Varde (2008)

Lately, I have noticed a trend of excellent short films produced in Norway and/or other Scandinavian countries. I already wrote for two of them – “ Iver ” and ” Benny`s Gym,” and now you are going to have another title to look for – the Norwegian film ” Varde.” A short description of the film would be ” What friendship is and what it isn`t. ” The film shares a similar mood with “Benny`s gym ” due to the moral dilemmas which the main protagonists had to face. For its 16 minutes, Varde is guaranteed to keep you glued to the screen, which only indicates what an excellent job did its director – Hanne Larsen.

Varde can be classified as both a dark film on adolescence and a twisted coming of age flick, which ensures that most of you will be moved by it. The film won the first award at the 2008 Palm Springs International Festival in the Best Live Action Short Over 15 Minutes category.

More information about the film is found on its official page on the Norwegian Film Institute website.

Lost Boys: A Novel by Orson Scott Card

The following review is based on the audio version of the novel Lost Boys. I assume that it follows the novel`s plot – which is why it can be considered a review of the book itself.

Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card was a very intriguing novel. When I first picked it up – I expected that the author would tell some coming of age tale – probably because of the book’s title. However, this turned out not to be the case, as I found out in the first hour of listening to the audio recording. By then, I was sucked by the story and the characters in it – so the fact that it was not what I expected did not really matter.

Somehow it felt like the whole novel is preparing us for its ending – which by all means is one of the most intriguing endings of a story I have read or heard of. In fact, I was so moved by it – that I could not stop thinking of what actually happened – and how the author skillfully leads the readers of his novel to different conclusions, yet developing the story in such a way that one is to remain surprised, amazed and overflown with emotions at the end.

Most of the story in the book focuses on a Mormon family dealing with real life. Step Flether, his pregnant wife DeAnne, and their three children move to Steuben, North Carolina. There Step gets a job as a ” manual writer ” in a software company while DeAnne looks after the kids. Their oldest child- the 8-year old Stevie, is having troubles at school, which far exceeded the usual “new kid” syndrome. Affected by that and maybe something else, Stevie starts imagining fictitious playmates to spend his free time with. His parents worry a lot about those unreal friends of Stevie and attempt to help and understand him.

I honestly think that writing more about this book will not be beneficial to my review – as if you can read / or listen to Lost Boys like I was doing it ( without having really an idea what it is about ) – you would definitely experience the book and the story in it just as the author intended. In the meantime, you would also learn many things about parenting, religion, and humans’ nature – things that would make you think more than once. The excellent character development throughout the story is another plus making this book a good read.

I strongly recommend it.

Lost Boys: A Novel by Orson Scott Card Audio Review

Le grand chemin

An adventures of an 9 years old boy from Paris in a remote French village. The way he reacted to the things he saw in the village in a way reminded me of the Spanish movie Secretos del Corazon .Only instead of a brother – he is initiated into the secrets of life by a slightly older girl who lives in the village . Little Louis is quite sensitive lad : “He is cute , but as nervous as a girl “ – yet by the end of his vacation he had learned a lot – both of himself and of his surroundings . The role of Louis is performed by Antoine Hubert who later became a famous actor in the French cinema and is a must known for anyone found of the coming of age genre.

The film could not be described as intense , even trough there was a scene that made my heard beating quite fast . With that small expectation you get a bitter sweet coming of age stories – like reading a memories of someone or picking back into your own childhood. The mood in the film is rather melancholic. That`s one of the things I like about COA films – one can always look back and see things in a different perspective he saw them once influenced by the story on screen .

The casting of “La Gran chemin” was brilliant and I enjoyed the performance of all actors. The two children in the lead roles – Antoine Hubert (the director’s own son) and his accomplice while Vanessa Guedj while both novice in the cinema at the time contributed did an amazing job . The dialogues between them are full of humor and while the sublime music made the film even more poignant. Those of you found of French films may be familiar with the old classic “Jeux interdits” – and if not I recommend that you check this film too.

The french cinematography style shines in its true uniqueness and you won`t miss it if you have seen other titles such as Small Change, Murmur of the Heart and Au Revoir Les Enfants. In 1991 the film was remade in the US as “Paradise” starring Elijah Wood . While I have not seen ” Paradise ” yet people who saw both claimed that the remake felt corny and unreal .

