LIVE ACTION SHORT

amir watches all five

Who Will Win: Opinions vary on this but I'm going with the most serious entry, Raju. Amir thinks Tuba Atlantic is the best and will win.

What got left out? The five other finalists that did not make the shortlist were I Could Be Your Grandmother by Bernard Tanguy, The Road Home by Rahul Gandotra, The Roar of the Sea directed by Ana Rocha Fernandes and Torsten Truscheit, and two shorts starring Oscar nominee John Hurt a senior romance Love and First Sight from Michael Davies and Sailcloth directed by Elfar Adalsteins

I was never able to locate the entire 70ish film list -- I don't think the Academy released it for some reason but three films that were on it that did receive some degree of attention before the finalist list came out were Jordan Bayne's The Sea is All I Know, Brent Roske's African Chelsea and Terry Gilliam's The Wholly Family

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

(25 minutes) 
An 85 year old barber in Alabama recalls the civil rights movement. His barbershop was a civil rights hub.

(37 minutes)
an actress who once co-starred with Elvis gave it all up to become a nun. [Currently there is no IMDb page and I haven't been able to locate an official site.]

(22 minutes)
a soldier is denied treatment for post traumatic stress after witnessing devastating carnage in Iraq

(unknown minutes)
About a plastic surgeon helping acid attack victims in Pakistan. [Currently there is no IMDb page and I haven't been able to locate an official site.]

(??? minutes)
described as "a visual tone poem about the ephemeral nature of life and the healing power of Japan's most beloved flower"

What got left out? There were only eight finalists so the three films that didn't quite make the shortlist were In Tahrir Square: 18 Days of Egypt's Unfinished Revolution by Jon Alpert & Matthew O'Neill (previous nominees), PIPE DREAMS by Leslie Iwerks (also a previous nominee in this category) and Neil Ever Osborne and Chad A Stevens WITNESS about conservation efforts and photography

Who will win? the winner in terms of buzz is SAVING FACE so let's predict that one.

ANIMATED SHORT 

Amir watches them all

(unknown)
a child's view of an lazy Sunday at Grandma's place.

(15 minutes)
Like Hugo and The Artist in the Best Picture competition this one harkens back to the old movies! and it's about the curative power of stories

(CGi, 7 minutes)
a young boy learns his family trade.

READ OUR INTERVIEW 

will screen before Pixar's Brave next summer.

(7 minutes)
a young man walks past a chicken. Which is the real city slicker?

(14 minutes)
This funny short about a dapper young englishman relocating to the Calgary prairie is already an award winner in Canada.

What got left out? The finalists that missed were Magic Piano about two kids discovering a flying piano in PATHS OF HATE an aerial war, LUMINARIS about a world controlled by time and light, a new Tweety and Sylvester effort called I TAWT I TAW A PUDDY TAT and a short about a boy who refuses to wear his glasses so his imagination can run free called SPECKY FOUR-EYES

What will win? I think it's going to be THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS (review)... but LA LUNA and WILD LIFE also have passionate fans. Amir likes Wild Life best.

