Jessica Wolk-Stanley

Sketches. We see human crash tests: a human hits a wall at five miles per hour, 50 mph, and 3000. A woman kisses a man as he listens to his Walkman; through the kiss, she experiences the music. We see the trouble with face-lifts. We watch the early history of the mob: a cowboy mounts his horse, digs in his spurs, and ... kaboom! We watch a pursuer get his just desserts. Then, an ape evolves into a man who evolves into an American football player, hunkered down on all fours. Four pieces of furniture express their love when the humans are out of the room. Last, the ultimate car alarm humiliates a thief.

A day in the life of the world's unluckiest guy. Starting the morning off with a shaving nick from hell, he endures fires, mad dogs, rampaging vacuum cleaners, horny neighbors, kids with ray guns and, of course, a steam-roller.

A man sings an ode to a lost love, his nose.

It's the little things that really hurt.

Animator Bill Plympton first received widespread public attention when his outré "Your Face" (1987) was nominated for an Academy Award for Animated Short. This collection of short films—some as brief as 15 seconds—made between 1985 and 1991, showcase his unique talent much more effectively than his ponderous feature films. But in off-the-wall shorts like "Your Face", "25 Ways to Quit Smoking", and the 15-second shorts made for MTV, he emerges as an entertaining and highly original filmmaker.

Animator Bill Plympton first received widespread public attention when his outré "Your Face" (1987) was nominated for an Academy Award for Animated Short. This collection of short films—some as brief as 15 seconds—made between 1985 and 1991, showcase his unique talent much more effectively than his ponderous feature films. But in off-the-wall shorts like "Your Face", "25 Ways to Quit Smoking", and the 15-second shorts made for MTV, he emerges as an entertaining and highly original filmmaker.