This is a periodical I haven’t mentioned before. Wholphin is a “DVD Magazine of Rare and Unseen Short Films.” So yes, the reason I hadn’t mentioned it is because it is a DVD and not a book. However, as I have been watching Vols 1-8 over the last few months, I have noticed that a few writerly names keep cropping up in the credits. Plus, it’s got that whole McSweeney’s connection.
So lets look at some of the folks who have turned up on these videos:
- Spike Jonze with an amazing documentary about Al Gore (that will make you weep all over again about the 2000 election).
- Miranda July with a short film.
- David O. Russell (with a post-Three Kings documentary).
- Bob Odenkirk has several entries on several DVDs
- A short film by Taika Waititi who did the crazy New Zealand film Eagle vs Shark.
- There’s a Japanese version of Bewitched with bonus subtitles by Daniel Handler (among others).
- Daniel Handler also “revoices” a short film Darling Darling starring Michael Cera and a horse-headed man. (John Cleese does another “revoicing”).
- Michael Chabon’s short story “House Hunting” adapted as a film (starring Paul Rudd and Zooey Deschanel).
- Evany Thomas (and others) rescripted the subtitles to Schastlivy Vmeste the Russian Married…With Children. And hers is extremely enjoyable. She gives up on the show about ten minutes in and then just starts riffing on all manner of things. I laughed harder at this than I had any right to.
- “New Boy” is adapted from a Roddy Doyle short story.
- “Love You More” an adaptation of the short story “Peter Shelly” by Patrick Marber.
- “The Discipline of De” is adapted from a William S. Burroughs short story.
There is also (from Vol #1) my favorite short 
film possibly ever by Scott Prendergast called “The Delicious” which you can watch, and I encourage you to, here.
Although “Stairway at St. Paul” is also awesome, and that’s available here.)
There’s also “Heavy Metal Jr.” a great documentary of a metal band made up of pre-teens–available here.
Oh wait, and there’s an amazing documentary about Rubik’s Cube that will blow your mind (if you haven’t played with a cube in a decade), called “Piece by Piece.”
Oh yeah, and “Sour Death Balls” is hilarious and available here.
Even though these films are available online, it would be best to purchase the DVDs from here at http://www.wholphindvd.com. There’s even a Best of, which features most of the films I mentioned above. In fact, you should just subscribe, because that will guarantee that they keep releasing these gems on video.
In addition to the random assortment above there are international animations, short nature films, 45 minutes movies, and everything in between. It’s a wonderful way to see short films that you never knew existed.
I Just Read About That... 