French Roast (2008)

One Froggy Evening

A workman finds a singing frog in the cornerstone of an old building being demolished. But when he tries to cash in on his discovery, he finds the frog will sing only for him, and just croak for the talent agent and the audience in the theater he's spent his life savings on.

Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury

Hiccup and Toothless go on an exciting adventure and discover an island of new dragons.

iDiots

It’s not a secret we love robots here at BLR (Big Lazy Robot), so we wanted them to be the heroes in our latest promo clip. Luxury cars with powerful engines to drive through roads under severe speed restrictions, cable TV that allows us to pay to watch all kind of sports, all from our comfortable sofa, and of course, hyper expensive cell phones that do almost everything but making a decent phone call. Yes, our happiness is based on things we don’t need and governed by entities we don’t control, so what? Sit down and turn on the tv!

Return of the Living Dead Part II

A group of kids discover one of the drums containing a rotting corpse and release the 2-4-5 Trioxin gas into the air, causing the dead to once again rise from the grave and seek out brains.

Jumanji

When siblings Judy and Peter discover an enchanted board game that opens the door to a magical world, they unwittingly invite Alan -- an adult who's been trapped inside the game for 26 years -- into their living room. Alan's only hope for freedom is to finish the game, which proves risky as all three find themselves running from giant rhinoceroses, evil monkeys and other terrifying creatures.

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Alice Kingsleigh returns to Underland and faces a new adventure in saving the Mad Hatter.

Vacancy

A young married couple becomes stranded at an isolated motel and find hidden video cameras in their room. They realize that unless they escape, they'll be the next victims of a snuff film.

Love.com

It's a love story between a fashion blogger and a video game blogger. The beauty and the nerd.

Agent Cody Banks

Recruited by the U.S. government to be a special agent, nerdy teenager Cody Banks must get closer to cute classmate Natalie in order to learn about an evil plan hatched by her father. But despite the agent persona, Cody struggles with teen angst.

2001: A Space Odyssey

Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.

Father Figures

Upon learning that their mother has been lying to them for years about their allegedly deceased father, two fraternal twin brothers hit the road in order to find him.

Paranoid Park

A teenage skateboarder becomes suspected of being connected with a security guard who suffered a brutal death in a skate park called "Paranoid Park".

Blazing Saddles

A town—where everyone seems to be named Johnson—stands in the way of the railroad. In order to grab their land, robber baron Hedley Lamarr sends his henchmen to make life in the town unbearable. After the sheriff is killed, the town demands a new sheriff from the Governor, so Hedley convinces him to send the town the first black sheriff in the west.

Bianco, rosso e Verdone

Three Italians travel to their hometown to vote for elections: Pasquale is a Southern immigrant living in Munich who's genuinely happy to come back to Italy, even if just for a few days, but the country he dreams of is far from reality; Furio travels to Rome with his family, but his niggling attitude threatens to push his wife Magda over the edge; young Mimmo is also going to Rome, but the trip is repeatedly interrupted by worries about his grandma's health.

G-Force

A team of trained secret agent animals, guinea pigs Darwin, Hurley, Juarez, Blaster, mole Speckles, and fly Mooch takes on a mission for the US government to stop evil Leonard Saber, who plans to destroy the world with household appliances. But the government shuts them down and they are sentenced to a pet shop. Can they escape to defeat the villain and save the world?

The Addams Family

When a man claiming to be long-lost Uncle Fester reappears after 25 years lost, the family plans a celebration to wake the dead. But the kids barely have time to warm up the electric chair before Morticia begins to suspect Fester is fraud when he can't recall any of the details of Fester's life.

Next Friday

A streetwise man flees South Central Los Angeles, heading to the suburbs and his lottery-winner uncle and cousin, to avoid a neighborhood thug with a grudge who has just escaped from prison.

Hellboy

In the final days of World War II, the Nazis attempt to use black magic to aid their dying cause. The Allies raid the camp where the ceremony is taking place, but not before they summon a baby demon who is rescued by Allied forces and dubbed "Hellboy". Sixty years later, Hellboy serves the cause of good rather than evil as an agent in the Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense, along with Abe Sapien - a merman with psychic powers, and Liz Sherman - a woman with pyrokinesis, protecting America against dark forces.

