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Skellig

The Owl Man
NOT- -AVAIL-ABL-E.
COPY ISBN
Gr 5 Up—David Almond's Printz Honor book, Skellig (Delacorte, 1999), is brilliantly translated into a family-friendly film. Tim Roth stars as Skellig, the fantastical man/bird/angel that Michael discovers living in an old shed in the backyard of his new home. At the moment, Michael's life is in turmoil—he's bullied at school by classmates and teachers, his family just moved to a dilapidated house, and his baby sister has congenital heart problems and is not expected to live. Skellig is the only bright spot in his bleak life. Michael tends to Skellig, making sure he has food and drink. When magical things start happening to Michael, such as a very quick healing of an injured hand, he turns to a reluctant Skellig to save his baby sister. The movie stays true to Almond's novel and moves along at a nice pace. Skellig is very believable as a dying, disinterested creature that is slow to respond to Michael's help. The high quality acting, scenery, and special effects contribute to a very enjoyable and engrossing movie for the whole family. Viewers, whether or not they have read the book, will find much to savor in this tale of friendship, family, and hope.—Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN
In this beautiful, heartrending, yet horrifying film, North Koreans tell their stories of imprisonment, sexual slavery, torture, murder, and escape to China or South Korea during the nearly 50-year regime of Kim Il Sung (1912—94). The interviews are illustrated through the interspersion of dance sequences, archival news footage, and drawings. Particularly interesting are the North Korean propaganda films celebrating Kim Il Sung as God and showing in the face of mass starvation happy workers, elaborate military displays, and the creation of a new flower in 1988 in honor of the 46th birthday of Kim's son and successor, Kim Jong Il. A valuable time line traces 20th-century events in Korea. Bonus features include previously unreleased footage of camp refugees. This mesmerizing film displays excellent production values and is highly recommended for Asia collections.—Kitty Chen Dean, formerly with Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY
Reviewed by Kitty Chen Dean , Jan 01, 2011

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