CliqueClack

The Hobbit trilogy ends with bloodshed and tears, but is it any good?

There is probably just as much folly in trying to review The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as there was in making three movies out of a very slim volume of a book. If you’re a fan of the films, you’ll see it no matter what some critic says, and if you’re not a fan there’s nothing I or anyone else could say to convince you to see it (and who would go see the third part of a trilogy without seeing the first two parts anyway?).

The plot, in a nutshell, picks up exactly where we left off in The Desolation of Smaug. The fearsome dragon is launching an all-out attack on Laketown, Gandalf is still imprisoned somewhere, and Thorin and his compatriots are hoping to reclaim their land, their home, their birthright once Smaug is dispatched. Once that happens, everyone in Middle-earth shows up to claim the land (and the treasure) for themselves. There’s bloodshed, there is death, there are tears, but in the end can this trilogy stand up next to The Lord of the Rings? In a word, no. Think Star Wars Episodes I-III compared to Episodes IV-VI (but maybe not quite that bad).

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Win passes to see The Gambler in DC or Baltimore

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CliqueClack has partnered with Paramount Pictures to offer readers in Baltimore and DC an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new thriller The Gambler starring Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson and Jessica Lange.

Jim Bennett (Wahlberg) is a risk taker. Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster (Michael Kenneth Williams) and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring (Alvin Ing) and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother (Lange) in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank (Goodman), a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett’s future. As his relationship with a student (Larson) deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance.

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Ascension marks Syfy’s continued focus on returning to its sci-fi roots

Slowly but surely, things are starting to change at Syfy. The network that once eschewed its roots in science-fiction programming in a move to grab ratings – and admittedly stability – is finally coming back around. Gone are the days when there was more wrestling than shows like Stargate: Universe (admittedly the WWE still has a place on the network, but sci-fi fans will take their gains where they can). Continuum and Defiance begat Dominion and Helix which are shepherding in 12 Monkeys and The Expanse (!!!). Depending on your opinion of the Sharknado franchise, Syfy has done a solid job at creating event television; Ascension, a mini-series premiering this week, hopes to continue that tradition.

Syfy President Dave Howe told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week that they don’t invest in miniseries programs without the potential backdoor for a series run, and what I’ve seen of Ascension thus far (the network has released the first two hours out of the six total), that is a really good thing. At San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year, I had the opportunity to sit down with the show’s creator Phillip Levens and members of the cast: Brian Van Holt (Ascension’s captain William Denninger), Tricia Helfer (Denninger’s wife Viondra), Andrea Roth (Doctor Juliet Bryce) and Al Sapienza (Councilman Rose). Between those conversations, and viewing the first two hours, this is what we’ve learned: Continue reading 'Ascension marks Syfy’s continued focus on returning to its sci-fi roots' »

Win passes to an advance screening of Unbroken

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CliqueClack has partnered with Universal Pictures to offer readers inBaltimore, DC, Virginia Beach, Boston and Plainville an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new true-life drama Unbroken starring Jack O’Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Finn Wittrock, Garrett Hedlund, John Magaro and Alex Russell.

Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie directs and produces Unbroken, an epic drama that follows the incredible life of Olympian and war hero Louis “Louie” Zamperini (O’Connell) who, along with two other crewmen, survived in a raft for 47 days after a near-fatal plane crash in WWII — only to be caught by the Japanese Navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

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Top Five is a laugh-out-loud love story

Writer/Director Chris Rock scores a home run. I am a sap for love stories, even R-rated love stories. I don’t like the simple love stories where boy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after. I like the complicated ones where everything isn’t perfect, where everything doesn’t go as planned. Where nothing is what it seems and where you always need to be ready for the next twist and turn. Chris Rock seems to have accomplished that goal with his campy, nothing is out of bounds, no-holds-barred comedy on love. Top Five is one weird, twisted fairy tale.

Packaged in a stupid bear costume, a comedian tries to take on a serious role as a Haitian Revolutionary but no one will take him seriously. With such a weird storyline, I didn’t think it would capture my attention even with its star-studded cast. I was wrong … dead wrong. Underneath all the famous comedian bullshit is a guy, a regular guy who gets typecast as an incredibly stupid, but funny talking bear named Hammy. He achieves the stardom, the money and the fame but he is somehow empty. He finally reaches a point in his life where he’s tired of all the bullshit: the drinking, the endless days on the road. He wants to settle down, get married and take on more challenging, serious acting roles. He wants his life to have meaning.

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The Imitation Game is a valiant failure of a prestige movie

Historical biopics are tricky, as I’ve mentioned several times before. I don’t much care for ones that screw it up, and I care even less for ones wholly meant for getting some awards. And perhaps, just perhaps, I’m a bit sick of Benedict Cumberbatch everywhere. The man is a good actor, but I did not like his performance in Star Trek Into Darkness or August Osage County, plus he was unrecognizable CGI in The Hobbit movies. Now he’ll be starring in a new Marvel movie as comic book magician Dr. Strange? He’s getting on my nerves a bit. But on the other hand, that doesn’t mean I should necessarily judge the movie he’s in based on his Jude Law penchant for being in movies.  No, no, it’s just better to judge the movie instead.

The Imitation Game tells some of the story of famed World War II technological innovator Alan Turing’s life, based on the book Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges. Alan Turing, played by the omnipresent Benedict Cumberbatch, is essentially responsible for pioneering advances that led to the first digital computer. The movie utilizes a limp wristed and ill-advised wraparound device, starting in 1952 with Turing’s home mysteriously robbed but seemingly with nothing of value lost. By virtue of a sort of flashback induced by a police inspector interrogating Turing, the rest of the movie is shown. Now, if you ask me, this device did not work. It made no sense, and served no real purpose, because it tried to create a mystery of “why did he get robbed,” but the question is not answered. Instead, we get barely anything on what really happened; but I’ll get back to that in a minute.

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Download free passes for The Interview in Boston or Plainville

CliqueClack has partnered with Sony Pictures to offer readers in Boston and Plainville an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new comedy The Interview starring James Franco, Seth Rogen and Lizzy Caplan.

Dave Skylark (Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (Rogen) run the popular celebrity tabloid TV show ‘Skylark Tonight.’ When they discover that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is a fan of the show, they land an interview with him in an attempt to legitimize themselves as journalists. As Dave and Aaron prepare to travel to Pyongyang, their plans change when the CIA recruits them, perhaps the most unlikely candidates, to ‘take out’ Kim Jong-un.

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Exodus: Gods and Kings is sinfully average

Big, expensive, all-star Biblical epics were all the rage back in the late 50s and early 60s, most likely due to the fact that Cinemascope was the new thing in movies to bring couch potatoes, who had become fixated on their newfangled television sets, back to the theaters. The first widescreen epic was, in fact, a Biblical movie, The Robe (1953), and the fad had reached a climax with Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956).

Since then, television has done more with Bible stories – most notably the History Channel mini-series The Bible and it’s upcoming sequel, A.D., on NBC – but now director Ridley Scott feels it’s time to tackle the story of Moses once again in his new film Exodus: Gods and Kings starring Christian Bale as Moses and Joel Edgerton as Rhamses.

In Scott’s film, we forego the whole baby floating down the river to be found in the bullrushes, instead meeting Moses and Rhamses as grown men, only knowing each other as brothers. A prophecy foretells that one of them will face death in battle but the other one will save him and take Pharaoh Seti’s throne. This doesn’t sit too well with Rhamses, but Moses assures him he has no desire to become the ruler of Egypt. Just the same, Rhamses tells him not to save his life as they head into battle. Moses does, which freaks Rhamses out just a bit, and then Moses finds out something about himself … he’s actually Hebrew.

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Dolphin Tale 2 will tug at your heartstrings much like the original family favorite did

I’ve always found humans with disabilities that don’t allow themselves to become hindered by them as inspirational, whether they’re as humble and cheerful as the fictitious Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol or as fiercely competitive as real-life Olympian athlete Amy Purdy. However, it wasn’t until I was sent a copy of Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2 by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment that I found animals with disabilities could be equally inspirational.

Inspired by the true story of Winter, a young dolphin who lost her tail due to an infection and was given a new life and a second chance thanks to a specially-fitted prosthetic tail, Dolphin Tale was a runaway family hit in 2011. I had heard of it and wanted to see it, but just never had the opportunity to do so until now. And it was just as heartwarming as I’d expected it to be, making my mother and me laugh and cry. I always knew dolphins were a highly intelligent species, but I gained a newfound respect for them after watching this series.

Dolphin Tale 2 picks up a few years after the original and was written and directed by Charles Martin Smith (who also directed the first movie and has a cameo in the sequel as the government agent threatening to take away Winter). Everyone in the original cast is back, from the kids Sawyer and Hazel (Nathan Gamble and Cozi Zuehlsdorff – though they’re teenagers going through puberty now), to their respective parents (Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr.) and all your other favorite characters portrayed by Morgan Freeman, Austin Stowell, Austin Highsmith and Kris Kristofferson. Even Rufus the bird is back, and up to mischief as always!

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Win passes to the Los Angeles screening of Inherent Vice

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CliqueClack has partnered with Warner Brothers Pictures to offer readers in Los Angeles an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new dramatic, comedic mystery Inherent Vice starring Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Benecio Del Toro, Jenna Malone, Maya Rudolph and Martin Short.

When private eye Doc Sportello’s ex-old lady suddenly out of nowhere shows up with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend whom she just happens to be in love with, and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap that billionaire and throw him in a loony bin … well, easy for her to say. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic `60s and paranoia is running the day and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” that’s being way too overused — except this one usually leads to trouble.

With a cast of characters that includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, LAPD Detectives, a tenor sax player working undercover, and a mysterious entity known as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentists … part surf noir, part psychedelic romp — all Thomas Pynchon.

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