One of my favorite things to do each Oscar season is to track down all of the nominated short films. The films are currently making the rounds of selected theaters, but many of them are also available right now online — and today, I have video from all five animated shorts! This year's cast of animated characters includes a mischievous bunny, octopi in love, and a man taking a sentimental Read more

The live-action short films and animated short films from this year's Oscars are still working their way through theaters, but if the tour isn't stopping near you or you just don't have time for a trip to the movies, there's another option. All of the Oscar shorts are available on iTunes for $1.99 each. That's really not a bad deal, considering that you could buy all 10 films for $20 — about Read more

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

Every year when the Oscar nominations are announced, I make a little "note-to-self" to track down the nominated short films before the ceremony. Although they certainly don’t get the same kind of attention (and distribution) as feature length nominees, they often represent some of the most innovative, painstaking, and visually stunning filmmaking out there. This year is no different, 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

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

The animated short film category is one that usually leaves us regular, non-Academy folks stumped on Oscar night. The films are currently screening around the country, but if you're not able to get to one of those showings, at least the Internet can give you a taste. I was hoping these five movies would have made their way to the iTunes store by now; sadly, only Disney's The Little Matchgirl is Read more