Whisper (2007)

I have to tell you that I don’t prefer horror. But this was a breath of fresh air from the start. The excellent acting could only be 2nd to the excellent writing.

The storyline is awesome. An eight year old – David Sandborn – is kidnapped from his home and the kidnappers are not nice folks for the most part. It is delightful as the tables are turned and the predators become the prey. A few nice twists just to keep it interesting and an overall great show.
A superb acting job was done by Blake Woodruff as 8 year old David Sandborn. He handled the roll like he was born to it.

The camera work was not the best I have seen and I think honestly I would have directed it differently. But it was still a great show.

The bottom line is that the Devil’s work is child’s play!
I’ll watch it again and enjoy it just as much as I did the first time.

That’s my take on it.
bestpi

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DSCW1Ddk20

White Palms

White Palms is about comparison. Comparison between the traditions for training gymnasts that exist in Hungary and Canada. The story line follows the life of Miklos Dongo – from age 10 while training in the local gym to his later days in Canada as a trainer of a young Canadian. This is not the clichéd sport movie you are used to be seeing . White Palms shows a very realistic representation of the harsh conditions and brutal methods of training used in the east block.

I could say that I have a first hand experience with them – despite the fact that I can not recall such brutal hits or beatings. While those methods have one goal – reaching an automate discipline and have contributed to some of the world greatest artist achievements – in the modern world even watching them at the cinema screen is stressful.

After all for most of us the forms of corporal punishments used to “motivate” the young Hungarian athletes are unjust and barbaric.The scenes I am referring to portray the Dongo’s childhood on the mat, in which he is played to by the young athlete Orion Radies.

When in his thirties the grown up Dongo gets a job in Canada as a coach training 2001 Calgary Olympic hopefuls. However during a practice he slaps a kid and that almost costs his carrier and freedom. He has to adjust to the new environment and which is not always an easy task. The movie is well acted and its plot provides food for thoughts. I noticed a strong coming of age overtone as the young Miklos Dongo had to learn to respect himself and go on with the lessons he has learned.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaNpgpV2ebg

“This is not a movie about sports, it is about life and we learn that in order for one to face his faults is to go on to the next challenge and try once more. / Amos Lassen {l} “

IMDB page {l}

August Rush

August-Rush-Movie-Poster-23 I just finished watching this absolutely incredible film.

Here is how I determine what is good and what is bad in a film. Any writer who can stir the emotions in every direction of the compass has written an incredible film. Any writer who knows nothing but action sadly suffers from an affliction known as being totally shallow in thought. In short, you may enjoy the movie from the edge of your chair but an hour later you can not describe the movie. There is nothing lasting in it for you.

August Rush is a phenomenal movie that promises to bring the viewer to tears multiple times and laughter sometimes seconds later. You feel the apprehension when threats are applied and you feel the loss when it occurs. You feel fear and happiness, anger and loathing in this absolutely wonderful feature.

Freddie Highmore

Freddie Highmore formerly Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and more recently The Golden Compass, delivers a superbly believable character. He plays a young boy orphaned at birth and determined to find his parents. He also hears music in everything from the bouncing of a ball to the wind on the grass. He hears the music his parents make even though they are miles away and know nothing of his survival.

What ensues is an incredible whirlwind of totally unrelated events that allow him to blossom and fulfill a dream.

I don’t suggest you watch this movie. I suggest you buy this movie. Once won’t be enough.

That’s my opinion for what it’s worth.

August Rush Trailer

http://youtu.be/oUQ0qxmr2Gc

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0426931/

August Rush (2007)

5

OUR RATING

Where to Watch

On Demand

DVD

The Spanish Gardener

Despite the year in which this movie is made – it is worth seeing nowadays and I am glad that I was able to dig it out of my collection. The Spanish Gardener is a British movie and as such it carries the atmosphere typical for the movies produced in the country. The British consul in Spain moves into the country with his son soon after the boy`s mother left them. The father had some troubles at work and the need to relocate is making him feel miserable. Yet he hopes that the life in the country will be beneficial for the health of his soon who looks a bit lurid at the first scenes of the movie.

The garden in the villa they moved into needs some attention and a local gardener is hired. Soon he is befriended by the boy. Their friendship grows strong – which is not surprising because until that moment the boy has been denied to play with other kids or hang out with friends because of his because of his father opinion that his son is too delicate. Now the boy discovers a whole new words – finally he could louse the suits and ties he is wearing and play as any kid his age would. The gardener is being a great mentor to the kid showing him how to do basic staff in the garden, to fish …etc. As John Frame mentioned in his review published at the movie page at IMDB the gardener teaches the boy : ” …to enjoy the beauty of nature and the joy of life itself.”

The diplomat becomes jealous of his son’s close relationship with their Spanish gardener. He loves his child very much – and feels bad that the boy prefers to spend his time with their employee instead with his father.Torn by the jealousy, he contrives to frame the man and have him sent off to jail, but the gardener escapes.

The scenes in the movie are very colorful , which is surprising for a movie shoot before that many years. The landscapes shown are gorgeous and everyone who has ever been in Spain will appreciate them. I did not like the soundtrack much despite of the fact that most professional reviewers regard it as being very good.

Overall the The Spanish Gardener is a good movie which focuses on friendship , mentoring and jealousity. I am hesitating to give a general recommendation for this movie – because its is filmed in a way which would be appealing mostly for people who have deeper interest in the cinema as an art form.

the-spanish-gardener

Wristcutters: A Love Story

Wristcutters: A Love Story is a really really weird movie. I admit that I did not like it – even through there were some abstract ideas which some hardcore festival movie fan could find intriguing. When I first saw screen shots of the movie – one of my favorite actors Chase Ellison was on them – which is pretty much why I decided that the movie would be worth seeing. It turned out that his role was a minor one – in a short scene lasting less then 5 minutes. Then I thought that the movies theme – suicides could actually make a good plot – and at first it seemed that the movie has some sense . Soon after the plot transformed from a psychological drama to a road trip – with some dark humor mixed it. For a more on less an indie movie movie Wristcutters: A Love Story turned out to be a disappointment for me. It has several awards from various festivals – but this only confirms that not every movie with awards is worth it.

IMDB{l} Review{l}

Secretos del corazón (1997)

Secretos del corazón isan exceptional movie produced in Spain. It follows the life and discoveries of the 9-year-old Javi, who comes of age by learning how to face his fears and uncovers the secrets of the adult world – and the ones hidden in his heart. Javi is played by the young Andoni Erburu, who sets an example for outstanding acting . He is in almost all scenes in the movie and through his eyes one can re-experience the wonders of growing up . ( don`t forget to look into his eyes).

The script is strong and compelling while the rather slower pace of some scenes helps to comprehend the nature of the characters and motives for their actions.I enjoyed the dialogues between Javi and his older brother Juan as somehow they reminded me of myself and my cousin – how he always asks questions about life – and my answers which I admit follow the tone of the ones of Juan in making me sound like a smart ass . I liked the scenes in which the family had toasts around the table. The cinematography is good -especially the close-up scenes, which achieve their role as attention attractors.

Secretos del corazón was nominated and won various awards at festivals across the world. I have seen it several times in the past week, which is not a usual trend for me. If you appreciate rite-of-passage movies and European cinema, you will really like this movie.

Official Trailer

http://youtu.be/_mylEgZ3tNw

IMDB (link)

“The box compares it to Cinema Paradiso, Children of Heaven, and Kolya, but My Life as a Dog and Hope and Glory also came to mind.That’s not bad company at all.”

Extract from a Review written by Nicholas Sheffo

Treijim’s Art

I suppose you could say I met Sky KID by accident, but when he asked me to feature my own art on his blog, I was quite flattered.

