Animated Shorts, & I Don't Mean Enthusiastic Culottes

Finally getting into the groove for Oscar Season, here’s my rundown on the Animated Shorts Category. Of note: all 5 nominees are purely visual works, without a single word of intelligible dialogue.

Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare” - After its start as a short-form bumper during the "Tracey Ullman Show" sparked 23+ Seasons on the telly and one pretty great but snubbed movie, America's quintessential cartoon family has returned to its roots. Thanks to their taciturn toddler taking the reins in their first theatrically-run short, which appeared as a lead-in for Ice Ace: Continental Drift, they have finally nabbed an Oscar Nomination to toss in with their dump truck full of other awards. I chuckled out loud when Maggie’s face appeared in full starburst Disney-esque glory, and the short goes for the heartstrings in the vein of old-school theatrical shorts. It’s quick and cute, and contains lovely little splitquick sight gags, but there's not a whole lot that’s new to fans of the show. The Ayn Rand School for Tots debuted in the classic “A Streetcar Named Marge” episode, which delivered a much more hilarious spoof of The Great Escape and The Birds. 

Paperman - Frankly, this was my least favorite of the nominated quintet. A Disney produced, overly sentimental Brief Encounter story with a few chuckles, which has an Adrien Brody-esque schlub trying desperately to get the attention of a mute Princess Ariel by, well, throwing things at her. I couldn’t get past a conceit ripped straight from The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Brazil (spoiler!) and the unsettling thought that someone thought it would be tasteful to have a man repeatedly throwing airplanes at a New York skyscraper (paper airplanes, sure, but airplanes nonetheless). Maybe I’m being touchy or cynical, but it rubbed me the wrong way. The animation uses a clean black and white pencil quality with a few crayon-on-paper splashes of color (Schindler’s List, hmmm?), but it’s still very much idiosyncratically classic Diz.

(Edit: Unsurprisingly, Diz already shot down the youtube of the full short, so here's a pretty cool little behind the scenes with the making-of technology. I'm not denying these guys are doing interesting stuff, just didn't pay off with me in the end result.)

Head Over Heels - A touching metaphor for the turbulent distance grown between husband and wife, who occupy opposite sides of a house spinning through space; one lives on the ceiling and the other on the floor. (Or vice versa, depending on your perspective.) I felt like it grew past the great idea of its smart, dizzying defiance of physics and got a little off track and overly mawkish. The ending ties things together, but its through-line is rather unfocused.


Fresh Guacamole - A follow up to PES’s excellent "Western Spaghetti", this walks in the same footsteps but pays off better. It is light at only 2 minutes, something that would fit as a bumper in an episode of “Sesame Street” or “Pinwheel.” Outstanding and worth a watch, but not worth the time it would take to describe it when you can see for yourself here:

Adam and Dog - A gorgeous Genesis story following a wild mutt who meets man for the first time, establishing that the friendship between man and his “best friend” is one that is truly primal and has stood the test of time. The highlight here is the lush use of background land- and skyscapes, painted in overwhelming swaths of color that range from impressionism to expressionism. It’s a throwback to hand-drawn, hand-painted animation, and the small animated figures have instant personality, even from a distance, and frolic engulfed in the scenery of Eden. The contrast then makes the first couple’s exile from the garden all the more harsh and striking. I can look past the fact that Adam looked like a character straight from “For Better or for Worse,” this really shined on the big screen and gets my nod. Trailer only.

Review of the Live Action Shorts nominees coming soon!

William Murray, Thespian. Part 1: Army Training, Sir!

Dipping my pen in many inks, er...as it were. Here's another new little corner of the blog. A tribute to one of the greatest actors of the last 50 years...nay, Ever! Join me as I revisit the films of Bill Murray. Tonight we're taking a freebloggin' approach (Drunk Movie Time-style) to the War Comedy, Stripes. Future entries might get more in-depth academically as I examine the multifaceted career of this singular genius.


Year: 1981

Director: Ivan Reitman

I think his son Jason is doing well in the family tradition.

John Winger’s Mantra: $100 shine on a $3 pair of boots.

