BROTHER BEAR 2 (DVD Release USA 2006)

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 3.3|5.0 Starsììì Brother Bear 2—old theme—relies on the Shrek idea of changing one's natural being to experience romance. Not a new concept...think of Beauty and the Beast, The Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid...the list goes on and on, this time it's a girl and a bear. One wonders what is a child's 'take home' message? Many of the transition scenes are jarring. The music is probably the best part of the film. Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Kenai (voice of Patrick Dempsey), who now lives as a cave bear, remembers when he was human.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Ben Gluck for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Jim Ballantine and Carolyn Bates for making the film possible. Cast include: Mandy Moore, Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara,  Wanda Sykes, Wendie Malick, and Kathy Najimy.

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

No. This sequel movie has a weak story. It does not reach basic standards of quality.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers

MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3 (Released to Theaters USA 2023)

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 3.8|5.0 Starsììì My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3—not the best of the three films—gets boring and uninteresting toward the middle and end. When it ends, the audience may feel, "That's finally over." This film is what it is. Film Poster Courtesy of IMDb Storyline After her fathers dies, Toula wants to contact her father's friends in Greece to give them her father's journal of his American experiences.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Nia Vardalos for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, and Rita Wilson for making the film possible. Cast includes Joey Fatone, Gia Carides, Lainie Kazan, Elena Kampouris, Andrea Martin, John Corbett, and Louis Mandylor. 

Should You Buy This ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

 Maybe. It is what it is. It tells an okay to suitable story. The movie catches interest in its early stages but fails to keep that in the latter scenes. If a fourth film is planned, it will need to improve significantly over this one to earn its time and money expenditure from an audience. 

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers

MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 (Released to Theaters USA 2016)

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 4.1|5.0 Starsìììì  My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2—while not as much of a splash as the first film, it is a good watch for fans of this movie series—sends a good recommendation for the 2023 release of the third movie in the series. There are a few suggestive dialogue scenes in the movie, but presented in a realistic 'female talk' before the wedding. This film is, overall, a great watch, creative and fun. Good work for all involved in production.  Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images Storyline Kostas "Gus" Portokalos finds that his marriage certificate is not valid. When he tells his wife and shows the certificate, she laughs and then the fun begins as she requires a 'real' marriage the second time around.  Additional Thanks Thank you to Director Kirk Jones for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Gary Goetzman,  Tom Hanks,  and Rita Wilson for making the film possible. Cast includes Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, and Michael Constantine. Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?  Yes. Fans of the first film will like this movie just as well. It's fresh, creative, and fun to watch. Video Critique Available Here: Ben Meyers