BATMAN BEGINS (Theatrical Release USA 2005)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 4.7|5.0 Starsìììì

Batman Begins thrives on marvelous special effects and its terrific storyline. The choice of European stars Christian Bale and Michael Caine blow the movie over the top for a 100-percent-quality piece of entertainment. Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes, Ken Watanabe, and Mark Boone Junior supply all that is necessary for Director Christopher Nolan to completely outdo all previous renditions of Batman’s story. As always, there are the ‘I wonder why’ scenes that Batman movies are renowned for: why a drug blown into a receiver’s face affects only that person and no one else; why some main characters are not impacted by a drug that seriously affects all of Gotham City’s inhabitants. Despite this, the film establishes itself as one of the best Batman stories told.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) intends to avenge his parents’ deaths; but enters the crime fighting world on a much larger scale than a single avenging.

Additional Thanks

Thank You to Director Christopher Nolan for directing effort. Thank you to Executive Producers Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale), Alfred (Michael Caine), Ducard (Liam Neeson), Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes), Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), Earle (Rutger Hauer), Ra’s Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), Flass (Mark Boone Junior), Thomas Wayne (Linus Roache), and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. Christian Bale interprets Batman at levels unknown until the release of this film. This movie takes the ‘hokey-ness’ out of the typical Batman character from Andy Warhol’s Batman and Dracula (1964) to Adam West’s Batman the Movie (1966) to actors Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, Ben Affleck, and George Clooney’s renditions of the Batman persona. It’s a quality story supported with quality acting. The film is suitable for all ages.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers

CODA (Released to the International Film Festival of India, Goa India 2019)

 

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 4.3|5.0 Starsìììì  CODA—original—chooses Patrick Stewart as the lead performer. All else is commentary. This is a quality watch that performs at the high art level. Sophisticated, gracious story gently tells its tale of how performers are kept on stage to meet audience expectations. Camerawork is exquisite; stage settings are eye-candy. Watch for a terrific performance by Katie Holmes. The movie quietly tells its story.  Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images Storyline  A seasoned pianist suffers a high level of performance anxiety.   Additional Thanks Thank you to Director Claude Lalonde for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Nicolas Comeau and Nicola Hayman for making the film possible. Cast includes Patrick Stewart, Katie Holmes, Giancarlo Esposito, Christoph Gaugler, Don Anderson, Victor Andres Turgeon-Trelles, Abdul Ayoola, Sasha Bissonnette, Letitia Brookes, and Violette Chauveau. Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?  Yes. This is a deeply written, clean, and wonderful watch. This film is not to be missed. Video Critique Available Here: Ben Meyers

THE SECRET: DARE TO DREAM (Released to Theaters USA 2020)

 

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 3.8|5.0 Starsììì 

The Secret: Dare to Dream—quiet message movie—starts well and connects to its audience. The writing is not powerful nor is it impactful. The acting is suitable/good and relies softly on Josh Lucas and Katie Holmes. The movie is supposed to show how to effectively use a secret as revealed in the Rhonda Byrnes' book The Secret and the documentary movie of the same name. This film, The Secret: Dare to Dream, does intimate the ideas from the documentary, but fails to be impactful,  meaningful, or even life changing to those who watch this film, as the documentary might be to those who understand at a very deep level that there is something elemental that works for you when you seek it. It's about knowing what you want and moving toward that. The Secret: Dare to Dream works as a clean and honest love story.

Poster Courtesy of Google Images

Storyline 

An engineer helps a widow and her children who are barely skimming by financially.

Additional Thanks 

Thank you to Director Andy Tennant for directing effort. Thank you to Executive Producers Skye Byrnes, Frank Fertitta, Lorenzo Fertitta, Elissa Friedman, Paul Harrington, and Christopher H. Warner, for making the film possible. Cast includes Katie Holmes, Josh Lucas, Celia Weston, Jerry O’Connell, Sarah Hoffmeister, Aidan Pierce Brennan, Chloe Lee, Katrina Begin,

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Maybe. It is a suitable watch as a clean love story, but does not deliver the full gold standard of the original documentary. 

 Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers