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This short is featured on the Animation Show Vol. 3 DVD.

Chris Harding’s brilliant LEARN SELF DEFENSE is a timeless satire that skewers violence in the form of a 1950s educational video. George is an ordinary family man — just like you and me. Then one night on his way home from the bar, he is attacked by three CLOCKWORK ORANGE-like thugs in a dark alley. The narrator informs us that George must learn self-defense so this will never happen again. So George trains with a burly bloke in the ring, following five helpful tips — diplomacy, planning, faith, technology and preemption.

In diplomacy, we learn that you can insult your opponent and if they’re not with you yet then they are against you. In planning, we learn that you must form a plan and stick to it no matter what, because to rethink it makes you a wimp. In faith, we learn that wrong + wrong = wrong, but wrong + wrong + God = right. In technology, we learn that 21st Century weapons allow us to fight from a comfortable distance. In preemption, we learn what to do when we are unsure whether we are in danger or not.

The flat UPA-style design fits with the LEAVE IT TO BEAVER-frankness of the deep-voiced narrator wonderfully. Though the satire of the current war in Iraq is apparent, the film works equally well for past wars and American morals in general. Harding’s sense for the entire package from design to acting to timing is impeccable. He also has the guts to be shocking, but not in a gratuitous fashion. A satire is truly brilliant when it plays truths in a way that make them seem embarrassing in the end. LEARN SELF DEFENSE is as powerful a statement on war as DR. STRANGELOVE… and just as funny.

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This short is featured on the Animation Show Vol. 3 DVD.

Directed by Francois Caffiaux, Noel Romain, and Thomas Salas, this CG-animated student film brims with gags, creating a rare Looney Tunes-style CG film that works. A red uniformed samurai climbs the steep cliff of a very small island. From a nearby island his fellow samurai cheer him on, until a blue uniformed samurai pops up behind him and pushes him to the water below. This begins the tit for tat attempts by the two opposing forces to claim the middle island for their own.

The directing trio develops their gags well, keeping them flying at the audience and building continuing gags effectively. As the dueling clans’ leaders become increasingly angered by their inability to take the two-person wide island, the conclusion builds to an ironic comeuppance for the warmongers. One should also watch the backgrounds for some subtle jokes as well. So many times I’ve seen very cartoony-like action in CG look stilted. The reason is often that the timing and performance is off, having little to do with the technique. The filmmakers have the talent to pace their comedy, deftly varying and layering their gags. Their solid direction of the action is evident. Additionally, for a student film, the CG design work is slick. Calling this film a student film is a bit of a misnomer, because Caffiaux, Romain, and Salas establish themselves as pros with this production.

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Barry Levinson’s Oscar-winning RAIN MAN is the film that defines autism in many people’s minds. While capturing an extreme version of the disorder, Dustin Hoffman’s Raymond Babbitt is a very accurate portrayal of autism. Though the film garnered a best actor Oscar for Hoffman, the real central character is Raymond’s emotionally distant and self-centered brother, Charlie Babbitt. Tom Cruise was recognized as a star before this film, but Charlie solidified him as an actor.

Charlie is a yuppie salesman who deals in expensive sports cars. His current deal is not going well and he is in debt up to his eyeballs. On the way to a vacation weekend with his Italian girlfriend Susanna (Valeria Golino, BIG TOP PEE-WEE), he learns that his estranged father has died. When the will is read, he is furious that all his father bequeathed him were the classic car that ruined their relationship and the old man’s prize-winning rose bushes. The remaining $3 million is put in a trust for an unknown benefactor. Charlie follows the leads to a mental health facility where he discovers that the benefactor is his autistic older brother who he never knew he had. Wanting his fair share, Charlie takes Raymond from the facility as a bargaining chip in a game of blackmail.

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