Asterix and the Vikings

Asterix and Obelix have been given a tough mission: Transform the chief's lazy nephew Justforkix into a warrior. When the Vikings abduct him and bring him back to their homeland, Asterix and Obelix must travel to Norway to rescue Justforkix.

Shanghai Knights

When a Chinese rebel murders Chon's estranged father and escapes to England, Chon and Roy make their way to London with revenge on their minds.

Edward Scissorhands

A small suburban town receives a visit from a castaway unfinished science experiment named Edward.

Evita

The hit musical based on the life of Evita Duarte, an Argentinian actress who eventually became the wife of Argentinian president Juan Perón, and the most beloved and hated woman in Argentina.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control when her secret letters to every boy she's ever fallen for are mysteriously mailed out.

The Adventures of André and Wally B.

There's nothing like a restful nap in a pleasant wooded valley. But when André awakens and is greeted by a pesky yellow-and-black striped insect with a nasty stinger, he ends up taking a quick (and painful) hike.

Return to the Blue Lagoon

In this sequel to the 1980 classic, two children are stranded on a beautiful island in the South Pacific. With no adults to guide them, the two make a simple life together and eventually become tanned teenagers in love.

The Last Summer

Standing on the precipice of adulthood, a group of friends navigate new relationships, while reexamining others, during their final summer before college.

The Jewel of the Nile

Joan Wilder is thrust back into a world of murder, chases, foreign intrigue... and love. This time out she's duped by a duplicitous Arab dignitary who brings her to the Middle East, ostensibly to write a book about his life. Of course, he's up to no good, and Joan is just another pawn in his wicked game. But Jack Colton and his sidekick Ralph show up to help our intrepid heroine save the day.

The Lizzie McGuire Movie

Lizzie McGuire has graduated from middle school and takes a trip to Rome, Italy with her class. And what was supposed to be only a normal trip, becomes a teenager's dream come true.

The Knight Before Christmas

A medieval English knight is magically transported to present day where he ends up falling for a high school science teacher.

The Golden Child

After a Tibetan boy, the mystical Golden Child, is kidnapped by the evil Sardo Numspa, humankind's fate hangs in the balance. On the other side of the world in Los Angeles, the priestess Kee Nang seeks the Chosen One, who will save the boy from death. When Nang sees social worker Chandler Jarrell on television discussing his ability to find missing children, she solicits his expertise, despite his skepticism over being "chosen."

Passion

The rivalry between the manipulative boss of an advertising agency and her talented protégée escalates from stealing credit to public humiliation to murder.

What a Beautiful Day

Checco, an uneducated but self-satisfied fellow from Milan, who has always dreamed of becoming a police officer, fails his entrance exam for the third time. It must be said that at the oral examination Checco said that the reason why he wanted to join the police was benefits in kind and cronyism! But the young man has connections and he soon finds himself a security agent at the Milan Cathedral. Of course the bumbling idiot proves a living catastrophe! Spotted by Sufien, an Arab terrorist who is preparing an attack against the cathedral, Checco appears as the perfect sucker. To manipulate him, he sends his charming sister Farah to him, with the mission to seduce him...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

A quartet of humanoid turtles, trained by their mentor in ninjitsu, must learn to work together to face the menace of Shredder and the Foot Clan.

The Spanish Apartment

A strait-laced French student moves into an apartment in Barcelona with a cast of six other characters from all over Europe. Together, they speak the international language of love and friendship.

Les Misérables

An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France. Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.

Evan Almighty

God contacts Junior Congressman Evan Baxter and tells him to build an ark in preparation for a great flood.

A Quiet Place

A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.

The Jungle Book

A man-cub named Mowgli fostered by wolves. After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli is forced to flee the jungle, by which he embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of the panther, Bagheera and the free-spirited bear, Baloo.

Robots

Rodney Copperbottom is a young robot inventor who dreams of making the world a better place, until the evil Ratchet takes over Bigweld Industries. Now, Rodney's dreams – and those of his friends – are in danger of becoming obsolete.

