Every year around Oscar season, different folks clamor to get their hands on those films that have been nominated. Oscar-watching parties abound, instant-streaming services tax bandwidth, and workplace conversations include thoughts about that year’s contenders for cinema’s most coveted honor. Many go as far as to seek out films in the animation or foreign categories. The films in the short film categories, however, seem to be the least sought out of the bunch, and that is unfortunate considering all that the short form has to offer. Continue reading…
Last night’s Academy Awards were in many ways predictable, rife with the pomp, circumstance, film montages that are supposed to recall the majesty of movies, awards for mostly unsurprising recipients, and almost-funny jokes that we’ve all come to expect. On a side note, one of the evening’s sole surprises was that Hugh Jackman proved to be a very competent master of ceremonies, perhaps, precisely because he is not a comedian with neutered material suitable for prime-time broadcasting. His lack of professional hilarity made it okay to laugh at any semblance of humor, and helped to numb—though not completely alleviate—the pain of Jon Stewart not being asked to host again.