The Other Semi Finalists Congratulations for getting that far. It's rare! THE BALLAD OF NESSIE Stevie Wermers (Walt Disney)  Birdboy by Alberto Vasquez (Abrikim Studio)Chopin’s Drawings by Dorota Kobiela (BreakThru Films) Poland Correspondence by Zach Hyer (Pratt)Daisy Cutter by Enrique Garcia and Rubin Salazar (Silverspace)El Salon Mexico by Paul Glickman and Tamarind King ENRIQUE WRECKS THE WORLD David Chai (House of Chai) (traditional 4 minutes) "enrique learns the hard way that actions speak louder than birds." THIS WAS A NOMINEE AT THE ANNIE AWARDS.  Ente Tod Und Tulipe (Duck Death and the Tulip) by Matthias Bruhn (Richard Lutterbeck – Trickstudio)Fat Hamster by Adam Wyrwas (BreakThru Films) Poland Grandpa Looked Like William Powell by David Levy Hamster Heaven by Paul Bolger (BreakThru Films) Poland I Was the Child of Holocaust Survivors by Anne Marie Fleming (NFB) INGRID PITT: BEYOND THE FOREST Kevin Sean Michaels  Kahanikar by Nandita Jain (National Film and Television School) England Little Postman by Dorota Kobiela (BreakThru Films) Poland THE LOST TOWN OF SWITEZ Kamil Polak (Human Ark) This 3d mix of techniques including oil painting retells a 19th century epic poem by Poland's Adam Mickiewicz about a ghostly medieval town deluged after a bloody massacre. Luna by Donna Brockopp (Rainmaker) Canada See Full Short Maska by Timothy and Stephen Quay (Sem-ma-for) Poland THE MONSTER OF NIX Rosto A.D. Digital (30 minutes). This is a surreal animated musical about a village boy facing a monster. With voice work by Tom Waits and Terry Gilliam Muybridge’s Strings by Koji Yamamura -(previous Oscar nominee) My Hometown by Jerry Levitan, Written and Narrated by Yoko Ono (Eggplant) See Full Short Night Island by Salvador Maldonado (BreakThru Films) Poland NULLARBOR Allister Lockhart  (3d 11 minutes) a road movie that takes place in the outback. Australian films often do well in the animated short category. Papas Boy by Leevi Lemmetty (BreakThru Films) Poland THE RENTER Jason Carpenter (digital, 9 minutes) this is about a young boy who is dropped off for an unsettling day care with an old woman and her loan renter. THIS WAS A NOMINEE AT THE ANNIE AWARDS Romance by George Schwizgebel (NFB & Studio GDS) A SHADOW OF BLUE Carlos Lascano  Spirits of the Piano by Magdalena Osinska (BreakThru Films) Poland Thank You by Thomas Herpich (Frederator) The External World by David O’ Reilly The Gloaming by Nobrain (Autour De Minuit) France The Smurf’s A Christmas Carol by Troy Quane (Sony Pictures Animation) The Tannery by Iain Gardner (Axis Animation) The Smurf’s A Christmas Carol by Troy Quane (Sony Pictures Animation) The Tannery by Iain Gardner (Axis Animation) The Vermeers by Tal S. Shamir Vicenta by Samuel Orti Marti

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE predictions

A military documentary

The West Memphis Three get another film. A very popular documentary series.

The 3D performance documentary celebrating the work of Pina Bausch. Also up for Best Foreign Language Film

about an underpriviledged football team

What got left out? The other ten finalists were these...

ANIMATED FEATURE predictions

jose watches all five

....

RT Score: tba%
Box Office Rank: #N/A

This festival hit about a pianist and a singer is much different than what they normally go for, but more adventurous voters might get swept up in it.

RT Score: 94%
Box Office Rank: #N/A

Sequel fatigue is a non-existent concept with general audiences. Box office receipts prove there's no such thing. But Oscar isn't the Emmys and sometimes they like to move on. Will they?

RT Score: 82%
Box Office Rank: #15

The Shrek franchise's best character gets his own franchise kickoff ...and warm reviews.

RT Score: 82%
Box Office Rank for Year: #16

This weird and wonderful hit about a pet lizard abandoned in the desert still looks like a winner.

RT Score: 88%
Box Office Rank For Year: #21

 What got left out? The other eligible films were ALOIS NEBEL, ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED, THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, CARS 2, ARTHUR CHRISTMAS, GNOMEO & JULIET, HAPPY FEET 2, HOODWINKED TOO: HOOD VS. EVIL, MARS NEEDS MOMS, RIO, THE SMURFS, WINNIE THE POOH and WRINKLES 

What will win? I think it's obviously going to be RANGO but who knows? None of the animated films were nominated in additional categories as sometimes happen with the big Pixar efforts. I like Rango the best but I have not seen Chico and Rita which Jose is rooting for.