BuzzSugar

Tweet Nothings Turned Into Short Films

TresSugar — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:30:15 PDT

Twitter is populated with people trying to be profound - and often failing. But sometimes the most banal tweets can be repurposed into something profoundly clever, such as a six-word story or a short film.

This clever, nine-minute video features a series of 30-second films based on the filmmakers' favorite tweets. It starts with a fart joke but gets so much better from there. Often hilarious, sometimes awkward, and occasionally noir, the minimovies address everything from the dangerous proliferation of Cirque du Soleil to the moment when you awkwardly make eye contact with someone through the crack in the bathroom stall door.

If you have time, I highly recommend watching it all the way through. Meanwhile, for even more tweets, why not follow me on Twitter?

Video of the Day: Kanye West and Spike Jonze's "We Were Once a Fairytale"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:30:21 PDT

Spike Jonze is the man today. After Where the Wild Things Are took the top box office spot over the weekend, the Internet is also buzzing with this new short film he made with Kanye West. I'm on a bit of a Jonze kick myself, so I was excited to check it out - especially since I liked their combined efforts on West's video for "Flashing Lights."

This film is called "We Were Once a Fairytale," and it features a drunken West acting belligerent at a club. (Maybe that's not a stretch given the Taylor Swift incident.) Up until about the six-minute mark, the footage is actually kind of boring, but then things get bizarre, and obscure Jonze imaginings start popping up, including a creature that could be the cousin to a Wild Thing, living in West's stomach. Really.

It's interesting to say the very least, so let me know what you think after you

Oscar Nominees: The Animated Short Films

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:30:08 PST

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 journey through his old house. Maybe watching these shorts will help you fill out your Oscar ballot! Check them out:

Oktapodi
How adorable are these octopi? In Oktapodi, these two cuties help each other escape the clutches of a tyrannical restaurant cook. But, even once they're out of the kitchen, their battle to stay together is not over. You hear that? It's animated sea creatures battling adversity. Watch the whole thing right now:

To check out the other four, just

La Maison en Petits Cubes
The main character of this Japanese film has been building an addition on top of his original house, which is almost completely under water. In the film, he dons scuba gear to float through his old home and relive memories with his family. Here's a clip:

Lavatory - Lovestory
This Russian film is a story about love and the random nature of when it strikes. The main character is a lonely female restroom attendant who discovers she has a secret admirer and searches frantically for his identity. Watch the whole thing here:

Presto
If you've seen Wall-E, then you've already seen Presto, the latest Pixar short. The star is a slightly evil rabbit who cooks up a way to get revenge on his neglectful magician master. You can buy this one on iTunes or watch it all right now:

This Way Up
In this quirky short, disaster strikes a father-and-son team of undertakers when a boulder squashes their hearse. They must then make their way across the country in a crazy travel caper with nothing but a coffin and each other to keep them amused. Here's the trailer:

Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures and Source

Have Your Own Oscar Shorts Screening, Courtesy of iTunes

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:30:24 PST

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 what it would cost to see both shorts programs in the theater. And while you'd have to watch on a smaller screen, maybe the chance to make your own move snacks balances it out.

Several past winners - including last year's winning films and nominees - are also available for the same price. I'll tell you, I bought last year's winning animated short, The Danish Poet, a while back, and I still watch it all the time. Not bad for my 2 bucks!

Source

The Oscar Shorts: Coming to a Theater Near You?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:30:00 PST

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: It's great to see films like this that so rarely make it into theaters.

If your city doesn't have the shorts yet, don't worry - they'll be touring around the country even after the Oscars are handed out. To see where they're playing so far and what other cities already have planned stops, just

IN THEATERS NOW

Alaska
Anchorage: Out North

Arizona
Tempe: Valley Art 1 Theatre
Tucson: The Loft Cinema

California
Berkeley: Shattuck Cinemas
Los Angeles: The Landmark
Pasadena: Laemmle's One Colorado Cinemas
Sacramento: Crest Theatre
San Diego: Hillcrest Cinemas
San Francisco: Embarcadero Center Cinema
San Rafael: Smith Rafael Film Center
Santa Cruz: Nickelodeon Theatres

Colorado
Boulder: International Film Series
Denver: Chez Artiste

Connecticut
Hartford: Real Art Ways Cinema
Norwalk: Garden Cinemas Norwalk 4
Stamford: Avon Twin Theatre

Delaware
Wilmington: Theater N at Demours

Florida
Bradenton: Lakewood Ranch 6
Fort Lauderdale: Cinema Paradiso
Lake Worth: Lake Worth Playhouse
Tallahassee: Tallahassee Film Society, Inc

Georgia
Atlanta: Midtown Art Cinemas 8

Hawaii
Honolulu: Doris Duke Theatre

Illinois
Chicago: Landmark's Century Centre Cinema

Indiana
Indianapolis: Key Cinemas

Iowa
Iowa City: University of Iowa, Bijou Theater

Kansas
Salina: Salina Art Center

Maine
Brunswick: Frontier Cafe
Ellsworth: Grand Theatre
Rockland: Strand Theatre

Maryland
Baltimore: Landmark Harbor East 7

Massachusetts
Brookline: Coolidge Corner Theatre
Pittsfield: Colonial Theatre

Michigan
Detroit: Detroit Institute of Art
Ann Arbor: Michigan Theater

Minnesota
Minneapolis: Lagoon Cinema

Missouri
Kansas City: Tivoli @ Manor Square
Springfield: Moxie Cinema
University City: Tivoli Theatre

