The Salmon of Capistrano Year In Review: The 11 Best Short Films of 2011 Over the course of the year, curating the Short Film of the Day feature has given me a deep and affecting appreciation of the art form. Before, I hadn’t given much thought to the little bastards, but the truth is that they are incredibly versatile and representative of the boundaries that film can break. They can be jokes told well or human dramas driven home. They are so much more than movies with short runtimes. There’s one difficulty in judging them, though. The other (small) problem is that sometimes short films spend a long time touring festivals and otherwise being unavailable online. 11. In this sweetly dark comedy from writer/director Bradley Jackson features Ralph Winston (Keir O’Donnell) as a children’s party clown who has never cried in his entire life. 10. Leave it to a short film featuring a marketing mascot changed into a brain-hungry monster to teach all a little bit about humanity. 9. 8. Absurdity lives. 7. 6. Spike Jonze.
HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY! Mythical Creatures List, Mythical Creatures A-Z Thug Kitchen If you’ve gone all summer without drinking a single slushie, take the rest of the day off and whip up this refreshing motherfucker right here. The watermelon and cucumber in this shit help soothe inflammation and the mint will keep your breath on point. FUCK IT. Splash some vodka in there if you want to take tomorrow off too. 3 pounds of watermelon (seedless is best but some seeds are cool) ½ cup skinned, chopped cucumber juice from 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons) 8-10 fresh mint leaves ¾ cup coconut or tap water 1 teaspoon agave, maple syrup, or honey (optional) Cut away the rind and chop up the watermelon flesh into pieces no larger than a quarter. When the watermelon chunks are frozen add them along with the cucumber, lime juice, mint leaves, and water to a blender and blend until it is all smooth and icy. Had a rough day? Makes about 2 ½ cups of sweet summer slush, enough for 2 people who need to chill the fuck out.