My Favorite Short Films
Submitted by AJDaGreat on Tue, 08/20/2002 - 08:06
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- Chaplin's "The Immigrant" - I've seen some other Chaplin shorts, but this was my favorite and the one that made the most lasting impression on me. Chaplin's sense of humor was never better, and I enjoy his lighthearted optimism.
- "Never Weaken" - Harold Lloyd, a very talented silent comic who is unfortunately usually overlooked in favor of Chaplin and Keaton, is at top form in this very funny silent short.
- "Sherlock, Jr." - At 45 minutes, this Buster Keaton film perhaps stretches the definition of a short film, but I've always considered 1 hour or longer to be a full-length film. Anyway, this is another hilarious silent short.
- "The Absent-Minded Waiter" - This is a hilarious short film starring Steve Martin as an absent-minded waiter, along with Buck Henry and Teri Garr as customers. Nominated for an Oscar for best live-action short film.
- "For the Birds" - The recent Academy Award winner. I saw it and it is really cool. The animation is superb.
- The Warner Bros. Cartoon Shorts - I couldn't possibly name all the ones I love, and I probably won't remember all the names anyway. But I grew up on Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Elmer, and Wile E. Coyote, and I'll never forget how much I loved them cartoons.
- "Am I Normal?" - Back in middle school, on one fateful day, my teacher told us we were going to watch a video to teach us about male puberty called "Am I Normal?" I had no idea what I was in for. "Am I Normal?" is one of the funniest films ever made. Sure, it tried to teach us about puberty, but it was made in the 70's, and boy, does it show. In the opening scene, we see a puberty-age boy being asked out by a girl. We see him becoming uncomfortable, and as soon as she leaves, he runs into the Men's locker room and says to all his friends, "Guys! I just got a hard-on in the hall! I wanna know...am I normal?!" But that was just the start. At one point, the boy checks out a book about masturbation and reads in in the bathroom stall. One of his friends knocks on the door of the stall and says, "I know what you're doing in there!" Or, my personal favorite, at one point the boy runs up to the zookeeper and whispers a question in his ear; the zookeeper responds, "Well, son, you picked the right guy to ask, because on this job, I see a LOT of penises. Animal penises, that is." "Am I Normal?" is unfortunately very hard to find. If you can find it, watch it! You'll be in hysterics!
Damn it, you can't just tell us how hilarious terrible a short film is and then tell us its impossible to find!!! Help me find "Am I normal?", you jerk! :-)
Have you see "Mr. B Natural"? A truly terrifying terrible short film.
I have no idea where you could find "Am I Normal?" Maybe if you called around under the pretense of teaching a sex ed class, you could find it. I wish I could see it again; I would probably appreciate it even more on a second viewing.
I have not seen the short film you mention. I am by no means a short film afficionado.
Nor am I! I've only seen it because it was mocked on MST3K, quite hilariously. Probably the best minutes of the entire show's run are spent mocking that short, because it is so god-awful.
If you like short films, you really should watch a few shorts by Jan Svankmajer.