Shorts!

Animated Shorts:

Adam and Dog - Painterly, pretty and sweet.  The story was a little thin.

Fresh Guacamole - Play dough with dice in it.  Seems like an interesting exercise in perspectives but it's essentially empty.

Head Over Heels - The most conceptual piece, and it may have a shot because of that fact.  It was an interesting depiction of a problem and a solution.

Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare" - Maybe this was my favorite but only because I like the Simpsons.  I don't know if that is enough to make it Oscar worthy.  We'll see, I guess.

Paperman - This feels like the frontrunner because it's Pixar but I found it lacking.  The "logic" of the piece seemed off and their shorts are usually spot on.


Live Action Shorts:

Asad - A seemingly pretty serious piece that ends on a joke.  Weird.

Buzkashi Boys - I have a tendency to tune out when I see "children" and "Afghanistan" (or "Africa" for that matter) in the same film, because I assume it is going to be tragic and I don't want to get too involved.  A feature length film has time to bring me around but this piece did not.

Curfew - My personal favorite.  I love the opening of this short film...what an attention getting opening premise!  I also enjoyed the overall tone of this piece, but the Academy may not because it reeks of youth.

Death of a Shadow - This one has a story idea that is original and inventive while also providing some stunning visuals.  It has a Twilight Zone vibe, which I love, but which also led me to expect more of a twist to the plot.  All in all, a really good short.

Henry - I think this one was supposed to be more of a mystery than it was.  It was sad and seemed to drag a bit.  I wonder if the old white guys will be touched by it.