[quote_center]What if you feel like you could vanish off the face of the Earth and no one would care?[/quote_center]
I have read a lot of books. Yet, never one so skillfully written. I don’t know what caused me to pick this book at the store. The summary on its back cover was promised a drama. The book was described as a memoir and it seemed that the story could be characterized as being from the coming of age genre and thus of interest to me and the readers of this site.
At the very begining of this review, I should warn you that Forgotten is not an easy book to live (I know the word should have been “read” instead of “live”, but I did live through the story and therefore decided to stick with the word I unconsciously had written).
Les Cummings spent many years of his life in a children’s home near Portsmouth, UK and only left to find himself in even worse conditions due to the negligence of the people who were entrusted to care for him – starting with his mother, the city council, the police and every member of the society who chose to turn its head away. Forgotten is a non-fictional memoir and it traces Cummings whole life — from early childhood to elderly adulthood. His analysis of the life he has been forced to live is often heartbreaking.
He writes:
[quote_center]….I rarely thought consciously about my childhood but it was always there in very action I took, every argument I picked, every decision I made …..[/quote_center]
This is probably one of the reasons why watching coming of age films or reading coming of age books is a must for each responsible member of society. It allows us to have an alternative point of view of the world that surrounds us and the behavior of people with whom we have out daily interactions.
Yes, Forgotten was not an easy book to read, nor was it easy for its author to write. His words better illustrate that point:
[quote_center]….Finding the strength to put pen to paper has not been easy. In order to write each line I have had to relive each memory – in many cases painstakingly….[/quote_center]
His emotions and honesty, his writing makes the reader wonder if such things are really possible. Part of human nature does not want to accept cruelty and violence as characteristics of creatures that belong to the same race. I used the word “creatures” on purpose as I can’t force myself to consider them humans…as if that would bring me down to their level. The book of itself is so powerful, the story so provoking and realistic that one feels the need to stop reading for a while …as if to avoid the knowledge of what was happening inside the pages and the reality of what was being described in words and fit into a book. Yet, one keeps reading and feels proud for Les Cummings for the courage it must have taken to write the history of his life.
[pull_quote_right]I did not have any opinion on religion at that age. Like everything else, I went because I was told to go. I was not encouraged to have a view on anything.[/pull_quote_right]
Sadly, not many things have changed in our modern society, as people below a certain age are still considered inferior when it comes to issues that adults consider too complicated for youngsters to comprehend. A lack of experience is the most used reason given in this discourse. Yet, we often forget that kids are human beings with their own individuality and should not be denied the opportunity to express their views. They can often affect, and even modify, our own perception of the world, which often bears too many prejudices and limitations gained through each person’s unique living experience.
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ever before have I seen such powerful opening and closing paragraphs to the chapters of a book. The author masterfully selected attention grabbing words that make the reader anxious to find out more or to think about what has just been read.
My biggest fear as a child was being noticed…Blending with everyone else became a necessary survival tactic
Even before picking up the book, you can get pretty good idea of what is inside it from the name of the chapters in the contents list: “One of the forgotten”, “What will happen to my children?”, “I’m never going to leave you again”, “She is not coming back”, “Who do you think you are?”, “It’s only for one day”…etc.
Then, as one goes through the chapters, one associates more and more with Les as he grows in the children’s home – deprived from affection or a caring word. He becomes a victim of violence and prejudice. Years later, however, when he finally manages to access his official file, the wording in it terribly twists the truth:
….I finished reading the documents…..According to the records in front of us I was Satan’s representative on Earth. I had bitten every hand that ever fed me – and I was fed very well, by the way, according to these statistics – I had stolen from everyone who tried to help me, and I had concocted wicked lies to innocent parties in hot water…
In the chapters of the book, you will find much reference to historical events that have occurred. One of them was the practice of the British of shipping orphans and disadvantaged children to Australia, which I referenced in my review of The Leaving of Liverpool. Another was the war and its impact on the people and the society as a whole.
I highly recommend this book to everyone over the age of fourteen, but re-state that it’s not an easy read and readers are likely to do a lot of thinking in the process.
The film is only 30 minutes in length. Even though the filmmakers were not able to secure adequate funding for their production, they managed a good portrayal of the coming of age story of twelve-year-old Marco – full of mischievous behavior and harmless pranks on the people around him.
I must confess. When I first watched this film, late one evening, I did not understand much. But then I watched it again in broad daylight and also read some about it and after that I understood much more. The Annunciation is a movie based on the play The Tragedy of Man, written by the Hungarian writer Imre Madach and first published in 1861. The play itself is often compared to the 17th century English poet John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Even if the film is entirely performed by children, it is very seriously done indeed.
The story begins in the Garden of Eden where Adam (Peter Bocsor) and Eve (Julia Mero) are tricked by Lucifer (Eszter Gyalog) to eat of the forbidden fruit, and thereby get knowledge of good and evil. For having committed this sin, they are then cast out from Eden by God. Now Adam reminds Lucifer of his promise to let him know “everything”. Lucifer then lets Adam fall asleep and have a dream of the future history of mankind. In every part of history, he lets Adam be a known character, starting with Miltiades in ancient Athens, then Tancred in Byzantium, Kepler in Prague, Danton during the French Revolution in Paris and, in the end, a nameless man in Victorian London. Guided by Lucifer, Adam is taken through the horrors of human history. In the end, Adam wants to jump from a cliff to spare the world from mankind, but is stopped by Eve. And God tells Adam that his task is only to “strive on and have faith”.
One year ago, Tony introduced 
It’s a little bit more than 15 minutes in length. Short films are tough to make and tough to review as the Director has a limited time to express his ideas and the viewer has a limited time to grasp them. That is probably the reason why short films never become too popular to general audiences or achieve recognition outside of the selected film festivals circuit where they are screened.
I have often criticized American-made movies for their lack of realism and a tendency to either ignore serious issues or present them in a mild way to the extent they lose their meaning. However, there are certain filmmakers that have proven me wrong on that and one of them is Stephen Ryder. He often addresses controversial issues in a unique and truly provocative way and his latest filmThe Last Days of April is no exception. A coming of age thriller at its best, the film has rapidly attracted a lot of attention. The relentless perfectionism of Director Rick Lancaster ( 
The world is full of great talents and, thanks to the Internet, we are now able to discover them much more easily than in years past. 
eems like it was just yesterday when I first found out about Gaby Borges. Her cover of Laura Pausini ‘s Viveme moved me deeply as she sang that touching song with a voice and soul that somehow made me feel every single word of the lyrics. Not too many singers are capable of doing that – and I really admire her devotion of to attaining her goals and becoming a world renowned singer. Gaby’s songs have frequently been played on TheSkyKid.com radio and every time they are the feedback is more than positive.
The lead actor debuted in his role as Erol. Despite the fact that the portrayal of his character would have been a challenge to a much more experienced actor, he manages to involve the viewers — letting them have a peak into the world through the eyes of an adolescent who is yet to make sense of the meaning of life and his own place in it. He might be awkward, vulnerable, not always sure of the answers – but can we say for sure that we are any different …?