I like watching a 2 hour cinema spectacle as much as the next guy, but in between working and eating and sleeping, it’s kind of hard to commit to a full blown movie marathon. That’s where short films come into play – they pack intensity, passion and intelligence into a small form that you can even watch on a lunch break at work or while at the dentist. Check out some of the most creative and well made short films of this century.
1. I Met The Walrus
Jerry Levitan , a 14 year old boy, got to do a freewheeling and slightly complicated interview with John Lennon in 1969. Skip to 2007 and watch Josh Raskin’s visualised version of this interview in a swirl of colour and a whole new dimension to the words of the great Lennon.
2. The Big Shave
More proof that Scorcese can do no wrong. Made in 1967, while he was still in film school, this 5 minute wonder follows along a seemingly routine day up until the point where the usual Martin magic begins.
3. Lampa
Translated to The Lamp, this film follows in Roman Polanski’s regular vein of eccentric, dark and funny at the same time. Bridging the fantasy horror gap, Lampa features a doll maker and his apparently sentient half made dolls. Creepy? Yes. Fun? Another yes!
4. Random Stop
Shot from the point of view of a police officer on routine traffic duty, this film won several accolades for it’s brilliant camera work combined with intense content packaged in a simple manner.
5. A Trip To The Moon
Immortalised in the songs of the band Air and movies like ‘Hugo’, this film attained cult status for it’s image of a spaceship crashing into the eye of the moon. Considering the film was made in 1902, the effects and and camera work are quite stellar.
6. Don’t Fear Death
The crazy and slightly dark mind of Louis Hudson is put to good use in this animated comedy about the joys of being dead, featuring a dancing reaper and other strange characters sure to hold your interest.
7. Mis-drop
Using a totally original form of cinema, Mis-drop tells the story of a mission gone horribly wrong, all through the reactions of one man watching the events unfold. This futuristic film is intense and it has a high rating to boot.
8. Gulp
Jason Reitman, the acclaimed director of the charming movie Juno, achieved success on the festival circuit before that with his film Gulp, a humourous and cute little short film that’s everything a a tiny movie should be.
9. Johnny Express
A film about the laziest delivery man in the universe – literally. This animated film is one of the funniest things to come out of South Korea, and features an interplanetary delivery guy facing the same problem regular delivery guys face – numbing boredom.
10. The Spirit Of Christmas
The one that started it all, this short film was the birth of the insanely popular South Park series. It was meant as a video Christmas card but got famous it turned Matt Stone and Trey Parker into extremely successful millionaires.
11. Hotel Chevalier
Shot in Wes Anderson’s signature irreverent style, this short film features the same characters as those in The Darjeeling Limited. There’s an aura of unusual accompanied with the eccentric stylings Anderson, whether it’s music and landscape.
12. For The Birds
If there’s one thing we know, it’s that Pixar never disappoints. Their lovable animated shorts are sometimes even better than the movies they accompany. For The Birds is no different, with a comical yet insightful look at the dangers of conformity.
13. 7:35 In The Morning
This bizarre Spanish short film takes an outside look at the idea of musical cinema. There’s almost no way to describe the goings on in the movie legibly, so I’ll just leave you to watch it and form your own opinions. It’s a cool movie though.
Thanks to mic.com for compiling these movies.