Many of the short films screened in this collection are fantastic. The Hertzfeldt shorts, in particular, were so funny that I often couldn't breathe because I was laughing so hard. If "Rejected" had gone on much longer, I might have passed out.
The other shorts varied a great deal in style and content. While it was nice to see such variety mixed into the show, it felt less coherent somehow than, say, a Spike & Mike's festival. Expect odd juxtapositions and the occasional short that really grates on your nerves.
Much of Judge's work was comprised of ultra-short pencil tests, some of them quite entertaining. The animated test for Office Space was especially welcome.
Other highlights:
"Parking Lot" by Bill Plympton-- standard Plympton fare, but great fun.
("Head Mountain?"-- unsure of title) Japanese short about a stingy man who finds a cherry tree growing from his head. Surreal and well drawn.
(title unknown) There's a beautifully hand-painted short set to classical music centering around a pair of riders who transform repeatedly. It's an odd piece, but very pretty and worthwhile at the end.
Lowlights:
"Cathedral"-- Pretty CG for its own sake was worthwhile when the medium was new. But these days you really ought to have a compelling narrative or at least make the gimmick less obvious. Overlong and slow.
"Ricardo"-- it *is* intermittently funny, but it's a bit amateurish and vaguely offensive. Features a mentally retarded hispanic guy with a speech impediment. Yes, that's the gimmick.
Overall, it's certainly worth watching, but Spike & Mike's may be more consistently entertaining.
The other shorts varied a great deal in style and content. While it was nice to see such variety mixed into the show, it felt less coherent somehow than, say, a Spike & Mike's festival. Expect odd juxtapositions and the occasional short that really grates on your nerves.
Much of Judge's work was comprised of ultra-short pencil tests, some of them quite entertaining. The animated test for Office Space was especially welcome.
Other highlights:
"Parking Lot" by Bill Plympton-- standard Plympton fare, but great fun.
("Head Mountain?"-- unsure of title) Japanese short about a stingy man who finds a cherry tree growing from his head. Surreal and well drawn.
(title unknown) There's a beautifully hand-painted short set to classical music centering around a pair of riders who transform repeatedly. It's an odd piece, but very pretty and worthwhile at the end.
Lowlights:
"Cathedral"-- Pretty CG for its own sake was worthwhile when the medium was new. But these days you really ought to have a compelling narrative or at least make the gimmick less obvious. Overlong and slow.
"Ricardo"-- it *is* intermittently funny, but it's a bit amateurish and vaguely offensive. Features a mentally retarded hispanic guy with a speech impediment. Yes, that's the gimmick.
Overall, it's certainly worth watching, but Spike & Mike's may be more consistently entertaining.