CliqueClack

Dreary Jersey Boys only perks up when the music starts

The rags-to-riches story Jersey Boys, which chronicles the career highs and lows of Frankie Valli and the Four Season, made its Broadway debut in 2005, racking up four Tony Awards (including Best Musical), spinning off international versions and launching a US tour in 2006 which is still on the road today. Now director Clint Eastwood brings that show to the big screen with several cast members from Broadway or touring companies reprising their roles.

The story, if you’re not familiar, traces the origin of the group that became known as The Four Seasons. Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza) has a band that performs in a local nightclub in Belleville, NJ. One night he gives friend Frankie Castelluccio (John Lloyd Young) a shot at singing with the group and brings him in as their lead (and Frankie changes his name to Vally and then Valli). When their friend Joey Pesci (yes, that Joe Pesci, played by Joseph Russo) introduces Tommy, Frankie and Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) to songwriter Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen), who had a hit song when he was 15, Frankie decides he should be an equal partner in the group, very much against Tommy’s wishes. Needless to say, Frankie was right but not everything was sunshine and roses as Tommy dug himself and the group into a financial hole that Frankie vowed to get them out of. Continue reading 'Dreary Jersey Boys only perks up when the music starts' »

The Rose and the Jackal is an interesting Civil War drama, albeit a little misleading

The old adage “Never judge a book by its cover” is a particularly wise one. And yet creating a first impression from a fleeting glance is very much a part of human nature. It happens often with people and books, but have you ever been deceived by a film cover? It happened to me when I selected The Rose and the Jackal for review from the Warner Archive Collection.

On the cover, one sees a smiling portrait of Christopher Reeve and Madolyn Smith Osborne in a cozy position that suggests a happy Civil War-era romance. I didn’t really read the plot synopsis – that was my mistake. I just assumed I was correct and that seemed like a win-win-win combination (romance, Civil War era and Christopher Reeve looking dashing) all in one package. It’s not that it’s a bad film, and it’s not that I didn’t like it. It just wasn’t quite what I had envisioned. Perhaps the cover reminded me of Somewhere in Time. While that story didn’t exactly have a happy ending, I enjoyed it more overall.

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Hanna-Barbera’s Wacky Races: More than meets the eye

To start things off, let’s get the 800 pound gorilla out of the room, shall we?

If you’re a fan of Wacky Races this won’t come as a surprise to you. If you’re a casual observer or you’re new to the show, consider this your only warning: The next paragraph reveals a series spoiler.

Ready? All right, here goes. Dick Dastardly? His sidekick Muttley? And Dastardly’s race car The Mean Machine? They never won a single Wacky Race. The closest Dick Dastardly ever got to winning was a fourth place finish. (And the reason he didn’t win that particular race, one which he could have won rather handily? His narcissism got in the way — he stopped to pose for photos before crossing the finish line.)

Just goes to show you bad guys don’t win. Continue reading 'Hanna-Barbera’s Wacky Races: More than meets the eye' »

Beyond the Wall: Season four ends with several changes

Game of Thrones producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss, along with episode director Alex Graves have been talking up the final episode of the season like they’ve never done before. If we believed everything we heard, “Children” might be more than “Baelor,” “Blackwater” and “The Rains of Castamere” combined. But when the final credits rolled, the episode might have provided more surprises for book readers than it did for show watchers.

These surprises were the of changes from George R. R. Martin’s source material. We here at Beyond the Wall have been universally supportive of these changes through the first four seasons, but “Children” had more diversions — large and small — than any episode that came before it. How did all of these surprises play out, and how will they change thing moving forward?

Everything is awesome in The LEGO Movie

I’m one of the few people who didn’t see The LEGO Movie when it hit theaters earlier this year, and from everything I was told I knew I had to see the movie once it came out on home video. And it did just that on June 17th, and thanks to our friends at Warner Home Video I was finally able to watch the movie … and in 3D!

If you’re like me and haven’t seen the movie yet, well what are you waiting for?! Even if you really have no clue about LEGO — like me — you should still find the movie extremely enjoyable for its stunning animation and pop culture references. The story is fairly simple: President Business (Will Farrell) plans to take over the world (or, rather freeze it in place with the Kragle), and it’s up to someone only known as The Special to save the day by stopping the Kragle with the Piece of Resistance. Unlikely Everyman Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) accidentally stumbles — or tumbles — upon the Piece of Resistance and seems to fulfill the prophecy of Vetruvius (Morgan Freeman), but Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and her boyfriend Batman (Will Arnett) don’t have as much faith in Emmet. But they must band together before their world becomes permanently permanent.

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Download free passes for Begin Again in Boston

CliqueClack has partnered with The Weinstein Company to offer readers in the Boston area an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new film Begin Again starring Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam Levine, James Corden, CeeLo Green and Catherine Keener.

The latest film from writer-director John Carney (Once), Begin Again is a soul-stirring comedy about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together. Gretta (Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.

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House of Cards, Teen Wolf, Tosh.o and more come to home video

This week’s home video releases include a collection of TV and online series, TV movies, kids and animated fare, and some classic TV as well. The big release of the week is the second season of Netflix’s House of Cards. If you’re not a Netflix subscriber and haven’t had the chance to binge watch this mesmerizing political thriller, then you won’t want to miss this home video release. The second half of MTV’s supernatural hit Teen Wolf comes to home video this week, along with Comedy Central’s Tosh.0, and some Brit TV including Death in Paradise and DCI Banks. Hallmark has another Good Witch TV movie and PBS has the mini-series The Escape Artist, starring former Doctor Who David Tennant, on DVD. Power Rangers and Pokemon will keep the kids entertained while older animation fans will enjoy another season of Regular Show and Son of Batman. These titles and more will be available June 17. You can see all of the week’s highlights in our handy shopper’s guide. Click on a link to get more information or to make a purchase.

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Win free passes to see Obvious Child in Baltimore

CliqueClack has partnered with A24 Films to offer readers in Baltimore an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new comedy Obvious Child starring Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, Gabe Liedman, Polly Draper, Richard Kind, and David Cross.

For aspiring comedian Donna Stern (Slate), everyday life as a female twenty-something provides ample material for her hysterical and relatable brand of humor. On stage, Donna is unapologetically herself, joking about topics as intimate as her sex life and as crude as her day-old underwear. But when Donna winds up unexpectedly pregnant after a one-night stand, she is forced to face the uncomfortable realities of independent womanhood for the first time. Donna’s drunken hookup – and epic lapse in prophylactic judgment – turns out to be the beginning of a hilarious and totally unplanned journey of self-discovery and empowerment.

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The LEGO Movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and more come to home video

Two big titles come to home video this week along with some notable, but little seen films, some that went direct-to-video, and some classics that are coming to DVD or Blu-ray for the first time. The big title of the week is The LEGO Movie, which surprised many by being one of the most well-reviewed movies of the year so far with many saying it’s also the best written movie of the year. Warner Brothers is releasing several versions of the film, including a special package with a collectible figure and the 3D Blu-ray version of the film. Also out this week is Wes Anderson’s charming The Grand Budapest Hotel, arguably the best — and most mainstream — film of his career. Worth a look for the production design and Ralph Fiennes masterful performance.

Other releases include the Elizabeth Banks stumble Walk of Shame, the second sequel to the cult classic Joy Ride, and new Blu-ray releases from the Criterion Collection including another cult classic, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Judex, and Hearts and Minds. These titles and more are available June 17. You can see all of the week’s highlights in our shopper’s guide. Click on a link to get more information or to make a purchase (note that Amazon and Warner Brothers are having a dispute, so all Warner titles are not currently available to order or purchase).

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Win free passes to The Met Summer Encore Series in Los Angeles

CliqueClack has partnered with Fathom Events to offer readers in Los Angeles an opportunity to attend special encore screenings of The Met: Live in HD. The Metropolitan Opera and Fathom events will once again present Summer HD Encores, a series of choice encore performances from the groundbreaking Live in HD series. Patrons will have the chance to see these shows in a theatre that will bring it to life in a very unique setting.

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