21 Jump Street

In this action-comedy based on the 1980s-debuted TV show, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum play youthful undercover cops who work the local high school. There to investigate a drug ring, the guys find that much has changed since their own school days.

This is what the 2004 film “Starsky & Hutch” should have been like. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson could learn a few things from Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. I did not care for the 2004 film but thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I have to come out and admit I did watch the original 21 Jump Street back in the 80’s. It had more of a serious tone to it. It wasn’t the best show out there but I still did enjoy it. I did like it when Johnny Depp and Peter DeLuise were “The McQuaid Brothers” in a few episodes. It was nice to see Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum going undercover as them. This was a nice homage to the original.

There were a lot of juvenile, sophomoric jokes in this but it was the nice moments in the movie I really appreciated. Jonah Hill played the dork character while Channing Tatum was the cool kid. They were not friends in High School but 7 years later become the best of friends in the Police Academy. When they go back to High School undercover their roles are reversed. This technique has been done numerous times in different movies but I really liked how this one played out.

I am giving this one 3.7 stars. It had humor, kindness and some really totally unexpected cameos. The cameos were so good I will not spoil them here. There are some crude scenes so this movie is definitely not for everyone.

Click here for the Netflix link in case you would like to add it to your queue.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
The Internet Guy
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e-mail: alan@alantheinternetguy.com

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The Change-Up

In this contemporary reality-warp comedy, single playboy Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and responsible husband-father Dave (Jason Bateman) are best buddies who want each other’s life — and they get the chance when they magically swap bodies after a night of drunken revelry.

This movie is rude, crude and socially unacceptable. Other words I would use would be juvenile, sophomoric and offensive. It reminded me of “There’s something about Mary” on the offensive scale. I have to say I liked it. We live in such an easily offended society I could see many different people being upset over some the stuff depicted in this film. I think they were trying and they succeeded.

This is definitely a “guys” movie. It works because deep down the two buddies have each other backs and they get to see the best of both worlds. My only complaint is some parts seemed uneven as the story flowed.

If you like movies like There’s something about Mary, The Hangover, Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin you may want to check this one out. It can be offensive and sweet at the same time. Actress Leslie Mann (Judd Apatow’s wife) who is in three of the movies listed is in this as Dave’s wife. We do get to see her topless here. I do believe the four movies I listed above were funnier but again this is worth checking out.

I am giving this one an even 3 stars. If you are easily offended please do not watch.

Click here for the Netflix link in case you would like to add it to your queue.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
The Internet Guy
http://www.alantheinternetguy.com
e-mail: alan@alantheinternetguy.com

The Original Internet Guy Website (2004)
http://www.internetguy.ws

Drive

A Hollywood stuntman (Ryan Gosling) who moonlights as a getaway driver is lured from his isolated life by a lovely neighbor (Carey Mulligan) and her young son. His newfound peace is shattered, however, when her violent husband is released from prison.

I normally do not care for excessive violent movies but I enjoyed this one. It had elements of some other favorite movies of mine including Kill Bill (2003), Man of Fire (2004), The Mechanic (1972) and The Cooler (2003).

This particular movie reminded me of the movies I saw in the 1980s with my friends. It had a Miami Vice feel. They did use a few music video montages to advance the story. Normally I do not care for this technique but it worked well here.

The trailer above tells the complete story of this movie. Ryan Gosling plays “Driver.” He does not have a name. His character is mysterious. All we know is he is an excellent driver and as the movie goes forward he is good at a few other things too. I like his character as he is a man of his word. He has good intentions.

Unfortunately for our hero his story takes place in seedy Los Angeles. There are elements way beyond his control and we get to see how this mysterious man reacts. It is a quick, fun joy ride.

I am giving this movie 3.6 out of 5 stars. One of the main reasons why I am rating this one high is it is short. It is only one hour forty minutes. If it was in the two hour range I would give it a 3.

My only complaint was the use of Christina Hendricks (aka Joan Holloway on Mad Men). I wish she was given more airtime. Still it was nice to see her and Bryan Cranston (aka Walter White on Breaking Bad) taking a break from my favorite AMC Television Shows.

Click here for the Netflix link in case you would like to add it to your queue. This movie is available for Netflix Streaming.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
The Film Movie Critic
http://www.filmmoviecritic.com
E-mail: the@filmmoviecritic.com

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

When a young computer hacker (Rooney Mara) is tasked with investigating a prying journalist (Daniel Craig), their separate missions become entangled amid a decades-old conspiracy. David Fincher directs this English adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel.