My Mantra: Jai guru dava. Om.
Also: It is better to look good than to feel good. 

If I’m gonna do this I have to hold myself back from the urge to just regurgitate one liners. SO MANY!! 

“Madam, perhaps you’d like to eat your luggage.”

Okay, original content, GO!

When Cash Cab goes bad.

I love multi-lingualism generally (and cute latin and asian girls, specifically), but I just feel like this picture should be widely available on the interwebs for use by all of the grammar nazis out there. #justdoin’mypart.

I appreciate that Ramis had a couple solid acting credits. He’s not a great actor, but he lends a certain nerdy cred.

"Son of beach. Sheet!!" Best non-swear ever.

The bridge scene reminds me of the episode of "The Simpsons" when Marge goes crazy and NOT the end of Rise of The Planet of the Apes.

Possibly the best thing any English speaker can learn 


#well,maybemotownwouldbebetter

The music is an interesting mix. First we get this little raggy thing, then later the solid military riff.

Yay boobs.

There was a couple standing behind me at the bar the other night having this break-up convo. But they were even more terrible because he was the anti-Murray. Complete doucheapoid.

THAT BITCH!! NOBODY CALLS TITO PUENTE “STUPID” AND LIVES!!

I really do have Tito LPs that I play on the reg. Not because of this movie...because Tito is really THAT amazing. I often used to use the “one of these days Tito Puente’s gonna be dead” line...until he actually died.

Favorite missed line: “It’s a little cute...I’m part of a lost and restless generation. What do you want me to do...run for the Senate?”

Winger may be a bum, but he has a pretty solid little apartment. 

Love the take with Murray dunking, throwing the ball straight thru the window, Ramis tossing his coat on the rack, then taking the last beer out of the fridge. I try for perfect little random moments like that all the time, but usually my coat falls on the ground

A little awkward hearing Murray say “I gotta dry out or I’m gonna be dead before I’m 30.”

I had a similar moment a few years back. And I made it without joining the Army.


And it turns out Murray was 31 when he made this.

 My pushup form is slightly better than this, but I can do about 50.

The “are you homosexual?” question during their recruitment interview is quaint and hilarious. Even 30 years ago (geez) they were ahead of the curve of how ridiculous that was:

“No, we’re not homosexual...but we are willing to learn.”
“Yeah, will they send us somewhere special?”

Mmmmm lady in uniform. That is NTS.

I’m pretty sure she’s a replicant.

CANDY! 

"Orange whip? Orange whip?... Three orange whips!"

Really underrated and solid movie score by the "other" Bernstein. (Elmer, not Leonard.)

The Laroquette salute is an amazing little touch.

Ok, so Apocalypse Now it is not, but it’s still fantastic in its own way.

In the back of my mind I want to believe that Kubrick based the 2-halves of Full Metal Jacket on Stripes. I mean, Ziskey is Private Joker, and Winger is...Private Snowball? Maybe.

Poll: Who’s the more badass drill sergeant? 

Sgt. Hulka?

Or

Gunnery Sgt. Hartman?

Let the masses decide.

Love how pissed Psycho Soyer looks when he’s getting shaved. It's always seemed his character was loosely based on John Cassavetes' role in The Dirty Dozen, but I never bothered to look it up and still cannot confirm this.

Now that’s the closely-cropped John Candy we all know and love from Summer Rental.

Boxer or jockey? ”Got something in a low-rise bikini...mesh if possible?”

Top of his game.

“I thought I’d better join before I got drafted...”

A little odd that they can make fun of that. This was only like 6 years after the end of the Vietnam and still knee deep in the Cold War. Rebuilding trust in the military? A seriously different vibe than WarGames.

One of my favorite character statements is Ziskey’s: “I’ve always been kind of a pacifist. When I was a kid my father told me, “never hit anyone in anger, unless you’re absolutely sure you can get away with it.”


As much as I wish I were Murray, I’m probably closer to Ramis.

Another snap that should live more on the internet. Maybe too subtle?

There’s not a lot to say about the training section except: Montage!! Even Rocky had a montage.

