Shoeshine (1946)

If you’re a frequent reader of TheSkyKid.com, you might have noticed that a great many of the movie reviews published on the site in 2011 are of new releases. Naturally, when a movie is in the theaters, the interest toward it is significantly higher than of one that can be only found on a DVD. Each genre in cinema has its timeless classics, including the Coming-of-Age genre. These classics are likely to present you with a whole new world of cinematic experience, intriguing storytelling, and, last but not least, in many cases its those classic films that have inspired filmmakers of the present day.

The Film Stage recently published a great article written by Jordan Raup entitled 10 Classic Films You Must Watch Before Seeing Martin Scorsese’s ‘Hugo’. The article is aimed at both “diehard film fanatics and those just discovering the wonder of early cinema.” The 1969 masterpiece François Truffaut film 400 Blows inspired many of today’s films about adolescence and troubled youth. And François Truffaut himself was influenced by the works of the Italian director Vittorio De Sica, whose movie The Bicycle Thief was cited by Turner Classic Movies as one of the 15 most influential films in cinema history. So today I decided to review one of those classic films of the Coming-of-Age genre directed by Vittorio De Sica – the 1946 film Shoeshine.

Postwar Italy. The streets of Rome are packed with children who work in order to earn a living and support their families. The two young protagonists of the film, Pasquale and Giuseppe, are best friends who make money by shining the shoes of the American soldiers who roam across the city. The boys work hard to pursue their dreams. And their greatest dream is to buy a horse, something they could actually take care of and call their own. Money is in short supply, so the boys happily agree when they are asked to help Giuseppe’s brother deliver some stolen American blankets to a customer in the city. The boys complete their task, but it turns out that Giuseppe’s brother and his partner took advantage of the boys, in their eagerness to make money, by using the delivery of the blankets as an excuse for the adults to enter the customer’s house while pretending to be policemen investigating the black market of stolen goods. Pasquale and Giuseppe are instructed to keep silent…

The real police authorities launch an investigation. The boys are recognized by the old lady who was scammed while attempting to purchase the army blankets. Brought in front of a commissar, they keep their promise and refuse to identify the adults who sent them to deliver the blankets. The next thing they know, they’re in a police car on their way to a juvenile prison, where they’re to remain until the investigation is over (it’s made clear that some investigations can last for years).

The juvenile prison in post-war Italy is not much different than its adult counterpart. Children as young as ten spend their days behind bars in cramped tiny cells. This harsh environment is the scene where the boys will soon lose their innocence, corrupted by the intrigues of their cellmates and prison guards. Their friendship is at stake…

The performances of the young Rinaldo Smordoni as Giuseppe and Franco Interlenghi as Pasquale are what made the biggest impression on me. The movie’s director, Vittorio De Sica, made sure that the narrative closely followed the two young boys and the transformations that occurred to their personalities once they were locked in the prison.

This 1946 film was shot in black and white as one might suspect. In the case of Shoeshine, the lack of color truly emphasized the gloomy atmosphere of the prison and the emotions of the two protagonists. Nowadays, you can witness a similar effect in some art-house films, sometimes shot purposefully in black and white. For someone used to color in movies, seeing the dramatic shades and shadows of the black and white image is quite a distinct experience. The film’s soundtrack is memorable, but I don’t have any comment on it aside from the fact that the music seemed oddly familiar.

The ending of the film is unexpected and dramatic. It reminded me of the ending of another classic Coming-of-Age film This Special Friendship (1964). Overall, I enjoyed Shoeshine. Admittedly, I started exploring classic titles and am gradually getting accustomed to them. Some can feel odd or weird at first because of the years that separate the viewer from their release. Yet my experience is that Shoeshine is as touching, emotional, and poignant as the recent releases reviewed at TheSkyKid.com

Hesher (2010)

“Life is like walking in the rain… you can hide and take cover or you can just get wet.”

Reviewing Spencer Susser’s Hesher for a media with a family-friendly focus can be a challenging task. Yet, it is a Coming-of-Age film and, as such, deserves to be featured on TheSkyKid.com.

The hero of the story is the twelve-year-old T.J. (Devin Brochu), a troubled youngster who has a lot of things to deal with. Among them is the death of his mother, the bullies at school, a depressed father who can’t offer any support whatsoever, and, as if this is not enough, having an unwanted friend named Hesher. Hesher is a metalhead who fits right into the stereotypical image for such people (drunkards, partiers, and fighters who often have a powerful dislike towards the close-minded and mainstream).

Continue

Coming of age value in the 2011 movies

The year 2011 is slowly coming to its end. Retailers have started to bombard us with their Christmas offers. Streets are being lit and covered in colors by all kind of bright gadgets while white-bearded people in red suits have begun to cross the streets under the gentle sounds of bells. The Christmas spirit is here again.

At this time of the year many people unwillingly start to look back at the recent past and review the events that have had some meaning for their lives. Pursuing their goal for better future, everyone is trying to take their lessons and come up with ideas how to make the next year better and more successful.

May be it is time for us as a fans of the coming of age genre, to also recall what we saw for the past one year and to what extent it affected us and left some marks in our memory. Which will be the names and titles to associate the year that is running out and will soon remain in the history with?

Last year when theSkyKid.Com initiated a campaign to nominate names and titles for its annual awards it got me truly puzzled. I needed the assistance of various web resources to assemble a list of movies’ titles and actors’ names. Regrettably they were few but also none of them were really memorable in one way or another. The year 2011 fortunately seems not to be the same case.

Here is the moment to make it clear that one (that includes me) can not possible see all the coming of age movies that are produced and released across the world. This is because many of them hardly get an on time attention outside their home countries and if they do get noticed it normally happens years after their first release. Another problem is that many fans do not get chances to see them for long time due to distribution problems not to mention that some titles remain known only to truly dedicated connoisseurs. This is why I will discuss those titles that most of the readers have had equal chances to see in the same year when they were released and presented with proper translation that would make them understandable. These are the titles that have also become object of countless of discussions; on-line and off-line. I believe most of the readers have already figured out that I will consider only the big scale productions of this year and if this brings some element of anger and disappointment, I would understand.
Let’s have a look at the titles in question, shall we?

SUPER 8

I believe the first title that shall be mention in this article is Super 8. It is a Sci-Fi which in its crew had several names known to the fans of this genre. In my opinion the movie itself was nothing special and was far away to be classified as a masterpiece of some kind, nor it presented some original plot. However, judging by all the discussions and comments that I came across on many web resources, it seems to have managed to bring a simple enjoyment to many that went to see it.

If not else it was made in a way that reminded to Sci-Fi fans like me how movies of this genre used to be made once. With all kinds of fancy 3D action flicks made in a style to look more like computer games, I had almost forgotten that once those films would tell some stories. There was a time indeed when the plot of such movie was the on the focus and all the visual effects was nothing more like a necessary background. It did brought enjoyment to me because of this but also because it called some memories for the times when I was at the age of the main protagonists and how I used to be fascinated by such adventures.

Speaking of the main protagonists, I believe this is the element that would most likely make the movie memorable for the fans of the Coming-of-age genre. It presented some new and obviously talented actors. Joel Courtney who played the title character in my opinion delivered a really emotional and touching performance. I was pleased to find out that he will soon be seen in the new screen adaptation of Tom Sawyer’s story. As mentioned in another article recently posted on theSkyKid.com , the director chose to make the movie with actors that had no previous experience. I shall say here, that the risk was worth it. We shall also not skip the other young actors in the cast like Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills and Elle Fanning who also did a great job.

REAL STEEL

I will confess that the first time when I found out about this movie, which was from a huge poster somewhere in the downtown, the thing that went through my mind was that this was the next action flick that presents nothing else but intense stimulation of one’s optic nerve and ear drums. Seeing a trailer in YouTube had me convinced that it was the next computer game-like movie showing nothing else but spectacular fights about robots. Then I started coming across discussions in a places where I least expected to see. I thought that all this can not be a coincidence. Then it took me another few weeks to overcome my stubbornness and I went in the cinema with the expectation that I would waste my money.

I was pleasantly surprised from what I saw. The movie itself is not something really special. Although the story seems to be in some way original, the script writers obviously preferred (or were made to) to use the safe and many times tested formula applying some standard approaches in order to present the plot. As result one could easily predict its development. Nevertheless, it could not eclipse the brightness of one emotionally touching story about father and son getting to know and love each other while the robot fighting element is more or less a background. The story itself perfectly meets all requirements to be classified as coming of age.

It is not an accidence that I have used the Japanese poster of this movie in the present article. This is because I believe it is more accurate and shows what actually this movie is about. I encountered comments of many people stating that they had been disappointed by the movie and been fooled by all the adverts and promotional campaign expecting to see real fighting movie. Seeing all this, one can draw their own conclusions about the moral values of the western societies.

What makes for the impact of this movie is the young Dakota Goyo.

Playing the son of Hugh Jackman he perfectly portrayed the emotions of a young boy meeting his father who was not around him while he was growing up. There seems to be an actual chemistry between the two actors which definitely was in favor of the story’s impact. I am sure that we will soon see more from Dakota Goyo. He says for himself that the hardest thing about acting is when he is not acting (source IMDB).

On a personal side I made a bet with a friend of mine that in the next two or three years we will see a sequel of Real Steal.

DOLPHIN TALE

Dolphin Tale is an emotional story starring the well known actor Nathan Gamble with the legendary Morgan Freeman beside him. The story itself is not something original as we have seen the boy and pet tale many times. Dolphin Tale does not go too far away from similar flicks such as Free Willy and Flipper.

I can not say more, though. This is simply because I have had not chance to see the film yet and what I wrote above is based on what was told to me and what I read on-line.
Nevertheless, it did make an impact and I believe that it will be remembered.

.

HUGO & EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

I will only briefly mention the next two titles because at the moment when I am writing this article, Hugo has just been released and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is still not released.

However, Hugo has already made an impact because of the appearance of the well known Asa Butterfield and because it is directed by Martin Scorsese. We shall also not ignore the campaign run by the distribution companies through the medias and the fact that it is made in 3D. Those features are enough to secure a movie which will be remembered in some way; no matter if the story turns out good or bad.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is an upcoming movie telling the story of a young boy who lost his father in 9/11 attacks on the WWC. It will be widely released in January 2012 but will have limited release before new year. This is a standard trick for the Hollywood managers, so the movie is eligible for various nominations which will serve as promotion for the movie.

It will present another newcomer for this year; the young actor Thomas Horn who will play the main protagonist. Despite the film is not released yet, I am quite sure that it will make its impact and will remain remembered. If not else one can clearly see that the movie is already steered to the way of nominations, popular festivals and awards and is approaching to that path. Obviously that is all from 2011. Not all of course! I am sure that there is many more titles from around the world for which we will be finding out in the future.

The Russians have a proverb which says “we shall live and we shall see”. The year 2011 brought a memorable titles and names to our attention. We shall now look ahead and wait to see what 2012 will bring us apart from another end of the world.

Super 8 (2011)

I’m surprised this film has not been reviewed on theSkyKid.com yet. I guess I’m the first to do so. :)

Super 8 follows the story of five kids, growing up in a small town in 1979. Joe (Joel Courtney), our main protagonist, has lost his mother in a tragic accident and is learning to deal with the aftermath of this situation. His best friend, Charles (Riley Griffiths) is obsessed with film-making and is making his first Super 8 film, a zombie film. (For those of you who don’t know, Super 8 Cameras were massive back in the late 60’s through to the late 80’s, the reasoning for the name ‘Super 8′ is because the cameras used 8mm film stocks). Joe has been assigned as special make-up and sound on Charles’ film. Along with these two on the crew is Carey (Ryan Lee), Martin (Gabriel Basso), Preston (Zach Mills) and Alice (Elle Fanning). When the kids witness a train crash while shooting a scene for their film, their lives and the lives of everyone in their small town are turned upside down, and an adventure of grand proportions begins.

Continue

Daniel Shaw’s Debut CD A True Work Of “Love”

Daniel Shaw from Australia is one of the most amazing young artists that I have ever written about or been afforded the privilege to get to know through my own promotional web site.

When I first discovered Daniel through his YouTube Site, I was immediately drawn to his music. Unlike so many youngsters who are doing covers, Daniel was doing his own music complete with beats, instruments, and original lyrics written exclusively by him. That’s saying a lot for someone who has only just entered his teens.

While I have featured Daniel twice on my own site and placed his music and videos in sidebars, I was especially delighted when I was asked to review his debut CD entitled “Love” here at The Skykid.com.

Daniel’s innocent sounding vocals, along with his unique tone quality exhibited in every song, is a real listening pleasure.

While everyone has different tastes or favorite genres of music, Daniel has a way of stretching across generational gaps. If his first CD is any hint of what we can expect in the future from this young musician/songwriter/vocalist, we are in for a very pleasurable future collecting Daniel’s music.

I asked Daniel what inspired him to write each song that I am reviewing. I have included his inspiration at the end of each track review!

“LOVE” DEBUT CD BY: DANIEL SHAW

No More – This first track is a real bold opener for his CD. A slow R&B sound with lyrics that are older than Daniel’s experiences, yet written and performed like he truly understood heartbreak and what happens to someone hooked on the love of another and not able to shake the powerful influence of that attraction regardless of the consequences. Words and Music by Daniel Shaw and Lina Shaw – Producer Brendan Marolla, Bounce Studios **Lead Vocals: Daniel Shaw

Inspiration: “I wanted to write a song like Bruno Mars’s Grenade song.”

Love – It’s easy to see why this song was chosen as the cover song. While it’s hard to pick a favorite from Daniel’s ever increasing volume of originals, this was the song that caused me to really take notice of Daniel’s ability to express himself through his music. Love is an R&B song that has a simple but wonderful message exclaiming that True Love is what will make a difference in the world. “More than Money or Fame you can never be the same without Love!” Words and Music by Daniel Shaw and Lina Shaw – Producer Brendan Marolla, Bounce Studios **Lead Vocals: Daniel Shaw Backing Vox: Daniel Shaw, Brendan Marollo

Inspiration: “Seeing homeless people in the street really inspired me to write this song. It also makes for a great contemporary holiday season song.”

Personal Space – A nice R&B mix with a message about holding on to your dreams and goals no matter what other people may say. Daniels intertwines a very unique tune along with some special keyboarding and wow sounds. Words and Music by Daniel Shaw – Producer Brendan Marolla, Bounce Studios

Inspiration: “This song was inspired by the lack of faith some teachers and other had in me making it as a world famous entertainer like Billy Joel.”

Lean On Me – Daniel picks up the speed with this Dance/Pop Party song. I really like the way this was produced, using some special enhancements both to the vocals and instrumentation. More dance than lyrical statement, it still conveys the simple message of dedication you have to always be there for that special someone in your life. Words and Music by Daniel Shaw and John Shaw – Producer Brendan Marolla, Bounce Studios

Inspiration: “Like Bruno Mars’s “Just the Way You Are”. This song is also a great party song.”

Heaven Forbid – Daniel keeps the feel good sound going with this nice R&B mix that has a good combination of both tune and lyrics. This is another great teen love song about finding that special person to share your life with. Then, once you find them, not to let them go. Words and Music by Daniel Shaw and Lina Shaw – Producer Brendan Marolla, Bounce Studios

Inspiration: “I wanted a song for performances and concerts that could be used to serenade a fan in the audience.”

Who Am I – Is a catchy tune with an R&B/Latin/Hip Hop sound that encourages us to just be happy with who we are. – All of us are unique, and Daniel wants us to know that we are all somebody’s Mother, Father, Brother, Sister or Friend. I liked this song as it’s an easy listening song with a very big message. Words and Music by Daniel Shaw – Producer Brendan Marolla, Bounce Studios

Inspiration: “As a kid, we question our identity; this is the inspiration of this song. A lot of people, regardless, question their identity and purpose in life; this song is for them.”

Avatar – When I first saw the title of this song I was intrigued, as I had just seen the movie by the same name. I thought how creative of Daniel to write a song using his imagination about being an Avatar. The music has a slow dance beat and is an easy listing tune. Daniel takes us on a magical journey in this song with lyrics that are fun and creative. Words and Music by Daniel Shaw and John Shaw – Producer Brendan Marolla, Bounce Studios

Inspiration: “The Avatar movie inspired this song.”

