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.

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Ben Meyers

BLACKLIGHT (Released to Theaters USA 2022)

 

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 3.8|5.0 Starsììì  Blacklight—relies on an old story—loses creativity due to its cliched script. Nothing new here. The camera work is not superlative. The movie could almost be skipped. Film Poster Courtesy of IMDb  Storyline  An FBI man uncovers political intrigue in the FBI.  Additional Thanks  Thank you to Director Mark Williams for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Mark Williams, Paul Currie, Myles Nestel, Aleve Loh, and Coco Xiaolu Ma for making the film possible. Cast includes Liam Neeson, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Taylor John Smith, and Aidan Quinn,  Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?  Maybe. This is a Liam Neeson political intrigue film that has to build its story before reaching the actual story which occurs in the last 30 to 40 minutes of the film. The suitable quality is uniform throughout the film and includes that climax at the end.  Video Critique Available Here: Ben Meyers

MADE IN ITALY (Released Non-USA 2019)

 

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 4.2|5.0 Starsìììì  Made in Italy—Liam Neeson—runs as a drama. It has a good story and good/great presentation.   Film Poster Courtesy of Images Storyline  A man is going to lose an art gallery in divorce proceedings if he cannot raise purchasing money within thirty days. He contacts his father to find a way to gather the necessary money.   Additional Thanks  Thank you to Director James D'Arcy for directing effect. Thank you to Producers Pippa Cross and Sam Tipper-Hale for making the film possible. Cast includes Liam Neeson, Micheál Neeson,Valeria Bilello, and Lindsay Duncan. Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?  Yes. The film is good both in portrayal and presentation. The story works and backs itself with terrific Italian scenery. Video Critique Available Here: Ben Meyers

TAKEN 3 (Theatrical Release USA 2015)

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 4.2|5.0 Starsìììì 

Taken 3—good movie—continues to access the acting skill of Liam Neeson to tell the Bryan Mills' "Taken" stories. This movie follows the basic format of high action within the gangster world. Watch for a welcome, good performance by Forrest Whitaker. The movie will not disappoint fans of this series. 

Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images 

Storyline 

This action thriller film is about: Bryan Mills' ex-wife is dead and he tries to solve the mystery. 

Additional Thanks 

Thank you to Director Olivier Megaton for directing effort. Thank you to Producer Luc Besson for making the film possible. Cast includes: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Dougray Scott, Sam Spruell, Don Harvey, Dylan Bruno, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, Jonny Weston, Andrew Borba, and Judi Beecher. 

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe? 

Yes. This is very well done and worth watching. It is great to see Liam Neeson in these types of films. They work particularly well for him as he presents just the right amount of caring and emotional involvement to create realism and believability. He carries the emotional appeal well.

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Ben Meyers

 

TAKEN 2 (Theatrical Release USA 2012)

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 4.2|5.0 Starsìììì 

Taken 2—cool action—can be a bit cliched compared to the first film, but its organized presentation cannot be faulted. The scenes involving how to find someone with sound are exceptionally interesting. Liam Neeson is such a good casting choice for this story. The movie is worth watching and does not serve a single boring scene to the audience. 

Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images 

Storyline 

An Albanian mafia lord seeks revenge for the death of his son. 

Additional Thanks 

Thank you to Director Olivier Megaton for directing effort. Thank you to Producer Luc Besson for making the film possible. Cast includes: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Rade Šerbedžija, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, D.B. Sweeney, and Luke Grimes. 

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe? 

Yes. The movie serves needs of the action film fan and is an overall good watch. 

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 Ben Meyers

TAKEN (Theatrical Release Canada 2008)

 Ben Meyers’ Rating: 4.3|5.0 Starsìììì 

Taken—rough movie—has a need to be told story with a good cautionary message for parents with independent teens. The film has an excellent presentation that is backed with an outstanding performance of Liam Neeson at his best. Don’t miss this watch. It completely involves its audience. 

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline 

An ex-CIA’s daughter is abducted and sold into the sex industry. 

