Introducing Felix Bosques Harima

In the great rock tradition of bands like Metallica, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and many others, meet Felix the Rock, a young artist from Seattle.

Searching for biographical info, one can find only the basic details: he’s 13, first guitar at age six, several live performances in the last few years. Aside from that, Felix is something of a mystery.

But let us concentrate on his music, especially his original creations – all precocious and genius! Felix swears on his “bible” (his two most precious things: his guitar and his room) that his creations are his own, so let’s look at what they say.

Guitar Virtuoso

In Death Wish, a brilliant dark paranoiac anthem, Felix shows off his lead guitar skills and his fine ability to compose a song that carries us along in powerful variations. This is about the disruption of peace and loss of faith in the integrity of others. He sends us crashing down towards fear and insanity.

Screams of laughter,screams of fear
As we fall into the night
Your death wish in one hand

Carrying on the Rock Tradition

From the opening slide to the first chords, we know we’re hearing an e-guitarist who has great control of his instrument. The vocals soar as the song builds up dramatically in a video shot on a railway track, symbolic of impending disaster.

When the midnight howls
It screams in misery
And then it leaves the world to burn

Felix’s rock creations border on the level of skillful guitarists like Gary Moore and Joe Satriani. Check the kick-butt solo at 2:45, changing effects three times up to 4:20. Poli!

In his original Roots, Felix also plays bass guitar and drums. The intro section is balanced and leaves us curious. This song is an affirmation of homeplace, a pounding hymn to the transient nature of life.

I see the fires burning
It started with the strike of match
And it all comes down in a blood red haze
I was born to die here

The lyric lines, with their high long drawn out notes, fit brilliantly with the music. The guitar solo after 3:35 leaves my mouth open, with jaw dropped in disbelief. Fast-Fingers-Felix! To authenticate, the video focuses mostly on Felix’s guitar work.

Beautiful starts out very Zen-like, looking over a bay. Wearing a green hoodie, the artist fades in and out of the waters. This is a haunting love song, at times almost like a kid’s keyboard melody, but serene and mellow, with terrific solo licks after the four minute mark.

The chorus lyrics and music show how advanced Felix is musically and emotionally.

Your heartbeat echoes through my head
Slow or fast, pick your poison
And it bursts open my heart
And leaves me drowning in your wake.

There is no doubt that Felix is a youngster with a great creative talent. More importantly, he is carrying on in this Rock tradition. He is the honest voice of a younger generation, with its fears and trepidations, but also its hopes and affections. It will be very interesting to discover what Felix invents in the coming years.

Felix Bosques Harima on YouTube , Twitter and SoundCloud

Sixth Annual Coming-of-Age Movie Awards

As the largest and oldest media covering movies in the Coming-of-Age genre, TheSkyKid.com presents annual awards, recognizing excellence in eight categories, for films and TV programming in that genre.

The awards were launched back in 2009 as a means to provide an opportunity for movie goers who like Rite-of-Passage cinematic experiences to elect their favorite movies and actors in eight categories as follows:

Best Acting, Coming-of-Age Value, Best Newcomer, Best Cinematography, Best International Film, Best Short Film, Special Soundtrack and Best Performance in A Film Made for TV.

The nominee pool for each category is limited to films released in the year preceding the awards. The sixth consecutive issue of the awards feature movies (and actors starring in them) released during 2013. Recognizing that even for a niche media, the task of reviewing all movies released in a particular year is practically impossible, we invite you to check the 2013 listing at the Ultimate Coming-of-Age movie list that we maintain on IMDb.

As a reminder :

“A Coming-of-Age movie is a film in which the central plot revolves around a person suddenly facing a life changing experience, trial or tribulation. That person, who was once naive or childish or pre-pubescent, is now suddenly older and wiser because of the experience. They see life and their place in the universe for the first time.” Alternative descriptions can be consulted at the Coming-of-Age Films Definition article.

Happy Voting!!

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Nominations

Best Cinematography

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Best Actor

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Coming-of-Age Value

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Best Newcomer

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Best Short Film

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Best Performance in a TV Film

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Special Soundtrack

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Best International Film

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Voting is open until 24-December-2014. The winners will be announced on this web page, via an article and a press release, which will be updated to include detailed information for the films that receive recognition each consecutive year. Furthermore, we will seek to interview a winning actor or filmmaker as we have done in the previous years after the presentation of these awards.

St. Vincent (2014)

Theodore Melfi’s 2014 film, St. Vincent, is one of the best feature film débuts I have had the opportunity to see. Its story is a wicked mixture of The Karate Kid, About a Boy and The Man Without a Face — with its own twists that makes the movie truly enjoyable – all 102 minutes of it.

While its story may be a bit predictable, the character development and the superb acting performance of Bill Murray in the role of Vincent, an aging Vietnam veteran (who finds himself in the unlikely situation of babysitting the 12-year-old neighbor boy), more than compensates for the lack of suspense.

Vincent is an interesting “older guy” — opinionated and with an attitude. His age doesn’t stop him from being a rebel who doesn’t give a damn about what society thinks of him. And yet somehow, his honestly (brutal at times) makes one delay a final judgment about his character.

The reactions of little Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), when he and his mother Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) move in next door, most accurately describes the general first impression Vincent makes on people:

Oliver: Is that our new neighbor ?

Maggie: Yep !

Oliver: It’s going to be a long life….

Coincidently, Oliver also doesn’t melt one’s heart from the get go. But one can’t judge him – he has it rough having to make a fresh start in a new town and attending a new school. He is a smart kid, but quite wimpy, making him a perfect target for the school bullies.

When they take away his phone and keys, he has to resort to asking the “old guy next door” to use the phone so he can call his mother at work. Vincent is broke and sees an opportunity to make some money by babysitting the young boy for his overworked mother. Since it doesn’t get much closer than the next-door neighbor, Oliver’s mom reluctantly agrees. Little does she know that Vincent’s babysitting methods are far from being conventional…

Classifying St. Vincent into any genre – such as drama or comedy or even Coming-of-Age — would be inaccurate and likely set unrealistic expectations for the viewer. The story is well told and both Bill Murray and Jaeden Lieberher stand their ground well in their respective leading roles.

Despite being stereotypical or maybe because of it, the supporting characters are intriguing on their own. Among them are: a “lady of the night” with a recognizable Russian accent, movers that speak Spanish, an overworked mom and a heartless, cheating liar of a dad who wants to get his son back — whatever it takes. The stereotypes and clichés are present yet cleverly used to the film’s advantage.

St. Vincent features a great Coming-of-Age subplot as young Oliver finds in Vincent, not only a babysitter (that he feels he doesn’t need), but also a mentor, father figure and …a friend. True, Vincent is not without his imperfections, but hey – whoever doesn’t have them is free to throw the first stone. The naïve and innocent youngster gets a crash course on real-life from Vincent – and an honest one lacking the preaching of insincere morals and sugarcoated lies.

The film is enjoyable but gets truly emotional and heart-wrenching in its final scenes. It does that in an ingenious manner, so the buildup doesn’t feel forced and the emotions are real. Any story that can move its audience like that deserves a standing ovation and St.Vincent definitely got one from me.

Highly recommended!

Official Trailer

St. Vincent (2014)

Summary

A well told story about an unlikely babysitter for his 12-yr-old next door neighbor with Bill Murray and Jaeden Lieberher in the starring roles.

4.3

OUR RATING

Watch now

Amazon Video

Ricky: Three’s a Crowd (2013)

Every day life presents many sources for cinematic inspiration. In the 2013 German Coming-of-Age flick Ricky: Three’s a Crowd, Director Kai S. Pieck tells the story of an imaginative ten-year-old Ricky (Rafael Kaul) who faces problems many kids his age have to deal with at one point or another: bullies, troubled parents, and an uncooperative brother who doesn’t want him hanging around (but has nothing against using him as spy to get as much information as possible about a girl who lives in the neighborhood, etc.).

As indicated by the title of the film, it’s not only Ricky’s rite-of-passage experiences that are being explored. His 15-year-old brother Micha (Jordan Elliot Dwyer) is desperately trying to win the heart of the girl of his dreams: Alex who is somewhat self-sufficient, and is playing hard to get. Alex has some issues of her own. The biggest one is the fact that she doesn’t know anything about her father, and her mother refuses to reveal his identity or anything else about him.

Following not only one, but three young peoples’ Coming-of-Age experiences is an intriguing approach that allows for different viewers of the film to find a character they can identify with. The film’s story is told in a family friendly manner, targeting the younger age group. Admittedly, on a first watch, Ricky: Three’s a Crowd delivers a somewhat disappointing viewing experience. Aside from a few good scenes, the lack of tension, suspense and any real dramatic or worthy acting performances results in a bit of boredom. In essence, one would expect to see films such as this on some cable channel, but I would skip any DVD releases or cinema screening.

Trailer ( in German )

Billy Elliot Live & DVD

BETM Live Poster On 28-Sep-2014, a special presentation of Billy Elliot The Musical was held on a Sunday at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London and beamed live to movie theaters across the UK and other parts of the world. Subsequently, replays of that “live” presentation were shown in other theaters around the world and this month will be shown in still other global markets, including the United States. A complete listing of past and future showings of the presentation can be found on the BETM official website and for showings in the United States, at the Fathom Events website.

This special presentation features a pre-show introduction by BETM director Stephen Daldry, and is performed by BETMUK’s current cast, led by Elliott Hanna in the title role, with a special one-time appearance by original Billy Liam Mower, in the role of Older Billy. A special mash-up Finale includes 25 past and current Billys dancing to the spectacular choreography of original BETM choreographer Peter Darling.

Special DVD/Blu Ray Release on November 24th

In addition to the in-theater showings, it was announced that Billy Elliot the Musical Live will be available, beginning Nov. 24 in the U.K., on Blu-ray and DVD. Here’s the trailer taken from the Live footage of the show:

Credit: Video by WhatsOnStage

Prior to the November 24th release, the DVD and Blu-ray discs can be pre-ordered through such outlets as Amazon.com. It should be noted that for this initial release, the DVD will only be playable by those living in Region 2, unless they possess a “region free” DVD player. For a description of the international region codes, go here. It is expected that the release will be expanded to other regions at a later date.

On the September 28th weekend, when the show was beamed live into theaters across the UK, the popularly of the show, which has been seen by over 9.5 million people worldwide, was again on display as it topped the UK and Ireland box office, a first for an event cinema release. The special screening took in a record £1.9m.

Liam Mower (Older Billy) and Elliott Hanna (Billy) Dance in Dream Ballet

Pure (2002)

I’m not sure what made me pick this film for my DVD collection. Maybe it was that the cover looked promising – a simplified design usually associated with the drama genre and a face that looked familiar. It was the actor Harry Eden’s face, who I remember for his roles in The Lazarus Child and Polanski‘s adaptation of Oliver Twist. At first, I didn’t realize that Pure was the very first feature film the young actor starred in, but then the opening credits announced: “and introducing Harry Eden.” That’s when I knew that I had made the right choice.

Pure’s action occurs in East London, where the ten-year-old Paul (the central character in the film) lives with his younger brother and mother. After his father’s death, Paul looks after his mother – taking care of the cooking, the shopping, the washing and, when she needs it, he even helps her prepare the “medicine” that their “Uncle” Lenny brings her when he comes over. Little does Paul know that this “medicine” makes his mother an addict, a junkie as the older children don’t hesitate to call her. Paul doesn’t know what a junkie means being, but he refuses to accept that his mother is one – until things get out of control when he finds out from a family friend. When the person who explained to him what’s behind the slang term dies from an overdose, Paul realizes that his mother has been lying to him. He confronts his mother and makes her promise that she will ” give it up, stop using it. ” He promises her that he will be there for her no matter how hard it might get. But will they manage? Will Paul’s mother ever be Pure again.

At its core, Pure is a powerful and heart-wrenching coming of age drama. The story is told from the young Paul’s point of view, who witnesses the horrible consequences of drug usage and the hardship of withdrawal. The film has received an R rating because of the controversial subject matter – something I can’t fully agree with. While some of the scenes can be clearly labelled as disturbing, the film’s message has the potential of reaching far more young people than any school lecture ever will (those are usually ridiculed by high school students anyway).

