Robin Robin (2021) – Daniel Ojari and Michael Please (UK/USA, 32 min.) - 6+/10
An achievement in felt. Cute and certainly most kid friendly. The heart of a Disney mini-musical feature in a small wooly body.
Boxballet (2021) – Anton Dyakov (Russia, 15 min.) - 7-/10
Probably my favorite of the animated shorts. A juxtaposing hard-hearted romance of ballet and boxing. Cute, kind of gross, and nicely told.
Bestia (2021) – Hugo Covarrubias (Chile, 16min.) - 7-/10
A Lynch-meets-Tarantino-esque f*ed up world, this one was a doozy. I enjoyed it, its surreality and disturbing material. Certainly not for everyone though.
A fun yet disturbing look at a disenfranchising social justice system cranked to 11 once dystopian automation gets involved. A great design and enjoyable dispatch.
2/27/2022 - 2022 Oscar Shorts - Documentary
My Favorite: Audible
Oscar Probable: Queen of Basketball
Audible(2021) – Matthew Ogens (USA, 39 min.) - 7/10
sharply edited like an HBO/ESPN feature. It is engaging and ranging within the life and lives. The sound design could have made it feel more like their experience, but that is just my personal preference.
Like a friend of mine said, it’s a this American life episode but did it need to be a film? An understandable statement but I think this was a perfectly reasonable, viable, and even fun. It is a bit light but somewhat thought provoking.
Endearing and pointed slice of life highlighting Afghani refugee experience. Poignant but a bit ethereal in its completion.
Lead Me Home (2021) – Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk (USA, 39 min.) - 6-/10
Emotionally volatile and some riveting points though it seemed more inclined to romanticize the plight of the unsheltered than masterfully empathize. With the editing, cinematic scopes, booming “Dark Knight”-esque layout and pop music placements. It should have been more feel or more detailed, instead of slick production.