Apr
11

Author

Dom Hemingway is a great Jude Law character in a decent movie

dom-hemingway-jude-law-richard-e-grant

‘Dom Hemingway’ is a movie all about the style and the scoundrel, but suffers when it tries to go soft.

 

Why is it so easy to root for the bad boy? There’s something interesting about how willing audiences are to root for the full spectrum of “unpleasant” characters, from the mildly conflicted to the antihero to the scum. But movies usually try to give a bit of a reason, so there’s always something. Maybe it’s a tragic past, a way to connect and sympathize with them, or perhaps it’s a comparison to villains that are even worse. For example, Batman is certainly a violent vigilante outside the law, but he’s fighting criminals. Danny Ocean from Ocean’s 11 is a thief of a girlfriend and money, but he’s stealing from a jerk. Peter Griffin is an awful human being, but he’s in a (mostly) funny cartoon.

That’s another thing — the hyper-realism of fiction lends itself to painting bad guys as main characters. So we easily get involved in people like Omar, Don Draper, or Walter White, although they objectively do terrible, immoral things of varying degrees. And that’s the real reason we often root for these guys. Wish fulfillment and falling under the sway of overwhelming charisma.

Dom Hemingway stars Jude Law as Dom, a criminal just out of prison because he refused to snitch on his crime boss, Mr. Fontaine (Demian Bichir). Dom has a few things to take care of, like meeting up with his old friend Dickie (Richard E. Grant) to visit his old boss to get his “reward” for not talking. He also has to beat up his late ex-wife’s widower, because, well, Dom is a violent alcoholic. There’s also the minor problem of his estranged daughter Evelyn, played by Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke.

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Photo Credit: Fox Searchlight
Apr
11

Author

Draft Day is not the next great sports movie

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‘Draft Day’ showcases a pretty good performance from Kevin Costner with some slick editing, but ultimately the story is very commonplace.

 

Sports movies like to be metaphors for other things about life. Primarily they are about the struggles of guys, commonly about father-son relationships. A big one is the excellent Field of Dreams (which Kevin Costner is also in), but even such stupid kids fare as Angels in the Outfield is really just about how young Joseph Gordon-Levitt wants Danny Glover to be his new dad.

A typical sports movie has a big denouement regarding the “big game,” which makes an easy shorthand for something to care about. But the world of sports, as fascinating as it is to many people, contains a lot of things that aren’t inherently dramatic to those who don’t care as much. And the draft is one of those things. For casual or non-fans, the draft isn’t a big deal. Of course, to the teams and players it’s the biggest deal of the year.

Draft Day stars Kevin Costner as Sonny Weaver Jr, the general manager for the Cleveland Browns, recently having taken over from his father, although Sonny Sr. passed away soon after. Sonny is getting ready for the new NFL draft, which means wheeling, dealing, and scheming to figure out the best way to get his team into the championships. He has a few serious possibilities, including young hotshot Vontae Mack (Chadwick Boseman from last year’s Jackie Robinson biopic 42), legacy Ray Jennings (real footballer Arian Foster, as dull as dishwater here), and the next big thing Bo Callahan (Josh Pence). But say, maybe the obvious choice of star quarterback Bo isn’t so simple. Maybe there are simplistic and contrived reasons that he’s not the best fit, like that the Browns already have a quarterback (Tom Welling).

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Photo Credit: Summit Entertainment
Apr
10

Author

Download free passes for Transcendence in Baltimore or DC

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Want to be among the first to see Johnny Depp in the new sci-fi thriller ‘Transcendence’? If you’re in the Baltimore or DC area, you can download passes to an advance screening now! Read on for details.

 

CliqueClack has partnered with Warner Brothers Pictures and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new sci-fi drama Transcendence starring Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, Clifton Collins, Jr., and Morgan Freeman

Dr. Will Caster (Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him. However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed — to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can … but if they should. Their worst fears are realized as Will’s thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power, to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him.

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Photo Credit: Warner Brothers
Apr
10

Author

Celebrate America’s favorite jester with the Danny Kaye: The Goldwyn Years collection

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It’s Throwback Thursday and if you love to laugh loud and long and clear, do yourself a favor and check out the ‘Danny Kaye: The Goldwyn Years’ DVD set from the Warner Archive Collection. I’d be hard-pressed to pick a favorite out of the four movies included.

 

This may come as no surprise to anyone that knows me, but I love to laugh. To quote the song from Mary Poppins, “I love to laugh loud and long and clear, and it’s getting worse every year.” I’ve been a longtime admirer of Danny Kaye because he makes me laugh, having grown up watching several of his classics such as White Christmas, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Court Jester, The Inspector General and Hans Christian Andersen. When I heard the Warner Archive Collection was releasing four of Danny’s earliest movies in a DVD set, I knew I had to make that set mine, and they graciously accommodated my request. I had never seen any of the four movies included in the Danny Kaye: The Goldwyn Years collection – Up in Arms (1944), Wonder Man (1945), The Kid from Brooklyn (1946) and A Song is Born (1948) – but I knew I wanted to check them out. They did not disappoint!

Danny Kaye has the power to make you fall in love with him no matter the role.

Whether he’s playing a hypochondriac enlisted in the armed forces (Up in Arms), a clumsy milkman-turned-boxer (The Kid from Brooklyn), a nerdy professor smitten with a girl from the wrong side of the tracks (A Song is Born) or a dual role as the ghost of a boisterous nightclub entertainer and his bookish twin (Wonder Man), Danny Kaye has the power to make you fall in love with him no matter the role. He possessed that certain star-like quality very few are blessed with, especially in this day and age. Perhaps you know the type – the man who may not always be the best-looking man in the room but is the one who will immediately grab your attention and make you feel things you’ve never felt before, as you simultaneously laugh at his pratfalls and ridiculous antics and sympathize with his childlike inner beauty.

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Photo Credit: The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Apr
9

Author

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug shines on Blu-ray

THE HOBBIT: DESOLATION OF SMAUG

‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ ended up being better than its predecessor, and the home video release is just as stellar.

 

If you’re looking for yet another review of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, please check out my thoughts from the original theatrical release. Short version: hated the first movie, really enjoyed the second. The film succeeds on ever level where the first one failed. And now Warner Brothers has released the theatrical version on several home video formats … with an extended edition sure to follow (think closer to Christmas).

So how does the film fare on the smaller home screen? Warner Home Video was kind enough to furnish CliqueClack with a Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack for review, and I have to say the results are nothing short of spectacular. The 1080p/AVC-encoded Blu-ray video is sharp and colorful, and even though the film is much darker than the first, none of the detail of Murkwood, for instance, gets lost. The MVC-encoded 3D Blu-ray also shares the same high quality image and brings the beautiful theatrical 3D presentation to the home screen with both amazing depth of field and objects extending beyond the screen’s frame. This is one of the best of the best 3D presentations on Blu-ray. It should be noted that the film is contained on a single Blu-ray disk in 2D and is given some breathing room spread over two disks in 3D.

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Photo Credit: Warner Brothers Entertainment
Apr
9

Author

Ghost The Musical has spirit

Ghost the Musical

‘Ghost’ moves from the movie screen to the musical stage with some nice tunes, eye-popping effects and a show-stopping performance.

 

Everyone is probably familiar with the movie Ghost. Who could forget Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze making a clay pot, or Whoopi Goldberg’s Oscar winning performance as the phony psychic who isn’t as phony as she thinks she is, or just bawling at the end as Swayze’s Sam says his final goodbye? The movie is a classic in its own way, mixing a love story with the supernatural, but the on-screen romance between Sam and Molly brought audiences back to the cinemas for multiple viewings and earned another Oscar for Best Original Screenplay as well as a nomination for Best Picture.

Who in the world would think Ghost could be turned into a big Broadway musical?

So who in the world would think the movie Ghost could be turned into a big, splashy Broadway musical? Bruce Joel Rubin, the film’s screenwriter certainly didn’t, not wanting to take anything away from the movie, but he re-thought his initial reluctance and met with the producers who fired up his imagination once again and gave him a chance to explore the more spiritual side of the story.

Ghost The Musical opened on Broadway in April of 2012, but only ran for 136 regular performances. The show did, however, score three Tony nominations. The show also ran for over 500 performances in London’s West End in 2011-2012. 2013 gave the show a new life as tours were launched in the UK and US. The US tour began in September 2013, and is now making its home at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre from April 8-13.

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Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Apr
9

Author

Beyond the Wall: Oberyn Martell and great character introductions

Game of Thrones Pedro Pascal Peter Dinklage

Since ‘Game of Thrones’ kills of so many people each week, they’ve had a lot of practice at introducing replacements. “Two Swords” introduction of Oberyn “The Red Viper” Martell is another chance for the show to demonstrate just how good they are at it.

 

Game of Thrones is back, and back with a bang. Social Media references? Check. Record setting ratings? Check? Fifth AND sixth season pickup? Check and check. “Two Swords” was one hell of a premiere. In the past, seasons premieres have been a hodgepodge of catchup and world-building.

We’re getting to the point where there isn’t a great deal of world left to build. However, as George R. R. Martin has been trying to teach us through each of his novels, there will always be new, major characters to kill introduce. In the first three seasons, the show has proven itself particularly adept at bringing these new characters into the mix, both narratively and procedurally. The fourth season premiere’s introduction of Oberyn Martell is just the latest example of that ability.

So, if you don’t know why a younger Mandy Patinkin would have been a wonderful piece of casting for Oberyn, then this post isn’t for you.
But before we get into that, the regular Spoiler Warning: Beyond the Wall is column intended for those that have already read the A Song of Ice and Fire series that Game of Thrones is based on. So, if you don’t know why a younger Mandy Patinkin would have been a wonderful piece of casting for Oberyn, then this post isn’t for you. Continue reading 'Beyond the Wall: Oberyn Martell and great character introductions' »

Photo Credit: HBO
Apr
8

Author

Get your free passes to Heaven Is For Real in DC or Virginia Beach

heaven is for real

Want to be among the first to experience the new film ‘Heaven Is For Real’? CliqueClack has an opportunity for you to download free passes to an advance screening. Read on for details!

 

CliqueClack has partnered with TriStar Pictures and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new drama Heaven Is For Real starring Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly, Margo Martindale, and Thomas Hayden Church.

Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book of the same name, Heaven Is For Real brings to the screen the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son’s extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world. The film stars Academy Award nominee and Emmy award winning actor Greg Kinnear as Todd Burpo and co-stars Kelly Reilly as Sonja Burpo, the real-life couple whose son Colton (newcomer Connor Corum) claims to have visited Heaven during a near death experience. Colton recounts the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth … things he couldn’t possibly know. Todd and his family are then challenged to examine the meaning from this remarkable event.

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Photo Credit: TriStar Pictures
Apr
7

Author

Win passes to see Make Your Move in DC

make your move

Are you a fan of dance movies or Derek Hough? CliqueClack has free passes to the advance DC screening of his new movie ‘Make Your Move.’ Find out how you can win a pair!

 

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CliqueClack has partnered with High Top Releasing and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new dance drama Make Your Move starring Emmy winning Dancing With the Stars champ Derek Hough and BoA.

Aya (Kwonin) and Donny (Hough) are from very different backgrounds — she’s from Korea, he’s from New Orleans; and to top things off, their families own competing dance clubs and are bitter rivals. But there is only one thing that Aya and Donny care more about than dancing — and that’s the impossible and dangerous love they have for each other. This modern day Romeo and Juliet will risk everything, fight anyone, take-on anything and out-dance everyone, just to stay together.

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Photo Credit: High Top Releasing
Apr
6

Author

Hobbits, boxers, ghosts and family drama on home video April 8

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

Movies on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital April 8 include ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,’ ‘August: Osage County,’ ‘Grudge Match,’ ‘Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones,’ ‘Nurse 3D,’ ‘I Am Divine,’ ‘Cavemen,’ ‘Sabrina,’ ‘Funny Face,’ ‘Young at Heart,’ ‘The Bamboo Saucer,’ and more!

 

Some great titles come to home video this week, led by The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which was much better than the first Hobbit movie. Oscar-bait (but Oscar loser) August: Osage County also arrives, along with the Stallone/DeNiro match-up Grudge Match and the ghostly spin-off Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. The most excellent documentary I Am Divine comes to home video, and is highly recommended. Classic films getting spiffed up for Blu-ray include Sabrina, Funny Face, Young at HeartThe Bamboo Saucer, Night of the Hunter and The 400 Blows. These titles and more will be available April 8, and you can see more highlights by checking out our shopper’s guide after the jump. Click on a link to get more information or to make a purchase through Amazon.com!

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Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
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