Friday, September 01, 2006

Genius for Sale

Don Hertzfeldt, the delightfully morbid and sinfully cynical animator behind such sweet, sweet madness as "Billy's Balloon" and "Ah, L'Amour," has finally managed to put together a DVD, now available for pre-order. The DVD will also include "Lily and Jim." If you want to see a short film depicting the horrors of dating, look no further. I laughed until I cried.

A warning, Don's website admits that the DVD will also likely include "intrusive trailers for other DVD's you are not even remotely interested in." Having purchased other animation DVD's for the express purpose of viewing Don's work, I will just say that this may not be as funny as it sounds. Some of the intrusive ads and trailers on those previous DVD's made me want to stick a fork in my own eye. Seriously. I vividly remember the sensation of blood vessels throbbing in my temples, willing my heart to explode. "I just want to watch `Lily and Jim!' For the love of all that is holy, stop making me watch the fast car in the incredibly loud commercial!"

That said, Don Hertzfeldt's humor is just what the doctor ordered for many modern ailments, including heartbreak, career discontent, and general malaise.

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