After the Red Carpet segment, I have always just shut the television off because the award portion of the Oscars felt pointless. The types of films I see in the theatre tend not to be the blockbusters that everyone talks about or nominates for awards. This year, I could have reason to pay attention to at least one category.
On Saturday I got to see the animated short films that have been either nominated or given praise. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen the Real Art Ways theatre this full. Having kids in the audience (quite the change from the typical demographic there) was fun. During Matter of Loaf and Death there is a reference to Ghost, which everyone was laughing at, but the child behind me blurted out, loudly, ‘What is so funny? Why’s everyone laughin’?” which provoked more laughter, since there were amazingly people on the planet whose brains were not wired to associate a pottery wheel and “Unchained Melody” with anything. Only one of the films, the last, was dubbed to be not child-friendly, and I feel for the loss of the parents who missed out on the experience due to having to shuffle their innocent progeny out the door before obscenity could rain upon the little ones’ ears.
Logorama, filled with violence and non-delicate words, is what one should expect from animated films geared toward adults. The message of it seems to be that our corporation-coddling, logo-loving style is unsustainable. But rather than deliver this sentiment straight up, the creators drop the viewer into a world in which all are owned or represented by one company or another; here, the police are nearly identical incarnations of the Michelinman who seem to be riffing off Pulp Fiction dialog early on, before chasing down the bad guy, Ronald. Besides the entertainment factor, this film gives the finger to a lawsuit-crazy society by infringing on just about every corporate logo ever created.
Matter of Loaf and Death, the longest of the shorts, was fun, without many surprises. It’s loaded with puns, references, and spoofs. The extended morning routine scene reminded me of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. The scene in which Wallace rescues the damsel in distress is priceless.
La dama y la muerte begins sad and sentimental, but quickly becomes something else. In this film, death is treated with neither the seriousness nor glibness that most American films infuse the subject with.
There were a number of other shorts shown, but these were my favorites. The animated and live action shorts will be playing at Real Art Ways through Wednesday. For the detailed schedule, go to Real Art Ways.
