Hambuster (2010)

2.5 / 5 Jul '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Paul Alexandre, Maxime Cazaux, Dara Cazamea, Romain Delaunay, Bruno Ortolland
Written by: Paul Alexandre, Maxime Cazaux, Dara Cazamea, Romain Delaunay, Bruno Ortolland
Actors include: N/A
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Animated
Length: 6 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a sorta lamely computer animated short 3D flick about a hamburger gone bad. It was created by 5 students as a graduation project I believe, and when you consider that they did well...I'da passed 'em. A fella goes to take a bite only to have it lick his face, then the burger promptly goes on a chomping spree tearing up a fast food restaurant. It's just not very special and it seems as though not much care went into the making of it. I did appreciate the carnage that takes place during the restaurant massacre (some of the touches there were nice) but the rest of it all seemed rather meh. Not something I'll ever want to see again nor would I really recommend it, but it did give me a craving for a burger.

Availability:  watch it here for free  http://vimeo.com/13526349

How Wings Are Attached To The Backs Of Angels (1997)

4 / 5 Apr '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Craig Welch
Written by: Craig Welch
Actors include: Louise Leroux
Genre: Horror, Animation, Fantasy
Length: 11 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Pretty neat little animated Canadian film that also utilizes photography and black and white imagery. The style somewhat reminded me of Monty Python...only far darker and gothic of course. The idea seems to be that this Man is obsessed with wings, and putting wings on creatures. He examines animals to try to learn about the wings and how they are made. He then meets a Woman and all he can think about seems to be attaching wings to her. It's pretty well done actually, and quite unique. It's a short film of course, so it'll only take up about 11 minutes of your time which will be well spent.

Availability:  N/A on DVD

The Sandman (1991)

4 / 5 Apr '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Paul Berry
Written by: N/A
Actors include: N/A
Genre: Horror, Animation
Length: 9 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I did not see this coming somehow...no wonder children are terrified of the Sandman! The style is Tim Burtonesque, sort of gnarled and twisted but whimsical too. It's created with stop-motion and the attention to detail is remarkable. The story is about a Mother who sends her little Boy up to bed with a flickering candle. Before long the Sandman is creeping around, but what could he want? Surprising and refreshing, not the sort of thing one should show to children at all. Very creative and creepy little delight, well worth checking out, and it was nominated for an Oscar for best short film in 1992.

Availability:  I don't think it's on DVD

The Tell-Tale Heart (1953)

4 / 5 Apr '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Ted Parmelee
Written by: Edgar Allan Poe, Bill Scott
Actors include: James Mason
Genre: Animation, Short, Crime, Horror
Length: 8 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I didn't really know this story before watching this, I knew something about the floorboards but nothing else. Pretty neat really, it's about a crazy Man who is obsessed with his old Man Landlord's eye. I love the style of animation used here, it's so very gothic and dark yet claustrophobic in a way. It does a fantastic job of building the tension and sort of putting us in the mind of the crazy Man. It's only 8 minutes long so it's definitely to the point, and the story is told through narration. It manages to be a bit creepy, and interesting definitely worth a viewing, I wish there were more like this one but alas I haven't seen any.

Availability:  not on DVD I believe

Kyvadlo, jáma a naděje (1984) aka The Pit, the Pendulum and Hope

4 / 5 Apr '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Jan Svankmajer
Written by: Jan Svankmajer, Edgar Allan Poe
Actors include: Jan Zácek
Genre: Horror, Animation
Length: 15 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
At first I thought...oh no, I'm going to get sea sick from the lack of focus and the pendulum movement. Then I started to feel that doom of the swing, and as the details become clear as to the situation and set it's pretty darned neat. It's all filmed in grainy black and white, and you really don't see much if anything in the way of faces. Creepy moving parts and the animation or stop-motion stuff certainly leave one feeling uneasy. At the same time the age old Pit and the Pendulum story is very clear despite the total lack of dialog. We watch a Man struggle for survival as the pendulum swings closer and closer as he tries desperately to escape...how is that not exciting? It's definitely obvious stylistically that it's a work of Jan Švankmajer with the creative touches. Sure it's just a short film, but it packs a whole lotta punch.

Availability:  On DVD as part of the Collected Shorts Of Jan Svankmajer set

Harpya (1979)

3.5 / 5 Apr '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Raoul Servais
Written by: Raoul Servais
Actors include: Will Spoor, Fran Waller Zeper, Sjoert Schwibethus
Genre: Fantasy, Short, Animation, Horror
Length: 9 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I've sorta been worried about reviewing this one because I can't really tell you what went on. I can tell you that it's absurd and strange, and that the Harpy creature is freaky but you can probably already see that from the picture. What I can tell you about the plot is that a Man who is strolling comes across some sort of crying from the fountain. He thinks he's found a Woman (I think) but it ends up being this Harpy thing. He takes it home and it is endlessly demanding and obnoxious and it seems to be sort of holding him prisoner in a way. It's a very short film, and the imagery will certainly stick with you (or at least it has me). Still I can't help but think a hint of clarity could have went a long way. Oh well, still something to see for the person who has seen everything.

Availability:  Not on DVD as far as I can tell

Krysar (1986) aka The Pied Piper Of Hamelin

4.5 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Jirí Barta
Written by: Kamil Pixa, Viktor Dyk
Actors include: Oldrich Kaiser, Jirí Lábus, Michal Pavlícek
Genre: Horror, Animation, Fantasy
Length: 53 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Wow what a grotesquely fascinating piece of work that is insanely detailed and visually spectacular. The version I saw was in Czech with no English subs or anything so any dialog was lost on me but it didn't seem to matter. I definitely understand the story (it is an old fairy tale after all), and the actions in this speak very loudly. They style is stop motion with lots of wood and carved items but with some real animals and items and even some really cool technics with paint and animation. The tale is about a greedy little town that is infested with rats who've stolen their valuables and are generally making life miserable. The Pied Piper shows up and is more than happy to lead the rats away, but when the people of Hamlin dis him look out! It's under an hour long and it's certainly stylistically reminiscent of Jan Švankmajer. This is one of the coolest looking fairy tales I've ever seen, I'd definitely see more from Jiri Trnka and I'd suggest you check this out too (though you might want to avoid showing this to wee ones).
 
Availability:  Not available on DVD

Vincent (1982)

5 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Tim Burton
Written by: Tim Burton
Actors include: Vincent Price
Genre: Fantasy, Animation
Length: 6 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I loved this, it's very Tim Burton in style which is so creative and interesting, it works perfect for this short film. Vincent Price narrates this poem about a young boy named Vincent Malone who seems to think he is Vincent Price. It has so many little tie-ins with Price films and Edgar Allan Poe, it's absolutely perfect. The little monsters in the tale and even something as simple as a cat are so well illustrated, very similar to the style of the creatures in Burton's later film A Nightmare Before Christmas. I can't think of a single thing I would change about this, one of the best short films I've seen. It really put a smile to my face and kept it there for the entire six minutes, a ghoul's delight!

Availability:  On DVD as a bonus feature on the Nightmare Before Christmas DVD