Fourth Annual Coming-of-Age Movie Awards

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Winner`s announcement !

It’s that time of year again.  As we begin 2012, we look back over the past year and at the movies that were released in 2011. As the largest online media site  focusing on the Coming-of- Age genre, we are happy to again host the Coming of Age Movie Awards — our fourth consecutive year of doing so.

TheSkyKid.com 4th Annual Coming of Age movie Awards

Here’s a reminder of what the short definition is regarding what a movie must possess in order to belong to the Coming of Age Genre:

“A Coming-of-Age movie is a film in which the central plot revolves around a person suddenly facing a life changing experience, trial or tribulation. That person, who was once naive or childish or pre-pubescent, is now suddenly older and wiser because of the experience. They see life and their place in the universe for the first time.”  Alternative descriptions can be consulted  at the Coming-of-Age Films Definition article.

In 2011, we were fortunate to witness an abundance of movie releases. So many excellent coming of age films were released that an author on our site wrote an article titled  Coming of Age Value in 2011, fueled by the desire to recall the Coming-of-Age masterpieces that deeply moved him personally and delivered a cinematic experience to remember.

We had over seventy films from across the globe competing in the traditional categories that TheSkyKid.com has established: Best Acting, Coming-of-Age Value, Best Newcomer, Best Cinematography, Best International Film, Best Short Film, Special Soundtrack and Best Performance in A Film Made for TV.  All films deserved to be nominated, but as this is impossible – we have decided to include a list of all movies we worked with as a reference to you. Additionally, all films – nominated or not – will be included in the Ultimate Coming-of-Age movie list we maintain here on the site.

(Note: only films released in 2011 were considered for a nomination )

The nominated movies and actors are presented below in their respective categories :

Tom Andrews – An Exclusive Interview

Tom Andrews - Carry Me On (Single)

Tom AndrewsThe world is impatiently awaiting the debut album of 18-year-old Tom Andrews.

Back in September 2010 – Tom became the second artist signed by Eleveneleven, the record label owned by the US television host Ellen DeGeneres.  Everyone’s expectations are set high – similar to when Greyson Chance’s album  “Hold On ‘Til the Night”  – the first album to be ever released by the Eleveneleven label  – delivered a smashing repertoire of hits.   Tom Andrew’s talent guarantees that he won’t settle for less than such a spectacular debut.

As to what’s been happening with Tom in the meantime, Rjmendera contacted Tom for an exclusive interview for TheSkyKid.com:

Tom Andrews Interview : Rjmendera for TheSkyKid.com

Introducing Daniel J: That London Boy

Daniel JThe latest skyrocketing internet sensation is a 14-year-old singer from London – Daniel John (Daniel J).  Only four weeks ago, Daniel started posting covers on YouTube and promoting them on Twitter with aplomb! Now he‘s also using Tumblr to promote his videos and updates and recently did his first live stream on Twitvid for his fans.

I found Daniel on Twitter pleading for users to sub his channel and bring him to 3,000 subs before January 1, 2012. HUMBUG, I thought. This was ten days before Christmas and, at that point, he had around 700 YouTube subs.  What a shock when I checked his channel a few days before the 25th and it was already at circa 2,000 subs! Like a Christmas Miracle, his popularity zoomed. By December 26th, Daniel had  45,270 views and 4,017 subs (#52 – on the December most subbed list in the UK), well over the goal of 3,000!

Currently (January 2, 2012)  DANIEL J has 58,508 views and 5,181 subs! We haven’t seen this kind of star birth on YouTube since Justin Bieber (now iconic) did it some years ago.

http://youtu.be/G12TCUBhQ98

Introducing Johnny Hammer: An Interview

Johnny HammerOne year ago I discovered an intriguing singer –  Johnny Hammer – a young boy singing Mary Did You Know? – a Christmas song celebrating the birth of Jesus. The surprise came when I realized the music Johnny sang the song to was an upbeat dance vibe.

A little research led to my discovery of Christian Techno – a music genre I had no idea existed. I found a few labels (Andy Hunter,  Scott Blackwell, Owl City to name but a few… ) and a DJ rocking the club scene with songs filled with positive messages.  Johnny recorded Mary Did You Know? when he was only twelve years old. Signed by the Nashville-based Christian dance music label Technopraise,  his youthful appearance and clear treble voice made Mary Did You Know? appeal to people his age (and younger), casual listeners and devoted fans of electronic vibes.

A few weeks ago, Technopraise released Hands to the Sky, a new song starring  Johnny Hammer (by then aged thirteen) and Alexis Lundt. Hands to the Sky features the same upbeat, modern sound and encourages people, especially teens and younger kids, to put their hands in the sky and show their love to God by raving.  The song is accompanied by a grand movie video in which Johnny and his singing partner Alexis sing to their dancing friends (more than 50 kids are featured in the video).

Julia Belanoff: Timeless Music with a Modern Twist

Julia BelanoffShe is an opera singer for pop fans who don’t like classical music. She is a pop singer for classical purists who would never admit to listening to Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift. With the voice of an angel and the soul of an artist, 16-year-old Julia Belanoff is a rising soprano whose ballads—each a unique blend of classical and contemporary—are exquisitely beautiful and contemplative without being boring. The music is peaceful and uplifting; the kind, she says, that teenagers, parents and grandparents can enjoy, together.

Case in point: Goodnight San Francisco, the first release from Winner in Your Heart, Julia’s debut album of songs that have a classical foundation, and yet are refreshingly innovative. Described as a love song to the city where Julia grew up, Goodnight is deeply personal, yet universal.

“The most famous song about San Francisco is probably I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” Julia says. “My song is about finding my heart in San Francisco. This is a city that accepts all kinds of people. It’s a city of love.”

Backed by lush orchestral music that evokes images of a lazy stroll on Nob Hill or a ride on an old-fashioned trolley car, Belanoff’s lyrics paint a vivid picture of the City by the Bay: “Windy streets where we meet, free to be you and me, summer chills on the hills, fog’s embrace, wind in my face, San Francisco, where so many dreamers go.”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th7NTZPBbDQ

Julia Belanoff is one of those dreamers. Passionate about life, art and people, she is a straight-A student who is as serious about her academic pursuits as she is about performing.

“I’m very interested in school,” she says. “I spend a lot of time thinking. I’m always wondering about scientific questions. I love nature. I love to write about beautiful trees and the way the sun sets.”

In addition to attending high school, Julia studies voice at the acclaimed Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California, under Debra Lambert, chair of the university’s Department of Music & Vocal Arts.

“Debra has taught me about the classical side of things and has really given me a strong basis,” Julia says. “We study a lot of Mozart and old French pieces. She has inspired me to study opera more seriously.”

In the Spotlight

 

Long active on Bay Area theatre stages, Julia has co-starred in such productions as Coraline, Beauty and the Beast, The Secret Garden, Annie, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds and many more. One of her most challenging roles was that of Anne Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, the true story of the Jewish teenager who hid with her family in an Amsterdam attic from 1942-1944, until they were captured by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp, where Anne later died from typhus.

Determined to learn as much as possible about the character, Julia, who was then 14, persuaded her parents to take her to Amsterdam to visit the attic. It was a sobering experience for her, to be in a place where such suffering occurred. The effort paid off, as Julia later delivered a powerful, heartfelt performance during a four-week run of the play, attracting excellent reviews..

Julia Belanoff at the Anne Frank desk

Julia Belanoff at Anne Frank’s desk

“I sat at Mr. Frank’s desk, exactly where Anne once wrote in her diary so many years ago,” Julia says. “Words cannot describe how meaningful this opportunity was for me. When Anne occupied the very same seat, it was only a chair. To me, it was a relic of traumatic times. I still wish, more than 65 years after her death, that I could rescue Anne and share everything I have with her.”

The importance of being able to relate on such a personal level to the characters she plays was strengthened through Stagedoor Manor, the acclaimed performing arts camp in the Catskill Mountains of New York, where Julia has studied each summer for four years. The camp attracts young, aspiring actors from around the world, where they perform in full-scale, semiprofessional-quality productions.  Alumni include such well-known actors as Natalie Portman, Robert Downey Jr., Mandy Moore, John Cryer, Lea Michele and others who have gone on to achieve success on stage, screen and television. It was at Stagedoor Manor that Julia Belanoff appeared in two of her favorite roles: Emily Webb in Our Town and Natalie in All Shook Up.

Julia Belanoff in The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

Julia Belanoff in The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

Credit:  Photo by Jay Yamada

Julia’s father is renowned Stanford University psychiatrist and pharmaceutical executive Joseph Belanoff, M.D. More scientist than artist, he has always supported his daughter in her musical and theatrical endeavors, but admits that she gets her artistic creativity more from her mother, Katherine Blenko, M.D., a classically trained pianist and singer.

“Julia’s musical talent didn’t come from me,” Dr. Belanoff says. “She’s been singing out of her own interest for a long time. It’s entirely self-driven. The music she is doing is entirely of her own choosing.”

And that of Max DiCarlo, whom Julia met in the spring of 2011. The Los Angeles-based music producer quickly recognized in her a kind of untapped talent that had long attracted, but eluded him. A classically trained musician and composer, DiCarlo had previously scored movies and TV shows. He is also known for his work with such pop artists as Elton John, Celine Dion, Donna Summer, the two-time Grammy-nominated Latin group RBD and new country artist Claudia Lee. But DiCarlo, a native of Italy, grew up loving opera, and always wanted to create an album with more of a classical feel. With Julia Belanoff’s Winner in Your Heart, he has achieved that goal.

“What’s interesting about Julia is that she’s got a big voice and very pure ability to hit extremely high notes,” DiCarlo says. “That is rare for a teenage singer.”

Julia Belanoff CD coverA junior in high school, Julia would one day like to move to New York —  if not to attend college, then perhaps later — to pursue her dream of making beautiful music. Whatever the future holds, wherever she may end up, she will always consider San Francisco her home. It’s why she decided to release Goodnight San Francisco as the first single from her first album. It is her own special tribute not just to her city, but to her family.

“In the song, I sing ‘Happy Dreams,’” she says. “It’s what my mom used to say when I was a little girl and she was tucking me in at night. With this lullaby, I send joy to the dreamers who find love in the City by the Bay.”

 Julia Belanoff’s music is available on iTunes. More information about her is available at www.JuliaBelanoff.com

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Guest article by  Fred Anderson a Los Angeles-based publicist and creative consultant who works with actors,  filmmakers, musicians, comedians and authors.

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Traces (2009)

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Traces (2009)“Can you make me stay a child forever?”

It is time for another short film review and I have chosen a magical one. In Traces,  a young narrator invites us to hear a story – a story about a boy named Timothy and his encounter with a witch. The eleven-year-old Timothy lives in a countryside hut with his mother. They are poor, but manage to make a living working on the farm. One day, as he roams the nearby woods, Timothy hears a woman’s whisper – yet there is no one to be seen. Scared – he runs away. The same evening his mother tells him the story of a witch, a witch that used to live in the region. It’s a story that her parents had told her when she was young to keep her away from the woods …

The next day, the boy and his mother are visited by an old man who claims that Timothy’s father is indebted to him.  And, since the father had passed away, his family has to meet his obligation to repay what is due. As nothing of a value is to be found in the hut, the man demands to take the boy as a worker in his mines. After an argument with the mother, he reluctantly agrees to wait until the boy grows up. The family is desperate, but Timothy is not ready to give in.  He reasons that if he does not grow up, he won’t be taken away, so he heads to the woods decided to find the witch and ask her to help him stay a child forever…

An Angel for May (2002)

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An Angel for MaySome  made-for-TV movies deserve to be shown on the big screen.  In the case of the British cinema, this statement is more of a rule than an exception.

An adaptation of the Melvin Burgess book of the same name, the 2002 movie An Angel for May is well worth the consideration of any avid cinema fan. This Coming-of-Age story follows the adventures of Tom (Matthew Beard) who accidently finds himself a way to travel backwards in time. Tom has enough problems in the present – he has asthma and does not exactly excel in sports. (It should be noted that, in many films involving a young character, an asthma inhaler is frequently used to imply greater vulnerability of the youngster – often to be overcome by an excess of bravery and spirit.) Tom spends a lot of time by himself and his parents are separated and about to divorce. The fact that his mother’s boyfriend is the coach of the soccer team he plays for, doesn’t help Tom’s social status with the hyped up peers of his age either.

Norway’s New Young Artist: Alexandru

Alexandru Christmass

This past Fall, I was introduced to another young artist from a small town in Norway! Like Greyson Chance, Alexandru was discovered due to a post that was made to YouTube, which has become one of the best ways for talented youngsters to market themselves.

Alexandru comes complete with the whole package.  While only eleven-years-old, he enters the pop market with great looks, a wonderful personality, and more than amazing vocal skills.

Shoeshine (1946)

If you’re a frequent reader of TheSkyKid.com, you might have noticed that a great many of the movie reviews published on the site in 2011 are of new releases. Naturally, when a movie is in the theaters, the interest toward it is significantly higher than of one that can be only found on a DVD. Each genre in cinema has its timeless classics, including the Coming-of-Age genre. These classics are likely to present you with a whole new world of cinematic experience, intriguing storytelling, and, last but not least, in many cases its those classic films that have inspired filmmakers of the present day.

The Film Stage recently published a great article written by Jordan Raup entitled  10 Classic Films You Must Watch Before Seeing Martin Scorsese’s ‘Hugo’. The article is aimed at both “diehard film fanatics and those just discovering the wonder of early cinema.” The 1969 masterpiece François Truffaut film 400 Blows inspired many of today’s films about adolescence and troubled youth. And François Truffaut himself was influenced by the works of the Italian director Vittorio De Sica, whose movie  The Bicycle Thief was cited by Turner Classic Movies as one of the 15 most influential films in cinema history. So today I decided to review one of  those classic films of the Coming-of-Age genre directed by Vittorio De Sica – the 1946 film Shoeshine.

SHOESHINE Trailer

ShoeshinePostwar Italy. The streets of Rome are packed with children who work in order to earn a living and support their families. The two young protagonists of the film, Pasquale and Giuseppe, are best friends who make money by shining the shoes of the American soldiers who roam across the city. The boys work hard to pursue their dreams. And their greatest dream is to buy a horse, something they could actually take care of and call their own. Money is in short supply, so the boys happily agree when they are asked to help Giuseppe’s brother deliver some stolen American blankets to a customer in the city. The boys complete their task, but it turns out that Giuseppe’s brother and his partner took advantage of the boys, in their eagerness to make money, by using the delivery of the blankets as an excuse for the adults to enter the customer’s house while pretending to be policemen investigating the black market of stolen goods. Pasquale and Giuseppe are instructed to keep silent…

The real police authorities launch an investigation. The boys are recognized by the old lady who was scammed while attempting to purchase the army blankets. Brought in front of a commissar, they keep their promise and refuse to identify the adults who sent them to deliver the blankets. The next thing they know, they’re in a police car on their way to a juvenile prison, where they’re to remain until the investigation is over (it’s made clear that some investigations can last for years).

The juvenile prison in post-war Italy is not much different than its adult counterpart. Children as young as ten spend their days behind bars in cramped tiny cells. This harsh environment is the scene where the boys will soon lose their innocence, corrupted by the intrigues of their cellmates and prison guards. Their friendship is at stake…

sciusciaThe performances of the young Rinaldo Smordoni as Giuseppe and Franco Interlenghi as Pasquale are what made the biggest impression on me. The movie’s director, Vittorio De Sica, made sure that the narrative closely followed the two young boys and the transformations that occurred to their personalities once they were locked in the prison.

This 1946 film was shot in black and white as one might suspect. In the case of Shoeshine, the lack of color truly emphasized the gloomy atmosphere of the prison and the emotions of the two protagonists. Nowadays, you can witness a similar effect in some art-house films, sometimes shot purposefully in black and white. For someone used to color in movies, seeing the dramatic shades and shadows of the black and white image is quite a distinct experience. The film’s soundtrack is memorable,  but I don’t have any comment on it aside from the fact that the music seemed oddly familiar.

The ending of the film is unexpected and dramatic. It reminded me of the ending of another classic Coming-of-Age film This Special Friendship (1964). Overall, I enjoyed Shoeshine. Admittedly, I started exploring classic titles and am gradually getting accustomed to them. Some can feel odd or weird at first because of the years that separate the viewer from their release. Yet my experience is that Shoeshine is as touching, emotional, and poignant as the recent releases reviewed at TheSkyKid.com

Hesher (2010)

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Hesher

“Life is like walking in the rain… you can hide and take cover or you can just get wet.”

Reviewing Spencer Susser’s Hesher for a media with a family-friendly focus can be a challenging task. Yet, it is a Coming-of-Age film and, as such, deserves to be featured on TheSkyKid.com.

The hero of the story is the twelve-year-old T.J. (Devin Brochu), a troubled youngster who has a lot of things to deal with.  Among them is the death of his mother, the bullies at school, a depressed father who can’t offer any support whatsoever, and, as if this is not enough, having an unwanted friend named Hesher.  Hesher is a metalhead who fits right into the stereotypical image for such people (drunkards, partiers, and fighters who often have a powerful dislike towards the close-minded and mainstream).

Coming of age value in the 2011 movies

4th annual coming of age movie awards

The year 2011 is slowly coming to its end. Retailers have started to bombard us with their Christmas offers. Streets are being lit and covered in colors by all kind of bright gadgets while white-bearded people in red suits have begun to cross the streets under the gentle sounds of bells. The Christmas spirit is here again.

At this time of the year many people unwillingly start to look back at the recent past and review the events that have had some meaning for their lives. Pursuing their goal for better future, everyone is trying to take their lessons and come up with ideas how to make the next year better and more successful.

May be it is time for us as a fans of the coming of age genre, to also recall what we saw for the past one year and to what extent it affected us and left some marks in our memory. Which will be the names and titles to associate the year that is running out and will soon remain in the history with?

3rd Annual Coming of age movie awardsLast year when theSkyKid.Com initiated a campaign to nominate names and titles for its annual awards it got me truly puzzled. I needed the assistance of various web resources to assemble a list of movies’ titles and actors’ names. Regrettably they were few but also none of them were really memorable in one way or another. The year 2011 fortunately seems not to be the same case.

Here is the moment to make it clear that one (that includes me) can not possible see all the coming of age movies that are produced and released across the world. This is because many of them hardly get an on time attention outside their home countries and if they do get noticed it normally happens years after their first release. Another problem is that many fans do not get chances to see them for long time due to distribution problems not to mention that some titles remain known only to truly dedicated connoisseurs. This is why I will discuss those titles that most of the readers have had equal chances to see in the same year when they were released and presented with proper translation that would make them understandable. These are the titles that have also become object of countless of discussions; on-line and off-line. I believe most of the readers have already figured out that I will consider only the big scale productions of this year and if this brings some element of anger and disappointment, I would understand.
Let’s have a look at the titles in question, shall we?

SUPER 8

 

super 8I believe the first title that shall be mention in this article is Super 8. It is a Sci-Fi which in its crew had several names known to the fans of this genre. In my opinion the movie itself was nothing special and was far away to be classified as a masterpiece of some kind, nor it presented some original plot. However, judging by all the discussions and comments that I came across on many web resources, it seems to have managed to bring a simple enjoyment to many that went to see it.

If not else it was made in a way that reminded to Sci-Fi fans like me how movies of this genre used to be made once. With all kinds of fancy 3D action flicks made in a style to look more like computer games, I had almost forgotten that once those films would tell some stories. There was a time indeed when the plot of such movie was the on the focus and all the visual effects was nothing more like a necessary background. It did brought enjoyment to me because of this but also because it called some memories for the times when I was at the age of the main protagonists and how I used to be fascinated by such adventures.

Joel CourtneySpeaking of the main protagonists, I believe this is the element that would most likely make the movie memorable for the fans of the Coming-of-age genre. It presented some new and obviously talented actors. Joel Courtney who played the title character in my opinion delivered a really emotional and touching performance. I was pleased to find out that he will soon be seen in the new screen adaptation of Tom Sawyer’s story. As mentioned in another article recently posted on theSkyKid.com , the director chose to make the movie with actors that had no previous experience. I shall say here, that the risk was worth it. We shall also not skip the other young actors in the cast like Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills and Elle Fanning who also did a great job.

REAL STEEL

 

Reel SteelI will confess that the first time when I found out about this movie, which was from a huge poster somewhere in the downtown, the thing that went through my mind was that this was the next action flick that presents nothing else but intense stimulation of one’s optic nerve and ear drums. Seeing a trailer in YouTube had me convinced that it was the next computer game-like movie showing nothing else but spectacular fights about robots. Then I started coming across discussions in a places where I least expected to see. I thought that all this can not be a coincidence. Then it took me another few weeks to overcome my stubbornness and I went in the cinema with the expectation that I would waste my money.

I was pleasantly surprised from what I saw. The movie itself is not something really special. Although the story seems to be in some way original, the script writers obviously preferred (or were made to) to use the safe and many times tested formula applying some standard approaches in order to present the plot. As result one could easily predict its development. Nevertheless, it could not eclipse the brightness of one emotionally touching story about father and son getting to know and love each other while the robot fighting element is more or less a background. The story itself perfectly meets all requirements to be classified as coming of age.

It is not an accidence that I have used the Japanese poster of this movie in the present article. This is because I believe it is more accurate and shows what actually this movie is about. I encountered comments of many people stating that they had been disappointed by the movie and been fooled by all the adverts and promotional campaign expecting to see real fighting movie. Seeing all this, one can draw their own conclusions about the moral values of the western societies.

Dakota GoyoWhat makes for the impact of this movie is the young Dakota Goyo.

Playing the son of Hugh Jackman he perfectly portrayed the emotions of a young boy meeting his father who was not around him while he was growing up. There seems to be an actual chemistry between the two actors which definitely was in favor of the story’s impact. I am sure that we will soon see more from Dakota Goyo. He says for himself that the hardest thing about acting is when he is not acting (source IMDB).

On a personal side I made a bet with a friend of mine that in the next two or three years we will see a sequel of Real Steal.

DOLPHIN TALE

 

Dolphin taleDolphin Tale is an emotional story starring the well known actor Nathan Gamble with the legendary Morgan Freeman beside him. The story itself is not something original as we have seen the boy and pet tale many times. Dolphin Tale does not go too far away from similar flicks such as Free Willy and Flipper.

I can not say more, though. This is simply because I have had not chance to see the film yet and what I wrote above is based on what was told to me and what I read on-line.
Nevertheless, it did make an impact and I believe that it will be remembered.

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HUGO & EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

 

 

hugoI will only briefly mention the next two titles because at the moment when I am writing this article, Hugo has just been released and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is still not released.

Asa ButterfieldHowever, Hugo has already made an impact because of the appearance of the well known Asa Butterfield and because it is directed by Martin Scorsese. We shall also not ignore the campaign run by the distribution companies through the medias and the fact that it is made in 3D. Those features are enough to secure a movie which will be remembered in some way; no matter if the story turns out good or bad.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is an upcoming movie telling the story of a young boy who lost his father in 9/11 attacks on the WWC. It will be widely released in January 2012 but will have limited release before new year. This is a standard trick for the Hollywood managers, so the movie is eligible for various nominations which will serve as promotion for the movie.

Thomas HornIt will present another newcomer for this year; the young actor Thomas Horn who will play the main protagonist. Despite the film is not released yet, I am quite sure that it will make its impact and will remain remembered. If not else one can clearly see that the movie is already steered to the way of nominations, popular festivals and awards and is approaching to that path. Obviously that is all from 2011. Not all of course! I am sure that there is many more titles from around the world for which we will be finding out in the future.

The Russians have a proverb which says “we shall live and we shall see”. The year 2011 brought a memorable titles and names to our attention. We shall now look ahead and wait to see what 2012 will bring us apart from another end of the world.

Super 8 (2011)

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super 8

I’m surprised this film has not been reviewed on theSkyKid.com yet. I guess I’m the first to do so. :)

superSuper 8 follows the story of five kids, growing up in a small town in 1979. Joe (Joel Courtney), our main protagonist, has lost his mother in a tragic accident and is learning to deal with the aftermath of this situation. His best friend, Charles (Riley Griffiths) is obsessed with film-making and is making his first Super 8 film, a zombie film. (For those of you who don’t know, Super 8 Cameras were massive back in the late 60’s through to the late 80’s, the reasoning for the name ‘Super 8′ is because the cameras used 8mm film stocks). Joe has been assigned as special make-up and sound on Charles’ film. Along with these two on the crew is Carey (Ryan Lee), Martin (Gabriel Basso), Preston (Zach Mills) and Alice (Elle Fanning). When the kids witness a train crash while shooting a scene for their film, their lives and the lives of everyone in their small town are turned upside down, and an adventure of grand proportions begins.