The soundtrack of the film is brilliantly conceived. Sometimes, when you watch a film, the music chosen to accompany the scenes can feel out of place or totally inappropriate or distracting. But in Pure, the music score does what it’s supposed to do – enhance the visual experience by adding emotion and rhythm to a film. The mixture of orchestral strums and drum ‘n’ bass tracks exemplify the real purpose of using music to accompany the scenes on screen. The last time I was so impressed with the music score was when I watched Ivan Noel`s En Tu Ausencia ).

Harry Eden as Paul / Pure ( 2002)

When it comes to the actors – though all deliver good performances, the real star is the young Harry Eden, who, as noted earlier, debuted in a lead role in this film. Young Mr. Eden outperforms many actors with years and years of experience in front of the camera. There are no flaws in his acting. His facial expressions (especially his eyes) convey a whole range of human emotions, which, in turn, brings honesty and realism to his portrayal of the young Paul. It’s young talents like Harry Eden who bring real magic to the coming of age genre, regardless of whether they are starring in entertaining adventure or fantasy films or powerful dramas with a social message like Pure. Harry Eden’s performance will leave a long-lasting impression on anyone who sees him in Pure, and you will likely seek out the other films in which he stars.

Note: The following trailer from the movie contains scenes portraying drug usage.Parental discretion is advised.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308772/

Pure (2002)

In short

Pure is a powerful and heart-wrenching coming of age drama.

4.2

OUR RATING

Where to get

Amazon

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾

I used to think that Diary of a Wimpy Kid was as funny as it gets and then I stumbled upon a book written by Sue Townsend titled The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾.

One can not help being astonished by how well a woman author is able to describe the teenage mindset of a young boy, especially during such a turbulent time in his life. For a book that was first published more than thirty years ago, everything described in it feels surprisingly contemporary. I guess some things – like Coming-of-Age experiences — never change.

“…Came home, nobody was in so I played my Abba records at the highest volume until the deaf woman next door banged on the walls…”

The entire book is filled with witty remarks and observations about the weirdness of adults and life in general, made by its 13 ¾ year old protagonist Adrian Mole. He methodically wrote everything that has happened to him in his diary, which turns out to be not so secret. After all, it’s been published for you to read hasn’t it? But then again, true geniuses have to make themselves known. That being said, I found an abundance of uncanny similarities between Sue Townsend’s character and myself: we are both intellectuals and so full of ourselves! Plus I finally have an excuse for my many sleepless nights. In Adrian Moles’s words:

“Us intellectuals keep anti-social hours. It does us good.”

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole is a true masterpiece. Written in a diary style, it allows the reader to read short sessions at a time (although I have to admit it is hard to put down) and the first person narrative is nothing short of enchanting. Readers get to co-experience the splendid charm of adolescent worries such as pimples, girls ,love, uncooperative parent figures, bullies, physical changes (like the size of this or that thing) and, of course, making plans for a glorious future:

“I am at the Crossroads in my life. The wrong decision now could result in a tragic loss to the veterinary world. I am hopeless at science. I asked Mr Vann which O levels you need to write situation comedy for television. Mr Vann said that you don’t need qualifications at all, you just need to be a moron.”

Young readers, just like their parents, will find Adrian Mole’s diary entries hilarious, delivering a joyful reading experience from cover to cover. It did not come as a surprise when I read in Wikipedia that the book was a best-seller, and had sold 1.9 million copies by November 1985. Most of the humor in it seems innocent enough (considering the age of the protagonist), yet there is a lot of clever satire that addresses some pretty serious topics – like politics and religion – not to say that growing up isn’t dead serious all on its own.

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ gets the highest of recommendations from TheSkyKid.com.

You can find the book at Amazon.com

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4

Agostino (1962)

A film earns the label “classic” only when it continues to speak to new generations long after its release. Few pass that test as convincingly as Mauro Bolognini’s Agostino (1962), adapted from Alberto Moravia’s haunting coming-of-age novel, first published in 1944 and released in its definitive Italian edition in 1945.

