A Reviewer Reviewed

Name: Jack Lionette

Age: 7

School: First grade at the Chilmark School

Pet: A cat named Max

Something new you are learning: To play lacrosse

New place you would like to explore: Egypt

New food you recently tried: Tatsoi

Favorite thing about Martha’s Vineyard: Going to the beach-my favorite is Lucy Vincent

What do you want to do/be when you grow up: An Egyptologist or an NHL hockey player

Anything else you want us to know about you: My favorite sport is hockey. My travel mites team won the league championship this year. I love the Bruins, mythology and the Beastie Boys.

Each week the folks at Cinema Circus show a series of short films on Wednesday evenings at the Chilmark Community Center. The films begin at 6 p.m. but at 5 p.m. the circus — complete with jugglers, face painters, stilt walkers, food and music — gets underway.

As for the movies, each week an advanced screening of the films is arranged with a young Island cineaste; in a world with few certainties, the kid critic is the critic to trust.

Unfettered by economics, societal pressure, perhaps even good taste, the kid critics have no agenda. They have no filters nor is there any chance of hyperbolic windblowing designed to get everyone to see the movie. In fact, fewer people showing up might mean more popcorn for these young reviewers.

This week’s reviewer is Jack Lionette.

Rita and Whatsit (Dir. Jun Takagi / France, Japan / 2010 / 5 min.)

This film was animated. A little girl named Rita takes her dog, Whatsit, to school. Whatsit tricks her and runs all around making trouble. He throws snowballs, eats her chips and paints her picture. They go home and the dog is sleepy and Rita doesn’t know why he is sleepy because she thought he was in her bag all day. I liked the characters’ British accents and how they called French fries chips. This film was funny! I think kids that are under five will like this film.

Luminaris (Dir. Juan Pablo Zaramella / Argentina / 2011 / 6.5 min.)

This was a live-action film. It was about a guy who was stealing from his company. He took little pills that he chewed and made into light bulbs. He was trying to get enough to fill a bowl so that he could make a light bulb as big as a hot air balloon. He got caught and his boss kicked him out, but a girl gave him enough to fill the bowl and make the big light bulb. They got into the light bulb and drifted up into the sky. I thought this film was a little strange. I felt like he shouldn’t have stolen from his company. I think that kids seven and older will like this film.

Moving Forward (Dir. Tony Dusko / U.S.A. / 2012 / 1 min.)

This film was animated. It was about a boy monster who was afraid to ride the roller coaster, but he was finally brave enough to do it. This film was about courage. I learned that you should try new things or you’ll never get anywhere. This is a good film for preschoolers.

A Friend Like Me (Dir. Maggie Rogers / U.K. / 2010 / 3 min.)

The characters in this film were made out of cloth and yarn. It was about a lion who didn’t want to be friends with a mouse because they were too different. The lion kept forgetting things and the mouse was kind to him. Then the lion stuck up for the mouse and he realized that they could be friends. This movie is about is about friendship. I learned that you can always make new friends no matter how different you are. I think everyone will like this film because everyone still needs to work on friendship.

Bink & Gollie (Dir. Chuck Gammage Animation / U.S.A. / 2012 / 15 min.)

This film was animated. It was about best friends who like roller skating. One day Bink got new socks and Gollie didn’t like them so she wouldn’t make pancakes for Bink until she took off the socks. Then they decided to compromise. Bink took off one of her socks and Gollie gave Bink half of her pancakes. This movie was about friendship. I leaned about compromise, not to interrupt a friend when they have asked you not to and to tell my best friend, “You are my best friend.” I think children seven and under will like this film.

Chow Down (Dirs. Burkhard Finckh and Matthias Daenschel / Germany / 2010 / 4 min.)

This film had live action, claymation and animation. It was about food. People with food for heads ate food. There was a loud German punk song with a DJ. I learned not to mess with people with food for heads. I thought this film was funny and a little crazy. I think people who watch will have a good hard laugh.

Paola the Good Layer (Dirs. 50 children / Belgium / 2008 / 5 min.)

This film was animated. It was about a chicken who was in a factory farm. She laid eggs that went into a machine and into the cartons. She acted dead so the factory owner threw her into the trash. She got out from the trash and met a fox. She told the fox her story and he went away. Then she found a cow who came from a factory farm. They were both looking for the same place. They finally found a barnyard. Then their lives were really good and happy. I think that all their family acted dead so they could get to the barnyard, too. This film taught me that animals should live in barnyards not factory farms. This film was in French so I had to read the subtitles. They are a little fast. I liked listening to the French. I think everyone will like this movie because it teaches you how animals should be treated — about the dark side and the bright side.

Snow (Dir. Corrie Francis Parks / U.S.A. / 2011 / 1 min.)

This film was animated and short. It was about a snowman who came to life, made a snowball, put some skis on and skied down the hill. It was my least favorite by far. I think two or three-year-olds will like this film. It’s like an introduction to movies.

If at First You Don’t Succeed (Dir. Brent Dawes / South Africa / 2010 / 5 min.)

This film was animated. It was about an elephant who wanted to get coconuts down from a gigantic tree. He tried all different techniques — shooting acorns, banging it, doing a headstand and pushing himself up. He finally had the idea to climb up the cliff, but then he fell onto the tree and it shrank into a tiny shrub. Then he plucked the coconuts off the tree. He breathed in with his trunk and sneezed himself back into the rainforest. This film taught me to never give up. I think everyone will like this because everyone needs to work through not giving up.