Hello – Features Daniel’s excellent keyboarding skills, opening with a run that is repeated throughout the song. As this R&B number progresses, so does the intensity of this musical masterpiece that attempts to cry out with a message of despair, asking for someone to take notice of your simple existence! Words and Music by Daniel Shaw – Producer Brendan Marolla, Bounce Studios

Inspiration: “Being ignored while busking and not being taken seriously by teachers and others.”

I Will Remember You – Daniel’s pure, innocent and beautiful vocal brings us a song about losing someone close to us. This song, like his other slower contemporary Ballads, is more message than get up and dance. Daniel proves once again that he has a special knack for relaying a message in a song that embeds in our memory long after the music stops. Words and Music by Daniel Shaw, Lina Shaw and John Shaw – Producer Brendan Marolla, Bounce Studios

Inspiration: “My mother experienced a miscarriage at 14 weeks; we all felt it as a family.”

Hey Little Brother – This song, like his other slow Ballads, brings you to a heightened place of tranquility. A love song of sorts expressing the love and faithfulness that is especially unique to brotherhood. Knowing that Daniel actually comes from a rather large family of siblings, it was no surprise to me that he would be inspirited to write this uplifting song. Words and Music by Daniel Shaw and Lina Shaw – Producer Brendan Marolla, Bounce Studios; Nathan Warrick Kane Audio, Melbourne, Australia

Inspiration: “This is one of my earlier songs dedicated to my little brother Rafael.”

Be Yourself – This is another song which is unique to the Daniel Shaw sound. I especially enjoy the higher notes, which are almost angelic in this slow, moody but beautiful tune. Again, Daniel’s message is larger than life, inspiring us to be true to ourselves in spite of outside pressures that are always prevalent in our lives. Words and Music by Daniel Shaw Producer Brendan Marolla, Bounce Studios; Nathan Warrick Kane Audio, Melbourne, Australia

Inspiration: “Sometimes we feel pressure to conform and do things we don’t want to do. This song encourages me to be myself in spite of those pressures.”

Also included on this CD are extended versions of the songs Love and Avatar. These remixes showcase additional beats and computer generated enhancements that add to the musical pleasure of these two great originals by Daniel.

To purchase Daniel’s Debut CD, please visit iTunes by using this link or by clicking on the album cover at the beginning of this article. I know you will not be disappointed and it will help support Daniel as he makes his way to international fame.

You can also read my latest article all about Daniel and his International Tour this past summer. Read about his visit to the US, Canada, and Europe!

________________________________________________________________________________

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

________________________________________________________________________________

The Girl (2009)

From time to time, someone will approach me saying that the majority of the films reviewed on theSkyKid.com have been presented in a positive manner and end up having a good rating and recommendation. It must be my luck (or informed choice) when picking titles to see. Yet, every once in a while I will stumble upon a film I expect to be entertaining, or at least intriguing, but am disappointed.

That’s the case with the 2009 Swedish film Flickan (The Girl). I picked it mainly because its cinematographer, Hoyte van Hoytema, truly impressed me with his work in the vampire themed Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). He achieved a unique haunting and surreal atmosphere and feel with it. The 2010 American remake, Let Me In, failed to match it. But aside from good cinematography, a film has to have a story – something to capture the attention of the viewer. The Girl failed to impress me. In fact, I was bored before even reaching half of its 135 minutes length.

Continue

War of the Buttons (2011)

La Guerre des Boutons, the 1912 book by Louis Pergaud, keeps inspiring filmmakers to make adaptations.

I have seen the 1962 version directed by Yves Robert and really liked it. In 1994, Warner Bros released an English language version (the 1962 is in French) directed by John Roberts. And although the 1994 release is the version that gained the most popularity in the English speaking world, I feel it lacked the spirit and the atmosphere of Yves Robert`s adaptation.

