Movie #3596 ........................"Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud" (theater)

Movie #3596 "Armed Only with/a Camera: the Life & Death of Brent Renaud" (theater) This was the third oscar-nominated doc short 2026, and I thought it was the best.  I had heard of the Renaud brothers on MSNBC, brothers who were war journalists, and of the death of brother Brent, and this movie shed more light on the situations he stepped into while covering various wars in the years he lived.  He was a documentary filmmaker for 20 years, and they took the footage he had taken and made a final documentary in tribute to all his work covering Iraq, Ukraine (where he got shot in the face, illegal to do that to a journalist - supposed to be shot in the journalist's vest) Somalia, Palestine,  Haiti, hurricanes, Chicago, and the list goes on --- I couldn't write down all the places he covered.  He always showed how the civilians have been caught in the middle of all of these wars --- the way the film was edited, it followed his life growing up, how he started in Arkansas force, and worked his way up, and then ends on his funeral and all the eulogies made about him --- the film would cut from a eulogy and show you how he would talk to the oppressed and injured .  One man lying on a cot being treated for his wounds turned to Brent and said:  "I can tell you care about what you do --- the way you hold the camera, you can change the world. "  That line got me --- very powerful, and put into words what the film was trying to say.  Here this guy (who was autistic) put his life on the line so these stories would be told --- and now he's dead, but his stories still need to be told over and over until we listen and make changes.  This film got me --- had several moments I will always remember.  I would give the award to this one  - but I usually don't pick the winner.  But I still would give this one a 5.   (maybe on HBO Max)

"ARMED ONLY W/ A CAMERA:  THE LIFE & DEATH OF BRENT RENAUD"  37 MINS, 2025 

an intimate chronicle about documentary filmmaker Brent Renaud, the first American journalist killed while reporting on the Russo-Ukrainian War.  

Directors: Brent Renaud, Craig Renaud

 

Movie #3595 ........................"The Devil is Busy" (theater)

Movie #3595 "The Devil is Busy" (theatre)  The second oscar-nominated doc short 2026 was this one centered on a typical day at an women's wellness center/abortion clinic ---- way out in the country, where you get the idea that several women are traveling all day to get to.  Now that things have changed thanks to our conservative Supreme Court, things have become even more dangerous at these clinics, so we are introduced right away to the woman who heads the security and opens the doors and sets up each of the rooms, not to mention organizes all the security outside with the cars that start to come even before sunrise.  It is interesting to note that she is very religious and starts and ends the day with a prayer.  The film is clear on a few things:  they hav 46 visitors on the list of arrivals for the day, if a woman is even 1 day past the 6 weeks, she will be sent away, they will be greeted by protesters who come every day, just like the security people (and they know each other by name, etc.) , the narrator says it's a shame that her daughter who is 25 now has less rights than she had when she was growing up, the protesters' constant chanting pervades the air ...............we've seen a lot of abortion clinic fits but this one is a big different because of the point of view of the religious security woman who says she is working for women's freedom.  It's nice to know how much some of these people care and how much they do for these young girls who come to the clinic.  I would give this a 3.5 because it doesn't give a good idea of the people who actually come to the clinic --- they are on the phone when told they are a day over the deadline, they are in line outside the door --- we see them very little, and I think if they entered the film a bit more, it would be a better film.'

"THE DEVIL IS BUSY   2024       31 mins    HBO Max

At an Atlanta abortion clinic besieged by protesters, the director of operations takes necessary risks to safeguard staff and patients. 

Directors:  Greeta Gandbhir, Christalyn Hampton  

Movie#3594 ........................."Perfectly a Strangeness" (theater)

Movie #3594 "Perfectly a Strangeness" (theater)  Here are the oscar-nominated documentary shorts 2026, and this was the first one we saw.  And true to its title, it was perfectly strange.  Well, maybe not "perfectly" but indeed strange.  No dialogue, it is a sensory point of view of three donkeys as on a normal every day walk right before sunset  they pass some kind of astronomical observatory  --- (Note: I didn't guess it was astronomical until we saw all the stars toward the end of this short --- thought it was a nuclear site with all the broken up rocks the animals had to traipse by or jump over)  Anyway, it's what they hear and see --- so if we have a hankering to see one of these, you don't need to after watching this film because we see it through their eyes, and they probably see more than John Q. Public might see on his walk  It's beautiful but it never drew me in --- and it never came across as "perfect" to me.  Maybe that we are able to feel so close to the stars at a place like this?  I'd give it 4 for its beautiful photography.

"PERFECTLY A STRANGENESS"    20224     15 mins    (prime video)

In a dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe.  A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be.

