Writer / director Nacho Vigalondo’s Timecrimes opens in various locations over the next few weeks, starting with Austin, Texas this weekend. If you’ve heard about this film, then you’ve probably been waiting on it at least since it played Sundance earlier this year (it premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2007). If you haven’t heard about it, then you need to.

Nacho is one of those filmmakers who could make an amazing film with five million dollars, or with five bucks, because he’s all about the writing. Some of his short films feature only one camera setup, but they are incredibly funny because of the writing. One even features the same shot, over and over, and somehow it gets funnier each time.

Below is our primer to the best of Nacho on YouTube, which you can watch and explore as Timecrimes gets closer. It won’t exactly prepare you for the movie, but it’ll give you some insight into his sense of humor. We explored a few of these during our interview with Nacho at Fantastic Fest (where they showed many of these on a big screen in a theater), but here’s a guide chock full of shortage.

Sunday (Domingo)

Sunday shows off one of Nacho’s recurring themes: two people arguing over something banal. Usually in his films it’s the male who becomes unhinged and starts acting like a heathen, but in this case it’s pretty mutual. This is a good example of the minimal camera work Nacho can do and still end up with something funny. I’m also impressed with how real that spaceship actually looks. This shows off Nacho’s love for science fiction, and is probably reflect what would actually happen if aliens were to visit us.

The One In Charge (El Encargado)

I wish Nacho worked with kids more often because this is great. Nacho co-wrote this one with director Sergio Barrejón, but again it shows how he can do so much with so little. As adults we forget how tense it can get in the classroom; I‘ve never seen chalk used as a weapon before. I’m eager to see a sequel to this one, because that poor kid with the Beatles haircut just has to wind up triumphant, or else there is no justice in the world. This one should be required viewing at PTA meetings.

Changing the World (Cambiar El Mundo)

Another science fiction short with hilarious results. What would you do if you encountered multiple versions of yourself? Personally, I’d make the others do all the work and head back to bed. There’s a little precursor to Timecrimes in this short, but no direct time travel, unfortunately. This is exactly the kind of movie I would have tried to make back in high school, but it would have come out looking stupid. Again, very few setups, just good writing here.

Choque (Crash)

This is one of Nacho’s most ambitious short films: it’s over ten minutes long, has multiple actors in it, and features some pretty intense bumper car action. He’s also the leading man in this film, so if you want to see what he looks like without the giant mop of curly hair and the beard, here’s your chance. It also shows the importance of keeping your cool. If the guy would have just acted normally, all would be well. Instead, he loses it, like the guy in Sunday.

A Lesson in Filmmaking (Una Lección de Cine)

Unfortunately I can’t find an English-subtitled version of this anywhere, although they did show one to us at Fantastic Fest. If you can’t find a translator to tell you what he’s saying, I’ll sum it up here. He does a lot of explaining about this simple Spanish toy called Batbola, and how he’s going to run up and throw it at a cow, because it makes crazy noises. There’s a ton of buildup, you’re on the edge of your seat waiting on the throw. He runs up, pulls his arm back, and… then runs back to the camera to tell you why you’re all anxious and nervous. It’s both funny and great advice for amateur filmmakers.

7:35 In The Morning (7:35 de la Mañana)

You might not speak Spanish, but I guarantee you that the song from this short will get stuck in your head. It’s a musical, it’s black and white, Nacho’s the lead again, it’s about a killer, and it’s a comedy. You’ll be humming this one for the rest of the day, so you might want to save it for late-afternoon viewing in order not to drive everyone crazy. This short was actually nominated for an Oscar in 2005, and won a bunch of other awards, including the Bronze Moon of Valencia at the Cinema Jove - Valencia International Film Festival. That just sounds extremely fancy.

The Galactic Adventures of Jaime of Funes and Arancha

Nacho sometimes acts for other directors, and this short film about the intergalactic shenanigans of two less-than-intelligent space farers is a good example. To prove how serious Nacho takes his work, he actually vomits on cue in this short, complete with real vomit. That’s the same kind of dedication he brings to his own movies, but hopefully without the bile. Sadly, I can’t find an English language version of this either, but watching it in the original Spanish just makes it even more ridiculous.

Code 7 (Codigo 7) - Part One

For this, Nacho just filmed a friend waking up in the morning, and told him to do what he normally does. The rest is all voiceover work from Nacho. It’s his “science fiction trilogy” and was inspired by Philip K. Dick. It’s also my favorite for some reason. When he introduced this at Fantastic Fest and the lights went down, I couldn’t stop laughing for some reason. When he says “The plan doesn’t work,” I just completely lost it. It’s possible I was drunk, but I still love this. Parts 2 and 3 are right below.

Code 7 (Codigo 7) - Part Two

Code 7 (Codigo 7) - Part Three

Nacho also has a hilarious short called Gremlins 3, where you see Phoebe Cates and Zach Galligan meeting up long after the first two movies, and a version of Back to the Future Part 4 with Marty McFly in the year 2040. Someone needs to translate and subtitle these for the masses ASAP, before Nacho becomes a household name. While you’re at it, could you also do this short film called Te Quiero that he acts in? I’m dying to know what’s being said in the convenience store. Thanks.