In 1968, the Vietnam War was in full swing, Americans were fighting for their civil rights, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated and four Australian Aboriginal girls formed a group called The Sapphires. Inspired by a true story, The Sapphires is a touching film about four girls, with their own lessons to learn about life and love, who are swept off to war torn Vietnam by the only man who believes in them.
The Premise
Family group, The Sapphires, is comprised of three sisters and one cousin from indigenous Australia. Led by their inexperienced talent scout, the girls go to Vietnam to entertain the troops in 1968. While overseas, they experience the world's triumphs, defeats and heartaches together. They overcome their own family dynamics in order to make The Sapphires a success and to get out of Vietnam alive.
My Take
In Australia, the girls of the The Sapphires were not accepted in mainstream society because they were considered to be non-white. In the 1950's, Aboriginal children that were light skinned were literally stolen from their homes in order to be mainstreamed in an effort to breed out the Aboriginal race. So it was no wonder that in 1968 these girls were ready to get out of Australia, go to Vietnam and perform for the colored troops.
Gail, Cynthia and Julie are the sisters that started the group. Gail, played by Deborah Mailman, is the eldest member and is the heart of The Sapphires. She holds them together with her strength and perseverance. Mailman plays Gail in such a way that we grow to love her and understand her plight without being angry with her outbursts and bossy ways. Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell) often acts as a referee between the girls. She bounces between wanting to be mature and grown up and also acting out and being young and foolish, much like any other middle child. Julie is the youngest sister. Played by Jessica Mauboy, Julie wants it all. She is the one with the most talent and is determined to be part of the adventure, despite her responsibilities at home.
Cousin Kay is the last to join The Sapphires. The sisters want her to part of the group, much as she was when they were children before Kay was taken away to be mainstreamed into white society. Shari Sebbens plays conflicted Kay. Kay doesn't know quite who she is when she becomes a Sapphire. She has spent much of her life being told she is white and now she is being thrown into a soul group being labeled as Aboriginal Australian. It is a constant source of conflict between Kay and Gail.
Looking out for the girls is talent scout, Dave Lovelace. Chris O'Dowd is the heavy-drinking, inexperienced, Irish man that takes it upon himself to manage The Sapphires. And I think there might be something going on between he and Gail. I'm just saying.
Adapted from the stage play by Tony Briggs and written by Tony Briggs and Keith Thompson, The Sapphires is inspired by real events. Briggs is the son of original Sapphires member, Laurel Robinson. In the movie, four girls momentarily escape their troublesome lives by going to Vietnam to make music. There, they experience life, love, war and prejudice and form a family bond even deeper than they ever imagined.
The Verdict
The Sapphires is an amazing film. The performances are incredible, the singing is gorgeous and the story is beautiful. The Sapphires is one of those rare films that comes along that can make you feel a wide range of emotions in an hour and a half. You laugh, you cry, you get angry, you get wrapped up in the characters and in the story which is what any good film is supposed to make you do. I give The Sapphires 4/4 sapphires. Well done. In fact, I've already watched it twice.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Jerry and Tom (1998)
I can't deny that my husband has excellent taste in movies. He discovered this little gem for me on Netflix and there are many more that I still have to either watch or write about. I'm going as fast as I can, honey! Jerry and Tom is based the one act play by Rick Cleveland, who also wrote the screenplay. Directed by Saul Rubinek, Jerry and Tom features stunning continuous shots and seamless transitions between scenes.
The Premise
Tom is a pro in the hit man business. Jerry is not. By day they work for their boss at a second-hand car dealership and by night they work as hired guns. As Jerry learns the business, his style and personality begins to clash with that of his older friend's.
My Take
Tom is cool and collected and not easily shaken. Jerry is young and impetuous but eager to learn the role of a hit man. As Jerry learns the ropes, his brash actions could get the duo into trouble with their bosses, Billy and Vic. Mistakes are made, but the final solution will wipe the slate clean.
Joe Mantegna is a very calm and teacher-like Tom. He is "too old for this" and ready to teach Jerry how to do a clean and effective hit. Sam Rockwell plays Jerry and shows us the transition of a nervous young man to an unbalanced, trigger happy hit man. Both men played their parts well. While being near opposites, they were believable as best friends and partners.
Jerry and Tom is like a buddy hit man movie. It starts off with the two men together on a job and transitions back in time to ten years prior when they started working together. The movie moves forward, taking you one job (and one cameo) at a time. They duo moves ahead through their lives as well. Jerry gets married and has a baby. Tom's kid becomes a teenager. But what is most appealing to me about this movie is the way in which it was filmed and put together. The scene changes (forgive me, for I come from a theater rich background) are flawlessly seamless.
The characters can be talking during the summer in a parking lot in one scene and then the camera will pan over to the car lot and it will be snowing outside in the next scene. A woman will be cleaning her gun with plastic sheeting blowing all around her in one scene and the camera will pan over and the movie will continue in a completely different location. My favorite transition had to do with blood, a sock, makeup and a toolbox.
Saul Rubinek also filmed many long continuous shots. I like these kind of shots because it doesn't break up the action. You get a picture of the whole scene and not just bits and pieces. With a script like this, that relies so heavily on dialogue, there is no need to cut back and forth and back and forth. He still managed to make it interesting, though. Mantegna and Rockwell were in constant motion in a lot of their scenes so the camera had a lot to focus on without cutting between actors.
Jerry and Tom may have been led by Joe Mantegna and Sam Rockwell, but a show is not a show without its supporting cast. Playing the mob bosses were Maury Chaykin and Charles Durning. Also making special appearances were William H. Macy, Ted Danson, Peter Riegert, Shelley Cook and Sarah Polley.
The Verdict
Jerry and Tom is a must see for any film buff or photography enthusiast because of the way it was filmed. The only down side, for me, was the way it was written. I know that it was based on a play, but it still read like a stage play to me. I love my theater, I just want it to stay on the stage. All in all I still love it. I give Jerry and Tom 5/7 hits.
The Premise
Tom is a pro in the hit man business. Jerry is not. By day they work for their boss at a second-hand car dealership and by night they work as hired guns. As Jerry learns the business, his style and personality begins to clash with that of his older friend's.
My Take
Tom is cool and collected and not easily shaken. Jerry is young and impetuous but eager to learn the role of a hit man. As Jerry learns the ropes, his brash actions could get the duo into trouble with their bosses, Billy and Vic. Mistakes are made, but the final solution will wipe the slate clean.
Joe Mantegna is a very calm and teacher-like Tom. He is "too old for this" and ready to teach Jerry how to do a clean and effective hit. Sam Rockwell plays Jerry and shows us the transition of a nervous young man to an unbalanced, trigger happy hit man. Both men played their parts well. While being near opposites, they were believable as best friends and partners.
Jerry and Tom is like a buddy hit man movie. It starts off with the two men together on a job and transitions back in time to ten years prior when they started working together. The movie moves forward, taking you one job (and one cameo) at a time. They duo moves ahead through their lives as well. Jerry gets married and has a baby. Tom's kid becomes a teenager. But what is most appealing to me about this movie is the way in which it was filmed and put together. The scene changes (forgive me, for I come from a theater rich background) are flawlessly seamless.
The characters can be talking during the summer in a parking lot in one scene and then the camera will pan over to the car lot and it will be snowing outside in the next scene. A woman will be cleaning her gun with plastic sheeting blowing all around her in one scene and the camera will pan over and the movie will continue in a completely different location. My favorite transition had to do with blood, a sock, makeup and a toolbox.
Saul Rubinek also filmed many long continuous shots. I like these kind of shots because it doesn't break up the action. You get a picture of the whole scene and not just bits and pieces. With a script like this, that relies so heavily on dialogue, there is no need to cut back and forth and back and forth. He still managed to make it interesting, though. Mantegna and Rockwell were in constant motion in a lot of their scenes so the camera had a lot to focus on without cutting between actors.
Jerry and Tom may have been led by Joe Mantegna and Sam Rockwell, but a show is not a show without its supporting cast. Playing the mob bosses were Maury Chaykin and Charles Durning. Also making special appearances were William H. Macy, Ted Danson, Peter Riegert, Shelley Cook and Sarah Polley.
The Verdict
Jerry and Tom is a must see for any film buff or photography enthusiast because of the way it was filmed. The only down side, for me, was the way it was written. I know that it was based on a play, but it still read like a stage play to me. I love my theater, I just want it to stay on the stage. All in all I still love it. I give Jerry and Tom 5/7 hits.
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