Reality shows are nothing new. Most of them don’t set admirable goals for themselves and, while some are entertaining, finding real value in them is a tough task. But then I stumbled upon Alec in WILDerland – an online web-series “aimed at teaching kids of all ages how to get outside, explore, and survive.”
So what makes Alec in WILDerland different from other popular reality programs such as Survivor or the Canadian reality show Survive This?
Westerns – once they ruled the cinemas across the world. Nowadays it seems that the only place where one can watch them is on specialized cable channels. That is probably why The Winds of Autumn is the only western Coming-of-Age film that I have seen so far. Beforehand, I must warn you that most of my impressions of the American West and its heroes I owe to the books of the German writer Karl May (and his characters Winnetou and Old Shatterhand), and I generally find the cinematic representations of the genre somewhat less satisfying.
The Winds of Autumn stars Chuck Pierce Jr. in the role of the eleven-year-old Joel Rigney — who lives with his God-fearing parents and older sister in a remote house in the wilderness of Montana. One day a family of outlaw runaways comes to the house looking for help for their hurt comrade. The story takes an unfortunate turn, and young Joel’s family is cruelly murdered despite their hospitality. Because he was visiting a neighbor when the massacre occurred, Joel escapes the fate of his family, but now he is all alone. The council of elders gathers to decide who will take care of the orphaned child, yet all Joel wants to know is: Who is going to go after the men who murdered his family? The elders try to calm the boy by quoting a passage from the bible, reminding him that as Quakers, they see themselves as peaceful people opposed to meeting violence with violence. To which Joel answers with another bible passage:
“And thy eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
Deuteronomy 19:21
The scene in which Joel recites that passage in front of the elders probably contains the most moving moments of the whole film.
Vengeance – but can/should an eleven-year-old boy seek and obtain it? Will he find someone who would be willing to help despite the community’s religious beliefs? Will young Joel’s life end tragically, in a similar fashion to his family’s demise? To find answers to these questions, you will have to see the movie.
The camera is kept rather steady for most of the time – objectively recording the action. This and the less than frequent appearance of the lead character (the young Joel) somehow limits the viewer’s ability to associate with him and his journey. The subtle Coming-of-Age nuance in the film is made all the more symbolic by setting the action in the Autumn season. Autumn embodies an evolution from youth to a more mature part of life and its cold winds, blowing mercilessly, wrench the leaves from the trees — leaving them barren.
Yet the lead character’s age is the only thing that differentiates The Winds of Autumn from the typical western story of a protagonist who has had something wrong done to him in the past and is desperately trying to overcome his fears and bring vengeance to his enemies. Following established genre stereotypes is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. But the movie left me wishing that the character of young Joel was better developed.
The Winds of Autumn is an adventurous drama that appeals to young viewers. Despite the film being released more than forty years ago, the story is as engaging as any modern-day adventure.
After the success of Hold On ‘Til the Night, INTERSCOPE RECORDS has released another Greyson Chance album, Truth Be Told Part I – this one with only five songs. It is, of course, difficult to follow-up an album like Hold On ‘Til the Night with its many hit songs. But, in a style truly his own, these new tunes on Truth Be Told – Part I reveal a light and fancy-free Greyson, perfectly at ease in singing about his, or someone’s, infatuations and crushes.
Sometimes I will choose a film to view/review after learning that it has won an award. This does necessarily only include awards given at big fancy ceremonies – but also online only ones such as the Cabin in the Woods/Lionsgate/Vimeo contest. Of course I follow Coming-of-Age themed artworks and a film named after the universal childhood experience The Sleepover, directed by Chris Cullari, grabbed my attention.
Expecting some real chills from the horror themed short film, watching it was a rather disappointing experience. The Cabin in the Woods contest called for spoof horror films – those that mix comedy and horror. The best example would be Keenen Ivory Wayans’s 2000 film Scary Movie. Mixing two genres together can be perceived as creative by some, yet it frequently results in just another time-waster — not capable of pleasing the fans of either genre.
The Sleepover‘s story is centered around an urban myth – a masked serial killer (you guessed right – a slasher film cliché) haunts the town of Derry (a homage to Stephen King). The existence of the masked man is known by everyone in town (the mothers even drive cars with bumper stickers that say M.A.S.K. – Mothers Against Serial Killers), but someone forgot to warn the new kid in time!
Five minutes is not much to get someone intrigued. Yet I have seen short films that manage to — and The Sleepover is definitely not one of them. While the acting of Josh Feldman and Gus Kamp was fair, and the film started in a promising way, the ending ruined all the positive impressions that I had somehow gained from the film. Most of those impressions had come from the dialogue between the kids, which worked well as a tool to shape their characters and personalities. No doubt my personal bias toward films with no real conflict has influenced my opinion on The Sleepover, so I urge you to see it (5 minutes is not that much to waste) and possibly prove me wrong.
