This updated feature-film take on the hit 1980s television show follows a group of Iraq War veterans on the run from U.S. military forces while they try to clear their names after being framed for a crime they didn’t commit. Along the way, Col. Hannibal Smith, Capt. H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock , Sgt. Bosco “B.A.” Baracus and Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck help out various people they encounter. Joe Carnahan directs this high-octane actioner.

I will say this movie is a worthy remake (or reboot) of its 1980’s TV series predecessor. Both had preposterous situations but also just a lot of fun. I was reminded of the Transformer movies during this as there were lots of explosions, enemy fire, and falling debris. We have characters constantly escaping certain death and never once did I fear for any of our heroes.

There are no gray characters. We just have good guys taking on the bad guys. The friendship in the TV series seemed more genuine.

My only problem is the Jessica Biel character. Although she cannot act and her only purpose is to be eye candy, it doesn’t work here. This formula works really well with Megan Fox in the Transformer movies but not here. Here’s why, a girl just doesn’t belong with The A-Team. It didn’t work for Melinda Culea and Marla Heasley in the TV series, it doesn’t work for Jessica Biel.

I want to say to the women readers I feel the same way about Sex in the City. A guy would not belong at the same table with Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. Yes I did watch the TV series, no to your second question and it would have been Cynthia Nixon.

Watching this movie will not make you any smarter but it was fun. It was a good escape. I am giving this one 3 stars and putting it in the category of “guilty pleasures” in my movie folder. Other movies in this category are Road House, Lethal Weapon and Independence Day.

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
Cell: (203) 500-3834
E-mail: al@alzibluk.com

Ambitious young record company intern Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) will let nothing get in the way of his planned rise to the top in the music business — not even the unruly rock star (Russell Brand) he must escort to Los Angeles for the start of his anniversary concert. Doing whatever it takes to get the rocker from Point A to Point B, Aaron encounters all manners of mishaps in this comedy directed by Nicholas Stoller and produced by Judd Apatow.

I did not realize that this was a sequel of sorts to Forgetting Sarah Marshall as Russell Brand reprises his Aldous Snow character. Kristen Bell does have a cameo as Sarah Marshall. Jonah Hill was also in that movie but plays a different character here. I don’t know what it is but Russell Brand and Jonah Hill have great onscreen chemistry. They could be a great comedy team and hope to see them in more movies together.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the better movie. It was funnier and there were some scenes I found quite touching. I gave that movie 4 stars and do recommend it. Click here for the Netflix link for Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

I did like this movie but would have liked it better if it wasn’t Aldous Snow again. He was great in the first movie as someone so self absorbed you couldn’t help but laugh. In this second one he is more human and caring which didn’t work for me. I like the comedy aspects of this movie, wasn’t too crazy about the drama.

I am giving this one 3 stars. If you are going to see this, see Forgetting Sarah Marshall first. The best part of both films is seeing Russell Brand and Jonah Hill together.

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
Cell: (203) 500-3834
E-mail: al@alzibluk.com

Personal politics aside, legendary adult film star Linda Lovelace (as herself) is a candidate the entire country can support for the newly formed Upright Party in this hybrid of sex romp satire and documentary farce. Tracking a fictional cross-country campaign that will leave you in stitches, this commentary on apathetic American voters features fantastic celebrity cameos, including Micky Dolenz, Scatman Crothers and more.

I knew going in that this movie was going to be bad and cheesy. I thought the absurdity of it would make me laugh. I was wrong. This movie had lots of Polish, Asian, Italian, Black and Gay jokes but none of them were funny. There was also lots of “coming” and “going down” references but none of them worked. Spare yourself the 95 minutes and avoid this one.

I almost wasn’t going to write a review of this one out of embarrassment but when I logged into my Netflix Account I saw the only 6 reviews were people who liked it. I have to warn people not to waste their time.

I am not posting a trailer for this one as well as including a Netflix link to it. It was that bad. I am given this one zero stars (Can I use a negative number?).

The only thing I liked about this was seeing an old rotary phone, a Soylent Green reference and being reminded of a George Harrison video with the over the top zany characters. Since I like videos, I am sharing that George Harrison video below.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
The Internet Guy
E-mail: al@alzibluk.com

Screenwriter Tony Gilroy delivers a finely tuned directorial debut with this dramatic thriller about burned-out corporate lawyer Michael Clayton (George Clooney), a man who’s built his career on cleaning up other people’s messes. When a guilt-ridden colleague (Tom Wilkinson) threatens the settlement of a multimillion-dollar case, Clayton faces his biggest challenge yet. Tilda Swinton nabbed an Oscar for her turn as a conflicted general counsel.

I thought watching most of this I was going to write a nasty review. There are way too many comparisons with other movies like Network, The Firm that I thought I wasn’t going to like it but the end really played out well. I felt something and I liked how Michael Clayton relied on his family when the chips were really down. This alone has gotten me in an emotional state. To quote Linda Richman from an SNL sketch, “I’m feeling verklempt, talk amongst yourselves.”

I am going to say skip the first 85 minutes of this. It is a two hour movie and the last 35 minutes were the only ones worth watching. I was thoroughly entertained at the end. I am giving this one 3.2 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 Internet Guy
E-mail: al@alzibluk.com

Set in the decadent 1980s in Los Angeles, a Hollywood executive (Billy Bob Thornton) plays his ex-wife (Kim Basinger) and his mistress (Winona Ryder) while his son, Graham (Jon Foster), finds himself among a group of brats, including Christie (Amber Heard), who are all caught up in the thick of drugs and sex. Mickey Rourke and Brad Renfro also star in director Gregor Jordan’s intricately plotted film based on Bret Easton Ellis’s book.

I have a fondness for the 80s and Kim Basinger so I had to see this movie despite the fact I could not find anyone saying anything positive about it. Even Netflix questioned my decision to get this one. There are lots of gratuitous nudity and drug use in this and definitely not for a prudish person. I am giving it one star. This is not a good movie however I did enjoy not like it and laughing at the dialogue.

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
E-mail: al@alzibluk.com

Newly stationed in Jordan, idealistic CIA agent Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) teams up with veteran operative Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) and the head of Jordanian intelligence (Mark Strong) to infiltrate an underground network of terrorists and locate a criminal mastermind. Based on the best-selling novel by David Ignatius and directed by Ridley Scott, this suspenseful spy thriller features top-rate performances and explosive action sequences.

I can’t put my finger on it but I just didn’t care for this movie. It is one of those films where you ask does the end justify the means. In this case I say no. Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) is the action guy here. He seems to know what is going on and knows his job well. Ed Hoffman (Crowe) plays the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream eating boss who undermines Roger’s efforts. Ed Hoffman is definitely a different type of character Russell Crowe normally plays. He constantly calls the people around him “buddy” in an insincere way. You just want to slap his smug face.

I should caution there were scenes of torture and at times Ed Hoffman was extremely vulgar. Vulgarity doesn’t bother me but I have been with mixed company who would feel uncomfortable watching this. On the subject of vulgarity I admit I have always got a kick out of Jeremy Piven’s character in Entourage and Kim Cattrall in Sex in the City. Both characters are so outrageous I find myself actually laughing out loud. The character of Ed Hoffman is not funny here, just annoying.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe both have made better movies. I liked Leonard DiCaprio’s work in The Aviator and Catch Me If You Can. I liked Russell Crowe in L.A. Confidential and American Gangster.

Both actors also had gangster movies out at the same time. Leonard DiCaprio was in The Departed and Russell Crowe was in American Gangster. American Gangster is the much better movie.

This film is not awful but I was expecting better. The acting is fine but I am only giving this one 2.8 stars.

Click here for the Netflix link in case you would like to add it to your queue. Russell Crowe is rumored to be extremely difficult to get along with. Below is a spoof from South Park on him a few years ago.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
The Internet Guy
E-mail: al@alzibluk.com

While diving off Bermuda, vacationers David Sanders (Nick Nolte) and Gail Berke (Jacqueline Bisset) stumble upon a mysterious glass vial. With help from veteran treasure-hunter Romer Treece (Robert Shaw), they learn the ampoule belongs to a World War II morphine shipment lost at sea … and thus begins an adventure that pits the trio against a Haitian drug kingpin (Louis Gossett Jr.) who’ll stop at nothing to get his hands on the priceless cargo.

