Let Me In (2010)

I often visit the foreign film rack at my local video rental store because some true treasures can often be found there. About a year or so ago I came across a film that had been released in 2008 directed by Swedish Director Tomas Alfredson, entitled Let The Right One In. The movie was produced from the novel and screenplay written by John Ajvide Lindqvist, and what I witnessed was a true cinematic experience which was not soon forgotten.

While horror films only take up a small portion of my ever expanding DVD collection, this was one that I considered to be a true cinematic experience. In 2009, when New Moon released the first of its series, I could not help but think of this Swedish film. While the film and story were totally different, they had one common thread with retrospect to falling in love and allowing the wrong person, or should I say “being”, into your life.

This past weekend, the American remake of the original Swedish film was released and I could not resist going to see it, wondering if they had done it justice. Much to my great surprise I really enjoyed the movie from its opening scenes to the conclusion of the movie.

The first thing I noticed was that Director Matt Reeves knew exactly what he was doing by staying with the original screenplay. By using flash backs and additional sequences, while short, he brought much more meaning to the story that had been so subtle in the original movie that they were missed in my viewing. The camera work was well done, using a variety of close-ups and creative lighting, thereby creating a masterpiece without having to rely on a lot of special effect work afterwards. The musical score was also well done. It didn’t detract from the film but rather enhanced the especially intense scenes which, even though I knew the story well, brought more excitement to the viewing.

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An interview: Tommy

In my on-going quest to find sites, blogs, and forums that support young performers, I have met some extraordinary people such as Tommy from Stars2Come.com. When I first met him, he had an idea of setting up a website about young singers and performers. Back then, he had a killer title Stars to Come and, as he began to work on his idea, I witnessed the development and growth of his site. Tommy never ceased to amaze me with his devotion and desire to make Stars2Come.com a family friendly website having as its core reason for existence to support talented boys and girls on their way to stardom. Almost a year later, Stars2Come has received recognition, both online and offline, and the Stars2Come magazine began to take shape just as Tommy envisioned it when it was just a project. Tommy has conducted many interviews with young talent that have appeared on his site and I am honored that he agreed to be interviewed himself for www.theskykid.com

Skykid: I remember the enthusiasm with which you spoke about establishing a new website focused on musicians from all over the world. But for our listeners, can you tell us when it all started and what you have achieved since then?

Tommy: Well, it all started after writing a few articles for you. Probably the biggest thing was that I had met Jordan Jansen quite sometime before, and he later came out with a song he wrote called I Wish, which was a very touching song for someone so young. After that, I began finding other young talents like him from watching various talent shows such as America`s Got Talent and Britain`s Got Talent and searching for more information on them. So, I decided that I would like to help in some way. The idea was to try to find, from sites like YouTube, as many young artists who I felt were really good, and put them into one location. By doing that, I felt that it would make it easier for people like producers to find them.

I do have people from all around the world, both girls and boys, featured on the site — about 70 artists in all. I have a large volume of people coming to me from different places. Unlike your site or Rivenmaster`s, to be different I added girls, in order for people to have variety. I think because the three sites are different, it will be of bigger benefit to the kids. Whichever of the sites someone visits, they will find different artists, as the sites contain very few that are the same. I post three to four new artists a week, plus updating information on artists already existing on the site.

Skykid: How do you pick the young singers you’ll write about? Do you approach their parents, management, the singers themselves? Or do they approach you?

Tommy: At first, I spent many hours searching YouTube to find the ones I thought were the best. When I started, I would contact them through YouTube, usually asking permission from the parents to write about the kids. But most of the time now, I speak to the kids themselves. I find it hard to write about someone when I have not spoken with him or her. I like to know who they are, as a person as much as an artist. Most people now come to me through their parents or a manager. But either way, most always I speak to the kids once I have permission. Now I also have two TV shows that send me young artists, a talent agent, among others, with a couple screening them prior to sending them to me.

Skykid: What is the most rewarding aspect of maintaining a site such as Stars2Come.com?

Tommy: It has to be the kids and the parent’s reaction after the articles are posted. They are always very happy and flattered that someone took the time to write about them. For a lot of these people, it is the first time anyone has written anything on them. So that would be the reward.

Skykid: What kind of audience would you most like to reach with your blog?

