CliqueClack

Open Grave should have been a closed casket

Imaging waking up and having no idea where you are, or even who you are. Then imagine that the place where you woke up was a pit filled with hundred of dead bodies and no way out. This is the opening scene of the new thriller Open Grave starring Sharlto Copley as the man in the open grave. He does manage to get out with the assistance of an unknown woman (who also happens to be conveniently mute and non-English speaking, so she can’t tell him anything about his situation) and stumbles upon some sort of camp where he finds four other people … who also have no idea who they are or why they are there. They do find their IDs, so they at least learn their names, but they remain clueless to their situation until nearly the end of the movie.

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The Legend of Hercules is a big hunk o’ cheese

Growing up, I remember watching the Americanized version of the Italian Hercules movies with Steve Reeves and various other actors playing the mythical hero (and sometimes a completely different character who was renamed Hercules for American audiences). They were exciting at the time and still hold a certain amount of cheesy charm, but in more recent times our mythological heroes have morphed into comic book heroes. Sure, we’ve had two Clash of the Titans (and one sequel), but finding movies about Greek gods these days is not easy.

Director Renny Harlin hopes to rectify that situation with the release of The Legend of Hercules starring the appropriately muscled Kellan Lutz. Harlin’s version of the story is basically like a superhero origin story. The film shows us Herc’s immaculate conception and birth, his rivalry with his older brother (they both love the same woman) and father (who is angry of his wife’s indiscretion … although he doesn’t learn until much later who the daddy really is), his stint as a gladiatorial slave who must fight his way back to Greece, and his subsequent battle to restore the kingdom and accept his destiny.

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Lone Survivor is the new benchmark for military filmmaking

I had a conversation with a friend recently about whether or not films like Lone Survivor are Hollywood making money off of the sacrifices that our men and women in the military make. Putting aside for the moment that Lone Survivor is based on the book that Petty Officer Marcus Luttrell co-wrote, I think there’s something important about these types of films getting made. The medium of storytelling – and thus historytelling – is changing. And while I certainly don’t want kids 50 years from now watching historical films from today and taking their accounts as gospel, seeing the reaction to Saving Mr. Banks proves that some people will believe everything they see.

So making a movie, and importantly telling the story, of Luttrell, Lieutenant Micheal Murphy, Petty Officers Danny Dietz and Matthew Axelson and all of the men of Operation Red Wings that gave their lives an endeavor worth taking. Watching Lone Survivor is hard, but it is the kind of film people need to see to understand what it means to wear a uniform. That might be a little too “America, Rah Rah!” for some folks, but that is the sense that you are left with after watching Lone Survivor. The film was relatively politically agnostic; ignoring moralizing and focusing on accuracy – as much as any storytelling can be at least. Continue reading 'Lone Survivor is the new benchmark for military filmmaking' »

Streep and Roberts go for the gold in August: Osage County

During the end of the year, you can usually count on hearing about – if not seeing until sometime in the new year – those movies that people like to call “Oscar bait.” Two of the Christmas releases certainly fall into that category (American Hustle, The Wolf of Wall Street), as does a third that’s now opening across the country after getting a limited run in some larger markets in order to qualify for … the Oscars!

August: Osage County comes with a major pedigree. The movie is based on the Tony Award winning Best Play, which also won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Pretty heady stuff for a movie to live up to. The story centers on the Weston family, who are anything but the typical mid-westerners movies like to portray as stereotypically down to earth and bonded. No, the Westons can barely be in a room together without some type of disagreement arising. Unfortunately, a sudden death in the family brings the three Weston daughters back home to deal with their pill-addicted, chain-smoking mother who knows everyone’s dirty little secrets and isn’t afraid to reveal them, usually at the dining room table.

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Rachael vs Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off returns as the worst watchable reality cooking show on TV

Do you hear that sound, the sound of the season … three of Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off? It’s that sound of uber-irritant cook personality Guy Fieri’s whiny drawl and the raspy laugh of celebrity chef Rachael Ray. I stumbled across this little gem of a terrible reality show last year, in which barely notables competed as so-called “good” cooks for charities they supported. Sometimes, you got the feeling that the charities should’ve been themselves. The format is simple, because it doesn’t need to be complex. Guy and Rachael pick teams that face off, voting off a person into the final showdown, with various quirky and stupid “themes” each week, basically the sorts of things Top Chef decided were too easy. I can barely contain my excitement as I consider this wondrous new season of awfulness made watchability. Because I will be watching the whole season, I promise you that, unless it gets boring. But when you look at these magical con-“chef”-stants, that’s hard to imagine. We’ve got ‘em all, folks.

