The 5th Short Film Hall of Fame

The Heart of the World (2000) -

This is my second time watching this short and it's just as great as I remember it being. This time around, I appreciated the unique style of pacing of this short quite a bit more. The short moves at an incredibly fast clip and the story, editing, and music work in harmony at giving it this unique feel. In spite of the short only lasting 6 minutes, quite a lot happens story-wise which is squeezed into that timeframe. While doing this can often lead to the work in question suffering from a lack of breathing room though, I didn't feel that with this short since it remained easy to follow from beginning to end. The editing also contributes to this short's unique pacing (from what I read, the average shot in this film lasts for about two seconds). Finally, that the music moves at a fast clip as well further contributes to this feel. I also give this short credit for how it captures the feel of a silent film pretty well. I've seen a handful of films which simply put on a black and white filter, mute the sound, and consider that to be sufficient, but this short goes a couple steps further by adopting the unique framing and grainy/scratched film stock which is commonly found in silent films. The only thing Maddin might've forgotten about was the aspect ratio, but whatever. He still got more right than wrong. I wouldn't say I have any issues with this short, though while the ending is certainly surprising, I'm not sure how to interpret it. I may have responded better to a more grounded ending. Who knows. Regardless, this is still a great short film which I'm glad I rewatched.

Next Up: Hedgehog in the Fog

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Just a quick update: I plan on getting the OP updated with all the reviews, writing up my first review (The House Is Black), and knocking out a few viewings myself this weekend. I can't keep up with y'all in real time.

Hedgehog in the Fog (1975) -

This is my 3rd or 4th time watching this short and it's just as great as I remember it being. While I like how atmospheric it is with the lighting and fog, what keeps me coming back to it is how the various characters the hedgehog encounters convey both horror and wonder at the same time. A few of the animals, like the owl, bats, and the dog, feel intimidating with the way they're introduced, but given how they interact with the hedgehog, it doesn't seem like the hedgehog is actually in any danger. It mostly just feels like the hedgehog is walking around in a harmless environment that looks more spooky than it really is. As with my prior viewings, two characters stuck out to me, in particular. The first is the mysterious sea creature the hedgehog encounters while floating down a river. The horror elements - the hedgehog being powerless to the sea creature, the horror of what's unseen, the mystery of what the shadow belongs to - are all there, yet the short undercuts these elements and portrays the sea creature as friendly. The second character is the horse. This is the most obvious example of a mysterious character in the short, but it's also one of the most memorable characters. I like how the horse can be briefly seen observing the hedgehog a couple times and how the mystery of it is alluded to at the end with the line "How is she there...in the fog?" In short, it's a truly charming film which is endlessly rewatchable.

Next Up: Malice in Wonderland

As an aside, if you guys enjoyed Hedgehog in the Fog, you should also watch Tale of Tales from the same director. It's also really good.

Anybody has a link for The House is Black? Thanks!

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Just finished The House is Black. Didn't know *anything* about it and I... was not prepared for that.

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Good luck with Night and Fog then.

In all sincerity though, sorry if it caused any issues of any kind. I nominated it mainly because it's really underseen and is among my favorites.

I just watched The House is Black, I thought it was informative and I felt like I learned about something that I had heard of but not really ever seen. I'll write more in my review tomorrow.

The House Is Black

I've been trying to write something about The House Is Black for over a week now. It's not like it's the first time I've seen it and it has blindsided me or anything, but even after multiple viewings, the film is so powerful that I feel like my inability to express my feelings towards it is doing it a disservice so I scrap everything I have written about it. I think I am going to just have to bite down on my proverbial mouthpiece and just throw out whatever word salad I come out with to the world. Or just write something like "Damn, that's powerful, poetic, human, and other buzzwords others have probably already used." It very easily could have felt like a piece of exploitation, which I guess all films, especially documentaries kind of are, as you have a person creating a piece of art that they want to represent themselves by filming others. Regardless of the end result or even the end goal, there is always that reality of the film's attachment to the creator, but that thought never crosses my mind while I am watching The House Is Black. There is the ugliness of the ailment on screen, yet the film is beautiful at all times, some how. I don't know why it is so powerful to see people praying and giving thanks for the eyes and vision they are slowly losing, but it is. This film also does the impossible by letting us compassionately look at folks that it would otherwise be rude to look at for this long, if that makes any sense. I mean, I would definitely feel awkward just watching people like this in real life, especially people with this ailment as I would get nervous, making them think I was negatively judging them.

Anyway, that's probably more word soup than word salad, but I did my worst.

Glad you enjoyed it! I've seen the doc a few times and found it to be a powerful experience every viewing. It's a shame that Farrokhzad died fairly early though. Who knows what else she could've directed?

I didn't see it this way. Terry might think he looks cool in his fantasy segments but what makes them funny to us is his ultimate impotence. All he can do with his anger in real life is to give people the finger and write terrible books that nobody reads. "The Reprisalizer" is a dumb nickname. His character punishes people for dumb reasons, like overcharging him for auto repairs. His car is lame. And so on.

It's when he gains access to a weapon that the tone changes to "OK, this isn't funny any more." So I think you're right in finding the end disturbing, but I disagree that you're supposed to think he's cool at any point.


As for Holness, check out his horror film Possum. There's a couple of moments that genuinely creeped me out, which doesn't happen to me very often any more.

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Brats

This is the first Laurel and Hardy short film I've watched, and I found it very funny. First, kudos goes to the production designer for their oversized furniture and fixtures that make Laurel and Hardy Jr. convincing as children. My brain adjusted almost immediately to these sets, which let me focus on the performances first and foremost. As for the pint-sized counterparts, I approve of the duo's decision to play them pretty much as their adult selves in child's clothing instead of making moves like affecting high-pitched voices, making significant changes to their personalities, etc. If they had done so, they wouldn't have been Laurel and Hardy anymore, obviously, and besides, it's funny enough for adults to behave like children without also pretending to be like them. Speaking of, that describes their grown equivalents - at least while they're playing games together - and speaks to the point of the movie pretty well, doesn't it? In addition to the deluge of a finale, I laughed hardest when Hardy Sr. sings the boys to sleep - especially because of Laurel Sr.'s less than helpful contribution - and when Laurel Jr. forgot to remove one of his boxing gloves. It's not perfect: while it has its moments, especially the conclusion, the billiards scene reeks of filler and went on a little too long for my liking. The short still proves that good old-fashioned slapstick, and again, seeing grownups behave like children, will never not be funny. Oh, and it makes me thankful that as bad as things are right now, at least we live in an era where we can use white noise machines to help children go to sleep.

At least I know what Night and Fog is about I walked into The House is Black literally knowing nothing about what it is about. But I have no issue with that, so no need to apologize. Just stating how much it caught me off guard. Good nom.

I may have to find this.

It's a weird one.

Lol Captain, you don't know me very well. The weirder the better is fine with me.

Ppl here who know me, either cute and adorable or gory and strange, I have no in-between.