In case my recent posts on the Oscar-nominated short films have piqued your interest in seeing the little gems for yourself, there's good news: The films start making their way around the country today thanks to Magnolia Pictures. One program shows all five of the live-action short films, while the other combines the five animated shorts. I went to both shows last year and highly recommend them: Read more

The short film categories used to be some of the most obscure at Oscar time, but recently, I've come to appreciate these little gems. Online video has made it easier to track down the shorts before I have to fill out my Oscar balot, and now they eventually hit theaters and even iTunes. I recently showcased this year's five animated shorts nominees, and today, I'm highlighting the five Read more

Remember when I said I wished the Oscar-nominated shorts would make their way to the iTunes store? Well, it's happened. Now, you can buy nine of the 10 nominated movies for just $1.99 each. All five of the live-action shorts are there, along with four of the animated shorts — the only one missing is Pixar's Lifted, which comes out this summer. You can also see if the shorts will be coming to a Read more

I never have any shortage of opinions when it comes to my Oscar predictions in the major categories. But since I don't normally get to see the animated shorts or live-action short films, I'm left totally clueless or faking my way through uninformed opinions. Thankfully, not only are many of the films online this year, but Magnolia Pictures has also put together a program featuring all 10 Read more

Like animated shorts, the live action short film category is another one that usually leaves me clueless come Oscar night. It's tough to see shorts unless you catch them at a festival or a great theater. (Tune in later to find one near you.) Luckily, at least parts of all five of this year's films have also turned up online — and you can watch two of them in full. Here's a rundown: West Bank Read more