Warning: features scenes of violence that may be unsuitable for children under twelve
Ever since the trailer of Disney’s The Odd Life of Timothy Green was released, I have been urged to see the film and review it. With Disney involved one could rightfully expect to witness a modern day fairy tale filled with magic and positive messages. The story is unusual (to say at least): a childless couple receives an unexpected gift when a young boy covered with mud emerges miraculously in their house and claims to be the son they have always wished for.
Are movies capable of expanding the ways in which one sees the world?
Arguably yes – if one gets engaged in the story, entertained and/or inspired by it. One of the sterilized approaches used in cinema, which aims to alter the viewer’s perception, is Magical Realism, which I briefly mentioned when reviewing Jan Jakub Kolski‘s film Venice. The short film I chose today combines the blending of reality and fantasy with surrealistic imagery, which links alternate realms of existence. Released in 2011, The Wholly Family explores the experiences of a young boy who accompanies his parents on a trip to the Italian city of Naples. The movie is directed by Terry Gilliam, who most fans of the Coming-of-Age genre associate with his 1981 film Time Bandits (he also directed Brazil and 12 Monkeys).
Gilliam has a solid fan base. Yet, prior to seeing The Wholly Family, I lacked the motivation to explore his works. But this 17-minute short film, with its complex narrative and highly stylized visuals, made quite an impression on me. The film was shot on location in Naples, and the city atmosphere, spirit and culture feel very authentic – that is if one is able to set apart the alternate universes that, while surreal, feel equally real. The plot offers several surprising twists, some surprisingly shocking (one was shocking enough to make me feel the tension in my stomach – like one feels on a roller-coaster).
While the young lead is a boy (played by Nicolas Connolly), the film brings to mind Alice in Wonderland – with some black humor thrown in. Yet, while I enjoyed the visuals, the score, and the narrative, the acting performances were somewhat disappointing. I would agree with Nickolas Devito’s comment on the film’s IMDB page that the supporting actors outperformed the leads (essentially the roles of the boy and his parents). The Wholly Family has a certain re-watch appeal to it. I found myself appreciating it more during a second viewing.
Another Art-House flick you may be interested in Baby Bump (2015)
The 2012 short film Dawid and Dominik tells the story of a young Polish boy, Dawid, and his quest of finding the perfect woman for his dad. The familiar character types a skilled Eastern European dad in the Western world (the story is set in England where Dawid and Dominik move after the death of Dawid’s mother) and the young boy striving to live up to the image and goals his dad has set for him. But I think these clichéd character types actually enhance the story’s humorous theme.
Barnaby Picton as Dawid and Victor Ptak as Dominic do a great job portraying the various traits of their characters. Yet, while the first-person narrative by Dawid with which the movie opens grabs one attention, the later dialogue between him and his dad feels a bit stilted. Other than that, the picture is of high quality (a minimum amount of camera movements too) and the sound is professionally recorded. The best part of the film, by far, is the hilarious interviews that Dawid conducts with wannabe spouses for his dad.
To summarize: this a fun little short that I believe you will enjoy.
David and Dominic (Full Movie)
The Dutch film Kauwboy was among the three titles considered for the Young Audience Award awarded by the European Film Academy in 2012 ( the other two being Ursula Meier’s Sister and Gust Van den Berghe’s Blue Bird). Kauwboy won the award.
When I first saw it, I was captivated by its unpretentious yet moving way to tell the story
They sing uplifting songs in three-part harmony, dance nonstop onstage, and tease each other good-naturedly. They have tons of fun entertaining fans, while working harder than they ever would have imagined, growing up in small Midwestern towns. Meet Jetset Getset (JSGS), an up-and-coming teen group with an exciting new Nashville-recorded album, Saturday Night, and an accompanying music video for the title track.
“Next to God, singing is my favorite thing!”
Sam Santiago is an amazingly prolific singer/performer from Irvine, California who celebrated his 10th birthday this past August. Sam began singing at the young age of two and hasn’t stopped since. His pitch perfect vocals make a studio technician’s job easy, as in many cases only one take is required to accomplish the task. What makes Sam stand out the most for me is the fact that his live performances sound as good — if not better — than his studio recordings. Yes, he is just that good!
Many youngsters have a desire to become a great musician or vocalist. Few, however, understand how difficult this goal is to achieve with the many engagements, lessons and practice sessions that become a large part of each day — whether attending school or not.
“Sam is busy with music from the time his eyes open till they close at the end of the day.”
Even though Sam has been on summer break, his schedule did not change. Each morning he awakened to one hour of vocal training, another hour of guitar practice, then worked with his older brother on video shoots, and finally practiced again in the afternoon and evening with his parents.
His busy summer schedule included numerous auditions, studio recording time, talent shows, fund raisers, birthday party performances, one fashion show, two LA Rotary Club performances, and television appearances. And that doesn’t even include the many special engagements for church events and wedding anniversaries!
Don’t Stop Believin’ – Sung by Sam Santiago
While all this may seem overwhelming to some, Sam just can’t get enough! I watched in amazement at the close of a more than two hour professional studio session for his new CD. Sam slipped away to another room afterwards, picked up his guitar, and began to practice another song just for fun. Most would have been exhausted and complaining, but not Sam! At the end of one weekend, when he had performed at three different engagements on the same day he said, “OK. Where’s the next gig?” The rest of us just sighed and said “home to bed”.
Sam was featured on KSCI-TV LA 18 on 2-Aug-2012. The host of the show, Jannelle So, spoke with Sam about his upcoming appearance at the Historic Filipinotown Festival where he was to perform that coming Saturday. Jannelle was so impressed with Sam that she invited him back to debut his CD on November 8th. Sam will be performing songs from his new CD as well as talking about how the sales from his downloads will be used to help the flood victims from this year’s flood in the Philippines.
Sam Santiago at KSCI-TV LA 18 interview with Jannelle So
Sam’s Debut CD contains four songs, one of which is an original, along with all four of the backing tracks.
(Track One)
His title song Don’t Stop Believin, made famous by the classic rock group Journey, is amazingly performed by Sam. He not only sings the song like it should be sung, but adds his own embellishments — making it his own.
(Track Two)
The second track, You Raise Me Up, made famous by Josh Groban, is a beautiful rendition of the song, only like Sam could do it. You won’t believe your ears when you hear this 10-year-old sing with the compassion and feeling of someone twice his age.
(Track Three)
His last cover song is the classic Unchained Melody which, as of this writing, is one of my favorite songs by Sam. Sam can’t be compared to anyone else because his music has such diversity. He can sing a variety of genres, rock it with the best, and still sing a love ballad with the conviction and sincerity of someone well beyond his years.
(Track Four)
Sam launched his first original song with this CD. It’s called You’ll Always Be. Recording it fulfilled his goal of recording an original song before he turned 11-years-old. His CD was released the day after his tenth birthday, accomplishing that goal with flying colors. When I first heard this song, I was quite taken with the overall difficulty of the arrangement. Some of the notes in the melody would be a challenge for any veteran singer, but Sam conquered this song with ease. I was privileged to be in the studio with him the evening of the final mastering of this original song. It was amazing to watch Sam at work in the studio and how effortless he seemed to make this project. The more I listened to this song, the more I liked it. In fact, I went to bed that evening not being able to get it out of my head. I guess you could say I really liked this beautiful bluesy ballad.
On 1-Sep-2012, Sam partnered with Gawad Kalinga, an organization in both the US and the Philippines, which provides relief to the people of the Philippines. Each year, the Philippines suffers from devastating floods, earthquakes, and mudslides. Until the end of this year, Sam will be donating 100% of all his profits from all his online music downloads to help Gawad Kalinga in their support efforts. You can support Sam in this gallant effort by purchasing his music on iTunes and Amazon.com today!
I’m sure you can see that this is one amazing and talented young man who is well on his way to the top of the recording industry. The only thing Sam needs is the right person in the market to notice his amazing abilities. You can be sure that this site not only notices, but will continue to support Sam in all of his efforts both as a young artist and also as a humanitarian.
Sam Santiago is precisely what I labeled him in my first article on Rivenmaster’s Place:
Rivenmaster’s Place has become the global home to young unsigned treble singers, aspiring young actors and talented youth. Each week a youngster from various parts of the world is featured and sometimes introduced to the world for the first time! You will enjoy outstanding articles that are derived from speaking directly to the parent of the child and also personal interviews with the young celebrity. Many young people have been given even greater opportunity to expand their careers due to the dedication and effort of this site! For more information visit: Rivenmaster’s Place. Or write to: writemeone@hotmail.com
NOW PLAYING>>>>ROCKFISH intro by rjmendera
ROMP and ROLL! In an era of Hip-Hop, Rap and R+B, this young German school band from Ulm has chosen to follow the path of Rock‘s pounding rhythms. At the tender ages of 12 and 13, they have already made a name for themselves with their performances in Southern Germany and Italy. Their debut album, which has nine songs for the price of only five euros, reveals sounds that are classic Metal Rock bordering on a rebellious punk style.