You can call me Treijim. I have a deviantART gallery (the largest), a Sheezyart gallery (the second largest), and many more around the place. My digital work is all done with a mouse, and I’ve been doing such work since 2005, though I’ve really been drawing for my entire life. I have had no training in the specific areas of art I practice. I guess you could say I’m both prolific and obsessed. And to cut to the chase, below are some of my best pieces:

2H, 2B, 8B pencils, 8B Mars Lumograph pencil. 25cm x 39cm cartridge paper (15″ x 9.5″) Around 20 hours. It’s of Josh Hutcherson and based on a scene from Bridge to Terabithia. He’s one of my favourite actors. It’s the biggest graphite portrait I’ve ever done. Click the image to see the deviantART submission and for more information.

Mouse, Paint Shop Pro, about 9 hours. One of my more painterly works. The boy is William. He’s in one of the smaller stories I’m writing, based in the world of Riiga. It’s the only one of my images that has sold more than one print on deviantART. Click the image for a larger view and more information.

Mouse, Paint Shop Pro, pen lineart, 3-5 hours. This one is of Nari. Occasionally I feel like drawing cute for cute’s sake. Nari is usually the end product. By the way, that’s fur, not skin. He is of a race called the Sirins.

(Mouse, Paint Shop Pro 9, about 18 hours over the past five days. It’s of Evan, who is another one of my characters I draw often. This is one of my more emotional pieces, and also one of those pictures where I spare no details. It’s probably my favourite Evan drawing. Click the image for a proper view.

Mouse, Paint Shop Pro, 10-15 hours. The one in front is Cole. He’s the main character of the largest story I’m writing. The one behind is Evan. This drawing is a representation of the strength of the friendship that is developed and tested through the story. It was really fun to draw!

And there are tons more in my gallery. I hope those five images covers enough of my characters and styles.

Toto the hero (1991)

Unique cinematography and great acting – combined witch a well developed plot – those are the reasons for which Toto the Hero gets high ratings in just about every movie list it is featured. The story is puzzle like and solving it becomes a trilling challenge for the viewer . The director (Van Dormael) use mulch-flashback techniques combined with surprising scenes to twist the plot and make the movie really vibrant and inventive.

The main character Thomas ( nicknamed Toto) is convinced that as baby, he was accidentally switched with another boy Alfred – who latter becomes his neighbor. From this very moment Toto feels deprived from his own life and devotes his life to fix this injustice.The story is presented from his viewpoint through an unforgettable exploration of his life – from birth to grave. Toto the hero could be labeled the ultimate coming of age movie – even through the viewer is left to decide if Thomas successfully completed the transaction from or his mind reminded captured in some state.

I could relate to the story as it showed how a single event and/or idea can shape the whole life of a person . While there are many years ahead of me until I reach an old age or anything even close to it there have been things and events who had their impact on my life – and some probably still does – not that this is necessarily a good or bad thing.

I highly recommend Toto the hero – it is by far the most original film I have ever seen.

http://youtu.be/GqTVr79pqEw

IMDB (link)

Cachorro

Cachorro is an amazing Spanish movie . I loved it ! Unfortunately you will have to be open minded (at least one bit)- or will end up not liking it ( a possibility that is). If you have seen Mala Educacion of Almodovar and any of similar European movies you won`t be shocked by the scenes in Cachorro – but would rather appreciate the directing talent of Miguel Albaladejo . (soon I am going to watch and review another movie directed by him – Volando Voy).

Pedro – a gay dentist enjoys his bachelor ways of life: living alone in a downtown Madrid`s apartment and having active sexual live spiced with drugs and wild parties. His sister is a hippie and is planning a trip to India – her 9 years old son Bernardo has to stay with someone for the duration of that trip and this someone happens to be Pedro. At first, they both did not seem very happy with this arrangement – but as time passes they get to know each other better.

An incident prolongs the stay of the mother – she is arrested in India for drug trafficking, changing the two-week vacation into a time indefinite absence. Pedro has to accept the responsibility of caring for Bernardo – which could mean changing his life a bit – being a father figure is not always easy. The young boy ( played brilliantly by David Castillo ) however is very open-minded and wise – which is probably resulted from him growing up in a rather liberal environment.

