It is that time of year again when I help you dig out the those last winning points in your Oscar pool. The ever so tricky categories of Best Live Action and Animated Short can easily break any non-sanctioned company morale booster. In a quality statuette keno, these two categories should be weighted.

There is one thing I do have to admit. In the three years that I have been reviewing these, I have gone a humdrum 3 for 6 (but in baseball that is a .500 average).  In my own defense, I was tripped up by a Disney vs. Pixar face off last year. They split the vote and gave the Oscar to the Japanese flick, which I didn't care for so much. So, if I don't feel trustworthy to you , you should go check out the two programs at the Nuart or, if in Santa Ana, at the Southcoast Village 3.

For the first time in a while there is not a soley American film in any of the categories. However, subtitle haters take note, most of them are in English; even the ones from France.

So, here comes your quickie handicap.

Live Action
KAVI (India) Writer/Director: Gregg Helvey  Odds of winning: 5 to 1.
PLOT: Kavi is a slum kid who dreams of going to school. However, that dream is derailed when his father sends him to a labor camp to pay off a debt.
THOUGHTS:  I think the Academy is over their Slumdog love affair. This story was told well enough but seemed dry and dull compared to the others.

MIRACLE FISH (Australia) Writer/Director: Luke Doolan Odds of winning 4 to 1
PLOT: On his eighth birthday Joe has had enough of the bullies in school. Rather than standing up to them, he fakes an illness and takes an nap in the infirmary. When he awakes he finds the entire school deserted and lives in a fantasy world where he reigns supreme. His fantasy is soon disrupted by a grim reality.
THOUGHTS:  The  riveting climax makes this worth viewing. The earlier fantasy rings hollow when it faces off with its conclusion.

THE DOOR (Ireland) Writer/Director: Juanita Wilson Odds of winning 3 to 1
PLOT: Based on a true story, a father does his best to keep his family together after being evacuated from the  shadow of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
THOUGHTS: A fine short tearjerker, I felt manipulated by this heart wrenching tale. Props to the fillmmaker for dedicating it to the real people who died in this story. That's why it is ranked at #3. Had I been under the impression that this was fiction, I would have been outraged.

Okay, the final two are really fine, fun indie style filmmaking. Both directors have a true joy of cinema and are reminiscent of the best indie filmmaking of the last twenty years. The question that stands between the duo and the award is: "Is the Academy feeling more Coen-y or more Dynamite-y?"

THE NEW TENANTS (Denmark) Writer/Director: Joachim Back Odds of Winning 2 to 1
PLOT: A gay couple move in to a new apartment, unaware that a series of murders took place the previous week.
THOUGHTS: A great piece of puzzle cinema, THE NEW TENANTS , is one of those rare films that forces your to put  together the pieces while the credits are rolling. A regrettably over-long musical number at the end tips this into second place.

and the winner is:

INSTEAD OF ABRACADABRA (Sweden) Writer/Director: Parik Eklund
PLOT: A late 20's aspiring hack magician is living with his unapproving folks. In a last attempt to avoid getting job, gain his parents respect and a perhaps a girlfriend, he attempts his deadly Sword and Goth Box trick for a birthday party.
THOUGHTS: Oh dear god, I don't remember the last time I saw a such a well acted absurdist comedy. A nerd darker and more arrogant than Napoleon Dynamite is created. During this screening, I actually did a spit take. Then I rolled hysterically crying on the couch. If you don't get to see this in the theater keep an eye out for it on the Internet. Of the five films, this is the only one I would like to see made into a feature.

ANIMATED

THE LADY AND THE REAPER Spain) Writer/Director Javier Recio Gracia Odds: 5 to 1*
PLOT: A old woman, who is ready to go the next life, finds herself in a tug of war between the scyther and an arrogant doctor hellbent on saving her life.
THOUGHTS: A rich concept diluted by poor execution. What could be a battle for the ages simply spirals into a series of Looney Tune style chase scenes. *Antonio Banderas produces but I don't think that is enough clout to take the prize.

FRENCH ROAST: (France) Writer/Director Fabrice O. Joubert A coffee house patron who has forgotten his wallet sits all day trying to figure a way out of his predicament.  A strange turn of events eventually saves. him.
THOUGHTS: This a charming "just fine" effort. The premise I felt I had seen before, though not quite sure where.

LOGORAMA (France) Directed by H5 Odds of winning 3 to 1.
PLOT: In a land dominated by corporate logos, the cops ( Michelin Men ) attempt to chase down a "Joker"esque Ronald McDonald
THOUGHTS: Well, there is no writer listed and I think that is the root of the shorts' problems. In this alternate Los Angeles covered by logos, there is a wink joke that I couldn't quite discover. The filmmakers come off as some bitter folks who never quite got the joke abut Los Angeles. Sure, it's fun to see the corporate icons as foul mouthed Pulp Fictioners but I like my movies to have  some kind of point behind them. The anti-corporate theme and the fact that it is French may fool most of the Academy but not the animators. I didn't get it.

GRANNY O' GRIMM'S SLEEPING BEAUTY (Ireland) Writer: Kathleen O'Rourke Director: Nicky Phelan. Odds of winning 2 to 1
PLOT: A  grandmother tells her granddaughter the story of "Sleeping Beauty." However, she tells it from the POV of the jilted 13th faerie, who eventually curses Sleeping Beauty. As a result, much crone baggage is dumped on the poor kid.
THOUGHTS: If I was voting, this is one I would pick. A hysterical premise that is  accented by an obviously terrified little girl. However, the Academy likes to play favorites and who can resist:

WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH (UK) Writer: Nick Park and Bob Baker Director: Nick Park  THE WINNER
PLOT: Despite that all the bakers in London are getting knocked off by a serial killer, Wallace is finding time to fall in love. Gromit realizes that this object of affection just might be the one and tries to break them up.
THOUGHTS: There is a certain familiarity that cannot be resisted in this 30 minute cartoon. The premise feels very stale but the execution is highly entertaining.  Sure, the gags we have seen a hundred times over but they still work. Also, this is the only non-CGI film. The process of such expressive stop-action animation will be rewarded.

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