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This review would have not be possible without the valuable support of CVMC . I would like to thank them for supporting theSkyKid.com by providing the DVD of ” Motorama ” . Check out the film`s page at the CVMC.net

Motorama

Sometimes you see the cover of a film – and more or less make your mind of what it is going to be like. I did the same for the US production Motorama – and oh boy was I wrong .

The film began with some spooky scenes , which confused me even more . There were hints of a dysfunctional family ( parents arguing ) while their son is working on something in their garage. He turns out to be the young protagonist of the film- the 10 years old Gus .When that becomes clear a bit later I was once again surprised as he ( Jordan Christopher Michael) was much younger than I expected . From now on I am rather confused of how the film can be classified – coming of age drama, a comedy or a road movie …there is a bit of everything . I end up enjoying the film – but am not really able to define a well written reasoning for that.

Gus steals a Mustang , takes some money and hits the road . He drives the car, listens to loud rock music – stops at a Gas station where he finds out about the game ” Motorama” – which involves collecting of all letters in the game`s name trough special cards which are distributed by “participating gas stations “. And here it came – another surprise – not only I thought that the actors is older before I see the film , but the other characters in the film saw him as such – and he acted older as well which added another layer of strangeness to the film. But while mos people seem oblivious to his age , there is someone – who could recognize Gus`s age and get him in trouble – the sheriff !

“Being underage is such a terrible crime isn`t it? ” asks the boy when he almost gets caught in the first Gas station. For a 10 y.o he sure uses a lot of course words – in a way he could be easily described as the nightmare or every parent – stealing car, mocking people for money , getting into gambling – to the point in which at one times he states : “I play Motorama and right now my whole life is devoted to that game”. Yet he seems to be learning a lot during his trip – and experience during it – which most of the times are quite unpleasant for him – as he loses one of his eyes in one scene and is tattooed against his will in another. Yet the ending of the film – would definitely surprise you once again – with the morals it brigs – even if they could be a bit doubtful .

The film is full with US symbols – Mustang , Jeans and …several others which are commonly associated with the US – such as KKK , but I am feeling uneasy discussing any of them in my blog. In other words – Motorama is not a children`s movie as it features many disturbing scenes and foul language . The cast if packed with well known actors such as Susan Tyrrell,Jack Nance,Garrett Morris,Michael J. Pollard and Drew Barrymore . However none of them delivered a notable performance – including Jordan Christopher Michael who was on screen most of the time. He is excused however as the film`s plot required him to think and act as an adult – which could be quite a challenging task …

My guess is that Motorama would appeal to people who like surreal scenes set in an alternate-universe. They would have a lot of opportunities to interpret and analyse the scenes directed by Barry Shils. I found the film interesting and enjoyable enough – yet I tend to prefer more realistic tales as I have mentioned several times in the blog.

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This review would have not be possible without the valuable support of CVMC . I would like to thank them for supporting theSkyKid.com by providing the DVD of ” Motorama ” . Check out the film`s page at the CVMC.net

The Way I Spent the End of the World

There is something in common in movies coming from East Europe – especially of the ones who focus on the period before 1989. I have seen my fair share of them and probably that is why the Romanian film The way I spent the end of the World did not surprise me much or offer anything really intriguing in its plot , directing and overall atmosphere .

The film focuses on the coming of age of the 17 years old Eva during the last year of the communist regime of Ceauşescu. His 7 years old brother Lilu – also gets trough a lot of thinking and influenced by the environment around him he volunteers for a children`s choir which is to sing for the president , hoping that he would be able to assassinate the dictator.

Politics , betrayal and hope are the main themes in the film. A rather good portrayal of what the life was like in Romania during the ruling of Ceauşescu is probably the biggest value in the film. Yet I could not say that I enjoyed the film much as it got me bored in its first half hour – and watched the remaining hour hoping that something interesting would happen – but it did not. Then again as it is with all my reviews I am expressing my view on the film based on my thoughts and experiences – which would not necessarily overlap with the ones of you or others critics .

I have read some raving reviews of the film ( my guess by people who have not seen many films from Eastern Europe and that`s why what they saw on screen seemed intriguing ) – the folks at DVD talk even call it “ the kind of Sundance award-winner ” and while I disagree with such statement – you may want to check the film for yourself and decided upon who you are most likely to agree with .

The casting of the film was average – yet the performance of Doroteea Petre as Eva as well as the one of Timotei Duma in the role of her brother is worth mentioning . They deliver a good performance portraying the life of two children growing up during a communist dictatorship. Thanks to the two young leads perceptive beyond their years – fans of the coming of age genre might end up liking the film.

Trailer

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This review would have not be possible without the valuable support of CVMC .

Flight of the Navigator – remake

It seems that remaking old classics is a trending thing nowadays. Not long ago I wrote an article about the remake of “The Neverending Story” and today I am to report plans of new version of the Flights of the Navigator – originally released in 1986.

I am sure that most of you are familiar with the film ( even if it has not been reviewed yet at theskykid.com) – but just briefly – the original plot was about a twelve-year-old boy (Joey Cramer) who is abducted by a UFO in 1978 and reappears eight years later still the same age, with no memories of what happened.

Brad Copeland (Wild Hogs) is writing the remake, but no director is currently attached.

So now we have 3 classic films scheduled for a remake – ” Flight of the Navigator ” , ” The Never-ending Story ” and ” Karate Kid “. One can only hope that the studios involved would do a good job on the remakes and that the fans of the originals won`t be disappointed ( much ) .

My opinion is that those remakes are a good idea in general as a friend of mine once told me that many good films which were released only on VHS ones did not get a digital transfer and simply disappeared. If you know such a film – please let me know …

Here is the trailer for the original film:

When I Got Jesus With a Slingshot

When I got Jesus with a slingshot ( Da jeg traff Jesus… med sprettert) is a charming coming of age tale from Norway. It feels very nostalgic and biographical at the same time as it is based on the memories of the famous Norwegian poet Odd Borresen.

The film is pleasant to watch – as it focuses on the experiences of a boy growing up in Mid’30s Norway . The tone is set from the very first scenes as the protagonist ( already grown up ) narrates the story of his youth :

“I believe that the day the clock on the wall stopped was the last day I lived in the world of my childhood.”

The protagonist himself is not indicated until the fifth minute when we see a boy sitting in the showers of his dad, watching the passing planes and thinking that he has the world of his childhood beneath him. That’s how the viewer is introduced to the little Oddeman (Fredrik Stenberg Ditlev-Simonsen), a bright young lad trying to make sense of the world and the words and actions of the older ones.

And as it usually happens while one of his brother’s friends dreams of growing up, Oddeman is willing to stay on his head in an attempt to prevent that same phenomenon. What follows next are some great scenes of the growing-up experience – including games in the fields, fear of the dark ( and noises from the attic ), and a winter expedition that nearly ends in disaster.

The film’s acting is quite acceptable – especially one of its young leads – Fredrik Stenberg Ditlev-Simonsen and Martin Eidissen. I would recommend “When I Got Jesus With a Slingshot” to everyone who would enjoy a trip back to his childhood. The tasteful humor in the film makes it a perfect flick for the whole family.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvceVI7HJ34

When I Got Jesus With a Slingshot was the Norwegian entry to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001.

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This review would not have been possible without the valuable support of CVMC: The oldest movie rental service on the Internet — since 1998.

Carry Me Down by MJ Hyland

As soon as I finished the wonderful book by Robert McCammon Boy’s Life, I started looking for another similarly themed story, and that lead me to the discovery of “Carry Me Down” by M. J. Hyland.

While listening to it (Yes, I got the audio version.) I stumbled upon a great passage about the benefits of reading. :

“…Every school should have a library!

….yes, Sir, I say Yes, Mr. Rouch!

“No storybooks means no readying stories.

…yes, Sir, I say.”

No reading stories means no imagination. We all start life with imagination, of course. But without stories to feed it, the imagination, like a starved god, dies. And when the person does not read, and when a person has no imagination, they are sure to end up with no inventiveness of mind and spend the life with nothing but hackneyed warn out things to say—a life of slogans, jargon and cliches. A weak man repeats what he hears and makes himself dumb. . . and no imagination means that the only life you have been given, God knows looking around here I’d say some of you haven’t been given much of a life. ”

I believe that this short quote from the book is enough to raise your interest in it. I am glad that I have been reading a lot since I was around six. Both my teachers and parents have always encouraged this to be a habit of mine. I am positive that I would not have turned into the person I am if I haven’t read the books I have, the ones with adventures, Ancient Greece and Rome. The ones such as “Boy’s Life” and “Carry me down. “

And now to the story. The main character is John Egan, an imaginative and vulnerable 11-year-old who is on the edge of adolescence and learns about his new place in society the hard way. The story is narrated in the first person by the boy in a quite genuine manner, which soon makes you aware of John and his confused feelings, his parents, friends and relatives. One day John realizes that his father tells lies, and then things start to change for him. He decides that he possesses a weird gift detecting lies no matter how good the liar is and starts considering himself a ” Human lie detector.” He even starts writing a special book called “The Gol of Seil” and decided that the Guinness Book of World Records should be interested in his unusual gift.

While reading the book, you, like John, will discover a lot of things about Lies (I know I did) which would make you quite a good expert as well. John’s narration is very emotional and sincere, and I believe that every reader of the book will get attached to his story of growing up. Once he becomes a certain age, he believes that everything will change. That people treat him differently, and he struggles to discover the reasons for these changes.

As a chronicle of his coming of age experience, ” Carry me down ” is a great book as many youthful confusions are well described and analyzed. John wants to be different and unique. Don’t we all?

[pull_quote_right]I don’t see a point of living unless I could do something better than anyone else can. [/pull_quote_right]

A highly recommended by me, “Carry me down,” it is an engrossing story that at its heart examines an adolescent’s difficulties navigating the world.

PS: There is one very violent scene – around the beginning, which I found very tough. Also, since I listened to the audiobook, I would like to say that the narrator Gerard Doyle’s Irish accent fits perfectly into the story. He did an amazing job in transforming the words and emotions into spoken audio.

Carry Me Down by MJ Hyland Audio Review

Elie Dupuis

I have heard of Elie Deupis before, but a recent recommendation from a friend made me want to write an article about him. At the moment, I am listening to his song Band Band – recorded for the soundtrack of the French film ” Mommy is at the Hairdresser’s ” and am really struck by his voice and the emotions he delivers while singing. ( I am also trying to remember where I have heard that song before – it was another treble performer – but his name has slipt out of my mind ). ( another great performance of the song is the one of Nancy Sinatra – but I don`t have her in mind )

Listen Bang Bang performed by Elie Dupuis :

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJU_V3H4gcY

Elie’s family got a piano when he was 10 years old. After only two years of practice, he sent a demo to a Canadian program called La Fureur. Because of his appearance on La Fureur, he was chosen for one of the main roles for the film Maman est chez le Coiffeur (2008), where he shows off his musical skills.

In 2007, he was invited to Telethon Operation Enfant Soleil, where he met Annie Villeneuve, who will give him his first song. He will join on stage Charlemagne in a duo.

He performs regularly on the stage of Théâtre Hector-Charland, among others the benefit of the Fondation des Auberges du Heart, an organization that hosts youth homelessness or experiencing difficulties.

Elijah said he was “delighted” to live this experience with professionals who, like him, “vibrate for art.

The Blog of Elie at SkyRock

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMn6JY80xDU

Do you like the music of Elie Dupuis? Do you know something more about him – not listed there? I was hoping you could send me a comment or a message @skykid (on Twitter )

Amazing child singer : Brendan MacFarlane

Ever since I mentioned Brendan Macfarlane – his name frequently appeared in the search string people type to land on TheSkyKid.com. Recently I have noted an increasing trend in that which could indicate only one thing – he is becoming more and more popular, and people want to know, hear and see more of him. I tried to get some information from his cousin and his dad – but for some reason, the replays are yet to come. Bestpi – who writes much better about music than I would ever be able to – expects an answer from Brendon`s dad …

Recently Tommy contacted me via the contact form of the blog to ask if Brendan MacFarlane has his own CD out – but my answer is – nope, Tommy – not that I know of. With all that hype about Brendon, I could not see a better moment for that – and as everyone appreciates music, I am awaiting for such a thing to happen.

The latest information I have from him – is from January 27, 2009 – and was published in a blog called Letters From Cloverdale – in it, Victor wrote :

“He enjoys singing. His favourite country artist is Hank Williams. Brendan usually sings every other Wednesday for Open Microphone Night if his mother gives permission. That permission depends on the following:

His Homework is done.
His Chores are finished.
He hasn’t fought with his brothers and sisters.
He practiced the piano a full 30 minutes.“

Source

15.11.2009 Update: Exclusive interview of Brendan Macfarlane for theskykid.com

Pop Art – a short film starring Bill Milner

Pop Art

Country: U.K.
Language: English
Genre: Family/Drama/Fantasy
Director: Amanda Boyle
Actors: Bill Milner as Toby
Duncan Clark as William Spears
a.o.
Runtime: 15 min.

