user1089r Reviews

The Adventures of Champion (1955–1956)

Boy, German Shepherd, Wild Stallion in the West

[7/10 · 9 August 2012]

Fun western set in the early twentieth century. Young "Ricky" (the protagonist, played by Barry Curtis of the 1960 Lassie TV series) lives on his uncle Sandy's ranch and encounter rustlers, bad men, and odd characters. Champion is the horse-interest who leads a wild herd and who will only let Ricky ride him. Altho we weren't expecting much imagination, we were pleasantly surprised with the stories (in independent installments), and the humor is good throughout, often a little tongue-in-cheek. Barry Curtis does all his own riding, rides Champion bareback at full speed and doesn't need a double, and for a twelve-year-old he is astoundingly skilled, which you will appreciate if you ride yourself. Be aware, tho, that since the series is from 1955, the B&W picture clarity is a little dim.

Hands Up (2010)

Freshness and nostalgia

[8/10 · 26 August 2011]

A film that concerns itself with the issue of residents without documentation in France, Les Main en l'Air has the good taste not to besiege us with didactic speech-making, and approaches the subject from a thoroughly human angle, through a retrospective account of a touching and melancholy friendship between a twelve-year-old French boy and a girl of Chechen culture who are beginning to understand each other as more than chums. Alternating between insouciance and gravity, play and fear, Romain Goupil's film creates wonders with its scenes of secret meetings of a group of young schoolmates, full of freshness and nostalgia, thanks to well-written dialog and appealing comedy.

Flipped (I) (2010)

Visually gorgeous with fatal flaws

[6/10 · 24 December 2010]

Reviewed from DVD.

No interactive menu. Navigation problems: each time you start the movie, you must fast-forward through all six commercials, one at a time. No chapters; if you want to reach the spot where you left off, you must fast-forward to it. There are subtitles, but the English ones are thoroughly hidden: surprisingly, you must hover over "Español" to see "English". And this is a Rob Reiner film? This can turn out to be important (see below).

Very lovely video quality. This is simply a very beautiful movie. The protagonist in particular -- also the narrator of the story -- played by Callan McAuliffe, does a fine job, especially for a fourteen-year-old. Unfortunately, this is not the case for his wannabe girlfriend, played by Madeline Carroll, a very unfortunate choice.

Since the plot is for the most part pretty drab, it is up to the director and the actors to make up for it, but Ms. Carroll's performance in a prominent role is truly annoying, making the film almost unwatchable, which only adds to the problem. After half an hour, I actually turned on the subtitles and muted the sound, so that I could avoid listening to her voice. It must be said, however, that the teenage girl she played is more than a little aggressive, which only aggravated the problem with her speaking voice.

I repeat, this is a visually very beautiful movie; I would even say stunning. If you feel you can somehow tolerate the annoyance of Ms. Carroll's interpretation of the protagonist's girlfriend and the unimaginative storyline, give it a try.

Histoires d'hiver (1999)

Attractive period piece and coming-of-age story in 1965

[10/10 · 21 November 2010]

A marvelous period piece set in a small town in 1966 Québec about an eighth-grade class and one boy's love of the game of hockey and his coming of age; remarkable cinematography; adapted from the novel by Eugène-Melchior Vogüé; in French.

The three lead roles are played by 14-year-old Joël Dalpé-Drapeau, 13-year-old Patrick Thomas (Counter Punch aka Fish out of Water aka Witness, English-language), and young Maude Gionet (Lassie, English-language TV series 1997).

At this point the only way to view the movie is by DVD, which comes in wide-screen in French language or, on the same disk, English-language dubbed version in 4:3 aspect ratio. The dubbing is of excellent quality -- no womens' voices for the boys, for example -- but since dubbing does have inherent limitations, viewing in French is preferred, if possible. Altho it is admittedly difficult to determine without doubt, at least Joël Dalpé-Drapeau and Patrick Thomas appear to dub their own parts for the English-language DVD version.

This film is in no way exclusively for Québecois audiences. On the contrary, it presents a universal attraction through an intimate familiarity with local color and family life in Québec in the sixties -- beguiling and amiable -- and through the faithful representation of the piquant local Gallic dialog of the time.

Surface (2005–2006)

Great production values; vehicle for Carter Jenkins?

[9/10 · 26 September 2010]

Now that DVD's are available, it is perhaps time to take another look at "Surface". If only the series were available as Blu-ray, since it's major virtue is cinematography!

First of all, an alert: It's difficult to know how to review this series, since it comprises two different story lines which are of enormously different quality, that of scientist Daughtry (Lake Bell, and her sidekick Rich played Jay R. Ferguson) and that of fourteen-year-old Miles (played by 15-year-old Carter Jenkins in his earliest strong role). If you want to enjoy viewing the series, it is important to know this in advance. On the other hand, throughout, the production values and cinematography are excellent and sometimes superb. Neverthelss, because of the wide differences in quality between the "Miles" story line and the "Daughtry" story line, you may find yourself fast-forwarding through parts of the latter.

Before long, it becomes easy to tell which story line was artistically important to directors Jonas and Josh Pate. In early episodes, Miles and his buddy Phil (Eddie Hassell) are slightly immature freshmen whose lives are innocently altered, then eventually turned upside down -- by a unique amphibian lizard-like animal which they adopt and which rapidly grows in size, intelligence and finally in puzzling, powerful... talents. The protagonist of this story line, Miles, becomes increasingly affected by an eerie sense of proprietorship and of protection toward "Nim", the unique "new vertebrate" which at first seems purely a pet and quickly becomes infinitely more to Miles and to the scientific world.

As astounding changes occur as the fifteen episodes develop, and it becomes more and more apparent that the story line of Miles and his relationship with Nim are to large extent rather a surprisingly successful vehicle for Carter Jenkins than an integrated part of the overall plot development -- and the cinematography becomes more and more devoted to this goal -- it becomes more and more clear that the Miles story line is primary and the Daughtry story line falls to an almost negligible level of quality.

At few points can we say of "Surface" that the plan and the writing are much more than middling dramatic science-fiction, but those who find themselves impressed by the production values and cinematography as the fifteen episodes develop -- and the acting in the Miles story-line -- will be amply rewarded by perseverance to the end.

A Dog of Flanders (1935)

Marvelously melodramatic, very " early 30's", highly entertaining

[9/10 · 12 March 2010]

Heavily influenced by the immediately preceding silent film era, this version of de la Ramê's novella is perhaps the most faithful in spirit to the original story (including multiple foreign versions and animé), while nevertheless a cheerier ending is added for thirties audiences. Voluptuously melodramatic. This is the second movie in the very early career of Frankie Thomas, only 13 at the time. His style of acting here -- clearly from stage and silent films -- can only have come from his father, Frank Thomas, who acted in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and with whom Frankie starred in "Wednesday's Child" the previous year. A truly beautiful film for any person of heart, of any age.

Evergreen (2004)

Fleiss is a great surprise

[8/10 · 2 December 2009]

Noah Fleiss ("Brick", "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her") certainly saved this movie from total oblivion. Unfortunately, the movie was based on the believability of Henri (Addie Land) as a girl from a low-income family wanting a change, and the believability wasn't there. Henri seemed more like an affluent California girl pretending to be from a poor family, which was not what the director intended nor what we wanted to see. Chat (Fleiss), however, was supposed to provide us with a picture of a shallow affluent teen male, a living cliché, and that is precisely what we got -- effective and, in the final analysis, humorously absurd. Fleiss dependably surprises with the convincing quality of his roles, and this one was so well done that I rather think there might be viewers who thought Fleiss himself was shallow.

Although the remainder of the movie has little to recommend it, go into it expecting only to see a gem of a performance by Noah Fleiss and you will in no way be disappointed.

Summer Scars (2007)

Inferior derivative

[6/10 · 1 November 2009]

(Spoilers) One of the several derivations of this movie is clearly the superior "The Boys Club" (Canada,1997), in which three somewhat younger boys, about 14, encounter in the woods a wounded man who manipulates them in brutal fashion similar to Summer Scars through lies and flattery. In the process of derivation, however, the director of "Summer Scars" has lost the original's tightness of story -- in fact there is almost no plot development and little character development. (At one point, one hopes the director is creating a character in crippled Ben whom we can cheer for, but inexplicably, he wastes the opportunity, choosing instead to plod ahead with his predictable agenda of mild sensationalism.) Thirdly he has neglected to cast, or could not afford, child actors with adequate experience, which results, among other things, in the greater part of the dialog among the children being indecipherable. On the DVD, this is complicated by the fact that there are no subtitles. The viewer might wonder if there are no subtitles because no one can figure out in fact what was actually being said.

In the case of derivative movies, one would hope to introduce improvements over the original, not defects.

Be Quiet (2005)

Remarkable vignette: human life in the West Bank and Israel

[10/10 · 3 September 2009]

Excellent slice-of-life short film consisting of a brief voyage which for most people in the world would be of little consequence. But for these two Palestinians, father Mahmmood and son Ibrahim, it is a dangerous and difficult journey not only physically, but psychologically, as son and father together experience a bumpy ride toward the boy's political awareness and maturity on the one hand and, on the other hand, toward a more mature relationship with each other.

