CliqueClack

Dominion at SDCC: This is what we learned

SyFy’s Dominion has developed a strong cult following in its first season. While initial reviews from critics were not that positive, the show has found its niche and turned out a strong narrative. While the show was based on the feature film Legion, Dominion has established its own story than fans are eating up. We sat down with Alan Dale (General Riesen), Anthony Stewart Head (David Whele), Chris Egan (Alex Lannon), Roxanne McKee (Claire Riesen) and show creator Vaughn Wilmott, and this is what we learned (Beware, there are some spoilers for tonight’s finale):

The focus on Anthony Stewart Head’s accent has been a surprise

While there has been a great deal of focus on Anthony Stewart Head’s American accent in the show, we were reminded several times that the cast is internationally diverse (and not just from hearing them speak). Dale says that for non-Americans, “if you haven’t picked up an American accent, then you’re not very good with accents.” But Head isn’t bothered by the talk, and likes how the character was constructed. “I could have taken the easy way out and make him a bit of a redneck, but I wanted him to be urbane and smooth.”

Reviews, damn reviews, and Twitter

After the initial critical response, Dale was doubtful about the show’s chances. The screeners sent out “didn’t have the special effects in them, and the critics gave us a really tough time.”  He thought that the show was done. Continue reading 'Dominion at SDCC: This is what we learned' »

Celebrate Lucy’s birthday with Here’s Lucy on DVD

August 6, 2014 marks the 103rd anniversary of the birth of Lucille Ball. Lucy was and still is a comedy legend, and what better day to take a look back at her last successful network comedy series. (She would go on to one more sitcom, Life With Lucy, but it was short-lived and not very well received). On September 23, 1968 the new CBS comedy Here’s Lucy debuted, basically replacing Lucy’s previous hit The Lucy Show which had been on the air for six years. Lucy decided that, even though the show was number 2 in the ratings, there were enough episodes for syndication and she was done with TV unless she could have her real-life children join her.

They did and the concept for Here’s Lucy was born. In the new show, Lucy plays Lucille Carter (all of her character names contained an “ar” in them as a tribute to Desi Arnaz, whom she credited for her career), a secretary at her brother-in-law’s employment agency, and mother of two teenagers, Kim and Craig. The kids were, of course, played by Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr. and brother-in-law Harry Carter was played by long-time cohort Gale Gordon in a variation of his Mr. Mooney character from The Lucy Show. Lucy’s co-star from the last three seasons of The Lucy Show, Mary Jane Croft, also made regular appearances, and even Vivian Vance dropped by a few times.

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TNT’s Legends: What we learned from San Diego Comic-Con

TNT’s Legends is set to premiere August 13^th. The show follows Sean Bean’s Martin Odom, a federal agent who specializes in deep undercover operations. Odom has gone so deep, though, that he might be losing the ability to tell fact from fiction, legends from history. CliqueClack sat down with the cast and executive producers of the show at San Diego Comic-Con, and this is what we learned.

What is a “legend,” and why is it different than simply going undercover?

Executive Producer David Wilcox explains: “A legend is a fabricated identity used in covert operations.” It’s a much more complete history than someone just going under cover. They have their own apartments, contacts, wardrobe, style … these are constructs that are developed and used over time and potentially in different investigations. Continue reading 'TNT’s Legends: What we learned from San Diego Comic-Con' »

Outlander at SDCC: What we learned about the first season

First published in 1991, Diana Gabaldon’s series of Outlander books are, to the excitement of fans everywhere, finally being adapted for television. The show, premiering August 9th (though the premiere is available to watch online now at Starz.com) stars Sam Heughan as Jaime Frasier, Caitriona Balfe as Claire Randall (nee Beauchamp), Tobias Menzies as both Frank and Jonathan Randall, Graham McTavish as Dougal MacKenzie, Lotte Verbeek as Gellis Duncan and is executive produced by Ron Moore. We sat down with them during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, and learned about the show’s first season.

The books have a lot of fans, so there’s a corresponding amount of pressure

Fans have been waiting for twenty-three years to see these characters brought to life. “I think there is definitely pressure to get this right. But we’ve been very lucky that we’ve been supported by Diana from pretty much the beginning … so you’ve got this wealth of knowledge to draw upon” says Heughan, who plays Jaime. “ What we have to focus on is our character, and being true to that” adds his co-star Balfe.

Scotland is almost a character in and of itself

There is no place else on the planet that they could have filmed this show. The settings are absolutely stunning. McTavish – a native Scot – is appreciative of the cinematography and care with which the filming is done. The first episode opens with a long shot that, if it does nothing else, hits viewers over the head with the idea that Scotland is an incredibly beautiful place. “We would spend all day setting up shots, because they were so particular how it was lit and how the set was decorated; it was amazing to be there” says McTavish. Continue reading 'Outlander at SDCC: What we learned about the first season' »

Win passes and prizes for Expendables 3 in Boston and Hartford

This contest is now closed. Winners will be notified by email.

CliqueClack has partnered with Lionsgate to offer readers in the Boston and Hartford areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new action movie The Expendables 3 Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Antonio Banderas, Jet Li, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Kelsey Grammer, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, Robert Davi, with Mel Gibson, with Harrison Ford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team come face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill … or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.

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Boston, win a Step Up All In prize package

This offer is now closed. Winner will be notified by email. Follow CliqueClack on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Tumblr for contest alerts, reviews and breaking news.

CliqueClack has partnered with Lionsgate to offer readers in the Boston area a chance to win a Step Up prize package to celebrate the release of the new film in the series, Step Up All In, starring Ryan Guzman, Briana Evigan, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Misha Gabriel, Izabella Miko, Alyson Stoner and Adam Sevani.

One of the most popular dance franchises in film history takes competition to astonishing new heights in Step Up All In. Miami street dancer Sean Asa (Guzman) moves to Hollywood with visions of fame and fortune, only to discover the almost insurmountable odds of making it in the professional dance world. But when the new dance crew he forms with the beautiful and headstrong Andie West (Evigan) reaches the final rounds of a high-stakes reality TV competition in glittering Las Vegas, he has a shot at finally making his dreams come true—if he can set aside old loyalties and long-time rivalries and just do what he loves most: dance.

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Win free passes for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Ohio

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CliqueClack has partnered with Paramount Pictures to offer readers in the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new action movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles starring Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Johnny Knoxville, Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Abby Elliott, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Shalhoub and William Fichtner.

The city needs heroes. Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April O’Neil (Fox) and her wise-cracking cameraman Vern Fenwick (Arnett) to save the city and unravel Shredder’s diabolical plan.

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Joss Whedon: The Biography is a must have for Whedon fans

Joss Whedon seems to be a popular subject these days. I recently reviewed an academic work on his art (Reading Joss Whedon), but I don’t think there’s a need to go through his history again here to explain his appeal. Suffice it to say, this is a creator that has always interacted with his fans and appreciated them. From days in internet forums when Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a cadre of loyal fans to last years Firefly anniversary panel at San Diego Comic-Con where he broke down publicly in tears, nerds love Joss Whedon because he seems like he feels the same way about us. Well, and he creates some awesome stuff too. This new biography, Joss Whedon: The Biography from first time author Amy Pascale, covers everything you could possibly expect from the life of the nerd king. The book comes in over 400 pages and actually covers more years than his life, but that’s explained easily enough.

The biography begins after a heartfelt foreword from Whedon’s friend and collaborator Nathan Fillion, and then begins to explain how Joss became Joss. Apparently his parents both were involved in art in various ways, and his mother involved specifically in feminist activism. It’s easy to see the point the biography is making: this is where he gets it from. There’s a common motif of “strong female characters” throughout the book, which has been something Joss has explicitly talked about many times. There’s a bit here Joss’ childhood, but where it gets legitimately interesting is when he begins to work in Hollywood and experiences his first failures and triumphs. Utilizing interviews with producers, actors, friends, and Joss himself, the biography tells the story of Whedon’s unlikely rise to one of the most successful directors in the industry. From his work on the Toy Story script to Alien: Resurrection, each failure and success is demonstrated to build to the next one. A bit slow at first, but then the reader gets quickly drawn into this unlikely story.

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Game of Thrones’ Survive the Realm was the best off-site experience at Comic-Con

Each year, as I look across the mass of people who attend San Diego Comic-Con, I always wonder if they should just rename the whole kit-and-caboodle “Line Con.” Hell, the two queues that are traditionally the longest – for Hall H and Ballroom 20 – now have their own Twitter accounts, which cover everything from tips for managing one’s line experience to good-natured trash-talk between the two. This year, one of the longest lines (based on the amount of space and time in the event) had to be for Game of Thrones’ Survive the Realm experience.

It’s no secret that I’m a pretty (damn) big fan of both George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and of HBO’s adaptation. The show has had a big presence at SDCC since it premiered, starting off with a panel in Ballroom 20 in its first year before quickly getting upgraded to Hall H (and its 6,500 seats) ever since. The show twice has announced the new slate of cast members at their panel (quick rule of thumb: If I manage to attend the panel, they won’t announce new cast members; if I miss it, they will … I’m two for four). And for two years now, the HBO has hosted the Survive the Realm experience across the street from the Convention Center.

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Get On Up proves you can’t stop the funk & mad genius of James Brown

I feel good. I knew that I would. I feel good, so good, so good, I got you. I feel nice, like sugar and spice. I feel nice, like sugar and spice. So nice, so nice, I got you.

I always wondered why James Brown was referred to as “the hardest working man in show business.” After watching Get On Up, his biopic from Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment, I’m beginning to understand that moniker a little better. Prior to now, most of my knowledge about James Brown was based upon his cameo in The Blues Brothers (one of my all-time favorite movies) and the old SNL skits with Eddie Murphy impersonating him doing ridiculous things like singing about his hot tub or doing an over-the-top rendition of Annie. I always enjoyed his music casually from afar, but never really delved into the heart and soul of it. After watching this movie, I’m exploring more songs from Brown’s vast catalogue of hits and discovering that maybe, just maybe, I have a little bit of the funk in me after all. (Well as much funk as a white girl in her thirties from the Midwest is capable of anyway.)

Directed by The Help’s Tate Taylor, Get On Up follows along the lines of other past heartfelt musical biopics such as The Buddy Holly Story, La Bamba, Walk the Line and Ray. It tells the story of Brown’s rise to the super stardom stratosphere after a pretty dismal childhood speckled with bouts of domestic violence, poverty, fear, racism and abandonment. It is at times just as poignant, artsy and transcendental as other biopics, while at other times, it is difficult to follow because the story of Brown’s life is told out of sequential order. It’s as if the director wanted you to feel like you were in Brown’s befuddled mind, mixing up the order of personal and career milestones, while taking the audience on an unforgettable journey through one of the music industry’s most enigmatic, charismatic personalities.

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