CliqueClack

Get your free passes to see Think Like a Man Too in Seattle

CliqueClack has partnered with Screen Gems to offer readers in Seattle an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new comedy Think Like a Man Too starring Adam Brody, Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Dennis Haysbert, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence J, Jenifer Lewis, Romany Malco, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Gary Owen, Gabrielle Union, David Walton and Kevin Hart.

In the highly anticipated sequel, which was inspired by Steve Harvey’s best-selling book Act Like a Lady, Think Like A Man, all the couples are back for a wedding in Las Vegas. But plans for a romantic weekend go awry when their various misadventures get them into some compromising situations that threaten to derail the big event.

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Catch up with CliqueClack on social media

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We want to remind you that you can stay connected to CliqueClack through social media as well. Never miss an article and be the first to know about a giveaway in your area! Our social media outlets will help you link directly to our site. As a bonus, we also offer breaking news and exclusive social media giveaways! Joining us on social media is only a click away. Select one or all of the links of your choice and “Like,” “Follow” or “Add” us to your circle of friends!

Obvious Child is an indie female-driven abortion rom-com with honesty but not many laughs

One of the things smaller movies have is a luxury of targets and protagonists. They can focus on the lives of individuals that don’t matter to the entire world or just cover a few weeks of time. Without having to be concerned with enormous profits, these movies can have a real singular vision and point of view that doesn’t compromise. They can also cover theoretically controversial topics like abortion, which is so taboo in movies it was made a punchline in Knocked Up. Unfortunately, there’s also the controversial point-of-view of a woman, which is considered restrictive and only for wide appeal romantic comedies. The dream is to have something like Bridesmaids which is clever and funny enough to appeal across the board, but sometimes instead you get 27 Dresses. No offense to those that like that terrible movie.

Obvious Child is a small movie starring Jenny Slate as aspiring NYC stand-up comedian Donna Stern in one of those classic indie “a few weeks in the life” sorts of films. Donna is a twenty-something Jewish girl with some mom issues, and she’s not afraid to bring sheer, harsh, uncomfortable honesty into her act. She’s got some talent, even if she’s not getting paid yet. But a bunch of things go wrong all at once when she gets dumped by her boyfriend and then loses her job, causing her to have a terrible set and have a drunken hookup with pleasant faced Max (Jake Lacy). Soon she discovers she is (shocker!) pregnant and decides to have a procedure to terminate the pregnancy. So she has to decide how to deal with Max, should she tell him about it? What about her friends and family and job? What is the right thing to do for herself and her future?

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How to Train Your Dragon 2 is everything a sequel should be

I want a dragon. I want to be able to soar the skies atop a colorful, protective beast that may or may not have the ability to breathe and shoot fireballs to smite mine enemies. I want that freedom to explore and not be tied down upon this earth. I’d never seen DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon prior to this week, but after viewing it and its sequel, I can understand why it is so popular with adults and children alike. Hiccup and Toothless make a great team and the sequel was everything a sequel should be and more!

Starring Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, Djimon Hounsou and Kit Harington, How to Train Your Dragon 2 picks up about five years after the first story. The Vikings and dragons on Berk continue to live and work together in peace. The kids have all gone through puberty, and Hiccup has taken to the skies with Toothless more and more often to chart unexplored territories so his people can better understand their world and how their island relates in comparison. Hiccup’s father Stoick wants his son to become the next chief of the village, but Hiccup is reluctant to train to become the next leader. He knows the next chief will have some pretty big shoes to fill and doesn’t know if he’s quite up to the task.

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22 Jump Street is the rare sequel that may be better than the original

Ah, the sequel. Is there anything it can’t do, besides being a good movie? Sure, there are exceptions. Spider-Man 2 was pretty good, and Terminator 2 was about equal to the original, being a different sort of movie altogether. Of course, there’s always The Dark Knight to consider, which was amazing despite being a sequel. I really enjoyed all three Toy Story movies, but when it comes to comedies? I far prefer Gremlins 2 to the original, but other than that, I’m stumped coming up with a comedy sequel that’s as good as the original movie, much less surpassing it. There are a lot of hurdles there, retreading the same material so much it’s boring, retreading not enough so that people miss the original, just not being as funny, etc. It’s not easy. At times it’s considered to be impossible; look at last year’s Anchorman 2, which was funny enough, but just didn’t have the same “spark” as the original. But you know what? I think the streak may be over.

22 Jump Street is the sequel to 2013’s 21 Jump Street, itself a sort-of remake, but more a comedic retake on the classic 80’s cop show. The movie is once again directed by the dream team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who have a sort of absurd level of talent, directing everything from the magnificent cult show Clone High to the awesome LEGO Movie earlier this year. This time, the story is not so important. Yes, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) return alongside such great comedic turns from Ice Cube and Nick Offerman as cops that now have to go to college to investigate yet another killer drug. But the movie doesn’t let the conceit off easily, immediately poking fun at itself and other sequels viciously, to the point where it sometimes seems shocking to be part of a mainstream movie.

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Permanent Record explores the sad reality of teen suicide with a rockin’ soundtrack

“Being a teenager isn’t anything – it’s everything. It isn’t a big deal, it’s a HUGE deal; and while you’re being a teenager, you ought to live it up because this is the one chance, the one time, you’ll be young, and free and careless because you are only young once. So screw it up, because in the end, no one gets out alive anyway.” – Anonymous

Ah, the teen years. Those years of reckless abandonment that can be one of the most thrilling, daunting and awkward times in a person’s lifetime. Perhaps you nostalgically recall your own teen years. For most people, they were either the best of times or the worst of times. There does not seem to be any middle ground. Emotions and hormones both ran high as you tried to find yourself and your purpose in life. These are the moments you’ll never forget and many yearn to recreate. Time was best spent hanging out with friends, ditching school and studying. For many, it was a time to experiment with sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. A time to be free to discover who you were and who you were not before being bogged down by responsibilities and the stresses of daily adult living.

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Win passes to see Jersey Boys in Baltimore, DC or Virginia Beach

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The life and times of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is making the leap from the musical stage to the big screen, and we want to give readers in the Baltimore, DC and Virginia Beach areas the opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new movie musical Jersey Boys directed by Clint Eastwood.

The film tells the story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic 1960s rock group The Four Seasons. The story of their trials and triumphs are accompanied by the songs that influenced a generation, including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Dawn,” “Rag Doll,” “Bye Bye Baby,” “Who Loves You,” and many more. These classic hits are now being embraced by a new generation of fans through the stage musical, which has been running on Broadway for more than eight years and has also enjoyed successful tours around the globe.

Starring in the film, John Lloyd Young reprises his Tony Award-winning portrayal of the legendary lead singer of The Four Seasons, Frankie Valli. Erich Bergen stars as Bob Gaudio, who wrote or co-wrote all of the group’s biggest hits. Michael Lomenda and Vincent Piazza star respectively as Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito, two original members of The Four Seasons. Oscar winner Christopher Walken stars as mobster Gyp DeCarlo.

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Beyond the Wall: Where does Watchers on the Wall rank?

Each year, Game of Thrones’ ninth episode is generally “the big one.” Season one gave us Ned’s beheading in “Baelor,” two was “Blackwater” and last year was the Red Wedding. In the fourth season, we’ve already seen a King poisoned, Lysa sent flying and a Viper squashed … so when producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss said that episodes nine and ten would be equally as big, we had to know they were bringing out the big guns.

“The Watchers on the Wall” represents the first time since “Blackwater” that an episode has focused on a single geographical location — and thus story (I mean, only five names in the open credits is a record). Considering that and the nature of the episode itself, the two hours of television have been compared extensively online. Most of the talk has been that “Blackwater” is the better of the two, but one of our Clackers disagrees

Cosmos, Resurrection, True Detective and more on DVD and Blu-ray

Some major TV titles come to home video this week. The season finale just aired Sunday, and Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey is already available on video to watch again! ABC’s Resurrection, which has been renewed for a second season, is also available and includes some bonus features to give a little insight into the show’s central mystery. HBO’s acclaimed True Detective, which will also return for a second season with a new cast, and also comes with several bonus features. The most recent seasons of TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles and Major Crimes come to DVD, and you can catch up with Showtime’s Ray Donovan before the second season premieres on July 13th. Transformers, The Wiggles, and Slugterra will keep the kids entertained, and classic TV lovers can enjoy new releases of the Perry Mason TV movies. These titles and more are available June 10, and you can see all of the highlights in our handy shopper’s guide. Click on a link to get more information or to make a purchase. Any purchase made through a link helps support our efforts here at CliqueClack.

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Jack Ryan, Non-Stop and Kismet now on DVD and Blu-ray

It’s a small release week for theatrical films on home video, but what is available is worth catching. Chris Pine proves he’s not just Captain James T. Kirk as he moves to more down-to-earth action and espionage in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Liam Neeson tries to save a plane full of passengers in Non-Stop, Steve Coogan brings Alan Partridge to the big screen, and Tim Jenison seeks to learn just how Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer created his paintings in Tim’s Vermeer. Classic films getting a high def scrub include the musical Kismet, All That Heaven Allows, and Tightrope. These titles and more are available June 10, and you can check out the highlights in our handy shopper’s guide. Click on a link to get more information or to make a purchase. Any purchase made through a link supports our efforts here at CliqueClack.

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