Stand By Me is one of the most iconic pieces in cinematic history and arguably the greatest Coming-of-Age film of all time. We all know the story. Stand By Me follows a simple tale of a group of four boys who set out to find the dead body of a boy that has gone missing in their small town and has been presumed dead. In my opinion, this is by far the best Coming-of-Age film ever made and undoubtedly in my top five films of all time.
Ultimately, the film is about the discovery of mortality in a world that is filled with unknowns. The poignant metaphor of the boys traveling towards death being the source of this discovery, accepting it’s inevitability but knowing that we can make our own choices along the tracks and in life.
The journey starts off as a fun, exciting adventure with the boys thinking they will get on TV and become famous if they can find the body. But, by the end of the film, they learn the real meanings and realities of death and how close we can all come to it at any point in our mortal lives. Through their journey, they discover their own personal emotions, as well. They learn to accept who they are and the fact that some things in life we simply cannot change. The ultimate Coming-of-Age event occurs when Gordie (Wil Wheaton) finds the courage to stand up for who HE is – and not who other people want him to be or think of him as – by pointing the gun at Ace and speaking a brilliantly delivered dialogue. “Suck my fat one you cheap dime store hood”.
I’ve never seen the Coming-of-Age of age journey displayed so fluently or metaphorically beautiful as it is in Stand By Me.
Corey Feldmen, Jerry O’Connell, Wil Wheaton, and River Phoenix
As mentioned, above, it is an extremely simple story line. But what makes this film so good and so emotionally involving are the performances from the four main protagonists (River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldmen and Jerry O’Connell) and the simplicity of the progression and arc of the boys throughout the duration of the film. The performances that Director Rob Reiner was able to produce from these four young guys is absolutely astonishing as they, themselves, have said. Both Cory Feldman and Wil Wheaton, in the 25th Anniversary Edition Commentary, relate that Stand By Me was by far the most important and pivotal film in their careers because of the lessons they learnt from Reiner. And you can see this throughout the movie, especially in one of the most heartbreaking scenes to ever be put on film – the famous milk money scene in which River Phoenix poured his heart out onto the screen, with the guidance of a very talented director, both contributing to an incredible moment in film.
You cannot go past the raw talent of River Phoenix as well. To be able to connect with his emotions at such a young age, in the manner displayed in this film, was a testament to his ability to lock into character and explore the layers within himself to contribute and project himself into the character. Wil Wheaton was amazing too, as Gordie. Wheaton has mentioned his connection to River off screen and how the two would practice and rehearse for hours on end before they appeared on set, and how he learnt so much from this young man who was only two years older than him. Again, this is evident on screen. The chemistry between the two best friends is astonishingly real and beautiful throughout the film.
I really don’t think anyone else could have played Teddy Duchamp either. Corey Feldman was superb as the troubled Teddy, and Jerry O’Connell as the comedic relief character, Vern, was just as perfect in his role. Keifer Sutherland as Ace is a great villain as well.
I think the foundation of what makes this film great lies within the passion of Reiner. I don’t think I’ve ever seen somebody so close to a story or characters the way Reiner was (and still is) with Stand By Me. He was so emotionally invested in these boys and their progression, and you constantly hear stories of the good rapport Reiner had on the set with his young stars and the feelings he was able to help them explore.
Scene from Stand by Me
The screenplay is just superb. The development of character from sequence to sequence is masterful. And the adversaries, personal conflict and obstacles presented throughout the story, all contribute to hindering our main characters from achieving their goal. Together, they are the ingredients of an incomparable script. Props must also go to Stephen King for the novella, The Body, on which the film was based. King, himself, has said that this is the best adaption of any of his works from novel to screen (and that includes The Shawshank Redemption).
On a personal level, this film was most likely my biggest influence toward taking up film-making. It was the birthplace for my obsession with film, mainly because of my discovery of how powerful film could be and how emotionally involved films could become with an individual. I truly saw the power of art for the first time through this film. So, in a way, it was my own Coming-of-Age, my discovery of a new world. The film also hit close to home for me in the way it captivated the very essence of childhood and similar moments in my life. In short, I don’t think I will ever experience again, in any film, what I felt with Stand By Me.
I must mention the extremely sad ironic ending as well. The fading away of Chris Chambers at the tree house. The heartbreaking loss of River Phoenix was one of the biggest tragedies in Hollywood history. He is one of my favorite actors to ever grace the screen and I love him to this day. May his soul rest in peace.