The practice of showing cartoons and live action shorts before a feature film was on its way out by the time I started going to the movies as a kid in the 1960s.
But from time to time, generous independent theater operators would add value to their programs with memorable extras like the Mel Brooks-voiced cartoon “The Critic” and the beautifully-shot mid-1960s skateboarding film “Skater Dater.”
These days, the only “shorts” before movies are those horrendous commercial blocks that seem to get longer each year (and so insulting to those of us who go out to movies to avoid comercial TV practices). It pains me that as movie prices have gone up theater operators have made the experience increasingly painful with ads for cars and phone services and soft drinks (and those sadly misleading ads for the National Guard).
Enough ranting for today!
The good news is that the art form of the short film is alive and well — despite its displacement from theatrical exhibition — and tonight at the Avon Theatre in Stamford you can see the ten short films that will be vying for best animated and best live action Oscars on Sunday night.
The quality and the variety of the work in both categories is staggering.The live action nominees this year are like mini-movies on such important topics as the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster (“The Door,” left) and the slavery that still exists in many countries today (“Davi”).
The only comedy in the live action division is the terrific 22-minute Swedish film, “Instead of Abracadabra” about a demented young magician who is still living with his parents. Like the other nominated live action shorts, this story could easily be expanded into a good feature-length film.
The five animated films all qualify as light entertainment, from the French charmer “French Roast” about an unexpected act of generosity in a cafe, to a hilarious Spanish cartoon about a bizarre life-and-death struggle, “The Lady and the Reaper,” to my favorite — the brilliant French satire of American commerce (and movies) “Logorama” (above).
If you can’t make it to tonight’s screening at the Avon — which starts at 6 p.m. — the ten films are available individually from iTunes.
The nation’s leading Movies On Demand distributor, In Demand, made the films available to U. S. digital cable audiences starting yesterday, in both standard and high definition.
For more information on the Avon Theatre screening, go to www.avontheatre.org
