[Movie Review] August Rush.
August 26, 2008 by Bakkouz
Filed under Art & Entertainment
A triumph of love, spirit, and imagination through the art of music. this pretty much sums up the movie, never mind what the critics say, this is not a movie for the mind, but for the heart, its a soulful masterpiece of imagination and beauty and above all, Music. so, if you don’t have a vivid imagination and a taste of emtion, this movie is not for you.
This is a fairytale above anything else and one should overlook any eccentricities or impossibilities of real life, this is not meant to show truth. Instead we are shown a romantic tale of conquering all odds in order to reunite lost souls, whether that be a child and his parents, a man and a woman who shared a night long ago, a social worker and his belief in the power of love, or a homeless musical talent with the knowledge that there are still people out there listening, not just learning from books and how to imitate, but truly listening to the sounds around them and creating art for the love of music itself. Because as we all know, you must “love music more than food, more than even yourself.” This film had great potential when I saw the trailer, but I never really thought it could ever live up to it. I saw it falling into the Hollywood pitfalls of convenience and laziness, making everything overly sentimental and dripping with saccharine. Now, there’s a fair share of those moments, yet I never minded one bit because the heart was always at the forefront. Being so instilled with an otherworldly quality and fairytale mystic, nothing seems out of place. One needs those moments of coincidence and chance bringing paths together along the way. Sure it happens in real life, but in the stories told to us as children it occurs all the time. We as kids need those common tomes and roads intertwining in order to wrap our minds around the cause of all the inevitable happiness. Fate brings good things together in these types of tales and for that reason each moment rings absolutely true—that is if you let the story take you over and buy into its magic.
Sheridan orchestrates the visual music to perfection. When our star, Evan Taylor/August Rush, played by Freddie Highmore, hears the world around him making their songs, it is stunning to behold. The quick cuts from shoes on the street, basketballs on the chain netting, steam emitted from smokestacks, etc, bring each symphony into reality. Even those moments when he sets his eyes on an instrument for the first time, intuitively knowing how to play it, make you believe his pure joy in the act and his genius in order to play what he does. Highmore is quite the talent and I’m not sure how to take what I have heard recently about him saying he will quit acting once he grows up. For one I have all the respect in the world for that decision, stop with the success now and make a life for yourself instead of fighting through the pressure and criticisms of never being as good older as you were in the past. However, I can’t help but think he may have some greatness left in him that we may never be able to experience.
As for the tale itself, we are treated with the union of two musicians lost on their way to adulthood. A rockstar unsure of the life he is being asked to live and a Julliard trained cellist attempting to reconcile her love for the craft with the hatred of her father forcing her into it. Their love brings forth a child that they will never know, yet who will never give up in the search to find them. With music as the canvas connecting them all together, they journey out of the safe lives they have lived, following the music eleven years later in order to see if the happiness they once knew could still be out there for the taking. It really is a gorgeous tale of love and hope, sprinkled with some visual panache and the unabashed confidence to let songs, both lyrical and instrumental, bolster the proceedings into a concert of vibrancy.
ArabianMonkey on Tue, 26th Aug 2008 2:15 pm
Loved August Rush! What a captivating experience to watch it and allow yourself to get swept away by gushes of emotion! I played it again and again and again…. for the music
Patrick on Fri, 29th Aug 2008 10:52 am
Its one of the best emotional movie.
zaycev on Tue, 2nd Sep 2008 11:26 am
He-he. Good movie!
Mauro on Tue, 2nd Sep 2008 5:56 pm
Great Movie!
Alex on Tue, 2nd Sep 2008 8:22 pm
It is one of the best movies i have seen in my life.
Motorcycle Fairings on Thu, 4th Sep 2008 2:41 am
I can´t help it but to think of the cover of this movie and the movie called “October Sky” very similar colors and design. Is it from the same director?
Mikel on Thu, 11th Sep 2008 12:24 pm
WOW..are you a movie critic? Your review is so complete and well written.
mitch of garden furniture on Thu, 18th Sep 2008 6:52 pm
This sounds like a great movie, better see if this is already available in DVD.
oryantal kostüm on Fri, 3rd Oct 2008 2:08 am
played it again and again and again…. for the music
:biggrin:
dansöz kostümü on Sun, 5th Oct 2008 12:12 am
Sandy dear, if you have been follow Obama’s voting record, every year he votes to keep the troops there by proving funding. The Dems control both houses, they have the power to bring the troops home by not allow the Neocon’s the funding. Only Ralph Nader is for real change.
moda evi on Tue, 7th Oct 2008 9:46 pm
for the music!?
Güncel Haberler on Thu, 23rd Oct 2008 12:18 pm
played it again and again and again…. for the music
Haberler on Thu, 23rd Oct 2008 12:19 pm
Loved August Rush! What a captivating experience to watch it and allow yourself to get swept away by gushes of emotion! :biggrin:
Haber on Thu, 23rd Oct 2008 12:21 pm
Sandy dear, if you have been follow Obama’s voting record, every year he votes to keep the troops there by proving funding. The Dems control both houses, they have the power to bring the troops home by not allow the Neocon’s the funding. Only Ralph Nader is for real change. :alien:
Carol Goodwin on Mon, 17th Nov 2008 12:01 pm
The movie was very nice. the music was excellent. And you have said that you have shown the truth. I like it very much and i was very happy to share my thoughts with you.
vpillsshop on Fri, 21st Nov 2008 8:14 pm
if Bush did say that then it’s more evidence that the man is a fool. Wars (when serious and sustained) generally drive domestic agendas onto the back burner. And the history of the Bush administration shows exccatly that: most of his domestic successes occured fairly early, but since Iraq has come to dominate American politics there have been very few domestic policy successes.
tala on Tue, 25th Nov 2008 1:02 am
What for the music ?? :sideways:
Canvas Art on Fri, 12th Dec 2008 1:14 pm
i have seen the movie. but i never thought of it. thanks
canvas prints on Sun, 18th Jan 2009 1:30 pm
The film was great but the music score was excellent. I’d recommend to everyone.
canvas prints on Sun, 25th Jan 2009 6:28 pm
The film was great but the music was just shear brilliance, watchedthe film over and over just for the music! recomend to anyone
Photo On Canvas on Mon, 23rd Feb 2009 6:47 pm
Interesting view-point on this review. Certainly not following the consensus of opinion on the film. However, it was so passionately argued, I might give it a shot!!
orjinal tala on Mon, 30th Mar 2009 3:53 pm
It is one of the best movies i have seen in my life.
misyel on Thu, 2nd Apr 2009 4:49 pm
Love music more than food, more than life, more than yourself.
Orville on Sat, 11th Apr 2009 3:50 pm
i already have seen this movie, awesome movie music
Jonas on Thu, 16th Apr 2009 11:29 am
Hey,
Just seen this movie yesterday and It has made a very good impression. I just loved it!
I also like your review!
Warm wishes,
Jonas
hodobax on Fri, 15th May 2009 10:08 pm
Only Ralph Nader is for real change.