Jan
16

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Spare Parts is the epitome of a mildly pleasant feel-good story

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‘Spare Parts’ tells the true story of some inspiring teens but doesn’t really rise to anything truly memorable.

 

The problem with true stories is that they are rarely simple. When you construct a fiction, you can add in story beats as you like, emphasize some themes and minimize others. If you don’t like a character, you don’t need to include them. But when you are writing about reality, it’s different. It’s impossible to be comprehensive, to discuss every real life facet of whatever event you’re talking about. So no matter what, some things get left out. And the “based on a true story” line is sometimes even more dangerous, because there’s always the temptation to throw in some “Hollywood friendly” story elements that aren’t really relevant, or drama that may overlook legitimate problems. This is sort of a long way of saying that it’s easy to screw it up. And … that’s sort of the case here.

Spare Parts is based on the real life story of four undocumented Mexican American students in Phoenix, Arizona. There are two primary characters here, the teacher and student, although there is just a bit, just a bit, of the other three students. Oscar (Carlos PenaVega) is a proud member of the ROTC in high school, but discovers that the military isn’t really interested in enlisting an undocumented immigrant, even one who’s basically grown up in the US. Not only that, but it may draw unwanted attention from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We hear a few times about how deported family members hurt and impact these characters. Sometimes we even feel it instead of being literally “told” it.

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Photo Credit: Pantelion Films
Jan
16

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Julianne Moore is astounding in the harrowing Still Alice

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‘Still Alice’ is hard to watch, although Julianne Moore gives one of the year’s best performances.

 

Growing older isn’t necessarily terrible. You can learn new things, live through new experiences, and even achieve what you never could as a younger person. You may even get a bit of wisdom. But there’s one 100% downside — getting older means your body is slowly falling apart. You might lose control of limbs or speech or even thought. It can be nothing or it can be everything. As people, we rely on our memory, unreliable as it may be (see Memento for words on this concept). People sometimes do this intentionally, taking drugs or meditating, trying to lose themselves in nothingness. But when you cannot control your own mind, it can be the most frustrating thing possible. And potentially the most destructive.

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Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Classics
Jan
16

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Kevin Hart fails to bring the funny to The Wedding Ringer

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Kevin Hart and Josh Gad team up for ‘The Wedding Ringer,’ but you may want to think twice about accepting an invitation to this wedding.

 

I was not particularly impressed Kevin Hart’s latest movie The Wedding Ringer. Don’t get me wrong, there were funny moments but in between I was kind of bored. The premise of this movie is that a successful nerd can land the woman of his dreams and live happily ever after. He’s been great at making money but he doesn’t have a clue about social skills. This man has no friends. His big dilemma is how to obtain said friends when his wedding is in two weeks.

I don’t know where to begin with this one

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Photo Credit: Screen Gems
Jan
16

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Blackhat fails to overcome a lack of story and vision

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Michael Mann’s latest, ‘Blackhat,’ was mentioned as an Oscar-caliber release. The final product is a mess, an average story that was victim to terrible over-editing. Not even Thor’s abs could turn things around.

 

January is not a month known for successful film launches. Sure, Oscar hopefuls who squeaked in via limited release before the end of the year see wider releases, but otherwise, January is where many projects go to die. When Blackhat – a film that was at one time talked about in Oscar circles – was scheduled for January, doubt began to creep in. But it’s Michael Mann, man! Director of one of my all time favorites, Heat. Not to mention mega-star Chris Hemsworth. It has to be good, right?

It isn’t horrible, but to call it good might be a bit of an overstatement.

Hemsworth plays Nicholas Hathaway, and is a bit of an unconventional choice for a hacker; how many high-end computer types do you know that look like Thor? We find Hathaway in prison, but conveniently the only person with information that can stop a new player who has already managed to melt down a Chinese nuclear plant and compromise the New York Stock Exchange. It’s a good thing his college roommate is the leader of the Chinese side of the task force working on the investigation, else Hathaway would have never had a chance to save the day, right? Continue reading 'Blackhat fails to overcome a lack of story and vision' »

Photo Credit: Frank Connor/Universal Pictures
Jan
14

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Win passes to see The Boy Next Door in Baltimore, DC or Virginia Beach

Film Title: The Boy Next Door

Can Jennifer Lopez survive a fatal attraction? Find out in her new thriller ‘The Boy Next Door.’ Read on to learn how you can win passes to the advance screening.

