CliqueClack

Why did I volunteer to review the Pac-Man season two DVD?

I remember the first time I saw the Pac-Man video game. I was in a pizza parlor with my mother, father and brother. At one point I had to use the facilities, and there by the cigarette machines (yes, kids — there were not only machines where you could buy cigarettes with quarters without having to present ID, you could go sit back at your table and actually smoke them) was this strange arcade game I’d never seen before: Pac-Man. I gazed in wonder at the strange goings-on on-screen, unable to comprehend the game’s purpose or goal. A yellow disc … eats dots, while multi-colored … hosts try to hit the disc so it blows up or flattens or whatever it is? Too. Cool.

“There’s this game back there and it’s called something-Man and it’s cool and there’s ghosts and stuff and you eat dots or something and it’s sooo cool and can I have a dollar so I can go play it pleeeease!?’ Or so it went something like that, when I got back to my table. Four quarters later, I was addicted.

Though it was — and still is — difficult to explain the premise of Pac-Man exactly, it’s even more difficult to explain the premise of that game as a television show. In fact, it’s impossible to the point that I’m amazed it lived on beyond one season. But, here it is, the second season on DVD, and I volunteered to review it. What was I thinking?

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The most boring Person of Interest ever?

OK. Maybe it wasn’t the WORST Person of Interest. It was entertaining and utterly watchable, especially the fanfic-worthy scenario in the beginning. But, it was still boring in parts because it lacked its usual intelligence. This week basically re-hashed last week. Without a person of interest, the action had no impetus, the storyline lagged and the characters became repetitive. Maybe the episode wasn’t “Bad Code,” but it did offer a simple plot, simplistic dialogue, repetitive questions, and a lower level of quality than I’ve come to expect.

Bad Plot

Without multiple overlapping storylines introducing new twists, the episode lagged. Last week, we had the mysterious new government agents, Root’s vendetta, Reese’s search for Finch, the person of the week, and the Reese-Carter/Reese-Fusco/Reese-Finch friendships. We had the same things this week, but nothing new was added. So, it was essentially a show about Root’s past. Without the person of interest or the Machine to add spice, the storyline sagged, became repetitive and felt simple.

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Bones, Whitney, Lucy and more TV on DVD

A few more of last season’s TV shows are hitting home video on October 9, including Bones, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, and Whitney. Classic TV fans can pick up the final season of The Lucy Show as well as re-packaged and re-priced editions of the first four seasons of I Love Lucy. For the kids, there’s an all-new Scooby-Doo movie, two DVDs featuring the Peanuts gang, and some Sesame Street favorites. Lifetime is also releasing some of their more popular TV flicks on DVD as well, so have a look at the guide to see all the great titles coming out this week!

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Prometheus, E.T. and Dial M for Murder in 3D come to home video

It’s a pretty awesome week for movie fans with the home video release of Prometheus, Rock of Ages, and The Raven, all previously reviewed by our crack team of movie critics. Prometheus should be interesting for those who already saw it, with the addition of about 20 minutes of footage to hopefully explain the movie to most of the people who just didn’t get Ridley Scott’s message. Even more exciting are the first time Blu-ray releases of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, Dead Ringer, Strangers on a Train and Dial M for Murder which will be presented on Blu-ray in 3D, just as Hitchcock intended. Most people didn’t know the movie was actually filmed in 3D until the early 1980s (I remember seeing the first 3D screening in ’81 or ’82) when the second 3D wave hit, because by the time the film was completed the ’50s 3D fad was over. It’s going to be a real treat to see this film restored for Blu-ray and 3D (and Warner Brothers is also hard at work on bringing the original House of Wax to Blu-ray 3D sometime next year!).

Not to be outdone, the musical Little Shop of Horrors is also getting a spiffy new Blu-ray release … with the original ending finally restored and included on the disk! The first DVD release of the movie had a black and white work print version of the ending included as a bonus, but the producers objected to having the work exhibited in that condition and Warner Brothers pulled the disk from release. It was a highly sought after DVD for many years, so it will be great to see the ending now in full color! There are many more great titles coming on October 9th, so please have a look at our handy guide, and if you see something you have to add to your collection, click on a link to make a purchase from Amazon.com. You’ll be getting a great movie, and you’ll be supporting our efforts here as well!

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Supernatural’s season 8 premiere gets back to the characters

Supernatural‘s season 8 started off on the right foot, thanks to a strong episode written by the new showrunner, Jeremy Carver. I went into the premiere with no expectations for awesomeness, just hoping that a great set-up would occur. I never dreamed I’d get a powerful episode and the promise for a great season; so far, so good, Mr. Carver.