Elephants Dream

Elephants Dream is the story of two strange characters exploring a capricious and seemingly infinite machine. The elder, Proog, acts as a tour-guide and protector, happily showing off the sights and dangers of the machine to his initially curious but increasingly skeptical protege Emo. As their journey unfolds we discover signs that the machine is not all Proog thinks it is, and his guiding takes on a more desperate aspect. Elephants Dream is a story about communication and fiction, made purposefully open-ended as the world’s first 3D animated “Open movie”. The film itself is released under the Creative Commons license, along with the entirety of the production files used to make it (roughly 7 Gigabytes of data). The software used to make the movie is the free/open source animation suite Blender along with other open source software, thus allowing the movie to be remade, remixed and re-purposed with only a computer and the data on the DVD or download.

Big Buck Bunny

Follow a day of the life of Big Buck Bunny when he meets three bullying rodents: Frank, Rinky, and Gamera. The rodents amuse themselves by harassing helpless creatures by throwing fruits, nuts and rocks at them. After the deaths of two of Bunny's favorite butterflies, and an offensive attack on Bunny himself, Bunny sets aside his gentle nature and orchestrates a complex plan for revenge.

Mickey's Christmas Carol

Ebenezer Scrooge is far too greedy to understand that Christmas is a time for kindness and generosity. But with the guidance of some new found friends, Scrooge learns to embrace the spirit of the season. A retelling of the classic Dickens tale with Disney's classic characters.

The Hobbit

Bilbo Baggins the Hobbit was just minding his own business, when his occasional visitor Gandalf the Wizard drops in one night. One by one, a whole group of dwarves drop in, and before he knows it, Bilbo has joined their quest to reclaim their kingdom, taken from them by the evil dragon Smaug. The only problem is that Gandalf has told the dwarves that Bilbo is an expert burglar, but he isn't...

Bambi Meets Godzilla

Bambi is nibbling the grass, unaware of the upcoming encounter with Godzilla. Who will win when they finally meet? Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2009.

The Wrong Trousers

Wallace rents out Gromit's former bedroom to a penguin, who takes up an interest in the techno pants created by Wallace. However, Gromit later learns that the penguin is a wanted criminal. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.

Brave Little Tailor

When a giant threatens the land, the cityfolk mistake Mickey's boast of killing seven flies with one blow to be giants. He is then forced to fight the giant for real.

Megamind: The Button of Doom

For their first day on the job as the new protectors of Metro City, Megamind and Minion are selling off the gadgets from their evil lair. But when one seemingly harmless "button" unleashes the gigantic robot MEGA-MEGAmind, the duo will have to resort to their old tricks to restore order.

Merry Madagascar

While trapped on the island of Madagascar, the Central Park Zoo escapees receive a visit from Santa--crash landing on their territory and getting amnesia to boot! The animals must help Santa assume his rightful place in the universe, while King Julian laps up the opportunity for his subjects.

Prep & Landing

Wayne gets a new rookie partner, Lanny, after his previous partner got the promotion he wanted. Lanny has to remind Wayne of the Spirit of Christmas and the importance of being an elf in Santa's Prep and Landing elite unit.

Surviving Sid

Sid the Sloth takes a school of children out on a camping trip from home, only to find that in typical Sid style, he is not a very good guide and the children he takes with him don't have a very good time.

B.O.B.'s Big Break

Dr. Cockroach comes up with a brilliant plan to break themselves out of Area 52 – but to implement the plan, he has to trick B.O.B. into thinking it’s his birthday.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II

Now that Frollo is gone, Quasimodo rings the bell with the help of his new friend and Esmeralda's and Phoebus' little son, Zephyr. But when Quasi stops by a traveling circus owned by evil magician Sarousch, he falls for Madellaine, Sarouch's assistant.

Johnny Express

In the year 2150, Johnny, a lazy Space Delivery Man, must deliver a package on a planet he does not fully understand.

