CliqueClack

We’re giving away Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Classic Series Collection DVDs

When this box set arrived at the quiet offices at CliqueClack HQ, sleepy heads rose from keyboards, cobwebs were brushed aside from brows, and mayhem broke loose. You’d have thought The Walking Dead became real, as the Clackers amassed and clawed at the surrounding packaging in hopes of being the one to keep this set for themselves. Lucky for you readers, I was five javas ahead of everyone else and got away with the prize … and my life. All for you!

Yes, we’re giving away this incredible collectible set of DVDs, containing all ten seasons of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon and more. What’s more, take a look at the packaging! Pretty freakin’ sweet, right?

All you need to do is leave a comment to this post saying something cool about the series or why you want the set — more than just “I want it.” To have a better chance at it, you can also (or only) tweet the following on Twitter:

We’ll pick one commenter amongst the comments to this post and from the eligible Twitter tweets, completely at random, and alert them after the giveaway ends on Wednesday, November 21st at Midnight ET (make sure your spam filters aren’t blocking mail from @cliqueclack.com!). Only one entry per person per method and you must have a valid U.S.-based mailing address. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents of 18 years of age or older only. Not following these guidelines voids your entry. Good luck!

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What Michael Bay can learn from Transformers: Prime

Instead of simply bashing Michael Bay’s Transformers movies, I’m going to offer some suggestions for the eventual Mark-Wahlberg-headlined Transformers 4. Obviously Bay is not going to hand this cash-cow franchise over to another director, so I can only hope that he’s willing to take a few lessons from The Hub’s far more entertaining version of the robots in disguise — Transformers: Prime.

Nobody watches Transformers for the humans; the franchise is so popular because we can’t get enough of the mythical struggle between those icons of good and evil, Optimus Prime and Megatron. Bay chose to make these metallic titans not heroes and villains but shiny, devastating forces of nature, much like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park — special effects more than actual characters. In contrast, Prime brings the Autobots and Decepticons to life. Each character has a distinct, exquisitely developed personality, from cranky doctor Ratchet to cowardly narcissist Knockout. In Bay’s movies, the only instantly recognizable bots are Optimus and Bumblebee, and even they feel distant and alien. We don’t really understand them, their backgrounds, their feelings. That’s never a problem in Prime — you can feel Arcee’s rage when she’s battling Airachnid because you know their back-story. You can understand Bulkhead’s irritation with young gun Smokescreen, and Ratchet’s sense of guilt and responsibility for Bumblebee’s damaged voicebox. For characters that don’t have flesh, they are certainly fleshed out.

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The night I hated The Walking Dead

Hokay … who neglected to tell me the circus rolled into town? Complete with performing monkeys and dopey theme music?

What we witnessed on The Walking Dead Sunday night was a blip and a blur on the landscape of the show. There have been some pretty wild things on the program, but that hour took the prize for over-the-top shenanigans.

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Person of Interest keeps rennovating its formula

In our New York Comic Con interview, Jonah Nolan stated that he wanted to continue to develop the Person of Interest formula to keep himself and his staff invested. Visually and textually, he did so in this week’s episode, “High Road.” I loved the opening flashback’s blue overlay matching Finch’s all blue laptop screen, Ingram’s all blue suit, and the homeless-looking prodigy’s all blue jeans. I especially enjoyed the red haired contrast of the supposed person of interest victim, Finch’s future love, juxtaposed with the red hair of the safe cracker’s wife. The blue motif continued in the contemporary day with Harold’s blue repair man suit, Zoe’s blue shirt, the victim’s wife’s pale blue shirt, Reese’s blue car, the wife’s blue bowl, the baddies’ blue pick-up, and the safe cracker’s blue plaid shirt. Through the contrast of blue and black, Nolan, the costume director, and/or art designer aligned the color blue with the suburbs and black with the city where Reese returned to his usual dark clothes while riding in Carter’s black Chevy. I enjoyed the covert color palette, because it showed the coalescence of writing with directing with costuming and art direction. Occasionally, those threads run parallel in TV/theater/film, but in this episode they all interwove. I especially liked the flashbacks’ blue overtones which reminded me of the early IBM blue screen monitors and the old school blue screen of death. What better color to use during Finch’s Machine training?

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Top Chef: Seattle – Likely incorrect predictions for season ten

Top Chef season ten is in the rainy city of Seattle, known for its coffee and … rain. Oh, and the Space Needle. Look forward to a challenge where the chefs must throw ingredients from the top into some sort of stew below! The first episode introduced us to a boatload (literally!) (not literally!) of conchefstants, impossible to keep track of as individuals instead of faces with knives attached. But now that we have our first “real” set of fifteen conchefstants version two, I am pretty comfortable making these predictions.

This guy … am I right?

