2015 Oscar Nominated

I said it last year, and it applies in full right now: “For the last few years, I’ve pointed out that winning your Oscar pool in some ways depends on being smart about your selections in the short film categories. That everyone usually has a pretty solid idea of what’s going to win in the major races is mostly a given (though tell that to anyone pulling their hair out over this year’s best picture dead heat between 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle and Gravity). But down ballot? That’s a whole ‘nother ball game.”

OK, so swap out those specific titles and swap in Boyhood, Birdman, and The Grand Budapest Hotel, all of which appear to be the big frontrunners for the top prizes this year, though the twin biopics The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything are, of course, giving more traditional-minded voters something to back.

What I also said last year: “Well, I feel compelled to finally put that old canard to rest. There are plenty of other reasons to track down the films nominated by the AMPAS. There are as many as 15 reasons every year, in fact. Sixteen if you add the fact that ShortsHD have been making it incredibly easy to knock them all down in one shot. Their firmly-established anthologies have been making rounds in movie theaters for at least the last half-decade.”

Yup, that holds true as ever. Many people now make it something like a tradition to take in the shorts programs theatrically, and not just in order to get ahead in Oscar pools but, rather, to see some truly offbeat and potentially surprising miniature masterpieces. Not everything that gets nominated in these categories is one, of course. In fact, there have been a number of years that the slate brought to my attention some unexpected new additions to my “worst of the year” list. That’s all part of the fun, though.

And, for the record, none of the 15 films nominated this year in the short film categories are, by my estimation, downright awful. Good job, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences!

These are by far the most notoriously difficult categories to make predictions for, in part because they are the least discussed. That said, here are my best guesses as to which way they’ll break, along with my personal awards for best-in-show.

And even if you don’t care who wins, still head over to the Lagoon Theater, which will be presenting the 10 movies nominated in the short animated film and short live action film categories starting this Friday, and the Riverview, which is presenting the five documentary shorts.

Best Animated Short

The Bigger Picture (Daisy Jacobs & Christopher Hees) Two brothers squabble as their mother reaches her end-of-life stage. This seems the epitome of the exact sort of arty nominee I always think can pull off a surprise win based on its gravitas and essentially anti-kid fare overtones (see also: Feral; Wild Life; Madagascar). And I’m always, always wrong. But the animation is always stunning and innovative.

The Dam Keeper (Robert Kondo & Daisuke Tsutsumi) A rich, deeply satisfying parable about bullying, but not mired in the current discourse. The Dam Keeper always remains true to its characters, and positioning them against an evocative backdrop. The tale of a young pig who is tasked with blowing away what appear to be hazardous fumes from an idyllic village, it is at turns warmly comic and heartbreaking.

Feast (Patrick Osborne & Kristina Reed) This year’s requisite Disney nomination; there seemingly almost always has to be one. ran before Big Hero 6 in theaters, so it’s undoubtedly the most widely-seen candidate in the mix. With subtle shades of Boyhood, the short tells the story of a young puppy’s coming of age. Only in this depiction, the story of both the pup and its master are told strictly through meals. A dieter’s nightmare.

Me and My Moulton (Torill Kove) I’m as Norwegian as they come, and even I thought this short came on a little too Scandinavian at times. With an unmistakably Wes Andersonian sense of wry humor, the short details the efforts of three sisters to get their hipster parents to buy them a bicycle. Told through the eyes of a quintessential middle child, Moulton is sort of like an IKEA showroom come to life in the form of a kids’ story.

A Single Life (Joris Oprins) I did say in the introduction that this year boasted zero terrible nominations, but if I were to pick one that feels, well, out of its league amid its competition, I’d have to cite this one-joke blackout sketch. Lacking in substance and, more critically, unique character design and execution, it feels more like a final rendering project than a fully-fledged film.

Will Win: Matching emotional resonance with highly expressive, hand drawn paintings, this one is almost certainly The Dam Keeper‘s to lose.

Deserves To Win: While I remain in awe of ‘s three-dimensional trickery and downbeat plot, The Dam Keeper is the unmistakable class of the competition.

Best Live-Action Short