The best thing Carver did was to focus on the characters. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed them until I saw this episode and realized that I had been missing them far longer than just one summer. Carver’s gone back to the heart of this show and it feels amazing. Since a whole year had gone by, he seized the perfect opportunity to showcase how both Dean and Sam had changed in that year, based on what had happened to them. We have a changed Sam. A year later, a normal life, no hunting and a love interest, and he’s not the same Sam we left at the end of season 7. He’s lighter, grounded and has a real sense of clarity about him.

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The Clapper isn’t lazy, it’s an institution

When I first viewed the piece “Inventions For Lazy People” I was alternately aghast and amused.

Certainly, there are a few things on the list which might just make you shake your head in wonder. Pre-wrapped potatoes? As someone who almost always eats the skin of his tubers, I’m suspect right from the get-go about the cleanliness of said skins. A chocolate stirrer built right into the mug? Sounds to me like additional clean up work would offset any benefit you’d get from it. And the banana slicer and brownie contraptions are just plain dumb. It just so happens I’ve had experience with the latter — out of curiosity — and here’s the deal (because there’s usually “a deal”): Getting that thing ready for use is not only a bear, but making certain there are no errant crumbs or other hangers-on during the washing of it is a literal pain in the ass. I figure the banana slicer offers a similar, unneeded chore after its use.

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One-season cliffhangers really, really suck

For any fan of television, September is always an exciting time. The networks are rolling out their new slate; old favorites return – clearing up any cliffhangers – while new shows vie for the audience’s collective fandom. And as much as we fans might fall in love – or serious like – with a particular show, statistics show that most new shows won’t live to see a second season.

While we can argue the whys and what-fors of ratings vs. viewers, shares and the all-important “demo,” when it comes down to it, the people making these decisions are trying to maximize profits for their company. Despite what TV watchers might think, that’s not a bad thing; it’s really just the way of the world.

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Frankenweenie charms, but loses its heart along the way

If there was any movie I was really looking forward to this year (besides Les Miserables), it was Tim Burton’s animated remake/expansion of his delightful short film Frankenweenie. That film was a classic boy and his dog story with a bit of tragedy, sci-fi and horror mixed in. Basically an homage to the great Universal monster movies of the 1930s. The story was simple: Sparky, the beloved pet of a young boy named Victor Frankenstein, is hit by a car and dies. Heartbroken, Victor tries to revive his dog in much the same way the movie Frankenstein monster was brought to life. The operation is a success, but the townspeople are horrified to see the newly reanimated pooch roaming the streets, leading to a climactic showdown at a windmill (reminiscent of the original Frankenstein movie).

The film was shot in black and white, and used the same expressionistic style of the Universal classics, and had a running time of about 28 minutes. So how do you expand a perfectly constructed short film by nearly an hour without tearing the heart out of the story? The short answer is you really can’t, and that’s what makes the new Frankenweenie a bit of a disappointment.

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CliqueClack Hungry Trolls podcast – Episode 5

Friend, contributor and comedian Jay Black is switching things up a bit with the new site and is bringing his Hungry Trolls podcast here, to a new home on CliqueClack. Jay joins friend and comedian Vinnie Nardiello in what he tells me will be a twice-a-week deal!

Make sure you tune in and make your friends tune in as well, and comment and rate us on our iTunes page! We’re also on Stitcher!

Please keep the comments coming and let us know what you think. Got suggestions? Questions? We’d love to hear ‘em! Make sure you get everyone you know to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (and rate us, please!) or via some other feed — we feed Jay’s ego a careful diet of traffic numbers and subscriber count, so let’s not let that sucker die of starvation. You can also check-in via GetGlue!

Thanks for listening!

Free Here Comes the Boom advance screening passes – Baltimore

This offer has expired.

Are you a fan of Kevin James? Does he have what it takes to make it in the world of Mixed Martial Arts? Are you looking forward to seeing his new movie Here Comes the Boom? Then have we got an offer for our readers in Maryland! CliqueClack has teamed up with Allied Integrated Marketing and Columbia Pictures to offer you free passes to the advance screening of Here Comes the Boom, starring James, Salma Hayek and Henry Winkler. The screening will take place on Tuesday, October 9, 7:00 PM at the AMC White Marsh theaters. You can claim up to two admit one passes simply by sending an email to boom@cliqueclack.com with BOOM as the subject. It’s that easy. We’ll send you a special GoFoBo code that you can redeem at gofobo.com. The passes are first come, first served and are limited. You should plan to arrive at the theater early as a pass does not guarantee you a seat. So what are you waiting for?

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