This remarkable short provides a poignant and accurate portrayal of life for Arabs in the area with perfect symmetry, setting out the physical and psychological space to be visited, and consequently providing an artful resolution, as life goes on and the developing relationship of father and son passes a milepost of mutual understanding, forever altered.

Eskalofrío (2008)

Great vehicle for Junio Valverde, but that's about all

[6/10 · 18 February 2009]

WARNING: SPOILERS. Junio Valverde is excellent as always as the 17-year-old protagonist Santi in this flick, although the "horror" genre here calls for the kind of over-the-top acting that can't bring out the best in any actor. Although there are a few mild surprises, Valverde is really the only bright spot and the only factor that led me to actually finish the movie, aside from some neat cinematographic touches and some brief but salutary film time by Blanca Suárez as the girlfriend and Mar Sodupe as his mother. Santi's "photophobia" (actually a physical reaction to sunlight), so prominently featured at the beginning, never leads anywhere, and his growing canines are a puzzlingly naked and unresolved red herring.

Nevertheless, there is a good deal of beauty in the portrayal of the shadowy rural Spanish village among the hills which anyone can enjoy.

Talk About a Stranger (1952)

Well-made Billy Gray vehicle

[8/10 · 8 December 2007]

Surprisingly well-made and, at times, subtle and unpredictable Billy Gray vehicle released six months after the spectacular "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Billy was certainly on a roll.

Although there is a certain Bildungsroman aspect to the film, the emphasis is on plot and intelligent development. Several scenes introduced primarily to increase interest and suspense are brought off very effectively. Bradley's treatment of children is intriguing.

Photography and music are certainly above average for this era, genre, and budget.

Unfortunately, this movie does not appear to be available on DVD or video, although if you keep an eye out, you may catch it on TMC.

Peopletoys (1974)

"Ten Little Indians" meets "The Village of the Damned"

[8/10 · 17 July 2007]

Expect the obligatory characteristics of any low-budget indie (e.g. cat-fight), but overall, in fact, you get an original and startling portrayal of cooperating child homicidal criminals -- which certainly seemed substantially even more bizarre in the early 70s.

The young actors were of course the basis of the movie's success: This was Leif Garrett's third significant movie role, filmed just before his 13th birthday, and the first such role for Tierre Turner who turned 14 after the filming, and both did go on to substantial subsequent careers. Now Gail Smale, who seemed with her albino look and covered in a nun's habit perhaps the same age, was clandestinely in her twenties.

The story, with conscious progression, reveals the oddities of the children step by step -- perhaps most clearly in Leif's character for example, who takes an odd turn at minute 38 as he makes a curious point of discussing a dress with Taylor Lacher. Later at minute 102 we suddenly recognize that the girl in a mirror shot is in fact Leif when he removes his wig.

NOT your normal killer-kid movie. Pay attention -- it will stretch your imagination.

Redboy 13 (1997)

Marvelously silly parody of films and life.

[8/10 · 27 May 2007]

Viewers would be ill-advised not to take this parody fairly seriously, especially given the remarkable insights provided by the director's surprisingly modest commentary.

In this commentary (available on the DVD), director van Bavel seemed to believe 'a' major defect in the movie is that of Redboy's changing age, necessitated by the fact that the filming took longer than originally anticipated. Perhaps the depth of this issue can be illustrative of the complex art of this marvelously silly parody of films and life.

Yes, at first the viewer wonders if there are two actors. But by the end of the movie, it becomes apparent that this is not a negative at all -- on the contrary.

This is a film with binary themes related to the protagonist: student/super spy, toys/real weapons, the imaginary/the real, the child/the man. When I saw that the child/man theme was so important (the child-warrior theme being an archetypal theme in literature, viz. Joan of Arc, King Arthur, etc.), I began to see that presenting Redboy as of an ambiguous age, first young, then unpredictably older, is certainly one of the greatest and most perceptive strengths of the film, if not the greatest strength. Children, after all, may at first seem incapable, then surprisingly prove to be masters of their situation. The discontinuity of Redboy's age forces the viewer to confront a truth of humanity that can never be so graphically reflected in real life.

Up to now, perhaps only novels have been able to portray characters over a span of time -- or, in film, the comparatively artificial use of several actors to portray one character. It may in fact be that few movies in history have provided us the opportunity to see the protagonist over a wider variation in age and appearance, since, as van Bavel notes, children that age change rapidly.

Granted, if van Bavel had known from the beginning what the filming situation was to be, he almost certainly would have planned things differently -- even if he had in fact made the decision to include scenes from several divergent ages over a couple of years for Redboy. But as it is, I can't imagine apologizing for the fact that Redboy is of varying ages in the film, at least not without major qualification, even if in fact it seemed an accidental development. In fact, as well all know, art is characteristically 'accidental' -- or seems to be at the time. The fact that van Bavel didn't scrap it or re-do the whole thing with another actor is also an artistic decision.

Now, I'm aware, as van Bavel suggests in the commentary, that there is a danger of reading into the film more than is there, but as I say, even if the age issue was unplanned, that does not make it any less valid a strength, and I wouldn't wonder if it is not, consciously or unconsciously, one of the reasons for the admirable success of the film.

The Witness (1999)

Great entertainment: comic-book flavor with impressive cinematography and top-notch acting

[8/10 · 20 December 2000]

Delightfully entertaining Canadian fare from Robert Goudreau Productions (Montréal) with an often comic-book character -- yet with subtle symbolic overtones which lend more interest for children, teens and possibly adults.

A boy (Patrick Thomas, most recently seen as "Frank" in another Canadian work, "Believe", with Rick Mabe) flees with an employee (Christopher Heyerdahl -- also in "Believe" as Thad Stiles) from an underworld figure (veteran John Heard) who threatens to destroy the family business. Susan Almglen plays the boy's mother Jennifer in a basically non-essential role, and Victor Knight provides comic relief in the role of "Grandpa".

Altho Heard is certainly the most famous of the four principle actors, he has a minor part, and as the alternate, USA English title "Fish Out of Water" suggests, Thomas and Heyerdahl carry the film as "Chris Matherson" and "Bobby Fish" (or, as a child in the circus, "Roberto" [Simon Delguste]). The growing and moving relationship between the outgoing, confident, capable young Chris and the contrastingly timid and guilt-ridden Fish contain the meat of the film, overlaid on the conflict supplied by Heard, the criminal.

As "Fish", Heyerdahl shows remarkable versatility playing a character nothing like he has played before and is so distinct from his role in "Believe" that one would never consider that he is the same actor. His demeanor, his looks, his gait and body language, all are geared to the unique character of "Fish" and none other, creating an identifiable and sympathetic persona which immediately draws the viewer into the film and makes it suddenly special. His role is key, since it supplies the basis of the metaphorical, "fish-out-of-water" aspect of the film which tends to make it more than just another kidflick.

As for Director Geoffrey Edwards ("Too Good to be True" and who worked closely with Blake Edwards (a relative?) as writer and actor in several of the Pink Panther movies), his real success in this film was the selection of Patrick Thomas, a surprisingly accomplished young actor capable of unsuspected complexity, to play the part of the star of the screenplay, approximately thirteen-year-old "Chris". Thomas is a natural, and his expressive, engaging character-creation compares competently with that of the veterans like Heyerdahl and Heard. Even the most difficult, implausible lines are rendered evenly and believably (remember this is a comic-book movie). His imperturbability in the midst of the most demanding physical and expressive scenes, as well as his natural and easy good looks, will likely carry him to significant career in the future. He carries off all emotions with equal ease, ranging from genuine affection to genuine hysteria. Centering a film on a young actor is always a chancy enterprise at best, but this bet paid off royally.

In the final analysis it must be said that the overall dramatic substance of the movie will not be satisfying to adults looking for a Hitchcockian plot, but the cinematography never fails to please, and the pacing maintains interest almost without exception. Remember that this film is a *comic book* -- plus much more -- and you will definitely go for it.

All in all, a dependably entertaining film featuring veteran actors and a surprisingly talented young star.



Memorable line: "Eurotrash????"

Breakout (1998 Video)

Good children's entertainment in the Canadian genre

[6/10 · 6 October 2000]

Films for children don't need a point or much depth to be a success with children (cf. Harry Potter stories), which is what this film is all about. Fortunately, J. Evan Bonifant (3 Ninjas Kick Back, '94) surprises as a talented young actor of whom we may expect to see more.

James Hong (as "Wang"), a fine and experienced veteran actor, gives a very credible performance as a villain caught in a web of lies; his on-screen skills in switching characters lends support to the interest. His character, together with that of a comic Arab co-villain, exhibits a little xenophobia which director John Bradshaw, in his first movie as full director, failed to filter out, for one reason or another.

Still, all in all, a good effort for younger viewers.

Some "comic violence."