Click Hearts Christmas
Dec 23, 2011

Christmas is only two days away, and in spirit of the holiday, we decided to ask each and every Clickster about their favorite Christmas movie. As you might imagine, narrowing it down to just one proved to be quite difficult. So check out our Click Picks below and feel free to hit up the comments to tell us about your favorite Christmas movie, or movies, as the case may be.

Mac

Bill Murray in Scrooged


“Scrooged! Because The Night the Reindeer Died, featuring Lee Majors with a mini-gun, is the best example of why the 80′s were awesome. Plus, it’s Bill Murray playing Scrooge, so that’s priceless in its own way. Die Hard is a close second.”

Dinah

'Sam' & 'Joanna' in Love Actually


“Love Actually. I know it’s been said (many times, many ways), but this movie is an annual must-watch. I practically have it memorized, and yet I still crack up every time Billy Mack tells kids not to buy drugs (“Become a pop star and they give you them for free!”) I still get chills when little Joanna starts singing “All I want for Christmas is you,” I still grin like a fool every time Jamie proposes to Aurelia (“You learned English!” “Just in cases.”) and, after little Joanna kisses little Sam on the cheek, I still get teared up seeing his face of pure amazement, joy and triumph as he runs into his dad’s arms…. It just kills me. For I am the sappiest of sappy saps, and whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world (or just need a holiday pick-me-up) I will pop in this movie and renew my faith that love actually is all around.”

Scott

'Mogwai' in Gremlins


“Gremlins – Joe Dante’s 1984 classic is a perfect mix of horror, heart, and humor. It’s a film that I revisit throughout the year, but especially around Christmas time and the story Phoebe Cates tells about her father’s demise gets me every single time.”

Dre

Ralphie & his Red Ryder bb gun


“A Christmas Story – Best. Christmas. Movie. Ever.

Elf - What’s better than a Will Ferrell man-child raised by elves?

John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together- Haven’t seen this one in a long time, but it holds a special place in my heart, for sure.”

Jackie

Bing Crosby & company in White Christmas


“White Christmas – Who doesn’t love this Hollywood holiday heartfest about a successful song-and-dance team who “put on a show” to save the Vermont inn of their former commanding general just in time for Christmas? It’s a must for musical lovers with its snappy dance numbers and Irving Berlin tunes sung by classic crooners Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. The 1954 film also stars Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen and shot in glorious Technicolor from Oscar-winning director Michael Curtiz . While Bing’s rendition of “White Christmas” is always a holiday favorite, don’t miss “We’ll Follow the Old Man” which makes me teary-eyed every time and reminds us what matters most at the holidays!”

Emily

The Griswold family in Christmas Vacation


“White Christmas – ultimate favorite CLASSIC Christmas film.

Christmas Vacation – Can watch it over and over again and laugh at all the same jokes every time. (Usually the unrepeatable ones)

Love Actually – Heart warming, feel-good movie that always makes me happy.”

Kim

Jimmy Stewart as 'George Bailey' in It's a Wonderful Life


“It’s A Wonderful Life – An Angel get’s his Wings!! Love that movie… ahhh Jimmy Stewart!

Love Actually – Ditto to Emily’s comments!

The Holiday – Don’t judge me… I love it for the 2 little British girls that play Jude Law’s daughters and have a tent in their room and talk like grown ups. Okay its for Jude Law.”

Cindy

Winona Ryder & Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands


“Edward Scissorhands – Is there anything more heart wrenching than the following exchange between Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp? Winona: “Hold me.” Johnny: “I can’t.” Just typing that made me cry.

Home Alone – Pure fun.”

Tyler

Michael Caine as 'Scrooge' in The Muppet Christmas Carol


“Scrooged is the best! So many great scenes, like when he is yelling at his old boss “No, you are a hallucination brought on by alcohol… Russian vodka poisoned by Chernobyl!” or getting smacked around by Carol Kane, the ghost of Christmas Present. A timeless adaptation of a Christmas classic.