I remember seeing this movie when I was a child on ABC’s Sunday Night of the Movies. We had a black and white TV so this movie wasn’t a big deal for me. I wanted to see this movie today for two important reasons. One was I wanted to see exotic blue water during this awful winter we are experiencing here in the northeast. The second was to see Jacqueline Bisset. I liked her in Bullitt and reading up on this movie I found her involvement on this project started the wet T-shirt craze.

I could not have watched this film at a better time as the weather outside is dreadful. There really isn’t much of a plot here. Good guys vs. bad guys in a race to find sunken treasure in the deep. There were plenty of dangers as well as lots of beautiful underwater scenes. I admit I did get a little tense when one of the good guys would get stuck as I am a little claustrophobic. That is really it to this film.

It is not Gone with the Wind but I enjoyed this escape. I am giving this one an even 3 stars. My favorite scenes were seeing Jacqueline Bisset swim with the fish.

Well back to reality. Hey did you know Snooki from Jersey Shore is a New York Times bestseller? Should I watch the movie again?

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
E-mail: al@alzibluk.com

Longstanding family conflicts resurface when drama queen Kym (Anne Hathaway, in her first Oscar-nominated role), a former model who’s been in and out of rehab for 10 years, returns to her parents’ home just before her sister Rachel’s (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding. Debra Winger co-stars as the girls’ emotionally distant mother in director Jonathan Demme’s critically acclaimed portrait of family angst and unrest.

Netflix recommended this movie to me as I normally do like critically acclaimed movies. This is one of the few times it was not a good fit for me. The acting here is great and it felt real. I think that might be my problem. I felt like I was in a friend home and watching that friend get into a serious heated argument with a sibling or significant other. I felt very uncomfortable through a lot of this. If you like weddings you may appreciate this one. Although this movie was definitely not for me, I am giving it 3 stars as the acting was terrific and I know some people reading this would really like it.

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
E-mail: al@alzibluk.com

Amid a volatile climate of ever-changing gas prices, this documentary delves into the short life of the GM EV1 electric car — a fuel-efficient auto that was once all the rage in the mid-1990s and now has fallen by the roadside. How could such a green-friendly vehicle fail to transform lives? Through interviews with government officials, former GM employees and concerned celebs, filmmaker Chris Paine seeks to find out.

Let me start by saying I like ideas. Ideas mean options and alternatives. I do not know if the idea of the electronic vehicle would have caught on or not but it seems a shame it was not given a chance. Celebrities like Ed Begley, Jr. and Peter Horton were only allowed to lease the cars and then to their dismay their cars were taken away and destroyed. They wanted to buy and keep them. I admit I do not like Peter Horton (he was married to Michelle Pfeiffer and I was not) but still feel he should have been able to test the car out longer. I am giving this one 3.7 stars. This was a good documentary.

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
Cell: (203) 500-3834
E-mail: al@alzibluk.com

After his engagement falls through, Leonard Kraditor (Joaquin Phoenix) juggles the affections of Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), his beautiful, self-destructive neighbor, and Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), the attractive, sensible daughter of his father’s business associate. Writer-director James Gray’s beautifully nuanced romantic drama is set in Brooklyn and also stars Elias Koteas. The film was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

I loved the location shots of New York City. I felt I was there in the fancy restaurant scene where they discussed the opera. I love the soundtrack of this movie. The acting here was flawless. There is a scene between Isabella Rossellini and Joaquin Phoenix as mother and son in a stairwell so well acted I was moved. They may be both nuts in real life but I forgive them after seeing their performance in this film.

Gwyneth Paltrow is a physically beautiful woman. She did show one breast in this movie and it was spectacular. Her mom is actress Blythe Danner who I think was pretty hot back in her day. I particularly remember her for playing Hawkeye’s girlfriend in M*A*S*H for one episode.

My only minor complaint is story. I am extremely familiar with the food chain and there is no way the Leonard and Michelle characters would have any type of relationship. This part is just not believable.

I was in a serious relationship for 5 years. Although it didn’t work out, the scene where the Sandra gave Leonard the gloves had me remembering the better times of a relationship (I still use the gloves she gave me 15 years ago). It made me smile.

I don’t think many women viewers would like the way this movie ended but do any of us really end up with the person we wanted to be with. I am not trying to be mean or disrespectful to anyone reading this. I am giving this one 3.9 stars. It was really well acted.

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
Cell: (203) 500-3834
E-mail: al@alzibluk.com