The Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts

For the last two years, the boyfriend and I have gone to see the oscar-nominated animated shorts at the IFC.  The first time was a fluke - I was in town for the weekend while we were dating long-distance (me in SF, him here) and had just been blown off by his flaky friends.  We were killing time in the west village - it was cold and things were starting to get dull . . .exactly the last thing I wanted on our rare, magical, in-person weekend!  We were hanging out in that weird little park near Minetta Lane and 6th Ave, the fountain was turned off for the winter, and there were some unsavory folks hanging around in the park with us.  The idea of going to a movie was perfect, and the Oscar-nominated shorts were nearby, time-appropriate, and moderately interesting.  And they were GREAT.  Short little animated videos that packed lots of emotional punch - sometimes sad, sometimes happy, occasionally boring, but always incredibly thoughtful.

The investment of 8 minutes a video paid off dividends when, halfway through the Academy Awards broadcast, when things were getting dull, there was a category we cared about.  Passionately!  We had opinions about which video was best, having seen every entry in the category in one 2-hour block.  (That never happens to me - I'm usually basing my opinion on the tabloid presence of the stars and the buzz about 4/5 movies.)  It livened up the whole experience and made waiting for the good awards at the end a lot more satisfying.

We saw them again last year, remembering how fun it was the year before . . . and it had the same results.  This year we're going again - tonight!   I'm excited for a nice date and the start of what feels like a bona-fide tradition.