Hedge your Oscar pool bets! “Slumdog Millionaire” will probably take the big prizes and everyone knows it. Winning your Oscar pool rests on correctly picking Documentary and the Shorts. Live action and animated shorts are coming to the following theaters:

The Landmark, West Los Angeles
Laemmle’s Sunset 5, West Hollywood
South Coast Village, Costa Mesa
Laemmle’s Playhouse 7, Pasadena 

However, if you don’t live near L.A. you need me, the Grand Poo-bah of Oscar Shorts. Resting firmly on last year’s laurels, I have sorted it all out for you. Here is the live action round up.

Auf Der Strecke (On the Line) - dir. Reto Caffi - Germany/Switzerland - 30 min
A lonely department store security guard uses his cameras to spy on his muse, a pretty cosmetic saleswoman. They ride the same train home every day, where they have a mild commuter relationship.  When he witnesses a potential rival being attacked on the train, he chooses to the leave the train rather than saving him. The next day he learns that is was her brother who was killed. He now has to deal with his conscience. As with all of these films, it is well done, and features a brilliant and restrained performance by Janic Halioua. It’s a solid piece of filmmaking; it just doesn’t quite measure up to the others.

Odds of Winning: 4 to 1

New Boy - dir. Steph Green - Ireland - 11 min A
After his father’s arrest, a black child finds himself attending an all-white South African school. He is tormented by bullies. When he defends himself, all the boys are detained for fighting. While being singled out, a fast friendship develops among them. Loved this one! It reminded me of my grammar school days where punching it out often led to great friendships. Underneath it all, we are all the same. This concise, sharp piece of filmmaking cuts the fluff and gets right to the point. Odds of Winning 3 to 1.

Grisen (The Pig) - dirs. Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh - Denmark - 22 min
Asbjørn Jensen (Henning Moritzen ), an older gentleman, goes to the hospital for a colonoscophy. When some polyps are found, he is in for a three-day stay.  Alone and scared he finds solace in a funny little painting of a flying pig that he knights as his guardian angel. Asbjørn gets a Muslim roommate whose family demands that the pig be removed and the hospital complies. Brokenhearted, he calls in his attorney daughter and a grand, ridiculous argument about tolerance ensues. If I were an Academy member, this would be my vote. The script and performances are perfect and the satire of this passionate debate is a mirror of our times. A stellar performance by Mortizen!  Odds of winning: 2 to 1.

 I would call this a lock for the gold, but we have a:

Toyland - dir. Jochen Freydank - Germany - 14 min

This is a story of two young boys, growing up in Hitler’s Germany. One (David) is Jewish, the other is not (Heinrich).. The Jewish family has told the boys that they will be separated as David is going to Toyland, which is really a concentration camp. Heinrich attempts to stowaway for this fabulous adventure. When his mother discovers he is missing, she makes a mad dash to train station where she eventually saves David.

This was not favorite short as I found it manipulative. It screams to the Academy, “REWARD ME! LOVE ME!” But, as we all know, the Academy loves this genre. You can be a child molester on the lam and still win the big prize, IF you make a Holocaust genre pic. So, regrettably, this is my pick for Oscar gold!

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