The Documentary and Animated Short categories, like the Live Action short category, once again offer up the Academy’s best representation of great filmmaking. Each of the doc shorts take us into the lives of ordinary people who either survive extraordinary things or do extraordinary things. Here are mine in order of preference.
- Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405 – a short film about a broken human being who is an unbelievably talented artist. While it’s true that we often thing about great artists as being damaged or struggling to cope with reality, we don’t often see them as completely as we do with Mindy Alper in this film. Most of the film is Alper telling her own story, describing her relationship with her parents, and showing her early drawings that expressed what was happening to her as she struggled with severe mental illness. She is on a wide array of medications to hold her together, yet she doesn’t believe they are working properly. So much of the movie is about who she is, how she talks, how she lives, who she loves – but when her art is brought out and seen in full display of its brilliance it’s just astonishing. Truly, we are in the presence of greatness. I guess I liked this movie the most because I liked her so much — women don’t often get the credit they deserve for being great artists unless they’re somehow tied to a romantic legacy about themselves – and as usual, to do with how they look or who they slept with. But Alper is just pure raw genius. I don’t know if this one will win but you should track it down.
- Traffic Stop was a film that took me by surprise. We’re inundated with videos of police brutality so that those videos themselves seem to tell us a story we think we know already. But as we follow Breaion King’s life told in her own words we see a young ambitious woman with hope in her eyes and faith in her heart. She so clearly believed that if she did everything “right” and followed the rules surely nothing terrible would happen to her. But of course, she’s pulled over and because she gives the cop a tiny bit of attitude (as we all do when we’re trying to get out of a ticket) he yanks her out of the car and throws her to the ground, then tries to pin her arms behind her back. It is a shocking thing to see no matter what (she’s tiny, he’s huge) and no one deserves that kind of treatment by our law enforcement — learning more about her life, that’s she’s a schoolteacher with a Master’s degree, a dancer, so smart, so kind it’s the part of the story we don’t often see. We see the video and we feel outrage but do we ever really get to know the victim? Traffic Stop introduces us to a bright light who got a lesson in the way of the world she never should have had to endure.
- Knife Skills – this is one of the more professional looking of the shorts and tells a story of prison inmates getting a second shot at life by learning how to run a French restaurant – to cook, to be waitstaff, hostesses, etc. Most offenders re-offend the moment they’re out of prison, this program is meant to be a way to catch them when they first come out and hopefully redirect them to a better life for themselves. It’s a joy to watch so many of them connect with the work, and sad to see that some still do fall through the cracks. This film could easily win.
- Heroin(e) follows three women who are out to change the crushing statistic of the opioide addiction in one small town that has an overdose rate 10 times the national average. Fire Chief Jan Rader brings victims back to life, or tries to, Judge Patricia Keller works with offenders and tries to find better solutions for them then throwing them in jail, and Necia Freeman of Brown Bag Ministry who drives around giving out free food to addicts and those living on the streets. It’s so moving to watch such brave and mighty women hold such fragile life or struggles in their hands.
- Edith+Eddie is the short most people believe will win and indeed it is a heartwarming story, with two elderly people who have met and fallen in love and just want to live out their days together. The problem becomes how can they survive, how can they take care of themselves. What we do with our elderly is about estate planning, money and conservatorships – not a lot of it is to do with what happens to our rights to, say, be with the one we love. It’s a heartbreaking and frustrating film on all fronts but captures an important story about love, really, and the tragic ways our lives can sometimes end.
In terms of what will win, there is just no way to tell. Your own preference might not match what those who do decide to vote for these. Since many members skip these categories, it’s impossible to tell year after year which of them will get selected. But you could do worse than predicting Edith+Eddie for its universality.
In terms of the animated shorts, I’ll not offer individual reviews of them, just a wee bit of analysis. I think by far the most accomplished is Garden Party about a group of frogs hanging around what appears to be the scene of the crime. It is so captivating, so charming, so real looking, so unique and so funny that I hope it wins. I suspect it won’t. Probably Dear Basketball will win, since it’s a poem written by Kobe Bryant who will likely attend the Oscars. I’m guessing voters would like to see him go on stage to win an Oscar – but the short itself is very very short. It’s good, for sure. Garden Party is better. Lou is every bit the level of quality and storytelling you would expect from Pixar. You’ve likely seen it. It could win – and might very well win simply because there are so many Pixar members voting. Negative Space and Revolting Rhymes are also very very good. My choice is Garden Party as the best, but at the moment I do not know which film will win. Probably Dear Basketball.
