Music is all around us... all you have to do is listen...
And I couldn't agree more. August Rush began screening in cinemas on Thursday last week and that was when we (Yu Sheng, Jenny and I) went to watch it. It was Chap Goh Meh night so of course we had to kick back and relax la! At first, we decided to watch it at Greater Union Macquarie but mana tau, they were not screening it on that night. Then we tried Reading Cinemas Rhodes.... and yes!
We thought we were late as it was already 9:30pm when we were queueing up for the tickets. Good thing I brought my student card along as I managed to get a student ticket! Muahahahahaha.... Luckily, one more trailer was still on when we walked into the cinema and... IT WAS TOTALLY EMPTY!
I was not sure whether it was empty because it was the last show for the day or because the show sucks. Anyhow, I liked the trailers shown on TV so I still held hope. As we had the whole cinema to ourselves, we sat in the middle, where the view was best (or at least, best for me).
In the beginning, it was unclear as to who Freddie Highmore was playing. It was confusing as they were moving backwards and forwards with scenes of Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Kerri Russell. But without those scenes, we would be left even more clueless as the movie progressed so I guess, they were important. I'd have to say that it doesn't take a genius to work out who these three people play though.
Watching Freddie act is just delightful. You can't help but smile and he is happy and feel yourself tearing up when you see him all downcast. I could not control my smile as I watched him master the guitar and compose his own orchestral piece! In my mind, I was saying, "Wow, he's playing Mozart!" Oh, and yes, please grab a copy of the soundtrack - Kaki King guitar pieces included!!
Robin Williams, as always, played his part very well. He was scary and so unlike the funnyman that he normally plays. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, in my very honest opinion, sings better than he acts. Yu Sheng even thought that he was a singer turned actor. Kerri Russell also put up a credible performance, especially the part where she finally found out about what her father has been keeping from her.
Although, I agree with Audrey that it is slightly fairytale-like, I'd like to think that life can be a fairytale if you let it be. Like Freddie's character, we need to believe. Believing makes everything else work. If you do not listen to yourself, who will?
