The Oscar nominees for Best Documentary (Short Subject) show us some of the real life struggles that people face. Through these films we get a chance to examine issues of race, aging, drugs, mental illness, and chances for former prisoners to find new lives. Some of these films may be hard to watch because we… [Read More]
Oscar Watch – Best Animated Short
These films vary greatly in terms of artistic style as well as in the kind of stories they tell and the messages the share. Many people may think of Animated Shorts as an unimportant category within the Oscars, but I’m really impressed with this year’s nominees. Give just a slight difference in how one weighs each film, any one of them could be a worthy winner.
Oscar Watch – Best Live Action Short
Five films have been nominated for Best Live Action Short. It is an eclectic set of films including a comedy, some “ripped-from-the-headlines” type stories, and a children’s advocacy piece.
I Am Not Your Negro – The More Things Change…
Can the words of an African-American writer who has been dead for three decades speak to the America of today? I Am Not Your Negro is almost entirely the words of James Baldwin, some from archival TV footage, some in voiceover by Samuel L. Jackson.
2017 Oscar Nominated Short Documentaries
Filmmakers often bring us the things we may read about in the news in a very personal manner. That is the case for all the films nominated for Best Short Documentary. Three of the films cover very similar territory but each has a different perspective
2017 Oscar Nominated Short Animated Films
Short films tell us stories quickly, and often with greater effect than if we sat through a two hour movie. Those who make shorts may still be students, or accomplished filmmakers.
2017 Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts
All the films nominated for Best Live Action Short this year come from Europe. Most deal with the human search for joy, but then some deal with some of the darker sides of life. All tell their stories with skill and brevity.
Embrace of the Serpent – Clash of Realities
This conflict about reality is essentially a spiritual and metaphysical question. Even within Western thought there often arise conflicts between science and religion—even between different scientific views and different religious views.
