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I just completed my yearly pilgrimage to see the Oscar-nominated Live Action Shorts--tomorrow it's the Animated Shorts. This was a very unusual crop of shorts this year, as three of the five nominees were comedies--and usually the films are mostly deadly serious. Only two films are serious this year and NONE are about death, Nazis or other sad stuff! As I said, it's an unusual year. Now I am not complaining--this might just be the most enjoyable group of films I've seen in years.

This was the first film shown at the theater this morning and it got a lot of laughs from the audience--including a couple from me. It was quite fun but also very slight--probably the weakest of the five nominees--though still enjoyable. The story involves a boy who is a clumsy alter boy. When the film begins, he has a BAD accident and when the Archbishop arrives, folks are naturally worried that this clumsy kid will somehow blow it again. How does this and his love for football have something in common? See the short and find out for yourself.

Short, enjoyable but not especially outstanding. I liked the movie but it lacked the cinematic qualities and depth that will make it, in my opinion, the dark horse in this race for an Oscar.

"Damien"(Scott Graham) is the only trained incense-burner available for the archbishop's mass on Sunday - but he has an history with this ceremony that nearly caused a dislocated hip last time! Scared of a game of liturgical roulette, the priest agrees that he can take the position again but his father makes it clear. A repeat of last time's disaster and the young man will be permanently deprived of his first love. Football. More specifically, Liverpool - and they have an European Cup final looming in just three days. Pressure is on...! A packed church and a serious pep talk from the father. Can it go ok? Football analogies abound as does some quite engaging religion-based comedy that doesn't send up the faith so much as the whole paraphernalia and procedure that accompanies it's ceremony and the poor lad is walking on eggshells! "Go out there and have the mass of your lives"... Will he, though? It's quite good fun, this, with quite a nice twist at the end.

A boy. His huge passion for football. His duties as altar boy. And after a mistake, returned to his charge, a gesture of frond describing, in simple, fresh, direct manner entire essence of childhood. The work of young Scott Graham is just lovely. First, for the accomplice kick to the viewer.