Fellow Film Club Members & Movie Lovers:
This Friday, May 8, 2009, the Tacoma Film Club is pleased to celebrate the end of the first week of May with a happy film, a very modern remake of OLIVER TWIST, with a sprinkling of fantasy, that is an incredible paean to music, and a sentimental visual poem to love, AUGUST RUSH (2007). It was directed by the brash new director, Kirsten Sheridan, daughter of Irish director Jim Sheridan. She has been an actress and writer as well. A screenplay for COMING TO AMERICA (2002), co-written with her sister and father garnered her Oscar nomination. This screenplay was a “family affair”, since it was based on an 8 year period of time that the family lived in NYC, before moving back to Ireland in 1989, and Jim Sheridan hit it big with MY LEFT FOOT. Kirsten played Daniel Day-Lewis’ little sister in that film. She also directed the audacious DISCO PIGS (2001). Sheridan, when talking about Evan Taylor, her protagonist in AUGUST RUSH, said, “This child had to be borderline autistic—a kid with no agenda, just a clean slate, honest and emotional and vulnerable, and no matter how much he gets hurt he still opens himself up for more.” At first she wasn’t sure about casting Freddie Highmore as Evan, for he is a real trouper already—but he won her over with his openness and vulnerability. Highmore has already made 23 films, starting his career at 7 years old. He was in THE MISTS OF AVALON (2001), FINDING NEVERLAND (2004), CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (2005), and THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES (2008).
The cinematographer was John Mathieson, who is a very talented cameraman, having lensed 27 films since 1991. His list includes GLADIATOR (2000), MATCHSTICK MEN (2003), PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (2004), and the very impressive KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (2005). His work in AUGUST RUSH was described as
“having the required sweep and brio, with moments of stunning beauty.” The musical score, a necessary component of this film, was done by veteran Mark Mancina, who has composed 53 scores since 1987—some memorable ones were for SPEED (1994), TWISTER (1996), CON AIR (1997), and TRAINING DAY (2001). The script was written by the duo of Mark Castle, who co-wrote HOOK (1991), and directed THE BOY WHO COULD FLY (1986), and James V. Hart, who wrote TUCK EVERLASTING (2002), and THE LAST MIMZY (2007).
Roger Ebert wrote, “There is something brave about the way the film declares itself to be sentimental, and then goes all the way with coincidence, melodrama, and skillful tear-jerking.”
AUGUST RUSH (2007) directed by Kirstan Sheridan @ 114 minutes.
The film stars Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Robin Williams, Terrence Howard, and Mykelti Williamson. Synopsis: This is a magical film, part fairy tale, part Charles Dickens and part today— all framed in a sparkling halo of music, Classical, Celtic, and Rock. An 11 year old boy in an orphanage, who believes that his parents are out there somewhere, discovers that he is a musical prodigy, ending up shining at Julliard. The boy feels strongly that if he plays his music loud enough to enough people—somehow his parents will hear it, recognize it, and be drawn to it and to him. Tagline: “An incredible journey moving at the speed of sound.”
So shake off the fall doldrums, embrace spring, music, and love while joining us this Friday, May 8, 2009 for a screening of AUGUST RUSH (2007) at the Center for Spiritual Learning, located at 206 North J Street, on the corner of Division and J. Many of us like to gather for fellowship, food, and musings in the basement kitchen area. You can join us as early as 6pm. The Phantom Director and Farishta will have created some kind of incredible entrée, and it will be served from 6:15pm on. For those who like to play raffles, we will have ours there for you—a dollar a ticket, with two winners guaranteed to win either 40% of the collected funds, or a neat DVD movie. A short film will play promptly at 7pm, calling to the assemblage to come upstairs. Then will hold the raffle, and introduce AUGUST RUSH. Come join the fun! See you at the movies!
Glenn
