The Sapphires

I have ticked off another entry on my bucket list. Actually, I don't have a bucket list, but if I were to have one, I could put a big tick next to “Walk down a red carpet”. Oh, that's another lie: it was blue, not red...but you get the idea. Last Monday I headed to the 56^th BFI London Film Festival and hit the red/blue carpet for the UK Premiere of The Sapphires, starring Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids). And you know the best bit about it? I got free Icelandic bottled water and G&B chocolate. The perks of being a film critic...

The Sapphires (hence why the red carpet was sparkly-blue) is based on the true story of four Aboriginal women who formed a soul group and headed out to 1960's Vietnam to entertain the American troops stationed there. The Sapphires (based on a play of the same name) is a comedy/drama with plenty of musical numbers thrown in for good measure and features some really energetic performances from its cast. O'Dowd as the Sapphires' manager achieves an endearing balance between comedic charm and manic energy and his humorous delivery of lines made me laugh-out-loud on several occasions. His enthusiasm lifted scenes which would otherwise have felt flat and un-engaging, whilst demonstrating an emotional realism which I hadn't seen from him before.

The sisters (played by Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens and Miranda Tapsell) all approached their roles with a similar level of liveliness, although at times there seemed to be a lack of believable chemistry within the group. For a film about family and triumphing against adversity, this was a problem and these themes felt rather undermined by the lack of group dynamics. The cast and director (Wayne Blair) spoke before the film started and emphasised the film's political nature and its comments on race and racism in Australia. This agenda, however, seemed to have been addressed on a far-too-superficial level and the film's message may have been somewhat lost.

Early on in the film, for example, there's a scene where two of the sisters try to flag down a cab to get into town and it drives straight past them. “What's his problem?!”, exclaims Cynthia.“It's because we're black, stupid” replies Gail. Cynthia hits back with the line “No, it's 'cos you're ugly”. Yes, the line is funny and yes, a film following an Australian soul group belting out hits such as 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' and 'Soul Man' is hardly going to be the most profound comment on Australian race-relations, but with its agenda so explicitly set-up, it felt a bit too superficial.

The musical numbers were certainly toe-tapping and the singing (much of which was done by the cast themselves) felt very authentic. As a comedy/musical, The Sapphires works well and makes for entertaining viewing. O'Dowd produces a sterling performance and the rest of the cast shine individually, although poor ensemble dynamics aren't helped by a script which is, at times, uneven. More fundamentally, there is a problem with how it approaches its politics and it could have been more emotionally-charged and driven. But, perhaps, this isn't the point and The Sapphires should be enjoyed for what it is: good-natured fun. 

Clapperboard Rating: * * *

The Sapphires is released nationwide on 7th November 2012  

Liberal Arts

Allison Janney will always occupy a special place in my heart. Her portrayal of White House Press Secretary C. J. Cregg in The West Wing (possibly the best American drama series ever) was nothing short of masterful and it was my admiration for her that convinced me to see Liberal Arts – the new film from director/writer/producer/star Josh Radnor. Allison, you didn't disappoint but shame about the rest of the film.

Watching Liberal Arts is an odd experience. It begins with thirty-something Jesse (played by Radnor) returning to his old college to attend a professor's retirement party and meeting Zibby (Elizabeth Olsen), a nineteen-year-old student. From the outset, it's obvious that the two have a connection as they exchange tentative glances, snatched whilst no-one else is looking. As their relationship developed throughout the first thirty minutes of the film, I found myself heaving a largely-cynical sigh. This was going to be a clichéd, predictable romance with shots of the pair lying together in the lush grass of campus, discussing the merits of life, love and being young. Whilst there was plenty of the latter, I was rather surprised (and pleased) as to how their courtship developed.

Before you think that I was deeply moved and affected by their relationship, I wasn't. Never without a book in his hand, the character of Jesse – sixteen years Zibby's senior – was distinctly annoying and seemed incapable of holding any conversation without discussing the existential meaning of life and age. Indeed, I was half expecting him to launch into a monologue about the virtues of post-modernist literature whilst ordering a latte. Zibby, too, was vaguely grating, although Olsen is quickly becoming one of the most vibrant acting talents of the future. Her performance was both nuanced and bold and was utterly convincing as a college student older than her years.

One of the film's main themes is that of ageing and nostalgia. When Jesse returns to the college campus, he seems much more alive than during scenes at his home in New York. This idea of idolising college years and youth in particular, was nicely handled – even if it was mediated through characters I could quite happily have hit with a copy of Catch-22. That said, there were moments of comedy and biting lines of dialogue which always managed to stay good-natured.

Of course, Allison Janney was brilliant as a professor of British Romantic literature with something of a rock-god/cougar reputation on campus. An equally-entertaining cameo from Zac Efron as a free-living Buddhist type raised several smiles and I feel as though he is well on his way to shaking off the High School Musical stigma (and good on him for doing so).

Performances aside, the plot wasn't perfect, and an ill-judged romance between Jesse and a bookshop owner somewhat de-valued an ending which could have been so much more profound. Nevertheless, Radnor created several moments of dialogue about life which were so insightful and so on-the-mark that I almost forgave the weaknesses in plot. At one point, Jesse's bookshop love exclaims that she spends so much time reading about life in books that she doesn't get the time to experience life itself. In many ways. it's the same for this film. If you've got something to do, don't put it off in favour of watching Liberal Arts. But if you've a spare ninety minutes, it might just make you smile...

Clapperboard Rating: * * *

Looper

The most common criticism of foreign films is that they demand too much concentration as one has to watch the action and read the subtitles at the same time. Whilst anyone who thinks this has the cultural aptitude and IQ of an amoeba, some films do require a higher level of concentration to watch. Looper is a case in point and is intellectually stimulating and exciting and will leave you with more puzzling questions than an episode of University Challenge.

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Looper is an engrossing mix of The Terminator and 12 Monkeys and stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Joe – a 'looper', or contract killer who kills targets who are sent to him from the future by 'the mob'. However, when his future self (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time, he allows him to escape, with life-changing consequences. Confused? You should be. Whilst this plot is, at times, rather confounding, the film excels in its balance between action and a strong sense of narrative direction.

There is a scene in Looper where two versions of the same person sit across from one another in a diner, discussing the complexities of time travel and whose life is being affected by the decisions they make at that moment. Thankfully for the audience's sanity, the older incarnation of Joe brings the conversation to an end by exclaiming that talking too much about time travel and its effects will scramble your brain to mush. It is sequences such as this which highlight the brilliance of a film which has the potential to give the audience a headache to rival the worst of hangovers. Somehow, however, it doesn't.

Johnson's script develops convincing, multi-faceted characters and he draws some fantastic performances from the cast (Emily Blunt in particular, is superb) and makes full use of its central concept. The moral ambiguities of time travel felt fully-developed and were a satisfying juxtaposition to the action sequences in which more people died than during a stampede for One Direction's book signings. Johnson's dystopian future, where cars have solar panels welded onto their bonnets due to the lack of oil and high-rise skyscrapers counterpoint the graffiti-marked streets where murder is an everyday normality is both startling and tense. It is because of this dramatic setting that the time travel theme works so well and the moral decisions made by the characters feel as though they carry true weight.

There were some pacing issues, especially during the farm house scenes but in general, the film had a taut and dramatic feeling, aided by the combined talents of Gordon-Levitt and Blunt. Their performances created an emotional depth to the characters which underpinned the brain-frying of time travel and even Bruce Willis aimed for a bit of emotional tenacity.

Looper is a thrilling, perplexing and satisfying sci-fi picture, which works because of its engagement with meaty ideas and abundance of gritty action and multi-dimensional performances. Just don't pop to the loo half way through otherwise you won't have a hope of catching up...

Clapperboard Rating: * * * *