Why Watch? It’s Stanley Kubrick‘s first movie. This newsreel short is swelling with history because of the iconic heights its creator would go on to. Perhaps someone smarter than I can “see” Kubrick somewhere in the style here, but it’s hard for me to see the future master within the confines of the 1950s information short confines that seemed director-less. Of course, fighting would become a major subject for Kubrick, but as far as the visuals, I could have watched this without ever knowing how directed it. As a bonus, Open Culture featured this and two other short documentaries alongside the full story of Kubrick’s early career. It’s a must-read (and must-see). What will it cost? Only 16 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films

Why Watch? Difficult to describe with its unconventional style and strange blend of live-action layered into an antique animation that’s equal parts cut-out and hand-drawn. It’s something like Salvador Dali meets Terry Gilliam. Either way, both would smile to see this. Perhaps the most endearing element is the sound design – done entirely by human voices not-at-all-trying to hide that they’re human voices. It’s definitely different, but it’s beautiful. Plus, there’s a lesson. One taught with the tongue planted so firmly in its cheek that it draws blood. What will it cost? Only 2 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films

Why Watch? Jay Cheel (Beauty Day, How to Build a Time Machine) has an incredibly fresh eye for documentaries. Not content to keep things dry, he hunts down compelling subjects and attacks them with nimble creativity, cool camera work and strong storytelling flair. In The Politics of Competitive Board Gaming Amongst Friends (which, yes, sounds like a Community episode title), he almost-satirically points out the ridiculousness of high intensity, low stakes game-playing by taking it seriously. Specifically, he breaks down the dynamic between four friends bellying up to the table to play Settlers of Catan. This is a board game movie we can get behind. What will it cost? Only 10 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films

Why Watch? Ernest Hemingway wrote “The Old Man and the Sea” in Cuba in 1951, and half-a-century later, Hagen Reiling has used the story as inspiration to create a piece of animation that’s a mix of classicism and innovative. What will it cost? Only 4 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films

Why Watch? This is absolutely breath-taking work featuring stop-motion mastery and an entrancing story. In Juan Pablo Zaramella‘s Luminaris, a young man who makes light bulbs just like he’d blow up bubblegum plots a plan he can’t execute by himself. It’s stunning work that puts smiles on faces like it was its job. With a whimsical score and a grounding creativity tied to a little light romance, it’s a must-see. What will it cost? Only 5 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films

