Ronan Parke

Ronan Parke – a 12-year-old boy from Norwich, England has won himself a lot of fans from around the world with his incredible cover of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good at the third Britain’s Got Talent audition show. His nervousness did not hinder his performance – instead it made him more sympathetic in the eyes of the viewers and judges. Once he started singing, the excitement took over and he delivered a performance that “WOW-ed” everyone.

Not surprisingly, the video clip from his audition is now today’s most popular video on YouTube, while his name is quickly becoming a trending topic on Twitter. In addition to that, in just a few days, over one hundred articles about Ronan Parke have been posted in a great variety of online and offline publications.

Of course, as with any young performer nowadays who ends up under the spotlights, many people have not missed a chance to compare him with the international pop sensation Justin Bieber. Sometimes such comparisons are really odd, especially when the performers sing in distinct styles – as is the case with the young Ronan. He does not have to worry, however, because his incredible vocal skills already have made him popular on his own.

Heroes (2010)

“Remember this moment. The smell and the sensation of the warm sun and the water splashing on your backs. Friends. All this will change.Years will go by, the days will get shorter and you’ll find it harder to find magical moments. Don’t be in a hurry to grow up. Believe me: one day the memory of this moment could save your lives.”

You’ve just read the opening words of the Spanish coming of age film Héroes. I have often been asked to name the title of my favorite coming of age movie. Until this day my responses have always been vague as I was not sure which one to pick. I say that as someone who is very fond of the genre, having seen hundreds of such movies. And now I’ve finally found it – a movie that has moved me like no other. A movie that has taken me on a journey back to the days of my childhood. A movie which made my voice tremble when I thanked the person who recommended it to me. Yes, it’s now my favorite coming of age film – a movie I can’t wait to tell you about – Héroes.

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Ali Zoua: Prince of the Streets (2000)

Childhood in the streets is a theme not too often shown on film and, when it is, the documentary format is the one most frequently chosen by film makers. An example is the 2001 film Children Underground. Another frequently used approach is to film the story, not with professional actors, but with people willing to act as themselves – real street kids acting in front of the camera, giving viewers a glimpse into their world – into their daily lives.

Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets is a coming of age drama that tells the story of a group of street urchins living on the streets of Morocco’s largest city – Casablanca. These children do what they have to in order to survive. They steal, they hustle and they beg on the streets.

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The Greatest Joke Ever (2010)

In a year not so long ago… In a time before the Internet, CDs, VHS, Videogames and all this other technical stuff… Children without parental controls were often forced to amuse themselves…

The above quote is from the opening of the film, The Greatest Joke Ever, produced by Sterling Productions. The opening sentence itself describes what I consider to be the biggest virtue of the film – a sense of nostalgia of the days when one hung out with friends, pulled pranks on one another, and lived through many adventures. As one could expect, the cast of this film is made up of enthusiastic, yet non-professional actors. Whether you’ll appreciate their performances is quite subjective — probably “Yes” if you appreciate independent features, but probably “No” if you are used to seeing only mainstream releases.

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The Island on Bird Street (1997)

Imagine it. Imagine someone came and built a high wall right around your neighborhood so that you couldn’t get out. That’s what the Nazis did to us.

Many people cannot imagine the Holocaust. While filled with facts and details, school textbooks and documentaries often fail to tell the story of this horrible tragedy adequately. The autobiographical accounts of witnesses and survivors told in books and movies often play an important role by making people see the realities of the Nazi era.

Some of the most touching and excruciating stories are those in which the accounts are told from a child’s viewpoint. Coming of age is never easy, even under normal circumstances, but coming of age under constantly life-threatening conditions and surviving is a close exemplification of the power of the human spirit. Not all stories have a happy ending. Films such as Edges of the Lord (2001) and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) stick to the viewer’s mind regardless of age or educational level.

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Introducing Dima Borodin

Get ready for a young talent who is going to take the world by storm.

Like many young stars these days Dima, who hails from the Ukraine, was spotted on YouTube. For the past few months, Dima has been working with a music producer from England. Nowadays the artist no longer needs to be in the same geographical area as his vocal instructor and adviser, which comes in handy. For the past five months, Dima has been learning new singing skills over Skype.

His producer shared his first impressions with us: “I am always trying to stay ahead of trend and didn’t want to discover another Justin Bieber. This singer had a great raw talent that I knew could be something special with the right training. Also, having seen the many videos he had on his YouTube, I knew teenage girls would love his personality. After all, a great singer with zero personality will never become big, no matter how good his voice is.”

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3rd Annual Coming Of Age Movie Awards

Winners announcement !

Each year TheSkyKid.Com announces nominations for a special kind of award: The Coming of Age Movie Awards.

In 2009, when we launched this new project, we did not have an established format. That’s why the nominations for that year were not chosen with a specific release year in mind. In 2010, the choice of the nominated films and actors was more focused.

For this year’s 3rd edition of the awards, in addition to the other criteria applied to the films, in order to be considered for nomination we have added an extra one: the release data of the nominated films. Therefore, for 2011, we have chosen films released in 2010.

