Awesome Short Films

With a plot that revolves around a killer holographic Santa, Station 21’s storyline and acting is decidedly B-movie; still, this 3D trailer is definitely in your face and out of this world.

Finished in 2006 but only now fully viewable, Chris Jones’ The Passenger is the result of eight years of hard work; the animated short can also be purchased on DVD. Thanks, Andrew!

Produced on a shoe-string $7k budget, Constant van Hoeven’s Things Last is a sci-fi short that blends CG and live action; we won’t spoil it, but it’s definitely a soulful take on existence.

Disco dancing sounds and looks good on paper with Rob Diaz’s Elio, which shows the perils of going Travolta at your 9-5; the stop-motion short film was shot using a Nokia XpressMusic 5800.

Creepy yet hilarious, Daniel Scheinert and Dan Kwan’s Swingers mixes great comedic timing with ridiculously uncomfortable moments; in otherwords, a true theatre of the absurd.

Due out early 2010, Battle of the Brick: Built for Combat is a 25 minute LEGO Halo short film made by Alex Kobb; it recreates the Zanzibar map with an epic battle of Red vs. Blue.

Despite a euphemistic title, Wizard Smoke is pure (yet surreal) skateboarding heaven; it was filmed with three Panasonic HVX200s and uses tempera paint and flour for the smoke.

If you ever wondered what happened post-Carl in Up, Pixar explains all; the short film George and AJ shows things going downhill, underground, and interplanetary. Thanks, Thorir!

Guns ‘n Gardens makes the best of public access TV and societal collapse with How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse; it’s filled with DIY tips on weapons, first aid, and of course, gardening.

Slightly NSFW: Jeremie Duval’s Pulp Fiction and Mario mashup does Tarantino proud with guns and gasoline in place of fireballs; who needs Luigi when you have Travolta in overalls?

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Lineage short film reaches its conclusion with Episodes 2 and 3, with Giovanni traveling first to Venice and then finally to Rome. Watch all three episodes here.

Horrible Turn is the cherubic prequel to Dr. Horrible; although unofficial, it’s also a 60 minute, all-wonderflonium fan-made musical with high production values and a dash of evil.

If magic is all smoke and mirrors, weareom’s Chop Cup fully embodies this on a meta level; we won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say this short film is a mind-bending play on perception.

We liked Astro Boy, but it may have done better at the box office had it been like Panic Attack: this hybrid CG/live action short film features giant robots with a hatred for all things Uruguay.

We’re surprised that Pigeon Impossible isn’t a Pixar film: this high flying short was created by Lucas Martell and shows that a bird in the case is worth about a billion in the bush.

To call The Astronomer’s Dream trippy is a galactic understatement, but we’re slack-jawed over its amazing details; you can support indie director Malcolm Sutherland by buying the DVD.

Created by 300/Wolverine VFX artist Matthew Santoro, Offline is the culmination of a two year effort; it’s a short film/spec trailer that’s looking to get backed as a full-length sci-fi film.

David King’s use of an overhead projector to shoot ZZZZOMBIES seems gimmicky at first glance, but this stop motion film is surprisingly tongue-in-brain. Warning: slightly gory.

The Seafarers return for a Halloween visit to the Island of Horrors; it’s creepy, jarring, and a bit disjointed, but we couldn’t resist the chance to sample zombie pizzas and mummy wraps.

Thanks, Tim, for ruining all things happy and fluffy: Between uses seamless transitions to turn mundane things like stuffed animals and kids playing on beaches into terrifying objects.

Even if you take The Machine at face value (The Matrix w/puppets), it’s hard to miss its morality play angle; it’s otherwise a gorgeous stop-motion film styled like an old-time nickel arcade.

Sci-fi/martial arts flick The Cup Of Tears is extremely low-budget, but we couldn’t tell from this trailer: it’s a hybrid CGI/Live Action film by Gary Short that’s shot using a RED camera.

Lineage, Part 1 is up, and by the lords of Firenze does it deliver: this live-action take on Assassin’s Creed features gorgeous cinematography, plenty of action and a glimpse of young Ezio.