THE LIFE OF A FILM CRITIC

So, one of the annoying things about the big studios is that they don't trust reviewers... no matter how long we've been at it. I've been regularly writing about for film for nearly three years and in all that time I have never posted a film on the Internet or sold second generation copies on a street corner for $5.

Still, there are those studios who refuse to trust me... and in realy petty ways. Case in point, the Oscar shorts. Of the 10 films nominated in the shorts categories, I was sent screeners for 8. The missing two? Blue Sky's (Ice Age, Robots) No Time For Nuts and Pixar's Lifted. They sponsored by big corporations who believe we're all a bunch of sneak thieves, waiting to sell our copies to the highest bidder. So, I'm expected to write a review about the shorts program minus the two high profile nominees... which is, arguably, what most people want to see.

So, I did what any good writer would do... sought out the story on my own. Surfing the web, I found three different sites carrying the Blue Sky short. I was able to include it in my piece. Pixar, however, has tighter control of its content and all I could find was a 20 second clip.

It's all so paranoid and stupid. If they studios are so worried that critics will bootleg their 5 minute masterpieces why not just give us a password secured site to watch a streaming clip on?

So, out of spite, here are the three sites carrying No Time For Nuts. It's actually a pretty amusing short featuring Ice Age's prehistoric squirrel, Scrat. The frantic style and humor reminds me of Tex Avery's work with Loony Tunes. The image isn't nearly as crisp and shiny as the sanctioned version, but it's still a hoot. Enjoy!



another link
http://www.cartoonland.de/archiv/scrat-no-time-for-nuts/

If you're interested in some of the other selections. The Maestro, which is quite good, can be found here or here. Or below...




My favorite was The Little Matchstick Girl, adapted from the Hans Christian Anderson story. It's beautiful and heart rending at the same time. The best thing Disney has done in years. It's not on the Net but if you have the recent special edition of The Little Mermaid, it's an extra.

The best of the live action shorts was an Aussie film entitled Saviour. I haven't yet found it on the web (it was yanked from YouTube) but if I do I'll post it here.