The Blackwater Gospel (2011)

Although this is a pretty obvious short on the evils of religion, the animation here is breathtaking, the visuals frightening, and the script, for the most part, is pretty damn good too.

   The angel of death, 'the undertaker,' is picking off the frightened residents of a small town, while the town's evil priest leads them on a witch hunt, leading to one man- the faithless, guitar-plucking hobo, who refuses to comply with the priest's reign of terror.

   The corpse-like characters are truly grotesque and frightening, scarier than anything Burton could come up with. The bloody conclusion isn't stylized or humorous either- it's unflinching brutality is unnerving. There's also some pitch-black humor concerning religious hypocrisy, but it does little to relieve the unrelenting tone.

James (2008)

   James (Niall Wright) -- lonely, young, miserable, and gay -- craves the acceptance of his English teacher, Mr. Sutherland, but Mr. Sutherland's discomfort with James' sexuality may spell disaster for the solitary young man.

   I watched this short on Youtube, and found it to be a very watchable and moving experience. Niall Wright was very strong in the lead role ... where did they find this kid? The script was tightly written and never far-fetched- myriad tragedies befall James, and all of them seem believable.

  James seems like a smart and sensible boy prone to occasional bad choices, and I immediately liked and empathized with him. I don't think I've ever liked the character in a short film more.