Since I am on a Dickens’ kick I would also have The Muppets Christmas Carol on the top of that list too! Michael Caine as Scrooge, and Rizzo the Rat narrating with Gonzo, bring another great adaptation to The Christmas Carol. And finally, I can’t have Christmas Eve without watching A Christmas Story at least twice. We even have the “Italian” leg lamp Christmas lights around our tree…Frag-eee-lay.”

Haley

Will Ferrell as 'Buddy' in Elf


“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Not because of whiney little Rudolph, but because the Abonimable Snow Monster and Yukon Cornelius MADE that movie.

Elf: Because both Buddy and I stick to the same four main food groups – candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup.”

Julie

Sally & Jack Skellington in Nightmare Before Christmas


“In the Camberg household, it just wouldn’t be Christmas without A Christmas Story. We watch it every year, sometimes more than once, while always quoting our favorite lines. “Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double-beatloaf. I hate meatloaf.”

The Nightmare Before Christmas has also become a must-watch come Christmas time. The score by Danny Elfman…oh, how it moves me, particularly “Sally’s Song”. I also find Sally’s crush on Jack Skellington to be absolutely endearing. Watching unrequited love blossom into a beautiful romance, it just pulls at the ol’ heart strings.”

Happy Holidays from all of your friends at Click!

By: Julie Camberg

Click’s Year End Movie List Bonanza!
Dec 31, 2010

It’s time to bid a fond farewell to 2010 and ring in the new year! While we’re definitely looking forward to what 2011 has to offer, we here at Click thought it would be the perfect time to look back on this past year’s amazing offering of cinematic goodness (and badness).

Below you’ll find our favorites, our least favorites, our most anticipated, and a variety of other movie lists. Enjoy and please let us know some of your favorite (and least favorite) movies from 2010 in the comments!

Mac

Hailee Steinfeld & Jeff Bridges in True Grit

“A lot of top best/worsts list share titles, from Inception, Kick-Ass & Toy Story 3 to Legion & When in Rome, so I went with rewatchability. Meaning something I can laugh and clap my hands at. Like a magician!”

Best Movie of the Year, Hands Down: True Grit

Top 10 Movies That Will Get The Most Blu-ray Play

  1. The Book of Eli
  2. The Losers
  3. Hot Tub Time Machine
  4. Piranha 3D
  5. Easy A
  6. Waking Sleeping Beauty
  7. Red
  8. Machete
  9. The Crazies
  10. Rare Exports

Dinah

Emma Stone in Easy A

“I feel like I could have easily done a Top 10 or even Top 20 list of movies I really enjoyed this year. But if I have to narrow it down to just five, then I’m going to go with the ones that I talked about the most and/or simply can’t wait to watch again. And again.”

  1. Easy A – Hilarious teen comedy genius.
  2. Babies – Maybe because I’m having a baby, but I thought this film was lovely and I’ve been talking about it all year.
  3. Red – Fun fun fun fun fun.
  4. The King’s Speech – So well done and so enjoyable.
  5. True Grit – Love and perfection.

“As for bad movies, I’ll just say this: I am really forgiving. I mean it. I love movies and love watching them and will usually find SOME redeeming quality in a film that can justify the time spent watching it. These five, however, represent approximately 10 hours of my life I’d really like to have back so I can do something more enjoyable. Like my taxes.”

  1. Legion
  2. Edge of Darkness
  3. When in Rome
  4. Clash of the Titans
  5. Killers

Jackie

"Banksy" in Exit Through the Gift Shop

Top 5 Favorite Films of 2010

  1. Exit Through the Gift Shop – Only subversive artist Banksy could turn a documentary that starts out about him into a film by him. This art documentary follows an eccentric LA-based French shopkeeper turned amateur filmmaker as he attempts to capture many of the world’s most infamous street artists on camera, only to have the British artist Banksy turn the camcorder back on him with wildly unexpected and often hilarious results.
  2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest and Played with Fire – Exposing corporate espionage and solving sadistic crimes is just another day in the lives of middle-aged journalist Mikael Blomkvist and 20-something hacker Lisbeth Salander (the best crime-fighting duo since Batman and Robin!) in these dark Swedish suspense films based on the best-selling novels by Stieg Larsson.
  3. I Am Love – Tradition and passion are at war as the wealthy Recchi family navigates through changing times and fortunes in this elegant melodrama from Italian director Luca Guadagnino. At the center of the film is Emma Recchi , the Russian-born matriarch of a powerful industrial Milanese family, who embarks on a passionate love affair with a younger man. The film is a veritable feast of the senses from the lush landscapes of the Italian country side and rich interiors to the sumptuous meals and scenes heighted by John Adams’ jarring operatic compositions and Tilda Swinton’s Oscar-worthy performance.
  4. The King’s Speech – Colin Firth gives a masterful performance in the stylishly produced and rousing period drama as the stuttering King George VI who finds his voice thanks to an eccentric Australian speech therapist played by the always engaging Geoffrey Rush. Filled with moments of both anguish and humor, the film also features Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon and more.
  5. The Social Network – Money, girls and greed before the age of 26 are the themes in this story about the founders of Facebook directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Starring Jesse Eisenberg in a chilly performance as founder Mark Zuckerberg, the films also boasts one of the best taglines ever, “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”

Dre

Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Inception

“Let’s please keep in mind that I certainly did not see EVERYTHING that released this year. Not even close. I saw a handful of films, and from the ones I saw, these are the ones that I liked the best. I know I have MANY more to see before the Oscars in February!”

Top 10 Movies of 2010

  1. Inception – Whoa. Like, whoa. Loved it. Saw it before all the hype spoiled it for me, and I watched with an eagle eye to make sure I didn’t miss any of the transitions between levels. Awesome. Joseph Gordon, call me.
  2. Black Swan – I think that, in general, men don’t understand this movie. Girls are mean, man, and they can get inside of each other’s heads. OCD never looked so hot on-screen.
  3. Kick-Ass – I’m pretty sure there isn’t anything more endearing to me than an 11 year old dropping the C-word on a bunch of thugs. Way to take the comic book/superhero movie and turn it on it’s ear. Hit Girl 4-evah!
  4. Iron Man 2 – Robert Downey. ScarJo. In contrast to #3, this was a more traditional, comic book/superhero movie. Beautiful people in sexy superhero suits- I love it! And I’m pretty sure I had 12 heart attacks during the movie, which proves that I liked it.
  5. Tangled – This film delivered FAR beyond expectations for me. I felt like I was watching a stage show with all of the incredible performances. Mandy Moore, you are back on my list, and I’ve forgotten all about that ‘Because I Said So’ fiasco from a few years ago.
  6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Awkward half nekkid Ron & Hermione aside, I love seeing my favorite wizards and witches on the big screen, and I can’t wait for the FINAL final chapter!
  7. How to Train Your Dragon – I cried. I admit it. I love to root for an underdog, and I love non-canine animals that behave like dogs in movies- especially animated ones!
  8. Toy Story 3 – Those Pixar peeps know how to get to my heart strings. That Mr. Potato Head sequence had me and the 5 year olds surrounding me in the movie theater in stitches!
  9. Hot Tub Time Machine – Yep. Every year has to have a ridiculous comedy with an awesome ensemble cast. This was it. Pretty sure the big furry bear in the hot tub made my day. Well, that, and Chevy Chase.
  10. The Runaways – Ok, so I didn’t see a lot of films this year, but Dakota as Cherie with the Bowie make-up, on-stage at her school talent show was priceless. She can do no wrong for me. And finally, KStew’s crappy attitude and grouch-face was perfectly cast as badass Joan Jett.

