Movie Info:
Writer: Doug Berman, Ray Magliozzi, Tom Magliozzi, Doug Mayer, Tom Minton
Director: Tom Sito
Cast: Ray Magliozzi, Tom Magliozzi, Cornell Womack, Paul Christie, Juan Hernandez, Manu Narayan, Kelli O’Hara
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 30, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

Having an animated comedy on PBS may seem a bit like an oxymoron to some. By and large PBS is not really a funny station. If I want a laugh it’s generally not the place that I go to when I am in need of a laugh. In fact, this is not really a show that I am familiar with. When I received Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns in the mail I had absolutely no idea what it was. I had never heard of it.

After watching it I have to say that the potential is there, but this show is far from what it could be, which will make a lot of people toss it to the side without a second glance. If this was all the show ever had to offer I have to say that I wouldn’t blame them either.

Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns is based on NPR’s Car Talk with the Tappet Brothers. I have never heard this show, but I do know that it is an advice-based show that is filled with humor. If you want the humor from this show you should continue to enjoy Car Talk and not venture over to PBS and Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns . The humor should be here, but it isn’t. The jokes are weak and the timing is bad. At best this will be a better option for kids. For adults, it feels like it has been dumbed down and that’s always a harder pill to swallow when you’re watching something that isn’t that good to begin with.

This isn’t going to be a show that adults embrace. They may like the fact that kids like it or that it’s otherwise harmless in the scheme of things. They won’t want to watch it though unless the issues are worked out to make it worth watching. In its current state the animation is crude, which doesn’t bother me in the least. What does bother me is that the writing is subpar and while the potential is so close you can taste it, there are no results appearing at all. Click and Clack: As the Wrench Turns is the show that could be good, but isn’t.

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Director: Graham Judd
Cast: Henry Louis Gates Jr., Don Cheadle, Chris Rock, Tina Turner, Morgan Freeman, Maya Angelou, Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Rating: PG
Studio: PBS & Paramount
Release Date: May 6, 2008

I’ve always found the study of a person’s ancestry to be absolutely fascinating. After watching Roots and reading about the controversy over the authenticity of the story Alex Haley told I’ve been quite fascinated by the ancestral roots of famous African Americans. Thanks to the African American Lives series I’ve been able to go along with many African American celebrities as they trace their fascinating roots.

Harvard intellectual and educator Henry Louis Gates Jr. not only hosts the show, he produces it. Alone the way, Gates explores his own unique lineage, which has followed the path of his white ancestry as well as his African American ancestry. In this installment, which debuted as a series of mini-series episodes starting in February of 2008 on PBS, Gates looks back at his connections in Ireland, as well as his ancestors within an African American tribe in Nigeria. Whatever way you cut it this is some pretty interesting stuff!

Release Information:
With the success of the first African American Lives miniseries, which aired in 2006, and featured Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg amongst other famous individuals, it only seemed right to do a follow-up series. This is why African American Lives 2 was produced. A new set of famous individuals as well as one, everyday woman, who was accepted from a list of 200 applicants, have the chance to find out where they came from and who their ancestors are.

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