Oscar 2012 Documentary Shorts

It seems like documentaries are supposed to be sad films about tragic circumstances. This year's selections of documentary shorts have sad subjects but with the additional uplifting addition of triumph of the human spirit. The Barber of Birmingham:Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement, is about Mr. James Armstrong who was a barber from 1955 until his passing in 2009. He owned a USA flag that he carried in all the civil rights marches in Birmingham; God is the Bigger Elvis, is the story of Delores Hart who starred in films with Elvis Presley among others then changed careers to become a Benedictine nun in 1963; Incident in Baghdad, is about one soldier's reflection about the 2007 killings of unarmed reporters and civilians; Saving Face, is about women in Pakistan who are burned by acid and the surgeon who tries to help restore their image and life; The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, is about the devastation from the Japanese earthquake and Tsunami in 2011 contrasted to a cherry tree that has survived over 1000 years. Besides God is the bigger Elvis which was not viewed (thanks Sundance and the Oscars), they are all moving accounts of the way humans can overcome most anything. I would have to give the edge to Saving Face as the most inspirational and compelling story of what can happen when individuals, community and government work together to benefit us all. Two un-burned thumbs up. Political side note (used to these at the Oscars): those three working together sounds like fiction in this tumultuous time in Wisconsin and the nation but hopefully some day we will realize that the only thing that happens in a pissing contest is both sides get wet with nothing else accomplished.

Oscar 2012 Animated Short films

This year, some of the animated shorts that received honorable mentions instead of nominations were better than some of the nominated films. Overall, I would say this year's selections were sub-par compared to previous years. The nominated movies were: Dimanche/Sunday, about a typical Sunday in a small town that had no point to it and was a waste of a nomination; The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which was about a boy who is obsessed with writing his book but is distracted by flying books; La Luna, which is a Disney/Pixar film about three generations of fisherman who climb a ladder to the moon; A Morning Stroll, is based on a true story about a chicken who went on a daily stroll; and Wild Life, about an Englishman who travels to Canada to become a cowboy and writes letters home based on fiction more than reality. I would have to say La Luna and Fantastic Flying Books... were the only two that deserve their nomination for interesting story and watchable animation. I choose The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore mainly because as an aspiring author, it appealed to my heart along with the enjoyment of the movie.

Oscar 2012 Live Action Short Films

Five unique films are nominated this year for Live Action Short films. We have the Football (soccer to the USA) obsessed alter boy in Pentecost, a story about children being kidnapped and then sold as orphans to unsuspecting parents in foreign countries in Raju, A story about friends in Ireland who are estranged and then reunite in The Shore, A young man who's life is turned upside down because of a time machine that he built in Time Freak, and a dying man in Norway trying to reach his estranged brother across the Atlantic in America in Tuba Atlantic. They all had funny moments and they all had surprise endings. Short films are amazing in the quality of writing, acting and directing in such a short span of time. These were all enjoyable but my favorite has to be The Shore because it was the most interesting, well-rounded story of the group.

Midnight In Paris

Paris is this reviewer's dream city. The elegance of the Eiffel tower majestically pointing toward the heavens. Then add in the main character being an aspiring author who travels into the past to converse with classic authors like Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway and Cole Porter among others. Owen Wilson plays the aspiring author, Gill with an obviously different attitude than his typical comedic performances. This is a very enjoyable movie which in my opinion could have been great. It seemed like some of the classic authors stories were glossed over and Gil's relationship with Inez (Rachel McAdams) was important but Inez's character wasn't fully developed. I give Midnight In Paris two thumbs up while typing your potential best-seller as you sit in a cafe on the Champs Elysees looking up at the Eiffel tower.