and I was stuck going, my god, so I watched every actor parade onto the stage to talk about another actor nominated for the last hour and then when the big award comes they're like "oh we're out of time, goodnight everyone." I'm glad it ended, I've never been so glad something ended in my life, like watching your life flash before your eyes in a car crash, but it all just seemed like one big tease.
• What's up with the In Memorium not recognizing the death of the beautiful Farrah Fawcett? I've read an interview with someone from the Academy who basically said that they left Fawcett off on purpose because she didn't really do much in the way of films. But then they honor Michael Jackson? Listen I love Michael Jackson and his videos are little short-films, but to put him on and not Fawcett (who died on the same day), to recognize his contribution to films and not the beautiful lady who wore a tank top the entire time in Cannonball. Bah.
• I just find it odd that many critics talked before the show about how The Fantastic Mr. Fox might end as the dark horse for the Best Animated category and win it. This just never made sense to me. If the film somehow beat Up for Best Animated Film, then it wouldn't make sense how Up could be in the Best Film category. Since Up was nominated as the only animation for Best Film, then it was basically a give away which film would win the Best Animated Film, which I find quite boring. We all know Pixar makes the best animated films each year and the only reason the Academy created a Best Animated Film category was so it didn't have to nominate a "cartoon" for Best Picture. Now that they've gone to 10 nominees, either you can't nominate a film for Best Animated if it's also nominated for Best Picture, or you nominate more than one animation for that category. Anything less makes it a waste of time for everyone.
• On that note, the Best Animated category should be used to bring to light small animated films like The Secret of Kells and other films like it that no one knows about besides the people who watch films for a living. It should be used as a spotlight for the lesser known's rather than Up (which was the best animated film of the year) which everyone has seen.
• Seriously, this years Oscars was one of the most boring shows I can ever remember watching. While the opening dance number by NPH was entertaining and the opening monologue (or is dualogue?) of Steve Martin and Alex Baldwin was hilarious, everything else fell flat. Like the safe Avatar skit by Ben Stiller to the boring presenter readings, this years Oscars was just a true crap-fest. Even Lady Kanye's outbursts was more odd then entertaining.
  
• Avatar gets shut out? Very surprising. I do agree with what many people say. Remember How Green Was My Valley? Most people have not even heard of that film, but it was that film that beat out Citizen Kane for the Best Film Oscar in 1941. Now I'm not saying that Avatar is up to the quality of Kane but what I am saying is that for the importance of films for generations to come, everyone will remember Avatar and how it changed films, and I have to wonder in 10 years will most people even remember The Hurt Locker besides it being a foot-note in film trivia knowledge.
• And lastly, how great was the John Hughes remembrance? How great was it to see the whole Breakfast Club back on stage? God I teared up. It was just fantastic seeing the whole cast back sans Emilio Estevez who I guess was too cool for Hughes. But yeah a fantastic walk through memory lane with a wonderful montage of all of Hughes great films. For me, one of the greatest moments in Oscar history. But yeah, does anyone else think a grown up Judd Nelson looks like a serial killer/Vegas lounge singer/ restaurant magician?
  

Fashion/Film: The Day after the Oscars

Here are some of my favorite looks from last night's Academy Awards:


Vera Farmiga in Marchesa; Miley Cyrus in Jenny Packham

Anyone who knows me, knows I love ruffles (right now) and though it seems a bit much at first glance, it somehow works for Farmiga. Now as for Cyrus, I've been hearing mixed reviews and I'll just put it out there, I really liked the dress choice. Seems a bit mature for her age and I wish the bodice/corset was pulled up a bit. Perhaps her posture o a necklace may have helped but regardless, the dress is beautiful.


Sandra Bullock in Marchesa; Meryl Streep in white Chris March; Kate Winslet in YSL

Big night for Bullock, super congrats on the Academy awards (and the Razzy's the night before). I didn't know this but the bottom half of Bullock's dress is crushed velvet. Really? Wow, just amazing. I'm not huge on velvet but boy did it look great on Bullock. And the red lips were perfect. Streep looked great, I know the dress is a bit of an understatement but it fits who she is and I hate to say it's "age appropriate" but it really is just right for her. And Chris March of all people designed this dress. You remember him, Project Runway, season 4, big guy into drag wear? Yes him, amazing. I fell in love with Winslet last year and she still gets to me this year. Like fine wine, she just gets better with age.


