SXSW 2008 - 'Round Midnight shorts reviews

UPDATE on 3/18/08! Clips are now included for most shorts. Also, NSFW!

Wrapping up my SXSW experience, I caught the ‘Round Midnight shorts block. Focused on shock value above all else it seemed, the shorts were a mixed bag (as is usually the case) with a few real gems interspersed here and there. Here’s a quick rundown...

Spider - a real sucker punch, this piece managed to turn the tables on viewers with a great final image after a fairly rote build-up. A young couple, bickering and distracted while on the road, both fall victim to a simple practical joke gone too far.

Swedish Blueballs - one long, unfunny sex joke about an everyguy’s futile attempt to get laid on his last night overseas. Clip is NSFW...

Frog Jesus - short, simple, and rather hilarious. Crucifixion imagery abounds.

Mano-a-Mano - two straight men compete for jobs as gay phone-sex operators. One of two genuine belly-laughers in the group. If the line, “I’m going to make you scream like a pterodactyl” doesn’t do it for you, I don’t know what will. The clip is very much NSFW...

Knock Knock - the block’s other true gut-buster. Knock-knock jokes taken to a pitch black extreme (to wit, “Knock-knock.” “Who’s there?” “I’m kind of thinking about killing myself.”). The final image is perversely poetic.

Show and Hell - crude animation relays the story of one boy’s twisted summer vacation at the hands of his demon-worshipping father. Hit-and-miss.

The Heist - clever parody of the illogic inherent in big-budget, Bruckheimer-ian productions. Really sells its concept well with strong production values, making the comedic payoff all the more effective. From the maker of Frog Jesus!

Fish Out of Water – Movie Night - further proof that hand-puppets interacting with people almost always equals funny. Three friends, one of whom happens to be a fuzzy approximation of a fish, dream up their perfect night. Fish’s perfect night turns into a disturbing shock-cut montage involving deep sea divers.

The Adventures of Baxter and McGuire - funny people (Nick Bakay, Dana Gould) voice an incredibly unfunny three-minute CG dick joke.

The Rambler - this was… something alright. An attempt at gross-out abstraction that ends up grating. Production design and overall aesthetic were impressive, though.

The Golden Egg - while the pay-off was a groaner, this piece was impossible not to love. Gonzo lark about a man who can’t stop laying increasingly large golden eggs which just may reveal something about the mystery of life.

LOVEolution - over-parenting is taken to insane extremes in this, the block’s thematically strongest entry. Steve Zissi, so good in Baghead, again impresses with a creepy turn as the “perfect” father. Babies in cages, discipline via fire poker… what’s not to love?