I’m a big fan of short films and Australia is blessed to have such a cool festival.  (World’s biggest short film festival).

Hundreds of people enter short (less than 7 minutes) films every year and the 16 finalists are screened at public venues around Australia.

There were quite a few animated films and almost all of the finalists were comedies of one manner.  My favorite was Fish Lips, a quirky film that aimed towards a similar sense of humor that you can find in Amelie.

The winning film, Shock had a great ending.  The second place  getter, My Neighborhood Has Been Overrun By Baboons, was another favorite of mine.

A complete list of the winners is available at the Tropfest site.

You can watch the winners online at Tropfest Online Videos

It’s interesting to compare the success of funny short films to comedic short fiction.   I think making the written word funny is a lot harder than making a short film funny.  Apart from the obvious lack of visual gags, it’s easier to establish a quick identification with a character when you can see the actor.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1871615/

I ended up getting an art department credit as a mission designer of all things.

The IMDB lists some computer games.  Many years ago I worked on KKND2 (don’t ask what the acronym stands for).  The game even reached number one on the bestselling charts in Germany.  I never actually played the complete game, but I’m sure it must have been ubergood…

Coraline
Beautiful animation and strong characters.  Fun, creepy stuff.

District 9
Aliens, explosions and an interesting plot.  What’s not to love?

Doubt
Great acting and an intriguing storyline.  Ever since I saw The Big Lebowski, Philip Seymour Hoffman has been one of my favorite actors.  He stars again here.

Gran Torino
My favorite movie of the year.  I suspect I liked it a lot more than most people do.  But I’m a sucker for an angry old man redemption story.

Let the Right One In
12-year-old Swedish vampires are a LOT scarier and more memorable than their whining North American adolescent counterparts.

Moon
Slow-paced but thoughtful science fiction.

Up
Features one of the most moving and beautiful montage scenes in any film.

WALL·E
Another Pixar gem.  Amazing how they can do some much with so little dialogue.

Watchmen
Postmodern superheroes.  I really enjoyed the adaption and I think the movie’s ending makes more sense the graphic novel’s.

Zombieland
“Set aside the feverish homeless cannibal I’m living the dream.”
Runs out of steam towards the end and veers in ClicheLand, but before that, it’s a lot of fun.

I also really enjoyed The Informant, Mary and Max, Monsters vs Aliens and Sleep Dealer.  I enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire, but thought it could have been so much better. Ponyo was okay, but disappointing compared to Miyazaki’s other films.

I didn’t see any documentaries that grabbed me in 2009.  Encounters at the End of the World was all right (in his typically eccentric style Werner Herzog goes to Antarctica to try and answer the question of why chimps don’t ride goats), but not nearly as memorable as Grizzly Man.

Films I haven’t seen yet, but suspect I might like: Avatar, A Serious Man, Sherlock Holmes, Gomorrah, Red Cliff, Samson & Delilah, The Brothers Bloom, Up in the Air, The Men Who Stare At Goats.

Phantom Menace Review
The best (and longest) movie review I’ve ever encountered.
http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/12/17/watch-this-70-minute-video-review-of-star-wars-the-phantom-menace/

Star Wars quotes in Japanese
http://nihonshock.com/2009/12/star-wars-quotes-in-japanese/

Can tongue surgery improve English-speaking ability?
http://www.japanprobe.com/2009/12/21/can-tongue-surgery-improve-english-speaking-ability/

Richard K Morgan on the Pointlessness of Arguing About Genres
http://www.richardkmorgan.com/article_soundfury.htm

Satan Takes Pokemon Seriously

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmNb3xJFzkc

Kim Peek, the original Rain Man, dies
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6964730.ece

Using Menu Psychology to Entice Diners
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/dining/23menus.html?pagewanted=all

Robot Invasion YouTube Video from Uruguay leads to Hollywood contract
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8417789.stm

HP Computers Are Racist

www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4DT3tQqgRM

Chinese opera face-changing
http://www.reuters.com/article/video/idUSTRE5BA0I720091211?videoId=12268497

Coconut Collecting Octopus

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqFQU7zn4kQ

The Inexplicable Adventures Of “Zombie vs. Ninja”
http://io9.com/5429240/the-inexplicable-adventures-of-zombie-vs-ninja

Creepy Japanese Baby Simulator
http://gizmodo.com/5429651/japanese-baby-simulator-is-1000-times-creepier-than-a-normal-baby

Your Chance to buy a Japanese island previously used by the Imperial Navy as a disinfection station.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/6811348/Japan-auctions-Hiroshima-island-to-help-balance-books.html

Economist “Did you know?” on Social Media & Technology

www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2jDOkzrVew

R.I.P. Alien Screenwriter Dan O’Bannon
http://io9.com/5429739/rip-alien-screenwriter-dan-obannon

John Scalzi -- The Winners and Losers of ’00s SciFi Movies
http://blogs.amctv.com/scifi-scanner/2009/12/scifi-winners-and-losers-of-the-decade.php

John Scalzi -- The Ten Worst SciFi Blockbusters of the ’00s
http://blogs.amctv.com/scifi-scanner/2009/12/worst-scifi-movies-of-the-00s.php#more