Day 129: The ABCs of Death 2

One thing I can say about anthology movies is that there is usually something in them to recommend them. Unlike some other ones (like V/H/S), the ABCs of Death series doesn't overstay its welcome. Every bit has to be rapid fire because you don't want the movie to last six hours. 26 shorts in a normal run time is tough to pull off but I also think it disciplines the filmmakers to try harder.

I'm not going through all 26 short films but I will discuss a few I liked. Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado directed the F movie, Falling. It is about an Israeli paratrooper caught in a tree behind enemy lines who is found by an arab young man. While some of the imagery is horrific, the main story is equally dark and hopeful. I felt like this pulled off a good balancing act.

O is for Ochlocracy is all about a society that has been cured of a zombie outbreak. Now, everyone who would be a hero in a zombie movie is under arrest for murdering innocent people who could have been cured. Whoops. Hajime Ohata directed this one that is funny and just depressing enough.

Really, the whole movie is much better balanced than the first one. It has some animation that works well (including Bill Plympton) and some horror-comedy bits that are nice (the E and P segments). While the first one had a few that really disturbed me, this one focuses more on solid storytelling. If you like anthologies, I would say check it out.