For anyone who HASN’T seen the brilliant ”In a Heartbeat” that has won dozens of prizes and been viewed 34 million times on YouTube … but somehow WASN’T Oscar-nominated) …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2REkk9SCRn0&t=59s
DEAR BASKETBALL (the worst of the 5) is still 1000x better if you mute the insipid inspiration-talk and Williams’s overbearing score. You realize that everything that needs to be conveyed is in the (good) animation all by itself, but the OTT words & music overwhelm would could have been a modest sentiment. Wouldn’t be the first time the worst nominee won but I’m still crossing my fingers for NEGATIVE SPACE (the best) or GARDEN PARTY (aka the anti-PIPER, which runs a decent second).
It’s very well animated and it would be a winner at the Clio Awards (for commercials). I admired Negative Space until you realize it’s just an extended joke with a punch line.
I’ve only seen three of the short docs, but I thought they were all great. Knife Skills was a great story with a poignant message. Heroin(e) is an American tragedy that I can relate to, having grown up in rural New England with many of the same opioid problems. I’m also very close friends with recovering addicts, so the story hit an especially emotional chord with me. With that said, I think Heaven Is A Traffic Jam On The 405 is the better documentary. Art is a beautiful and powerful thing. Do yourself a favor and check it out…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09M3C4VD1Fg
Thanks for sharing! Sashas article made me intrested to see this film.
For anyone who HASN’T seen the brilliant ”In a Heartbeat” that has won dozens of prizes and been viewed 34 million times on YouTube … but somehow WASN’T Oscar-nominated) …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2REkk9SCRn0&t=59s
DEAR BASKETBALL (the worst of the 5) is still 1000x better if you mute the insipid inspiration-talk and Williams’s overbearing score. You realize that everything that needs to be conveyed is in the (good) animation all by itself, but the OTT words & music overwhelm would could have been a modest sentiment. Wouldn’t be the first time the worst nominee won but I’m still crossing my fingers for NEGATIVE SPACE (the best) or GARDEN PARTY (aka the anti-PIPER, which runs a decent second).
It’s very well animated and it would be a winner at the Clio Awards (for commercials). I admired Negative Space until you realize it’s just an extended joke with a punch line.
I’ve only seen three of the short docs, but I thought they were all great. Knife Skills was a great story with a poignant message. Heroin(e) is an American tragedy that I can relate to, having grown up in rural New England with many of the same opioid problems. I’m also very close friends with recovering addicts, so the story hit an especially emotional chord with me. With that said, I think Heaven Is A Traffic Jam On The 405 is the better documentary. Art is a beautiful and powerful thing. Do yourself a favor and check it out…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09M3C4VD1Fg
Thanks for sharing! Sashas article made me intrested to see this film.
FYI: ‘Garden Party’ is a French student film… and a very apt metaphor for Trump’s America.
Ha ha yes!
Dear Basketball is gross. It should never win.
Garden Party, yes! Brilliant stuff.
Lou is run-of-the-mill Pixar. It will probably win, but it’s nothing special.
Why is it gross? Cause it shows his xrays?
Cause it’s terrible.
Agreed. I have no idea how it even got nominated.
It’s not even an animated short. It’s a commercial.
Btw, if anyone here’s going to criticize “Dear Basketball” for being conceived by a guy accused of sexual assault a one-and-a-half decades ago and the case was settled and Bryant and his wife have since broken up and reunited, then please don’t forget to criticize legendary Disney animation director Glen Keane for choosing to work with Bryant, not to mention the Academy’s Short Films & Feature Animation branch for nominating it (i.e., proof that they don’t mind the resolved case enough to not nominate it either).
Don’t worry, plenty of people are criticizing the Academy’s Short Films & Feature Animation branch for nominating it.
And Glen Keane, can’t forget Glen.
“Dear Basketball” was my favorite of the animated shorts and I hope it wins, followed by “Lou”, then “Negative Space”, then “Revolting Rhymes” (“Negative Space”‘s shorter runtime is the narrow tie-breaker there). “Garden Party” was my least favorite, even with its crisp CG animation. It just meandered without a point for me.
FYI: ‘Garden Party’ is a French student film… and a very apt metaphor for Trump’s America.
Ha ha yes!
Dear Basketball is the worst nominee of all the Oscar nominees this year. It demonstrates how weak the category is this year (this and Negative Space, which is average at best). If it wins, then I’ll petition that the category be eliminated forever as the stain will forever tarnish it.
I’m with Sasha — Garden Party is SO SO GOOD as pure animation. It may be one of the best looking animated shorts I’ve ever seen. But I suspect it will get overrun by the films from big backers — Pixar’s LOU (which is really charming) or the BBC’s Revoting Rhymes (very entertaining adaptation).
I can’t wait until three 27th when they can be streamed online… It’s really silly though because they don’t show them in theatres outside the US so you wait until they come out online then they only sell them in a small number of countries (you’re paying money to watch them so you’d think it’s be easy to open it up to anyone but maybe there are issues with censors or something)… Oh well, my VPN is my friend.
Many of the 15 nominees can be watched, free, if you look hard enough.
Yeah I’ve seen a few but you can’t get along unfortunately
Dear Basketball is gross. It should never win.
Garden Party, yes! Brilliant stuff.
Lou is run-of-the-mill Pixar. It will probably win, but it’s nothing special.
Why is it gross? Cause it shows his xrays?
Btw, if anyone here’s going to criticize “Dear Basketball” for being conceived by a guy accused of sexual assault a one-and-a-half decades ago and the case was settled and Bryant and his wife have since broken up and reunited, then please don’t forget to criticize legendary Disney animation director Glen Keane for choosing to work with Bryant, not to mention the Academy’s Short Films & Feature Animation branch for nominating it (i.e., proof that they don’t mind the resolved case enough to not nominate it either).
Don’t worry, plenty of people are criticizing the Academy’s Short Films & Feature Animation branch for nominating it.
“Dear Basketball” was my favorite of the animated shorts and I hope it wins, followed by “Lou”, then “Negative Space”, then “Revolting Rhymes” (“Negative Space”‘s shorter runtime is the narrow tie-breaker there). “Garden Party” was my least favorite, even with its crisp CG animation. It just meandered without a point for me.
DOCUMENTARY
1. Heaven Is A Traffic Jam On The 405
2. Traffic Stop
3. Herion(e)
4. Edith+Eddie
5. Knife Skills
ANIMATED
1. Garden Party
2. Negative Space
3. Lou
4. Revolting Rhymes
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
5. Dear Basketball (pure garbage)
Dear Basketball is the worst nominee of all the Oscar nominees this year. It demonstrates how weak the category is this year (this and Negative Space, which is average at best). If it wins, then I’ll petition that the category be eliminated forever as the stain will forever tarnish it.
I’m with Sasha — Garden Party is SO SO GOOD as pure animation. It may be one of the best looking animated shorts I’ve ever seen. But I suspect it will get overrun by the films from big backers — Pixar’s LOU (which is really charming) or the BBC’s Revoting Rhymes (very entertaining adaptation).
Dear Basketball? Really? I get that there might be a lot of Lakers fans in the Academy but I’d think the people who bother to vote in these categories take their jobs a little more seriously than that.
I cannot believe “World of Tomorrow Episode II: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts” was snubbed in favor of “Dear Basketball”. Another travesty by the Academy.
And I can’t believe the first World of Tomorrow lost to a forgettable piece called Bear Story!
Yes! And “In A Heartbeat” — admittedly not as big of an omission as “World Of Tomorrow 2,” but still leaps and bounds above the quality of the steaming dung heap that is “Dear Basketball.”
I can’t wait until three 27th when they can be streamed online… It’s really silly though because they don’t show them in theatres outside the US so you wait until they come out online then they only sell them in a small number of countries (you’re paying money to watch them so you’d think it’s be easy to open it up to anyone but maybe there are issues with censors or something)… Oh well, my VPN is my friend.
Many of the 15 nominees can be watched, free, if you look hard enough.
Yeah I’ve seen a few but you can’t get along unfortunately
I heard that at the Academy screening for the shorts Revolting Rhymes was the overwhelming favorite among those voters. That’s why I predicted it for nomination when most people had sidelined it. Does that mean it could also pull off a win over Lou and Garden Party? (I refuse to predict Dear Basketball. Its not in the same league as the other shorts and just a firm NO to having Kobe on stage). Always tricky to predict which voters will skip the category and which will vote even if they’ve only seen one (or maybe none) of the nominees.
In A Heartbeat was snubbed
DOCUMENTARY
1. Heaven Is A Traffic Jam On The 405
2. Traffic Stop
3. Herion(e)
4. Edith+Eddie
5. Knife Skills
ANIMATED
1. Garden Party
2. Negative Space
3. Lou
4. Revolting Rhymes
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
5. Dear Basketball (pure garbage)
Mindy Alper is incredible as an honest person and an artist. Her giant paper mache bust of her psychiatrist exudes kindness, wisdom and compassion.
I thought all the other Documentary Shorts were pretty good except for Traffic Stop. I’d vote for Knife Skills. The Animated Films were a pretty unimpressive bunch, but Garden Party was great to look at and had an astonishing ending, so I’d vote for it. Dear Basketball and Lou were pretty worthless.
It’s so sad to hear that ”Dear Basketball” and ”Lou” are ”pretty worthless,” when Beth David and Esteban Bravo’s ”In a Heartbeat” didn’t make the final 5. I thought their viral animated gem, with 34 million views, about 2 boys & a same-sex crush, would’ve won.
In a Hearbeat should absolutely be winning the Oscar. Silly voters. I wouldnt say Lou is “worthless” but it isnt as groundbreaking or memorable as past Pixar shorts. They’ve just set the bar awfully high for themselves. But I still liked it. Though I think Garden Party and Revolting Rhymes are the best of the five.
Dear Basketball? Really? I get that there might be a lot of Lakers fans in the Academy but I’d think the people who bother to vote in these categories take their jobs a little more seriously than that.
I cannot believe “World of Tomorrow Episode II: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts” was snubbed in favor of “Dear Basketball”. Another travesty by the Academy.
And I can’t believe the first World of Tomorrow lost to a forgettable piece called Bear Story!
Yes! And “In A Heartbeat” — admittedly not as big of an omission as “World Of Tomorrow 2,” but still leaps and bounds above the quality of the steaming dung heap that is “Dear Basketball.”
I heard that at the Academy screening for the shorts Revolting Rhymes was the overwhelming favorite among those voters. That’s why I predicted it for nomination when most people had sidelined it. Does that mean it could also pull off a win over Lou and Garden Party? (I refuse to predict Dear Basketball. Its not in the same league as the other shorts and just a firm NO to having Kobe on stage). Always tricky to predict which voters will skip the category and which will vote even if they’ve only seen one (or maybe none) of the nominees.
In A Heartbeat was snubbed
Mindy Alper is incredible as an honest person and an artist. Her giant paper mache bust of her psychiatrist exudes kindness, wisdom and compassion.
I thought all the other Documentary Shorts were pretty good except for Traffic Stop. I’d vote for Knife Skills. The Animated Films were a pretty unimpressive bunch, but Garden Party was great to look at and had an astonishing ending, so I’d vote for it. Dear Basketball and Lou were pretty worthless.
It’s so sad to hear that ”Dear Basketball” and ”Lou” are ”pretty worthless,” when Beth David and Esteban Bravo’s ”In a Heartbeat” didn’t make the final 5. I thought their viral animated gem, with 34 million views, about 2 boys & a same-sex crush, would’ve won.
In a Hearbeat should absolutely be winning the Oscar. Silly voters. I wouldnt say Lou is “worthless” but it isnt as groundbreaking or memorable as past Pixar shorts. They’ve just set the bar awfully high for themselves. But I still liked it. Though I think Garden Party and Revolting Rhymes are the best of the five.