STOP-LOSS (Theatrical Release USA 2008)

 

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 3.9|5.0 Starsììì  Stop-Loss—interesting—looses viable, well-thought-out solutions to stop-loss. Naivety dominates choices to seek help from biased authority rather than accept one's fate. The movie does not stand on a firm pedestal, but devolves into hopelessness due to lack of personal autonomy.  Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images Storyline On a military tour in Iraq, a man nearly loses his entire team in an alley ambush. Now, home in Texas, he gets notice that he has been chosen for stop-loss. Additional Thanks  Thank you to Director Kimberly Peirce for directing effort. Thank you to Producers Gregory Goodman and Scott Rudin for making the film possible. Cast includes  Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ciarán Hinds, Timothy Olyphant, Victor Rasuk, Rob Brown,  Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?  Yes. It's interesting to see how stop-loss works. Nice to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Channing Tatum, Ciarán Hinds, and Ryan Phillippe working together. Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers

CHAOS (Released to Theaters Australia 2005)

 

Ben Meyers’ Rating: 3.9|5.0 Starsììì  Chaos—intriguing plot—has a suitable story and a good presentation. This movie is free on Amazon Prime. Know that the free version misses 5 minutes of story time. This critique is based on the free version.   Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images Storyline African American man, Lorenz (Wesley Snipes), and his crew rob a bank and have a stand off with law enforcement. Lorenz will not negotiate with anyone but Quentin Conners (Jason Statham). Additional Thanks  Thank you to Director Tony Giglio for directing effort. Thank you to Executive Producer David Bergstein and Steven Chasman for making the film possible. Cast includes Jason Statham, Ryan Phillippe, Wesley Snipes, Henry Czerny, Justine Waddell, Nicholas Lea, and Jessica Steen. Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?  Yes. This is a suitable afternoon action film and tells a good story overall. It will particularly suit Jason Statham fans. Video Critique Available Here: Ben Meyers

SETUP (Video Release USA 2011)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.6|5.0 Starsììì

Setup seems to have set its audience up for a cookie cutter delivery of a movie designed to quickly rake in a few dollars rather than truly deliver a good piece of entertainment. There is nothing new here. The actors, including Bruce Willis, do not seem comfortable with their script. Fifty Cent seems miscast for his part. The film as a whole does not deliver.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Sonny (50 Cent) teams with Biggs (Bruce Willis), a dangerous mob boss, to settle a score with Vincent (Ryan Phillippe).

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Mike Gunther for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Brandt Andersen, Peter Benz, Martin Blencowe, Barry Brooker, Michael Corso, Stephen J. Eads, Patricia Eberle, Ted Fox, Anthony Gudas, Jewels C. Hall, Richard Jackson, Fredrik Malmberg, Adam Ottmar, Mike Rapp, Richard Rionda Del Castro, Daniel Wagner, and Stan Wertlieb for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Markus (Rory Markham), Mia (Jenna Dewan Tatum), Dave Hall (Brett Granstaff), Petey (Randy Couture), Valerie (Susie Ambromeit), Tony (Ron Turner), William Long (James Remar), Russell (Jay Karnes), Roth (Shaun Toub), Joey (Will Yun Lee), Professor (Ralph Lister), Frank (Alex Safi), and G Money (Omar J. Dorsey).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Maybe. A hardcore Bruce Willis or 50 Cent fan may make it through this film.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (Theatrical Release USA 2006)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.6|5.0 Starsììì Flags of Our Fathers—odd presentation—lacks cohesion with its 'all- over-the-place' story, little to no character development, and suitable but not great acting. Despite the hard-to-follow story, expect good fight scenes and highly graphic portrayal of war wounds.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Three men receive praise for raising a USA flag during World War II as a symbol of a great victory.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Clint Eastwood for his directing effort. Thank you to Executive Producers Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, and Robert Lorenz for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: John Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), Ira Hayes (Adam Beach), Keyes Beech (John Benjamin Hickey), Bud Gerber (John Slattery), Mike Strank (Barry Pepper), Ralph Ignatowski (Jamie Bell), Hank Hansen (Paul Walker), and Colonel Chandler Johnson (Robert Patrick).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Maybe. It is an okay watch but hard to follow with a 'messy' storyline. This Clint Eastwood film has a counterpart made by Clint Eastwood called Letters from Iwo Jima about the Japanese side of the story that is a much better made film than this film.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers