Short films tend to be an under-appreciated art form these days, but they always get some annual love from the Oscars in the form of the Best Animated and Best Live-Action Short categories. The Daily's film staff is here to parse through this year's selections. All of these nominated films are currently playing on a single bill at the Michigan Theater.

Animated Short Films

“Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death”

A serial killer is on the loose. The target? Bakers, leaving everyone's favorite Claymation duo as the only bakers left in the town. This is great for business, but when a heavyset bread model seduces Wallace, the pair's prospects don't look too bright. As Wallace’s love literally blossoms like bread in the oven, death looms ever closer. This is one of the longer shorts, but it’s lighthearted and witty. The silly inventions, subtle sexual innuendos and expressions of disgust on Gromit’s face all come together to form a carefully constructed animated world.

“Logorama”

French director François Alaux delivers a searing critique of American culture through a Los Angeles inhabited entirely by logos. The Pringle face drives trucks, Apple apples grow on trees and the Michelin man works as a cop. But the streets are no longer safe, as the most-wanted criminal, Ronald McDonald (who else?), is on the loose. By this point, it’s a bit too easy to criticize America for rampant consumerism and violence. What makes this short different is the way the corporate symbols pop out and are given their own personalities. The pavement cracks into an X-Box symbol and Mr. Clean is cast as an effeminate zookeeper. The little twists are enough to make people rethink the way advertising works.

“French Roast”

A man loses his wallet in a French bistro while being pestered by a homeless man, a sinister nun and a sleepy policeman, resulting in a slight misunderstanding. The characters are all a little creepy looking and don’t quite fit in with the farcical tone of the plot. The short is entertaining, but it gets a bit repetitive after a while. The characters all show emotion in a predictably cartoonish way, with buggy eyes and twitching mustaches. The short is so bent on hammering in a moral to the story that the end loses all sense of charm.

“The Lady and the Reaper”

This story of an old woman who just wants to rest peacefully explores the implications of modern medicine and morality. The woman becomes caught in a struggle between a young whiz-kid doctor and the Grim Reaper. The struggle evolves into a slapstick fight over the woman’s body. Despite his reputation, it’s hard not to root for the Reaper as he develops an engaging personality without really saying anything. His expressions and demeanor allow him to seem funny and natural, rather than a menacing figure.

“Granny O’ Grim”

This six-minute Irish film is absolutely delightful. A kooky grandmother with a flair for theater decides to tell her nervous grandson her version of the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty.” She’s trying to get him to fall asleep, but because her spin on the story is a bit horrific, her efforts prove detrimental. It's clever to see how it all plays out.

Live Action Films

“Instead of Abracadabra”

In this “Napoleon Dynamite”-meets-Todd Solondz-meets-John-Waters amalgamation (with a drop of Swedish drag queen), Tomas, a clumsy, theatrical 25-year-old who still lives with his parents, tries to make it a big as a magician. After an embarrassing mishap at his first exhibition, Tomas tries to impress his new neighbor at his father’s 60th birthday celebration, a gig only promised to him on the grounds that he will get a real job. “Chimay!” the eyeliner-coated, sparkle-faced, ruffle-wearing illusionist histrionically shouts. “She-male?” asks the confused photographer. “No, Chimay!” he replies.