CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review for the doc series “Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose,” about the rise and bitter fall of the major league legend, the MLB’s all-time hits leader, only to be banned from the sport because of gambling. Streaming on MAX and on HBO since July 24th.!—break—>
Relax, Float Upstream With Mike Judge Assemblage ‘The Animation Show 4’
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CHICAGO – With its passionate mix of creativity and computers, this modern golden age of animation proceeds to entertain and astound with each passing year. Mike Judge – the preeminent creator of cartoon legends “Beavis & Butt-Head” and “King of the Hill” – presents his latest compilation of the worldwide best in animated short films.
“The Animation Show 4” isn’t your daddy’s Bugs Bunny comfort food. It’s more like a banquet for sensory perception.
![]() Image credit: “The Animation Show 4” |
In more than 20 unique world views that are disguised as animated shorts, a compendium of the absurd and the surreal nature of ourselves are exposed in hilarious and even touching ways.
Using stop-motion, line-drawing and computer-animation techniques, the creators of these shorts get inside the core of humanity’s foibles and often do more in seven minutes than many 120-minute, feature-length films can accomplish.
The following is a rundown of our 10 honorable mentions along with what not to miss among the short presentations within this 87-minute run. View our full slideshow from the film here.
What Not to Miss
“Forgetfulness”: I must be relating to this as it’s a meditation on how former memorizations in the long process of education slowly fade away.
“Raymond”: It’s a striking stop-action and computer-animation combination on the creation of a better psyche.
“This Way Up”: There are complications even in death.
“Angry Unpaid Hooker”: It’s part of a new series that’s about to debut on HBO. This hilarious send-up of the proper, middle-class life says it all in the title.
“Mr. Schwartz, Mr. Hazen & Mr. Horlocker”: It’s a brilliant composition that focuses on the minutiae that can add up to big events.
![]() Image credit: “The Animation Show 4” |
Honorable Mentions
DON’T MISS! VIEW FULL SLIDESHOW ![]() RELATED READING ![]() |
“Key Lime Pie”: It’s a wild ride on the dark side involving Private Dick and an obsession for the titular dessert.
“Jeu”: It’s a crazy quilt surreality starting with a single word that morphs into various eye-catching scenes.
“Operator”: The soul can be vulnerable when talking to God.
“Yompi the Sloup”: The lovable yellow mascot who desires love also harbors a secret and sharp need.
“Hot Dog”: The legendary animation composer Bill Plympton scores another triumph with his determined “doggerel”.
![]() | By PATRICK McDONALD |