 

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CliqueClack has partnered with Universal Pictures to offer readers in Baltimore, DC and Virginia Beach an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new thriller The Boy Next Door starring Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, John Corbett and Kristin Chenoweth.

Jennifer Lopez leads the cast in The Boy Next Door, a psychological thriller that explores a forbidden attraction that goes much too far.

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Photo Credit: Universal Pictures
Jan
14

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Win passes to see The Boy Next Door in Boston or Hartford

Film Title: The Boy Next Door

Jennifer Lopez heats up the big screen – and her neighbor – in the thriller ‘The Boy Next Door.’ Find out how you can be one of the first to see the movie!

 

THIS OFFER HAS EXPIRED. COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED.

CliqueClack has partnered with Universal Pictures to offer readers in Boston and Hartford an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new thriller The Boy Next Door starring Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, John Corbett and Kristin Chenoweth.

Jennifer Lopez leads the cast in The Boy Next Door, a psychological thriller that explores a forbidden attraction that goes much too far.

Continue reading 'Win passes to see The Boy Next Door in Boston or Hartford' »

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures
Jan
7

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Win free passes to see Blackhat in Boston, Hartford or Baltimore

Film Title: Blackhat

You could win free passes to see an advance screening of ‘Blackhat.’ Read on to learn how to be eligible to win.

 

CliqueClack has partnered with Universal Pictures to offer readers in Boston, Hartford and Baltimore a chance to attend an advance screening of the new action thriller Blackhat starring Chris Hemsworth. The screenings will take place on January 13. Passes will be awarded on January 10.

In order to be eligible to win passes, you must visit one of our social media sites and retweet or share the post: Twitter, Facebook or Google+. Be sure to Follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or add us to your Circles on Google+ to be up-to-date on future contests and new articles on the main website. Note that no comments will be accepted on this post. Please visit CliqueClack on social media to enter the contest. All future contests will be through social media.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures
Jan
2

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A note about free movie screenings

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Looking for free movie passes to advance screenings in your area? Join CliqueClack on social media for the inside scoop on how to get yours!

 

Happy New Year!

We hope you had a nice holiday. We’re ready to dive into the new year with more free movie screenings, but we want to make you aware of some changes to how we’re going to do things this year. In order to keep the main website focused on reviews and opinion pieces from our writers, almost all of our movie screening offers will be handled through our social media sites. If you’re not one of our followers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Tumblr yet, now is the time to join us.

We have some exciting new movies to offer in various cities across the country, including American Sniper, Blackhat, The Boy Next Door and many more. So be sure to “Like” or “Follow” CliqueClack on social media today!

Photo Credit: Chuck Duncan
Jan
2

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Catch up with The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, The 100, Mom and 2 Broke Girls on home video

INHERENT VICE

We’re taking some time to get caught up on last season’s episodes before diving into this season, but do shows like ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ ‘The Originals’ and others fare well on home video?

 

As we come to the end of the holiday season, the winter breaks for many of the current season shows has given us time to perhaps catch up on some of last season’s shows that Santa may have left under the Christmas tree. Or you may be considering a purchase with some cash or gift cards you received. If you’re a fan of television – and you probably wouldn’t be here if you weren’t – we have some reviews/suggestions of a whole crop of last season shows that might be worth your interest.

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Dec
31

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Win free passes to the Boston screening of Inherent Vice

INHERENT VICE

Boston, start the new year off with a free advance screening of ‘Inherent Vice.’ Read on to find out how to get your free passes!

 

ALL PASSES HAVE BEEN CLAIMED. COMMENTS ARE CLOSED.

CliqueClack has partnered with Warner Brothers Pictures to offer readers in Boston an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new dramatic, comedic mystery Inherent Vice starring Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Benecio Del Toro, Jenna Malone, Maya Rudolph and Martin Short.

When private eye Doc Sportello’s ex-old lady suddenly out of nowhere shows up with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend whom she just happens to be in love with, and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap that billionaire and throw him in a loony bin … well, easy for her to say. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic `60s and paranoia is running the day and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” that’s being way too overused — except this one usually leads to trouble.

With a cast of characters that includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, LAPD Detectives, a tenor sax player working undercover, and a mysterious entity known as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentists … part surf noir, part psychedelic romp — all Thomas Pynchon.

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Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures