Change Your Image
naloxone
Reviews
The Animation Show (2003)
Entertaining, if a Bit Uneven
Many of the short films screened in this collection are fantastic. The Hertzfeldt shorts, in particular, were so funny that I often couldn't breathe because I was laughing so hard. If "Rejected" had gone on much longer, I might have passed out.
The other shorts varied a great deal in style and content. While it was nice to see such variety mixed into the show, it felt less coherent somehow than, say, a Spike & Mike's festival. Expect odd juxtapositions and the occasional short that really grates on your nerves.
Much of Judge's work was comprised of ultra-short pencil tests, some of them quite entertaining. The animated test for Office Space was especially welcome.
Other highlights:
"Parking Lot" by Bill Plympton-- standard Plympton fare, but great fun.
("Head Mountain?"-- unsure of title) Japanese short about a stingy man who finds a cherry tree growing from his head. Surreal and well drawn.
(title unknown) There's a beautifully hand-painted short set to classical music centering around a pair of riders who transform repeatedly. It's an odd piece, but very pretty and worthwhile at the end.
Lowlights:
"Cathedral"-- Pretty CG for its own sake was worthwhile when the medium was new. But these days you really ought to have a compelling narrative or at least make the gimmick less obvious. Overlong and slow.
"Ricardo"-- it *is* intermittently funny, but it's a bit amateurish and vaguely offensive. Features a mentally retarded hispanic guy with a speech impediment. Yes, that's the gimmick.
Overall, it's certainly worth watching, but Spike & Mike's may be more consistently entertaining.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
Easily the funniest of Smith's films
Caught the first screening of the final, completed print in Austin yesterday and I've got to say that this is easily the funniest of Smith's films. I'm itching to see it again to catch the third of the dialog you couldn't hear because people were laughing so loudly.
It didn't have the depth of Dogma or the character development of Chasing Amy, but it was just plain fun to watch. It felt like a really top-notch Cheech and Chong movie with a slew of great cameos and a decent budget. You didn't really care where the plot was taking you, you just sat back and enjoyed being along for the ride.