Anything and Everything that is cool, hot, fresh and classic.
Darcy Prendergast’s Off The Rails is a fantastic short about “all the crazy people met on public transportation”.
It’s done in stop motion claymation, and the lighting, tone, and color are all fantastically original and engaging.
Since Off The Rails has been on YouTube since October of ‘06, but has only managed a mere 20,000+ views, I’m going to call it an undiscovered gem of the ‘Tubes.
Enjoy:
Elephants Dream is another great short from the Blender Foundation (the guys behind Big Buck Bunny) about two strange characters exploring a capricious and seemingly infinite machine. The elder, Proog, acts as a tour-guide and protector, happily showing off the sights and dangers of the machine to his initially curious but increasingly skeptical protégé Emo. As their journey unfolds we discover signs that the machine is not all Proog thinks it is, and his guiding takes on a more desperate aspect”.
Ryan was “a Canadian animator. A gentleman panhandler. One of the pioneers of Canadian animation. Oscar nominee. Poor beggar. An artist unable to create. God observing the world. Fallen angel. Arrogant. Shy. Broken. Not destroyed.” 30 years ago, Ryan produced some of the most influential animated films of his time. Years later, plagued by alcoholism and drug abuse, he was destitute on the streets of Toronto.
In this rather captivating and haunting short, called simply “Ryan”, Chris Landreth animates a tribute to Ryan Larkin.
[Via: Drawn!]
Nothing says dark digital short like…fridges?
Animator Fujio Tanabe’s short, called Fridges, was part of New York’s Japan Cuts, an annual festival of Japanese cinema, and takes a dark look at the often overlooked appliance that’s probably lurking in your kitchen right now.
Do you know where your leftovers are?
[Via: New York Magazine]
MEET IN ver.0 is a short and ‘cute’ game that puts you in charge of four separate people on four separate parts of the screen.
The goal is for them to all meet in one area, but you’ll need to solve a few puzzles first to get them there.
It’s an interesting idea that definitely has some possibility for the future, when the creator “may upgrade it with more gimmicks”.
[Via: Kotaku]
“My Name is Lisa” is a short film about the Alzheimer’s Disease.
It’s also the winner of Best Short Film in the 2007 YouTube awards, and for good reason. It’s a powerful and emotional (and sad) short about a daughter’s struggle to deal with her mother’s Alzheimer’s, and gives you a glimpse into the lives of those that live with conditions that most of us can’t even imagine.
So you’ve seen the “Twitter Me” button in my sidebar, but aren’t quite sure what this Twitter thing is all about huh?
Well then check out this fantastic (and short) video from Common Craft called Twitter in Plain English.
It’s designed to tell you all about the micro-blogging service in words that anyone can understand, and it’ll have you joining the Twitter army (Twittarmy?) in no time.
[Via: Common Craft]
Pixar has a habit of sneaking in-jokes and self-references into their feature films and shorts.
Whether it’s bringing characters from different Pixar projects together or referencing earlier and/or upcoming productions, Pixar likes to fill their films with Easter Eggs and secrets for you to find.
Some of them are rather hidden, and most take a keen eye, so for those of you who don’t want to weed through your old DVDs with a fine toothed comb, Jim Hill has put together a definitive list of locations and screen shots for the doubters.
Ready to see movies in a different light?
Click the link:
[Pixar]
Spider is a rather clever action-thriller short from Australian director Nash Edgerton that “gives an all-new meaning to old Peugeots, stunning blondes and love-jokes”.
With Nash playing Jack, and Mirrah Foulkes playing Jill, it’s definitely a low budget affair, but the results are still rather entertaining.
Just remember: It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.
Caution: This film is probably not for the squeamish.
