Monday - Art & Design, Music
Tuesday - Technical Achievements
Wednesday - Short Films, Special Feature Films
Thursday - Writing & Directing, Acting
Friday - Best Picture
Films I haven't seen are marked accordingly.
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Who Will Win: The Shore
Who Should Win: Tuba Atlantic
To be honest, none of this year's live action shorts really grabbed me. As a group, they seemed undercooked, poorly developed and clumsy. The Shore would appear to be the front runner, since it features recognizable actors (Ciaran Hinds) and functions as a kind of cutesy nostalgic dramedy. My hypothetical vote would have to go to Tuba Atlantic, which makes up for its slightly twee premise with some nice, dark touches. None of the nominees are overtly bad, but without a particular standout, this category is really anyone's guess.
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
Who Will Win: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Who Should Win: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Every year, the animated shorts are one of my favorite groups of nominees to dig into. If you don't already, be sure to attend the organized screenings that happen all over the country. It's hard to find a more charming evening than one spent with twelve minute animated movies. As for this year's crop, we've got some good (Books, La Luna) mixed in with some bad/boring (Dimanche/Sunday) and weird (A Morning Stroll). We even have Wild Life represented the less-than-comedic genres. Ultimately, I have to believe that the overwhelming excellence and joy behind Fantastic Flying Books will win the award. I encourage everyone to track it down and see it, simply for the happy, fluttering feeling you're left with when the film is over. It's possible that dark horse candidate A Morning Stroll could vulture a win if the voters are feeling a bit risky. That said, Books effortlessly combines beautiful animation with a wonderful, simple story. It deserves this award in my book (see what I did there?).
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
Who Will Win: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
Who Should Win: Saving Face
As with the live action shorts, this year's group of short doc nominees leave a fair bit to be desired. They all have significant issues, either in passing off personal stories as universal experiences or not delving deep enough into the subject at hand. The established frontrunner, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, certainly packs a punch with it's opening footage, but promptly losses steam as the filmmakers try to shoehorn an awkward metaphor into their story. As for Saving Face, the subject matter (Pakistani women who are the victims of acid attacks) is astonishing and deeply moving, making it my favorite of sorts. However, it lacks in depth, making its forty minute running time very apparent. Perhaps the unseen God is the Bigger Elvis is the gem of this bunch and the licensing deals have kept us simple bloggers from witnessing its genius. We'll find out soon enough, I suppose.
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