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Win a Wolf of Wall Street soundtrack CD

This contest is now closed. Follow @CliqueClack on Twitter for alerts on contests, news and reviews.

Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street is getting a lot of attention — good and bad — for its portrayal of stock broker Jordan Belfort, but whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying Scorsese knows how to use music to underscore a scene. Now, with the assistance of Virgin Records, CliqueClack is giving away five copies of the CD soundtrack! The music from the film includes such 80s gems as Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out,” Malcolm McLaren’s “Double Dutch,” and Romeo Void’s “Never Say Never.” Other great tunes on the CD include “C’est Si Bon” by Eartha Kitt, “Pretty Thing” by Bo Diddley and “Mrs. Robinson” by The Lemonheads.

To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post. Be sure to include your name and email address in the appropriate spaces on the form. We will accept one comment per person. Winners will be selected at random at the end of the contest and will be contacted by email. Contest runs to 11:59 PM, Friday, January 17. Please note — this contest is only open to US residents. We cannot ship prizes overseas.

The Wolf of Wall Street soundtrack available on iTunes NOW!

See the new Fox series Enlisted in DC – and get free popcorn too

All passes for this event have been claimed. Follow @CliqueClack on Twitter for alerts on giveaways, news and reviews.

CliqueClack has partnered with Fox Television and Allied Integrated Marketing to give readers in the DC area an opportunity to see the first two episodes of the new comedy series Enlisted before the show’s premiere. A military-set family comedy, Enlisted centers on three brothers who, when the best of the best are sent overseas, stay behind to try to keep the post in order. Between clean-up duty at a parade, human-grease-bowling and assorted soldierly pranks, they will inadvertently discover the key to strengthening their long-lost childhood bonds. Starring Geoff Stults (Ben and Kate), Chris Lowell (Veronica Mars) and Parker Young (Suburgatory).

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Win a free pass to see Lone Survivor in Indianapolis

ALL PASSES HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED. PLEASE FOLLOW @CLIQUECLACK ON TWITTER FOR ALERTS ON CONTESTS, NEWS AND REVIEWS.

CliqueClack has partnered with Universal Pictures to offer readers in the Indianapolis area an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the critically acclaimed new film Lone Survivor starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Ali Suliman, Alexander Ludwig and Eric Bana. Based on The New York Times bestselling true story of heroism, courage and survival, Lone Survivor tells the incredible tale of four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative who are ambushed by the enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan. Faced with an impossible moral decision, the small band is isolated from help and surrounded by a much larger force of Taliban ready for war. As they confront unthinkable odds together, the four men find reserves of strength and resilience as they stay in the fight to the finish.

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Looking at Hollywood’s best and worst of 2013

2013 was a pretty good year at the movies. Of the 37 films I saw this year (and I still have to see some biggies like 12 Years a Slave and The Wolf of Wall Street), I’ve only got a handful that go in the “Worst” column … and mostly because they were major titles that ended up being pretty disappointing. Most of the films I saw fall into the “Good” category, so to determine the “Best” films of the year, I chose the ones that I would definitely want to see again.

Topping the list as my favorite movie of the year is David O. Russell’s American Hustle. The 70s period piece that uses a real operation – Abscam – to create a fictional story is perfectly cast with great actors, dressed and coiffed to perfection, with a twisty, turny script that will have you alternately disgusted by and empathetic with the characters. By the end, good guys are villains and villains are (somewhat) redeemed, and through it all Russell keeps his camera moving fluidly through each scene. It’s simply master filmmaking at its best, and many are calling it the best Scorsese film he never made (and there is a major nod to Scorsese late in the film).

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Win free passes to see Her in Baltimore

CliqueClack has partnered with Warner Brothers and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore area an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the critically acclaimed new film Her. Set in Los Angeles, in the near future, Her follows Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive and unique entity in its own right. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” a bright, female voice (Scarlett Johansson) who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other.

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