Additional Thanks 

Thank you to Director Pierre Morel for directing effort. Thank you to Producer Luc Besson for making the film possible. Cast includes: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Katie Cassidy, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, Holly Valance, and Xander Berkeley. 

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe? 

Yes. This movie runs on an exceptionally good storyline and is a good, instructive watch to share with older children. Liam Neeson heads the acting profession in his portrayal of an ex-CIA man seeking the whereabouts of a beloved daughter. Terrific writing. The timing of each scene is well done and follows good sequencing. The movie could easily be missed. Do not miss it. It is well worth its watch on many levels and for many reasons.

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Ben Meyers

THE GREY (Theatrical Release USA 2012)

 Ben Meyers’ Rating: 4.2|5.0 Starsìììì 

The Grey—survival movie—works as a good time-filler. It’s an easy-on-the-mind film that is engaging to watch. It is fairly well-written. The presentation is good, and, overall, this movie is a good watch. 

Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images 

Storyline 

A professional wolf hunter takes a flight for his vacation. The plane goes down and the hunter becomes the hunted. 

Additional Thanks 

Thank you to Director Joe Carnahan for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Jules Daly, Joe Carnahan, Ridley Scott, and Mickey Liddell for making the film possible. Cast includes: Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts, Joe Anderson, James Dale, and Nonso Anozie. 

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe? 

Yes. The movie follows the usual format of a survival film. This movie follows a team of men versus the environment and wild animals. The difference is that the conclusion has a small, unexpected twist  that is worth waiting for. It’s a simple thriller worth watching. 

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Ben Meyers

MIB INTERNATIONAL (Theatrical Release USA 2019)

 Ben Meyers’ Rating: 3.8|5.0 Starsììì 

MIB: International begins with good intrigue but cannot hold that throughout the movie. Chris Hemsworth seems uncomfortable with his lines. And, Liam Neeson seems just as unsuited to his assigned dialogue. The presentation does not equal the last three MIB movies mostly due to its weakly written script. And, the thought that this series may have run its course and entered its death stages comes to mind. Hopefully, the errors can be corrected and the movie freshens itself again. Emma Thompson absolutely works in this movie. It is intriguing to watch Tessa Thompson as her own personality projects and dominates her assigned character rather than integrating the character into her own. 

Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images 

Storyline 

MIB Agency believes there is a mole in the agency. Agent H and Agent M need to discover who the mole is in MIB. 

Additional Thanks 

Thank you to Director F. Gary Gray for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald for making the film possible. Cast includes: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiana, Rafe Spall, Laurent Bourgeois, Larry Bourgeois, Emma Thompson, and Liam Neeson. 

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe? 

Maybe. This film is not as high quality as previous MIB films, but if one wants to see the latest film in the MIB franchise, this is it. It’s premise is good. But it has a long road to travel to keep pace with previously made MIB stories.

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Ben Meyers

WRATH OF THE TITANS (Theatrical Release USA 2012)

 Ben Meyers’ Rating: 3.6|5.0 Starsììì

Wrath of the Titans has the same difficulty most movies about Greek and Roman mythology have: There is not enough time or a big enough screen to allow the impact. This movie relies on a good cast, realistic spectacularism, great animation of monsters such as Cyclopes and creatures like the flying Pegasus. More time needs to be invested in fleshing out the main characters’ personalities. The movie is not good enough to make it worth audience time to watch unless one is involved in the series and wants to finish the stories or is a hardcore Greek mythology fan. 

Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images 

Storyline 

Zeus is losing his power and asks Perseus to help him. 

Additional Thanks 

Thank you to Director Jonathan Liebesman for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Basil Iwanyk and Polly Cohen Johnsen for making the film possible. Cast includes: Sam Worthington, Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Édgar Ramirez, Toby Kebbell, Danny Huston, Ralph Fiennes, and Liam Neeson. 

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe? 

Maybe. The general audience may enjoy this movie for its animation effects and its basic storyline. For the hardcore lovers of the gods and their interactions on earth, then the outcome of Perseus’ interaction with his father, Zeus, will be interesting.

 Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE (Theatrical Release UK and America 2005)

 Ben Meyers’ Rating: 4.1|5.0 Starsìììì 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe—magical and intriguing movie for the family audience—is easily worth watching for its storyline and great presentation…simple for children yet complicated enough to serve the adult audience…the voiceovers are well-done…worth an addition to the family home video library. Has a satisfying conclusion. Well-written…the animation for the early 2000s still stands as quality work that involves much talent.  

Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images 

Storyline 

Children enter a fantasy world and are given magical weapons to change a world of cold and ice into a paradise of warmth and love. 

Additional Thanks 

Thank you to Director Andrew Adamson for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Mark Johnson and Phillip Steuer for making the film possible. Cast includes: William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, and Liam Neeson. 

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe? 

Yes. Good storyline and very good acting by everyone. 

Video Critique Available Here: 

Ben Meyers

BATTLE FOR INCHEON: OPERATION CHROMITE (Theatrical Release South Korea 2016)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.8|5.0 Starsììì

Battle For Incheon: Operation Chromite is historically significant and worth watching for that benefit. Korean Actors Jung-jae Lee and Beom-su Lee play stronger, more believable roles than their American counterparts. This war film suffers from lack of intense realism throughout its scenes which detracts from the importance and significance of this important invasion.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

General Douglas MacArthur devises a plan to help South Korea as North Korea pushes its forces throughout South Korea.

Additional Thanks

Thank You to Director John H. Lee for directing efforts. Thank you to Producer Taewon Chung for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Douglas MacArthur (Liam Neeson), Jean (Josie Bissett), Jang/Hak-soo (Jung-jae Lee), Lieutenant Colonel Edward L. Rowny (Sean Dulake), Soldier-Typist (Mathew Darcy), Han Jae-Sun (Se-Yeon Jin), Lim/Gye-jin (Beom-su Lee), Seo Jin-Chul (Jun-ho Jeong), Alexander Haig (Justin Rupple), Foster (Damien Furtado), U.S. Army Soldier (Istvan Medvigy), Joseph Lawton Collins (Andrew William Brand), and F. Charkhorn (Troy Zitzelsberger).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Maybe. It’s good to increase knowledge on behind-the-scenes United States military aid to save South Korea from North Korean military forces. But, as entertainment value, better war movie choices are Black Hawk Down or Saving Private Ryan.

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Ben Meyers

CLASH OF THE TITANS (Theatrical Release USA 2010)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.5|5.0 Starsììì

Clash of the Titans starts with a female voice narrating the history of the gods. Then, the story focuses on a fishing boat out to sea. The fisherman finds a casket floating close by his fishing boat and opens it to find a living baby boy lying on its dead mother’s chest. The fisherman raises the baby as his own son. At this point, the audience is engaged and interested. Clash of the Titans graphics are great; the story is great—a classic storyline with an overall great concept. However, the movie was not able to pull the greatness of the story onto the screen. When leaving the theater, one of my colleagues said, “Not many people can take such a large scale concept and successfully cram it into an hour and forty-six minutes.” This is a case where more playing time is needed to elevate a terrific story to the maximum. The movie rates as 3.5 stars only because of the large scale graphics and the intriguing monster fights. The presentation is okay. The movie is somewhat watchable but not a movie worth watching again.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

The fisherman, Spyros (Pete Postlethwaite), finds an infant who grows up to become the demigod, Perseus (Sam Worthington).

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Louis Leterrier for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Brenda Berrisford, William Fay, Jon Jashni, Thomas Tull, and Richard D. Zanuck for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Zeus (Liam Neeson), Hades (Ralph Fiennes), Calibos/Acrisius (Jason Flemyng), Io (Gemma Arterton), Andromeda (Alexa Davalos), Danae (Tine Stapelfeldt), and Draco (Mads Mikkelsen).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Maybe. It has a ways to go to work at the higher level but this movie has its own interest level and serves as a light afternoon watch that does not require a huge energy expenditure to follow.

Video Critique available at:

Ben Meyers