Nebraska
Omaha: Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater

New Hampshire
Concord, NH: Red River 3

New Jersey
Cape May: Cape May Beach 4

New Mexico
Santa Fe: The Screen

New York
Albany: Spectrum
Glens Falls: Charles R. Wood Theater aka Wood Theatre
Hudson: Time and Space Limited
Hunter: The Mountain
Ithaca: Cornell Cinema
New York: IFC Center
Rochester: Little Theatre

North Carolina
Charlotte: Ballantyne Village 5
Wilmington: Cucalorus Film Foundation

Ohio
Columbus: Gateway 8
Cleveland Heights: Cedar Lee Theatres

Oklahoma
Oklahoma City: Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Tulsa: Circle Theatre

Oregon
Portland: Hollywood Theatre

Pennsylvania
East Stroudsburg: Pocono
Harrisburg: Midtown Cinema
Philadelphia: Ritz 5 Movies
Pittsburgh: Regent Square Theater

Tennessee
Nashville: Belcourt Theatre

Texas
Austin: Alamo South Lamar
Dallas: Magnolia Theatre - Dallas
San Antonio: Santikos Bijou @ Crossroads 6

Utah
Salt Lake City: Tower Theatre

Washington
Seattle: Varsity Theatre

Washington, DC
E Street Cinema

Wisconsin
Madison: Sundance Cinemas 608

COMING SOON

Feb. 22
Boulder, CO: International Film Series
Norwalk, CT: Garden Cinemas Norwalk 4
Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa, Bijou Theater
Rochester, NY: Little Theatre
Salt Lake City, UT: Tower Theatre

Feb. 23
Tallahassee, FL: Tallahassee Film Society, Inc
Wichita, KS: Wichita Public Library

Feb. 25
Durham, NC: Carolina Theatre - Durham

Feb. 28
Boston, MA: Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater

Feb. 29
Santa Rosa, CA: Rialto Cinemas Lakeside
Pelham, NY: Pelham Picture House
Fort Worth, TX: Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Milwaukee, WI: Times Cinema

March 4
Utica, NY: Munson Cinema

March 6
Hollywood, CA: Egyptian Theatre

March 7
Provincetown, MA: New Art Cinema

March 8
Napa, CA: Jarvis Conservatory

March 13
Reno, NV: Reno Film Festival

March 14
Amherst, MA: Amherst Cinema Arts Center 3

March 18
Reno, NV: Nevada Musuem of Art

March 19
Bryn Mawr, PA: Bryn Mawr Film Institute

March 28
Albuquerque, NM: Guild

April 18
Fresno, CA: Fresno Filmworks c/o Tower Theatre

April 27
Grande Prairie, AB: Grande Prairie Live Theatre

Oscar Nominees: The Live-Action Short Films

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:30:00 PST

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 contenders in the Live Action Short Film category. They're an interesting bunch, from a satire about a substitute teacher to a somber look at life in a cancer ward. To check out clips of the five films, just

Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)
This French film has one of the most interesting premises in the category this year: Two thieves have their lives changed when they somehow wind up adopting a deaf, homeless boy. It looks like I'll have to wait till the films are in theaters to see this one with its subtitles, but if you speak French, you're in luck. Be sure to tell the rest of us what's happening in this clip:

Om Natten (At Night)
At Night is the longest film in this category, and it seems like the heaviest. The Danish film focuses on three young women spending the holidays in a cancer ward. While the clip below feels bleak and moody, the film also makes a point of showing the patients' sense of humor and love of life.

Tanghi Argentini
This Belgian film is described as a modern fairy tale set in an office, where a clerk enlists the help of his coworkers as he attempts to learn the tango for a blind date. The film, which is set at Christmastime, eventually becomes a fable about giving. At first glance, it reminds me a bit of the delightful Japanese version of Shall We Dance?

The Tonto Woman
This short is based on a short story of the same name by Elmore Leonard, who also wrote 3:10 to Yuma. The film revolves around a cattle rustler who meets and befriends a woman who is struggling to readjust to society after being held captive by the Mojave Indians for more than a decade. You can watch several clips of the film on YouTube. Here's one:

Il Supplente (The Substitute)
This Italian film was one of the shorts shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. In it, a new substitute teacher turns up in a high school classroom, trading insults and sarcastic barbs with a room full of rowdy kids. The kids actually wind up getting excited about school - until a secret about the substitute is revealed. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any clips of this one, but you can buy the film for $1.99 on iTunes - or watch a clip there for free.

Source, Source, Source, Source, and Source

Oscar Nominees: The Animated Short Films

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:42:40 PST

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, especially in the animated short category. From an incredible visualization of a vintage interview with John Lennon to a lovely take on a classic fable, this year’s nominees prove just how entertaining this category can be.

The shorts will be hitting US theaters in February, and I hope they'll eventually end up on iTunes like last year's did. But in the meantime, I’ve put together some descriptions and clips (and some full length films - that might not last long, so watch fast!) of each of the animated shorts nominated this year. To get started, just

I Met The Walrus
When Jerry Levitan was 14 years old growing up in Toronto, he found the hotel that Beatles superstar John Lennon was staying in. Armed with a portable tape recorder, he managed to score himself an interview. Thirty-nine years later, filmmaker Josh Raskin has turned a portion of that interview into a cool, retro-looking film using line-drawn animation (MTV has used a similar technique in the past between shows). The trailer is below.

Even Pigeons Go To Heaven
A sweet little film about a priest's chase to save a troubled soul. This one is the full package - beautiful animation, great story. Check out the film in its entirety below.

Madame Tutli-Putli
A lady goes on a crazy metaphysical ride on a creepy night train. The story isn't the Oscar-worthy aspect of this little gem, though - that would be the fact that a 16-second shot took a week to make. You can find a small clip here and the trailer below.

My Love
This tale about first love was created by Alexandre Petrov, a Russian director who is considered one of the best animators in the world. The film features the same technique of painting on glass as his Oscar-winning short Old Man and the Sea. Part one is below, and follow this link for part two and three.

Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf
This is a gorgeous, very dark, stop-motion version of the popular story without narration and set in contemporary Russia. Only a half hour long, this little masterpiece took 100 animators, sculptors and artists five years to bring it to life. There is a preview below, and the full movie is here.

Source

Get the Oscar Shorts on iTunes!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 08:30:24 PST

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 theater near you. And to get a taste of the nominated films (and see a few for free), check out my take on the live-action movies or the animated shorts.

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

The Oscar Nominees: Live Action Short Films

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 13:32:14 PST

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 Story
This musical parody of West Side Story is set in the cutthroat world of competing falafel stands in the West Bank. An Israeli soldier falls in love with a Palestinian cashier, but their families' dueling restaurants threaten to keep them apart. I love the movie's tag line: "A little singing, a little dancing, a lot of hummus." There's a clip online at this site, and here's the trailer:

To see two full films and clips from two others,

Binta y La Gran Idea
Set in Senegal, Binta is narrated by a 7-year-old girl whose older cousin longs to go to school and whose father has a dream that he believes could change the world. The film is in French and an African dialect with subtitles in Spanish, but even if you speak none of those languages, it's still gorgeous to watch. There's also one short clip with English subtitles.

The Saviour
In this film, a young Mormon evangelist has an affair with a married woman and then struggles to keep the illicit relationship a secret from his fellow missionaries, his pastor, and the woman's husband. In addition to the clip below, there's another one here.

Eramos Pocos
When a man's wife leaves him, he and his son discover that they're hopeless at keeping house. Desperate for help, he pulls his mother-in-law out of her nursing home so she can cook and clean for them. The film is in Spanish without subtitles, but you can get the gist if you watch the video below; there's also one clip with English subtitles.

Helmer and Son
In this Danish film, a busy son gets called to the rest home where his father has locked himself inside a closet and won't come out. The video below is a clip with English subtitles.

Source, Source, Source, Source, and Source

The Oscar Nominees: Animated Short Films

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 13:16:54 PST

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 available there. The good news: Clips from all of the films are online, and three of them are available in full - but probably only until the studios find out, so you'll want to hurry. Here's a rundown:

Maestro
In this film, a singer prepares for his big performance, aided by a mechanical arm that caters to his wants and needs. This one is still available in its entirety, and it's worth watching all the way to the end for the cute twist.

The Little Matchgirl
This watercolor-style Disney version of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale features a poor, hungry girl who sees visions of a better life for herself in the flame of each match she strikes. You can watch the full movie right now, but even once it gets pulled from YouTube, you'll still have lots of options: You can buy it from the iTunes store, watch a clip from the movie, check out a gallery of images, or watch another clip. The full film is on the Little Mermaid platinum edition DVD. But you might just want to watch this fast before Disney finds out:

To watch another full movie and see clips from the other two, including my favorite,

No Time For Nuts
Scrat, the squirrel from the Ice Age movies, is trying to bury his acorn in the snow when he accidentally uncovers a time machine. He ends up chasing his precious nut through the ages, dodging angry warriors, explosions, flying arrows and all kinds of other historical craziness. Hurry: You can see the full video right now, until Fox figures out it's online. If it's gone, you can still see a clip here, and the full film is on the DVD of Ice Age: The Meltdown.

The Danish Poet
I'm so sad this charming film isn't online anymore, because I wish everyone could have a chance to see it. The movie follows the narrator's quest to piece together the random twists of fate that led to her birth, including the death of a famous author, a hungry goat, several ferry boats, a herd of cattle, and a crowded train. Here's a clip, and there's another on this site.

Lifted
The newest Pixar short is slated for release with Ratatouille this summer, but you can see a clip of the movie at this site. The story focuses on a young alien who can't quite get his abduction skills down, much to the frustration of his Monsters Inc.-looking boss.