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of Moravia’s masterpiece, Simon & Schuster has issued a handsome new edition curated by Simone Casini – the perfect occasion for us at theskykid.com to revisit Bolognini’s delicate, sun-drenched, and quietly devastating film.

For me, some of the richest cinematic treasures come from the 1960s and early 1970s, an era when European directors weren’t afraid to stare directly into the awkward, painful heart of adolescence. Agostino stands among the very best of them.

The film opens on the sun-drenched Lido of Venice. A striking widow (Ingrid Thulin, radiant and poised) is holidaying with her thirteen-year-old son, Agostino (Paolo Colombo in his only film role). From the very first frames we feel their intense, almost exclusive bond—mother and son sharing every glance, every laugh, every moment. She is beautiful, wealthy, and alone; the local lifeguards and beach gigolos circle like moths.

Yet until now she has eyes only for Agostino. So when she finally accepts the attention of a handsome young man and begins slipping away for evenings without her son, something inside Agostino quietly shatters. What he experiences isn’t just ordinary jealousy—it’s the sudden, brutal realisation that he is no longer the centre of his mother’s universe.

Bolognini tells the story with exquisite restraint: subtle glances, half-heard conversations, and the occasional stark symbol (a boat drifting away, a closed door) do most of the heavy lifting. What begins as a soft, golden childhood memory slowly sharpens into the unforgiving contours of the adult world. We watch Agostino peel away, layer by layer, from the protected bubble he has always known. Anger, shame, confusion, longing: every raw emotion passes across Paolo Colombo’s face as the boy is pushed—almost against his will—into maturity.

That slow awakening gives the film its quietly morbid undertow. This is not the universal story of just any thirteen-year-old on summer holiday. It is the story of a boy who was raised in an unusually intense, almost exclusive bond with his mother… and who is therefore uniquely vulnerable the moment that bond begins to fracture.

Scene from the movie " Augustine " - Directed by Mauro Bolognini - 1962 - Actor Paul Colombo with other children — Scene from the movie *Augustine.* Directed by Mauro Bolognini – 1962 – Actor Paolo Colombo with other children

I was astonished by the acting performance of Paolo Colombo, whose facial expressions and attitude contributed significantly to the illustration of his character. The rest of the actors also did an excellent job in portraying their respective characters. In addition to that, the film displays excellent cinematography, which, despite being in black and white, is guaranteed to make quite an impression on its viewers.

I want to express my gratitude to CVMC for providing the DVD of the film Agostino. This review would not have been possible without their support.

Agostino (1962)

In short

Agostino is a quiet, sun-drenched masterpiece that captures the exact moment a sheltered boy’s childhood cracks open and the adult world rushes in; sixty-plus years later it still feels devastatingly real and deeply personal.

Character/Acting

Score/Soundtrack

Cinematography

Storyline/Screenplay

Production

Direction

Reader Rating0 Votes

4.5

Our rating

Mercy (2014)

The countdown to Halloween has begun and, if you’re looking for a classic horror story featuring demons and evil powers, look no further than Peter Cornwell’s 2014 film Mercy. The fact that the film is based on a short story from Stephen King’s Skeleton Crew is enticing enough to attract the attention of both fans of the horror genre and those of the Coming-of-Age genre. Regarding the latter, mainly that’s because the best of Stephen King’s stories feature a young protagonist who struggles to overcome powerful forces and usually the experiences he/she goes through change their characters and take on the world forever.

Having two of today’s most prominent young actors in the lead roles, Joel Courtney (Super 8) and Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead), is an enticing factor on its own. In particular, Chandler’s effective, natural and moving performance gives the story an edge, making up for its somewhat clichéd development.

Admittedly, seeing Chandler in the film almost makes one expect a walker (OK — a zombie) to sneak in. But, instead, one gets a chance to see why the young actor has such a vast following — considering the fact that in Walking Dead his character has episodic appearances. His talent for portraying emotions (being the method actor that he is) shines through in Mercy. Something in his eyes makes one easily identify with whatever character he is portraying.

As a bonus, the story is told from his point of view, with a moral lesson learned at the end, assuring a feast for fans of the Coming-of-Age genre.

