Little Quentin

In this story of love obsession gone awry, a maladjusted giant bunny finds himself in a precarious situation. It evolves from a noir-esque limited color palette to something a little more lively, which I'll just say ties in with the overall mood of the plot. This was a fun, interesting story that definitely throws in a loop or two.  This semi-stylized Dutch animated short was created in cooperation by il Luster Productions and Anikey Studios.

Aurora

Well, I can safely say that in terms of films (even short films) that decide to take a complete 180, this is probably in the top 5.  Eh, okay, maybe top 10.  The animated short Aurora was created by Dutch animator Aimee de Jongh, and tells the story of a woman seeking something mysterious in a forest.  Something rather... otherworldy.  From there, a short series of revelations come into play that are guaranteed to catch you completely off guard. The art style and darker mood was definitely interesting, reminding me of early rotoscoped features that were prevalent during the era of Ralph Bakshi.

CROWN

Words escape me. I... I really don't know what I can say about this without giving too much away.    Essentially, some kids find an abandoned house and some weird happenings goes down. And I take that back, not weird. Downright f*cking bizarre. I'm not even really sure what it's supposed to mean, but I do know it's left quite open to interpretation.  It's a damn good short film, with it's ability to draw you in without dialogue.

INSIDE

An interesting concept, 'INSiDE' is a short film about a man in what looks like a mental ward of prison.  He sits down with the doctor, who tries to talk to him, but his multiple personalities kept interrupting him. It's a little dark (prison asylum, duh), and bizarre but with a pretty cool twist. It's an older short starring Jeremy Sisto, and just recently released on Vimeo.

In The Pines

This awesomely intriguing short film was created by Shep Films, and centers around a young woman leaving a voicemail for her mother.  It becomes apparent the woman had previously been abducted by aliens, or so she thinks, and decides to set off on a journey to meet with them once again.  The build up is incredible!  I found myself sitting here and going back and forth between two possibilities: Was she actually abducted, and now she's about to prove to everyone that she's not crazy?  Or is going to do just that?  The cinematography and use of macro shots are also quite beautiful, with a lot of focus on insects and other nature shots.

TIBS

It's understated, simple, and to the point. And I'm sufficiently creeped out. Sam Huntley's TIBS is the short about an elderly lady and her cat, "Tibs". Every morning he brings her an "offering" of some sort; The kind of gift that cats and dogs like to give (dead animals). As a doting cat owner, the elderly lady praises her kitty for his efforts. Let's just say, that sometimes, there is such a thing as too much praise. Or as one Vimeo commenter put it, "Positive reinforcement gone awry." 

Purity Ring - Fineshrine

We posted Purity Ring's video for "Belispeak" a few months ago, and just recently they released their video for "Fineshrine". Equally dreamy and slightly bizarre, the video portrays a woman waking up to a bandaged man. Deciding to cut away his bandages, she finds him changed. From there, it delves into another fantastical world. The music is super chill and beyond enjoyable to listen to, so you'll definitely make it to the end of the video. Which is good, you'll want to do so. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Goodbye - My Robot Friend

US based electronica/indie rock group My Robot Friend just recently put out the video to their single "Goodbye". The animation tells the story of a man lost out on the water who experiences memories of his love, and slowly attempts to put his life back together. Or is that the real story? The surprise twist at the end comes at somewhat of a shock. The art style is simple, as is the color scheme, but the latter seems to have some significance (i.e. blue = sadness, orange = happiness). The tune itself is pretty sweet, something I'd want to listen to while driving on a long stretch of isolated road.

Murder by Yang Tzu Ting

If you're looking for a comic book styled cross between Fight Club and The Prestige (you were, weren't you?), then look no further. This graduation project, from the National Taiwan University of Arts brings you all of the above. A brilliant scientist and his brother create a cloning machine, but come to find that all is not what they seem. With a few twists along the way, it's one of the most exciting and action-filled animated shorts I've seen recently.

Eyrie

Recent CalArts alum David Wolter was just nominated for a Student Academy Award by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Science for his animated short, Eyrie. The title basically means bird's nest (also, hello Game of Thrones), which is fitting for a story about a large bird that continuously snatches sheep from a rural farm. Which is obviously much to the chagrin of the farmer, but also his apparent grandson, who is supposed to be learning his way around the farm. Along with the unforeseen twist at the end, I really enjoyed the sketch-like look of the animation. Something about the roughness makes it warm, and unoffensive to the eye.

Pipe Dreams (NSFW-ish)

Imagine waking up next to your friend, naked and confused. You both recount similar, yet different nightmares. Then you realize that they somehow connect to one another, in a most awkward way. The guys over at Booya Pictures put on an awesome skit showing just how well that would play out. Not really NSFW for the most part, just the innuendo. Bonus for the twist at the end.