Adam Sandler is set to star in a new Disney Family/Fantasy/Comedy movie that will open on Christmas day this year. The same director as Hairspray (Adam Shankman) will be directing and producing the film. The film is co-starring Lucy Lawless, Keri Russell & Courteney Cox.

The opening scene is a stunner.

The young lad stands in a cornfield captivated by the sighs and whispers of the wind as it rustles gloriously through the reeds all around him.

The filmmakers quickly establish that the boy has a sixth sense when it comes to sound (no doubt) inherited by virtue of the fact both his parents are musical geniuses.

In a moment of crisis, he flees from an orphanage, only to find himself stumbling along the dirty mean streets of the big bad city with no particular place to go.

Suddenly, in a flash of inspiration, he bolts up onto a concrete cinder block and begins to orchestrate the harsh incongruous sounds of the city's bustle - blaring car horns, the jarring smacks of a rusty jackhammer, the disgruntled wheezings of an old dumptruck lumbering by - into a captivating new-age symphony that resonates with amazing grace and integrity.

The celluloid moment is an inspiring, touching one, that elevates!

Within a few hours, the boy-wonder strikes up a friendship with a street-wise musician; then, with the boy's jazzy guitar in hand, explores his marvelous creative gift for the first time in a controlled musical environment.

To the wonder of passers-by, the sounds he conjures up are not only lively and toe-tapping, but remarkably distinctive.

When he journies back to a run-down building with his new-found friend - he encounters an edgy street type (Robin Williams) - who hastens to take the musical whiz under his wing.

The man not only understands the gift, but astutely perceives a rare talent he can tap into for ready cash and instant fame, if nurtured right.

With great gusto, he crowns the young urchin with a catchy stage name.

 August Rush.

In one of few tender moments between the two - the Williams' character enchants the lad with lofty ideas about the mysterious "hum of the universe" (an angelic sound) he alleges emanates from the galactic heavens - capable of touching and invoking magical possiblities given the chance.

When August is mistreated by the seasoned pro, he bolts.

At a church shelter, an introduction to the organ, uncovers his God-given gift.

"Yes, he's a child prodigy," the Minister enthuses!

Of course, it's evident at this juncture that the screenwriters of "August Rush" have lifted some ideas from other sources.

For example - the "hum" of the Universe is the "innaudible life stream" that mystics in the east have turned a captive ear to for centuries, the Williams' character is straight out of "Dickens", and the prodigy angle - well, it smacks of Amadeus - yes, Mozart.

Here, the snatches of each are revamped cleverly.

In fact, each idea has been woven into the fabric of a spell-binding magical tale, that uplifts.

But, is not immune from the tendency to get a bit mushy and sentimental, at times.

Freddie Highmore (August Rush) is outstanding in the role; each magical moment on screen resonates in a truthful honest way that warms the heart.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is okay as Louis - but clearly - has wasted his talent on an emotional piece of pap for a stab at mainstream roles.

Keri Russell inhabits the role of the Mother a little too steadfastly, though; her performance - while engaging for the most part - tends to strain a little at the edges to her disadvantage.

For those who lean towards - optimism, hold true to the concepts of synchronicity, and romanticize that destinies are often fulfilled according to a cosmic plan - August Rush will not disappoint.

By the way, take a box of tissues.

Yes, at times, the musical is a tear-jerker to reckon with.

Bedtime Stories is a new Disney movie directed by Adam Shankman (Hairspray), starring Adam Sandler (You Don't Mess With The Zohan), Keri Russell (August Rush), Guy Pearce (Traitor), Courteney Cox Arquette (FX's Dirt), Russell Brand (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Aisha Tyler (Balls Of Fury), Lucy Lawless (Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica), Jonathan Pryce (Leatherheads) and Richard Griffiths (the Harry Potter films) among others.

The film, written by Matt Lopez (The Wild) and Tim Herlihy (Mr. Deeds), focuses on a guy who discovers that the bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew mysteriously come true. Bedtime Stories premieres in most countries around Christmas/New Year's. I think Sandler is a great, underrated actor, but this seems to be among his lesser films. In any case there'll always be Keri and Courteney to look at, so that's a plus. What do you guys think?

"Bedtime Stories" stars Adam Sandler, Courtney Cox, Guy Pearse, Keri Russell, Lucy Lawless and Russell Brand. It actually looks really cute!

The star of upcoming comedy, "Bedtime Stories" Keri Russell is making stay in shape.  She was spotted yesterday in New York City either going for a jog or running late for something!

I can't wait to see the trailor for "Bedtime Stories."  Unfortunately its not so much for this Russell but for Russell Brand!

The official site can be found at: http://www.wonderwomanmovie.com/

Plot:
When the Amazon princess Diana escorts pilot Steve Trevor home to the United States after his crash-landing on the mystical island of Themyscria, she must also deal with the ambitions of the Greek god Ares. Ares intends to use an ancient artifact, the Hand of Rage, to plunge the world into a centuries long war that will also ensure his revenge against Themyscria's Amazons. To save her people and the world, Diana must become Wonder Woman.

