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Win passes to an advance screening of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in MD, DC or VA

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CliqueClack has partnered with Columbia Pictures and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore, DC and Virginia Beach areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Colm Feore, with Paul Giamatti and Sally Field.

It’s great to be Spider-Man. For Peter Parker (Garfield), there’s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend Harry Osborn (DeHaan) returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: Oscorp.

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the first real sequel to The Avengers

For months, I have let myself get pulled more and more into the hype for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I liked what I was hearing about the flick’s genre, that where as The First Avenger was definitely a World War II flick born out of the 50s and 60s, the sequel would be a thriller that would find its closest genre siblings in the 70s. I was especially keen on the idea that Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff would play a significant role in the movie’s plot (mind out of the gutter, boys … not for the reasons you are thinking). There is a problem, though, with playing into the expectations game: it is a rare movie that can live up to those expectations when you allow yourself to get overly hyped.

The last one that did, at least for me, was The Avengers (Read my review, but spoiler alert: I called it the greatest superhero flick ever made, so yeah, I kinda liked it). But it was the hype that led me to be disappointed in Iron Man 3. Marvel continues down their path, oscillating genres as the narrative switches from Thor to Cap to Guardians and now to Ant-Man and whatever they have cooked up for us next (cough cough Doctor Strange cough cough). That is the brilliance in Marvel’s approach: each installment doesn’t have all things to all people. That being said, other than Joss Whedon’s Avengers flicks, The Winter Solider looked like it was going to be most things to me.

More so than Iron Man 3 which told Tony Stark’s post-New York story, Captain America 2 explores how the Chitauri invasion changed the world they live in. SHIELD has a blank check and a mandate to make the world safer, no matter the cost. Steve Rogers, raised in the apple pie days of the 30s and 40s, has trouble accepting the world for what it is instead, as Nick Fury says, for what he wants it to be. Cap’s Captain America-ness is what makes his dynamic with Natasha Romanoff so very interesting. Somewhere along the way, Johansson’s performance has become one of my very favorites in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the Widow one of the more interesting characters. Continue reading 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the first real sequel to The Avengers' »

Beyond the Wall: What makes Game of Thrones so popular?

Winter is finally upon us. This Sunday, the fourth season premiere of Game of Thrones will finally be upon us. If you’re half as excited as we are, then we’re twice as excited as you are. There are some awesome things left from the balance of A Storm of Swords, plus it wouldn’t surprise anyone if David Benioff and Dan Weiss started dipping into A Feast for Crows for some material.

But fans of the show who’ve not read the books — you know, the types of fans our spoiler warning is about to ward off — don’t care nearly as much about the source material as we do. There is one very important thing about that category of fan, however: There’s a metric crap-ton of them. The series has opened up the world of Westeros to many more fans than the novels ever did. What is it about the show that is able to turn source material from such a specific genre to a worldwide phenomenon?

Our regular SPOILER WARNINGS are in effect … though admittedly, those spoilers are a lot less severe than they usually are, as we are discussing the show in the context of popular culture and not really delving into specific plot points. But, just to be safe: If you don’t know why purple is a much more enjoyable color than red, you should probably save this article for after you’ve read the novels. Continue reading 'Beyond the Wall: What makes Game of Thrones so popular?' »

Broadchurch, Psych, The Client List and more TV on DVD

Fans of television have some interesting choices with this week’s home video releases. A British show, Broadchurch, that has developed a large following — and which is set for a US remake next season (renamed Gracepoint) with the original star, David Tennant, recreating his role — makes its home video debut while two series that have ended their network runs — USA’s Psych and Lifetime’s The Client List — see their final seasons come to DVD. Classic TV fans can pick up new editions of I Dream of Jeannie, NewsRadio and the cult classic Action, while kids of all ages can enjoy the new Disney release The Pirate Fairy, the direct-to-video The Little Rascals Save the Day, and collections featuring Power Rangers, Scooby-Doo, Bugs Bunny, Superman and more. You can see all of the April 1 highlights in our handy shopper’s guide after the jump. Click on any link to get more information or to make a purchase from Amazon.com, and help support our efforts here at CliqueClack.

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Anchorman 2, 47 Ronin, and classic westerns come to home video

April Fool’s Day doesn’t bring many big titles to home video but there are a few that seem appropriate to the day, including Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (with 763 new jokes), and Knights of Badassdom, a long-delayed comedy that is now finding a cult following. Keanu Reeves returns to the screen in the dodgy 47 Ronin, and smaller films At Middleton and The Bag Man try to find wider audiences on home video. Major titles not ready to hit physical media just yet are getting early digital releases — The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Legend of Hercules, Philomena, Black Nativity — and classic westerns are getting spiffed up for new Blu-ray releases — Two Mules for Sister Sara, The War Wagon, Joe Kidd, Rooster Cogburn. And with a new Godzilla looming on the horizon, what better time to release King Kong vs Godzilla and King Kong Escapes on Blu-ray?! These titles and more will be available on April 1 — that’s no joke — and you can see all of the week’s highlights in our handy shopper’s guide after the jump. Click on any link to get more information or to make a purchase through Amazon.com, and help support our efforts here at CliqueClack.

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Audacious and astounding, Noah is an epic fantasy with depth

Belief is dangerous. No matter how you want to look at it, faith can lead to very bad choices, but there is also the reverse: it can also lead to the best choices. Common beliefs have changed and evolved through the course of humanity, but there are a few threads that have continued since the start of storytelling and writing. There is a strong desire to want life and reality to mean something in some “higher than” life way, that life isn’t just random or meaningless. Stories try to create heroes, people that make a difference and change the future for the better, sometimes in small ways, sometimes with great importance. That’s one thread.

Another is death. The acceptance of death and the end of everything you know, this is something stories have talked about since we could think about it. Modern art, like TV and movies, often bring this sort of thing up, sometimes making the “point” of a piece of art the importance of that acceptance. But I won’t talk too much about that, because it would end with many spoilers … well, okay, just one: The Sixth Sense. But again, this ties back to the importance of choice, and the dangers of believing how you’re supposed to choose. How many people died or suffered because someone thought a deity or higher power wanted them to do something? How many did something wondrous and regal?

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Throwback Thursday: Today seemed like a good time to finally Die Hard

Is there a movie that when you tell people you’ve never seen it, they all stop and stare at you like you’ve just revealed something taboo? Do you hide your head in shame or make excuses for why you’ve never bothered with it? Self-admitted ’80s fan girl that I am, it pains me to say I’d never seen Die Hard until yesterday. Yes, I know it came out in 1988 and this is 2014.

It’s not that I didn’t want to. Why do I suddenly feel like John Belushi in the tunnel scene in The Blues Brothers fumbling through a string of excuses? My parents weren’t into action movies. I didn’t have any older brothers. I’ve only had one boyfriend in my entire life, and he didn’t own a copy. It wasn’t required viewing material in high school or college. It was locusts. It wasn’t my fault … I swear to God!

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Win free passes to see Cuban Fury in DC

ALL PASSES FOR THIS EVENT HAVE BEEN CLAIMED. PLEASE FOLLOW @CLIQUECLACK ON TWITTER FOR CONTEST ALERTS, NEWS AND REVIEWS.

CliqueClack has partnered with Entertainment One and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore and DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new comedy Cuban Fury starring Nick Frost, Rashida Jones, Chris O’Dowd, and Ian McShane. This funny salsa-inspired comedy is brought to you by the producers of Shaun of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim, Paul, Attack The Block, The World’s End and Sightseers.

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Who dies during The Walking Dead finale?

The Walking Dead deviated from its usual M.O. in the season 4 penultimate episode. Taking a different approach, it didn’t knock off a major player for the first time in its relatively young history.

And that can only mean one thing: Viewers will be saying “Sayonara!” to someone during the season finale instead.

Because let’s face it — it’s The Walking Dead. Shocking as the deaths of Mika and Lizzie were in “The Grove,” that can’t be all the show’s producers have in store for us death-wise. Surely, someone else dies. And a big someone at that.

My TWD partner in crime Bob Degon and I believe someone else is targeted … and here’s what we’ve been bandying about:

How about Rick kicking the can?

Michael: I doubt Rick is on the chopping block. There’s still more output from him … and I’m willing to stake that output comes in the form of a major event, not the likes of additional “Farmer Rick” tales, etc. as seen at the start of this season. Granted: Offing him would stir things up and tug at the hearts of viewers, something not out of the realm of possibility. But I just don’t see it at this juncture.

Bob: I agree from a story standpoint, but this isn’t the comic book where story is the only factor in the matter. I think the only real reason that Rick would be killed off the show is if Andrew Lincoln wants out. With the announcement that he’s going to be on the couch on The Talking Dead for the first time ever after the finale on Sunday, I think there’s a chance (maybe not a big one) that we may see the end of Rick. I doubt it though. Continue reading 'Who dies during The Walking Dead finale?' »

Win passes to see Oculus in Baltimore or DC

All passes have been claimed. Please follow @CliqueClack on Twitter for contest alerts, news and reviews.

CliqueClack has partnered with Relativity Media and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore and DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new horror film Oculus starring Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaits, Rory Cochrane , and Katee Sackhoff.

Ten years ago, tragedy struck the Russell family, leaving the lives of teenage siblings Tim and Kaylie forever changed when Tim was convicted of the brutal murder of their parents. Now in his 20s, Tim is newly released from protective custody and only wants to move on with his life; but Kaylie, still haunted by that fateful night, is convinced her parents’ deaths were caused by something else altogether: a malevolent supernatural force unleashed through the Lasser Glass, an antique mirror in their childhood home. Determined to prove Tim’s innocence, Kaylie tracks down the mirror, only to learn similar deaths have befallen previous owners over the past century. With the mysterious entity now back in their hands, Tim and Kaylie soon find their hold on reality shattered by terrifying hallucinations, and realize, too late, that their childhood nightmare is beginning again.

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