Weekend Cinema

If you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, I highly recommend going to your local independent cinema to see this year's Oscar shorts nominees. Last night my boyfriend and I braved the frigid temps to see the animated shorts at a local Landmark theater (they have vegan cookies at the concession stand!). I had no idea what we were in for but it seemed like something different to do, and I'm so glad we went. Each short (they ranged from 6 to 27 minutes in length) had a completely different animation style, pace, storyline (they're not all "kids movies" as some might mistakenly think) and feel.

Bonus - If you're like me and didn't see any of the Oscars and have no idea who won, you can debate which film you thought was best without any outside factors influencing your pick. I won't ruin the surprise for you, but it turns out my favorite was the winner. The cool thing about seeing these shorts is that there's no media frenzy surrounding them, and since you probably haven't seen trailers for any of them you have no idea what's coming next! It's a totally different theater experience. Also great for people with somewhat short attention spans who find themselves a little distracted by the time "feature" length films get started.

Here's a few shots from this year's nominees to whet your appetite...

Day and Night

The Lost Thing

The Gruffalo

Let's Pollute

Madagascar, carnet de voyage

Man on Wire

After Man on Wire won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature earlier this year, I added it to my must see list wondering how a film about a single, hour-long event could be made into a worthwhile feature length film. Well, last week I finally watched the flick and... wow! The way director James Marsh blends historical footage, present-day interviews, and accurate reenactments of tightrope walker Philippe Petit's 1974 NYC Trade Towers stunt is compelling and awe inspiring. The telling of the story is so well done and doesn't follow a chronologically linear time-line, building anticipation throughout the entire 1 hour and 42 minutes. What really made the film for me is the ensnaring story-telling ability of the movie's star, Philippe Petit, whose french accent just added to his eccentricity. On the surface, Philippe's stunt may seem like the product of a crazy young man looking for attention. That may be true, but the film has a way of drawing the viewer into Philippe's dream world where beauty prevails and the seemingly impossible is the only challenge worth facing. If you're a documentary buff, if you're looking for a truly unique film to escape daily malaise, or if you're watching sitcom re-runs - you have got to check out this movie. Find more information about Man on Wire (2008) here, and click the play button below for the official trailer.