Chandler Riggs as George in Mercy — Chandler Riggs as George in *Mercy*

As far as genre stereotypes go, Mercy has them all. Everything from a spooky setting to a socially reviled protagonist charged with the task of reestablishing normalcy (with a mentor figure/apprentice relationship (in Mercy’s case it’s a young girl who appears like an invisible friend of George (Chandler’s character). The film also has cinematography that makes use of shadows and low-key lighting, as well as an abundance of off-screen sound effects. All of the above are combined with a soundtrack designed to increase the anxiety and make the viewer feel unease.

The only disappointment comes from the fact that the remake of a classic story about witches and demons is not very original and the “scariness” of the film, as well as its overall cinematic value, is somewhat diminished as a result.

That being said – Mercy is a film that deserves a watch – especially around Halloween — even if one doesn’t make it a highlight of the evening.

Mercy Official Trailer

You’ll Be a Man (2013)

You’ll Be a Man (Tu seras un home) is a delightful French film that, among other things, focuses on the conflict between conventional and unconventional lifestyles. As a person of an unconventional nature myself (my own assessment), I found the filmmaker’s manner of addressing the subject quite intriguing.

Twenty-year-old Theodore (Jules Sagot) has it rough. Failing to get accepted into a Parisian drama school, he faces not only the prospect of not being able to pay his bills, but also of losing his girlfriend (who did get accepted and is soon to depart for the French capital).

He solves some of his problem by getting a job as the babysitter of 10–year old Leonard (Aurelio Cohen), whose life has been altered by an accident he had when he was just five-years-old. His serious, hard-working dad wastes no time in warning the baby-sitter about his son:

“He is not like the other kids. He doesn’t swim, run or ride a bike. But he reads a lot.”

Although ten years older than Leonard, Theodore is a boy at heart and he soon wins Leonard’s friendship and appreciation by treating him as an equal. Director Benoit Cohen juxtaposes the relationship that develops between the two boys with that of the one between Leonard and his father who, while trying his best to provide for the family, dismisses most of the accomplishments of his son as juvenile, rendering them inferior in value in comparison to his own important professional life.

You’ll Be a Man is filmed predominately using an indirect subjective view, but also with an abundant use of close-up shots that allows the viewer to become more intimate with the feelings and emotions portrayed by the characters on screen. The focus lies mainly on the development of Leonard’s character as the result of his being treated as a person instead of “a prisoner in his own home“ – which is just about his status as a result of the overprotective parenting practiced by his father. The role of voluntary prisoner is assumed by another person who also inhibits the house …

Leo ( Aurelio Cohen ) and Theo (Jules Sagot ) in You’ll Be a Man — Theo (Jules Sagot and Leo ( Aurelio Cohen ) in *You’ll Be a Man*

Theodore becomes not only a friend but also a role model for the young boy. Yet the father (Gregoire Monsaingeon), who initially encouraged closeness between the babysitter and son, soon grows envious as he feels he has been replaced as an object of appreciation by Leo. Additionally, being a serious, hard working man like himself, he begins to view the cheery flamboyant nature of the babysitter as a threat to his son’s future development.

The story of the film and its conflicts are quite true to life and Director Cohen impresses by managing to showcase the dramatic importance in even the simplest everyday decisions. Aided by skillful editing and a moody soundtrack (that features great songs with both English and Spanish lyrics), he also managed to capture the essence of the emotions that his characters feel in the situations in which they find themselves.

Cohen cast his son Aurelio in one of the lead roles of his film – a justifiable decision based on the charm and talent of the young actor and the chemistry between him and Jules Sagot. The rest of the members of the cast also deliver excellent performances.

You’ll Be a Man is a film that leaves the viewer charged with positive emotions, especially taking into account that not all of the happenings in the film are of a happy nature. The film is a mixture of several genres – a bit of comedy, character study, drama and it’s also a road movie. It doesn’t excel in any one genre in particular nor does it carry important morals of truth about life (other than the need to find balance in everything we do), yet it still remains a pleasant film to see.

As a person who opposes conformity, I found the film more entertaining than people who believe in a strict following of social rules. That might be another factor you may consider when you make the choice of watching the film or not.