This year alone, two new versions of the The War of the Buttons have been released in France – with only few days between the releases – one directed by Yann Samuell and another by Christophe Barratie, whose work on Les choristes made his name more popular among fans of the Coming- of-Age genre. It must not be easy for the people in France to choose between two adaptations of the same story showing simultaneously in the cinemas across the country. Of course, seeing both movies is a possibility, but I wonder how many people would do that (I know I will, given the opportunity). But in my case, I didn’t have to choose as my local cinemas only screen the Christophe Barratie version of the film. And that’s the one I saw and on which I will focus this review.

Continue

The Kid with a Bike (2011)

“I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.” ~Sigmund Freud

2011 seems to be a real good year for the Coming-of-Age genre as we’ve seen a lot of good titles being released. The 2011 film The Kid with a Bike, a co-production of Belgium, France and Italy, is directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne and is yet another poignant drama you don’t want to miss.

The protagonist of the movie is eleven-year-old Cyril (Thomas Doret). His father has placed him in a children’s home. The plan was to be just temporary – only for a month – just until the father could get back on his feet. However, when the month is over, not only does the father not appear to pick up his son, he is also nowhere to be found. His phone number is not in service, his apartment is deserted, and there is no forwarding address left.

Continue

Free Coming-of-Age Films

Film posters of French film director, producer and musician Ivan Noel

A few months ago, we conducted an interview with the French film director, producer and musician Ivan Noel. His 2008 film, En Tu Ausencia, got a lot of attention and became widely known as an intriguing Coming-of-Age drama. In that interview, Mr. Noel shared with the readers of theSkyKid.com many insights about his films, the state of the cinema industry and the changes in working on youth films – when one wants to share their “real stories, daring, necessary ones“.

Another issue that was discussed in the interview was the way movies are pirated and shared on various websites. At that time he related, “We sold about 15,000 copies (mostly to video rental shops) of In Your Absence, and estimate about 500,000 free illegal downloads.” Indeed, now-a-days with the advance of technology, it seems that downloading a film from the internet has become a norm rather than an exception. Everyone is aware of that fact – from the end users to the film makers and distribution companies. In the interview, Ivan Noel shared with us his plans to establish a website where he will offer free, fully legal, high quality downloads of all his films. He also plans to offer DVD’s, videos, photos, anecdotes, film posters and a variety of other media.

We are glad to announce that Ivan’s innovative idea has become a reality and Ivan Noel’s Official Film Website: Independent Coming of Age Films site has been launched at can be accessed at:

noelfilms.com

In the press release announcing the launch of the site, Noel Films writes:

“This is a first in the audiovisual world: never has a serious film production company taken this step, and much less so with highly acclaimed films. Ivan Noel’s films are noteworthy in that they all deal with childhood or adolescence, ranging from comedyand drama to psychological thriller, often tackling taboo subjects with sensitivity and intelligence, devoid of sentimentality and always searching for the ‘real’. Basically: no ‘socially correct’ nonsense. “

Personally, I support Ivan Noel and his efforts to make his movies easily accessible and affordable to people from across the globe. It is a challenge to the Movie Industry – just as the internationally renowned band Radiohead challenged the music industry when they released a free album back in 2007. There is no denying that the trend towards digital downloads is growing (the Russian filmmaker Dmitry Mayorov also released his short film Have You Forgotten What We Used to Play? for free under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license), but it remains to be seen if audiences will appreciate the efforts of the media creators and support their art, thereby making a change in the way we are used to thinking about movies and art.

Trailer of Vuelve. The 4th feature film of Ivan Noel

The Junior Olsen Gang and the Black Gold (2009)

The Junior Olsen Gang and the Black Gold – the perfect family film, an hour and a half filled with fun and enjoyable adventure from Norway.

Egon Olsen (Oskar Øiestad) always makes up plans and games that get him and his gang into trouble. After reading in the local newspaper about a company that plans to look for oil in the North Sea, Egon decides that this is an excellent chance to invest money into stocks and become millionaires once the oil is discovered. When they finally manage to collect the money to purchase a share in the company, things get complicated.

At first, it’s announced that there is no oil in the North Sea, but Egon and his friends discover that the samples were falsified by the company’s engineer for the benefit of a wealthy Arabian sheik. The boys decide that the Norwegian foreign ministry should know that they are being cheated, but the sheik finds out about their plans and, to prevent them from talking, kidnaps their friend (a young girl) and brings her to Egypt. Egon and his friends decide to find a way to get to Egypt and save their friend …

Continue

Les Aiguilles Rouges (2006)

The action in Les Aiguilles Rouges takes place in the mountains of the French Alps where a group of young scouts aged 12-16 years old set out of on a hiking trip. Their patrol leader picks a senior member of their group to lead them, counting on his knowledge and desire to get experience as a team leader. Once in the mountains, it soon becomes clear that it takes more than a knowledge of nature to become a good leader. The members of the scouting troop are individuals with their own personalities, shaped by their past trials and tribulations. The boys are set up for an adventure – but the inexperience of their leader in managing interpersonal relationships soon gets the group into trouble…

Although the plot of Les Aiguilles Rouges does not provide for much originality or surprising twists, the breathtaking scenery of the French Alps and the splendid acting of the young cast make the film worth seeing. The film is listed as a drama yet, to me, it felt mostly like an adventure with a focus on the interpersonal relationships between the eight young scouts. All the boys in the film are good actors (especially Jules-Angelo Bigarnet) and, thanks to their talent, their characters are filed with life and individuality.

Continue

The Top 5 German Coming-Of-Age Movies

When one thinks of German cinema, the first thing that comes to mind is the propaganda movies made by the Nazis. However, there is much more to Germany’s film industry than just those. This article will consider which are the Top 5 German Coming-of-Age movies.

The German film industry can be traced back to the late nineteenth century. It has produced some quality movies over the years, and the “New German Cinema” of the 1960s and 70s has cult status because of the artistic quality of the films produced during that era. It also meant that, for the first time, German was ready to confront its Nazi past and this was reflected in film.

One excellent example of this is Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum), Shlondorff, 1979. This movie tells the story of Oskar Matzerath, as he recalls his childhood. Born in Danzig in the mid 1920s, he receives a tin drum as a gift on his third birthday. Oskar decides that he never wants to grow up and, whenever he feels overwhelmed, he starts banging his drum.

He cannot bear to be parted with that drum and, if anyone tries to take it away from him, he emits this glass shattering scream. As he grows up during the 1930s and Nazism starts to emerge, he carries on playing his drum, oblivious to what is going on around him. It is only after the war that he finally agrees to give this up.

Although the movie has had its fair share of controversy, and was even banned in Canada and Oklahoma for a short period, it is now widely acclaimed and has cult status. It is said to reflect how the country as a whole buried its head in the sand during the Nazi era.

The 1980s saw more German films becoming widely distributed worldwide, especially since the introduction of VHS. Zoo, also known as Christiane F, Udi Edel, 1981 tells the story of a young girl’s downward spiral into drugs. The movie has a great soundtrack, featuring David Bowie.

Europa Europa, Agnieszka Holland, 1990, is the story of a young boy during World War II trying to hide the fact that he is Jewish from the Nazis. He decides to join the Hitler Youth. The film is based on a true story.

Another film produced the same year and also focusing on Germany’s Nazi past is Das Schreckliche Madchen (The Nasty Girl), Verhoeven, 1990. Sonja is teenage girl working on a history project for school. She lives in a small town and little by little she starts to uncover the role the town played during the War. As she does so, the people in the town start to turn against her.

In more recent years, Sommersturm (Summer Storm), Marco Kreuzpainter, 2004, tells the story of Tobi and Achim, two teenage friends who go to summer camp. There, Tobi struggles to come to terms with his sexuality, as he realizes that what he feels for Achim is more than purely a platonic friendship.

.

These are one person’s opinion as to the Top 5 German Coming-of-Age movies. They are a great introduction for those who are new to films produced by this European country. Viewing them, you will find that there are many facets to German cinema.

What do you think? If you have seen any of the movies listed in this article and/or would like to suggest another title for the list, don’t hesitate to do so in the comments.

TheSkyKid.com

TheSKyKid.com

SUPER 8

REAL STEEL

DOLPHIN TALE

HUGO & EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

“LOVE” DEBUT CD BY: DANIEL SHAW