Library of Congress: National Film Registry (6)

December 28th, 2010 the Library of Congress announced their 25 selections to the National Film Registry [here]. Cry of Jazz, Electronics Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB, I Am Joaquin, Newark Athlete, Our Lady of the Sphere, Preservation of the Sign Language, Tarantella, and A Trip Down Main Street are all reviewed here. Several of 2009's selections have now shown up on youtube and dailymotion so I have managed to round up another dozen films. Again they are sorted by my highest to lowest rating. Maybe after a 7th post I'll look to put together a "Best of," but for now here is another small set. You can find any of these with a google video search, and the Library of Congress even has a channel on youtube now with most of the films from the previous LoC NFR posts.


I Am Joaquin (1969) [9/10]
... and I will endure. This is a powerful partially animated, partially live action film with narroration based upon a poem by Rudolfo Corky Gonzales. It is really good film with nice imagery and good message. Released during the Vietnam Conflict and including a message about the high number of Mexican Americans sent to fight. Very mcuh worth checking out.




Siege (1939) [8/10]
A powerful short film that was actually nominated for a documentary short subject Oscar. At the time the category was called the "one-reel" category and this film is narrorated by Julien Bryan. Bryan is a filmmmaker that spent three weeks in Warsaw, Poland during the German invasion in September 1939. This is an incredibly powerful little film that is worth checking out.




Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB (1967) [7/10]
George Lucas's student version of his 1971 feature length release THX 1138. Released when he was a student at The University of Southern California, this film has an Orwellian look to it. Set in a futuristic building with clean white walls, everything numbered and aligned, we watch a man basically just running through a maze. Escaping from the facility with speakers blaring, telling 1138 that he is entering different restricted areas. I thought this might be pretty cool, but it got really dull after 5-6 minutes. 15 minutes is a long time with no real dialogue or story.


A Trip Down Main Street (1906) [7/10]
I'm not sure if the submission to the Library of Congress matches the version I actually watched. The version I saw has some serious video issues with frames scrolling down vertically like something out of a Bugs Bunny Cartoon. The camera is fixed on the front of a Trolley car in San Francisco just before the 7.9 earthquake and subsiquent fires.



Cry of Jazz (1959) [6/10]
A discussion between white and black twenty somethings about Jazz and how this relates to Negro's in America. A very powerful and intense conversation that actually has the two sides yelling at each other at points. Uncomfortable in a good way.



Scratch and Crow [6/10]
Another 4 minute animated film. A lot better than Tarantella because it actually had some sort of storyline. The text made little sense with respect to what was going on though, and I just didn't get it. Maybe because I'm not a film student or artist. All I know is that it was difficult to focus on because the watercolors hurt your head with the constant changing frames.


Mabel's Blunder (1914) [5/10]
A 13 minute silent comedy, were Mabel and her fiance's schofer swap cloths so that she can spy on him. This is all fine until he starts making moves on him/her. A decent short slapstick comedy featuring Mabel Normand.



Tarantella (1940) [5/10]
A decent little animation by Mary Ellen Bute and Ted Nemeth. Only four minutes, artistic and with no real point. There is piano in the background but I didn't feel like the animation really was in tune with it. Just ok for me.



Newark Athlete (1891) [5/10]
Incredibily old and almost too short to comment on. At less than 30 seconds this is more proof that Dickson was able to make the film; not really worth watching at all.



Matrimony's Speed Limit (1913) [4/10]
The permise of this film has inspired a number of films I hate so much. The idea that a man will only get a fortune from his dead Aunt if he marries by noon the same day. Realistically this not only wouldn't happen but I find it really annoying. The pace is painfully slow and the plot consists only of what I just stated. Skip it.



Preservation of the Sign Language (1913) [4/10]
From imdb.com "George Veditz, one-time president of the National Association of the Deaf of the United States, outlines the right of deaf people to sign instead of speak." This isn't really much to watch, I have to say I honestly scanned it a few times because it was pretty dull as something to "watch."



Our Lady of the Sphere (1969) [2/10]
Directed by Larry Jordan, this is one of those 60's/70's animated shorts that probably requires drug usage to get anything out it. Short at just 10 minutes, but not short enough.


All said, a weak group 2/10 worth watching. I wouldn't recommend watching anything outside of the top 4 here.

