...lies my nervous breakdown. I am moving from the boroughs to the island very shortly and as a result my headspace is full of "shit that I gotta do" Meanwhile i'm working 6 to 7 days a week. And i'm still posting daily to a blog even though I'm supposed to be on hiatus from webstuff. All the while I'm looking for a new job, losing a bunch of weight, and living in a total obstacle course of boxes, both packed and previously stored, and in some cases cobweb covered because I threw them in closets ages ago and I don't even know what's in them.
Basically I'm in the middle of a clusterf*** of life changes all within a tiny time frame even though you're supposed to spread stuff like that out so that you don't have the nervous breakdown. It's just around the corner! I feel it waiting 'round the bend. somethings coming --- I don't know what it is--- but it is not gonna be great....
So I go to the movies! Today I saw the Oscar nominated shorts. Ryanwhich won the animated short film prize is very bizarre, original, and documentary like while also being visually arresting but kinda scary/ugly at the same time. The other really good one is Birthday Boy about a Korean boy in 1951 playing amidst war wreckage. wasp which won the live action short film prize is about as depressing as it gets but well made and sharp. For those of you who haven't heard of Natalie Press, she is the star and you will be seeing her very soon as I expect she's about to be the new Emily Watson/Samantha Morton/much raved about new import... She's also the lead inMy Summer of Love which is opening this summer and worth a look. Paddy Considine (In America, Last Resort) is great in Love as well. I wasn't blown away by any of the live action nominees except maybe 7:35 in the Morning which is blessedly weird, funny, and a touch unsettling.
So glad you liked Birthday Boy.
ReplyDeleteThe Australian film industry is so shithouse at the moment that when a short film comes along that is great (just like the Oscar winning Harvey Krumpet) it's almost a cause for jubilation.
The film is wonderful though and all the praise it gets is justly deserved.
-Glenn
I actually think I liked it better than Ryan but I can see clearly why Ryan won the prize. It is more original, quite artsy (stupid word I know, sorry) and it even involves the history of the Academy Awards in one of its funny bits.
ReplyDeleteBut Birthday Boy had beautiful simplicity and was kind of heartbreaking in a non-sledgehammer way. They were both worthy contenders for the prize.
:)
ReplyDeleteIt was beautiful and sort of felt a bit magical... if that makes sense.
However, i must say I haven't seen any of the other nominees because I live in Australia and we don't get anything and secondly I have dial-up so I ain't downloading them.
-Glenn
Just wanted to add: Maybe the whole "magical" part came about because, as I said earlier, it was probably the first time in 2 years since I saw a great Australian production. The last Australian movie that was remotely interesting was "The Old Man Who Read Love Stories" starring Richard Dreyfuss.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if that will ever see your side of a creek.
-Glenn