August Rush (No spoilers please)

[irishScott]

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/august_rush/

Top Critics: 28%
Community: 81%

I know it's a few months old, just saw it tonight. I'm with community here; thought it was pretty good. It is something of a fairytale. Many parts of it are woefully unrealistic, and the plot is fairly predictable. That said, this is something you have to immerse yourself in and go with, and that's where I think the big disparity comes in (critics trying to directly analyze and maintain objectivity).

However, the concept behind the plot is original, the plot itself is seemingly an expansion of other works (ie: Oliver) with some original core elements, the acting is awesome, and Keri Russell is hot. Never mind the music, which IMO is awesome (especially the finale. I'll be buying the soundtrack). Can't elaborate much without adding spoilers.

It's not for everyone, but it's an original, well designed movie, and something of an adult fairy tale. Kinda puts a smile on your face if you let it. An idealistic smile anyway.

If you want a comparison, I'd have to say it's something like a heavily expanded idealistic version of Once.

For a one-line synopsis: An 11 year old orphan musical savant/prodigy attempts to find his parents by "following the music".

 

[Alienwho]

I liked it, and I thought it had great music as well.

 

[pcslookout]

I liked it as well. Music was great.

 

[JS80]

wow how did Zohan beat this movie? Even with the predictability and at times ridiculous plot I don't think it deserved such shitty reviews.

 

[IgorFL]

It's more than unrealistic... it's a slap to the face of any hard-working musician or composer at Juilliard who actually understands music.

 

[dbk]

Far too unrealistic. Should've been a cartoon/animation for kids.

 

[Shadow Conception]

Good entertainment.

 

[pcslookout]

Sucks that some people can't take a film just for what it is. To be entertained.

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: IgorFL
It's more than unrealistic... it's a slap to the face of any hard-working musician or composer at Juilliard who actually understands music.

Heh, those hard-working musicians represent a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of actually successful musicians, who cares about their feelings?

 

[Bucks]

I saw it on a flight a few months ago. Probably the worst movie I have ever seen. I remember coming off the plane and people were like "What the hell was that shit we just watched..."

 

[IgorFL]

Some people respect the hard work put in by top-notch musicians and artists who train in conservatories. They care because that type of performance requires intelligence, artistic integrity, and a tremendous amount of hard work that very few people in Hollywood or the mainstream music industry could even begin to comprehend.

Some people are happy with the three-chord progression crap marketed to the masses. They wouldn't have the first clue as to why Mozart was considered a genius by both Einsteins, or how difficult works like the Liszt Transcendental Etudes are to master. That's fine. Hollywood would prefer to believe that some innate genius is responsible because it would rather not look in the mirror at its own simplistic view of art.

Just realize that there is another, much more aesthetically-dynamic (and, yes, complex) artistic world, and comparing the two is like comparing a cheap calculator to the IBM Roadrunner on the tech forums here.

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: IgorFL
Some people respect the hard work put in by top-notch musicians and artists who train in conservatories. They care because that type of performance requires intelligence, artistic integrity, and a tremendous amount of hard work that very few people in Hollywood or the mainstream music industry could even begin to comprehend.

Some people are happy with the three-chord progression crap marketed to the masses. They wouldn't have the first clue as to why Mozart was considered a genius by both Einsteins, or how difficult works like the Liszt Transcendental Etudes are to master. That's fine. Hollywood would prefer to believe that some innate genius is responsible because it would rather not look in the mirror at its own simplistic view of art.

Just realize that there is another, much more aesthetically-dynamic (and, yes, complex) artistic world, and comparing the two is like comparing a cheap calculator to the IBM Roadrunner on the tech forums here.

I'm a music major, by the way. I listen to quite a bit of classical music and quite a bit of "three-chord progression crap". Everybody "understands" music. It's a universal language. All I'm saying is, while you're whining on like a good little musical elitist, everybody else is quite rightly not giving a fuck.

 

[irishScott]

Originally posted by: Saint Michael

Originally posted by: IgorFL
Some people respect the hard work put in by top-notch musicians and artists who train in conservatories. They care because that type of performance requires intelligence, artistic integrity, and a tremendous amount of hard work that very few people in Hollywood or the mainstream music industry could even begin to comprehend.

Some people are happy with the three-chord progression crap marketed to the masses. They wouldn't have the first clue as to why Mozart was considered a genius by both Einsteins, or how difficult works like the Liszt Transcendental Etudes are to master. That's fine. Hollywood would prefer to believe that some innate genius is responsible because it would rather not look in the mirror at its own simplistic view of art.

Just realize that there is another, much more aesthetically-dynamic (and, yes, complex) artistic world, and comparing the two is like comparing a cheap calculator to the IBM Roadrunner on the tech forums here.

I'm a music major, by the way. I listen to quite a bit of classical music and quite a bit of "three-chord progression crap". Everybody "understands" music. It's a universal language. All I'm saying is, while you're whining on like a good little musical elitist, everybody else is quite rightly not giving a fuck.

QFT. I'm no music major, but I've had 8 years of classical piano lessons with about 10 years in high quality choirs (My High School Madrigals Choir sang at the Kennedy Center, and I performed Aragorn's solo (from LOTR) alongside the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and with the Fairfax Choral Society). Resume flashing notwithstanding, I have some knowledge of the subject.

I enjoy that "three-chord-progression crap". I also enjoy some rock bands that, if classically analyzed, would be close to the bottom of the barrel. If I hear something I like, then I like it. I don't need to analyze it to figure out if I should like it or not.

 

[Jeraden]

I thought it sounded like the type of movie I'd like, but I really didn't enjoy it. The kid playing the lead was just way too annoying. I just wanted to smack him.

 

[Arkaign]

^^

What Irish said.

The movie itself was entertaining if you're willing to just accept the utter implausibility of it all. Robin Williams was creepy, sort of Bono meets Michael Jackson and Ted Bundy. If they dropped that whole subplot and character, I think it would have been more bearable.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I found it unwatchably cloying and corny. I disliked essentially every member of the cast and found the whole thing just ridiculous.

 

[darkxshade]

I thought the movie was pretty good too. And as unrealistic the story may be, I was surprised to find out that they had this prodigy korean boy play at their premiere. He's around 10 years old but people say he had only played guitar for 2 years. Here are his youtube videos:


http://www.youtube.com/user/jwcfree

 

[Soundmanred]

I really enjoyed the movie (with suspended disbelief of course).
I've enjoyed Kaki King for a while, so hearing her music in a major motion picture was cool.
I agree with the dislike of Robin Williams character, it was the only part I didn't enjoy.