I didn’t read the novel or see the 2009 foreign film with English subtitles. All I know is what I saw in this movie. It is a long movie. It is 2 hours and 38 minutes long. When a movie is this long I expect it to be spectacular, I expect Spartacus. This was not Spartacus.

The acting was fine. I enjoyed the location shots and the story line interested me enough to watch all of it. There is a disturbing rape scene and other scenes of graphic violence. Some things are left better for the imagination.

I knew going in this was not the “feel good movie of the year” but the ending bothered me. My biggest complaint is the length of the movie.

I am giving this one 2.8 stars. It is not a bad movie but just too long for my liking.

Click here for the Netflix link in case you would like to add it to your queue.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
The Film Movie Critic
http://www.filmmoviecritic.com
E-mail: the@filmmoviecritic.com

J. Edgar

I am going to do this review a little differently. Before I recommend you spend 2 hours 17 minutes on a movie I suggest you checkout the Clint Eastwood interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. This is where I learned about this film and quickly added it to my Netflix Queue. I was very impressed with this movie like I was with two of his other films, Play Misty for Me (1971) and Gran Torino (2008). Clint is the man. I do not think you can be more American than Clint Eastwood.

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Now my regular review.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this riveting biopic as J. Edgar Hoover, the longtime FBI director as notorious for his overzealous methods of law enforcement as for the rumors regarding his cross-dressing and close relationship with protégé Clyde Tolson.

I have watched many movies over the years and the name “J. Edgar Hoover” has been referenced a lot. A good example of this would be “Public Enemies (2009)” starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Christian Bale played Melvin Purvis who had a strained relationship with J. Edgar. You saw Melvin Purvis’ point of view in Public Enemies, in “J. Edgar” you see Hoover’s. I didn’t care so much for Public Enemies but I almost recommend watching it along with J. Edgar as the stories overlap.

The movie J. Edgar goes back and forth with the beginning of his career to the end. I did not know he played a key role in such things as a centralized fingerprint file and forensic laboratories until I watched this film. It was an eye opener.

This film does spend considerable time on his personal life and it is up to the viewer to make up his or her own conclusions. I do believe in watching this J. Edgar Hoover was more romantically interested in other men than women. He took an immediate liking to his protégé Clyde Tolson. Was a romantic relationship ever consummated between the two? I do not think we will ever know for sure.

He did have a difficult relationship with his mother. She was demanding at times as she was his whole life. I did feel sorry for him here. I am just sharing what I saw in this movie as one of my history buff friends hates him.

There is one quality I admire about J. Edgar Hoover. He was a good judge of character and had an excellent brain trust. He trusted both Helen Gandy and Clyde Tolson with everything and they never betrayed him. Were his secret files ever found? Trust is important and it was nice to see it here.

I am giving this movie 4 stars. I might be a little biased as it is a Clint Eastwood movie.

Click here for the Netflix link in case you would like to add it to your queue.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
The Film Movie Critic
http://www.filmmoviecritic.com
E-mail: the@filmmoviecritic.com

The Ides of March

Dirty tricks stand to soil an ambitious young press spokesman’s (Ryan Gosling) idealism in a cutthroat presidential campaign where “victory” is relative. The film, directed by George Clooney, is inspired by the real-life experiences of an aide who worked on Howard Dean’s failed 2004 run.

This movie stars Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Max Minghella, Jennifer Ehle and Michael Mantell.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti are two of my favorite actors. They are usually not leading men but their performances in any movie stands out. It was great to see them play off each other. Marisa Tomei did a great job as the reporter covering the primary. This is a well cast movie.

This film is a political drama and not political thriller. There are no car chases, guns fired or punches thrown. There is one death. Was the death accidental or intentional? It was a question that went through my mind as I watched. This is a thinking person’s movie.

Most people I know hate politics. Unfortunately politics is part of our everyday life. Most people think of politics as just holding public office. I see it when someone wants to be Grand Knight in a Knights of Columbus hall, a Grand Master in a Masonic Lodge and Condo President. It can get ugly.

Ryan Gosling does a good enough job as the leading man. His character is a player with integrity. He knows how to work people and at the same time does believe his man (George Clooney) is the man. He really believes his candidate will make the world a better place. He is idealistic and watching him change as the story develops was good drama. I have a friend who was involved in a political campaign some years back and got bummed out by the treachery and backstabbing. I have another friend that was in the Press so this story is very believable to me.

