Milan is a short film produced in Yugoslavia.  The action takes place during the 1999 Nato  air-raids of the country. Milan, a six year old boy, lives with his older brother and parents in a small village near Belgrad. The two boys play together and life seems trivial as trivial as it can be having daily air strikes at the nearyby  capital .Ognjenpromises his little brother that he would play “hide and seek” in the afternoon and Milan gets to the meeting point in the forest on time.

He is completely unaware of the fact that his older brother had an accident and is fighting for his life in the hospital. WhileOgnjen is struggling to survive, Milan starts looking for him, but instead of finding his brother, he finds someone else: an American pilot hiding in the woods after his plane went down… .

The movie also focuses on  the reality of war - a reality which is often blended by the media propaganda. The focus is mainly on the effects of war on innocent civilians.When I was in high school at the US I was surprised that there were people in there who did not know that Serbians were going outside with a target posters - saying that they won`t up to any aggressor . I had my share of arguments with teachers from my school - who of course thought of the military actions in Serbia as liberating - I still fair to understand the whole ” War for peace thing “

The story of the film is well written and developed  .It  has its fair share of   surprising turns which makes the film pleasant to watch for its entire 22 minutes.The actors speaks in Serbian -  but one can follow the dialogue with the English subtitles provided.

IMDB , Detailed review and interview with the director

Cold Light is an  Icelandic film - and as such portrays the nature , traditions and lifestyle in this country in two different epocas. The film has an overall melancholic feeling from the opening scene ( which by the way is the most beautiful opening scene of a movie I have seen in a while ) to the final credits. First we are introduced to the adult Grimur - an artist who is attending courses to improve his drawing technique - but draws things as he sees them - not as he is expected to. Soon we see him as a boy growing up in a remote village in Iceland .

He is a sensitive boy with rich imagination and a special talent - he can see things in the future and is afraid of that ability of his .  He express his visions in drawings - and becomes an artist at an early age. An old woman who he initially took for witch helps him to understand better himself saying that he does not have to fear  things he is not familiar with. However he is remains  frightened all his life…

The movie builds up tension gradually until one day  Grimur has to face his fear and learn to deal with his past if he is about to have a future

The acting of the movie was exeptional - especially the one of Áslákur Ingvarsson as the young Grimor .

IMDB

Name: Sigh
Original name: Zucht
Year:2007
country of origin: The Netherlands
Director: Margien Rogaar
Genre: Short film
Duration: 10 mins
Starring:Yannick de Waal, Moo Miero, Roeland Fernhout

Zucht is one of those movies you have to watch several times to fully get its meaning. At first the movie did not seem very promising or meaningful. One may even say that Zucht is quite a confusing film. However if you see it a few times through the eyes of the different characters (imagining it really)its quite possible that it will give you different very impressions about the film and the life around you.

Camerawork

The camera work in this film was pretty decent for a short film. The actors were all very good looking and had very expressive faces and posture. The camera work was pretty adequate for this. Taking pictures in the water that are still and steady are quite difficult without a lot of investment. Skin and face close-ups were frequent and that made the atmosphere of the movie seem more personal and intimate. That fact alone brings kudos to the film and it’s makers. The timing and pacing were also quite smooth and flowing.

The Plot

The main character was a 13 year old boy who is yet to feel the first trembles of love. He seems pretty shy to me smiling when a girl called him for a bike ride and then at the beach it become clear that he is a bit embarrassed by his body, as he struggled behind the towel to change in his swimming suit. When it comes to nudity I found his behavior quite weird but that’s me. I am used to hanging out at nude beaches where I have to admit it’s quite odd when you see someone acting the way that boy did. On a side note it was obvious that the girl liked him a lot it’s just that I could not figure out if man that went riding with them was her father, a brother or another of their friends.

That in itself could turn the meaning of the movie at 180 degrees.

Below you will see the various and diverse interpretations of the movies meaning.

One reviewer wrote:

12 year old Erik goes to the beach with his friend Sofie and her dad.Sofie seems to be in love with Erik, but Erik seems to be a lot more interested in her dad!

And another wrote:

In this movie, Erik awakening to the joys of sexuality, the stirrings of love and the pleasures of the human skin. I think the message is one of freedom and innocence, at a time when coming of age facing a life changing experience - is that magic happy time in our lives .

And still another:

The previous relationship which he obviously had with the other boy who was a friend the way only two boys can be, form and the symbolic separation on the bicycle ride to the beach. From the open “shedding of the skin”

symbolic of aging to the final kiss. Once at the beach the previous relationship which was consensual and mutual, probably from an early age became tentative. He was obviously still aroused by the sight of his friend becoming naked and hid his forming erection behind the towel then rushed to the water. He was evolving. The young girl who was very pretty obviously had eyes for him and he for her. But he was still torn between what was and what he wanted now. She delivered and invitation in a kiss. He had to decide now.

He rushed to his friend now in the water to say a final goodbye delivering his message with the tag of continued love signaled that although he was changing from a boy to a young man that he would always have love for his childhood mate.

He returned to the young girl with the last vestiges of his boyhood washed away, he accepted her invitation.

As you can see, how you identify the older male role in this movie can change your perception of it’s meaning dramatically.

Soundtrack and Audio

At its very begging the movie had quite a modern techno music - which could make you wonder what kind of film it would be.There was very little dialogue in the place which made the plot a bit harder to get adding to the initial confusion the movie caused . However it could be argued that  the acting compensated for the limited dialog as much had to be said with the eyes, body language and the directors clues. Finally it should be noted that the dialogue is in Dutch - and probably the limitations of the dialogue would actually do you a favor if you are not familiar with this language.

the English translation “Sigh” means “1. A deep and prolonged audible inspiration or respiration of air, as when fatigued or grieved; the act of sighing.[so i found it quite interesting that none of the characters really do “sigh’ audibly at all, but that the “sighing” is all done in the imagery and what i saw throughout the movie

To summarize

A very symbolic and moving piece done in a very short film.Symbolic films are very difficult because different cultures have different value bases. Your understanding and  definition what  love is could change. It demonstrated the dilemma of sexual choice in the adolescent male. Such a simple movie it has really makes you think  about things so much.  ‘Zucht’ could have an awakening effect on you .

- now i get it: close friendship is a form of love!

Note : What you just read is the first result of the SkyKid.org’s joint movie review forum. The review above is based on the opinions of SkyKid, Joe11,Bestpi,´KID combined and blended in a joint review . To see the separate opinions or if you want to leave your own visit the disscusion thread or leave a comment to this post.

Went for a walk in the morning -a long one - 3 or 4 hours -but since I don`t know anyone yet it was more crusing trough the streets than a real plesant walk. It was sunny ( and still is ) - so at least I won`t have any problems preseving my wonderful tan.  I have noted that nearby the building I live at now there is a college campus , at least 10 schools , 4 parks and many fountains - yet I could not notice any young people around to hang out with - play soccer or something.

Probably tonight I will go with my dad fishing - he is heading to some lake 50 km from here in the mountains , so I guess that will be the better option. Gee I better finnish this post up before the battery of my notebook drains out completely or the wifi dissapers once again.

I miss the summer and the beaches …

I have wanted to see this movie ever since its posters appeared on the Metro stations in the city. That was some time ago - 2 or 3 years and I just managed to see it tonight , though not in the cinema but on my PC.

The first scenes really got me in the mood of the movie as we see how the Mouses (a 16 year old boy played by Pierre Boulanger) observes the prostitutes who happen to work just across the street. Such scenes may appall some viewers, but that in fact is a rather typical setting in almost every big city in Europe and elsewhere.

Smile - and the girl is yours

Mouses ( or Momo ) practices his pick up lines in front of the mirror. Things like “It’s hot one.” to “How much?” and decides to try his luck with the girls using the money he saved since he was 8 or 9. Around that time we are introduced to the second lead character of the movie: Monsieur Ibrahim an old Muslim shopkeeper who is commonly known as the “Arab” as his store stays open the hours when others are closed. (Where I live, there are similar stores only here they are run by people from China) At first it doesn’t appear that Momo and the old shop keeper have anything in common. they have different religions Momo is Jewish and Monsieur Ibrahim is Muslim and they have different backgrounds one being Spanish and the other an Arab. And to make matters worse, Momo is even shoplifting from the store ran by the Monsieur Ibrahim. (Who by the way is played by the well known Omar Sherif ) .

Monsieur Ibrahim knows that Momo steals from him but he cares too much for the boy which becomes obvious when he says, “Better you should steal here, than somewhere you could get into real trouble.” Later on he becomes a role model of Momo providing him with guidance and handy advice. The boy needs his mentoring as guidence and understanding does not exist at home. At least that is my impression after seeing the way his father talks with him.

My first impressions of the Mouses father wasn`t very positive - although he appears to be a hard working man he was rather indifferent to his son who cleaned the house and even cooked for him after his mother left them.

In quite a few reviews of this movie I found online Momo is compared with the Antoine Doinel , the character of The 400 Blows - while indeed there are some similarities, both boys seek understanding and guidance, I did not find this such a strong connection between their characters .

Pierre Boulanger as Momo

The acting by the two leads is very good as the movie relies largely on them to carry the film for most part. I really liked the performance of the young Pierre Boulanger in the role of Momo, he seems perfectly fit for the role of the young teenager who explores and learns about surviving in the adult world he is thrust into. While I am not that familiar with the previous roles of Omar Sharif, he was outstanding as an old man who is more then willing to share his knowledge and wisdom with someone who will appreciate it and benefit from it.

The soundtrack is also really good. Mostly 60s vibes and jazz . By the end the movie I was hooked on the music.

To summarize this review I would like to quote the movie director Director Dupeyron :

“The story reminds us that, even in the worst of times, if you don’t close yourself up, you will always find someone, somewhere, who will smile at you. ‘It’s a hymn to tolerance, a cry for hope,’ that’s what I would like the audience to feel, after seeing the film.”

Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran is a coming of age movie from which everyone can learn a lot Especially someone as inexperienced and naive as I occasionally tend to be. The movie is full of truth about life , women , smiles , friends and I am definitely going to follow some of the advice of Monsieur Ibrahim.

I would start by saying that “SkyKids” has a similar atmosphere to another recently released title, “The Son of Rambow”. It differs however in the focus, which is on the action ( including amazing aerial scenes ) instead of its comedy aspects. Which is not to say that “The Son of Rambow” doesn’t have any action in it. The action in the film is really intense, which assures a long run at the box office.

I really love the fact that SkyKids is not like those dumb movies which flood the cinemas lately / you know the kind  - with dozens of computer generated effects and no real meaning . In SkyKids all stunts are real  performed by very talented pilots .

If feels like the movie has several different plots. Starting with what may be your average story about a troubled kid who befriends a rather shy boy from his new school. A coming-of-age action film is probably the most accurate description of “SkyKids”.

The cast of the movie is really good. I loved the acting, especially one of the young actors. Reiley Mc Clendon was very convincing as Kyle. In fact Reiley Mc Clendon, who is currently eighteen years old, has unique aspects to his facial characteristic or something in his natural charisma, which really contributes to his role as Kyle. The movie seems to have been made at least five or six years ago and I am really curious as to why they waited so long to release it.

The movie is very entertaining and its guaranteed to keep you glued to the screen for its entire 144 minute length. I loved it and highly recommend that you head to the nearest DVD store to get a copy of it.

( review under construction - pre published for test reasons only )

News Report - you will see it in the movie too

IMDB/Official web site / Behind the scene photos / The story behind the movie

As always high quality version of the trailer is available in the forum

“The Unknown Soldier’s Patent Leather Shoes” is quite an abstract coming of age movie. Its very unusual as this time, the childhood of the main character is told through the eyes of a grownup, who also narrates the story. Saying that the world in “The Unknown Soldier’s Patent Leather Shoes” is as seen trough the eyes of the child, would not be an accurate statement, because to a child, the would seems like a snapshot in time, frozen with no advancement or growth

The story is told, mostly through narrative. Overall the movie is very experimental and my opinion is that it won`t appeal to all viewers. It could be compared with the works of Tim Burton, and while I am definitely not fan of such abstract creations, some of you may like it a lot.

The main character is in fact, the movie director himself, who remembers his childhood in remote Bulgarian village. While he narrates the story as an adult, on screen we see the 7 year old boy that he was. A boy with a vivid imagination absorbing the surrounding relity. Miracles, conceived in the unrestricted imagination of a child. He recalls all that he knew, feared and admired.

The camerawork in the movie is very good, if not great. In his review, Roger Ebert refers to it, as being fluid, graceful, and poetic. At the same time the acting in the movie is quite good, especially considering the fact that no professional actors were cast. The soundtrack is also worth mentioning, as it is rather unique, consisting almost entirely of regional folk songs .

IMDB

The new forum - just launched

I was thinking that since now I have a hosting and a domain name for skykid.org - the site would not be complete without a forum. That`s why I decided to set up one - and its already operation even if at the moment there isn`t much to see there. Still feel free to check it out and leave me any suggestions or ideas you may have about it. While I have some experience both as a member and as a moderator of several web forums - I have never managed one . Sound like a challenge ?

Right now only two categories are available - Movies and Music - but with your help they will become more and better. My idea is to inegrate the blog and the forum to some extent - which is why you will probably find an extended information of any movie I review - such as downloadable trailers , more and better screenshots in the forum …

You can find the forum on the right menu of my blog and my clicking on the image in the top of this post.

Greetings ,

SkyKId

Its nice from Rapidshare to introduce such program - if not else it it one more way to deferentiate from their competitors. And yet is it worth it ? If not used for awards your rapidhsare points could extend your premium account or create a new one ( 10 000 points = 1 months premium access ). At the same time most of the awars that Rapidshare have now in their list seem a bit pricey . A limited T-shirt would take limited 150000 points - which is almost 2 years in terms of rapidshare premim time.

Most of the rewards offered by Rapidshare are from the catalogues of the ThinkGeek Website - which is need as I am quite found of their gadgets .

Note that you can only exchange one item per account !

What do you think of the new reward program of rapidshare ?