Brigid

Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Top 5 Films I Still Need to See

  1. True Grit
  2. I Am Love
  3. Easy A
  4. Blue Valentine
  5. The King’s Speech

Top 5 Favorite Films of 2010

  1. Black Swan
  2. The Fighter
  3. Going the Distance
  4. The Social Network
  5. 127 Hours

5 Films I Do Not Need To Ever See Again

  1. Legion
  2. Edge of Darkness
  3. Frozen
  4. Valentine’s Day
  5. The Back-Up Plan

Emily

Hiccup & Toothless in How to Train Your Dragon

Surprisingly Enjoyable

  1. Daybreakers
  2. Hot Tub Time Machine
  3. The Losers
  4. Knight and Day
  5. The Runaways

Holy Crap, I Can’t Believe That Just Happened

  1. How to Train Your Dragon
  2. A-Team
  3. Inception
  4. Easy A
  5. The Town
  6. The Social Network
  7. Red
  8. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Amanda

Carey Mulligan & Andrew Garfield in Never Let Me Go

Top 5 Favorite Movies of 2010

  1. Inception
  2. The Kids Are All Right
  3. Never Let Me Go
  4. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
  5. Black Swan

Scott

Chloe Moretz in Let Me In

“If you ask me tomorrow, these rankings would probably change. There were so many good films this year!”

Overall Top 10 Favorite Films of 2010

  1. How to Train Your Dragon
  2. Black Swan
  3. Let Me In
  4. The Social Network
  5. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
  6. Kick-Ass
  7. The Town
  8. Splice
  9. Easy A
  10. Inception

Top 10 Favorite Horror Films of 2010

  1. Black Swan
  2. Let Me In
  3. Splice
  4. Frozen
  5. The Crazies
  6. The Last Exorcism
  7. Shutter Island
  8. Best Worst Movie – It’s about a horror film, so that counts!
  9. [REC] 2
  10. Devil

Top 5 Favorite Animated Films of 2010

  1. How to Train Your Dragon – As much as I love the next two films on the list, this one was just absolutely magical and perfect.
  2. Despicable Me
  3. Toy Story 3
  4. Shrek Forever After
  5. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole

Top 5 Films of 2010 That Surprised Me By How Much I Actually Enjoyed Them

  1. Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang (Retitled Nanny McPhee Returns for US release)
  2. She’s Out of My League
  3. Dear John – What can I say? I’m a sucker for Nicholas Sparks.
  4. Youth In Revolt
  5. Shrek Forever After
By: Scott Neumyer

Happy Holidays from the biggest Geeks we know!
Dec 24, 2010

It’s the holiday season and greeting cards are flying around like an East Coast snow flurry.  We had as much fun creating our card as many others, but of all the ones we received, our friends at Geeks of Doom have given our inner geek the bear hug it deserves this Christmas.

This Christmas Day, Santa brings you the gift of the Dr. Who Christmas Special on BBC America. We must have been very, very good this year.

By: Mac McLean

Happy Holidays!!
Dec 17, 2010

From the Click Crew to all of you… Happy Holidays!!

Clockwise from Left: Dre, Amanda, Jackie, Brigid, Scott, Emily, Dinah, Mac

By: Scott Neumyer

Click Hearts Halloween
Oct 29, 2010

Halloween is only two days away and, in spirit of the holiday, we decided to ask each and every Clickster about some of their favorite Halloween memories. We asked everyone three questions:

  1. What is your favorite Halloween memory?
  2. What is your favorite Halloween Costume you’ve ever worn?
  3. What are your plans for this year’s Halloween?

Dig in and check out the answers below, and please, feel free to give us your answers in the comments. Have a spooktacular weekend!

Mac

Mac rides into town as Zorro!

  1. “Honestly, it’s not a single specific memory, but I always loved sorting my loot out at the end of the night. I was very Scrooge McDuck about it. I still do the same thing, only with Blu-rays and comic books. Just sorting piles, stacking them higher. What’s that? Why yes, I am a Scorpio.”
  2. “I’d have to say my best costume is my custom made Ash costume from Evil Dead 2. Followed by my Bill Lumberg costume. Yyyeeaaaaaah…”
  3. “Same as every year, Pinky. House parties on Saturday and now that I’m old and boring, on actual-Halloween we tend to stay home watching movies and giving trick ‘r’ treaters poisoned candy. Of course by poison I mean black licorice. That stuff is disgusting. Happy Halloween, kids! Oh, and of course I’ll be watching the East coast feed of “The Walking Dead.”

