Tomorrow night, Sunday, March 7, you can watch the 2010 Academy Awards (the 82 Oscars) on ABC.  Some of the best films are not the big names you have heard of already, or are even films that you have to set aside a few hours to watch.  They are the nominated short films.

You can also watch many of the short films that are nominated for this year’s awards.  You can purchase short films through iTunes, or in some cases you can already find them at a library.  Some of them are currently available on YouTube (either in their entirety or trailers), if you are like me and would like to watch them before you purchase them for yourself or your library, you can get a chance to do just that.

Personally, I haven’t had a chance to watch any of the live action nominees, but the animated shorts are all strong. The video trailers ‘available’ from the Oscar website did not work for me.  I hope you have better luck.

This year’s nominees are:

Animated Short Film (2009):

Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty – Brown Bag Films – Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connel:  Hilarious film about a Granny that sure has an interesting take on storytelling for her young grandbaby.  This is my favorite for the win, but it is a tough call.

Additional information:  Official website (includes full film, or watch the embedded video below).

French Roast – Fabrice Joubert:  A gentleman, a beggar, and a nun walk into a cafe.  Sounds like a joke, right?  Well, it is.  This nominee is about what happens when someone can’t foot the bill.

Additional information: Official website

The Lady and the Reaper (La dama y la muerte) – Javier Recio Gracia:  Don’t fear the reaper!  An elderly widow waits for death to reunite her with her late husband, but it isn’t that simple apparently in this film that will remind you of Bugs Bunny cartoons and at least at one point will have you saying “well that was disturbing” (at least I did).

Additional information: Official website

Logorama – H5 (French company) – Nicolas Schmerkin:  The world is made of logos and corporations…so basically this is a documentary (kidding…sort of).

Additional information:  Official website

A Matter of Loaf and Death – Aardman Animations – Nick Park:  Wallace and Gromit are back!  I love these guys!  This time they are in the bakery business.  Only the trailer is available online, but you can find this item at a library near you!

Additional information:  Official website

Best Live Action Short Film (2009): [note: information from Oscar website]

• The Door — Juanita Wilson and James Flynn:  This film is about a man and his family in the aftermath of Chernobyl.  No video is available at this time.

• Instead of Abracadabra — Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström: A man hopes to become a magician, much to the chagrin of his father.  A video trailer is apparently available at the Oscar website, but I could not get the video to load.

• Kavi — Gregg Helvey:  A young Indian boy and his family are forced to work as slaves.  A video trailer available from the Oscar website.

• Miracle Fish — Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey :  A boy receives the odd gift of a paper fish for his eighth birthday. No video is available at this time.

• The New Tenants — Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson:  The new tenants to an apartment building discover it has a frightening history. A video trailer is available from the Oscar website.

If you are interested in watching the 82 Academy Awards check your local ABC listings for more details, but don’t forget that you can watch nominated and award winning films from past years anytime.

One such collection is the DVD Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films.

The first short film in this collection, and the Oscar winner for “Best Live Action Short Film” 2006, is West Bank Story (by Ari Sandel, USA).  Set in the West Bank, this musical comedy parody of West Side Story is the love story of an Israeli soldier (Ben Newmark) and a Palestinian cashier (Noureen DeWulf).  Their families have are warring fast food restaurants.  This is ultimately a story of hope that someday the two sides will find peace…and that we can all enjoy yummy good food in harmony.

Additional information:  West Bank Story official website

The Danish Poet (by Torill Kove, Norway & Canada) was the winner for Animation Short.  This is a touching love story about all the tiny, seemingly insignificant things that lead up to the birth of a child.  Liv Ullmann narrates this film, taking us through the life of the Danish poet.  Tracing the small events in life, can we find the bigger picture?

You can watch the entire film on the National Film Board of Canada’s Youtube Channel:

Additional information:  The Danish Poet at the National Film Board of Canada

This collection also features nominated short films.  In the live action catogory we have The Saviour, One Too Many, Helmer and Son, and Binta and the Great Idea.  A nominated animation is also included, Maestro, in addition to bonus short films A Gentlemen’s Duel, Guide Dog, One Rat Short, The Passenger, Surviving the Rush, and The Wraith of Cobble Hill.

Find this item at a library near you!

Penelope

Penelope (Christina Ricci) is born into a high-society family.  The world should be at her feet, but she due to a strange curse on her family, she is born with a face like a pig (and no, it can’t be fixed with plastic surgery).  The only thing that can reverse it is for a blue-blood to accept her as one of their own.  Her parents fake her death and keep her hidden away to protect her from tabloid reporters, specifically one named Lemon (Peter Dinklage) that almost got a picture of Penelope as a baby.   Once she is old enough, her mother (Catherine O’Hara) arranges to use a match-making service dealing only with high-society clients.  The suitors all come for the sizable dowry, but run once they see her.

Everything changes when she meets Max (James McAvoy); a handsome, charming, and down on his luck gambler.  He is hired to get a picture of the “hideous pig faced girl,” but Max and Penelope fall in love.  Our unlikely couple are a wonderful match, but when the truth is revealed, Max leaves and it devastates our heroine.

Heartbroken, Penelope strikes out on her own for the first time in her life.  Along the way to finding herself, Penelope makes friends including a spunky bike messenger (Reese Witherspoon), and she learns to love herself.  She is able to really live for the first time in her life.

This story is an amazing example of a modern, likable princess that does not fit the traditional mold.  I cannot recommend this film enough.  The breathtaking beauty of the shots and amazing use of color is reason enough, but when combined by the moving, yet hilarious, story of this young woman you have a film that will stand the test of time.

Find this item at a library near you!

Times are tough for us all and we need libraries even more.  I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir on this one, but it is important to be reminded of how awesome librarians are and how important we are in helping our communities thrive in these tough economic times.  In fact “Communities Thrive @ your library” is the theme of National Library Week 2010.  Especially with our own very serious budget issues, and the increased need for library services, we all deserve a huge pat on the back for working in or supporting librarianship.

The American Library Association provides promotional materials on their website including a Tough Economy Toolkit, but to be honest, as peachy as all that is I would rather just focus on the fact that none-other than Mr. Neil Gaiman is the Honorary Chair!  Doesn’t that just make you feel all warm and gushy inside?!  You can find the banner featured in this post, a PDF with Neil Gaiman, and many other materials on the ALA website.  National Library Week is April 11-17.  It doesn’t matter if you are an employed or unemployed librarian, or a patron of libraries.  We all should be able to agree that Neil Gaiman is an excellent choice.

Sofia Coppola’s genius as a filmmaker is showcased in her film Marie Antoinette; a masterpiece that blends popular music, historic locations, and a story thick with the luxury and loneliness of Versailles.  Based loosely on the life of Marie Antoinette (Queen of France), the film (written and directed by Coppola) takes a sympathetic look at one of history’s favorite villainesses.  Coppola takes on the task of making a bio-pic that isn’t just another film set in the past, while also not intruding on the story with modernity.  She succeeds with a film that captures both the time period and the timelessness of her desperation, drunken rock star youth, and utter loneliness.  Criticism has come from the lack of historical context or accuracy, but this is not a documentary.  Rather it is a piece of art about a lonely girl.

Kirsten Dunst dazzels as the young royal.  The film is completely from Marie’s perspective, and Dunst does not disappoint with her subtle portrayal of the Dauphine of France.  Most of the film is told without words and Dunst is able to fit into the role convincingly.  She plays Marie as a teenager, which is what she was when she arrived in France and married King Louis XVI.  She is lonely, given to excess, and tries to woo her husband (knowing full well that everything depends on that).  There is no mistaking the pressure on Marie Antoinette to produce an heir to the thrown; her loneliness, her desperation to “inspire” her husband, her diversions in drink and shoping, and her desire to fit in with the catty crowd in the royal court are all perfectly portrayed by Dunst.

Jason Schwartzman is a wonderful choice as her husband King Louis XVI.  He is totally sexually uninterested in Marie Antoinette.  He would much rather make keys than make love to his wife (much to the dismay of the young woman, who clearly is not secure in her position without a male child).  Schwartzman is refreshing as a nerdy sort of king, with a good heart, versus a confident and sexually aggressive royal that blames his wife.  Rather, Schwartzman is just completely disinterested.  He tries to be kind, but it is clear that this is dysfunctional for both parties.

Obviously, what sets this film apart is the use of modern music such as Adam and the Ants, the Cure, Bow Wow Wow, and the Strokes instead of strictly period music.  Personally I was skeptical that I would even like this film due to the music.  Not that I don’t enjoy it, but making it work in this type of film is a huge challenge.  I was pleasantly surprised to find myself so deeply invested in the story, the visuals, and the sounds that it was not at all jarring for me when modern music was included and furthermore it added a sweet layer of the contemporary to the entire film.

However, it is also the visual splendor of the film that takes your breath away.  In making this film, it must be nice to be have Coppola connections.  They had unprecedented access to Versailles.  You cannot buy sets as lavash as the real thing.  There is no comparison.  If you want to see more, watch the special features (including the making-of and a humorous “Cribs with Louis XVI”).  Additionally, the costumes are divine.  It is not surprising that the film won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

Find this item at a library near you!

