In the suburb of Black Falls, all the houses look the same and everyone works for BLACK BOX Unlimited Worldwide Industries Incorporated, whose Mr. Black's BLACK BOX is the ultimate communication and do-it-all gadget that's sweeping the nation. Other than keeping his parents employed, however, Mr. Black's BLACK BOX has done nothing for 11-year-old Toe Thompson, who just wants to make a few friends... until a mysterious rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky, hits him in the head and changes everything.

In the suburb of Black Falls, all the houses look the same and everyone works for BLACK BOX Unlimited Worldwide Industries Incorporated, whose Mr. Black's BLACK BOX is the ultimate communication and do-it-all gadget that's sweeping the nation. Other than keeping his parents employed, however, Mr. Black's BLACK BOX has done nothing for 11-year-old Toe Thompson, who just wants to make a few friends... until a mysterious rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky, hits him in the head and changes everything.1

After the atrocious family films Spy Kids 3D : Game Over and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, I was not interested in watching Shorts, another independent family film directed by Robert Rodriguez.However, a look at the cast revealed the presence of some competent actors (James Spader, William H. Macy, Leslie Mann and Kat Dennings), so I decided to risk myself and watch this movie.To my huge surprise, Shorts resulted to be an excellent family film which is sympathetic and hugely entertaining, thanks to the skillful performances from the young cast and Rodriguez's irreverent screenplay.

 

‘Shorts’ is set in the suburb of Black Falls, where all the houses look the same and everyone works for BLACK BOX Unlimited Worldwide Industries Incorporated, whose Mr. Black’s BLACK BOX is the ultimate communication and do-it-all gadget that’s sweeping the nation. Other than keeping his parents employed, however, Mr. Black’s BLACK BOX has done nothing for 11-year-old Toe Thompson, who just wants to make a few friends…until a mysterious rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky, hits him in the head and changes everything. The Rainbow Rock does Mr. Black’s BLACK BOX one better: it grants wishes to anyone who holds it. Before long, wishes-gone-wrong have left the neighborhood swarming with tiny spaceships, crocodile armies, giant boogers…and outrageous magical mayhem around every corner. But it’s not until the grown-ups get their hands on the Rock that the trouble really starts. Now Toe and his newfound friends must join forces to save their town from itself, discovering along the way that what you wish for is not always what you want.

Donald Duck gets his own entry in the increasingly popular Walt Disney Treasures line. The Chronological Donald, Volume One contains the first 36 Donald Duck shorts. Spanning seven years, these shorts were released at a time when the irascible duck was growing in popularity and upstaging the studio's first solidifed cartoon star, Mickey Mouse.

A triptych of short films, all on the subject of eroticism, sounds tantalizing, so it's too bad none of the shorts contained in Eros actually hits its mark. This despite the fact they were separately made by three of the most renowned directors of the past 40 years: Wong Kar Wai, Steven Soderbergh and Michelangelo Antonioni. What they manage in their individual shorts in Eros are but minor variations on themes and aesthetics already well explored in their own full-length films.

Stash 27 is the high note at the end of an astonishing year of growth and innovation for the animation, VFX and motion design industry. The issue opens with the messy fireworks of Jonathan Glazer's spectacular “Paint” spot for Sony Bravia, progresses through a symphony of spots, music videos, broadcast design and shorts, and closes with the world premier of “Raymond”, the outrageously original debut short film from the new UK directing collective called Bif.

Stash 27 is the high note at the end of an astonishing year of growth and innovation for the animation, VFX and motion design industry. The issue opens with the messy fireworks of Jonathan Glazer's spectacular “Paint” spot for Sony Bravia, progresses through a symphony of spots, music videos, broadcast design and shorts, and closes with the world premier of “Raymond”, the outrageously original debut short film from the new UK directing collective called Bif.

Stash 27 is the high note at the end of an astonishing year of growth and innovation for the animation, VFX and motion design industry. The issue opens with the messy fireworks of Jonathan Glazer's spectacular “Paint” spot for Sony Bravia, progresses through a symphony of spots, music videos, broadcast design and shorts, and closes with the world premier of “Raymond”, the outrageously original debut short film from the new UK directing collective called Bif.

Stash 27 is the high note at the end of an astonishing year of growth and innovation for the animation, VFX and motion design industry. The issue opens with the messy fireworks of Jonathan Glazer's spectacular “Paint” spot for Sony Bravia, progresses through a symphony of spots, music videos, broadcast design and shorts, and closes with the world premier of “Raymond”, the outrageously original debut short film from the new UK directing collective called Bif.

A triptych of short films, all on the subject of eroticism, sounds tantalizing, so it's too bad none of the shorts contained in Eros actually hits its mark. This despite the fact they were separately made by three of the most renowned directors of the past 40 years: Wong Kar Wai, Steven Soderbergh and Michelangelo Antonioni. What they manage in their individual shorts in Eros are but minor variations on themes and aesthetics already well explored in their own full-length films.