Dinah

Dinah says "Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."

  1. “Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays since I was a kid, so it’s hard to choose just one memory. I do remember Halloween 1985, my mom and I threw together what turned out to be a fairly sensational Statue of Liberty ensemble. It was around the same time it was being renovated, so it was my first “topical” costume. We came up with the idea the day before I needed something for the school contest, and crafted the whole thing with stuff we found around the house at the last minute. It came out so well I won first prize in the school costume contest! Sadly, we got no pictures, but trust me – it was a great example of my mom’s crafting genius.”
  2. “Trinity from The Matrix. 2000 was the first and last time Mac and I ever did a “couples costume.” (He was Neo, of course.) Mac is a stickler for costume details, so the two of us really pulled out all the stops. The results were totally badass.”
  3. “We’ll check out a couple costume parties, but on Halloween itself, I like to stay home & pass out candy to all the neighborhood monsters. Also, we will be watching this.”

Scott

Scott, sporting a homemade pirate costume, with his mother and sister.

  1. “My favorite Halloween memories are getting engaged on the beach in Stone Harbor on Halloween weekend, and getting married a few years later… also on Halloween weekend (and, yes, we had a Corpse Bride cake topper). It’s safe to say it’s my favorite holiday.”
  2. “My favorite costume was probably also my most pathetic. When I was working at the local drug store in high school, I squeezed into this ridiculous lion costume and worked the entire day like that. I looked horrible, and none of my co-workers were dressed up, but it was fun and all the customers seemed to get a kick out of it.”
  3. “Since The Wiggle Bear had Chicken Pox last year when she wasn’t even one year old yet, we didn’t get to take her out for Halloween. We’re making up for it this year by letting her dress up as Abby Cadabby and taking her up and down my wife’s childhood street trick or treating for a few hours. I plan to take as many pictures as humanly possible. Then it’s home to try to convince my wife to watch “The Walking Dead” with me. Wish me luck!”

Scott & his little Wiggle Bear with her Chicken Pox

Jackie

Jackie stands next to Yoda.

  1. “Going through the mazes at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios with friends who decided it would be super funny to make me go first through every single one!”
  2. “A Southern Belle dress from “North & South” that I got to borrow from the famed Western Costume Co., but I made the mistake of wearing it to class and let’s just say hoops aren’t meant for school desks or classroom doorways.”
  3. “Co-hosting the second annual Haunted Hills party for 100 people with witches brew cocktails and a kill room for the DJ dance area!”

Dre

Wonder Dre complete with her bracelets!

  1. “My mom made my brother and my costumes for the first 10 years of my life or so.”
  2. “I was a hippie one year, and got to wear my mother’s bandana and suede fringe vest from the 70’s.”
  3. “Lay low, and eat some candy with friends.”

Brigid

Brigid does her best Marilyn Monroe.

  1. “Dressing up as a sailor and wearing my grandpa’s sailor uniform.”
  2. “The I Dream of Jeannie costume my grandma made for me.”
  3. “It’s my favorite holiday so going to as many Halloween parties as possible. This year I am dressing up as Katy Perry and my boyfriend is going to be Russell Brand.”

Emily

Emily as Rainbow Bright.

  1. “Trick or treating with my cousin in his neighborhood, which had a lot more houses in it than mine. More houses = more candy.”
  2. “The Rainbow Bright costume my mom made me when I was about 6 or 7 was pretty bad ass. It even had the yarn wig and spats to go over my shoes.”
  3. “A group of friends will be dressing up as Batman villains and invading West Hollywood for the parade/contest/FUN.”

Amanda

Amanda isn't afraid of the Big Bad Wolf!

  1. “That moment of looking at all your candy before you get sick/have nightmares.”
  2. “Dead Drew Barrymore from Scream.”
  3. “If I ever settle on a costume, going to a party and trying to avoid crazy LA Halloween traffic (so avoiding West Hollywood entirely).”