Tommy: I hope it reaches all age groups , but I think it would benefit the kids very well to see what others their age or a little older have been achieving in order to help them keep the dream alive in themselves. The ultimate goal would be to have producers and writers from all parts of the entertainment field be regulars at the site because, after all, that was my intention — to help get these kids noticed. I’m happy to report that some of that is happening. There have been a few producers who have come forward and I would like very much to work with them to find what they are looking for — for either music or film.

Skykid: Talk about the physical act of your writing process. Bloggers don’t have the luxury of time when they compose, so your process is a lot different than, say, someone who writes only for print. Do you outline, or just start writing?

Tommy: You’re right. I have very little time. I rarely know what I am going to write until I start. Some of the articles I do, the ones that are special to me in some way, many times I will figure out the article in my head while at work. It’s not always the same. Sometimes it just depends on the information that I receive and sometimes the information can be very touching or very impressive in some way. Or the artist may have a certain song that I like real well, and my emphasis will be working towards introducing the song.

Skykid: You have been doing frequent trips to Nashville this year. What kind of events have you been attending there?

Tommy: Well, I’ve been doing several different things there. One is that I have an open invitation to attend the Nashville Spotlight TV showcases. I am a good friend of the producer of that show, so I go film a few artists each time plus write articles on them. The producer has turned over all the kids to me to write about. So when I go, I meet with a few kids and their parents and get things set up for the articles. I have already posted a few.

But I don’t go only for writing. I also have a couple of friends there. Back in August, I met a little girl at one of the competitions that I cover here in Kentucky, which is connected to Nashville as well. I went to Nashville in early September. When I went, I found out one of my friends was in town. The little girl that I had met before had really clicked with me as someone special. So, when I discovered my friend was in town, I called the girl’s mom and set up a surprise meeting with my friend and I introduced them. When the girl found who my friend was, she was so happy! Since then, my friend has things lined up for this girl to be on a national TV show. So a lot of good things are fixing to happen with her. I have also introduced another young boy to my friend and, starting after the first of the year, my friend will begin recording the boy’s original songs to promote him. Many a big name artist has recorded at the studio where this will take place and my friend has a very well known band that is going to back the boy up when he records.

So this is what I’ve been doing a lot in Nashville. I’ve been taking things to a new level and helping a few young artists and this is why it is so rewarding — just to see the smiles on their faces when this happens. I wish there was a way for me to do this for a living, as it is the most awesome feeling that I have ever known. I believe fate had a lot to do with that little girl’s case — everyone being in the right place at the right time.

I also now help recruit for Nashville Spotlight and I have been talking with a few kids hoping to get them started next year.

Skykid: What vision do you have for your site? What would you like it to become in 4 or 5 years time?

Tommy: You and I have talked about it becoming a magazine. As far as Nashville is concerned, they already call it the stars2come magazine. I hope it will at least double in size and in readership. The readers are the key to getting these kids noticed.

Skykid: Would you share with us the names of some of the young artists you’ve helped become established in the music industry?

Tommy: The only name I can give is of the little girl — Abby Ekas. She is being prepared for a movie and looking at a new TV show. Sorry I can not give more details. The name of the boy, however, I will have to wait on until a later time.

Skykid: Your blog is music oriented, so what music plays most frequently on your stereo, computer or mp3 player?

Tommy: Well in the car I listen to country music. At home, I listen to many different young artists.

Skykid: I am sure that many people like your blog and want to contribute to its success. How can one support stars2come?

Tommy: The best thing is to just keep visiting and supporting these young artists. Comments are always the best. Every young person and their parents read these and it truly does mean a lot to them.

Skykid: Is there anything you would like to add ?

Tommy: I would like to say something, on behalf of producers, be they music or film producers. I know there are a lot of kids who will read and hear this. Please — when an opportunity comes to work with a producer, please keep in mind that they are people too. Make sure to be respectful and considerate, as these people truly do want to help. The reason I bring this up is I once introduced a young artist to a producer. The producer was so amazed by this young person’s music and was making some special arrangments and called and talked with the parents. The parents changed like flipping a light switch and became rude and demanding which turned the producer off. This young artist lost a great opportunity as a result. So my advice is — just because someone is willing to work with you does not mean that you are automatically a star or that you should demand anything. The producers know what they are doing. Allow them to do so. So please give them the same respect that you would want someone to give you. To be contacted by a producer is very exciting but please remain who you are….

Teufelskicker (2010)

“I don’t need a TV; I need a football field.”

Already attracting a lot of interest in both Germany and overseas, Teufelskicker (Devil’s Kickers) is the new sport-themed film starring all the popular German band Apollo members 3. Henry Horn plays the lead role as the young Moritz who is addicted to football just like so many boys (and girls) worldwide. (For American readers, the film features the game known to you as Soccer — not the game played by the NFL.)

He trains at SV Hulstorf – the local football team coached by his father. Life seems to be perfect ….well, almost …. as Moritz has a tenancy to slip into his own dream world of the big football game, just when his attention and concentration are most needed on the field. One of these lapses causes him to miss a chance to score a goal, and his team loses an important game. His mother, who promised to attend the game in the morning, manages to reach the stadium when the game is already over, but just in time to catch her husband cheating on her. Shocked – she immediately takes her son, quits her job and leaves for her father’s house.

The move is tough for Moritz, who has to attend a different school in a new city where the only football team, VfB Eichstädt, refuses to accept him. Desperate, Moritz decides to form a team on his own, aided by some new-found friends. His new friends include Catrina, the Turkish brothers Mehmet and Enes, and a band of playground acrobats Alex, Shadow, Sleepy and Co. Together, they decide to sign up for the approaching tournament against all odds (such as the lack of a proper training field or a coach ).

The film aims at the younger audience (twelve and under, that is) who will appreciate the exciting effects and moves — mixing football with Parkour (running through urban areas while performing various gymnastic maneuvers over or on human-made obstacles as walls and buildings). Yet, compared to some other coming of age films focusing on sports, such as The Mighty Ducks, Angels in the Outfield or The Sandlot, it fails to really engage the viewer. Some hardcore football fans may still enjoy it – although the Belgian film Buitenspel does the sport much more justice.

Yet, the groovy soundtrack (which includes a song from Apollo3’s new album) and the modernized and urbanized version of soccer are guaranteed to win the hearts of many kids around the world. Another attractive feature of the film for the kids is that real-life football stars Lukas Podolski and Philipp Lahm have a cameo appearance in the movie). Like in many other films that feature a gang of kids, some of the characters in Teufelskicker are rather stereotyped – a girl that can play soccer better than most boys, a bully captain of the enemy team and even the Turkish brothers (though this is more related to German reality, as it is likely that most international viewers won’t note some of the cliches).

The acting in the film was quite average – yet Henry did a good job in Moritz’s role, and the rest of the kids, although cast in a film for the very first time, did OK. The cinematography and editing are fine – especially when it comes to capturing the acrobatic performances of the young players.

Despite its shortcomings, Teufelskicker has some entertainment value as a family film as most of the scenes are funny and filled with action. As was mentioned, youngsters are going to like it especially.

Film title: Teufelskicker
Alternative title: Devil’s Kickers
Release year: 2010
Director: Granz Henman
Cast: Henry Horn, Marvin Schlatter, Dario Flick, Ben Breternitz, Finn Ehlert, Ben Breternitz, Tim Troeger and others

Teufelskicker (2010)

In short

3

Our rating

Pappersväggar (2007)

Vampires – those mystical creatures who have been living in our minds for centuries. Ever since Bram Stoker wrote his novel Dracula back in 1897, the cine industry recognized the considerable opportunity it had to exploit the beliefs and fears of the audience and create films that make the viewer look around and listen to every noise after he gets away from the comfort of the local theater and strolls on the streets of his neighborhood.

The Swedish film Låt den rätte komma in (Let The Right One In) is the best coming of age vampire film, receiving recognition by both critics and fans alike. A year later, a US remake was released under the title Let Me In. It is yet to be seen if the remake will disappoint or entertain.

This review will concentrate on a short childrens horror film based on a short story by John Ajvide Lindqvist – the author of Let the Right One In. Its original title is Pappersväggar (or Paperwalls in English) and it was released at the beginning of 2007. While there are no vampires in this film, there is a large cardboard box. It’s a box so big that it soon captures the imagination of the twelve-year-old boy whose father brought it to him. The box becomes a place for the boy to dream and fantasize. In a sense, it becomes the kingdom he rules and shapes. But it turns out that the box also becomes a point of contact with something unseen and unknown …

I have seen a variety of short films, but I’m unlikely to remember Pappersväggar for anything more than the light bursting scene which at least played the role of grabbing the attention of the viewer. The film purports to focus on youthful imagination, creativity and determination, but I wouldn’t really recommend Pappersväggar unless you are up to the 18 minute challenge of attempting to grasp its meaning.