As as side note, you now can receive emails when there are new posts on Librarians are Weird (check the side bar).  Additionally, all items that are available from libraries that participate in WorldCat will be listed together.  You can click on the WorldCat icon in the sidebar to find our complete list or in each individual post you can still find links to “Find this item at a library near you!”  If you have a WorldCat account you can even follow the Librarians are Weird list.  This has been done in a further attempt to make your life even easier!

Oz will never be the same. Tin Man, a SciFi Channel mini-series production, is one of the best interpretations of L. Frank Baum’s magical world that I have ever seen (and that is saying something). It is hard to beat a cast that includes the likes of Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming, Neal McDonaugh, Raoul Trujillo, and Richard Dreyfus; but it is Kathleen Robertson that steals the show as the best villain that the O.Z. has ever seen, Azkadellia. Not one of the performances is less than stellar in this epic story. This is not the fluffy, feel good Oz. This is the harsh and cruel world of the O.Z.

DG (Zooey Deschanel) is a waitress “of 20 annuals” that doesn’t feel at home in her small Midwest town where she and her parents live, but it isn’t long before a storm comes. It isn’t just any storm. It brings with it soldiers sent after DG. She is taken away in the storm and wakes up to find herself in a strange and beautiful land (that looks a lot like Endor), and sets out first to find her parents who were also lost in the storm. Later her quest deepens as she tries to find herself and unlock the secrets of her past. While eluding the evil sorceress that controls the O.Z. (or “Outer Zone”), DG bans together with a small band of resistance fighters, and comes to realize she might just be the key to stopping Azkadellia’s reign of terror and torture.

DG and Azkadellia

Along the way, there are many references and twists on the old Oz. Of course instead of Dorothy Gale we have DG; the hip, charming, and cute as a button rebel fighter with a good heart. You have the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, the Wizard, and many more; but they are new interpretations. For example, there is reference to the scarecrow in Glitch (Cummings), a man that has had his brain removed by Azkadellia. And instead of a man literally made of tin with no heart, you have a good man that has had his heart hardened by the O.Z. and seeks revenge (McDonough). Where you once had a cowardly lion, you now have a lion/human psychic (Trujillo), whose entire species has been used and tortured by Azkadellia. The Mystic Man (Dreyfus) replaces the Great and Powerful Oz (and so on). Azkadellia, the new wicked witch, commands an army of mobats and storm troopers. The mobats, monkey bats, are reason enough to watch Tin Man. Especially cool is the fact that when they aren’t flying around the mobats are on her body as super-sexy tattoos.

The Collector’s Edition boasts many special features including a must watch behind the scenes called Beyond the Yellow Brick Road, and interviews with the cast and crew of Tin Man. You can go even further and watch a special on the set with the director, but the behind the scenes is the better of the two. Also, there is of course a gag reel if you are into that sort of thing.

You can find this item at a library near you!

Additionally, the website for Tin Man is worth a look-see (especially if you have a good, fast connection). The official website is at http://www.syfy.com/tinman/ and you can browse the cast, a gallery, a forum, and general about information, but you also can get a tour through the O.Z. (http://www.syfy.com/tinman/oz/).

Happy New Year!  When my friend, and fellow librarian, Jennifer Lu’Becke sent me this link to Neil Gaiman’s short film Statuesque I knew I had to share it with you fine folks.

Statuesque is the tale of a man that falls in love with a living statue.  It is a beautiful story told completely without words.  I certainly have a soft spot for both Neil Gaiman and for the short movie format.  Here is an excellent example how a story can be told in less than ten minutes, with no dialog, and can be more amazing than most full-length films currently being produced and sold to the public.  Also, I am slightly biased in my affection for this piece since it is similar to a script I wrote years ago that never got around to producing.  Perhaps I will have to tweak it a bit and give it a go in 2010.

Bravo, Neil!  You have done it again!  Cheers to you all and here is to a new decade and plenty more librarian geeky goodness!

If you are unfamiliar with zines (pronounced zeens), they are self-published magazines that have small runs.  Often they are cut and pasted together and photo-copied. The purpose of zines is not to make money, but rather expression.  Be it politics, sex, body-image, or pop-culture; zines are often highly personal in nature and are truly labors of love.

Volunteers from GSLIS are organizing the UC-IMC Zine Library

Hardrock, Coco, and Joe (my favorite!)

Suzy Snowflake

Frosty the Snowman