I’m giving this movie 3.2 stars. It was an elaborate chess game and it was entertaining seeing it play out. I like movies that make you think. I liked it for Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Marisa Tomei. I also liked Gregory Itzin’s small part at the end. He was President Charles Logan from the popular show “24”. I would like to see the four of them again in a movie.

Click here for the Netflix link in case you would like to add it to your queue.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
The Film Movie Critic
http://www.filmmoviecritic.com
E-mail: the@filmmoviecritic.com

The Notebook

Two young lovers (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams) are torn apart by war and class differences in the 1940s in this adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’s best-selling novel. Their story is told by a man (James Garner) who, years later, reads from a notebook while he visits a woman in a nursing home (Gena Rowlands). Nick Cassavetes directs this heart-tugging romance about the sacrifices people will make to hang on to their one true love.

I want to go on record and let my readers know I do not have anything against movies classified as “chick flicks.” I enjoy all types of different movies. I liked “The Proposal (2009)” starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. I really liked “Love and Other Drugs” and rated very high on this blog. Click here for my Love and Other Drugs review.

I have such an utter dislike for The Notebook. I am surprised how many women rave about this movie. I have many women friends who will post on Facebook “what part of no didn’t you understand” as their status. Same women friends love this film. I am going to guess that the person who said “no actually means yes” got the idea from this. In the beginning Noah is clearly stalking Allie. She says no quite a few times and he still doesn’t leave her alone. He even follows her when she is on a date with another man on a ferris wheel. This is not romance, it is stalking.

People see movies like this and think this is how I should act to impress someone. Our society is way too imitative. I have wasted so many hours of my life in sexual harassment training to learn two things… Don’t ever touch and no means no. This movie undermines this.

The second thing I didn’t like about this movie is how Noah dealt with his best friend getting killed in war. It didn’t seem to faze him when it happened and he never talks about it. What was the point of having this character? If his loss was more part of the story I think I would have liked it better.

The last thing I will say is I did not like the ending. I thought it was selfish and it bothered me. I do not think this is a good movie.

I am giving this one 2 stars. I recommend “The Proposal” and/or “Love and Other Drugs” over this.

Click here for the Netflix link in case you would like to add it to your queue.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
The Film Movie Critic
http://www.filmmoviecritic.com
E-mail: the@filmmoviecritic.com

Game of Thrones

When a power vacuum emerges in the mythical land of Westeros following mighty King Robert’s death, several noble families, including the Starks, Lannisters and Baratheons, wage war against each other for control of the vacant Iron Throne. Full of political and sexual intrigue, this fantasy series, based on George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels, also chronicles the rise of an ancient evil, which threatens the entire kingdom.

I always liked science fiction but never cared so much for medieval fantasies. I still don’t care for dungeons and dragons but I will put this show in a whole different category. This is a good character driven show.

I will warn there is plenty of nudity, violence, decapitations and foul language but I can’t wait for season two to come out on Netflix. I recommend getting this series on DVD as one of the features was the history of the families. It was great to have a map. This show reminded me of ABC’s “Lost” with the different characters and backstories.

The political stories are relevant in today’s society. A good example is when it was discussed who would make a good King for the land. They questioned if a great warrior would be a good king. How many times have different people said Military Men typically do not make good presidents? We see stories on bullying and my favorite theme from Star Trek “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The ten episodes I watched went by quick.

Click here for the Netflix link in case you would like to add it to your queue.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
The Film Movie Critic
http://www.filmmoviecritic.com
E-mail: the@filmmoviecritic.com

Young Adult

Soon after her divorce, fiction writer Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) returns to her home in small-town Minnesota, looking to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson), who is now happily married and has a newborn daughter. This dark comedy was directed by Jason Reitman from a screenplay written by Diablo Cody. They worked together before on “Juno” which I thought was a better film. This is a good film just that I liked Juno a little more.

This is the reason why I will never go to a High School Reunion. There is not an actual High School Reunion but it felt that way watching. Mavis left her small-town to become a big deal while everyone else stayed. Many of the characters did not evolve from Highs School which is evident when one of character refers to Mavis as “psychotic prom queen b____.” There is truth in the statement but still after many years move on.

The interesting thing for me to watch was the friendship between Mavis and Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt). Matt and Mavis had neighboring lockers for three years yet Mavis didn’t really acknowledge Matt during those years. She was the cool, hip girl while Matt was the fat dork. I do understand why these two would be friends years later, he still looks up to her as a goddess while she needs that admiration.