Memory

Declan as Cookie Monster & Bryn as Little Red Riding Hood

  1. “Every Halloween my brother and I would fill up huge pillowcases with candy by going house to house (for hours) and then we would get home, sort it and trade with each other.”
  2. “Well, honestly I have no photos of any of my costumes growing up. I can’t even remember what I was as a kid. I do, however, remember when my sisters were only 2 (they are twins) my mom made them into a pair of dice (black leotards, cardboard boxes painted white with black dots, black dot for a hat). Super cute!”
  3. “This year we will dress up the kids and do about an hour of trick or treating and then come home and let the kids hand out candy. Bryn is going to be a chef (complete with wooden spoon) and Declan is going to be Super Why.”

Sarah

Sarah is a sassy little ladybug.

  1. “Halloween while studying overseas. People came up with costumes from their own wardrobes or borrowed from others (the guys raided all the girls’ closets). It was a really creative display.”
  2. “In 5th grade, I was a box of Honey Nut Cheerios. We painted it to look exactly like an actual box of cereal and glued Cheerios all over the front in the bowl of milk. Lots of people took pictures of me. It was fun.”
  3. “Taking the kids Trick or Treating. Russell is going to be a diver (while Daddio and Papa are sharks) and Sophie is going to be a Bumble Bee (with Mommy and Gramma). It should be lots of fun.”

Russell the Diver & Sophie the Bee

By: Scott Neumyer

Click Hearts Horror Movies
Oct 25, 2010

With Halloween just around the corner, we here at Click thought it might be fun to do a few horror themed posts for this week. The first will give you a little taste of our horror movie tastes, as we asked each of the Clicksters about their favorite horror movie.

We do happen to have a few non-horror fans here at Click (gasp!), so we simply asked them to tell us about the scariest movie they’ve ever seen.

Mac

"When there's no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth."

“Dawn of the Dead. Both of them. Choosing a favorite horror movie is almost impossible, but at the end of the day, I’ll always choose something tangible that can be killed with household items. Sharks, zombies, mutants, cave dwellers, inbred hillbillies, etc.”

Dinah

"Say hello to my boomstick!"

“Mine is Army of Darkness because it was the first horror movie that proved to me that scary can also be really fun. It’s campy, gross, hilarious and still provides good jumps, even after multiple viewings. It also has Bruce Campbell: ‘Hail to the king, baby.’”

Scott

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs. I’m a little obsessed. I remember watching it nearly every single day after school in my junior and senior years of high school. Scary!

Jackie

The iconic image from The Exorcist.

“The Exorcist because the film never ceases to scare me no matter how many times I have seen it. As a result, you will never see me play the Ouija board – just in case…”

Dre

Beware the Wheelers!

“I don’t watch horror movies. Return to Oz is probably the scariest movie I’ve ever seen. I could hear those heads yelling, ‘Moooooooombi!’ every time I closed my eyes for months!”

Brigid

"The power of Christ compels you!!"

“The Exorcist. It was one of the first scary movies I saw as a kid and it still scares me.”

Emily

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho

“Favorite horror movie is Psycho. You just can’t go wrong with a classic.”

Amanda

Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby

“My husband introduced me to Italian horror when we were first dating, and Tenebre and Suspiria are two of my favorites. There’s a weird movie called May that I love – it’s 90% black, black comedy, and then the last 20 minutes are horrific. The first scary movie I ever saw was Poltergeist and it gave me such terrible nightmares I still can’t watch it. But I think my all time favorite is Rosemary’s Baby, I know every line by heart. ‘All of them witches, all of them!’”

Memory

Dinner Time in Motel Hell

“I am not a fan now but I grew up watching them. I guess the one that stuck with me the most were the Freddy ones [A Nightmare on Elm Street].  However, there was this one (can’t remember the name) where they would bury people up to their necks and turn them into sausages [Motel Hell]. LOL. That one stuck with me too.”

Sarah

Gore Verbinski's The Ring

“Don’t like them, so scariest… The Ring.  That movie scared the snot out of me.  I couldn’t sleep and watching TV in the dark was a no go for a while.”

By: Scott Neumyer