Release Date: February 2009 (Please note this is going straight to DVD)

Trailer:

Fresh on the heels of enacting new restrictions that have resulted in the banning of extreme films such as Hostel, the courts are now having a go at a 2006 film released in Germany as Rohtenburg.

The movie, also known as Grimm Love, currently is working the film festival circuit, with a recent showing at the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

"Aha," I hear you say. "It's a gay-themed film, hence the problem. Bloody closed-minded Europeans."

Not so fast. The problem is much more interesting.

According to the Frankfurt Regional Court, Rohtenburg, which is about a man who kills and eats a voluntary victim, appears based on the real-life 2001 crime of German Armin Meiwes, who courted his victim online. (Damned Internet!) According to Meiwes, the movie (you're going to love this) infringed upon his "personality rights," since the picture is so-clearly about him.

The usual sturm und drang about censorship and killers' rights aside, I must admit that I probably never would've heard of this film had it not been for this bit of legal music hall. What's more, I never would've known that our Felicity, Keri Russell, has actually wound up in a proper horror film - a German one, no less. Thank you, German legal system. Now I'm gonna have to go out and see this movie for sure!

[audio http://drop.io/download/public/mbev26ffwvtojd3h0sh7/6aa006819052019d501b3e6010a24bea5b69d778/642abac0-3962-012b-dbe2-00127994f632/bc52fcd0-3962-012b-5964-f743d64b6f24/converted-10-augustsrhapsody.mp3] [download]

The plot revolves around Evan Taylor (Freddie Highmore), an abandoned 11-year-old boy who has lived in an orphanage in New York his entire life. He hears music in the world around him and believes that his parents are going to come fetch him up one day. Everyone he meets thinks his idealism is crazy, but are impressed with his natural musical ability. In fact, he’s some sort of musical prodigy composing his first piece of music only minutes after learning how to read notes.

Understandably, there are kids who will take to music like a fish to water. However, I doubt a kid who just plucks on a guitar for a couple of hours is going to sound like Carlos Santana shortly thereafter. The story gets more and more ridiculous as it goes along. Evan changes his name to August Rush under the direction of Wizard (Robin Williams), a bitter hoodlum who takes in runaway children and exploits their musical talents to make a buck.

Throughout the movie, August says that he must play his music so his parents can find him. Ironically, his parents are both musicians—Lyla, (Keri Russell), the classically-trained cellist and Louis, (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), the Scottish rocker. One starry night, Lyla and Louis meet, procreate, and are parted. After getting hit by a car, Lyla delivers early and without her knowledge, her father forges her signature, signing away her parental rights. Her father confesses his sin on his deathbed causing Lyla to search for her son 11 years later. Meanwhile, Louis, (who doesn’t know he has a son), can’t forget about Lyla and decides to make contact with her after 11 years. In a bizarre twist of events, music brings them all together and a family that was torn asunder is reunited.

I know I should just suspend my disbelief, but I can’t. I can’t get past the fact that Lyla would have needed a witness to watch her sign her baby away and that there haven’t been orphanages in the United States for over 30 years. A baby put up for adoption has a great chance of being adopted, not institutionalized. Not only that, but Lyla would never be able to extract the information about Evan’s whereabouts from his children and youth caseworker. If the plot is this shaky from the beginning, how are we supposed to believe that Louis loves Lyla after a one-night stand? How can we accept that August is really that talented?

If you want to see more of Keri Russell, rent Season 2 of Felicity. Watching her navigate through the perils of college life is much better than trying to understand this messy plot.

Print copy of review.

The Kite Runner is a political controversial film about the oppression of the Taliban centered on a form Afghan boy who flees to the US with his father.  After graduating college and becoming a successful writer, he returns to his homeland to risk his life for a former friend.  Read the full Movie Room Review!

LAST CALL

Also, don't forget that our drawing for 3 free Meet Bill DVD winners and 3 free Aaron Eckhart autographed movie posters will be at 5PM CST tomorrow, July 10th.  Enter simply by commenting the the Meet Bill DVD Giveway post before the deadline!  Entry is free and easy!

Yeah boy, I am with you! The movie was a great watch. I heard from a friend a couple days ago that is was a great watch (thanks for the tip!). The movie is about music and how a kid heavily believes that it will lead him to find his parents and them to him. I thought it was a heavy drama (which I am not a big fan of) at first but it wasn't that at all. Sure, there were tear-jerking drippy moments but it's not overdone. I don't remember myself crying -- hehe. The tracks were also great so I had to download it too.

It stars Freddie Highmore (the kid from that Spiderwick movie), Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the image.

Tags: music, august rush, soundtrack, musical, freddie highmore, keri russell, jonathan rhys meyers, instrumental

KUNG FU PANDA
Mark Osborne y John Stevenson / Estados Unidos / 2008
Actores: Voces: Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu, Angelina Jolie.

• AUGUST RUSH
  Kirsten Sheridan / Estados Unidos / 2008
  Actores: Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard, Robin Williams.
  

• PARIS TE AMO
  Olivier Assayas / Francia / 2008
  Titulo original: Paris je taime
  Actores: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sergio Castellitto, Miranda Richardson, Leonor Watling.
  

Britney Spears

Treze anos atrás, muito antes de se tornar a estrela decadente que conhecemos hoje, Britney Spears, com rostinho de menina, aparecia todo dia na TV americana no programa infantil, "Mickey Mouse Club" (Clube do Mickey, por aqui). Britney dançava, cantava e interpretava na versão dos anos 90 da atração que lançou outros talentos.

Justin Timberlake

Justin dava vazão a sua porção de ator no mesmo programa que Britney. Eles trabalharvam juntos na atração de 1993 a 1995. Quando "Clube do Mickey" saiu do ar, em 30 de junho de 1995, ele já estava comprometido com a boy band N'Sync, da qual efz parte até 2002. O ano do rompimento com a banda foi o mesmo do fim do namoro com Britney.

Christina Aguilera

O loiro platinado ainda não tinha feito a cabeça de Christina quando ela participava do "Clube do Mickey". A cantora foi colega de elenco de Britney e Justin, e na época, as duas eram amigas. Só depois do fim do programa, quando ambas se lançaram em carreira solo, a rivalidade acabou com a relação das duas.

Keri Russell

Veterana do grupo que fez história no programa, a atriz atuou no "Clube do Mickey" de 1991 a 1993. Cinco anos depois de sua saída, ela protagonizaria o maior sucesso d sua carreira, a série "Felicty". Hoje com 32 anos, Keri estrelou filmes como Missão Impossível 3 e Garçonete.

Ryan Gosling

Outro egresso do "Clube do Mickey" que resolveu investir na carreira de ator, Ryan pode não ter conquistado a fama de seus colegas de elenco - Britney, Justin e Aguilera - mas tem prestígio. O canadense foi indicado ao Oscar de melhor ator pelo filme "Half Nelson", em que vive um professor viciado em crack.

**Amanda**

Una noche en Nueva York, Lyla y Louis descubrieron el amor a primera vista. La ambición y la estupidez de un padre, fracturó su historia, pero un ser extraordinario haría el milagro de reunirlos nuevamente 11 años después a través de la música.

Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell y Jonathan Rhys-Meyers son los protagonistas de August Rush, estrenada el viernes en México.

Nada sabía de partituras y de notas hasta que descubrí que, una caricia hecha sobre otra piel, produce un sonido indescriptible. No sólo se escucha, también se ve y se siente. Entonces, la música dibujó mi vida y, sobre ella, compuso su ópera prima: el arribo del primer amor, el amor de siempre.

Los años se me han tejido entre canciones y melodías. El gozo de dejarme llevar por la música ha sido una constante e, incluso, un hábito inherente a mi personalidad.

La predilección se centra en definitiva en aquellas piezas musicales que sean capaces de comprometer mis sentidos, de contar, de otra manera, mi propia historia y la que comparto.

Dedicar canciones fue una actividad implícita en el anhelo de tocar, en especial, un corazón. La música es mi cómplice cuando el silencio no me alcanza para hablar.

Gracias a ella, dejé una huella y el intercambio musical es ahora un acervo completo, pues testifica nuestros pasos a través de la historia y, al mismo tiempo, ha hecho historia.

Tengo la fortuna de poder hablar de otra clase de música, ésa que, sin estar contenida en una partitura, es un regalo para el alma y un sol particular que cobija mi esencia. Me refiero a la música que crean dos seres amantes al momento de amar. Es la armonía perfecta de dos miradas que se encuentran. El dulce sonido de las manos entrelazadas con acompañamientos singulares: una taza de café humeante y los ruidos traviesos del entorno.

Amar de esta manera nos ofrece una gigantesca gama de composiciones, yendo siempre a nuestro lado a mundos o parajes que llamamos oasis.

Dicho oasis es el estudio de grabación perfecto, colmado de toda suerte de recursos naturales y emocionales. La música que se inventa ahí dentro se desprende de dos esencias fundidas y los coros los hace un día sobre pedido.

Con la música nos enamoramos y enamoramos también. Hemos interpretado notas que recopilan las emociones adheridas al amor.

Contemplo nuestra vida como un álbum musical. Las imágenes vienen unidas a una canción y ésta, a su vez, trae de la mano sensaciones, olores y sabores. Pero en mí existe una melodía inédita. La guardo celosamente y la escucho de vez en vez.

Se trata de la que empieza en el murmullo casi imperceptible de una sábana sobre su piel. La respiración pausada y cadenciosa de su cuerpo dormido. El sonido de una brisa de otoño a través de sus ojos cerrados. El elegante acorde de un violín recorriéndole la piel. En segundo plano, las voces de la mañana recién despierta enfatizan el prodigio.

Esa voz es la música para mi alma, la única que, como dije al principio. No sólo se escucha, igualmente se huele, se saborea y se siente. La voz de quien amo y de quien ha hecho de mi corazón una inmortal cajita de música porque, igual que August Rush, yo también deseo ser encontrado.

La Rapsodia de August

]]> http://demotec.wordpress.com/?p=764 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:52:56 +0000 Benedetta Guerra http://demotec.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/abiti-da-sera-2008-i-vip-insegnano-cosi/