August Rush **1/2
Cast: Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Robin Williams, Terrence Howard, Leon G. Thomas III, Jamia Simone Nash, William Sadler
Director: Kirsten Sheridan
Running Length: 1:54
MPAA Classification: PG

Cellist Lyla Novacek (Russell) and rock singer Louis Connelly (Meyers) share a magical night together after just meeting, but circumstances prevent them from meeting the next day. Their paths diverge, but nine months later, Lyla gives birth to a boy. Lyla’s father (Sadler) tells Lyla the child died in childbirth and gives the child up for adoption. Twelve years later, that boy, who will go by the name August Rush (Highmore), is in an orphanage. He runs away to New York, where he discovers he has musical talent. He believes that if he can make his parents hear his music, they will find him.

“August Rush” is hokey, but harmless. It is a nice movie that will be enjoyed by many, but there is not much substance to it. If you can accept that music and fate bind these characters together, your enjoyment level will be higher. In fact, musicians will be more likely to appreciate the film and its love of music. Non-musicians may find it cheesy.

Mission: Impossible III ***1/2

Cast: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudip, Michelle Monaghan, Laurence Fishburne, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Maggie Q, Simon Pegg
Director: J.J. Abrams
Running Length: 2:08
MPAA Classification: PG-13

When Owen Davian (Hoffman) captures an IMF agent (Russell) who is investigating him, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) comes out of field-retirement to rescue her. This involves some deception on the home front, as his fiancée Julia (Monaghan) does not know what he does for a living. Ethan’s old teammate Luther (Rhames) is back to help him along with Declan (Meyers) and Zhen (Q). Their somewhat successful rescue of the agent reveals that there may be a spy in the leadership of the IMF. To find that spy, they attempt to capture Davian while he is at the Vatican attending a function. Ethan quickly finds out that a job with the IMF is not very contusive to a healthy normal life.

This time around, the “Mission: Impossible” franchise is in the hands of J. J. Abrams, well known for his television shows (Felicity, Lost, Alias), but a rookie when it comes to directing movies. Abrams is up to the challenge, delivering the best M:I movie yet. Filled with the tricks “Alias” fans will recognize from TV, Abrams keeps the movie rolling from action sequence to action sequence, ratcheting up the tension until the showdown between Cruise’s Hunt and Hoffman’s Davian. And Hoffman IS the standout here. Davian is an evil, nasty man who does not make idle threats. Hoffman sinks his teeth into the role, playing his first real bad guy. This movie is worth seeing for him alone. Cruise is good as well. It is a shame that this movie will suffer from his off-screen antics.

This is the first big budget movie of the summer. It is a great popcorn movie that will not disappoint. I highly recommend this film.