Yay 80s voyeurism scene and gratuitous nudity!

Subtle things I catch but didn’t really get: Why does Winger put his dogtags in his shirt when he and Hulka go into “the office?” Is it just because he’s expecting a confrontation? Or is this a military thing? Just curious.

"No..don’t stop...I’ll still respect you...I’ll respect you even more...just use more whipped cream..." Definitely adding that to the repertoire.

It’s very convenient that the 2 hot female MPs from the bus station were also on duty the night that Ziskey and Winger had their little spat...otterwise the whole second half might have played out differently. (And yes I said "otterwise.")


Timothy Busfield (whom I almost called Gary Busey) ...Not quite thirtysomething. and it’s kinda depressing that you’d have to be at least thirtysomething to even know what I’m talking about. Because he’s now sixtysomething.

Worst thing he ever did was try to blow up that baseball diamond.

The Pom Pom is a testament to the ebbing of sexuality from the 70s into the 80s.

The Gary Templeton poster is a nice touch.

Soundtrack: The Spinners - Rubberband Man. Ow!

The MC is Dave Thomas. Not the Wendy's guy, the Great White North guy.

"We’ve been kickin’ ass for 200 years. We’re 10 and 1!"

I need to get me a "Death Before Disco" shirt. Reinhold is way underutilized in this movie.

They were still asleep in the motorcade at 1400 hours? dubious.

Also, they keep saying “graduation is at 2 o’clock.” Super dubious. Military time fail. Or maybe they really are just turrrrible soldiers.

I'm sure we've all seen the graduation scene. Just great stuff.

 I just want to note that if I ever hear anyone say "Razzle Dazzle!" they had better be talking about Stripes and not that god-awful episode of "LOST" with Billy Dee Williams.

When the news got out that the battalion was going to Italy, immediately the MPs knew they were in for the time of their lives? Is that why they gave each other that look?

Do they typically send Drill Sergeants anywhere in the world just to be with their prize platoons? Or did Hulka get promoted due to his injuries?

The Italian barracks looks an awful lot like the barracks from earlier. There’s just a sign that says they’re in Italy. Or maybe joining Police Academy.

Poll: Which would you rather have in a fight: 

The EM50 Urban Assault Vehicle or

 or Pee Wee’s X-1?

I'm not trying to influence your vote, but I will remind you that only the X-1 has a vicious lion mounted on the handlebars. 

I like the mishmash of random “European” clothing that the squad is wearing for their undercover mission.

Hulka’s gonna take things into his own damn hands. I hope someday someone designs a Stripes video game, Hulka’s Assault. Czechoslovakia never knew what hit em.

“C’mon, it’s Czechoslovakia, it’s like going into Wisconsin!

"Don’t order the schnitzel; they’re using schnauser!"

Aaahhh 80’s socialist stereotypes! What a country!

Gotta love the 80s video game graphics, too.

Ok, so they do the “Ox runs through the door to open it” bit, but I’d have to imagine that a door would be hard to flatten top to bottom like that. The hinges would break unevenly, so it would probably swing wildly out of whack. Someone call up Mythbusters.


A little shout-out to Joe Flaherty and his buddy: 

I’ve felt like that on many a Sunday morning.

Another meme in the waiting...?

Wait, so the rest of the company is already back in the States? I thought the whole mission was going to be denied by the DOD? Why do Winger and Ziskey get a parade?

The "News Update" ending is old hat now, but these are all pretty good. My faves:

Of course.

And:

The story reads: "After 27 years in the Army, local hero Sgt. Joe Hulka has announced his intentions to ‘turn in his fatigues.’ Well known for his courageous actions in Czechoslovakia, Sgt. Hulka has told the Examiner, ‘There’s big bucks in burgers and Springfield’s the...(cont. on page 3).” Classic.

Hmmm. Bill Paxton was a random soldier in this, too. He was on his way to a fine career.

I would also like to thank the James P. Beam Distilling Company for their fine work.

And I would like to thank you for following along. I'll be checking out another work of Murraypiece theater soon. Tune in!