November 12, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & III • Page 21 Clint Eastwood adapts Broadway’s ‘Jersey Boys’ by Dennis Seuling “Jersey Boys” (Warner Home Video) is the show biz tale of how four kids came together to become The Four Seasons. The period is the 1950s. The setting: New Jersey. Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza), leader of a group called the Variety Trio, is looking for a certain sound. He finds it in Frankie Castelluccio (John Lloyd Young). Frankie joins the group and a friend of his, Joe Pesci (Joseph Russo), introduces the group to his songwriting friend Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen). Soon, things begin to take off for the group. Frankie changes his name to “Valli” and the group adopts a new name: The Four Seasons. As hit records, money, and fame roll in, internal conflicts escalate, creating rifts, jeal- ousies, and perceived betrayals. Director Clint Eastwood has made a fast-paced picture retaining most of the songs from the Broadway show and The Four Seasons’ catalogue: “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Dawn,” “Rag Doll,” and more. Young recreates the role he introduced on Broadway and is excellent, but it is Piazza who etches the most memora- ble portrayal. As the tough-talking, intimidating, petulant Tommy, he provides the film with its dramatic core. The always-welcome Christopher Walken appears as local mob- ster Gyp DeCarlo, whose “business” becomes entwined with The Four Seasons’ career. The film fascinates as both period piece and edgy musi- cal biography. The finale — a high-spirited footnote to the Golden Age of rock ’n roll that functions as a sort of elabo- rate curtain call— is Eastwood’s invention. Filmed entirely on the studio back lot, it allows the cast to appear in cos- tume but slightly out of character to sing their way out. Bonuses on the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack include fea- turettes on adapting “Jersey Boys” from Broadway to the Michael Lomenda, Vincent Piazza, John Lloyd Young and Erich Bergen in ‘Jersey Boys.’ big screen, Walken’s character, and a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation for the “Oh, What a Night” finale. There is also a digital HD copy. “Tammy” (Warner Home Video), starring Melissa McCarthy, is a road trip geared to showcase the actress’ willingness to go to any lengths to get a laugh. When Tammy is having a tough day, she gathers her belongings and trudges two houses away to see her mom (Allison Janney), where she pours out her problems and eagerness to get out of town. In the next room, Grandma Pearl (Susan Sarandon) overhears the commotion and is already packed. She has a car and a bankroll, and together the women strike out for brighter opportunities. The two traveling companions make numerous stops, where they encounter an assortment of colorful folks and get themselves into one predicament after another. Pearl’s drinking attracts trouble and Tammy’s aggressive manner puts people off. They are the perfect nightmare on wheels. Co-written by McCarthy and husband/director Ben Fal- cone, “Tammy” becomes a retread of McCarthy’s antics from previous and better films, such as “Bridesmaids” and “Identity Thief.” The script does not live up to McCarthy’s talents. For a comedy, it is short on laughs. The picture rests largely on her shoulders and the burden might be too great. With such pros as Janney and Kathy Bates on hand, some of the comedy should have been spread around. Sarandon is miscast as Pearl. A phony grey wig and raunchiness make her drunken rants and awkwardly flirta- tious escapades more pathetic than funny. A heavy-drink- ing, promiscuous senior citizen palling around with her ne’er-do-well granddaughter may have seemed hysterical, but script, actors, and director cannot breathe comic life into the premise. The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack contains a gag reel, digi- tal HD copy, deleted scenes, and a featurette that follows McCarthy and Falcone on a real-life cross-country adven- ture. “The House at the End of Time” (Dark Sky Films) is a suspenseful, well constructed horror film from writer/ director Alejandro Hidalgo. Thirty years ago, young mother Dulce (Ruddy Rodriguez) was accused of murdering her husband and two children in their home. Despite her pleas that a malevolent force in the house was responsible for the killings, Dulce was sentenced to the maximum penalty of imprisonment. As part of her sentence, Dulce is sent back to her old home and the scene of the crime under house arrest, where she is forced to confront the horrifying memory of what (continued on Crossword page)