What I Think About Movies I've Seen

French Roast (6/10) -- This French film depicts a man about to leave a cafe when he discovers that he doesn't have his wallet and can't pay the bill. He decides to stall by continuing to drink coffee and running up his bill even higher. I was a bit put off by this short because it was a bit too artistic, both in terms of the style of the animation and the way that it was presented.

The Lady and the Reaper (8/10) -- This Spanish film (without any dialog) tells the story of an elderly widow nearing the end of her life and waiting for the day when she can be reunited with her husband. When the moment arrives and the grim reaper comes to escort her to the next life, she is yanked back to life by a doctor and then is caught in a kind of tug-of-war. This was entertaining, sweet, and mildly funny, with a good old-fashioned cartoon chase-scene.

A Matter of Loaf and Death (9/10) -- This is the latest installment in the always-entertaining Wallace and Gromit series. In this British claymation piece, Wallace and Gromit are bakers when Wallace finds himself in a relationship with a woman (the daughter of another baker) on whom he's had a crush for quite some time. Unfortunately, things aren't quite what they seem and he and Gromit find themselves in a tough spot. This ranks right up there with the other Wallace and Gromit shorts and did not disappoint.

Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty (7/10) -- In this Irish film (with English dialog), an elderly woman tells her granddaughter a bedtime story to try to get her to fall asleep. She decides to tell the story of Sleeping Beauty, but her version of it is slightly more horrifying than what we're used to. I enjoyed the premise and the quality of the animation, but I think that I would have appreciated it more if they had made the story a bit more edgy.

Logorama (8/10) -- This French film (with English dialog) is comprised almost entirely of characters and backdrops that are corporate logos. Ronald McDonald is a criminal being chased by Michelin Man policemen, and others (like Bob's Big Boy and the Esso Girl) get caught up in the crossfire. This was much more violent and vulgar than the other shorts, but it was quite entertaining. However, I can't imagine that they actually got permission to use those logos, especially with the less-than-favorable depiction that many of them got.