THE LAST STAND (Theatrical Release USA 2013)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 4.1|5.0 Stars ìììì

The Last Stand—a classic police movie à la Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nothing more needs to be said. It will be well appreciated by Arnold Schwarzenegger fans. Wow! It’s a terrific show. Terrific cinematography. Outstanding camera work.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

The movie begins with the camera focusing on night stars, then slowly moves to the road and a policeman sitting in his car eating a doughnut. Then the camera quickly focuses on a mountain and a road sign that shows that the action to come is located 9 miles outside of Las Vegas. The camera focuses again on the policeman and we get a backseat view of the front seat with its rearview mirror showing headlights approaching. The camera then zooms into the mirror on the driver's side of the car. A ‘car’ whizzes by the policeman’s car so fast that you can’t tell what it is. The policeman’s window begins to vibrate because of the force of the passing ‘car.’ The policeman notices his window is vibrating, looks at the speed detector, and sees that the passing ‘car’ is clocking at 197 miles per hour. The policeman bumps his speed detector, rolls his window down to get a better look at the passing vehicle, grabs his shoulder radio, and informs home office that he thinks a jet plane with no lights is flying down the highway.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Kim Jee-woon for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Edward Fee, Miky Lee, and Michael Paseornek for making the film possible. Cast include: Arron Shiver, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker, Titos Mechaca, Richard Dillard, Doug Jackson, Mathew Greer, Peter Stormare, Chris Browning, Christiana Leucas, and Luis Guzman.

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. Be prepared for a little more ‘language’ than is really required to tell the story.

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Ben Meyers

COLLATERAL DAMAGE (Released to Theaters USA 2002)

 

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 4.1|5.0 Starsìììì  Collateral Damage—Arnold Schwarzenegger—gets off to a bit of a rough start as he seems miscast for this film at first but that assumption is quickly dispelled as he enters Columbia and begins executing a dangerous mission to avenge the death of his wife and child.  Watch for John Turturro and John Leguizamo. Poster Courtesy Google Images Storyline An American fireman goes to Colombia to fight terrorists. Additional Thanks Thank you to Director Andrew Davis for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Steven Reuther and David Foster for making the film possible. Cast includes Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Turturro, John Leguizamo, Elias Koleas, Francesca Neri, and Cliff Curtis. Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?  Yes. Although the theme is commonly told, the movie has its own flavor that makes it worth its watch. The presence of Arnold Schwarzenegger enhances its watchability. Video Critique Available Here: Ben Meyers

KILLING GUNTHER (Theatrical Release USA 2017)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.8|5.0 Starsììì

Killing Gunther—interesting concept, a little out-of-character for Arnold Schwarzenegger—has an off-beat script that somehow works overall. Taran Killam performs quite well in this movie for the teen/adult audience.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Hitman Blake (Taran Killam) decides to move up to world-class hitman status by eliminating the best hitman in the world, Gunther (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Blake hires a film crew to document his self-assigned hit.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Taran Killam for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Charles Auty, Shanan Becker, Maxime Cottray, Liz Destro, Steven Pottash, Arnold Schwarzenegger, D. Todd Shepherd, Joe Simpson, Andrew Xavier Yakub, and Sean Andrew Maurer for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Lisa McCalla (Cobie Smulders), Sanaa (Hannah Simone), Mia (Allison Tolman), Max (Steve Bacic), Yong (Aaron Yoo), Cheyenne (Scott McNeil), Donnie (Bobby Moynihan), Rahmat (Peter Kelamis), Trish (Rebecca Olson), Izzat (Amir Talai), and Jewel (Alex Duncan).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. Comical, with a flare toward unusual presentation, the film is worth at least one viewing.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers

BATMAN & ROBIN (Theatrical Release USA 1997)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.5|5.0 Starsììì

Batman & Robin—one of the best in the Batman movie remake series—adds George Clooney to the stable of actors who interpret the Batman/Bruce Wayne character. Clooney renders the Bruce Wayne half of Batman with a sophistication and solidness that differs entirely from Val Kilmer's more youthful, brash and rash vision of Bruce Wayne in his Batman Forever film. While the movie fails in the scenes detailing petty arguments between Batman and Robin over Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) as they are in transit to fight the evil Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), the evil laughs of Arnold Schwarzenegger spill ‘chill’ more than all the evil laughs of Two Face and the Riddler combined in previous versions of Batman. The acting? More realistic than previous Batman movies. The script has more strength than the previous three Batman films combined. While Batman and Robin ‘suiting up’ for action works on the comically lame side, Uma Thurman, considering her scripted dialogue, plays an interesting Poison Ivy.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Batman (George Clooney) and Robin (Chris O’Donnell) fight the evil Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) with some interesting interaction with Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman).

Additional Thanks

Thank You to Director Joel Schumacher for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Dr. Victor Fries (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Bruce Wayne (George Clooney), Dick Grayson (Chris O’Donnell), Dr. Pamela Isley (Uma Thurman), Batgirl/Barbara Wilson (Alicia Silverstone), Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Gough), Commissioner James Gordon (Pat Hingle), Dr. Jason Woodrue (John Glover), Julie Madison (Elle Macpherson), Ms. B. Haven (Vivica A. Fox), and Nora Fries (Vendela Kirsebom Thomessen).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. The provocative casting mix of Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell, and Uma Thurman creates a worthy watch.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers

THE EXPENDABLES 2 (Theatrical Release USA 2012)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.4|5.0 Stars ììì

The Expendables 2—at some points stupidly funny with quite good action scenes—stars our favorite action heroes: Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris (a new addition from the last Expendables), Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme (a new addition from the last Expendables), Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, and Terry Crews. While the Ben Meyers’ team prefers them individually, the all-star cast presents a ‘hard to pass it by’ appeal. The mixture of younger with seasoned actors in this genre seems a little unsettling and raises the question would it have been better to work with seasoned actors only in the story. But, this critic team likes the film and evidently box office likes it, too, as it grossed approximately $3 to every $1 invested. We’re looking forward to Expendables 3 which includes Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, and Kellan Lutz. Sylvester Stallone, as of this writing, is working on Expendables 4 for a 2017 release. This film starts with a good bang for your buck. Audiences definitely will not be bored.

Movie Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Our favorite body builders show muscle power across Nepal, New Orleans, Albania, and Bulgaria as they track villains and correct wrongs.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Simon West for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Guymon Casady, Guy Avshalom, Basil Iwanyk, Zygi Kamasa, Trevor Short, Samuel and Victor Hadida, Danny Dimbort, Jason Constantine, and Boaz Davidson for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), Booker (Chuck Norris), Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme), Church (Bruce Willis), Trench (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), Toll Road (Randy Couture), Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth), Hector (Scott Adkins), Stephan (Alexander Moskov), and Bojan (George Zlatarev).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Maybe. The film can’t be faulted for its terrific presentation of our favorite body building actors.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers