Dear Frankie (2004)

After having responded to her deaf son’s numerous letters in the guise of his father, a woman hires a stranger to pose as his dad.

Dear Frankie is an interesting little story and a true example of the coming-of-age genre.

Although a little polished at times, the real beauty of this film lies with its heart. It’s a fantastically displayed family drama and one that has some really nice moments. As I was watching this film, I thought the ending was going to be somewhat predictable and I had in my mind what I thought exactly was going to happen. The great thing was, that it didn’t pan out that way. In fact, the ending is quite open to interpretation and I think it was a perfect way to conclude this film.

The acting is superb. Emily Mortimer is brilliantly realistic as the mother (Lizzie) and really shows some raw emotions at times. Gerard Butler was great as well in his role as the Stranger. But the real stand out is Jack McElhone who plays the young boy, Frankie. He dosn’t talk during the whole film, a daunting challenge for any child actor. When dialogue is not being used, everything emoionally must be displayed with expressions. I reckon it would be difficult to find an adult actor to pull off the natural performance that Jack achieved.

It’s a shame the director, Shona Auerbach, only made this one film. There is no record of her making another film after Dear Frankie was released six years ago.

Overall, a great little Scottish film, with some cliche elements, but with a great outcome.

SkyKid`s review /Buy the film from Amazon.com

Rating: 8.5/10

– PhoenixEast

Blöde Mütze! (2007)

I just finished watching the German film Blode Mutze. I had been trying to find this movie for a while as I am a big fan of this particular genre. I found it yesterday, and I finally got to see it today.

‘Until he moved to the small town of Bellbach, 12-year-old Martin’s life seemed to be okay, but then suddenly he is confronted with an unexpected reality: his first love and Oliver’s fist. Pretty complicated! But Martin fights for what he believes in: for Silke and against Oliver, and finally for the friendship of both.’

It is a fantastic coming-of-age film that depicts such truth and actuality in its themes that it would be hard for someone not to get attached to the plot and the events of the characters. Our main protagonist, Martain, was a great little character, and one that I believe represents everyone at that stage in our lives. He is presented with obstacles and conflict arises for him throughout the film. We see how he tries to overcome not only his problems but also those of the people around him. I thought the director beautifully depicted this and the way his character development and relationships flowed was also great to watch. I found there was some symbolism in this film and representations of the emotions or the themes of the characters, which added nicely to the story.

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Clear Cut

After reviewing two films from Sterling Productions, the independent Canadian production house was kind enough to provide review copies of some of the titles from their catalogue. Today’s pick is a film called Clear Cut in which the twelve-year-old Evan Phillips plays the role of Kenny – a kid living in rural Canada who faces some tough choices.

Kenny’s parents encourage him to join the nature scouts, hoping he will make more friends. Reluctant at first, the boy soon becomes involved with the scout activities and becomes passionate about the importance of preserving the wilderness. During one of the field trips in the protected forest area nearby, the scout leader explains that while cutting down the trees in it is forbidden by law, the painted X symbol on some of them indicate they have fallen victim to some sickness and need to be removed in order to avoid contamination in the area. The next evening, one of the scouts comes to Kenny’s house and, after showing him a spray can with red paint, asks him if he would like to have some fun by spraying red signs on some trees in the forest. Sensing the wrongfulness of this idea, Kenny refuses to join his friend and tries to convince him not to do it.

The next day – it’s all over the news. Half of the trees in the protected zone have been cut down. After an investigation, the authorities reach the conclusion that the accident is the result of an act of vandalism and encourages people who may have more information on the case to contact the police. Kenny has to make a tough choice. Will he tell on his friend or choose to remain silent?

Clear Cut is not a complicated film. The story is straight forward and easy to follow. Though there are no real dramatic events, for the most part the film is still enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of Evan Phillips – whose skills in front of the camera have developed quite well since he starred in an earlier film released by Sterling Productions – Swim Zack Swim. Additionally, the choice of soundtrack was quite successful as the accompanying music was one of the first things that made an impression on me. Keeping in mind that Clear Cut is a low budget film, I am willing to forgive some of the sound problems (in some of the scenes it was rather hard to get what the characters were saying, especially the scenes shot at the school) – even though most of it could have been fixed in the editing stage. “The making of” included on the DVD is as fun to watch as the movie itself as the youthful energy, dedication and enthusiasm of Evan (and the rest of the cast) is evident.

You can find the film at the official web site of Sterling Productions

Matching Jack (2010)

Jack (Tom Russell) is a ten-year-old boy in Australia. One day during a soccer game, he feels overly tired and his mother takes him to the hospital for a routine check.

Meanwhile, his father is getting ready for a science conference though, as it turns out, he gets away so he can cheat on his wife. The boy is admitted to the children’s ward of the hospital in Melbourne and is diagnosed with leukemia.

Jack’s mother doesn’t tell him the truth right away, but he finds out about his sickness from Fin – another young patient with whom he shares the room. Fin informs him that their room is in the cancer ward of the hospital. The two boys quickly become friends, as does Jack’s mother and Fin’s father. By this time, Jack’s mom has discovered the truth about her husband’s trips.

Soon it becomes clear that the only chance for Jack is a bone marrow transplant from a relative or a matching sibling. Meanwhile, after discovering that her husband has had many lovers through the years, Jack’s mother decides to track them down in a desperate hope that they may have given birth to a child who would have the same bone marrow needed to save the life of her son.

Matching Jack is a powerful drama which invokes a lot of emotions in its viewers. It has a few flaws, mainly related to the pace of the action and the level of predictability, yet they don’t lessen the impact of the story.

The film soundtrack feels a little overdone at times – yet I am willing to forgive that after hearing a wonderful rendition of a classic Irish song, which was familiar to me from having heard it performed by Declan Galbraith previously.

The subject matter makes the film tough to watch and you (as I did) are likely to view the majority of scenes with tears in your eyes. I could not help but recall two other films with a similar plot line –The Cure and Oscar and the Pink Lady. I wonder what it is in these movies that make me like them so much?

Maybe it’s the excellent direction, or the well told story or perhaps the remarkable acting performances by each of their casts. Or it may be simply the fact that, given a choice, I will always pick a film with a real story and a meaning that gets to me instead of one of the so called blockbusters, which rely mostly on their marketing and in which the storytelling elements are often marginalized in favor of meaningless special effects (Avatar, Tron The Legacy, 2012 – you know the kind).

As I already mentioned, the cast of the film did a great job and I was especially impressed by the acting of Kodi Smit-McPhee. His performance was so natural and touching that I can’t wait to watch some of the other films he stars in (many of them are titles well-known to fans of the coming of age genre: Romulus, My Father, The Road, Let me in ). Tom Russell also stands out in the role of Jack.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1447499/combined

Matching Jack (2010)

Summary

Matching Jack is a powerful drama which invokes a lot of emotions in its viewers.

Positive

Powerful drama

Capable acting

Negative

Predictable story

Overdone score

3

OUR RATING

Watch it now

Amazon.com

Home (2008)

Get ready for a unique movie experience! That’s right – an unusual story, a bit of surrealism, wonderful acting and first class cinematography are the ingredients that make Home, a 2008 co-production of Switzerland, France and Belgium, a film well worth your time (especially if you happen to be fond of the European cinema).

An ordinary working class family, living at an ordinary location – an isolated country home on the edge of a highway.

The highway is under construction and not a single car has passed over it in the past ten years. Thus nothing has disturbed the existence of the family. They have even managed to incorporate the asphalt road into their day to day lives – playing roller hockey, eating out on the road and using the enormous lanes of the highway as a storage place for various household belongings (a sofa, satellite dish and even a sun bed on which one older daughter enjoys relaxing while listening to loud metal music).

No one lives around them to complain. The family consists of a father, mother, two daughters and a young son – living in peace away from the urban chaos.

That is, until one day the inevitable happens – the highway is about to re-open, taking away the peaceful existence of the family. All hell breaks loose – the noise and pollution of thousands of cars flying by only few meters from the family’s home. The family is now in danger of losing its sanity.

I enjoyed the film on many levels. The story itself could be seen as a metaphor for so called “progress”, which brings improvements in certain areas of our lives while, at the same time, inescapably takes away other things, which most of us don’t seem to notice. Or, perhaps, if we do notice we are too afraid that we may find ourselves in a traffic jam on the speedway of our own lives. The way in which the film is directed and the story is presented, the particular composition of the scenes and the resourceful acting differentiates Home from the conventional film by evoking an emotional response in its viewer while, at the same time, stimulating the desire to analyze the images one sees on screen.

Especially intriguing is the manner is which each of the family members deals with the change in their life which, in turn, allows the viewer to peek in the psychological make-up of the characters. The film’s director, Ursula Meier, gives some insight into the the inner world of the film’s character in an interview given for a site focusing on European cinema called Cineeuropa: “There are quite strong intimate ties between the characters, which will be revealed by the highway. It becomes the place where each one of the characters projects their own neurosis”.

Many people divide films into two categories – entertainment and work of art. Home can easily fit into either of them or in both. It is one of the few movies I am willing to watch over and over again and I highly recommend that you see it as well – at least once!

1. An interview with the film’s director Ursula Meier at Cineeuropa (link)

In addition to the review of Home you can read the reviews for the two movies for whom the cinematographer was Agnes Godard: namely Sister (2012) and Jacquot de Nantes (1991).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1319569/combined

Home (2008)

Summary

Home is a unique movie experience! That's right - an unusual story, a bit of surrealism, wonderful acting and first class cinematography

See it for its

wonderful acting

unique story

capable directing

4.9

OUR RATING

Rubber Tarzan (1981)

Rubber Tarzan (also known as Gummi Tarzan) is a film based on the children’s book by the Danish author Ole Lund Kirkegaard. Though the story is aimed at children, the film can be enjoyed by viewers of all ages thanks to the messages hidden in the film’s plot.

The main protagonist of the film is a ten-year-old boy, Ivan Olsen. He is a sensible lad and a dreamer who likes to play with his kite in the nearby harbour. At school, Ivan has trouble with the reading lessons and physical education classes and is an easy victim of the bullies. He doesn’t have friends and, sensing that he cannot protect himself, the bullies don’t miss a day without “wetting his pants” while teasing him by calling him a wimp, unable to do anything right.

Ivan’s parents don’t do much to help him out once when he gets home. His father shows his disappointment that Ivan is not fighting back and gives him the example of Tarzan, stating that this is how a real man should look “Healthy, strong and noble”. To Ivan’s father, Tarzan is a symbol of manliness . After seeing that his son is not interested in having huge muscles or impressed by the ability of Tarzan to “drag his life in the trees and swim with crocodiles” – he calls his son a “rubber Tarzan”, which hurts the self-confidence of the little boy even more. What’s worse, the conversation between parents and son is overheard by the bullies, who now have yet another thing to tease Ivan about.

While wandering around the harbor after school, Ivan meets Ole – a daytime crane operator. Unlike anyone else, Ole listens to the little boy without automatically disregarding his view as irrelevant because of his age. Ole understands Ivan’s solitude and decides to help the little boy regain his self–confidence. He doesn’t talk down to Ivan, but instead encourages his imagination while teaching him that everyone has something at which they excel – and it is only a matter of discovering it.

Like most coming of age films, Rubber Tarzan will make you remember your own childhood. It is impossible not to sympathise with the young prognostic of the film while watching the sincere and capable performance of Alex Svanbjerg in the role of Ivan. The fact that the story is told from his viewpoint only adds to its charm. The film’s director, Soren Kragh-Jacobsen, successfully captures the genuine spirit and imagination of childhood. The contrast of the small frame of Ivan and the huge, powerful machines at the harbor is another example of resourceful directing.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082486/combined

Introducing DevlynTyree

DevlynTyree, a 7-year-old rapper with swagger beyond his years, is on a quest to change music. He is not defined by one genre, but refers to himself as an artist. He explains that he enjoys all kinds of music and does not prefer one over the other and has plans for releasing music in all the varied genres.

DevlynTyree was born in Mississippi, but currently resides in Houston,Texas. He was reared around music, as his mother is a writer. His interest in music began at the tender age of 3. When he learned his ABC’s, he remixed what most would consider the original version of the song, changing the style completely. Instead to singing, “now I know my ABC’s, next time won’t you sing with me”, he rearranged the melody and added his own flare concluding the song with, “now I know, my ABC’s, momma taught them and she sang them with me”. Not bad for a three-year-old!

As he grew older, his interest in music never disappeared. However, his mother’s focus for him was not on music, but on his education. As he says, “She is a teacher you know.” With that said, his education was and is placed ahead of all other things. She has taught him much and has concluded he is a quick study. At the age of 4, he was reading and doing math. At the age of 5, he was regrouping and carrying numbers as well as reading chapter books. Because his mother realized he was a quick study, she allowed music to reenter his life at the age of 7.

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Introducing Jacob

Introducing Jacob – a talented young singer from Canada. Like most Canadians, Jacob speaks both English and French – but chooses to sing in French, much like his fellow Canadian actor/singer Élie Dupuis. Nowadays, almost every young singer who sings contemporary music and R&B is inevitably compared with Justin Bieber. Which is why Jacob is considered by many to be the French language answer to that other Canadian pop-R&B singer who has taken the world by a storm.

Jacob started singing at a very young age and by April 2009 had already been signed by the independent Canadian label Orange Music and released his debut album Partir pour les étoiles (Go for the Stars). Filled with melodic ballads and catchy pop songs and featuring covers of the songs Deux frères sous le soleil originally performed by Bryan Adams and Dans un spoutnik by Daniel Bélanger, the album became a favorite of many people across the world who appreciate the soulful performances and pure treble vocals of the young Canadian singer. In 2009, Jacob had many appearances in events across Canada and France.

In June 2010, just one year after his debut, Jacob surprised his fans by releasing a single Jacob featuring Karl Wolf, followed by the release of his second album Si jeune in collaboration with the R&B singer, songwriter and producer Karl Wolf. From chansons and ballads to R&B – a real transformation! The songs in Si jeune are enjoyable even if you don’t know French and (I know I say this with the risk of being attacked by the millions of Justin Bieber fans out there) I think that Jacob’s voice and the music arrangements of his songs are on higher level than those of Justin.

But don’t just take my word for it, find out for yourself by watching this official video clip of Jacob’s songs in Si Jeune:

A fan site in French

Alabama Moon (2009)

“Just before Pap died, he told me that I’d be fine as long as I never depended on anybody but myself.”

Having read the opening quote of this review, you may think that you already know the kind of film this review is going to be about. But I would suggest that you read through the entire review, as everything is not always as it seems.

Moon Blake (Jimmy Bennett) is an eleven-year-old boy who lives with his father in the deep forests of a national park in Alabama. They live in isolation, as the father is obsessed with the idea that the government wants to control them and their lives. These days, this doesn’t sound like such a ridiculous idea, when one thinks of the extremes to which some governments are willing to go to establish various surveillance mechanisms and techniques aimed at increasing their power over the people under their jurisdiction.

One unfortunate day, Moon’s dad breaks his leg (in what probably is the most dramatic scene of the film) and dies from the infection a few days after. Left by himself, Moon decides to follow his father’s instructions and head to Alaska (or some other rural state) in the hope of finding other people who live in the wilderness to avoid the government. Unlike the book by the same name, written by Watt Key, the film leaves a lot to be desired in the portrayal of the forest, the wilderness and extreme isolation in which Moon and his dad spend their days.

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Bruno (The Dress Code)

With the naivety and exuberance of childhood comes an innate understanding of the truth within one’s self. The child’s predominant personality force is his Id, the other side of the superficial human façade that most experienced adults are able to control. With his ability constantly tapped into the extremes of his personality, a child may fall prey to obvious ridicule in a society that forces us to fold into ourselves and forget our innate desires to feel good.

Then there was The Dress Code.

Originally entitled Bruno, The Dress Code, this movie follows the life of a precocious wonder child, Bruno, as he deals with aggressive bullying from his peers and teachers, the absence of his father, and the (understandable) over-protection of his mother. Bruno, played by Alex D. Linz, attends Catholic school and has a particular capacity for the English language.

The most important aspect of Bruno’s story is his connection with everyone around him. His mother (Stacey Halprin providing the emotional epicenter) is morbidly obese, a condition brought on by the trauma of her husband (Gary Sinise) leaving her for a younger woman and essentially making her a single parent — having a son whom the father rarely visits. His mother’s obvious weight problem proves to be the biggest factor that demonizes Bruno in his school amongst, not only by the violent bullying at school from bigger boys, but also because of the disgusting flex of authority from Mother Superior (portrayed by Kathy Bates).

However, the crux of the story isn’t the bullying, Bruno’s unparalleled academic prowess, or even the emotional avalanche that is his obese mother. Bruno has a special interest in wearing dresses. He calls them “holy vestments”, garments worn to portray divine beauty and majesty. His argument is that some of the most powerful and influential men in the world wear dresses and cites the cultural significance of wearing dresses, from South African cowboys to the Pope himself. However, his style of dress (no pun intended) really allows him to express his own sense of power and self worth. His desire to wear dresses is a way to hide the pain that is the daily deluge of his life. He also claims that his dresses give him the courage to stand up to everyone who would seek to harm him.

Along the way he meets another social outcast, Shawniqua (played with surprising emotional depth by Kiami Davael), a Black transfer student with tomboy tendencies (wearing a cowgirl outfit complete with hat and fake pistols) and a penchant for fighting anyone and everyone who attempts to exercise superiority over her –including her White peers (Bruno’s tormentors) and Mother Superior. Her outer strength is used to hide the pain of an abusive father and an absent mother. Together, Bruno and Shawniqua form an unconventional bond that sees them lift each other up to rise above the tumult of their circumstances.

Following a series of emotional events (Bruno’s mother being accosted by his emotionally disturbed tormentors and having a heart attack, and an emotional discovery that his father’s outward disgust for him correlates to a misguided self-loathing), Bruno gets an audience with his biggest influence, the Pope. He wins a national spelling bee (wearing a new dress everyday that his seamstress mother created for him).

Throughout the film, we see how one boy’s understanding of his identity leads him to conquer the snide remarks, violent outbursts, and the heartbreaking disdain of his father. His brilliant sense of self allows his mother to move towards bettering herself, allows Shawniqua to be at peace about her circumstances, and allows his father ( in his late 30s) to learn to accept himself in the same way that his son has managed to at 10 years old. It’s obviously a coming of age film about social acceptance. But it also rings true as a story about a child’s ability to know himself within and without, being fearless in the face of dangerous odds. Though not an incredible film, it’s brave enough to explore a child’s emotional depth and manages to get that emotional depth from its characters, especially its underage cast.

This review of Bruno (The Dress Code) is a guest contribution by Camiele White. As unexpected as her path was to loving all things weird, more unexpected is her ability to get attention for writing about the stuff. From Japanese horror and Korean melodrama, to the acid soaked animation of the 70s, Camiele White loves to talk about, debate, and watch film that teases, pleases, and messes with the senses.

Mary Did You Know….

Christian music – until a few days ago I had no idea what was behind this term. What came to my mind naturally was classical choirs (Vienna Boys Choir, L’Escolania de Montserrat, St Edmundsbury Cathedral Choir…etc.) or Gospel performers. Then I find out there is Christian Rock, Rap, Pop and even techno music. I knew that various events are organized across the globe – gatherings, festivals – but because of some (wrong) assumptions on my part, based on my feeling that most things associated with religion are not be on the “cool “side – I never expressed a real interest in so called Christian Music.

Then I discovered the music of Ariel Sebastian from Argentina. And I like it. I like it not only because of his astonishing treble voice, but because of the well-arranged and modern music he sings. After hearing this, I was on my way to changing my pre-set assumptions – when something happened to accelerate the process. I discovered a new independent label Technopraise that uses a totally new and unique approach – mixing techno (House actually) and Christian songs in what they call the “NEW sound of Christian music”. They have released a music video of Johnny Hammer performing Mary Did You Know? – a great song with a real message, set to catchy vibes that makes me want to dance. Of course, just as some people have wrong assumptions towards Christian Music, others have the wrong assumptions towards techno music. I should know. In the past few years I have been to hundreds of dance clubs across Europe and have a first-hand experience with what some people think about anything “different and new”. Yet, Technopraise proves that sending a positive message out there can be done just as effectively via modern vibes, which are guaranteed to have a bigger impact on youth than anything else.

Now what’s left for you is to watch the new clip of Mary Did You Know? and share your opinion of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77ZfKaP6I3IDon`t miss our exclusive interview with Johnny Hammer !

You can find out more about the newest releases of Technopraise at their official web site

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from TheSkyKid.com

The 6^th Christmas since theSkyKid.com was launched. Six wonderful years – more than two million people visited the site. 600 articles were published , 5284 comments were made. Thank you!

May your world be filled with warmth and good cheer this Holy season, and throughout the year! Wish your Christmas be filled with peace and love. Merry Xmas.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9JXATSbywc

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