Film title: Pappersväggar
Alternative titles: Paper Walls
Release year: 2007
Cast: Hannes Eriksson

An interview: Rod from Rivenmaster.com

I met Rod from Rivenmaster.com several months ago, after he contacted me with a comment on a young singer featured at theskykid.com (Brendan MacFarlane). Then I found out that he maintains a blog about young musicians and I was able to recognize several of the performers featured on it. We exchanged a few emails and Twitter messages and it was not long before we held a long conversation on Skype. At that time, I was sharing some tips with him on blogging and search engine optimization. We became good friends as we shared the same passion towards treble music. I asked him to help around the newly launched site radio and, if you ever listened to it, you would probably be familiar with his audio recordings and live interviews. Then I had an idea – inviting him for an interview with theskykid.com, thus giving the readers of the site a better idea of who he is and why he got involved in blogging in the first place.

Skykid: Hello Rod and thank you for agreeing to this interview for TheSkyKid.com. Usually you are the one who asks the questions, but today the “hot seat” is reserved for you. Are you ready to shine under the spotlight?

Rivenmaster: Yeah, if this is the spotlight I’m ready.

Skykid: Your nickname is Rivenmaster. How did you choose that and what does it mean?

Rivenmaster: That is kind of unique. I guess I would have to say it’s a hangover from a past presence on the web. Years ago I was really into a game called Riven, which is a sequel to the first game that came out called MYST. I was heavily into IBM and computer gaming back then. I got rather proficient with that series of games and as I would go out to different message boards looking for ideas and answers for some of the questions that I had, I would end up running into some young people who had more questions than answers. Then I met this young man who was from Australia and he gave me the nick name Rivenmaster, because I knew more than anybody else on the boards. He told me that I should start a website surrounding the game — Riven — which I did, and that gave birth to Rivenmaster.com. I did that for probably about six years until the game kind of lost popularity and EXILE came out and all the sequels to it. Eventually it went away and I dropped the website for awhile. When I started the new website, I just kind of hung on to this old domain. So it’s a little bit confusing for some people and maybe someday I should change it. But because I was so well known in the web community as Rivenmaster, I just retained that.

Skykid: You are the chief editor of http://rivenmaster.com . Tell us a little about your present blog and why you started it.

Rivenmaster: Rivenmaster.com, as it is known today, was birthed only a little over a year ago. I desired to do a little more of what I was already doing currently to help promote young singers. I created my YouTube account probably six years prior, but never really did a whole lot of friending or subscribing. It was more for a collection of all of the unique young singers that I had on my site. I am really fond of treble music and the young male voice as opposed to a lot of other music. I like a variety of genres, there isn’t much that I don’t enjoy as far as music is concerned, but I really like the young treble voice. I saw many of these kids struggling, trying to get their name out there, and trying to get known by competing in various contests like SoundCheck etc. I just got the idea that maybe there would be something more that I could do in regards to having a web presence and helping them out at the same time. It was through that desire that Rivenmaster.com was born.

Skykid: I’m sure that you will have a hard time picking a single article from your blog, but statistically what is the most popular article on your rivenmaster.com site right now?

Rivenmaster: I would have to say 2Boys from Norway has become the most popular of all the articles presently.

Skykid: What makes your blog unique from others?

Rivenmaster: Probably the fact that right now I am still featuring only young male artists. Young male artists are a lot more difficult to find than female artists, especially the ones that are just starting out. There is probably about ten female to every male singing performer or artist. Finding a good, ample supply of young talented male singers, and featuring them all on one site and in one place, is quite unique in itself.

The second thing that I think makes the site rather unique is the fact that I am in direct contact with the parents of every single young artist for whom I do a feature article. I am not writing anything that someone has already written. There is no hear-say involved; it’s directly coming from the parents. In addition, we have opportunities every now and then to actually conduct a live interview with that young star. It’s very unique, in retrospect, that everything is coming personally from the parent or young artist.

