BEST CANADIAN SHORTS - 2
Mister Hollow by Gudiño & 
Marcone ('08) (Canada) (6m) *
The Facts In The Case Of Mister Hollow is one of my peronal favourites. It was co-directed by Rodrigo Gudiño and Vincent Marcone with the writing credit attached to Gudino. Once again, Canada brings us the best in animation with this deceptively simple short horror flick. It is apparently based upon a real-life photograph from the 1930s, while its title references The Facts In The Case of M. Valdemar, a short story by the grandfather of horror, Egdar Allen Poe.
Next Floor by Denis Villeneuve (2008) (Canada) (11m)
After winning a disgustingly large number of awards, Denis put his film Next Floor on vimeo in late 2013. Being a vegetarian, my take on it may differ from others but in Next Floor we find eleven pampered guests gorging on all manner of beasts while a host of waiters stand by. Their gluttony has a consequence, captured in brilliant visual effects and defying the laws of physics. Denis has since since made the feature films Incendies and Prisoners.
Truth In Advertising by Tim Hamilton (Canada) (2001) (12m)
Written by David Chiavegato and its director, Tim Hamilton, Truth In Advertising is a genuinely funny comedy that was, somewhat bizarrely, also nominated for a Palme d'Or in 2001. Colin Mochrie, best known as a regular on Whose Line Is It Anyway? in the US and UK, is the boss in an advertising agency where everybody tells the embarrassing truth about all the crap they talk and bollocks they make and peddle...
Ryan by Chris Landreth (2004) (Canada) (14m)
Ryan won the 2005 short animation Academy Award. It is a strange mix of animation and documentary and introduces us to Ryan Larkin, a pioneering Canadian animator of the 1960s, who after succumbing to addiction was reduced to begging on the streets by the time of this film was made. Landreth interviews his compatriot and friend in an attempt to gain an insight into a troubled genius as well as understand the process that led towards his downfall.