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Oscar Live-Action Short Films (2010)

I was fully expecting and hoping to have this post out before the Oscars, but the delay of Na Wewe made that impossible. While waiting I lacked the motivation to write about the other four I had seen. Since the Oscars are over I can say that Na Wewe was the pre-Oscar favorite for the win, The Confession was in "second" and my pick since I didn't like Na Wewe. No one thought Wish 143 was deep enough to win, yet it was my favorite this year. Wish 143 and The Confession are online for free viewing so check them out, the other three can now be found on iTunes for just $1.99 each.

Film: Wish 143
Director: Ian Barnes
Runtime: 24 min
Country: UK
Vote: 8/10

You know those charity organizations that grant wishes for terminally ill children? Well this film is about a [I think...] 16 year old boy who wants to have sex before he dies. A wish that can't exactly be filled by the charity, but one that makes the paper, and the priest at the hospital tries to help the boy cope with. I really liked it.


Film: The Confession
Director: Tanel Toom
Runtime: 26 min
Country: UK
Vote: 7/10

When two catholic boys have to prepare for their first confession they look to pull a prank worthy of needing to confess. When it spirals out of control how will they deal with trying to admit their involvement. Well acted and worth watching.





Film: Na Wewe
Director: Ivan Goldschmidt
Runtime: 19 min
Country: Belgium
Vote: 7/10

 Based in 1994 in Burundi during a civil war. A journalist and his assistant hitch a ride after their car breaks down. When they are stopped at a Hutus road block the group has to talk their way out of the situation. The most realistic of the group, and very intense. Also the only subtitled of the group.
 
Film: The Crush
Director: Michael Creagh
Runtime:15 min
Country: Ireland
Vote: 7/10


Definitely not the plot I was expecting. Ardal is an 8-year-old boy who has a crush on his teacher. When he meets his teachers real boyfriend, he challenges the boyfriend for the teacher. Good but not great.


WINNER:
Film: God of Love
Director: Luke Matheny
Runtime: 18 min
Country: USA
Vote: 6/10

The only U.S. entry and this years winner. I'd expect more US nominations and wins, but this is actually pretty rare lately. Written by, directed by, and starring Luke Matheny, a curly haired boy while girl troubles. A night club singer and champion dart thrower, he is granted the magical gift of darts that will make anyone fall in love, much like cupid. Considered an up and coming Wes Anderson, expect to see him making feature length films in the near future. I didn't care for it much, but I also don't love Anderson. If you do like Wes Anderson, you should really check this one out.

It is hard to say if this was a strong or weak year. I didn't really LOVE anything, but nothing was really that bad. The winner was my least favorite, which is a first, but check them out for yourself.
 

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Oscar Animated Short Films (2010)

First off, I wrote this post some time ago, but getting access to The Lost Thing was delayed and I held off posting until after the Oscars. Now that things are said and done, for the first time in a decade I liked the winner the most.

Each year it seems like I get more into this Oscar category. This year I went as far as to watch a few films that didn't even make the short list (Top 10). About 30 short films qualify each year, a number that I'm sure is growing. Qualification is winning a film festival during the year. At the same time you can win a festival while being released say 2 years earlier, which takes a spot away from a film that could have qualified. I honestly do not know what festivals any of these films won.

WINNER:

Film: The Lost Thing

Director: Andrew Ruhemann, Shaun Tan
Runtime: 15 min
Country: Australia
Vote: 8/10

Easily my favorite this year. Maybe the anticipation of it's itunes release Feb. 22nd helped. Really it is just a cool little short film. Unique styling, interesting story that keeps you interested, and a good soundtrack. I felt that it was one scene too long and the ending was a little bad. If I had a vote this would get my pick. This also has the best idea for a film that could before feature length in the future, kind of like 9.