Unico - Black Cloud and White Feather

The Goddess Venus is jealous of the beautiful human girl Psyche and blames her pet unicorn, Unico, as Psyche's source of good luck that keeps her from the harm of the goddess' cruel intentions. Unico has the amazing power to make anyone he meets happy. Whether it's because of his personality or the powers of his horn, no one knows. Venus has Unico banished, and the West Wind now takes Unico from one place and time to the next. Taken to a heavily polluted city, Unico meets a sickly girl named Chiko who is suffering because of the pollution of a nearby factory that darkens the entire sky. Unico then is determined to cheer her up, cure her, and destroy the nearby factory.

A Gentlemen's Duel

Two gentlemen battle for the "prize". Things escalate quickly...

Alma and the Zoramites

Zoram and his prideful people have corrupted their religion which teaches them to boast of their righteousness and persecute the poor. Alma and Amulek fail to persuade the rich Zoramites to repent. Alma ministers to the poor believers and teaches one of the most important lessons on faith and humility. Zoram forces the believers in Antionum from their land where they finally find refuge with Lamanite converts in Jershon.

The Tree of Life

The prophet Lehi had a dream that brought joy and concern for the eternal welfare of his family. The symbols of Lehi’s dream contain teachings important to us even today. The meaning behind the symbols are brought to life, from the mists of darkness to the great and spacious building. The importance of holding— and helping others grasp— the iron rod so that we can partake of the fruit of eternal life becomes clear.

Genre

In Don Hertzfeldt's second student film, a hapless cartoon character is dragged through a spectrum of cinematic situations by his frustrated animator.

Destino

Short film to a song of love lost and rediscovered, a woman sees and undergoes surreal transformations. Her lover's face melts off, she dons a dress from the shadow of a bell and becomes a dandelion, ants crawl out of a hand and become Frenchmen riding bicycles. Not to mention the turtles with faces on their backs that collide to form a ballerina, or the bizarre baseball game.

Judas & Jesus

Judas is the hero and Jesus is the villain in this lewd retelling of the classic Bible story. Depicted through anthropomorphic animals, we see a unique alternative perspective. Judas (an unscrupulous black goat) has been at odds with Jesus (a self-righteous white sheep) ever since childhood. However, when an opportunity arises to sell Jesus out for the 30 Euros he needs to get into Maria Magdalena's sex show, things finally seem to start going Judas' way. But what will Jesus' adoring fans have to say about it?

A Bear for Punishment

Junyer Bear has a number of surprises for Good Ol' Pa on Good Ol' Father's Day, whether he wants them or not.

Lonesome Ghosts

On a dark and stormy night, four bored ghosts decide to have some fun by calling the Ajax Ghost Exterminators.

He is Risen

He is Risen is the story of the greatest miracle of all, the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Sorrow and despair at the Lord’s crucifixion become complete joy and love as the disciples behold their resurrected Master three days later. The events of the real story of Easter teach of the atonement and resurrection, providing hope to Christians around the world.

Lazarus Lives

Mortals’ greatest fear is the fear of death. Lazarus Lives gives assurance that Jesus has all power over death. Jesus mourns Lazarus’ death and His friends witness the deep love He has for His friends. Martha and Mary’s tears of sorrow change to joy when their brother Lazarus’ life is restored and they understand the Savior’s promise of eternal life to all who believe in Jesus.

Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom

Professor Owl gives a lecture on the evolution of Western musical instruments, starting with the advent of rudimentary brass, woodwind, string and percussion instruments by ancient cave dwellers at the dawn of history.

Puff, the Magic Dragon

Jackie is a boy who is so trapped by his fears and doubts that he could not communicate with anyone. Then, a magic dragon named Puff comes to help Jackie by taking his soul force on a wonderous voyage to his island of Honah Lee. Along the way, they have adventures that nurture Jackie's imagination and courage in unorthodox ways.

Bunny

Bunny, an elderly rabbit who uses a walker, is in her kitchen one night baking a cake. A photograph from her wedding day is on her wall. A pesky and persistent moth bangs about the kitchen. She shoos it outside, turns off the porch light, and returns to her baking. The moth finds its way back into the kitchen, she bats it with a wooden spoon, and it falls into the mix. She stirs it up, pours the batter into a pan, and pops it into the oven. But the moth isn't done: it has a different mission, turning the oven into a portal, and inviting Bunny on a voyage of reunion.

Intolerance

The film begins with an Earth space craft stumbling upon a movie floating in the vast nothingness. The film turns out to be from planet Zog and when people see it, they are shocked and angered by the Zogs (or is it 'Zogians' or 'Zogites'?). It seems that they have their genitals where our heads are and vice-versa. To make things really weird, they eat and drink with their genitals and defecate with their faces.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the Animation

Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation is an animated short based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's "Scott Pilgrim" franchise.

The Little Matchgirl

An animated short based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale about a poor young girl with a burning desire to find comfort and happiness in her life. Desperate to keep warm, the girl lights the matches she sells, and envisions a very different life for herself in the fiery flames filled with images of loving relatives, bountiful food, and a place to call home.

Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!

Following the defeat of Majin Buu, Son Goku and friends travel to Mr. Satan's newly-opened hotel for an all-you-can-eat banquet, when they are paid a visit by Vegeta's younger brother Tarble. They are informed by Tarble that the terrible brother duo of Abo and Cado have terrorized his planet and are on their way to Earth.

The Birthday Party

Mickey's friends throw him a surprise birthday party at Minnie's house. The chef brings out the cake (with 2 candles); Mickey manages to blow all the cake onto the chef's face, while the candles stay lit. He unwraps his present: a miniature piano. He plays a duet of I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby with Minnie, followed by an instrumental version of The Darktown Strutter's Ball, which everyone dances to (including Mickey and Minnie, while the piano stools keep playing). Mickey then plays There's No Place Like Home on the xylophone, then accompanies Minnie on another piece, after which the xylophone gets frisky and eventually dumps Mickey in the fish bowl.

Mouse Cleaning

Mammy Two-Shoes threatens to throw Tom out of the house if he makes a mess. Jerry sees an opportunity to rid himself of his feline nemesis.

Salt Water Tabby

Tom's day at the beach doesn't start out well. First he gets his swimsuit caught in the door of the beach house, and doesn't realize it until his intended dive in the ocean sends him snapping back and crashing through the door. He runs out and tries again. This time he is so determined to jump in the water that when he does so, he doesn't notice the tide is out and that he is swimming in the sand, which is filled with broken bottles, tin cans and other debris. Later, he tries to win over a beautiful girl on the beach, but, being the boor he is, he annoys her by drinking her soda pop, eating her hot dog and munching loudly as he lays his head in her lap. Suddenly, a tomato flies through the air and lands on his head. So does a banana peel. Tom looks for the culprit and finds him in the girl's picnic basket. Jerry is inside, eating what he wants and tossing out the rest...

A Mouse in the House

Mammy Two-Shoes tells Tom and Butch that the cat who gets rid of the icebox-raiding, breadbox-invading mouse (Jerry) is the one who can stay.

Genius Party

The seven short films making up GENIUS PARTY couldn’t be more diverse, linked only by a high standard of quality and inspiration. Atsuko Fukushima’s intro piece is a fantastic abstraction to soak up with the eyes. Masaaki Yuasa, of MIND GAME and CAT SOUP fame, brings his distinctive and deceptively simple graphic style and dream-state logic to the table with “Happy Machine,” his spin on a child’s earliest year. Shinji Kimura’s spookier “Deathtic 4,” meanwhile, seems to tap into the creepier corners of a child’s imagination and open up a toybox full of dark delights. Hideki Futamura’s “Limit Cycle” conjures up a vision of virtual reality, while Yuji Fukuyama’s "Doorbell" and "Baby Blue" by Shinichiro Watanabe use understated realism for very surreal purposes. And Shoji Kawamori, with “Shanghai Dragon,” takes the tropes and conventions of traditional anime out for very fun joyride.

Mouse Trouble

Tom's new book on "how to catch a mouse" doesn't prove too helpful against Jerry; actually, Jerry seems to make better use of it than Tom.

Puss n' Toots

Tom is playing with Jerry when a cute lady cat is delivered to Mammy for her to take care of. Tom is smitten at first sight.

Quiet Please!

The family dog warns Tom not to make any noise so he can take a nap. Jerry hears this and immediately devises plans to ensure that the dog's nap will be interrupted.

