CliqueClack

Does It’s a Wonderful Life really need a sequel released in 2015?

Is nothing sacred in this world anymore? I read the recent news that movie execs are thinking about making a sequel to Frank Capra’s beloved Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life in time for the 2015 holiday season. Why is this necessary and what more can they possibly “add to the rest of the story” that wasn’t already covered in the classic 1990s Saturday Night Live skit in which they claimed to have found the “long-lost ending?”

As a lifetime admirer of It’s a Wonderful Life, I especially love that skit. You know the one I’m talking about, or perhaps you don’t. In the long-lost skit, Uncle Billy remembers it was actually Potter who pocketed the Bailey Brothers’ Building & Loan Association’s deposit money at the bank and all the well-wishers who had gathered at the Baileys’ house all go and kick the old man’s ass. (“Why, you’re nothing but a fraud! You’re not even a cripple, Potter!”) Sheer brilliance. Dana Carvey was hilariously on-point with his Jimmy Stewart impersonation as George Bailey, as was Jon Lovitz as Potter, Jan Hooks as Mary Bailey, Phil Hartman as Uncle Billy and Dennis Miller as Harry Bailey. If you’ve never seen this skit before, I highly recommend you look it up right now!

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Win passes to a Baltimore screening of Nebraska

CliqueClack has partnered with Paramount Pictures and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore area an opportunity to attend an advance screening of Alexander Payne’s critically acclaimed new motion picture Nebraska, starring Will Forte, Bruce Dern, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk and Stacy Keach. After receiving a sweepstakes letter in the mail, a cantankerous father (Dern) thinks he’s struck it rich and wrangles his son (Forte) into taking a road trip to claim the fortune. Shot in black and white across four states, Nebraska tells the stories of family life in the heartland of America. Dern’s performance has been generating Oscar buzz since the film’s festival screenings, so this is an opportunity not to miss.

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Win free passes to see Delivery Man in Baltimore, DC and Virginia Beach

CliqueClack has partnered with DreamWorks Pictures and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore, DC and Virginia Beach areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new movie Delivery Man starring Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt and Cobie Smulders. Vaughn stars as affable underachiever David Wozniak, whose anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years earlier resulted in 533 children. David must now embark on a journey that leads him to discover not only his true self but also the father that he could become.

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Win free passes to see Jason Statham in Homefront in Baltimore

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CliqueClack has partnered with Open Road Films and Allied Integrated Marketing to give readers in the Baltimore area a chance to attend an advance screening of the new film Homefront starring Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth and Frank Grillo. Homefront is an action movie about a widowed ex-DEA agent who retires to a small town for the sake of his 10-year-old daughter. The only problem is he picked the wrong town.

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Win free passes to see Philomena in DC or Baltimore

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CliqueClack has partnered with The Weinstein Company and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore and DC areas a chance to attend an advance screening of the new film Philomena starring Judi Densch and Steve Coogan. Based on the 2009 investigative book by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, the film focuses on the efforts of Philomena Lee (Dench), mother to a boy conceived out of wedlock — something her Irish-Catholic community didn’t have the highest opinion of — and given away for adoption in the United States. In following church doctrine, she was forced to sign a contract that wouldn’t allow for any sort of inquiry into the son’s whereabouts. After starting a family years later in England and, for the most part, moving on with her life, Lee meets Sixsmith (Coogan), a BBC reporter with whom she decides to discover her long-lost son. The film has been in the news because of it’s R-rating for two instances of profanity, but the MPAA has apparently reviewed the decision and granted the film a PG-13.

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Dallas Buyers Club is good, but tough to sit through

There are some movies that you want to see but worry they’ll be too harrowing to sit through. But you know they are those prestige, Oscar bait films with a great cast and a powerful message that need to be seen. Sometimes, they turn out to be not so bad as you’d thought and other times they meet your expectations depending on how closely you can relate to the subject matter. For me, Dallas Buyers Club was one of those movies that I’m glad I saw, but could never sit through again. Even as I write this review I get filled with emotion.

The story, a true story, centers around Ron Woodruff (Matthew McConaughey), a good ole Texas boy who loves the rodeo and women in equal parts. After an on the job accident sends him to the hospital, Ron is told that he has tested positive for HIV (keep in mind, this movie takes place in 1986) and in his current condition he only has 30 days to live. Ron refuses to believe the diagnosis because, well, he’s no “f—-t” but it’s never really confirmed as to how he contracted the disease. As Ron continues to get more ill, he starts doing research into the new drug about to begin trials, AZT. With no way to buy it, Ron bribes an orderly who gets him a bottle on a regular basis until the hospital starts putting it under lock and key. Ron continues to do research, learns that the AZT is more toxic to the system than helpful and is given information about a clinic in Mexico where he can find help.

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The Best Man Holiday delivers a roller coaster of emotions in time for the holidays

I’ve read statistics that say spirits traditionally run low during the impending holiday season. After having my heart stomped all over by so-called friends and spending 12+ hours in hospital rooms waiting to hear the diagnosis of a loved one this week, I was very tempted to see if someone else at CliqueClack could cover the preview for The Best Man Holiday. After all, I haven’t even seen the movie’s precursor (1999’s The Best Man). But I decided to give it a shot because movies typically have the ability to transform my mood and I do love the idea of a holiday romance or two. I’m happy I ended up going.

“Times change. Friendship doesn’t.” That’s the tagline for Universal Pictures’ The Best Man Holiday. Basically, the plot centers around a group of college friends who decide to reunite for the holidays after a 15-year hiatus. The film features the talents of Monica Calhoun, Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, and Harold Perrineau in the leading roles. Despite my not having seen the original movie, I was still able to follow this one’s plot and picked up some of what must have transpired the last time around. I actually enjoyed this one so much that I think I will look for the other film soon.

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Jersey Boys – Oh what a night!

Jersey Boys, the hit Broadway musical, is on the road once again and audiences will be saying, “Oh what a night,” after spending an evening with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Younger members of the audience may not know who Frankie, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi are, but if you’ve ever turned on the radio you’re more than likely to be familiar with their hit songs.

The show tells the story of four guys from Jersey, from their humble beginnings singing together under a street light, the struggle to be heard, the personal ups and downs (warts and all — the show pulls no punches), to their triumphant reunion at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. As the show starts, we meet Tommy DeVito, a singer in a trio with big dreams, who gives young Frankie Castelluccio a moment in the spotlight during one of their nightclub gigs. DeVito knows the kid has star quality so he invites him to join the group (which has various names from week to week). Looking to expand to a quartet, DeVito’s pal Joey Pesci (yes, THAT Joe Pesci!) introduces him to Bob Gaudio, a young songwriter who had already had a hit with the song “Who Wears Short Shorts.” DeVito’s trio becomes a quartet and history, as they say, is made.

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Dexter ends, The Paradise begins, and My Mother the Car comes to DVD

Showtime’s acclaimed serial killer series Dexter stumbled to its conclusion, and now you can own the final season or the entire series on DVD or Blu-ray. Check out the special packages that accompany the complete series collections. Two new BBC programmes (yes, that is spelled correctly … if you’re using the Queen’s English) come to DVD, as does the hilarious dating show spoof Burning Love. Just in time for the holidays, we have some complete series sets for Diagnosis Murder, Family Ties, Mod Squad, Cagney & Lacey, and … My Mother the Car, purported to be one of the worst TV shows ever made. True? Now you can be the judge. These titles and more all come to home video November 12th, so have a look at our shopper’s guide after the jump and click on a link to get more information or to make a purchase.

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Man of Steel, Turbo and Blackfish come to home video

It’s a big week for new movies hitting the home video market with Man of Steel leading the pack in several different formats and gift sets. For the young at heart, the animated Turbo races to your TV screens, and Barbara Streisand teams up with Seth Rogen for a cross-country Guilt Trip. The stunning, shocking documentary Blackfish, which recently aired on CNN to huge ratings, makes its video debut, and the Criterion Collection give the VIP treatment to Frances Ha. RED 2 and The World’s End get early digital releases, Akira gets a 25th anniversary edition, and Warner Brothers pulls out the stops with a JFK 50th anniversary commemorative box set. Criterion also give Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights a high-def overhaul, and Kino Classics unleashes Nosferatu on Blu-ray. There’s something for everyone this week, so have a look at our shopper’s guide after the jump and click on a link to get more information or to make a purchase!

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