Film: Day and Night

Director: Teddy Newton
Runtime: 6 min
Country: USA
Vote: 8/10

The biggest misconception with Oscar predictors is that this category is Pixar's to lose, just like Animated Feature. They couldn't be more wrong. Last year Partly Cloudy was short listed but failed to get a nomination. Two years ago Presto did not win. Three years ago Pixar was not nominated in this category. Four years ago Lifted lost; One Man Band, Boundin', and Mike's New Car all lost before that! All told, it has been a decade since Pixar has won this category with For the Birds, which is their 3rd and last win in the category in 23 years. Entertainment does not win this category. New and different does. Many of the shorts I just listed were my favorites, but they were nothing NEW. Only Wallace and Gromit seem to be able to win without being new here. The short is very cute, and aired before Toy Story 3 in theaters this year. Day and Night are characters that show each other all of the wonderful things they get to see. Definitely worth checking out, but I won't put it for the win on my ballot.

Film: Let's Pollute
Director: Geefwee Boedoe
Runtime: 6 min
Country: USA
Vote: 8/10

Probably the most witty short film in the group. This satire about American's and how much they pollute was really clever. Telling people that using stuff twice is pointless and to throw stuff away instead of using it twice. Growing up with a mother who was very conscious about not polluting, a lot of these jokes really hit home. Check this one out. Note: the youtube version is French, but you can still get the gist of the jokes.


Film: The Gruffalo
Director: Max Lang, Jakob Schuh
Runtime: 27 min
Country: UK
Vote: 7/10


This actually aired on BBC on Christmas Day and features voice work by Helena Bonham Carter, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, and James Corden. The fame of the cast and the popularity of the Children's Classic make this a real contender for the win. Many feel that it should have been made into a feature length film, personally I found it pretty slow at time and it does have the longest run time of any nominee in 3 years.


Film: Madagascar, a Journey Diary
Director: Bastien Dubois
Runtime: 11 min
Country: France
Vote: 6/10

Available on youtube with subtitles, the only foreign nominee, which is strange because there are usually several. This short film has an awful pace with some spectacular visuals. The first half is a young man traveling to some sort of religious funeral, then the last half looks like a journal with pictures that move. Images come to life and the animated scrap book just looks amazing. The story just made no sense to me, that doesn't seem to be a problem with the voters in this category so I will pick this one to win the Oscar.

Films that made the short list, but did not get nominated:
Film: Coyote Falls
Director: Matthew O'Callaghan
Runtime: 3 min
Country: USA
Vote: 6/10

A 3 minute Road Runner vs. Wile Coyote short film, available in HD on youtube, that was shown as a preview to 3D animated films in the theater this year. Being short listed was enough of an honor because it is just too short. We are familiar with the characters, so it was fun, but not worthy of much recognition.




Film: Sensology
Director: Michel Gagné
Runtime: 6 min
Country: USA
Vote: 5/10

This reminds me of a lot of the 1960's and 1970's artistic animated films on the Library of Congress National Film Registry. I could even see this getting picked in a decade when it becomes eligible. An animated visualization of two Jazz musicians, it is amazing how long 6 minutes can feel. Director Michel Gagné has done work on The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles so he is not new to the business. It was fine with me that he did not get a nomination.



Qualified Films (won a Festival) that did not make the short list:
Film: Animated History of Poland
Director: Tomasz Baginski
Runtime: 8 min
Country: Poland
Vote: 6/10

After reading some people's comments of the short list, it was felt that these two were slighted recognition. Since they were available I gave them a shot. It also gives me a feel for films that these were up against for nominations. This one has absolutely no dialog and the only text on the screen is time frames that the images took place during. Polish history teachers should show this to their classes, but the reality is I didn't get most of it because I'm not all that familiar with Poland's history. For what it is, it was pretty neat.


Film: My Name is Maria
Director: Elio Quiroga
Runtime: 4 min
Country: Spain
Vote: 4/10

Probably the worst short film of the group. I'm very happy that this one was left off. I don't mean any offense to Quirogo or the staff that worked on this because the visuals were alright. The story was by far the most depressing animated short film I have ever seen. It is centered around a little girl that witnesses her family go through economic difficulties, then some sort of war, all dying in the process. Morbid and Depressing.

This year is not a easy pick, a lot of people are going with Pixar... prove me wrong and take that risk if you want. The most popular is The Gruffalo, the obvious and maybe best choice. Personally I'm picking Madagascar because it is foreign, doesn't make any sense, and has the best art work which tends to win over cute story in this category.

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Oscar Live-Action Short Films (2009)

Another round of Oscar Short films. All but Kavi are available on youtube so you are welcome to check them out yourself very easily. The New Tenants won the Oscar, I can't say it would have been my choice, but I think it was a decent choice.