Skykid: Your blog is music oriented, so we are bound to ask: What music plays most frequently on your stereo, computer or mp3 player?

Rivenmaster: Well, I imagine you will find the same type of music on my mp3 player, computer…etc as you will find on my blog. It’s going to be 95% young artists. Billy Gilman, for example – I have every one of his CDs. I also have a lot of the recordings that are recorded by the youngsters on the site. Some of them are professionally recorded, some that they have just captured at home with their own equipment. I love Libera –as a singing group. As far as a choir – I have the albums of the Vienna Boys Choir. I love treble music, so that would naturally be on my mp3 player. I like Country and Pop. Up until meeting MattyB, I didn’t care for rap music much, but that kid has made a believer out of me – so I even probably have a little rap if you want to include Matty, Matty’s style of rap that is!

Skykid: Do you find being a parent and a husband makes you more disciplined as a blogger/writer, because your free time is more precious?

Rivenmaster: That is true. We do have a lot of things going on. I have five sons of my own and there is another young man that has come into my life that I am mentoring – he is kind of like a son to me. So I guess I could say I have six. I also have four grandchildren currently, and one on the way. Two of my grandchildren are handicapped, one severely handicapped, born with multiple birth defects, who I spend a lot of time with in and out of the hospital. So, yes, my life is full in a variety of different ways. Aside from being active civically as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), a volunteer for children that end up in abuse cases and things of that nature, I’m also active in church work and similar organizations. But yes, my life is very active and that is why I haven’t thought seriously of making a career out of blogging. It has been a rather fantastic hobby that has become a passion.

Skykid: Aside from personal satisfaction, are you also receiving a monetary income as a result of your blogging efforts?

Rivenmaster: My reward is just the joy of seeing someone actually be discovered and recognized, while helping them get a leg up in an industry that is really hard to crack into. I don’t charge anything! My site is strictly on a donation basis – I have had a donation tab on it for some time. We do not request any of the young artists to contribute in anyway. What I do, I do exclusively as a help. I never set the blog up, or even started it with the thought of making a living with it. It really is more of a hobby than anything. Of course, now that we have been doing it for a year, it would be a dream to actually turn it into a full time profession. Because I have been unemployed this past year, I have had a lot of time to dedicate to the blog. However, I am still not seeking, necessarily, to turn it into a full-time business. One needs to understand that it takes an awful lot of time to actually produce one of these web sites and keep it current.

Skykid: What kind of audience would you most like to reach with your blog?

Rivenmaster: The main objective to the blog is to give these young talented musicians a real extra media push towards producers (record producers, movie producers, anybody in actor guilds — just anyone of influence who is looking for a talented young person). It’s not always that I discover them. They are quite easily found on YouTube and MySpace and sites of that nature. But many of the ones I have on the site are just starting out. Some are now past that or long past that or even very closely approaching being signed or have just been signed. We see them at all points in their career at the blog. So I would say that the audience I am really pursuing are talent scouts and producers, in an attempt to help these kids really get a leg up into the industry.

Skykid: I am sure that many people like your blog and want to contribute to its success. How can one support http://rivenmaster.com ?

Rivenmaster: I appreciate you asking that question. Again I don’t really solicit donations, but I do have donation tab that is on the site and if anyone enjoys what I’m doing and appreciates the site’s efforts in trying to help the kids, I can guarantee that anything they donate will be appreciated and will be used for the continuation of the blog.

Skykid: And last, but not least, if I was a young performer, musician or singer (or a parent of one), how can I contact you? What kind of information do you usually request in order for you to begin work on an article?

Rivenmaster: The approach that I usually take starts when someone contacts me via the contact form on my site or writes me direct at writemeone@hotmail.com. Once the parents contact me and let me know that they would be eager to have their son appear on the site, all I ask is for a few pictures and maybe a biography written by the parents, a producer, a manager or someone who might be working with them. This gives me a little insight about that particular young artist. I usually ask them to start when they first noticed the unique talent of their child, whatever it might be, and progress through their early childhood development through school and bringing us up to date to what they are actually doing now. They should also include any notable performances, radio interviews or television appearances. Some of the kids are quite advanced in their careers already and have had television appearances and radio appearances; others are still making video clips in their basement or bedrooms with their own recording equipment and are quite rough and unpolished. Again, it’s all about helping them advance their careers.

Skykid: Is there is something that you would like to add?

Rivenmaster: A way that you can support the site, if you can’t do it financially, is by leaving comments on the articles. Every comment that is left on the article helps propagate that article throughout the web. Google also picks it up and consequently the kids get more attention. It’s not necessarily for the blog to gain the notoriety, the articles are written for the young artist and every comment helps to carry them one step closer to being discovered by a professional producer.

Skykid: And where can people find you other than Rivenmaster.com? Twitter, Myspace, Facebook maybe?

Rivenmaster: Oh yeah I am everywhere. If you just take a look at the bottom of my site you will find links to about ten different websites where you can find me.

Skykid: Thank you very much for joining us today and we will be looking forward for more interesting and exciting articles at rivenmaster.com

Rivenmaster: Thanks for the opportunity Skykid! I really enjoyed being on the other side of the interview table for a change.

The Boy Cried Murder (1966)

Children often make up stories to gain attention. Sometimes, if they do it too much, they are eventually ignored. But when this happens to one small boy, he gets into big trouble. Will anyone be there to help him?

While on vacation, Jonathan (Fraser MacIntosh) is accompanying his parents on a cruise to a resort in Yugoslavia where they intend to spend a second honeymoon. Angry that his parents are not paying attention to him, Jonathan makes up stories to attract their attention. Once they arrive at their destination, he shows his mischievous nature by setting free one of the dancing bears that a gypsy family was showing as an attraction. Of course, this causes major chaos in the small seaside resort. He is punished for that. Later on, when his parents leave on a boat trip without him, he accidentally witnesses a terrible crime – a murder. But who is to believe him – except the killer himself…?

The film is an adaptation of a Cornell Woolrich story of the same name, The Boy Who Cried Murder. It is a coming-of-age criminal drama that received a lot of attention at the time of its release due to the excellent performance of its young lead, Fraser MacIntosh.

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Johnny- The True Story of A Civil War Legend

Johnny is largely a historical autobiography with a touch of realistic scenes integrated between the photographs and drawings from the Civil War. Despite the educational approach with which the film was shot, its entertainment value is not lessened thanks to the dramatized scenes and the wonderful performance of the young lead, Cody Piper, who makes his debut in the role of Johhny.

The narrator begins the film by describing the importance of the rank of drummer boy during the American Civil War. He quotes documents that show that both sides employed thousands of soldiers under the age of eighteen, many of those thirteen or younger.

A unique experience for the viewer

Johnny Joseph “Lincoln” Clem joined the US Army at the age of nine and fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the older soldiers from his regiment. As soon as his name is introduced, he starts to narrate the story in his voice, much as if he were reading from his diary. About that time, the viewer starts to truly appreciate the masterful usage of camera and props to accurately recreate those past times. The narrator of the film joins in again and, for the rest of the film, the story is shared equally between his words and the words of Johnny – creating quite a unique experience for the viewer who can observe the events from both the first and third persons.

A young boy holding a rifle

The film begins intensely, wasting no time in throwing the viewer right into the action. The viewer hears Johnny’s rapid breathing, sees the sweat on his forehead, and the fear in his eyes. And then his surroundings are shown – soldiers moving, Johnny among them – a young boy holding a rifle. His life and adventures are then followed throughout the movie. Soon it becomes clear that even if there are uncertainties about Johnny’s life and war record, the only certain thing is that his determination to join in the fight continued. The story told is not just that of Johnny, but it’s the story of the thousands of young soldiers who found themselves on the battlefield during one of the most intense periods in American history.

During these times, boys like Johnny were beginning to learn the ways of life. When they entered the war, these boys were mere innocent youths. But, with the tolls taken on them in a man’s war — the death, disease, corruption, and evil upbringings, they are morphed into adults faster than ever should be. In those conditions, it didn’t take long for a boy to quickly become a man.

Director R. David Burns and Executive Producer Wayne W. Whited have sorted through the legend to find the facts about the boy’s adventures to tell this heroic tale of a young boy’s determination and struggle against war, disease, death and destruction that was the American Civil War.

The DVD features a video clip of Matthew Rank’s song When Johnny comes Marching Home, a photo slideshow featuring production shots and close-up portraits of the characters in the film. It also contains seven minutes of footage showing the set and the actors getting ready for their scenes. In addition, the DVD includes Actor and Director Audio Commentary, Production Subtitles, Blooper Reel, and Deleted and Extended Scenes.

Johhny is highly recommended for classroom usage and to anyone who has an interest in US history. A true story told documentary style, it’s become a legend, appearing in newspapers of the times and in song — and now at theskykid.com.

TheSkyKid.com would like to thank cvmc.net for providing a review DVD for Johnny – The True Story of a Civil War Legend.

If you liked this review – we highly recommended checking out the review of the movie American Drummer Boy which is similarly themed.

Last but not least, does the approach of mixing documentary footage with live acting appeal to you, or would you prefer them to be separate?

Film title: Johnny – The True Story of a Civil War Legend
Release year: 2007
Director: R. David Burns
Cast: Cody Piper, Jack Dolezal, Terri Fisher, Gary Chambers

Hounddog (2007)

There has been some controversy surrounding this film, which is surprising as there is nothing more than one controversial scene. And even that, while being essential to the plot, doesn’t shock or come at the viewer unexpectedly. The viewer was prepared for it, and it was even hinted at in a few of the preceding scenes.

The action takes place in rural Tennessee, and the main protagonist is a young girl, Lewellen (Dakota Fanning), who lives with her father and grandmother, as her mother had left the family sometime in the past. Those were the times when rock and roll music was taking hold – Elvis was starting his career, and church pastors were preaching about the devil’s influence on this new music and how it would cast a spell on everyone who fell under its influence.

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Losing Track (1992)

Losing Track is a 1992, made-for-TV movie, produced by BBC Screen One. It tells the story of a father and son who have lost their connection after a long separation.

Clive (Ben Holden) is a 12-year-old boy who is shaken by the tragic death of his mother. His father, Henry Sitchell (Alan Bates), who has been away in India, returns to Britain for the funeral. The years spent in India away from his family have turned him into a very stiff, even grumpy person. He lives by strict rules, follows his ideals and expects his son to follow suit, without paying attention to the emotional condition of the boy. He sees his son as a stranger, as a distant memory might be.

The first indication of their relationship and the expectations of this father for his son can be observed in one of the first scenes. In it, Henry extends his hand for a handshake instead of hugging his son. The boy is mourning the death of his mother, but his father is set to put a stop to that as, in his opinion, the feelings of the boy towards his deceased mother would get in the way and be a hurdle to his future. At the same time, the future of the boy is pretty much predefined in his father’s eyes.

Clive desires to become a journalist, but his father wants him to take on a “more manly” profession. Henry burns his wife’s possessions and builds a model railway in her room instead. The viewer is quick to realize that this is Henry’s way of reminding himself of the authority he had in India and, at the same time, also a way of establishing authority over his son. He proudly shows the set to his son, but soon becomes obsessed with the artificial trains and rail roads and, after a demanding challenge, Clive says that he thought that the whole set was just a game, but is quickly informed that “Games have targets, Games have rules and penalization “. While there is some truth in this statement, it is also a harsh one and definitely not appropriate for a 12-year-old boy.

Losing Track is a powerful drama, which gets to the viewer even if there are no special effects or wild chase scenes. What it does have is a great cast. Alan Bates has a personality that soon steals the film and the viewer’s attention. At the same time, Ben Holden delivers an above average performance, portraying a young and emotional boy who is trying to overcome the grief for his mother and get to know the person who insists on being called “Henry” instead of “Father”.

While the story takes a while to develop, the film is a good example of classic British cinematography. This movie is sure to tug at the heartstrings of its viewers, as it touches on universal issues such an obsession with the past and father- son relationships.

Film title: Losing Track
Alternative titles: El Ultimo Tren
Release year: 1992
Director: Jim Lee
Cast: Alan Bates, Geraldine James, Michael Culver, Ben Holden, Sue Roderick, James Copnall, Brinley Jenkins and others

Katia Nicole

Katia Nicole is 11 years old and lives in Homestead, Florida. Her parents are from Puerto Rico and are of Colombian decent. She started off her performing career as a competitive cheerleader for several youth teams in Florida. As she got older, she decided to audition for the Miami Heat Jr. Jams, and made the team. Thereafter, she auditioned and also danced with the Florida Marlin Minnows, which is a group of youth dancers who perform at all the Marlins Sunday home games during the baseball season.

http://youtu.be/ycwV60lkNjA

At nine years old, Katia began dancing at Paramount Dance Studios in Homestead, where the director and founder, Lianna Beckno, saw her passion and talent and gave her a solo. She competed and won many awards while at Paramount, not only as a soloist, but as a group member as well.

When she auditioned the first year at the Miami Heat Jr Jams, in 2007 she did not make the team. She realized that these kids were trained in all styles of dance and she needed to push herself to get to their level. She joined a dance troupe called the Untouchables, that was lead and directed by Glenn Douglas Packard. At the Untouchables she met Jessica Fernandez, who became her private instructor and mentor. Through her trainings and teachings, Katia quickly learned an aggressive approach to modern and lyrical dancing. When she tried out the following season for the Heat Jr Jams, she made the team and other teams thereafter. At the present time, Katia dances at Xtreme Dance studio of Miami, which is led by founder and director, Denise Amores. With that program, she’s learned all styles of dancing and has won many awards in different competitions.

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The Lost Boy

Ever since I published the review of the autobiographical novel by Dave Pelzer A Child Called “It”, I kept noticing people looking for more information on both the book and its author. Only recently was I able to acquire The Lost Boy – the second book of the trilogy (the third one is called A Man Named Dave) – about the childhood of the author.

The Lost Boy starts right where the first one left off, describing briefly the devastation of a young boy (David) suffering mistreatment by his mother. The story sends chills to its readers as the author portrays the confusion, hope and thoughts of the nine-year-old boy and the way he sees the world, his parents and himself, after years of mistreatment and brainwashing done by his mother. The author spares us the gory details of his torture – but everyone who has read the first book will recall those scenes and wish that somehow, someone would put an end to it all.

While reading the book, I was astonished by the excellent writing of the author – recalling his troubled past in such an emotional way. It sets the book up as a prime example of a coming of age novel, detailing the struggles of a young boy trying to find himself and believe, for once, that he is a regular kid – not an ” it ” – but a human person. The tension in the story keeps the reader turning page after page hoping that David will make the right choices along the way – that he will be able to go on with his life. It begins to look like he might have a chance when finally his teachers step in and call the police. This results in the 12-year-old David being examined by doctors and undergoing a treatment with a social worker. During this treatment, he tells what he has been through – first trustfully, then scared that he might be betraying his mother (who, even after all these years, he still loves but is also afraid of). Can a child hate his own mother? In the end, he is finally rescued and placed in foster care.

Some of the events in the book reminded me of Iluzija – a Macedonian film I once saw. In my mind, I imagined David looking like Marco (Marko Kovacevic), the young protagonist of that film, as they shared similar experiences. At other times, I pictured David as the boy in the emotional video clip Oklahoma by Billy Gilman. I have always liked that particular clip, not just for Billy’s great singing, but for the story it tells. But it was only after I read this novel by David Pelzer, that I started to fully understand the meaning of the song. Atypical for a book review, I want to embed the clip in question in this article. I promise that if you like the clip, you will love the book as well:

The Lost Boy is an account of the experiences that shaped the personality of Dave Pelzer as he tries to make sense of his past and its reflection on his present and future. As such, the story is largely a coming of age experience of a young person and, as such, is recommended to people interested in that genre and/or Child Psychology. As you read about David and his quest to find his answers, you are guaranteed to find some answers for yourself.

Exclusive Interview: Rick Lancaster

Rick Lancaster (The Last Days of April, Ahmed, Muchacho Del Flamenco) has studied at Harvard, Yale and New York Universities, and holds Bachelor degrees in both Economics and Chemistry, as well as a Masters of Financial Engineering from Cornell University. Rick is currently the Chief Financial Officer for Metropolis Films Inc., as well as being a member of the Cornell Engineering Society, American Finance Association, PRMIA, Editor’s Union and The International Association of Financial Engineers.

TheSkyKid.com has featured articles, interviews and reviews of the films which Rick Lancaster directs and co-produces. The significant interest that all of them has generated, motivated us to go a step further and contact Mr. Lancaster for an exclusive interview for the site. We’re very happy that Mr. Lancaster agreed and now we are happy to present that interview.

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