![]() There are at least a couple of coincidences that will test your resolve - why, for example, would Lyla leave the climactic concert immediately after her performance rather than waiting for the end of the show? - but overall this is a film that works infinitely better than it should, much less you should let it. But is the reward worth the effort? Surprisingly, yes. (This certainly is the kind of film that I typically have a tough time swallowing.) Although the performances are all great - again, completely earnest and sincere - there is a lot of quiet meditation, looking skyward, and particularly in the beginning of the film, romantic musing about music, all of which requires a commitment of faith that it seems in this day and age many viewers will not offer. ![]() That said, August Rush requires more than a little faith on the part of the audience, much of whom will no doubt balk at the idea that so many random and improbable coincidences could possibly occur. Opening scenes suggest that the film will become a more family-friendly version of Lars Von Trier's Dancer in the Dark - sort of a mash-up of found sounds and proper instruments that becomes symphonic - but Sheridan does a terrific job keeping this combination of disparate elements from becoming either too artsy or too conventional. Using music as the common thread, director Kirsten Sheridan weaves together a remarkably cohesive cinematic tapestry, first revealing how important music is to August's parents and then showing how their respective talents find their way into his own artistic sensibilities. Except for a few sequences that are intended to be "disorienting," as if from the point of view of a kid who is experiencing the sights and sounds of New York City for the first time, August Rush is expertly handled - not the least of which because the material relies so heavily on coincidence and serendipity. ![]() But when each finds an unexpected and seemingly inescapable opportunity to return to New York, they soon become locked into a strange and serendipitous path that might not only reunite them, but at long last introduce them to their son. Eleven years later, the two are separated, but equally stuck in lackluster personal relationships and professional entanglements. Unfortunately, Lyla's taskmaster father Thomas (William Sadler) refuses to condone their burgeoning relationship, and in fact hides August's birth from her after Lyla gets into an accident. Meanwhile in flashback, August's musician parents Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell) meet one night after their respective gigs and fall immediately for one another. But before he can take full advantage of August's talents, the two are separated and August ends up at a church where he is introduced to a more formal musical education, much less proper care. ![]() Wizard, a wrangler of sorts for street kids and amateur musicians, immediately notices August's potential after he stages an impromptu concert and decides to make the boy his meal ticket. Thomas III), who introduces him to Wizard (Robin Williams). Following a whirlwind trip to New York City, he happens across the path of a young street musician named Arthur (Leon G. Highmore plays the title character, although his name is a pseudonym: After he runs away from the orphanage where he grew up, he changes his name to keep the authorities from finding him.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |