The Sapphires Movie Download

9 / 10

Credit where credit is due
The problem with being a movie critic (here or anywhere) is the need to find common ground. If you are writing to a crowd conditioned to believe that every new Hollywood product is better than the last, or an “action” film MUST (simply must!) be great because it has whats-his-name is it, then frankly it is time to turn in the old keyboard for a toaster oven. I say this because I notice that, on IMDb, positive reviews get a positive reader response and negative reviews generally don’t. In Psych 101, they call this “cognitive dissonance” and has to do with human nature — many review readers prefer to read the reviews AFTER seeing the film, to seek agreement, rather than BEFORE, to seek wisdom. OK, sorry for the diatribe. To make it up to you, I will say that this film is a high-9. The script, the production values, the performances, are a joy. In fact, in my view, that is the key to the film. Joy. The secret to the 1960s (for those of you who were not there) is that for a short time it seemed (not making this up) like the forces of Light and Dark in the universe were struggling, and Light was about to win. In fact it did not turn out that way — look at where we are today, look at the last half dozen presidents, look at the Japan disaster. But — the point — this wonderful film is not only superb entertainment on its own, but somehow succeeds in capturing the essence of the era. Hope and Joy. Even in the one “scary” scene (bullets flying, one of the main characters gets hit) we have fast segue to a love letter being read aloud, and that takes away the sting immediately. I defy anyone to watch this film and not feel better afterwards than they felt before. BTW, Chris O’Dowd and Deborah Mailman steal all their scenes together, which is hard to do, considering how solid the ensemble cast is. Loved it. You will too.Read More