Film: Kavi
Director: Gregg Helvey
Runtime: 19 min
Country: India
Vote: 8/10
Review: The only one I couldn't find on youtube, and bought through the itunes store for $2. This intense short about a child slave in India is difficult to watch. Hard to pick as my favorite because I won't necessarily want to see it again. Powerful and gripping, the 19 minutes go by really fast.




OSCAR WINNER

Film: The New Tenants
Director: Joachim Back
Runtime: 20 min
Country: Denmark
Vote: 7/10
Review: A violent short that starts with a gay guy bitching for about 5 minutes. The storyline isn't bad but I could have done without the intro. Probably meant to be a dark comedy, yet I didn't really find it that funny. Not sure what critics would say about why it deserved the win.





Film: Instead of Abracadabra: Istället för abrakadabra
Director: Patrik Eklund
Runtime: 22 min
Country: Sweden
Vote: 7/10
Review: A Swedish comedy about a 20-something that lives at home and aspires to be a magician. With a sick idea of what emotional reactions he is trying to get from his audience this is an interesting watch. I can see how people would either love or hate it, so I recommend this to only those that like international comedy already.




Film: The Door
Director: Juanita Wilson
Runtime: 17 min
Country: Ireland
Vote: 5/10
Review: An incredibly depressing film about a family that lived in Chernobyl during the nuclear accident in the 1980s. It didn't teach me anything and was just sad.

Film: Miracle Fish
Director: Luke Doolan
Runtime: 17 min
Country: Australia
Vote: 5/10
Review:I found this film almost pointless, when held up against a film like "New Boy" from last years nominees this one was really weak. Telling you much of anything would ruin the surprising plot. Almost disturbing.






I was not impressed with this grouping of short films. The 2008 nominees were all much stronger than this group. I would rank 3 or 4 of them higher than Kavi. Outside of the top two here I didn't feel they were even worthy of nominations. Hopefully next year is better.

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Oscar Live-Action Short Films (2008)

The nominees from the 2009 Oscars (all released in 2008) for live action were a little more trouble for me to get a hold of this time around. The 2007 and 2008 Shorts were all released as a collection by Magnolia films. Starting in 2009, and again this year, they started releasing all the live action and animated short film nominees as a single theatrical film. Problem is they stopped putting out dvd's. After waiting over a year I finally found them all at the itunes store, and was able to get all of these, and next years [look for a post next week].

So like the animated nominees from 2009 [HERE] I have listed them in descending order, from favorite to leave favorite. Toyland: Spielzeugland won the Oscar, but I would have picked Auf der Strecke.

Film: On the Line: Auf der Strecke
Director: Reto Caffi
Runtime: 30 min
Country: Switzerland
Vote: 9/10
Review: My favorite by far. The story is about a man who works the security camera at a department store. He has fallen in love with an employee there, and since they take the same train home; he times leaving work so that they take the same one home every day. After a tragedy involving the girl and her brother that he could have intervened in, they begin talking. "Is he going to tell her?" is all that I could think about, it was gripping and interesting. All that you can ask for from a short film.



Film: The Pig: Grisen
Director: Dorthe Warnø Høgh
Runtime: 23 min
Country: Denmark
Vote: 8/10
Review: The simplest storyline. Man goes in for surgery, after an extended stay in the hospital he only has the painting on the wall for comfort. When the vacant bed in his room is filled, the picture mysteriously comes down. Turns out the family was offended... the family of a blind man was offended by a painting the man couldn't see. An interesting film about tolerance, I can see how some people would find it boring. I really liked it though. 


Film: New Boy
Director: Steph Green
Runtime: 11 min
Country: Ireland
Vote: 8/10
Review: I actually saw this one at a film festival in Fort Worth. To this day, it stands as the only short film I have ever seen in the theater before getting a nomination. It was also the only one of the five that I could find on youtube instead of having to purchase on itunes. The film is about an African boy that is the new kid in class. He just moved to Ireland we learn through tragic events. It is sad and heartwarming. A little too short to be my favorite, but it was my favorite at the festival so I was happy to see it included (I picked it for the win, and was wrong two years ago).


