'A Team' latest movie based on TV show

“In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.”

So began “The A Team,” which hit the airwaves in 1983 and made a star out of Mr. T.

Flash forward 27 years. Hollywood has once again dipped for inspiration into the well of old TV shows and decided the time is ripe for a new “A Team.”

Except for updating the war from Vietnam to Desert Storm, little has changed in the new “A Team.” Four Army buddies must escape to clear their names after being framed for a crime they didn’t commit.

Liam Neeson (pictured with rest of cast)  has taken George Peppard’s role as team leader, Bradley Cooper is the eye candy, Quinton Jackson replaces Mr. T as the bruising BA and Sharlto Copley is the crazy guy.

As TV shows go, “The A Team” was entertaining. It seemed as if there was a car chase and crash in every episode, or was that “The Dukes of Hazzard?” Hardly anyone ever died in “The A Team,” and the good guys always defeated the bad guys and undid some wrong.

Action shows were plentiful in the 1980s. Besides “The A Team” and “Dukes” you had “The Fall Guy,” “B.J. and the Bear,” “Knight Rider,” “MacGyver,” “Sheriff Lobo” and “Simon & Simon” to name only a few. All of them were mindless. Most of them were fun to watch.

There’s a lot of positive buzz about “The A Team,” so don’t be surprised if it posts strong opening numbers. It may even have legs as it competes with some lackluster competition.

Hollywood has mined TV Land for ideas for years.

Some movies based on TV shows have been pretty good. “The Fugitive” with Harrison Ford was exciting. “The Flintstones” with John Goodman was funny. “Maverick” with Mel Gibson was a true homage to the show and all TV westerns.

Others based on TV shows have fallen flat, including the recent “MacGruber.” Some of the other bombs are “My Favorite Martian,” “The Mod Squad,” “The Avengers” and “McHale’s Navy.”

If you’re in the mood for some good movies based on TV shows, try these six. All are available on video and DVD.

“Charlie’s Angels” (2000) – Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore star as the three women plucked from crummy police jobs and turned into kick-ass private detectives by the unseen Charlie Townsend in this movie based on the show that made a star out of Farrah Fawcett. Other stars include Bill Murray, Sam Rockwell and Kelly Lynch. The late John Forsythe provided the voice of Charlie, just as he did in the show. There was a pretty good sequel.

“Mission Impossible” (1996) – Tom Cruise stars as a U.S. agent who is accused of being a turncoat and must uncover the real bad guy in this movies based on the show that made Peter Graves a star. Other stars include Jon Voight, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames and Vanessa Redgrave. There were two pretty good sequels and a fourth sequel is planned.

“Get Smart” (2008) – Steve Carrell stars as the inept but effective spy in this movie based on the show that made “Would you believe …” a household phrase. Other stars include Anne Hathaway as the vivacious Agent 99, Dwayne Johnson, Bill Murray, Terrence Stamp and Alan Arkin. A sequel is planned for 2012.

“The Addams Family” (1991) – Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston star as Morticia and Gomez Addams, the heads of a kooky family that has a disembodied hand as a servant and a Frankenstein-like butler in this show based on the 1960s comedy that was based on a comic strip that mostly appeared in The New Yorker magazine. Other stars include Christina Ricci and Christopher Lloyd. There was a so-so sequel.

“The Brady Bunch Movie” (1995) – Shelley Long and Gary Cole star as the father and mother of a combined brood of three boys and three girls in this film that basically takes the 1970s version of the family and drops them into 1990s Los Angeles. Other stars include Christine Taylor as Marcia and Florence Henderson, the star of the original show, as Grandma Brady. There was a pretty good sequel.

“Serenity” (2005) – Fans of Joss Whedon’s ill-fated series “Firefly” love this movie that attempts to wrap up the series after it was cancelled by Fox. Stars include Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite and Summer Glau.

The cast of "Serenity." 

New 'Nightmare' begs the question 'Why?'

By Abby Callaghan

Synopsis: A group of suburban teenagers share one common bond: They are all being stalked by Freddy Krueger, a serial killer who hunts them in their dreams. As long as they stay awake, they can protect one another, but when they sleep, there is no escape.

Cast: Jackie Earle Haley, Rooney Mara, Kyle Gallner, Thomas Dekker, Katie Cassidy and Kellan Lutz.

Written by: Wesley Strick and Eric Heisserer. Directed by: Samuel Bayer

Thoughts: So, when I heard they were remaking one of my favorite horror movies ever, “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” I was a little iffy, but then I heard it was being produced by Michael Bay (“Transformers”) and I got excited. I had very high hopes for this film and I was let down. Hard. It’s not that the movie itself was bad, because it wasn’t, it’s just, we’ve already seen this movie, when it was made in 1984. And the original was so much better. Also, the acting in this movie was just not very good, especially Rooney Mara who had absolutely no emotion at all. Kyle Gallner was the only actor pulling his weight in this movie, so, two thumbs up to him. Replacing Robert Englund with Jackie Earle Haley was something I had trouble dealing with, but in the end, that’s the least of this movie’s problems. Haley is a very creepy man and brought out a different side in Freddy, but his lines were so cheesy and his voice sounded too much like Christian Bale’s “Batman.” It was very distracting. In its defense, however, the new “Nightmare” had me jumping every once in a while but there was no horror. When I first saw the original, I could barely sleep that night and a few nights after. Most of the scary parts in the remake had me laughing, and I slept just fine that very same night. I’m not going to say that they ruined this movie for me because they didn’t. My advice to anyone who still feels the need to go see this movie is this: Go in and pretend that the original movie was never made. This movie is just like every other teen horror movie that comes out these days, so you’ll know what to expect. But to anyone who wants to watch a good Freddy Krueger movie, I’d say keep your money and go watch the original.

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence, disturbing images, terror and language.

'Iron Man 2' as good as original

By Abby Callaghan

Synopsis: The world is aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark is the armored Iron Man. Under pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military, Tony is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armor because he fears the information will slip into the wrong hands. In the sequel to 2008’s “Iron Man,” Stark is pitted against his Russian nemesis, Whiplash, and corporate rival Justin Hammer.

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg and Jon Favreau.

Written by: Justin Theroux and Stan Lee. Directed by: Jon Favreau

Thoughts: Do you remember the first “Iron Man” and how awesome it was? I know I do. And I remember hearing about the second one and praying that it would be just as awesome. Now, “Iron Man 2” is out and it is incredible. I didn’t think anything could top the first one but they’ve certainly done it. This movie was epic. I was never bored and I never wanted it to end. Robert Downey Jr. takes the cake with his role as Tony Stark and blows everyone else out of the water. With that, I will say that this cast was well-chosen and everyone did a great job, especially Sam Rockwell who made you laugh while you were hating him. I will admit that at certain points, the plot was a little messy and some things seemed rushed (mainly a plot involving Tony, his father and a new element) and some of the characters were a little underdeveloped, mainly just Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, but, oh well. Everyone knows they are there to set up for their roles in the next one. (Scarlett as the Black Widow, anyone?) The action scenes in this movie are very well-done and the cinematography is more noticeably beautiful in this one. I loved this movie so much that I can’t believe more people didn’t like it. I want everyone to go see this movie and enjoy it for what it is: a truly entertaining and top-notch blockbuster film.

PS: Make sure you look out for Captain America’s shield and stay for the credits!

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some language.