From my favorite movies..

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

For those who praised both the directing and writing of A Boy Called Dad might like to know that Brian Percival (who directed the multi-award winning ITV drama 'Downton Abbey') won a BAFTA along with screenwriter Julie Rutherford. That was a short, About A Girl, in 2001.This re-teaming in 2009, a small £1million budget and a welcome star name of Ian Hart have produced a modest little gem of a Brit movie, filmed in Liverpool and north Wales. A Boy Called Dad stars 14 y.o. Kyle Ward, a natural and fine performance (though according to IMDb, hasn't been in anything since) from a lad who has a one night stand - and then fatherhood. The mother of the child has little contact with Robbie (Ward) and lives separately.Enter jack-the-lad Robbie's Dad, a cheeky Liverpudlian with a VW pickup. He left Robbie and his mother some years before and says that he had moved to Ireland, when he had in fact, not. Robbie, after some reacquainting and bonding with his Dad, feels rejected and goes off the rails, kidnaps his own son and makes off in a car.The film does have its moments of action, bursts of anger and a lot of quiet moments of contemplation and emotion. It won't suit everyone, though its very humanity should appeal to us all. It's whether we choose to actually sit down and watch it rather than something more gimmicky and instantly gratifying. It's not a great movie, but a good one.

A BOY CALLED DAD - TRASH IT ( C- ) I was really enthusiastic about this movie, the subject is quite riveting and shocking but I was so disappointed to see that writer and director choose the easy way out. Instead of discussing a teenage pregnancy issue and how a 14 years old deal with being a dad, it became an abduction and Runaway story. Director didn't bother to discuss about how he felt when his 14yrs old girl friend got pregnant or what did his parents thought about it or why the girl didn't told her family who is the father? There are so many things which were not address in the movie. The director's focus was more on the 14 years old rebellious nature rather then the issue people actually went to see the movie. It is heart hitting just because we are watching a 14 years old with 6 month child on Run but if you look into the substance you will realize that the writer and director play us off. There are some sequences which look very filmy or movie oriented rather then original and real. 1. Why the 19 years old boy had the gun, he didn't look like a criminal nor does every other teen in U.K carry gun like that. It was really filmy. 2. There is another sequence where the boy hides in the barn and meets another weirdo teenage girl. That whole sequence was touchy but it looked unrealistic and when she ask or kind of blackmail him to sleep with her otherwise she won't return his 6 month child looked very desperate of director to put some hardcore scene in it. 3. In the end when Boy wants to jump off the cliff with his baby, that was too much plus the father of the boy is standing there and does nothing besides weeping. And the moment his son jumps off the cliff why the hell his father didn't grape him from the hood or at least tried anything. It all looked so fake and the director just wanted to give movie a tragic and sad ending, it reminded me of Robert Pattison's "Remember Me", where the performances were 1st rate but the director's utmost attempt to make the movie saddest to the core made the movie rather unbelievable and unreal. Kyle ward did a fantastic job as a young boy and the baby was really cute too. I truly wised that director would have chosen more realistic approach rather then total filmy drama approach. The person who finds the movie heart hitting is only because watching a teenage boy with an infant on Run defiantly looks heart hitting. Look into the substance you will realize who desperate director was to make the movie saddest and eventually unreal.

You know what THEY say, don't you. THEY say start with a joke and "A Boy Called Dad" starts with belly laugh. With a great running gag of an unseen conversation coming from a bus stop as the boy of the title becomes a dad (at least from a conception point of view) the film hits the ground running. The film speeds through the aftermath of this scene with a distant first love's waters breaking in the classroom and confused Robbie's reaction to being a father. The fast paced narrative is handled cleverly and doesn't miss any required beats to get the story on its feet."A Boy Called Dad" has an appropriate 'say what you see' title telling the story of Robbie (Kyle Ward) an abandoned son, reunited with a wayward father Joe (the fabulous Ian Hart) and the feelings that evokes for the 14 year old new dad.I saw this film as a part of the Salford Film Festival on Friday the 20th of November this year.After the bus stop conception, the first act is about the happenstance meeting of Robbie and his wastrel dad Joe, a compulsive liar and gambler. They rediscover their relationship, bonded by the one perfect moment in their past. One perfect day when Robbie, Joe and his mum enjoyed a traditional family holiday at a North Wales seaside town. The fact that this memory is also the moment when Joe walked out on them, apparently for good, makes the memory all the more bitter sweet.Ian Hart employs all of his considerable charm to make Joe realistically compelling as the man who constantly bottles his responsibilities but is still believably loved. A telling scene of Joe turning tail at the hospital door of his father's deathbed tells you all you need to know about Joe's propensity to chicken out at the moments when he's most needed to be strong. And now, for the spoilers…Inevitably, he bails on Robbie and growing love turns to disillusionment and anger at the dad who could never be relied on. Running in parallel is the story Leanne, the mother of his son, with an older and more menacing boyfriend snarling at Robbie to keep his distance.When Joe inevitably leaves a trail of lies and hurt in his wake when he runs away from problems that come with being the father of a troubled 14 year old, it prompts Robbie to go on a voyage with his own son. His voyage begins badly with a tragic accident after an altercation with his son's bad lad adoptive dad.He chooses to run away with his son to the one place he felt safe in his past. The story begins anew as Robbie must struggle with the realities of fatherhood, the problems of getting food and shelter whilst on the run from the police. Changing his first nappy becomes an epic struggle and film does not shy away from the real experience that a demanding baby can bring.Robbie's mum and Leanne cling to each other in fear for Robbie and son. Joe finally faces up to his responsibility's as he's the only one with the vital clue that can locate his Robbie and his grandson.Whilst seeking shelter in a barn Robbie encounters a mute girl Nia (Charlene McKenna) on an isolated Welsh farm with a troubled history of her own.The film explores themes of loss and hope; fatherhood (both traditional and teen pregnancy) and responsibility; family and loyalty; innocence and blooming sexuality with the penetrating naturalism of Ken Loach and the lyrical poetic visuals of Terence Malick or Yimou Zhang. Credit must go to both director Brian Percival and DoP David Katznelson for the sensitive use of light and setting. A scene that particularly stands out is a painful moment amongst the long grass between Robbie and Nia as she uses his need to remain hidden to exorcise a ghost from her past. Praise must also go to a beautiful cast troupe of actors who never miss nor misstep a single beat of this perceptive drama. Special mention should go to Kyle Ward, who manages troubled, desperate, funny, warm and angry with all the skill of an actor well beyond his years. One thing is certain. Without Ian Hart's ability to make the cowardly bad father Joe into a hilarious lovable rogue, the film would fall at an early hurdle. We want him to be the dad Robbie deserves and Hart treads the fine line between charm and tragedy beautifully.Special mention also for Charlene McKenna's Nia, whose tragic past caused her initial voiceless nature and whose chance meeting with Robbie gives her the opportunity to face and deal with that past. Her silence is incredibly eloquent in Charlene's hands and her story is the bedrock of the second act of this film.If I have criticisms of this film it would be that the story does drift on to new themes with the inclusion of Nia. The core story of Robbie's journey of discovery of the reality of fatherhood takes somewhat of a back seat when her character appears. Her story is, however, so mysterious and compelling that the diversion isn't necessarily an unhappy one.The climax of the film is surprising, heart warming and heartbreaking in equal measures.This film manages to tread a fine line between realism and melodrama and fuses naturalism and poetic visuals so successfully.I laughed, I cried and I thought. What more could you ask for.

Have just come back from the Edinburgh Film Festival and having seen lots of films there, including the more popular, bigger budget films, this one really stands out as something special. Whilst watching the film I cried with laughter and cried with heartfelt emotion for the characters and their excellent portrayal of their situation. Brilliant acting and gorgeous scenery and camera work. I defy anyone to see this film and not enjoy it! Ian hart, as always, gives a very special, genuine performance but the most surprising performance is the effort put forward from the young lad who plays the teenage dad who goes on the run with his son. It's so heartening to see a depiction of teenage dads which isn't so incredibly negative. I didn't know what to expect but I can know say that I'm so glad to have seen this film.