OSCAR WINNER
Film: Toyland: Spielzeugland
Director: Jochen Alexander Freydank
Runtime: 13 min
Country: Germany
Vote: 6/10
Review: A German film centered around World War II and concentration camps. Instant winner when it comes to the Academy.. even if it wasn't good and incredibly confusing. I actually watched it twice and I still couldn't put it together. Basically a mother tells her son that the neighbors are leaving for Toyland and that he cannot go. In reality they are being shipped off to concentration camps, and the boy sneaks off from his mother, and onto a train. All to pull off an elaborate swap to save the neighbor boy?


Film: Manon on the Asphalt: Manon sur le bitume
Director: Elizabeth Marre & Olivier Pont
Runtime: 15 min
Country: France
Vote: 6/10
Review: Manon gets into a wreck with a car. She is dieing on the street while the ambulance is arriving. Instead of reflecting back on her life, you know her life flashing before her eyes... she instead of thinking about how all her friends and family are going to coup with her dieing. Not a bad concept, but depressing, and in some ways incomplete.

Surprisingly I gave all 5 at least a 6 out of 10. Pretty good bunch actually, they all were at least average and three out of five I felt were worth watching. Hopefully next years are as good!

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Library of Congress: National Film Registry (5)

Part 5 of the Library of Congress features 5 films. 3 of which are NOT silent, and 4 of which are close to an hour a piece. Watched over the last several months as I've happened upon them. Here is a brief write up on each.

Big Business (1929) [8/10]
Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy are a fun pair. This short film gives you a good taste of their comedy. Something that I could easily see fitting into a scene from a feature length film, yet standing on its own very well. At only 19 minutes this is the shortest film in this listing of the LoC. It is the best not because of its length, but instead for its entertainment value.

This film was actually very hard to find. It is part of the Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy Volume 1, a very expensive buy on Amazon and removed from Youtube. I greatly appreciate the individual that gave this to me and hope to watch the entire lost films collection eventually. If you can find it then check it out.

The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944) [7/10]
The Germans had the Red Baron, the Americans had the Memphis Belle. A USAAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress that was in 25 complete missions in Europe including a very important one over German. This documentary shouldn't be confused with the fictional remake of the 1990s, it is easy to find from government archive footage and features some pretty good footage of the Memphis Belle in action. Not the most exciting however, and not something I'd watch again. If you are a WWII or fighter plane nut you should watch this.


Sky High (1922) [6/10]
The 6/10 is very generous for this 1920s silent western. Really only good for its camera footage of a stunt man REALLY flying over the Grand Canyon. The first flight over the canyon was for this movie. Pretty cool, and I wouldn't want to be the first in a rickety 1920's plane. Someone had to be, and if you can find the 5 minutes of footage of this then skip the boring plot of this pretty basic silent "save-the-damsel-in-distress" film.


The March (1964) [6/10]
I fail to understand why the Library of Congress wants to add a film like this to the archive. Less than a handful of people have seen it, there aren't even 5 votes on imdb, including my own for this one. I fully understand why they THINK it needs to be in here. It is archive footage from the million man march, but I think they are diverging a little from the idea of archiving historic memorable film. Are their no other editions of the million man march out there? A CBS or NBC documentary? Something that millions watched in their homes, rather than something narrated by a white guy just for this archive? I like the idea, but not the film.

A Time for Burning (1967) [5/10]
Here is a film that looks at the burning issue of segregation in a small town in Nebraska. Nominated for an Academy Award, this film follows a local priest that attempts to unify his church racially just to see his congregation reject the idea and kick him out. He had support from some, but without everyone on board it collapsed. This collapse had happened before, so it was expected. But it brought forth a lot of those issues, and for its time hopefully was an inspirational film.


A pretty average group, nothing all that exciting, nothing that was really that bad. Until next time...

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Library of Congress: National Film Registry (4)

Part 4 of the Film Registry takes us into some much longer films. I've decided that one hour is the cusp between getting an individual post and getting lumped into a grouping like this. Sorted by the ranking I gave it, and with longer comments on some since they had more content.

