Review: The Oscar-nominated short films of 2019

Short films are very rarely in the public spotlight. The occasional viral video, music video, or television advertisement may get some attention, especially in the latter two cases, but this is hardly a regular occurrence. But nothing increases availability like awards, and this year, those short films nominated for Academy Awards finally came to a movie theatre near me. So I watched all of them. And now I've reviewed all of them for your pleasure. So here's the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Oscars, now in 40 minutes or less.

My favourite films of 2018

For me, 2018 was a year where my favourite movies were overwhelmingly comedies or action flicks. While there were many pure dramas I enjoyed this year - two just barely missed the list, and one would be very high if I ranked the top 10 - I was much more interested by those movies which combined surface pleasures with something deeper. I'd prefer not to make a big point of it: most likely, it had more to do with my own tastes than with any reaction to politics or even the kind of movies which were critical darlings in prior years.

What I am glad for, though, is that it allowed a lot more diversity in my top 10. Half of these films feature non-white leads, and almost half were made by non-white directors. This was a year where prestige pictures like Widows and pop phenomena like Crazy Rich Asians represented people who might not have occupied as much of the cultural landscape in the past, and I can only see this as a positive development. A more inclusive cinema at the most public level could get us one step closer to a more inclusive society.

Regardless, here's my own list of the movies that I liked most this year, and here's to more great movies in 2019.

Honourable mentions for 2018

In just over one week, I'm going to be publishing my list of my favourite movies of last year. But I think this year I'll also do something different and give special attention to various films which, despite not getting my highest recommendations, deserve extra mention. Too often, interesting movies are looked over for being imperfect, and I think that's unfair. Opinion is subjective, and limiting the film conversation only to the most beloved of movies does them a disservice. So rather than rattling off an extensive list of movies I loved but cut from my top 10, here's a sort of third place trophy for the flawed movies that defined this year for me just as much as the great ones.