You’ll Be a Man Official Trailer ( in French )

Puberty (2014)

Puberty is accompanied by a great deal of physical and emotional change that could really confuse the person going through them. Naturally, some of the films with a Coming-of-Age thematic focus on puberty such as the Swedish 1980’s film Children’s Island (Barnens ö), Céline Sciamma`s Tomboy and the classic My Life as a Dog. (It comes as a surprise that there are not that many films one can list that focus exclusively on puberty).

Eleven-year-old Zach Shire wrote, directed and edited his own short film on the changes that inevitably occur in a boy. The title of his film is Puberty and, though it’s listed on IMDb, it can be seen on YouTube.

The aspiring young director’s target audience is primarily kids his age — who are more likely to listen to one of their peer on the subject.

The short film has a few flaws, but one should not judge it too harshly, keeping in mind that people who have grown up to become multi-million-dollar directors all started when they were young – just like young Zach.

TheSkyKid.com is committed to supporting young talent and we hope that the young director (and lead actor) of Puberty will continue to improve his art. In his film, he bravely addressed a theme that many kids his age would feel hesitant to and, what’s more, did it so he can help them understand that their confusion is normal and they should not be ashamed of discussing the changes that occur to them with their parents ( who have been through the same and survived).

Sipur Hatzi-Russi (2006)

When you have a film about life, about the magic of dance, about care and devotion – there is no more suitable title than Love and Dance.

Little Chen (Vladimir Volov) lives in Israel with his father and mother. His father is Israeli, but Chen’s mother is Russian, which makes him half Russian and, as such, naturally predisposed to the magic of dance. Yet, when the film opens and the viewers observe how Chen grows and learns about life — of what it means to respect a person; of what it takes to follow your dreams; of how to impress a girl and fall in love – in love with the music, in love with the dance and last, but not least, in love with a girl. The Coming-of-Age experience of the young actor, as well as that of his parents, teachers and friends, is essential to the story and truly rewards the viewer with a lot of knowledge and insights of what it means to stand up for yourself and chase your dreams.

[pull_quote_right]Courtship is a game. Show me that you know the rules[/pull_quote_right]

Love and Dance is a tender and emotional film. In some respects, the story line reminds me a bit of the one of the much touted film Billy Elliot (2000). If you have seen one of the two films and liked it, you’re going to the love the other one. The cinematography was excellent and the soundtrack tasteful and moody. The scenery chosen for most of the scenes features impressive pictures on rooftops and on the beach of the desert province town of Ashdod. Those shots are breathtaking. The magic of the dance is so skillfully captured by the camera that most viewers will be inspired by it. The plot of the film requires some scenes to be shot by a hand held camera, which adds a nice touch to the film as it makes the story more intimate and personal.

Sipur Hatzi-Russi Vladimir Volov and Jenya Dodina — Vladimir Volov and Jenya Dodina

One of the best aspects of Love & Dance is the wonderful acting performance by its entire cast (leads and extras). Drawing another parallel to Billy Elliot and the performance of Jamie Bell as Billy, Vladimir Volov, who made his debut in the film, captures the hearts of the viewers by his natural charisma and emotional portrayal of his character.

Dancers, and everyone who appreciates the art of dancing, will like this film as it portrays (and I would like to stress this) the importance of dance as a language — as a tool for transmitting information, emotions, feelings. And, indeed, through it Chen discovers his inner self. In addition to that, the viewer can observe how human feelings, expressed through dance, are able to break down barriers, which many times society imposes (cultural differences, gender stereotypes…etc) . While the story focuses on the children, audience members of all ages will enjoy this film as, like often is the case with coming of age movies, we see a portrayal of our society through their eyes.

Love and Dance is written and directed by Eitan Anner. The film was released in October, 2006 in Israel under the title Sipur Hatzi-Russi. This film receives a high recommendation for anyone who wants to relive the wonders of first love and feel the magic of music and dance.

TheSkyKid.com

TheSKyKid.com

Guitar Virtuoso

Carrying on the Rock Tradition

Nominations

Best Cinematography

Best Actor

Coming-of-Age Value

Best Newcomer

Best Short Film

Best Performance in a TV Film

Special Soundtrack

Best International Film

Special DVD/Blu Ray Release on November 24th