Master Hands (1936) [8/10] (right)
This is a 35 minute film showing the workings of an assembly plant for Chevrolet in the 1930's. It is just amazing to me that all of these cars are works of art. You get the feel of your dad working in a shop on the car, and not the industrial feel since there is so much manual work. It is truly amazing that so many cars actually worked coming off the line like this. Worth checking out, maybe scanning through at parts because 30+ minutes was a little much.


Early Abstractions (1987) [8/10] (right)
Harry Smith made a number of short artistic animated films from 1939 to 1956. This film is a compilation of numbers 1-5, 7, and 10. I'm not sure why 6, 8, and 9 were excluded. Of all the artistic films from the Registry this one really had me interested and engaged. About 23 minutes long, so I watched it in two parts to stay interested. Note: This is the same guy who did Heaven and Earth Magic.

There It Is (1928) [7/10]
Sadly we are already out of the films worth watching and into the ones that are just ok. This short slapstick silent film features Charles R. Bowers as a special detective investigating a strange occurrence at a mental institute. The film is silly, a little funny, but not very interesting overall. He is no Keaton or Lloyd, but if you want to see something different that will make you appreciate others, this 19 minute film is quick to check out.

Pull My Daisy (1959) [6/10] (right)
One of the few Beatnik films you will find, lazy poets aren't inclined to produce many films. This one is average at best and has an annoying voice over the whole way which makes even just a 6/10 a stretch. Unique and an OK addition to the list.

St. Louis Blues (1929) [5/10]
This is almost like a music video featuring Bessie Smith an African American singer from Mississippi with an incredible voice. A number of her songs are on modern film soundtracks, and this is the only way you can see her on film. At 16 minutes, this should have been about 7 minutes. The story was hard to understand on a poorly restored video and the singing was not even that clear which made it hard to appreciate.

Marian Anderson: The Lincoln Memorial Concert (1939) [5/10] (right)
So I didn't watch the entire concert, the historic footage in the archive is only 8 minutes long and highlights why this is important rather than the concert itself. She was barred from performing at the Lincoln Memorial because she was black, after a letter of support from First Lady Elanor Roosevelt, the barring was lifted and she became the first African American to perform on federal property. What an amazing singer, the footage has a very strange aspect ratio, but the audio is clear enough for appreciation.

Hands Up! (1926) [5/10]
I think I might be cheating on this one, I only saw a 10 minute summation of what I think is a serial, e.g. a series of short movies at the cinema... like going to the movies to watch tv. Not sure how to rate it though...

Disneyland Dream (1956) [2/10]
If you think it is painful to watch home movies, try watching the home movies of a 1950's family you have never met. This 30 minute documentary follows a dorky family from Connecticut as they take a trip to Disneyland that they won after entering a mail-in contest. Appropriate since I just went to Disney World this last month, but not worth watching... at all.

Pups Is Pups (1930) [2/10]
Apparently "Our Gang" or The Little Rascals was pretty popular at some point in time. But these kids are incredibly annoying. The acting is just plain awful, and kids yelling for 25+ minutes is hard to take. A little boy runs around with his gang of dogs in what are clearly performed stunts with extras calling the dogs. It is just annoying, I really really hated this one.

Serene Velocity (1970) [1/10]
Like the film Wavelength, this film is just about camera tricks. You can't watch it without getting a headache and I had to scan around it a little to call it watched. The camera takes a shot of a hallway, one frame stays stationary, the next zooms one notch in. By the end of the film you are seeing double, the start of the hall and the end of it. Trippy but not good.

About 4 and a half hours of film here, I'd check out Master Hands and Early Abstractions and forget the rest.

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Library of Congress: National Film Registry (3)

Part 3 of the Library of Congress Short films that I have been working on. Finding these online takes more time than actually watching them, which can be a real let down for the bad ones. I'm making my own archive, so contact me if you want a full collection of all of these NFR posts.

I was happy with the method of splitting them by Worth Watching, Just Average, and Avoid Watching in the post itself so we'll do that again. There are less here than in previous posts because the runtime has increased, e.g. 10-15 minutes instead of 5-10. So this is a good 4 hours of video.

Worth Watching:
The House I Live In (1945) [8/10] [right]
This looks like a film you would watch in a racial sensitivity training. Starring Frank Sinatra who talks to a group of boys picking on a neighborhood kid because of his race. I liked the dialogue and is worth holding onto. Ironic that Sinatra is known as playing a gangster most of the time, not the role you would expect him in.

