Movie #736 .........................2013 Oscar nominated short live action films

Yesterday, late afternoon I got a chance to see a program of the live action shorts that the Academy Awards nominated this year, and I found it much better than last year's program. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. Below are synopses of each by Betty Sharkey from LA Times, and below that, are my comments. Live Action "Buzkashi Boys" (28 minutes). Even boys who seem to have no future have dreams in director Sam French's wrenching portrait of an Afghan street urchin and his best friend, a blacksmith's son. Watching the daring Buzkashi riders race their horses for control of a dead goat in the brutal tribal sport, the two friends begin to question the confines of their lives. French shows exceptional intelligence and sensitivity in capturing the spirit of youth and the weight of duty that test the boys. Their intensity and confusion is matched by Kabul's, a dusty, dramatic backdrop for this tale. The young stars, Fawad Mohammadi and Jawanmard Paiz, are exceptional. Together they create a different truth of Afghanistan — impoverished boys with rich imaginations, who dream of horses and heroes not shaped by war. From Donna; I think you can tell above that Ms. Sharkey preferred this one over the others --- me, not so much. I disliked a lot the violence shown to the goat in those scenes, and I found the movie a bit draggy and not as inspiring as she (above) seems to see in it --- but I also felt the two boys were very capable, and I enjoyed being the stranger in the strange land (Kabul, in this case) -- beautifully filmed. It might have a chance, but i noticed some of the critics called it "manipulative" --- I didn't see that so much at all. Good story. I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. "Asad" (18 minutes). Director Bryan Buckley's incisive and moving piece is tied to another lost boy. Set in a Somali fishing village, an old man and the sea fight the swaggering pirates that traffic along the coast for a young boy's soul. Asad is clever but torn between a disappearing past fishing the sea and a brutal future. The boy's choice rides on the changing tides when the past and the future collide in one remarkable catch. From Donna: This one is getting a lot of attention because most people in the business don't believe this film was ever even made because it is so dangerous in Somalia right now, but I didn't think the narrative hung well at all --- and the acting was atrocious --- well, that's because they used the people in the area because of the lack of safety --- that' being said, all the lines sounded the same, and I didn't like it much. And I didn't find the ending that powerful! I would give it 2 stars out of 5. Watch! it will probably win this Sunday! "Curfew" (19 minutes). Writer-director-star Shawn Christensen has constructed an intriguing drama out of the way random events can change a life. In this case, a call from an estranged sister temporarily sidetracks Richie's deep depression. But it is his evening spent caring for his inquisitive 9-year-old niece Sophia (Fatima Ptacek) that could alter the course of his life. It is an irreverent and ironic journey to the dark side. From Donna: This one I most enjoyed and related to in the film (even shed some tears) --- and it has the best narrative ingredients, the best opening and closing, and best acting - esp by the young girl Fatima! I wish it would win, but it probably doesn't have a chance. I would give it 5 out of 5 stars. "Death of a Shadow" (20 minutes). Director Tom Van Avermaet's surreal examination of life and death begins when the shadow of a downed WWI soldier is captured. A mysterious shadow collector offers him a second chance in exchange for an additional 10,000 shadows in this black-and-white psychological thriller. On this bizarre journey to reclaim his life, the soldier finds there are things worse than death. From Donna: I also found this one quite intriguing and would give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. However, my one complaint, and it's small, is that it could have given us more information --- if you judge it on if it was a complete film, just short, I would say no to this because I felt it could have been a longer film, one that answers a few more questions. Strong theme, though. Beautifully filmed! "Henry" (21 minutes). Director Yan England has created a lyrical tragedy out of the muddle that old age has made of Henry, his music and his muse. Shifting between fragments of a past framed by an enduring love for his wife and the duet they were meant to play and a present world made of nurses, restraints and medication, "Henry" is a story of incredible loss that, unlike the music, never stops. From Donna: sad, sad, sad, sad, sad! A bit manipulative, but then the situation is so darn universal! Growing old is the subject here, and a man's aged mind is opened up for all to see here. I thought the man's acting seemed kind of soap opera - y, but maybe that's because a lot of it was very intense. I would give it 4.0 out of 5.