Why Watch? The early potential of filmmaking master Christopher Nolan shines through here along with the insanity of a man chasing something around his apartment with his shoes. Written, directed, edited and shot by the man who would go on to genre and blockbusting fame, it’s good to watch on the occasion of him speaking out in defense of 35mm movies and the limitations of 3D. What will it cost? Only 3 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? A woman is asked to interrogate her husband to see if he’s who he claims to be, or if he’s a dangerous shape-shifter in this swift, starkly-crafted science fiction gem. With verbal dexterity, it keeps up the mystery even with death on the line. What will it cost? Only 5 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? This one is already making the rounds, and rightfully so because it’s a truly remarkable short movie. Caine is a bright young kid in East L.A. who went to work with his father at an auto parts store. To pass the time, this huge fan of arcades decided to build his own. Prepare to smile for 10 minutes straight and then smile the rest of the day. Then prepare to desperately want a Fun Pass. What will it cost? Only 10 wondrous minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? Nothing like lampooning the scene, toying with a Western, and getting a smashed vinyl shard shoved in your face. When a suspender-bearing, bearded guy gets ousted on Foursquare from his favorite watering hole, he starts a ruckus in the bar that leads to bold talk and even bolder action. It’s funny, and mocking hipsters is an easy task, but the way all the gags are patched together is the highlight here. Plus, special applause to the joke involving a timely text message. Brilliant stuff, and you can say you knew about it before everyone else. What will it cost? Only 4 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? Compelling camera work, tension ringing the doorbell at all hours of the night, and a chilling reality make this a fun/terrifying little flick. Ben (Nils Althaus) and Nina (Nina Buhlmann) joyously return home from a night of drinking only to continue the hard Tequila-filled work in their apartment. After falling asleep, Ben keeps falling into nightmares and reality becomes hard to grasp. By the way, “halbschlaf” means “a light sleep” in German. Sweet dreams. What will it cost? Only 7 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? It’s Tenacious D. Doing what they do best. And probably beating a world hugging record while parodying training montage songs. What will it cost? Only 6 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? A crazed, competitive mother; a disfigured science fair winner; and a mysterious project all come together to create a dangerous, bloody horror flick that tries to reveal itself all before dessert. The magic here is in the dialogue and the terrifying tension (with a healthy dose of the red stuff). What will it cost? Only 5 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? Whoa. Wow. Okay. Calming down just a bit, for fans of Rear Window (and who isn’t? Seriously, find me these people who aren’t so we can send them all to a different planet where they can’t bother us), this short film is a thing of movie geek beauty. Jeff Desom is a true geek, because he thought it would be a great idea to reconstruct the courtyard from the Alfred Hitchcock flick in order to follow the events of the film from a static position. Turns out, it was better than a great idea. The execution here is impeccable. What will it cost? Only 3 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? Rough and uneasy is how director Luca Enrico Canessa likes it in this turgid short about fidelity, marriage and betrayal. With floating inner monologues between lovers, it captures the false nature of their bond and breaks like a bandit into a personal dream. Where reality begins and ends is difficult to say. What will it cost? Only 5 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? We recently spotlighted the teleportative magic of a jump rope, but this is a magic of a different kind. Traveling all over Hawaii, Steven Alan and Ben Boutwell didn’t take a boat or a biplane; they took a frame. It echoes a few other video projects that have come before it, but there’s no denying it’s beautiful, fun and joyously energetic. What will it cost? Only 1 minute. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? Sometimes short films are used to deliver a punchline, and when Lee Hardcastle is at the wheel, it’s a sure thing that he’ll steer the horror comedy truck right off the cliff and it’ll only take him 5 seconds to do it. The guy is damned good, and this short movie is definitely good for a (very) quick laugh. What will it cost? Only 5 seconds. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? It’s a shrewd move that director Alex Albrecht from “The Totally Rad Show” (a person that I, in the interest of full disclosure, am friendly acquaintances with) chose to create an atmospheric character study instead of an all-out action blitz for VOLTRON: The End which, yes, features a pilot stuck inside a Battle Lion. That man also happens to be played by Psych‘s Timothy Omundson (Lassie!). What could have been an overt outpouring of fan knowledge and callbacks to the show is, instead, a smart emotional journey with an outrageous beard and a hell of a last second reveal that’s only injured by the movie’s title. Seriously. It’s great for getting the word out, but how cool would it have been to watch a solid sci-fi piece only to have that giant familiar face hit you near the end? That aside, it’s a sharply written, nicely crafted fan film that deserves a bit of notice. What will it cost? Only 4 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? These days, getting noticed can often be a matter of having outrageous effects, a slick animation or a shocking idea that turns heads. Because that’s become the norm, it’s even more shocking when simple emotion hooks you without letting go. Jonas (Edmund Lyndeck, who’s probably most famous as the crazy drunk in Big Daddy) is an umbrella salesman trying to make it through a rain-less summer and a loneliness filled with memories. For anyone who’s ever had a sweet old grandfather who stuck to his antique guns even when modern times made him seem out-moded, Kevin Slack‘s short film is a celebration of faith and tenderness that also happens to be gorgeously shot. It’s a short movie that quietly rises above a noisy fray. What will it cost? Only 10 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? On the face of it, the gimmick here seems like it could be real stale or real stilted. Fortunately, the production team behind the first edition of Staged (which used lyrics from the band Gym Class Heroes) pull it off with poise and a sense of purpose. It’s a savvy concept, to build your script from someone else’s poetry. What writers Josh Covitt and Steven Szlaga craft is a trip into a 1963 USSR bar with a dangerous love triangle (which features an eye patched version of Creed from The Office). It’s funny, sleek and brimming with charisma. What will it cost? Only 6 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.

Why Watch? Descriptions are always helpful, but this is one of those shorts that just has to be experienced. The easy idea here is to attach a camera to the edge of a jump rope and use the revolutions to leap through space, time and person, but it’s more carefully crafted than that. It’s colorful, compelling, and the kind of thing that can be universally appreciated even in its experimentation. Callum Cooper and Klezinski nail it. What will it cost? Only 2 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.