Bizarrely inappropriate but decorated chef Wolfgang Puck will continue to make sexist jokes and comments, moving on to racism so subtly we won’t even realize it.  Oh wait, I forgot about his comments to Kuniko. I suppose he’s already there. So I guess he’ll just get worse. He’s a great chef though, right?

Hilarious to watch Carla Pellegrino will accidentally injure someone in the kitchen, and then herself. She will then refuse treatment and pass out due to blood loss. She’s got spirit, I can tell, which pairs well with her accent and clumsiness. Continue reading 'Top Chef: Seattle — Likely incorrect predictions for season ten' »

Should Michelle Obama get her own TV show?

I’m going to have to get better about posting these Clacking in Color columns on their scheduled dates. Sorry, guys. Last week was a busy week if not a rather eventful one. So, did anyone hear about what went down last Tuesday night? It looks like Barack Obama is back in the White House! With this being a column celebrating ethnic diversity in Hollywood, I couldn’t be happier … however, we won’t get into that. Heck, this ain’t CNN. Instead, I want to talk about Barack’s smart wife, the delectable diva and sophisticated goddess known as Michelle Obama. Folks, I have a question.

Am I the only one who thinks she deserves her own TV show?

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Your favorite Friends – and more – come to home video November 13

The first half of the newest season of Doctor Who comes to home video this week, but the big news is the high definition debut of two classic sitcoms: Friends and The Dick Van Dyke Show. Friends has been seen in syndication in HD for a while now, but this is the first time the complete series has been available on Blu-ray (could Seinfeld be far behind?). It’s nice to see early TV classics (the ones shot on film) making their way to Blu-ray as well. After the stunning work done on The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, it’s a real treat to see The Dick Van Dyke Show get a high-def makeover (could I Love Lucy be far behind?). With the holidays approaching, these awesome box sets will probably make their way onto many Christmas lists. Check out our guide for these and other titles coming to video this week, and click on any link for more information about that title. You can pre-order now, get a great deal from Amazon.com, and show your support for CliqueClack at the same time! And for that, we thank you.

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Brave, Lawrence of Arabia and more cinematic gems come home this week

Two heroes come to home video this week with the release of Disney/Pixar’s Brave, and the newly remastered 50th anniversary edition of Lawrence of Arabia (which I hear looks absolutely stunning). Newer releases Savages and The Watch — both reviewed here at CliqueClack — are also out this week, along with both parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in a single video edition. With the release of Spielberg’s Lincoln, his earlier Empire of the Sun (starring a very young Christian Bale) gets the Blu-ray treatment this week as well. Director Otto Preminger and producer David O. Selznick also get attention with new DVD collections. And for Bill & Ted fans, there has been talk of a new sequel, so what better time to get re-familiarized (or familiarized if you are too young to even know who Bill & Ted are) with the guys with the new Blu-ray release of their Excellent Adventure! These films and more will be available on November 13th, and you can take a look at the new release guide below to see more and to make a purchase. Just click on a link and we’ll whisk you over to Amazon.com.

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Eight is Enough comes to DVD and CliqueClack is giving away one copy

**This contest is closed. Thank you for entering, and be sure to check back for future offers.

Classic TV fans, CliqueClack is helping bring back fond memories of the Bradford family with a DVD giveaway of Eight is Enough — The Complete Second Season. If you remember the show, the first season featured Diana Hyland as the Bradford matriarch, but she passed away before production began on season two. The loss was quickly filled by Broadway actress Betty Buckley who played tutor “Abby” Abbot. She brought smiles back to the Bradford children and found a place in dad Tom’s (Dick Van Patten) heart. Now you can relive the highs and lows of the Bradford family with the complete season two DVD set. All you have to do is tell us why you want to win this collection in the comments section below (one comment per person, please). We will choose one winner at random, and your DVD will be shipped to you directly from the folks at the Warner Archive Collection (US residents only). The contest runs from 9:00 AM, Saturday, November 10th thru 11:59 PM, Friday, November 16th. Good luck!

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CliqueClack has free passes to see Anna Karenina in DC

**This giveaway is now closed.**

Washington D.C. movie and literature fans — CliqueClack, in partnership with Focus Features and Allied Integrated Marketing, is offering free advance screening passes for two to the new Focus Features film Anna Karenina starring Keira Knightley, Jude Law and Emily Watson. The film is based on the classic Leo Tolstoy novel that explores the capacity for love that surges through the human heart, while illuminating the lavish society that was imperial Russia in 1874. We have a very limited number of passes and all you need to do is leave a comment below to have your name placed on a list. Our DC correspondent Jeremy Fogelman will greet you at the door of the AMC Georgetown, located at 3111 K Street NW. The screening will be held on Wednesday, November 14 at 7:30 PM. Passes are available on a first come, first served basis and do not guarantee you a seat, so please plan to arrive early. Leave your comments below — your name must be on the list to receive the pass — and we hope to see you at the movies!

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