Life is full of coincidences – and of them is that I got to watch the short film “Sandman” just a few days after I started working temporarily as a lifeguard. The film itself made me reread my life-saving instructions and a bit nervous about my next day at work as there is some generally spooky feeling in it associated with water and drowning. For most coming-of-age fans the film would be mostly notable because of the appearance of Christopher Pettiet in the lead role.
Jessie (Christopher Pettiet ) is a young boy who wants to learn how to surf – going with his friend at the beach where the ” big boys ” do it. His mother is being overly protective ( for a reason ) and makes him wear a life jacket – which he does even after his friend tells him that he would look odd in it. Soon enough the boys witness a drowning incident in which a teenaged surfer dies – this accident worries Jessie and he has reoccurring nightmares about it . The film makes some references to the war in Vietnam and the family relationships – but they would be most likely picked up and understood by Americans as I myself remained a bit confused on their role in the plot.
Christopher Pettiet really impressed me with his acting and appearance . There was something very American in him and the whole film – or at least that`s how I felt while watching the film. The camerawork was good – and the surf scenes were well shot. I did not like the soundtrack much – but for a short film that is rather a minor thing.
The film Sandman is included in the CVMC DVD titled ” Sandman and other shorts“. I would like to thank them for their continuous support of theskykid.com. Another film from the same DVD reviewed on my blog is Apology to Josh Fleischman.
{Pettiet died on April 12, 2000, of a drug overdose in Los Angeles at the age of 24. After his death, his mother founded a scholarship fund in his name to help young actors attend the young actor’s studio where he had trained.}
( source: Wikipedia )
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAABW7NCpQk
Robbie is an American film released more than 50 years ago. During the years it has achieved classic status as if to remind the world what US films once were before everything went mainstream Hollywood. The best way to describe the film is to say that it is heavily influenced by the story of Robinson Crusoe and some may even argue that Robby is it’s modern remake, with a younger cast and a more idealistic setup.
It should be said that the time frame by which this was written made the movie have a deeper meaning than viewed today. It was released in 1968 when America was in the final throws of Racial division. This movie featuring 
While the camera work was excellent (And I’m sure tricky) and the tropical location supreme, the acting though good, was not exceptional. Working with children is difficult enough when making a movie, but the entire film rests on the acting of two and the dialog of only one. I think it should have been a little stronger. There were periods where eye to camera avoidance was obvious and dialog seemed to run a little long and insincere. However, when I remember the boy carrying the story was all of ten years old, I think he did a great job. But the film overall was good in its message, and the interaction between the boys was wholesome and delightful. Much of the film occurs after Robby sheds his need for clothing so if you are a prude, you will not be happy with the naturalist atmosphere of the movie.
I think that it would be great to interview Warren Raum and Ryp Siani or any of the cast or crew today and ask them about the filming and the experience. Warren Raum would now be 51. No evidence exists that either actor went on acting, at least not under these names. But given the climate and the nature of the filming, it had to be a very difficult shoot. The sand alone makes things difficult. It shows set up tracks so there is much to do in neutralizing the evidence of the camera crews presence. Not to mention it get’s into everything. Especially with the constant on-shore breeze. The sky and lighting also changes rapidly there and the tropical nature means rain is coming at any moment. I’m sure it meant there was a lot of waiting and a lot of setup and anticipation only to be postponed by weather.
Shorts is a family adventure film directed by Robert Rodriguez. One of the reasons to pick it this Saturday night was Jimmy Bennett who has the leading role in the film. Another reason was its official trailer – which made the film look really cool . . .
references to technology in parody, like the Apple Iphone, one device does it all. But the more features, the less battery life. Those things are likely to be picked up by the teens and all the geeks out there.
I have only heard good things about the film. According to CVMC – it is the gem of the collection of short films on their DVD titled ” Love child and other shorts ” and I happened to agree with their assessment . The story revolves of the rite of passage experiences of Murray Murray growing up in the 80s . In the first scenes when Murry is confused about all the things grown ups do ( after hearing his parents at night ) , he asks his friend ( a girl his age ) who has a ready explanation :
Resuming the short film series with a review of the Brian Paul`s – ” The Puzzle “. Having recently read ( listened to ) the book ” 
Two weeks ago I reviewed an interesting Canadian film called 
Your film ” Montreal Main ” focuses on the relationship between a 12 years old boy and an older photographer . The ending of the film is a rather sad one as they are forced to put an end of their friendship. During the years I have seen many films who deal with intergenerational relationships – to name a few : ” This Special Friendship ” , ” For a lost soldier ” , The fire that burns ” – and all of them end by disastrous separation – either forced of because of one of the characters dies. Do you think that those endings reflect the expectations of the society toward the relationship that is portrayed in them ?
How did you cast the boy (John Sutherland
As 