CliqueClack

Captain Phillips and Blue Jasmine lead the January 21 home video releases

We took a short break during the holidays, but we’re back to let you know all about the latest titles coming to home video. This week features some Golden Globe nominated and winning titles (and most likely Oscar contenders) with the release of Captain Phillips and Blue Jasmine (for which Cate Blanchett won the Golden Globe). Also this week, the over-the-top sequel Machete Kills, the well-regarded foreign film Instructions Not Included, and some early digital only releases of Escape Plan, Romeo and Juliet and Baggage Claim. Classic films get their due as well with new video upgrades for Robocop, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Cat People, Raise the Titanic and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. These titles and more will be released on January 21, so have a look at our handy shopper’s guide to see all of the major titles. Click on a link to make a purchase or to get more information, and remember that any purchase made through a link helps support our efforts here at CliqueClack.

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Ride Along should be a good day at the box office for Ice Cube & Kevin Hart

Buddy cop movies aren’t usually my thing unless you count the old black-and-white television show Car 54, Where Are You? starring Fred Gwynne, Paul Reed and Al Lewis. Therefore, I didn’t know what to expect when reviewing Ride Along, the new action comedy from Cube Vision, LBI Entertainment and Rainforest Films. After laughing throughout the entire movie, I’ve decided that Kevin Hart and Ice Cube make an ideal comedy duo. The funny, fast-talking Hart is paired perfectly with straight man Ice Cube, who remains cool, calm and collected no matter how much Hart screws things up in the face of danger. Rounding out the cast are fan favorites John Leguizamo, Bruce McGill, Tika Sumpter, Bryan Callen and Laurence Fishburne.

In Ride Along, Kevin Hart plays Ben Barber, a high school security guard who dreams of graduating from the police academy and marrying the girl of his dreams – his girlfriend Angela. But there’s just one little obstacle standing in his way on both fronts and that is Ice Cube, who plays Angela’s overprotective older brother James Payton. James is a seasoned detective with the Atlanta Police Department who does not think Ben is good enough to date his sister, let alone marry her or join the force. Undeterred and determined to prove he has what it takes on both counts, Ben agrees to go with James on a 24-hour patrol of the mean streets of Atlanta. He quickly discovers there’s a lot more to police work than gets portrayed in the movies and on television. It also turns out handling weapons requires much more skill and training than he has exhibited in his online gaming world thus far.

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The Nut Job is a nutty heist movie your kids will probably love even if you don’t

Will Arnett is one of my favorite people to watch on television, and I believe his voice lends itself particularly well to animation. That being said, I was interested in seeing him as the lead character Surly in The Nut Job, which is the latest animated feature from Gulfstream Pictures, Red Rover International and ToonBox Entertainment.

As Surly, Arnett’s signature brand of sarcasm and overall likeability are utilized well. The Nut Job is a heist-within-a-heist movie. Let me break the plot down for you in a nutshell (pun intentional). On the one hand, several mobsters have set up shop as the new proprietors of Maury’s Nut Store, which happens to be in proximity to a bank they’re casing for a robbery. On the other hand, Surly is a rather determined squirrel who is casing the nut shop for a heist of his own to collect enough food to last him through the winter. Will both heists succeed or will one group’s efforts thwart those of the other?

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Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a perfectly average thriller

One of things I’ve noted over the years is that there are some jobs that just seem “cooler” and more interesting than others, at least how they’re portrayed in the movies. At first, war movies portrayed all war as heroic and just, with perfect soldiers … at least for a while. Policeman too are portrayed both with complexity and simplicity, as heroes or villains. Ad executives, wedding planners, of course, certainly not blue collar or white collar workers, of course!

But perhaps no job was as cool as the spy. It pulled together so many old school elements, fighting evil, being more competent than regular people, knowing secrets no one else does, and just seeming glamorous and dangerous. But as James Bond grew, so did James Bond fall. In the era of rendition and Zero Dark Thirty, not even spywork can be considered sacrosanct. The movies have gotten in on the game, with movies such as the most recent Mission Impossible showing corruption even at the highest levels. But although movies about spies are certainly far from done, is the spy caper over? Can we still get invested in the light but vaguely serious movie of covert action anymore? Or have we grown up?

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Kung Fu: The Movie – Kwai Chang Caine revisited

As one of the best of the stern chase (from the navy cliche “a stern chase is a long chase”) television series around (and a western to boot!), Kung Fu has always been one of my favorites.

Not only has it been years since I’ve seen the original series in its entirety, I’ve never caught Kung Fu: The Movie — the follow-up made-for-TV feature done more than a decade later — until recently. (Nor have I seen any of the subsequent sequels — Kung Fu: The Next Generation, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues or the webisodes.) And now? Having tucked this little gem under my belt, finally after all these years? I’m itching to return to my first love — the original three seasons of this David Carradine vehicle.

We revisit Kwai Chang Caine (David Carradine reprising his original role) as we saw him so many times previously during the series, in yet one more non-descript western town where he’s minding his own business while performing some humble work task to cover his room and board. Naturally his past again discovers his whereabouts and catches up to him in the form of The Manchu (Mako), the vengeful father of the royal Caine killed back in China all those years ago and one of the reasons Caine high-tailed it out of China and to the states. In tow and under his mystical control, The Manchu has brought along the supposed instrument of Caine’s death, deadly martial arts master Chung Wang (son of Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee, in his first film role) … who just so happens to be the illegitimate son of our hero. (*cue dramatic music*) Continue reading 'Kung Fu: The Movie — Kwai Chang Caine revisited' »

Bam! Pow! Thwack! Classic Batman is finally coming to DVD!

Since the dawn of the age of DVD, or at least since studios realized they could make a bundle of money off of releasing old and current seasons of any and every TV show ever made, the fans have been begging … BEGGING … for the release of the classic Batman TV series. What no one wanted to hear was that it was a near impossibility. But why?

Well, when Batman was produced, DC Comics was not owned by Warner Brothers (that happened a year after the show went off the air). Twentieth Century Fox produced the TV show, and once WB got the rights to the characters the two studios have (allegedly) been locked in a bitter feud over who had the rights to release the show (said feud has been denied by both parties). The fact of the matter is, Warner Brothers owns the characters and Fox owns the film, so there had to be some agreement made as to who got what. But …

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Agents of SHIELD – Finally a step in the right direction

For the last couple of episodes, many critics have been talking about how Agents of SHIELD was finally starting to turn things around. Despite premiering to incredible numbers and even more hype, it would be hard to classify ABC’s freshman drama as anything but disappointing. Recently, the show has begun to move beyond its early stumbles, but “Seeds” was really the first episode where I began to believe in what the show could be.

Last week, the veil was finally pulled back on the “mystery” of Phil Coulson’s rebirth. I had long suspected that the story behind that mystery would never live up to the hype; “A Magical Place” definitely proved me right. Moving past the “what” and onto the “why” is the only way to save this arc. Learning the truth about Tahiti, Coulson has begun to develop trust issues, specifically with SHIELD. Considering the rumored plot for April’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, beginning to layer in a distrust of SHIELD’s leadership should not come as a surprise. Continue reading 'Agents of SHIELD – Finally a step in the right direction' »

American Idol season 13 preview

In the middle of dinner the other night the subject of television came up. One of my dinnermates commented: “I was subject to a program called Extreme Cheapskates or some such the other day. You wouldn’t believe the things the people on that show do to save a penny …”

Another stated: “Award season is coming quickly, you know …”

“… as are the Olympics …” said a third.

“Hey … isn’t American Idol starting soon?” one of them asked.

“Yup, yup. Next week as a matter’n fact …” I chimed in.

Someone coughed and spoke in turn: “There are too many damned song and dance shows on the boob tube. Especially those singing competitions. I can’t keep track of them and really don’t care to. I don’t know why in the world you watch Idol, Michael …”

“Here … I’ll show you why.” I wiped my mouth, sat back and pointed a finger at the person sitting directly across from me: “I happen to know you watch Idol. That being said, I’m willing to bet dollars to donuts you can name five American Idol winners without even thinking about it. And you …” I shot my finger 30 degrees to my left to my friend who questioned my viewership of the show “… I’d be willing to bet you can do same … and you don’t even watch Idol …”

The first person shot out the names Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Scott McCreary, Phillip Phillips and Clay Aiken out her mouth in rapid-fire succession without even blinking.

“Close enough,” I said approvingly. “Clay didn’t win, he was a runner-up … but he made a career for himself anywho …”

I looked to my left.

“Well … there’s that big dude on America’s Biggest Weight Loser thing … Bubba Smith? No, wait … Ruben Stewart …”

“Studdard,” I corrected.

“… and the Soul Patrol guy … Taylor Swift …”

“Taylor Hicks,” I corrected again.

” … hmmmmm … Oh, that Fantasialand chick who starred on Broadway …”

“Yes … Fantasia. Congratulations, folks. You’ve just made me a happy camper. Now … to further prove my point, name any winner on any other singing competition such as The X Factor or The Voice …”

Dead. Silence. For an entire minute.

“And there you go. That, right there, is one of the many reasons I watch American Idol …” Continue reading 'American Idol season 13 preview' »

Win passes to see Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit in DC or Baltimore

This offer has expired. Please follow @CliqueClack on Twitter for alerts on giveaways, news and reviews.

CliqueClack has partnered with Paramount Pictures and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore and DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new action film Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit starring Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley and Kenneth Branagh. Based on the CIA analyst created by espionage master Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a blistering action thriller that follows Ryan (Pine) from his quiet double-life as a veteran-turned-Wall Street executive to his all-out initiation as a hunted American agent on the trail of a massive terrorist plot in Moscow.

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Win passes to see Ride Along in Indianapolis

CliqueClack has partnered with Universal Pictures to offer readers in the Indianapolis area a chance to attend an advance screening of the new action comedy Ride Along starring Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, John Leguizamo, Bruce McGill, Tika Sumpter, Bryan Callen and Laurence Fishburne. When a fast-talking guy joins his girlfriend’s brother—a hot-tempered cop—to patrol the streets of Atlanta, he gets entangled in the officer’s latest case. Now, in order to prove that he deserves his future bride, he must survive the most insane 24 hours of his life.

The screening will take place on Tuesday, January 14, 7:00 PM at AMC Castleton Square. A limited number of Admit Two passes are available on a first come, first served basis. All you have to do is comment on this post and we will email you a pass. We will accept only ONE comment per person and/or email address. CliqueClack reserves the right to disqualify any duplicates or comments that appear to be duplicates. Please note that passes do not guarantee seats, so plan to arrive early. CliqueClack has no control over the total number of passes distributed and is not responsible for seating arrangements at the theater. This offer could end at any time.

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