Pop Art is rather abstract and symbolic movie. In it Bill Milner plays the role of the 12 years old Toby who befriends an inflatable boy. One is to do some thinking to recognize the metaphor – but I am sure that many of you either know or could recognize that inflatable boy in your own self’s . The films deals with the serious topic of grieving – as Toby`s mom died a year ago , but his dad just could not move on – and neither do Toby . Would his new friend help him – would Toby help his new friend when he gets bullied at school ?

The film got screened at the Birds Eye View Film Festival ( 2009 ) and I could not agree more with its director Amanda Boyle who said about the young star in her film :

“Bill Milner in Pop Art is already a British film star who has an exciting career ahead of him.”

Head over to the PS : The picture was shot with a Sony HDW-F900 camcorder

PSS : I was pleasantly surprised to see Bill in a new light – a bit tougher then in his last films .

http://youtu.be/ZK8IsgdGVh0

En som Hodder : Someone Like Hodder (2003)

Someone like Hodder is a Danish film based on the book with the same name written by Bjarne Reuter . If you want to see an lively and uplifting family film – pick Hodder and let him show you what the dreams can do !

The main character in the film is the 9 years old Hodder (Frederik Christian Johansen) who lives alone with his father in a suburban neighborhood of Copenhagen . Hodder`s Dad hangs poster at night which leaves him little time to spend with his son.

The classmates of Hodder are rather mean to him and blame him . In his own words :

“It’s like that in any class.One person always gets the blame.In my class….it happens to be… me.”

Yet Hodder don`t think bad of those teases – he seems to ignore than and still adire his classmates impervious to their grating rejection.

One night, a fairy appears to Hodder. She tells him that he is ” the chosen one” who must save the world . Quite a handy task for a young boy. At first he tries to decline the responsibility saying to the fairy :

“But I live on my own with dad.Ask Filip from school instead.He’s much stronger than me.And he’s got a dad and a mum.”

Yet the fairy only confirms that it is him who would have to save the world the flies away . Hodder is confused – he tells about that night at school ,but naturally no-one believes his words .Next he shares with his his father and a woman at the bakery about the his new tasks – his father is not of much help – but he said that it it was him he would have launched an expedition , the woman the bakery suggest that he should ” start small” . Hobber takes their advices literally and soon discoverers Guambilua – the smallest island in the world located somewhere close to Afrika . What reminds for him is to form a team of people who can help him to launch en Expedition and save the people at Guambilua.

We see the world through the boy’s eyes – and probably that is why the narrative storytelling in the film seem so intriguing . The casting is excellent and once again I amazed astonished by the pure talent of someone who makes a debut a film production – Frederik Christian Johansen whose performance as ‘Hodder’ is flawless . He looks and acts a bit like my younger cousin – and probably the fact that I know someone in person who is quite similar made the acting performance of Frederik so authentic and convincing .

The cinematography in the film was well done to reflect the film`s theme . In many of the scenes the camera was positioned low and behind the boy, and the reaction shots of the boy sensitive and compassionate. Frequently close ups of the boy’s face make the viewers fall for him and his world of imagination . In additional the director of photography crated some amazing scenes matching background with the eye colour of Hodder – which is a definite indication of a good directing .

Despite the main focus of the Someone Like Hodder lies in the power of a fantasy – various advance themes such as loss, loneliness, and bereavement are enriching its plot. The film is perfect for a younger audience as it teaches that people should trust in themselves , because they could achieve things – no one could have dreamt of …

At the end of the review I would like to share with you a quote from the 10 year old Dorian Brunz who summarized her opinion on the film like that :

” This is a film, which one has to ponder a lot at home. It shows not only the Beauty of life, but also many Sadnesses. The more I think about this film, the more beautiful I find it.” ( source )

“The jury of the International Federation of Film Societies (FICC) has decided to give the ‘Don Quijote’ award to a film that opens a door to the world of a child. It shows how great children can be, what imagination they can have and what strength they can develop. When seeing this film we meet different persons: Lola, the lady on the street, the boxer Johnson, the lady in the bakery, the angel and above all the father. All of them have their special relationship with Hodder. which makes this film many sided. This film is well planned and well played.” (FICC-Jury at Zlin-Festival )

If you have seen the film don`t hesitate to share your own impressions using the comment form below :

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Lost Boys: A Novel by Orson Scott Card Audio Review

Carry Me Down by MJ Hyland Audio Review

Pop Art