Lastly, probably the biggest winner of the night, Kathryn Bigelow. First female director to win an Academy Award. Women everywhere should be proud. She looked stunning in her dress (and for the life of me I can't find the designer and it's late so I gave up searching). Her body is woah and how refreshing to see a beautiful director (can't say there's many lookers behind the camera...just saying). But putting looks and vanity aside, Bigelow created a fantastic movie that I recommend. She brought to life a topic that not many people know about and for a movie that could have been very dry, she knew how to keep our interest and made people really wait at the edge of their seats for what's next. That's not something any director can do. I am so excited for her as a woman and as a movie fan.

Today, I really wanted to concentrate on the good but if you really want to know what I thought about the bad, let's just say Charlize Theron and Hilary Swank and leave it at that.

-Penny

Fantastic Short Film Friday - The Lady And The Reaper (animated)

It's time for another installment of our weekly showcase on short films, Fantastic Short Film Friday. This week we take a look at the 3rd of 5 Academy Award Nominated Animated Short Films with The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte) which has the distinction of being the first ever Spanish animated short to be nominated for an Oscar. Directed and written by Javier Recio Gracia and from animation studio KandorMoon, The Lady and the Reaper is an 8-minute short about the epic story of "the Grim Reaper and a self-satisfied doctor who battle over the life of an elderly woman."

This is the 3rd 2010 Oscar nominated animated short we have featured on this blog and it is by far my favorite. I love everything about the film. From the great music, to the wonderful animation with the distinct Spanish style, to the brilliance of the short when it devolves into a Looney Tunes like farce half-way through. You can find out more about the short here.

As always sit back, relax, and get some hot cocoa to go along with this zany short about how death may be more liberating than we could ever imagine.

Movie Talkback - 82nd Annual Academy Awards Nominees

It's that time again, OSCARS OSCARS OSCARS, Sunday March 7th to be exact. Honestly, the truth is, I never really cared who won or lost. I watched the movies I watched regardless if they were nominated or not, and only ever really flipped back and forth during the Oscars just to see what the shows Host might do (Billie Crystal is still the greatest Oscar host ever). However, after staring the podcast I took more of an interest in the nominations and winners, purely for the fact that it's something to talk about on the show. And through that I became more and more interested, so much so that Penny and I now host an Oscar party for our friends where play trivia games, eat and be merry while we all gather itogether n front of the telly to see who wins on Oscar night. The Oscars are still ridiculous, but hey at least I can get a party out of them right? So here's a list of the nominations of most of the categories for this years Academy Awards. Any surprises? Any shocks? Any snubs? I'll go thoroughly through the list on our podcast but I'd love to hear what our listeners think.

Best Picture

Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney, "Up in the Air"
Colin Firth, "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman, "Invictus"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"
Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"
Carey Mulligan, "An Education"
Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious"
Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia"

Best Supporting Actor

Matt Damon, "Invictus"
Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"
Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"
Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"

Best Supporting Actress

Penélope Cruz, "Nine"
Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Crazy Heart"
Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"
Mo’Nique, "Precious"

Best Director

Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"
James Cameron, "Avatar"
Lee Daniels, "Precious"
Jason Reitman, "Up in the Air"
Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"

Best Original Screenplay

Mark Boal, "The Hurt Locker"
Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman, "The Messenger"
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, "A Serious Man"
Pete Docter, Bob Peterson & Tom McCarthy, "Up"
Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"

Best Adapted Screenplay

Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche, "In the Loop"
Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell, "District 9"
Geoffrey Fletcher, "Precious"
Nick Hornby, "An Education"
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, "Up in the Air"

Best Animated Film

Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up

Best Foreign Language Film

El Secreto do Sus Ojos (Argentina)
Un Prophete (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)
Ajami (Israel)
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)

Best Art Direction

Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

Best Cinematography

Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

Best Costume Design

Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
The Young Victoria

Best Documentary

Burma VJ
The Cove
Food, Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

Best Editing

Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious

Best Makeup

Il Divo
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

Best Score

Avatar
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hurt Locker
Sherlock Holmes
Up

Best Song

“Almost There,” The Princess and the Frog, Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans,” The Princess and the Frog, Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname,” Paris 36, Reinhardt Wagner & Frank Thomas
“Take It All,” Nine, Maury Weston
“The Weary Kind,” Crazy Heart, T-Bone Burnett & Ryan Bingham

Best Sound Editing

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

Best Sound Mixing

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Best Visual Effects

Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

Best Documentary Short

China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit à la Berlin

Best Animated Short

French Roast
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
Logorama
A Matter of Loaf and Death

Best Live-Action Short

The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants