There are a lot of film festivals over the course of the year – international film festivals, documentary film festivals, gay film festivals, short film festivals, animation film festivals, ethnic film festivals, genre film festivals, and the list goes on. Suffice it to say, a lot of fests jockey for attention so it’s always heartening when certain events clearly stand out from the pack. One that does so with style and aplomb is the GI Joe Stop-Motion Film Festival which had its triumphant first outing last year and, after going on tour on the West Coast earlier this year, now returns to its spiritual home in Denver. (If you need any convincing of its coolness, suffice it to say that it is presented in association with the Alamo Drafthouse and The Onion.) The innovative festival of stop motion shorts featuring America’s last action hero is curated by its founder Brazilian-born Denver resident Gio Toninelo, whose own G.I. Joe-based internet series, Pond Patrol, has become a cult hit on the web. The line-up of this year’s fest is still under wraps but on the basis of last year’s event – which boasted screenings of such treats as the “Dick Cheney Goes Hunting” episode from the series Team Safari and the trailer for Cong of the Dead, a Vietnam zombie movie – it seems nigh impossible that the 2008 selections could disappoint.