Short 6 - Insanity
There's a dark underpinning of meanness and a lack of humanity contained within several of the short films inShort 6: Insanity. The animated "Bad Plant" and "Billy's Balloon" are both misanthropic contributions, and only "Franky Goes to Hollywood," which documents a day in the life and career of the dog who starred inArmageddon, and the Sound Bit featurette, "Beyond the Rhythm," really transcend the uncompassionate discord on display in lesser doses in the remaining seven films. "Blue City," a tinted look at the lives of four people on a collision course in the inner city, received several awards at a variety of film festivals, and "Midnight Dance," a clever Irish cartoon from John McCloskey, is on par with Tim Burton's and Edward Gorey's twisted visions.--Paula Nechak