CliqueClack

Things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving

This list is far from complete; if I were to yap on and on about everything I liked, this list could last until the pumpkin pie is served on Thursday. So this is just a survey; some of the many, many things that I count myself fortunate to watch or listen to:

Shawn Ryan – His latest show Last Resort might not have been a good – or successful – as I’d hoped, but Ryan continues to be one of my favorite showrunners in television today. While I wasn’t nearly the fan of The Shield that others are, I love The Unit and The Chicago Code immeasurably, and think that his season of work on Lie to Me was incredible. I’m not sure what he’s got up his sleeve once Last Resort ends, but I know I’ll be watching from day one.

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Amazon’s Black Friday DVD/Blu-ray Lightning Deals for 2012-11-21

(All times below are Eastern, because we’re up earlier than all the rest of you!)

11:20AM – 3:20PM

• The Prisoner: The Complete Series ($17.99)
• The Prisoner: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] – $22.99
• The Pillars of the Earth – $13.99

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North Korea becomes our number one enemy in Red Dawn

It’s interesting coming into a remake of a cult classic movie without ever having seen the original. All I know about Red Dawn is that Patrick Swayze is in it and the Russians invade the US. And something about wolverines. That’s about it. So going into the new Red Dawn with a fresh perspective may be a better experience than having those memories of the original always on your mind.

This time around, I was wondering just who the “Reds” of the title were. Back in 1984, it wasn’t so far-fetched to have the Russians as an invading force, and despite recent political proclamations, I don’t think anyone would have bought the Russians again invading the country (although they are still a little politically shady). In this version, our real number one enemy is none other than North Korea … with the help of the Russians! See, I told you they were still shady. (And in the original version of the film that was to be released in 2010, the villains were actually the Chinese, but the flags were all digitally altered in the meantime to avoid angering them.)

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Life of Pi is beautiful and interesting but long and repetitive

When you’ve lost everything but yourself, how hard will you work to stay sane or alive? What limits can a person push themselves to stay alive — and how much can you believe about insane tales of survival?

From director Ang Lee, Life of Pi (based on the book by Yann Martel) tells the story of a young Indian boy named Pi (Suraj Sharma), who gets stuck on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger and must survive both the journey and the predator. Wrapped in a story about an older Pi (Irrfan Khan, who you might recognize from his small villainous role in The Amazing Spider-Man) telling his tale to an unnamed novelist (Rafe Spall), we immediately lose any real tension about whether or not Pi survives. Although this is an issue with the book too, which for the most part, is fairly similar to the film.

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Alice serves up a second season of comedy on DVD

There’s a new girl in town, with a brand new style.
She was just passing through,
but if things work out she’s gonna stay awhile.

Debuting in the fall of 1976, the classic sitcom Alice finished out its first season just barely cracking the Top 30 (it ranked 30th for the season), but in a TV landscape that was much different than today’s, CBS gave the show another shot … which proved to be a good move as the show ended the 1977-1978 season in the Top 10 (number 8). Now, the Warner Archive Collection has rescued the series from obscurity (there has previously been a “Best of” DVD and a complete Season One released at the retail level with sales figures that didn’t warrant future mass releases) with its Manufacture On Demand program. If you’re not yet familiar with the MOD program, this service makes available various movies and TV shows to consumers that may not normally get a general release at the retail level. These DVDs are basically made-to-order and it gives movie and TV fans an opportunity to own some titles they thought they’d never see on home video (and the Archive Collection has just released their very first two Blu-ray movies). Alice is one of those shows that has a devoted fan base, but not enough to justify a major retail release, so the Archive Collection is releasing Season Two, and hopefully there will be seven more to follow.

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Ethnically diverse TV shows help to entertain

In order to appeal to most television viewers, networks must be diverse. Well, at least that’s what I always believed. If you take a look at some of the programs of the past, that statement may not ring to be so true. However, if one was to truly examine the current lineup on primetime, they may be in for a colorful awakening. As someone that writes about ethnic diversity in Hollywood, it pleases me to see a broad spectrum of programming on television today. In fact, I honestly can’t recall a season as culturally varied as this one.

Oh, crap — am I in The Twilight Zone? Nah, perchance network executives are finally realizing that it’s 2012. Just take a look at FOX. I’ve never really been a fan of the station — especially after they pulled the plug on Arrested Development. Nevertheless, with the recent inclusion of The Mindy Project, my unenthusiastic views on FOX may just change. Not only is a minority the lead — Mindy Kaling of Bengali descent — but she’s a woman. That’s like two for the price of one! Heck, that’s better than a discount at your local Walgreens! Way to go, FOX!

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Is it too early to remake Flight?

I’ve been looking forward to Flight since I first saw the trailer months ago. The plot immediately hooked me: “What if Captain Sully was drunk when he landed that plane?” Because, let’s be real: the inspiration for Flight clearly came from Captain Sully’s infamous and heroic 2009 landing of an American Airlines plane in the Hudson River. From the folksy name, “Whip Whitaker” to the eerily matter-of-fact black box recording, Whitaker is an alternate version of Sullenberger. However, while Sullenberger proved to be squeaky clean and was able to weather the media storm while remaining a hero, Whitaker does not. This is a compelling story and as a whole, Flight works. However, I couldn’t help but imagine how amazing it would be in someone else’s hands.

As Ivey mentioned in his review of Flight, the film turns out to be a study in addiction. Denzel Washington gives one of the best performances of his career, further cementing his status as one of those rare actors about whom that statement can be sincerely made after nearly all of his films. The audience hates Whip, then they love him. Sympathy, revulsion, pity; Washington expertly leads us down all of these paths. He’s also bolstered by an incredible supporting cast that includes such heavy-hitters as Don Cheadle, John Goodman, Melissa Leo, and relative newcomer (at least to American audiences), Kelly Reilly. Killer story, fantastic acting, and tension that was positively palpable at times. Flight has all of the ingredients for an amazing movie, but I spent so much of it rolling my eyes so hard I thought they were going to pop out of my skull.

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New TV on DVD and a Game of Thrones gift set for the holidays

With Thanksgiving upon us, there’s not much new in the way of TV on DVD and Blu-ray this week, but there is a new Game of Thrones: Season One gift set that should be of interest as a holiday gift. The latest Ken Burns documentary is also coming on November 20th, as well as some titles for the kids. Have a look at our guide to see these and the other titles coming this week, and click on a link to make a purchase or to get more information about that title and format. Any purchase made through the site at Amazon.com will help support our efforts here at CliqueClack.

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The Expendables blast their way onto DVD and Blu-ray

It’s a slow new release week for movies with only The Expendables 2 leading the charge. Disney is bringing Cinderella out of the vaults again, along with a double feature of its two direct-to-video sequels. But with the holidays rapidly approaching, there are several classic film box sets getting a reprice for the gift giving season. What better gift for the movie fan in your life? To see what else, new and old, is coming out on November 20th, take a look at our handy gift giving guide and click on a link to make a purchase or to get more information.

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Is Person of Interest following Sherlock Holmes’ footsteps?

I noticed two things this week: a Holmesian pattern for this season’s arc and a pattern concerning the female characters. I’m getting a strong Sir Conan Arthur Doyle feel this season catalyzed by this season’s villains. Root is Finch’s Moriarty and Wesley, the evil agent in “Critical,” is clearly John’s. However, while Root is criminally insane, Wesley is insanely logical. Wesley’s eerie, distanced calm makes him a better Moriarty, especially since I see the wheels turning in his mind. Root, by contrast, is just plain crazy.

Every Sherlock mystery requires a bumbling police inspector whom Sherlock relies on. Fusco and Carter make a great Lestrade. I love watching them unite as the Wonder cop Twins. This week showed their complementary strengths. Fusco pulls and hides the evidence while Carter strings together leads. Fusco is the street-wise detective who always knows when something’s wrong. Carter’s the innocent cop, who’s a bulldog in following leads. They’re both good detectives in their individual ways and I love how Person of Interest continues to develop that this season. I also love that Snow knew enough about Carter’s capabilities, to expect she’d find him.

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