Ever since I walked out of Braveheart in May of 1995 and correctly proclaimed, “That is going to win best picture,” I have followed the Academy Awards fairly religiously. I’ve always had a few issues with the system, however. For example, if an actor delivered multiple worthy performances, why can he only be nominated once? Leo DiCaprio was this year’s victim of that rule.

My biggest complaint is that most of the films nominated in the smaller categories—shorts, documentaries, even foreign films—are not readily available for viewing by John and Jane Doe before the awards show. As a result, many Oscar partiers use the presentation of these awards as an opportunity to pop the popcorn. This is a shame because sometimes these films can be even more entertaining than those nominated for the major awards; and in the case of the shorts, you can watch all the nominated films in less time than it would take to watch one of the features.

I was fortunate enough this year to have an opportunity to see the nominated short films on DVD before the Oscars and, although it may not have been as great as watching, say, The Departed, it made for an entertaining Saturday night. And hey! Built-in bathroom breaks.

I started with the live-action shorts and was immediately delighted by The Saviour, a film by writer/director Peter Templeman that begins with a great premise: a church missionary having an affair with a woman he is trying to convert. The intrigue doesn’t end there, as his fellow missionaries begin to question why he always meets with her alone. The film ends with a clever twist as the woman’s husband reveals what he believes to be a miracle.

The second film, West Bank Story, was my personal favorite. Director Ari Sandel’s film is a delightful musical comedy that adapts West Side Story to Palestine, replacing the Jets and Sharks with the Jews and Muslims. The conflict is personified by the two fast-food restaurants that stand next to each other, the Kosher King and the Hummus Hut. Story’s Tony and Maria—or Romeo and Juliet, if you will—are David, an Israeli guard, and Fatima, the cashier of the Hummus Hut. The musical numbers are fun and catchy, while the story is clever and humorous.

The longest of the short films—at 31 minutes—is Binta and the Great Idea, which is narrated by a young girl in Africa who considers herself lucky to be attending school. Her cousin is not so lucky, and the rest of the children put on a play to help convince the cousin’s father that the girl should also attend. This storyline is cross-cut with the young girl’s father and the great idea which he intends to take straight to the governor. It may not be as obvious as West Bank Story, but Binta may be the better social commentary of the short films.

The final two live-action short nominees are both subtle comedies involving fathers and sons. The first, One Too Many, opens with a woman walking out on her husband and son. Unable to survive without a woman in the household, they go to the nursing home and bring back the mother-in-law to live with them. She cooks and cleans for them and everything is going wonderfully. So wonderful in fact, that a certain revelation is willing to be overlooked.

The second, Helmer and Son, finds the son who has taken over the family business called to the nursing home where his father has locked himself in the closet. They are forced to reconcile their differences through the closet door until the father comes out to give his son a hug… and humorously reveal why he was locked in the closet in the first place. Both of these films quietly and cleverly build to their charming climaxes.

As for the animated short films nominated for Oscars this year, I was unfortunately unable to watch the latest from Pixar, Lifted. Seems for that, I’ll have to wait for the release of Ratatouille this summer like everyone else. The other major release of the short films is No Time for Nuts, the latest Scrat short from the makers of Ice Age, available on the Ice Age: Meltdown DVD. The film is just as entertaining as any of the previous Scrat shorts, but the whole idea is starting to get a little old.

The three other nominees are each very unique. The Danish Poet has the least polished animation, but the most delightful story, as a woman narrates the numerous random events that led to her parents’ introduction and her eventual birth. The film lends a certain appreciation for just how lucky we are to be alive.

The Little Matchgirl is short, poetic and beautifully animated as it retells Hans Christian Andersen’s story about a young, homeless girl who imagines a much happier, warmer life with each match she lights.

The final film, Maestro, was my personal favorite of the animated shorts. A mechanical arm prepares the Maestro for his performance as the camera moves around the scene methodically like a ticking clock. The brief climax reveals just how clever the build-up was and elicits a burst of laughter at the revelation.

So now when they announce the nominees for the short film Oscars, I’ll not only have a clue about the films, but perhaps even a rooting interest. My Oscar night just got a little better. If you’re lucky enough to live in one of the arthouse markets where these collected shorts are being released this weekend, check them out. Perhaps someday, every John and Jane Doe might be able to, too.

This collection of short films is unrated. If I were have to rate these short films as a collection, I would argue for PG. The animated films are all reasonably within the G range, while the live-action films have mild language, brief sexual content, and even briefer nudity.

Courtesy of a local publicist, Jeff screened promotional DVDs of The 2006 Oscar Nominated Shorts.