Springtime for Thomas

It's spring, and Tom is much more interested in the female cat next door than in Jerry.

Sufferin' Cats!

Tom fights with another cat over Jerry.

Tee for Two

Tom is golfing, but having no success. Jerry insures that remains the case.

The Invisible Mouse

Tom chases Jerry into a bottle of invisible ink, and the now-invisible Jerry proceeds to have fun torturing Tom.

The Midnight Snack

Jerry takes a midnight snack from the fridge unaware that Tom is watching him.

Scrat's Continental Crack-Up

You may think you know the history of continental drift, but forget all that. In pursuit of his most sought after possession, Scrat manges to singled-handedly alter the course of Earth’s history.

Playful Pan

The mythological satyr plays some tunes on his pipes and gets various flora and fauna dancing to them. Two clouds also dance; they bump into each other, causing lightning strikes that start a forest fire. The animals rush to escape the fire. Finally, an animal comes to tell Pan of the fire; he rushes to it, and gets it to dance to his tune, right into the lake.

The Saga of Windwagon Smith

Sea Captain Windwagon Smith hits Westport, Kansas, the starting point of the old Oregon and Santa Fe Trails, and is quickly the laughing stock of the town; instead of traveling in the usual oxen-drawn covered wagon, he is at the helm and wheel of a Contestoga-type wagon with a full set of sails. He plans to go to Oregon by taking advantage of the prairie winds. First, he wins over the town mayor, falls in love with the mayor's beautiful daughter, Molly Crum, and then secures financial backing from the townspeople. He sets sail across the plains, with Molly Crum as a covered-wagon stowaway, and a Kansas twister looming on the horizon. And, then, the wind hits the sails. And the fan, too, if he had had one.

Pigs Is Pigs

Flannery, a railway agent does everything by the book. He gets into a scrape with a customer, McMorehouse, who wants to pay 44 cents freight for two guinea pigs which he considers pets. Flannery, however, considers them pigs (freight 48 cents), a decision he begins to regret when the animals begin to reproduce.

Social Lion

The lion is trapped by the safari and brought to New York, where he's accidentally set free, but nobody is intimidated by him.

Corn Chips

Donald is shoveling the snow off his walk; Chip 'n' Dale are shoveling their branch. Donald tricks them into shoveling his walk. Angered, they sneak into his house, where he's getting ready to make popcorn. They've never seen this before, but they love it. They stow away in the box, then make off with the bowl of popped corn.

A Cowboy Needs a Horse

A young boy dreams of being a cowboy. After he gets the basics, as outlined in the title song, he's attacked by Indians. He runs out of bullets and manages to lasso them. He smokes the peace pipe with their chief. A robber is holding up a stagecoach and he rides to the rescue, refusing the reward. He also saves a train from a dynamited bridge, and a girl tied to a cactus, before riding into the sunset (and back to his suburban bed).

Bearly Asleep

Park ranger Donald sends his bears off to hibernate, but Humphrey would rather stay in his hammock, run out for a glass of water, etc., than sleep; when he does get to sleep, his snoring gets him thrown out. His search for a new bed leads him right into the ranger's house.

Beezy Bear

Beekeeper Donald catches Humphrey the bear raiding his hives. He complains to Ranger Woodlore, who assembles his bears and lectures them. Donald puts up a barbed wire fence, which slows Humphrey down a bit, but doesn't stop him.

Chips Ahoy

Chip and Dale are starving in their tree home when they notice a plentiful supply of acorns on an island in a lake. To get to the island, they borrow a miniature model ship of Donald's to sail on. The irate Donald, however, doesn't appreciate them stealing his ship and makes several attempts to get it back and thwart their scheme to get to their acorn paradise. Chip and Dale are, of course, always one step ahead of Donald.

Designs on Jerry

Tom designs a better mousetrap that would have made Rube Goldberg jealous. While he sleeps, the mouse that Tom drew wakes Jerry and they get chased by the cat Tom drew. As Tom awakes, they make a strategic alteration to the design.

The Little House

A small house has to try to compete with progress and the encroaching press of the big city.