“August Rush”

I tweeted: August Rush-Young runaway Freddie Highmore is a musical prodigy with a gift for playing the heartstrings. 7 (out of 10) because I’m not a big fan or tearjerkers. They make me feel like I’m being played. This one is no different. But I feel I can (almost) recommend because of the music. “August Rush” is the story of Evan Taylor (Freddie Highmore), the lovechild of Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell), a concert cellist, and Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a rock musician. Louis is out of the picture before Lyla realizes she’s pregnant. And within minutes of Evan’s birth, he’s given up for adoption without Lyla’s knowledge. Eventually Evan ends up on the street. His genius, and my reason for the recommendation, is that Evan hears the music in everything around him. He also has an intuitive affinity for musical instruments. He just picks them up and plays – brilliantly. At first this talent is discovered and exploited by a street musician (Robin Williams). And later it’s nurtured by a kindly pastor (Mykelti Williamson) who helps the young genius get into Julliard. Even still, Evan’s big dream is to reunite his family. And that’s really the narrative backbone of this movie. So if you’re looking to shed some happy tears, August Rush delivers. But for me, the real reward was in the music that goes along with it.

“August Rush”

Released: 2007

Rating: PG

Length: 113 minutes

Cast: Freddie Highmore, Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard

Director: Kirsten Sheridan

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Music

A Face in the Crowd: The Glenn Beck Story?

There were a couple of comments posted on the TweeterFlix YouTube Channel comparing this movie’s main character to Glenn Beck. Now I’ve never seen or heard his show, but I can’t imagine it’s a compliment. In Elia Kazan’s “A Face in the Crowd,” Andy Griffith plays Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes, a drifter discovered in the drunk tank by a roving reporter from the local radio show (Patricia Neal). Impressed by his natural wit and charm on the air, the station offers Rhodes his own show. He builds a loyal following with friendly conversation and homespun advice and pretty soon big city promoters are knocking on hls door. Eventually Rhodes moves from radio to the new medium of television with products and politicians seeking his “everyman” touch. And as his audience and influence grows, so does his ego. But there are skeptics, like TV writer Mel Miller (Walter Matthau), who believe it’s only a matter of time before Rhodes reveals the boorish, narcassistic hypocrite he really is. So if you believe that’s Glenn Beck or his fate, (or maybe if you're Glenn Beck himself) then “A Face in the Crowd” may be worth adding to your queue. My Tweet (for those familiar with “The Andy Griffith Show”): Small-town drunk becomes a national celebrity and self-destructs before settling down in Mayberry with his son Opie. 7 (out of 10)

Another film by Elia Kazan you might enjoy: “Splendor in the Grass"

“A Face in the Crowd”

Released: 1957

Rating: NR

Length: 126 minutes

Cast: Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Anthony Franciosa, Walter Matthau

Director: Elia Kazan

Genre(s): Drama, Adaptation

“Running Scared”

I usually find shoot ‘em up movies kind of dumb. (Just see my review of “Shoot ‘Em Up.”) But “Running Scared” is different. There are a lot of flying bullets and resulting blood. But there are also enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you interested. It opens with Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) careening down the street with a blood-covered boy in the passenger seat of his car, then abruptly cuts to a flashback of the events that led up to that moment. To make a long story short (and not give up too much) the boy, Oleg, (Cameron Bright) got his hands on a gun Gazelle, a mob henchman, was supposed to dispose of and used it to shoot his stepfather (Anzor Yugorsky), who just so happens to be the nephew of a Russian mob boss. When Oleg and the gun disappear. Gazelle desperately tries to find the gun in the world of pimps, hookers, pedophiles, crackheads and other assorted creatures of the night while he’s pursued by a crooked cop (Chazz Palminteri), his crew and the Russian mob. It’s a pretty wild ride. My tweet: Running Scared-Mobster Paul Walker’s frantic search for a cop-killer’s gun. A veritable travelogue of NJ’s less savory locales & locals. 7.5 (out of 10)

“Running Scared”

Released: 2006

Rating: R

Length: 122 minutes

Cast: Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga, Chazz Palminteri

Director: Wayne Kramer

Genre(s): Drama, Action, Thriller