yinaugust rush - can you hear the music in the wind? (LINK)
June 18th 2008 07:34
if you caught the spiderwick chronicles then freddie highmore is a familiar face. he’s evan taylor, this timid and reserved fair-skinned boy in an all boy’s orphanage somewhere on planet earth. he’s special. not that he’s retarded. he can hear his parents in the wind, he hears the melody of the whistling leaves and the zap of electricity in the power lines. the other kids think he’s weird, they tell him that he can’t hear his parents because they’re dead.
but evan knows that they’re alive. one night, he looks out the window and hears the whispers in the power lines outside. so he gets out and he walks and follows the music and it lands him in new york city.
the middle bit where he meets robin williams and the other orphaned and somewhat-homeless musical kids is pretty much reminiscent of oliver twist. evan can’t play any musical instrument, but he’s captivated with the acoustic guitar and then discovers his talent for creating the most unique and intriguing musical pieces just by slapping and tapping the strings on the guitar.
so what’s this about him hearing his parents and that they’re still alive and not dead? and what has that got to do with the word august rush? well he had to get a new name because the orphanage and child-something-services are looking for him. we all know that once they get their hands on him, it’s back to the mean and painfully lonely orphanage for evan. oops, august i mean.
his parents aren’t dead. in fact, they’re musicians themselves. yeah yeah, designer baby, lucky lil’ bastard. mom’s (keri russel of felicity fame) this famous cellist and dad’s a rockstar. quite screwed that their one night of passion happened to be in one of those very fertile weeks. but ho well, she gets pregnant but is banned from seeing rockstar lover (played by jonathan rhys meyer, mayhaps another reason for us girls to watch the show and be glued to it). she gets into an accident and loses the baby. or so she thought. turns out her draconic dad gave the baby up for adoption and gave him the most unglam and plain nakme ever - evan taylor.
fast forward. evan, i mean august, is a prodigy. he escapes the wizard guy (robin williams) and lands in a church whereby this lil’ girl realizes he’s a musical prodigy and from then on is sent to study music at one of the most prestigious music schools in new york. he even wrote and composed his own rhapsody which he was meant to play (and he hoped that if he played it loud enough and to as many people, his parents would hear it and find him and blablabla).
insert drama but we all know how this is going to end - happily ever after.
freddie really suited the role. wasn’t that huge a fan of keri russel as his mom but well… if the shoe fits. but jonathan rhys meyer was perhaps, really awkwardly casted. i mean. irish (sure sounded like it) rockstar in new york, of all places? uhm. ok.
it’s a nice mushy and melt-your-heart-into-a-puddle -of-goo kinda show. you’ll be hollering at bits where august should grow a spine and go against wizard but then realise that the boy’s pretty smart - if he wants to avoid sent back to the orphanage then he has to do what the meanie says. he just has that really sweet angelic and completely innocent look. like haley joel osmont (is that how you spell his name? and speaking of which, what happened to him? and the kid who played young anakin skywalker?).
august’s rhapsody is pretty solid too and captures the essence of an everyday bustling city. but i suppose the best bits were when he was playing/slapping the guitar (of which his hands were ‘played’ by kaki king). it’s really a unique kinda tune, making use of the timbre of the guitar as well.
music fans would love it. just don’t go deep into technicalities and appreciate it for what it is.
but evan knows that they’re alive. one night, he looks out the window and hears the whispers in the power lines outside. so he gets out and he walks and follows the music and it lands him in new york city.
the middle bit where he meets robin williams and the other orphaned and somewhat-homeless musical kids is pretty much reminiscent of oliver twist. evan can’t play any musical instrument, but he’s captivated with the acoustic guitar and then discovers his talent for creating the most unique and intriguing musical pieces just by slapping and tapping the strings on the guitar.
so what’s this about him hearing his parents and that they’re still alive and not dead? and what has that got to do with the word august rush? well he had to get a new name because the orphanage and child-something-services are looking for him. we all know that once they get their hands on him, it’s back to the mean and painfully lonely orphanage for evan. oops, august i mean.
his parents aren’t dead. in fact, they’re musicians themselves. yeah yeah, designer baby, lucky lil’ bastard. mom’s (keri russel of felicity fame) this famous cellist and dad’s a rockstar. quite screwed that their one night of passion happened to be in one of those very fertile weeks. but ho well, she gets pregnant but is banned from seeing rockstar lover (played by jonathan rhys meyer, mayhaps another reason for us girls to watch the show and be glued to it). she gets into an accident and loses the baby. or so she thought. turns out her draconic dad gave the baby up for adoption and gave him the most unglam and plain nakme ever - evan taylor.
fast forward. evan, i mean august, is a prodigy. he escapes the wizard guy (robin williams) and lands in a church whereby this lil’ girl realizes he’s a musical prodigy and from then on is sent to study music at one of the most prestigious music schools in new york. he even wrote and composed his own rhapsody which he was meant to play (and he hoped that if he played it loud enough and to as many people, his parents would hear it and find him and blablabla).
insert drama but we all know how this is going to end - happily ever after.
freddie really suited the role. wasn’t that huge a fan of keri russel as his mom but well… if the shoe fits. but jonathan rhys meyer was perhaps, really awkwardly casted. i mean. irish (sure sounded like it) rockstar in new york, of all places? uhm. ok.
it’s a nice mushy and melt-your-heart-into-a-puddle -of-goo kinda show. you’ll be hollering at bits where august should grow a spine and go against wizard but then realise that the boy’s pretty smart - if he wants to avoid sent back to the orphanage then he has to do what the meanie says. he just has that really sweet angelic and completely innocent look. like haley joel osmont (is that how you spell his name? and speaking of which, what happened to him? and the kid who played young anakin skywalker?).
august’s rhapsody is pretty solid too and captures the essence of an everyday bustling city. but i suppose the best bits were when he was playing/slapping the guitar (of which his hands were ‘played’ by kaki king). it’s really a unique kinda tune, making use of the timbre of the guitar as well.
music fans would love it. just don’t go deep into technicalities and appreciate it for what it is.
| 38 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
