CliqueClack

Digging into the Warner Brothers vaults

Proving once again that the folks at the Warner Archive Collection absolutely love movies, they have recently dug deep into the vaults to bring more classic, forgotten, historic, and just crowd-pleasing movies to the DVD marketplace. One of the oldest films to get some digital love from the Archive Collection is the Eddie Canton classic Whoopee (1930). The story is fairly simple: Sally Morgan is about to be married off to sheriff Bob Wells, but she’s really in love with Wanenis … except she is forbidden to marry him because he’s half Indian (remember, this is 1930). She enlists the aid of hypochondriac Henry Williams to help her get away from the wedding so she can be with the man she loves, but she leaves a note saying she and Henry have eloped, which sets Bob and Sally’s father after them to settle a score with poor unsuspecting Henry. And the film is also a musical (based on the Broadway hit) with lavish production numbers staged by the legendary Busby Berkeley.

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Predictions for the Game of Thrones finale

The moment we have all been waiting for has finally come to pass. After years of waiting, wondering how it would look on the screen, book-readers and TV-watchers alike are now on the same, incredibly important page: Grey Worm is a badass fighter. Oh, plus the Twins played host to a couple throw-away scenes.

But seriously folks, the Red Wedding is obviously one of the most iconic moments in the whole of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. Walder Frey’s ultimate betrayal to Houses Stark and Tully has been known to cause books to be thrown across the room at high volume and now that we’ve got a television equivalent, the internets have provided us with some truly funny reaction videos.

But as truly epic as the Red Wedding is as a singular moment in the series, the fallout that rains (get it?) down all across Westeros is equally important. As we now only have one episode left in Game of Throne’s third season, this week’s Beyond the Wall will look at how the finale will handle the aftermath of Edmure and Rosalyn’s wedding, the sack of Yunkai, Sam the Slayer Wizard and all of the other plots that need to be attended to.

But before we get to the fun, our weekly reminder. Beyond the Wall is a column for those that have already read the books that Game of Thrones is based on. So unless you were wondering why the Blackfish traveled to the Twins in the first place (and were appreciative of his very opportune need to relieve himself), then this column is probably not for you.

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Identity Thief steals two hours of your life

I missed Identity Thief during its theatrical run, but I didn’t hear good things about it (check out our own Jeremy Fogelman’s review). I love Melissa McCarthy, so I still wanted to give the film a look because comedy is subjective and I seem to find things funnier than others (or vice versa with the first two Hangover films). The story in a nutshell: Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) has his identity stolen and the only way he can bring the thief (McCarthy) to justice is to travel from his home in Denver to her whereabouts in Florida and haul her back to the cops.

The film wants desperately to be a comedic road trip, a la Planes, Trains and Automobiles, but the problem is the situation isn’t funny to begin with. If you’ve been unfortunate enough to have your identity stolen, you know it’s not in the least bit hilarious and the last thing you want to do is drive across country with the perp. Midway through the film, McCarthy’s character “Diana” gives Sandy a sob story about not knowing her real name because she was passed around from foster home to foster home as a child and that’s her excuse for what she does. I’m sorry, but trying to make this person sympathetic and then forgiving her for making Sandy’s life hell doesn’t float.

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Drug dealers, liars and aliens invade home video

As some TV shows come to their end and others prepare to begin a new season, now is your time to catch up before the new or final seasons begin. Among the big new releases June 4th are the past seasons of Breaking Bad, Falling Skies, and Pretty Little Liars. The third season of The Big C hits video just as the final “season” completes its run. If you’re a fan of FX’s Wilfred, then check out the complete series release (or just the first season) of the original series for comparison. Also on tap, animation for kids and adults alike, and some classic TV gets a little DVD love too. To see all of this week’s releases, have a look at our handy shopper’s guide and click on a link to make a purchase or to get more information about a title.

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John McClane, zombies and identity thieves come to home video

For some, June 4th is A Good Day To Die Hard. For others, it’s a good day to snuggle up with some Warm Bodies. Unfortunately, some may also be victims of an Identity Thief. If you fit any of these categories, then it’s a great day to pick up the latest home video releases. In addition to those major Hollywood releases, the catalog releases on tap this week are pretty awesome. Universal has repackaged and repriced a large collection of their recent and classic films, and in addition, they are also providing spiffy new Blu-ray releases of Midway, The Shadow, and (finally!) Earthquake (complete with Sensurroud audio enhancement, as presumably is Midway).

Warner Brothers is offering a complete Mad Max Trilogy, and Universal (again) is releasing more individual films from the Classic Monsters Collection. One of these titles, Creature from the Black Lagoon, is definitely worth picking up if you avoided the set. The image is striking, crisp, clear and without a blemish. It looks almost like a brand new movie. And the 3D version on the same Blu-ray is also stunning. It is miles above the disappointing Dial M for Murder which suffered from too much image ghosting. If you’re interested in these titles and want to see what else is out this week, have a look at our shopper’s guide and click on a link to make a purchase or to get more information about a title.

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Philly Comic Con 2013: John Barrowman is AWESOME!!

John Barrowman is amazing. Sometimes there are actors you follow because you respect their careers and the genre they represent. However, when you see that person in person and they’re even more fucking awesome in reality, your estimation goes up a gazillion. John Barrowman is such a person.

It’s the first time I’ve seen the ENTIRE ROOM hit on a panelist and watch the panelist hit on himself. He’s such a casually carnal being and is so comfortable in his sex symbol status that it created an insanely fun, playful atmosphere. On conference calls and convention rooms, whenever a fan/writer remarks on a male actor’s looks, he immediately tosses the compliment aside. But John Barrowman knows he’s hot, knows we love him because he’s hot and plays with it, which makes it even more awesome. Honestly male actors, just take the compliment, acknowledge the truth and move on. John Barrowman does it so humorously and matter-of-factly without diminishing our utter appreciation of his surprising brilliance. When he told a seriously petite woman to treat the oversized microphone like his member, I died. While I always found him attractive, his charisma literally made me consider disrobing and launching the stage multiple times. Because of his utter self-comfort as a walking id, I’m surprised he has boundaries and comfort levels when interacting with other actors. Then again, he did a good job of extricating himself from over-amorous fans (including an awesome one dressed as X).

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Philly Comic Con 2013: Cosplay competition photos

Philly returned to basics by realizing cosplayers aren’t the red-headed stepchildren you hide in the basement. While the panels surrounding down and dirty cosplay provided great hints to an enthralled audience, the true star included the adult and kids competitions. Adult competition photos follow!

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The not so Great Gatsby

There’s a moment in The Great Gatsby in which Leonardo DiCaprio’s eponymous hero reveals that he spends money and throws lavish parties to cover up his own emptiness. The same could be said for Baz Luhrmann’s film. It’s ironic that a movie about the dangers of flamboyant excess would so thoroughly indulge in such flamboyant excess. “But the story is all about excess, so Luhrmann is smart to employ such excess,” I hear you retort. True, but the story is also about characters, and they are sadly lacking in this adaptation. For all his visual splendour and loud music, Luhrmann has neglected character and substance, leaving the film feeling as empty as Gatsby himself.

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Beautiful Creatures casts its spell on home video

If you overlooked Beautiful Creatures when it was out in theaters — and many people did — now is the chance to give it a look (or a second look) on home video. In my initial review, I said that I found the film to be mostly enjoyable. I also assumed fans of the YA book series would be lining up to see the film, but for some reason that didn’t happen. The big question is, why? Beautiful Creatures was poised to be the new Twilight film saga with its tale of a relationship between a supernatural being and a human, but this time the roles are reversed. The girl, Lena, is a Caster (although not immortal) and the boy, Ethan, is the human with no special powers (although his connection to Lena suggests that he may have untapped potential). The relatively unknown actors, Alice Englert and Alden Ehrenreich, have terrific chemistry together which should have been enough to make the fans swoon. The supporting cast was filled out with big names like Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson and Viola Davis to help draw in more adult movie-goers and perhaps bridge the gender gap of the Twilight fans.

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Win free passes to see The Heat in Norfolk, VA

The commenting period for this contest has closed.

CliqueClack has partnered with 20th Century Fox and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer our readers in the Norfolk area free passes to the advance screening of The Heat starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. The screening will take place on Tuesday, June 4th, 7:00 PM at Regal MacArthur Center 18.

Winners for this promotion will be selected at random. The contest runs from 10:00 AM, May 31 — Midnight, June 2. Winners will be notified by email by Monday, June 3. All you need to do to enter is leave us a comment telling us why you want to see the movie.

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