Up to this moment – the movie may remind you of Big Daddy or About a Boy – but it only gets better. The boys grandmother Doña Teresa enters the scene – apparently not happy with the new arrangements she is trying to get custody of Bernardo – using even blackmailing to achieve that. The story is full of twists and indeed its ending is quite surprising and open at the same time which will allow you to select the way to conclude the story.

The movie can be categorized as drama and comedy at the same time – some scenes heartbreaking , other really entertaining . The movie addresses several issues ,amongst them :

“1) Is it possible to balance an active/casual sex life with bringing up a child.
2) What makes someone a good parent/guardian?
3) Adoption of children by GLBT individuals or couples
4) The reinvention of what constiutes “family”
5) An introduction to “Bear” culture”

The acting of the actors is remarkable and the soundtrack is amazing. Cachorro is one of the best films I have seen and I highly recommend that you go ahead and watch it.

“Cachorro” draws on many texts … (including “The Jungle Book”, “Peter Pan”, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”, it has a man-all-of-a-sudden-finds-himself-having-to-look-after-a-child story that has echoes of “Three men and a Baby” and “Big Daddy”). {l}

Koktebel

Koktebel is a Russian coming of age drama – which has gained some recognition on festivals across the world. The way in which the movie is directed and filmed in similar way as the movies: The Return and Mirror . I liked the cinematography in the movie – the camera work is great and the scenes were pleasure for my senses. However the pace of the movie was a bit too slow for my liking -and whereas some my argue that such pace is necessary to describe the characters – I think that the story could have been told for half the time it was. One of the directors of Koktebel is psychologist and this clearly affected the movie – as the friend of mine I watched this movie noted – one has to think about the story , to analyze the events in order to fully understand the story. Koktebel is about a father and son who travel across the Russian wilderness – with a goal many people strive for ( me too) – start a new life. They travel by foot , train – stopping at places to work and earn some money for survival. During their journey they meet various locals and while interacting with them learn new things about themselves – the father for the boy and the boy for his father. The story is told in narrative style – mainly from the view point of the boy – which makes Koktebel a good coming of age movie. The true nature of the dreams is examined – and one can see that sometimes a common goal can shape the life of people.

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

IMDB

Sztuczki

Sztuczki is worth watching if only because of Damian UL’s talent, who played in the role of Stefek – a six-year-old boy who tries to retrieve his father. The cast is well selected, and their acting performance is first class which brings a feeling of spontaneity and uniqueness into the movie. Damian UL got an award for best actor in the International Cinema Festival in Tokyo for his performance in Sztuczki. The plot provides a mixture of hope, humorous moments and drama. The movie does an exceptionally well presentation of the everyday working-class life in the Polish countryside.

The directing of the movie was exceptional, and so it was the soundtrack. I have seen the movie twice – in the cinema theatre during a festival and at home. Sadly the director did not appear during the festival as it was announced as it would have been great if I could share my impressions with him.

A warm and amusing story, seen through the eyes of the boy Stefek.{L} Bravo to the director Andrzej Jakimowski for bringing such a masterpiece to us.

Canvas (2006)

I haven’t seen acting like in Canvas in a long time. The best actor in the movie is Joe Pantoliano in the role of a father who has to take care of his son while his wife is taken away to a mental hospital. In a few other reviews I saw opinions that Devon Gearhart, who played the son in the film, was not capable of showing the depth of his character, but I would rather disagree. To me, he did a really good job and I think that his talent will shine in the years to come. Of course I won’t neglect to mention Marcia Gay Harden – who has the most challenging job of portraying a woman with a mental disorder – and played the role brilliantly.

Canvas is the kind of movie I wouldn’t be surprised to see shown in Sociology classes at school. It has some really strong scenes – like the one in which the mother was taken into a hospital by police. Surprisingly, I felt tears on my cheeks while watching this scene. Learning how to be a real family – father , mother and a son – could be a tagline for Canvas. At the same time, I think that it would be better if the movie was more realistic (as Stephen Holden suggested in his review). It would have made an even better drama.

Canvas 2006 Official Trailer

httpv://youtu.be/Xi6ohZCwj2M

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