One Week (1920) [8/10]
Buster Keaton gets a "build your own home" kit as a wedding present. This appealed to me because I just went through moving into a home this month. A good watch.

Punch Drunks (1934) [8/10] [right]
Considered one of the best Three Stooges episodes ever, the archive HAD to have a Stooges skit in it. Not a bad one at all.

Just Average:
Czechoslovakia 1968 (1969) [7/10]
Documentary footage of the Czech and Slovak uprising against the Soviet government. Good footage, historically significant, but nothing worth watching over again.

Our Day (1938) [7/10]
A home movie showing a normal day for an average American family in the 1930's. Interesting to see the daily routines and how little they have changed over the last 70 years.

Quasi at the Quackadero (1976) [6/10] [right]
This strange animation by Sally Cruikshank of a cartoon duck had to be an influence for Duckman. I haven't found any evidence that points to this, but if you have seen much of the cartoon you will see the resemblance.

Jammin' the Blues (1944) [6/10]
Featuring a slew of 1940's jazz musicians in what looks like the opening credits of a tv show. I just didn't get this one. Maybe I'm just not familiar enough with the featured artists.

In the Street (1948) [6/10]
One of the films that only made the archive because it features footage that probably isn't documented anywhere else. This just shows scenes of the street of New York, nothing special and very boring.

Jeffries-Johnson Boxing Contest (1910) [6/10]
In 1910 a boxing match could go into 100 rounds!!! Yeah so it was basically a fight until someone fell down, which also meant that boxers would take their time to feel out the opponent. So this entire film is actually 1 hour and 40 minutes. Since I couldn't sit through that much silent boxing footage I watched the 10 minute highlight reel on youtube. The nice thing is they actually explain the significance of the fight (an African American Champion). They brought a Caucasian boxer out of retirement to try and dethrone the champ, that didn't work out so well...

Life and Death of 9413 (1928) [6/10] [right]
An experimental film about a generic Hollywood extra trying to make it in Hollywood. Something that 80+ years later we are familiar with, e.g. how hard it is to make it in Hollywood and the numerous tragic stories. So this was just ok.

The House in the Middle (1954) [6/10]
Produced by the National Clean Up-Paint Up-Fix Up Bureau, this film shows results of radiation testing on from atomic bombs in the desert. It advises people to paint their homes, trim their shrubs, and clean up trash around their homes so that in the event of a nuclear attack you have a better chance of surviving (not catching fire).

The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) [6/10]
A documentary that presents the social and economic issues of the Great Plains in America. Something you would watch in history class in high school. Not exactly something I am going to grab some popcorn for and watch with the family. Interesting to some degree...

Avoid Watching:
Motion Painting No.1 (1947) [5/10] [right]
This is called a "color study" which means it is like something you would see in a music video, except no good music, and longer. Basically a painting that is slowly layered with more and more drawings. You've probably seen something like this before, but since it is from 1947 it was probably an original concept and difficult to pull off at the time.

A Bronx Morning (1931) [5/10]
Basically the same as In the Street above, just shows you the streets of the Bronx in the 30's.

H2O (1929) [3/10]
So Motion Painting was a study of color, well this is a study of water. Very boring, enough said.

Eaux d'artifice (1953) [2/10]
A woman dressed in blue walks through a garden... yeah that's it. Classical music is playing throughout and the hue of the picture is blue, that is about all.. so I just don't get this one.

Multiple Sidosis (1970) [2/10] [right]
Directed by "Sid." This is a short film about an older man who gets a recorder for Christmas and uses it to overlay audio of himself playing different instruments [hence the "multiple" in the title]. A little neat but I don't understand its including in the archive.

Rose Hobart (1936) [3/10]
This is a 17 minute highlight of Rose Hobart playing in 1931 film East of Borneo. I really don't understand why this was added to the archive and not the full film. Highlights of a silent film are worse that the actual film because there is absolutely not text AT ALL. So not only is the story shortened but you have no idea what is going on. A waste of time.

This is probably the last of the LoC NFR posts for a while. I have exhausted most of the films under 15 minutes that I could find, and until I can get another group of them put together there won't be another post. I will be watching some of the feature length films over the next few months though.

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