Director:  Alison McAlpine

Writer:   same as above

Actors:  Palomo, Ruperto, Palaye    

 

MOVIE #3593 ........................."Jane Austen's Period Drama" (theater)

Movie #3593 "Jane Austen's Period Drama" (theater)  The very last one was very funny, and if you get a chance to watch any of them, this would be the one --- it might be a tad too light-hearted for the academy, but we enjoyed it quite a bit.  The joke surrounds the word "period" --- when a young woman starts to bleed in front of her suitor (this is all Jane Austen time period, including costumes, location, dialogue, etc.)  he thinks she is in dire help from a doctor.  Pretty funny idea on a subject not talked about a lot, so it's esp. funny when the guy has to be taught from the ground up what is common knowledge to all women, and we rarely have to put it into words.  I gave this a 4 out of 5 -- and just sat back and enjoyed this one.

"JANE AUSTEN'S PERIOD DRAMA"     2024        13 MINS         (prime video)

England, 1813.  In the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period.  Her suitor, Mr. Dickley, mistakes the blood for an injury, and it soon becomes clear that his expensive education has missed a spot.

Directors:  Julia Aks, Stee Pinder

Writers:  same as above

Actors:  Julia aks, Ta'imua, Samantha Smart

Movie #3592 ........................."Two People Exchanging Saliva" (theater)

Movie #3592 "Two People exchanging Saliva" (theater)  There always has to be a way out one, and this one is --- once again live-action short, oscar-nominated 2026.  This one was way far out there for me to figure out completely.  This is what I saw:  in a society not of our own, kissing is punishable by being put in a box and thrown into the river.  When people pay for items they buy, they get slaps, and so many slaps brings on more of a stigma.  I saw only women punished, and so it may be a comment on a society that mistreats women (wow, consider that idea!).  And it is two women that the film focuses on who have a physical attraction to each other  - one buys clothes from the other.  A possible comment on the importance of outward appearance in women?  I had a thought that with diseases like Covid that a society might suggest that you can't exchange saliva with another --- which seems farfetched, but then we live in a society today that is getting rid of vaccinations that have kept some diseases controlled for decades.  So?  I'm sorry I can't say more about this, and because of that I would have to complain that there just wasn't enough info given -- but maybe that was just me, and the group I was in.  I would give it a weak 3 because of that, but I also found it intriguing in parts.  But I would be surprised if it gets the big award in this category.  

"TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA"   2024          36 mins   (might find it on hulu/disney)

In a society where kissing is punishable by death, and people pay for things by receiving slaps to the face, Angine, an unhappy woman, shops compulsively in a department store.  There she becomes fascinated by a playful salesgirl.  Despite the prohibition of kissing, the two become close, raising the suspicions of a jealous colleague. 

Directors:  Natalie Mustafa, Alexandre Singh

Writers:  same as above

Actors:  Zar amir Ebrahimi, Luana Bajrami, Vicky Krieps  

Movie #3591 ........................."Butcher's Stain" (theater)

Movie #3591 "Butcher's Stain" (theater) This is the third live-action oscar-nominated short 2026 that we viewed, and I found it to be very engrossing --- We feel for the hardworking Arab Israeli butcher right away from the start of this short film -- he works hard, tries to mind his own business in Tel Aviv.  One worker seems outwardly nice to him, but the others just ignore each other and work.  When he is blamed for taking down hostage posters in the break room, the story takes us into a world of suspicion for those whom we don't treat as our equals.  It is very topical (with our own country's treatment of immigrants) and a worthwhile watch.  I'd give it a 4 out of 5.  

"BUTCHER'S STAIN"    2025     26 mins     theater (might be watched on amazon prime)

Samir, an Arab Israeli working in a supermarket in Tel Aviv , is accused of tearing down hostage posters in the break room.  He sets ut to prove his innocence to keep this job  that he desperately needs .

Director:  Meyer Levinson-Blount

Writer:  Meyer Levinson-Blount

Actors:  Omar Sameer, Meyer Levinson-Blount, Rona Toledano

Movie #3590 ........................."A Friend of Dorothy" (theater)

Movie #3590 "A Friend of Dorothy" (theater) The second oscar-nominated live action short of 2026 happens to be my favorite --- will it win?  Don't know, but it was a feel good film with a lot to say about loneliness in our seniors, loneliness in our youth who are left alone to make tough decisions, theater, art, acceptance of all, seeing the good in people and supporting them, caretaking, what's more important than money, and the list goes on.  I esp. enjoyed watching Dorothy, the elderly actress who has been in many movies and tv shows in the past, and here she takes the stage, encouraging this young black boy that he has the talent to go on in acting.  And the ending clinched it for me --- it got to me emotionally, and that moment added to the woman's acting and the messages in this film, gave it a 5 out of 5 for me.  (I think this is available on prime video)  PS -- I like that which is NOT said in the film, like the importance of the play"Bent" that he chooses to read.

"A FRIEND OF DOROTHY"      21 minutes      2025

Director:  Lee Knight

Writer:  Lee Knight

Actors:   Miriam Margoles, Alistair Nwachuk, Stephen Fry