Interesting thing, I know someone who was very popular in High School. College and later life wasn’t as good to him. He hooked up recently with a girl who thought the world of him during those early years. I mention this as the only likeable character in this movie is Buddy’s wife Beth (Elizabeth Reaser). She’s the girl that idolized Buddy in High School who was able to hook up with him when Mavis left town.

This movie is definitely a dark comedy. The jokes are subtle. This is one of those movies where the viewer has to think. The character Matt became partially disabled in High School after being beaten by jocks who assumed he was gay. Matt is not gay however watching the dialogue between Mavis and Buddy early we learn Mavis started the rumor. The narcissistic Mavis doesn’t have a clue what damage she erroneously caused him. I picked up on this but not sure too many other viewers did.

Mavis is not likeable. Her character reminded me in some ways of “Travis Bickle” from the 1976 classic film “Taxi Driver.” Both characters are delusional living in their own world and not aware of what is going on around them. I thought it was entertaining to watch but wouldn’t want them in my life. I am giving this movie 3.4 stars. It is well acted, the story flowed and it had me thinking about the decisions I have made in my life.

On a different note from watching this movie I learned that Minneapolis is sometimes called the “Mini-Apple.” I like learning something new.

Click here for the Netflix link in case you would like to add it to your queue.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
The Film Movie Critic
http://www.filmmoviecritic.com
E-mail: the@filmmoviecritic.com

Another Year

Over the course of a tumultuous year, contented medical counselor Gerri (Ruth Sheen) and her geologist husband, Tom (Jim Broadbent), see their friends and relations through a series of happy events and heartbreaks — including a birth and a death. Imelda Staunton and Oliver Maltman co-star in this character-driven ensemble dramedy from writer-director Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky, Vera Drake, Secrets & Lies).

This is my second Mike Leigh movie. The first was Happy-Go-Lucky. Both of these movies will be staying in my mind for a long time as the characters were very real.

I have been known to say “I can’t stand drama.” This is not entirely true. I do like drama in movies and this is a gosh darn good one. I like the use of the garden Gerri and Tom have over the course of the year. Anyone that has done any gardening will appreciate it. I also liked how this movie (and Garden) was broken up into four different parts — spring, summer, fall and winter.

Gerri and Tom are boring however their friends make this film. Mary (Lesley Manville) is Gerri’s co-worker and friend. She is fiftyish and has the maturity level of someone in their late 20’s/early 30’s. I suspect she was really attractive back in her day but the years have caught up. Mary thinks men in crowded restaurants are staring at her, gets drunk wondering if exes think about her and has to sleep in Gerri and Tom’s spare bedroom because she is hammered. I do know a few people like her and I Alan Brian Zibluk chose to stay away.

The second interesting character is Tom’s oldest friend Ken (Peter Wight). Ken is kind of fat and similar to Mary, drinks too much. There is scene where Gerri, Tom and Ken are all together outside and Gerri decides to stay back to let the guys bond. They drink, laugh and reminisce. They talk about old pubs they use to frequent and now how the pubs just have young people. Later the two of them would in a good nature disagree in what years certain events took place. Finally you see Ken cry over the old friend he used to go to pubs with passing away. Tom would comfort him and tell him that someday they will do the old run again. I know Tom really means someday they will go but in actuality you know it will never happen. Life gets in the way. Unlike Mary I would be friends with someone like Ken. I wouldn’t want to spend too much time as there is drama but he has a good heart. I like people with good hearts.

These characters felt real and my favorite scenes were when Mary and Ken were together. Both Mary and Ken are single so one would think they would hook up. Ken is for this but Mary, who really shouldn’t be too picky, wants anyone but him. He makes sad attempts and she wants no part. She even laughs at him and is pretty rude. Mary is too busy for him as she is thinking she has a chance with Gerri and Tom’s son who is only thirty. She makes pitiful attempts in meeting him for drinks. It was sad.

This movie to me was a fantastic observation of life. The only thing I did not like about this film is the writer’s narrative that in order to be happy you have to be with someone. Gerri and Tom are the only characters happy beginning to end. Their son in the beginning isn’t happy being single in watching friends get married. Later the son does have a girlfriend and does seem happy. I respectfully disagree with that but at the same time really enjoyed this movie. There are no bullets, explosions or nudity so this movie may not be right for everyone. I am giving it 4.4 stars.

Click here for the Netflix link in case you would like to add it to your queue.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
The Film Movie Critic
http://www.filmmoviecritic.com
E-mail: the@filmmoviecritic.com