Movie Review: The Sapphires

This enjoyable Australian film about an enterprising group of Aboriginal singers and sisters who toured Vietnam in the 1960s is one of those feel-good films that are "inspired" from real life events.  Based on the play, The Sapphires, by Tony Briggs, the son of one of the actual Sapphires, the film invents a key character to take the story further. In this day and age, we can call it the 'Argo-effect', heightening the story for effect onscreen.

Gail (Deborah Mailman) and Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell) audition at a local competition where they are overlooked for a white contestant.  However, struggling talent manager Dave Lovelace (Chris O'Dowd) notices their potential, especially when their youngest sister Julie (former Australian Idol runner-up Jessica Mauboy) joins them.  He thinks they have a chance to perform for the US troops in Vietnam but they need to become a proper team to go abroad.

Their estranged cousin Kay (Shari Sebbens) is the fourth part of the group and they head off to Vietnam, where they realize the stakes are quite real. They have landed in an unstable war zone.  But the Sapphires perform well at their gigs with some delightful covers of hits like 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' and 'Who's Lovin You". There's also a romance sub-plot between Dave and Gail who bond as the caretakers of the group. Their interactions are the most memorable in the film and Chris O'Dowd particularly stands out with his infectious desire to succeed on the tour.

If you're looking for a fun feel-good film to see over the weekend, you can't go wrong with The Sapphires. It bends the truth (but then again, what film doesn't?) but it will give you a glimpse of the challenges faced the Aboriginals who lived in Australia at that time. The film shows how these particular sisters chose to be proactive and grab their future in their hands.  

Directed by Wayne Blair; Based on the play by Tony Briggs, Screenplay by Keith Thompson and Tony Briggs; Cinematography by Warwick Thornton; Edited by Dany Cooper; Music by Cezary Skubizewski

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New American Hustle Character Posters

These new character posters are like a pack of 70s cards highlighting the questionable fashions and hairdos of the cast of American Hustle.  Directed by David O. Russell, the film based on the ABSCAM  scandal releases this December.  

Christian Bale is Irving Rosenfeld, a con man who aids the FBI against corrupt politicians.  

Bradley Cooper is FBI Agent Richie DiMasio. 

Jennifer Lawrence plays Rosenfeld's wife, Rosalyn.

Meanwhile, Amy Adams is Rosenfeld's British mistress, Sydney Prosser.

And finally, the man with the widest tie I've ever seen is Jeremy Renner as 

corrupt NJ mayor Carmine Politico.

New Character Posters: Frozen

With less than 50 days to go before the release of Frozen this Thanksgiving (yes, I'm counting), Disney has released these four new character posters featuring the lead characters of the frozen fairytale.

First up, we have sisters Anna (with Snowman Olaf) and Elsa who have a few differences to sort out.

Aiding Anna on her journey are Prince Hans and Kristoff (and his reindeer Sven).

New Trailer:- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

First Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and now Chris Pine.  The mantle of Jack Ryan has been transferred this second reboot of the franchise.  Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, directed by Kenneth Branagh (who also stars as the villain Viktor Cherevin), is an original story based on the characters by author Tom Clancy.  Clancy passed away earlier this month and Ryan is his most famous fictional character.  This film however tries to be yet another origin story showing how Ryan got his start as he discovers a threat to the US while working on a case.  Kevin Costner plays his mentor and advisor William Harper and Keira Knightley as his wife Cathy Ryan.  The film opens on Christmas Day.  What do you think of Chris Pine as the new Jack Ryan?

New Trailer: Rio 2

It's time to head back to Brazil and Rio with the new trailer of Rio 2! The blue macaws from Rio return in the sequel which sees them head to the Amazon to get touch with the wild and some relatives as well.  Blu (voice of Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (voice of Anne Hathaway) head to the jungles with their kids to let them know where they come from.  Most of the original cast/characters are also back for the sequel as Rio 2 arrives in theaters April 2014.  Are you ready to go back to Rio?

News Update: Days of Future Past, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them and a new Narnia film!

(Photo: Entertainment Weekly)

• The next X-Men film, Days of Future Past, has a cast that can and will knock your socks off.  Joining the cast this time is Peter Dinklage (Games of Thrones) as Bolivar Trask. According to the Marvel Wiki, Trask formed the Sentinels (robots) and Master Mold against the mutants who he believed as a threat to humans.  Here's what Dinklage had to say about his character: “I didn’t want to play the villain,” Dinklage told EW. “He’s a man of science. He’s a man of invention. He actually sees what he’s doing as a good thing — [his ambition is] definitely blind and he’s quite arrogant. He’s strove all his life for a certain respect and attention.” Who's excited to see Dinklage in Days of Future Past? 
• More news of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film featuring Newt Scamander.  David Heyman, who produced all of the eight films of the Harry Potter franchise, is back to produce the film.  The teaming of Warner Bros., J.K. Rowling and Heyman back again seems to me as a no-brainer.  Why mess with success?
• And finally, for those of you who mentally petitioned for another film set in the Narnia universe. Congratulations!  A fourth film based on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair is now in pre-production by producer Mark Gordon and the C.S. Lewis Co. to bring back Aslan and King Caspian.  The story centers around Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole who are assigned by Aslan the lion to find out what happened to King Caspian's son Prince Rilian. 

New Trailer: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The official trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is out and once again, director Peter Jackson doesn't disappoint.  Some people might think the decision to turn a novel into film series may be financial but when the subject is J.R.R. Tolkien and the director is Jackson, the end result is amazing to watch.  I think my jaw dropped when I saw the crowd scenes, with each film, the battles, the visuals, the world built by Jackson and his crew just gets better and better.  Everyone's favorite elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom) is back again with new character Tauriel (Evangaline Lilly) and of course, let's not forget Smaug the Dragon (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) who makes his presence known.  But the glue that holds it all together? That would be Martin Freeman's Bilbo, the hobbit who found his courage again.  Is it December yet?