You may recall that, in 2010, we hoped to have an official event to announce the winners of the awards. Several alternatives were considered – one of them being participating in a European film festival. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to secure a presence at an offline event. However, this remains a goal we would try to achieve in the future.

Most of the titles included in the nominations will be familiar to you. If you are not sure about a certain title, feel free to use the search engine at theskykid.com or IMBD to learn more about the film in question. All nominated films belong to the coming of age genre . For newbies to the genre, and for those who would like to refresh their knowledge, I recommend that you read the article entitled Coming of Age Films – definition.

Voting is open until 3rd of May 2011. The winners will be announced on this web page, which is going to be updated to include detailed information for the films that receive recognition each consecutive year. Happy Voting!!

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The Colors of the Mountain (2010)

When I first saw the poster about the Colombian film The Colors of the Mountain (Los colores de la montaña) I really didn’t know what to expect. Yet, after the first few minutes of the film I got the feeling that I knew the story. The scenes and directing style reminded me of the 2004 film Innocent Voices which, added to the fact that both films share a similar message (innocent children deprived from the right to have a normal childhood, because of the social and political environment they live in), could easily explain the feeling of recognition I felt while watching the film.

The film’s Director, Carlos César Arbeláez, ably presents the story of a young boy and his friends, whose lives are changed after their families get in between the conflicts between the guerrillas and the paramilitary soldiers. He does this by building tension, while avoiding some of the disturbing (but also most powerful) scenes present in Innocent Voices. Arbelaez achieves this tension by combining elements of action and suspense that keeps the viewer engaged with the story being told on film.

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The Abduction of Zack Butterfield (2011)

The Abduction of Zack Butterfield In the past, the TheSkyKid.com has done several articles related to a movie called The Last Days of April. Included were interviews with Producer/Screenwriter Stephen Ryder (July 2009) and Director Rick Lancaster (September 2010) and a pre-release review of the movie itself in May of 2010. The movie has yet to be released and has recently had a name change.

Today, TheSkyKid.com conducted a phone interview with Stephen Ryder to get an update on what’s been happening with the film.

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The Cast of Stand By Me Reunite

Stand by Me Then and Now

When asked to name the most popular coming of age film, many choose the classic Stand By Me. The 1986 film, which is beloved by the public, is based on the novella The Body by Stephen King. It was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture and Best Director, as well as an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Twenty-five years after the film’s release, the cast of Stand By Me reunited to celebrate the movie’s anniversary including actors Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell and Corey Feldman, as well as director Rob Reiner and narrator Richard Dreyfuss. One actor who was not present was River Phoenix, who died in Los Angeles in 1993 at the age of 23.

To celebrate the film’s university – the film will be released on Blu-ray and DVD.

The Butcher Boy (1997)

“I really don’t know how people are going to react to this film. I haven’t got a clue. Anyone who’s seen it has been tremendously excited by it. They get either so blown away by it they can’t talk, or else they talk too much. It seems to affect people very profoundly.” 1

I chose to open this review with this quote from the movie’s director, Neil Jordan, as it really sets the tone for what you are about the read in the lines to follow.

If you are looking for an unusual coming of age film, The Butcher Boy (1997) would be an excellent choice. The premise can be described as coming of age — gone wrong. I would say that it’s not suitable for anyone under sixteen, as it features spicy language (nothing too offensive by European standards at least) and references.

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The Butcher Boy (1997)

In short

5

Our rating

Available at :

Amazon Video

Most (2003)

I have seen a lot of movies – some better than others and some that moved me so profoundly that, before the ending credits roll, I know that that I will forever keep their message in my heart. One of those films is Most – a 2003 Czech film directed by Bobby Garabedian.

It’s the story of a father and a son, of love and sacrifice. The brilliantly directed film grabbed my attention from the very beginning. In a minute or two, we are introduced to a whole variety of different life stories. Not only those of the film’s protagonists – a single father (Vladimir Javorsky) who works as a railroad drawbridge operator and his son Lada (Lada Ondrej)- but also the many people they meet at the railroad station where the film opens.

Most is masterfully directed and artfully constructed to avoid the barriers of ideologies, philosophies, and religiosities. But, at the same time, it propels us to a simple truth: that there is always someone willing to put his or her own desires aside and care for us, even when we can’t or won’t care for ourselves.

While watching the film, I felt many different emotions – ranging from joy and hope to sorrow and anguish. While there isn’t a lot of dialogue in the film, one could easily feel the mood of the film without it. The honesty of the actors’ expressions invokes the viewer’s proper emotions. The father and son did not act – they lived the story. Without a doubt, this emotional response that the film instills into its viewers can be largely attributed to its compelling character development.

Like this short film, life has a simple but meaningful plot with only two things being certain. It begins and it ends. However, what makes this film so relevant is its message, which points us to the importance of how we spend the time that joins these two certainties. Will we live our life unto others? Or will we carry on in a self-centered manner, oblivious to the needs of our fellow man?

Most will impact you, causing you to search your soul and perhaps lead you down a path of self-discovery. I highly recommend it to everyone. It’s one of those films that will leave an everlasting imprint — not only in your mind but in your heart!

TheSkyKid.com

TheSKyKid.com

Get ready for a young talent who is going to take the world by storm.