Post by sgev1977 on Mar 4, 2024 17:19:05 GMT
If the Academy judged features by the same standards that they do live action shorts, the best picture ballot would be full of starry, quasi-political issue movies: well-meaning but manipulative films like “Father Stu” and “The Janes.” In this category, it’s the message that matters to Oscar voters, which makes this year’s “2024 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Live Action” program (available exclusively in theaters from ShortsTV) one of the most frustrating lineups in recent memory. Or it would, if not for the presence of one genuinely brilliant, liberatingly unserious nominee among them. That would be “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” the best of several delightful Roald Dahl adaptations director Wes Anderson cooked up for Netflix … but we’ll come to that in due time.
The best of the bunch is the Wes Anderson short, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” which I’ve already reviewed at great length. One of four Roald Dahl doodles the “Fantastic Mr. Fox” director adapted for Netflix this year, the dense and delightfully intricate 40-minute tale received a glitzy big-screen premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year. (It appears sharper on the Netflix service than it does in ShortsTV’s unevenly assembled Oscar shorts program. It’s scandalous that the company does no QC to make these nominees look their best.) Constructed as a winkingly self-aware story-within-a-story, the project boasts a starry ensemble playing multiple roles, including Ralph Fiennes as Dahl — not to mention an amusing montage in which Benedict Cumberbatch (as the title character) cycles through a number of ridiculous disguises.
The Academy has a dismaying record of snubbing the best film in this category, which could happen again if voters decide that Anderson is too established for the prize (at times, they seem to view this as a charity category in which to encourage new talents). Then again, with eight nominations to his name, Anderson is undoubtedly overdue, and anyone can tell he’s made a short for the ages: a clever fable that applies the director’s signature style to Dahl’s distinctive voice to unforgettable effect.
The Academy has a dismaying record of snubbing the best film in this category, which could happen again if voters decide that Anderson is too established for the prize (at times, they seem to view this as a charity category in which to encourage new talents). Then again, with eight nominations to his name, Anderson is undoubtedly overdue, and anyone can tell he’s made a short for the ages: a clever fable that applies the director’s signature style to Dahl’s distinctive voice to unforgettable effect.
variety.com/2024/film/reviews/2024-oscar-nominated-short-films-live-action-review-1235928871/