A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: 9

Date Viewed: 6/1/06

Details:

Screenplay: Shane Acker

Set designer: Joseph Liechty

Score: ++

The Review: A wonderful animated short vignette of quasi-life in a post-apocalyptic landscape that resembles a cartoon version of Terminator II's worst nightmare. But this is "cartoon" in artistic mode only -- it is both sober and fascinating.

This is an amazing and compelling work, effectively a silent film that is surprisingly quite expressive. A great imagination has devised some doll-like critters, and given them souls and a nemesis. There are no names, only a number on their back, as if a label -- hence the title character.

Totally weird end credit animation. An excellent entry from the UCLA school of animation.

One of the 2005 Academy Award nominees for animated short feature; others included One Man Band, Jasper Morello, Badgered, and Moon and the Son.

(3-Jun-06)

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