CliqueClack

Was King of the Nerds good for the nerds?

So the first season of King of the Nerds on TBS just ended. It was a reality competition show between “nerds” to determine who was the greatest nerd of all (from among the candidates accepted, that tend to be a bit more … photogenic for TV purposes). It was successful enough that there will a second season (accepting submissions, if you’re brave enough).

I was initially a bit wary of this show, due to problematic portrayals of nerds in other media (like The Big Bang Theory, which I got mad at earlier this year — although this show was created directly to capitalize on the ratings success of TBBT on TBS). Would this just be filled with attention seeking fakers and wannabes, with not a single contestant who knew the difference between Gregor and Sandor Clegane (they’re murderous brothers, and one is much worse than the other) or the primary weapon of Cloud Strife (it’s a really absurdly big sword)? Or would there be real nerds: people with unironic appreciation of something past the typical fan or a particular appreciation for a nerdy pursuit (like science, fantasy, or gaming).

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The Call starts decent but goes downhill fast

Modern society is a funny thing. We rely on massive infrastructure to stay in comfort and security. The ubiquitous 911 phone number is known from a very young age, but it is rare that we think about the people behind the number. Of course, supporting emergency services requires a lot of resources, both highly trained workers, advanced technology, and the integration of police forces. We like to imagine that these people are almost like robots pretending to be human; efficient and able to solve our problems quickly, but without any real connection to us. But of course, as it turns out, they are not robots at all. This might come as quite a surprise.

The Call from WWE Studios and director Brad Anderson stars Halle Berry as Jordan, a 911 emergency operator, who is very skilled at her job. But when she makes a careless error one day and causes someone to get killed, she has to step back and out. So the predictable way this would go is with a classic redemption story, where Jordan has to come back and save the day in a parallel emergency situation. That is exactly what happens, but the twist is how. When young teenage girl Casey (Abigail Breslin) gets kidnapped and stuck in a car trunk with only an untraceable phone, Jordan must use every trick in the book and beyond to track down the girl. And she might not even succeed. So at first it’s an interesting mystery and thriller, with a claustrophobic and terrifying escalation of the crime, while Jordan and her policeman boyfriend (Morris Chestnut) do their best to find Casey. Jordan must somehow work from behind a phone again, hoping to make up for her past mistakes with an identical situation ending better. And the police must track down and find the kidnapper … right? Well, actually, no.

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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone works its magic on movie-goers

I have always loved magic. The first TV shows I can remember watching featured magical beings (Samantha, Jeannie). I had a magic kit, and I went to The Magic Box at the local mall any chance I had to see the newest tricks for sale. I got books from the library about making your own magic tricks and read books about the classic magicians, watched all of the David Copperfield specials on TV, and even recently read a book about early 20th century magicians, Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear, that obviously influenced the illusions in the movie The Illusionist.

So I greeted the release of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone with a mixture of excitement for a movie about magic, and trepidation because it’s a comedy about Vegas magicians that could possibly fall flat. In the movies, magic is easy, comedy is hard.

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American Idol: Why Nicki Minaj was late to the top 10 performances and other stuff

I would be lying if I didn’t state there were some interesting aspects to the Top 10 Perform show on American Idol Wednesday evening. Both overall and on a personal level. (Not the least of which was Nicki Minaj’s tardiness. More on this below.)

Speaking in generalities, the gals are definitely outgunning the guys thus far. Even Janelle Arthur’s *meh* performance of Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone” superseded anything the testosterone contingent offered. And I don’t even like Janelle. Not right now, anyway.

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The Croods – Interviewing Directors Chris Sanders & Kirk DeMicco [Audio]

I had an excellent time interviewing Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco, the directors/animators for DreamWorks and 20^thCentury Fox’s upcoming flick The Croods. In a fairly intimate roundtable including myself and two other bloggers, I managed to ask about their thought process on the paint-like opening scene, the sound-oriented character names, their paleontology research, and Ryan Reynolds’ character. Starring the vocal talents of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener and Cloris Leachman, The Croods surrounds the evolutionary struggles of a prehistoric family.

I always say this and I keep saying this, but I love, love, love interviewing the people behind the scenes, especially the creators. They’re the writers, directors, producers and animators who construct the shows/films/plays we love to watch. I love discussing narrative and asking if my thoughts aligned with theirs. This time around it didn’t. Work on The Croods started in 2005, when John Cleese and Kirk DeMicco penned the initial version. However, it’s undergone multiple revisions since then. Throughout the interview, Kirk dropped miniature hints about the initial script’s form. Although the first version followed two different families/villages, the current version, due March 22, focused on the main family in the ‘lesser’ village. I loved the characters’ names such as Eep (the female lead, played by Emma Stone), Guy (her evolutionary love interest, played by Ryan Reynolds), and Grug (her loving, protective father, rocked utterly by Nick Cage). I wondered if they called Eep, “Eve”, because of her adventurous personality. Short Answer: No.  Long Answer: No. They liked giving the characters primitive-sounding noise-oriented names without any historical references.

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Like Freaks and Geeks? Try Fresh Meat!

If you like twisted dark comedies, Fresh Meat is for you. Otherwise, it’s an acquired taste. On the base level, Fresh Meat surrounds the creepy, bitingly satirical things college co-op roommates do to each other. If you liked Freaks and Geeks, Bob’s Burgers or Raising Hope, you’ll probably like Fresh Meat. And, if you enjoyed the UK As If, Peep Show or The Book Group, you’ll definitely enjoy this. But, if you stray towards the light, be forewarned. This is more for the Angela Chases of the world. The second season covers the pre-existing characters — streetwise Vod; posh pratt JP; creepily awkward Howard; pretty literature major Oregon; ordinary guy Kingsley; insecure Josie — and their new non-student roommate Sabine.

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Game of Thrones third season will have many epic moments

The countdown to the premiere of the third season of HBO’s Game of Thrones continues to draw closer. Last week in Beyond the Wall, CliqueClack’s weekly column on all things Westerosi, Bob and I discussed several of the new actors joining the cast this season. From Riverun to Essos, George R. R. Martin’s world continues to expand with each new season.

Each of Martin’s books is filled with big moments, and Storm of Swords has some of the series’ biggest. This week, Bob and I are going to talk about the things we’re most looking forward to this season. Since show producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have indicated that the events of Storm will be spread out over more than one season, it is difficult to predict exactly what will happen this year.

As with each installment of Beyond the Wall, Spoiler Warnings are in effect. We’re discussing what’s going to happen this season from the perspective of readers of the books. Obviously that means we’re going to be referencing specific events from Storm of Swords and potentially the fourth and fifth books as well. If you don’t want to know what happens next, stop reading here. Continue reading 'Game of Thrones third season will have many epic moments' »

Argo brings home the goods on Blu-ray

Now that awards season is behind us with the announcement of the 2012 Academy Awards, it’s time to catch up on the winners now out on home video. With the bizarre Oscar nominations this year, it seemed that Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln had the lead for Best Picture after it was released. But when director Ben Affleck failed to secure a nomination for his work, the brilliant Argo suddenly became the front-runner for Best Picture (and Spielberg ultimately lost out to Ang Lee for Life of Pi).

Best Picture winner Argo was released on DVD and Blu-ray a couple of weeks ago, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, now is the perfect time to take in the film for the first time. If you have seen it, it’s definitely worth a second look. Back when the film was originally released theatrically, our own Ivey West gave it a glowing review. I have to concur with his assessment of the film. I don’t really have anything different to say about the story — which is based on the 1979 Iran hostage crisis — except that even though you know how it ends (at least those of us old enough to have lived through that time know how it ends), the film is still packed with the tension of “will they or won’t they” make it out alive. Affleck proved his previous directorial efforts were no fluke, and it really was an egregious oversight that he was not nominated for Best Director (although he managed to win other major awards for his efforts including the Directors Guild and Golden Globe awards).

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Reviewing the latest Supernatural novel, Fresh Meat

Fresh Meat, written by Alice Henderson for Titan Books, reads like three different Supernatural adventures in one. While tracking a cannibalistic monster within the wintry Sierra Nevada mountains — the area that trapped the Donner Party — the Winchester brothers meet a threat greater than they expected — nature.

Throughout the over-355-page novel, I particularly enjoyed Henderson’s portrayal of the Brothers’ supernatural dangers while reflecting the hazards nature can wreak on mankind, despite today’s technological advances.

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CliqueClack has free passes to the Baltimore screening of Olympus Has Fallen

**This offer has expired.

CliqueClack has teamed up with FilmDistrict and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer our readers in Baltimore a chance to be the first to see the new action thriller Olympus Has Fallen. When a terrorist mastermind seizes control of the White House (Secret Service Code: Olympus) and captures the President, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As our national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning’s inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President and avert an even bigger disaster. Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) directs an all-star cast featuring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Ashley Judd and Rick Yune.

Olympus Has Fallen will have its advance screening on Thursday, March 14, 7:30 PM at Cinemark Egyptian at Arundel Mills in Hanover, MD. All you need to do is leave a comment telling us why you want to see this movie. We have a very limited number of passes that will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. One comment per email and IP address. You will receive a unique GoFoBo code by email with further instructions on how to claim your passes, so comment now before they’re all gone!