Welcome to the Screening Room. I’m Russ Simmons. Shawn Edwards is on assignment, working for you in Hong Kong and will be back with us next week. New in theaters this week, a couple of summer movies…for adults!
1) JERSEY BOYS (R)
Warner Brothers
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons had dozens of Top 40 hits in the 60s and 70s, selling over 100 million records worldwide. “Jersey Boys,” the Broadway musical that brought their story to the stage became a smash in 2005 and continues to tour internationally. Now, the film adaptation has arrived in cinemas directed by…Clint Eastwood?
Yes, Dirty Harry chronicles the trials and tribulations of the group’s rise and fall, performed mostly by veterans of the stage version. The backstage story is very episodic and awkwardly paced, but when the music is flowing, “Jersey Boys” rocks.
The talented cast members do a proficient job of recreating the distinctive Four Seasons sound. “Jersey Boys” is a corny melodrama, propped up and energized by tunes guaranteed to get your feet tapping.
Shawn says it has, “A different vibe than the play. More a straight forward biopic than a musical.”
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
2) THINK LIKE A MAN TOO (PG-13)
Sony Pictures
In “Think Like a Man Too,” Kevin Hart works so hard to wring some laughs from a terrible script that the audience breaks a sweat. This sequel to the 2012 adaptation of Steve Harvey’s bestseller reunites the talented and likable cast for a Las Vegas adventure. Sadly, their luck runs out when they’re saddled with the movie’s trite dialogue.
Regina Hall, Michael Ealy, Megan Good, Gabrielle Union and company pull out all the stops, but to little avail. If it weren’t for the cast, “Think Like a Man Too” would come up snake eyes.
Shawn, however, calls it, “Thoroughly entertaining. Tailored made for those who liked the first movie. Plays like the offspring of ‘The Hangover 2’ and ‘Best Man Holiday.’ Not exactly the Kevin Hart show many may be expecting. The filmmakers spread the love with the screen time which actually makes for a better experience.”
RUSS: 2 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
3) THE ROVER (R)
Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson may have it even worse in “The Rover,” a bleak, depressing and nihilistic Australian film from David Michod, the director of the impressive gangster flick, “Animal Kingdom.” A decade after societal collapse, Pearce goes looking for the goons who stole his car in the desolate Outback. One seemingly pointless and excessively violent event follows another. It’s well acted, but grim in the extreme.
RUSS: 2 Popcorn Bags
Also opening this week, “Cold in July” is a suspense drama starring Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard and Don Johnson. “Supermench: The Legend of Shep Gordon” is a documentary about the legendary manager of musicians like Pink Floyd, Luther Vandross and Alice Cooper. It marks the directorial debut of comic Mike Myers. “Lucky Them” is a comic drama starring Thomas Hayden Church and Toni Collette.
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