When something has the name "Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation," one must expect a crowd of the displaced, tragically hip, artistic and half- (or admittedly full-) baked. In this case, expectations are exceeded. When I was handed my 3D glasses in preparation for the show and began to fill with excitement, I knew that I was one of them.
The air was thick with the smell of alcohol, stale popcorn and guacamole. There were large balloons thrown around like beach balls at a Grateful Dead concert. Guys were already screaming profanities before the festival began. It was raw. It was primitive. It was beautiful.
The lights dimmed, and the first cartoon began. "NO NECK JOE!" Everyone shouted, as if it were part of some strange ritual to which I had not yet been inducted. The smell of guacamole was growing stronger and stronger, and I began feeling hungry for tortilla chips. Then it dawned on me that the guacamole smell was in fact weed, and that I was getting the munchies. The hunger subsided as I became more and more immersed in the animated shorts.
Some of the shorts were too short, while others seemed to drag on longer than "Gods and Generals." Some were brilliant, while others wasted minutes of my life that I want back. Some were appropriately crude and violent, while others seemed to pride themselves on shock value, without a point or purpose. A good animator knows when to stop.
I must say that the top-ranking short of the night was "Beyond Grandpa," which gave everyone an opportunity to see a makeshift grandfather figure doing everything you would never want to see him do, ranging from taking a long, excruciating dump to cross-dressing - a crowd pleaser to be sure.
"Peep Show" was a close second, which gave a visual to the phrase "doing it like bunnies" through a beloved holiday candy: Marshmallow Peeps.
"Billy's Balloon" is a cult classic, created by the Academy Award-nominated animator Don Hertzfeld. It shows the demise of a balloon as it inflicts pain on innocent toddlers. Soda came out of my nose. Literally.
"Here Comes Dr. Tran" is also fabulous as it takes a jab at American marketing through the exploitation of a 5-year-old Japanese kid. Trust me, it's funny.
There are just a handful of very funny shorts sprinkled throughout the hour and a half. Do not expect them all to be funny. They are not. "Mousochist," "Cane Toad" and "Sittin' Pretty" are particularly painful. You have to expect the pain. You have to breathe through the pain. You have to learn to enjoy the pain. That makes the pleasure so much better.
"Spike and Mike's" is only playing at the Loft Cinema through Feb. 26. For $4.50, it's a steal.