Michael Benyaer Movies
A character actor with a distinctly menacing and ominous look (and a frequently bald pate), Michael Benyaer parlayed his countenance into an effective movie career, typecast as brutal guards, thugs, terrorists, and all sorts of other seedy and threatening types. Benyaer began his screen career in the late '80s with bit parts in productions such as the telemovie Higher Ground (1988) and the slasher vehicle Friday the 13th Part VIII (1989), and then -- in the mid- to late '90s -- enjoyed a slight change of pace when he voiced a number of characters (most prominently Hadji) on the animated cartoon The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (1996). Benyaer then returned to involvement in live-action films, and ascended to supporting billing as Mohammed in director Uwe Boll's action comedy Postal (2007). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Notorious, critic-boxing director Uwe Boll takes the helm for this adaptation of the controversial video game that ignited controversy across the globe and is actually illegal to own in Australia and New Zealand. Dude (Zack Ward) is an unemployed slacker currently subsisting on Social Security until he lands his next job. Dude's uncle Dave (Dave Foley) is a cult leader currently in dire financial straits. When Uncle Dave hatches a plan to rip off a local amusement park, Dude sees the heist as the perfect opportunity to make a little extra cash. Unfortunately for Dude and Uncle Dave, the Taliban are all set to execute the exact same heist. Erick Avari, Seymour Cassel, Verne Troyer, Larry Thomas, and J.K. Simmons star in a deliberately over-the-top action comedy that is sure to garner as much controversy as the video game that inspired it. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zack Ward, Dave Foley, (more)
- 2006
This five-hour ABC miniseries depicts the events leading up to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, through the scope of a handful of intelligence and counter-terrorism officials in the U.S. government. Harvey Keitel plays John O'Neill, the counter-terrorism chief of the FBI whose belief that Osama bin Laden was planning assaults on U.S. soil fell on deaf ears and failed to gain the traction necessary to stop the events. In a tragic twist, O'Neill later went to work at the World Trade Center and was killed on that fateful day. Also starring Donnie Wahlberg and Stephen Root, The Path to 9/11 garnered controversy for its questionable depiction of the Clinton administration's failings related to the threat. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harvey Keitel, Michael Benyaer, (more)
- 2004
As the finale of the third season of The Shield opens, Vic (Michael Chiklis), Shane (Walton Goggins), and Ronnie (David Rees Snell) are dealing with the consequences of Lem (Kenny Johnson) torching the money from the "Money Train" heist. Lem will no longer get a cut, but there's still not much left to go around for all the risk they took, and as Aceveda (Benito Martinez) explains, if Lem leaves the group, the police chief will not replace him, and the Strike Team will not have enough members to continue. The team also confirms that they're being targeted by the Armenian mob, and Vic decides to take matters into his own hands in his pursuit of Margos (Kurt Sutter, uncredited). Claudette (CCH Pounder) doggedly continues to pursue the case of the drugged-up public defender, despite getting pressured by Aceveda to drop it. That case, and Dutch's (Jay Karnes) continued interest in Vic's possible involvement with the Armenians, makes them a very unpopular pair at The Barn. Meanwhile, Danny (Catherine Dent) scores points with her handling of the case of a local business owner (André Benjamin of OutKast) who resorts to aggressive tactics in trying to get the drug dealers and prostitutes off his block. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Max (Jessica Alba) unexpectedly gets in touch with her "kinder, gentler" side when she agrees to accompany Logan (Michael Weatherly) to a Cale family wedding. Meanwhile, Max's friends are at the mercy of a hostile art smuggler named Duvalier (Master P), who intends to get revenge for a mix-up at the Jam Pony in which a stolen painting was delivered to the wrong place. This turn of events forces Max to briefly take leave of the wedding and rush to her pal's rescue -- but will she be able to save the day without mussing up her new 6,000-dollar dress? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
While vacationing in the Azores, attractive young book editor Alison Shaeffer (Jayne Brook) discovers to her dismay that her "absentee" mother Gloria (Dyan Cannon) is a longtime CIA agent. Alison doesn't quite swallow this revelation until both she and Gloria are kidnapped by the villainous Vasquez (David Palffy). The abduction has something to do with a vial of deadly anthrax hidden in an ancient statue. Rescued (repeatedly) by a rabbi who isn't a rabbi (Kevin Kilner), and aided and abetted by Alison's peppery Grandma (Gloria Struart), the Shaeffer ladies do their best to stay one step ahead of the bad guys and strike a blow for democracy -- and in the process, mother and daughter get to know each other a whole lot better than ever before. Made for cable My Mother the Spy debuted May 8, 2000, over the Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jayne Brook, Dyan Cannon, (more)
- 2000
- R
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Somewhere in L.A., Peter (Kenneth Branagh), a washed-up British playwright, struggles to duplicate his past glory as he surfs a foul-smelling tide of disenchantment. His wife, Melanie (Robin Wright Penn), manages to maintain an optimistic outlook even as she longs for the baby that her husband is hesitant to help her conceive. When Peter befriends Amy (Suzi Hofrichter), a neighborhood girl who has mild cerebral palsy, their friendship softens him to the idea of fatherhood and propels Melanie's maternal yearnings into hyperdrive. As if baby fever weren't enough, Peter is plagued by a seemingly benevolent stalker (Jared Harris), his neighbors' incessantly noisy dog, and the flighty cast and crew of his latest play. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth Branagh, Jared Harris, (more)
- 1997
- PG13
A criminal genius who has carefully planned the ultimate score runs across an unexpected obstacle -- a 16-year-old computer hacker -- in this youth-oriented action-adventure story. Ozzie Paxton (Vincent Kartheiser) is a teenager with a knack for causing trouble; he's been expelled from the Shady Glen School, an exclusive private academy, for pulling one too many pranks on the faculty. Besides, he prefers to stay home with his computer, where for fun and profit he hacks into the systems of computer game designers, downloads new games before they can go on the market, and burns bootleg CD-ROMs that he can sell to his friends. One day, Ozzie's younger sister Melissa (Katie Stuart) talks him into giving her a lift to Shady Glen, where she still attends; looking for a little revenge, he sneaks into the school and intends to have a little fun with their computer system. As it turns out, Ozzie runs afoul of the school's new security chief, former British Secret Service agent Rafe Bentley (Patrick Stewart), who was hired by Principal Maloney (Brenda Fricker) after Ozzie's most recent bit of computer terrorism. But Bentley is not the friend of the law that he seems to be; several of the wealthiest families in America send their children to Shady Glen, and Bentley has a scheme to kidnap ten of the school's richest children and hold them for a ransom of $650 million. Ozzie is caught in the middle of Bentley's kidnapping plot and must now use his computer skills in order to save the children and put Bentley behind bars. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Stewart, Vincent Kartheiser, (more)
- 1997
Having sustained serious injuries in a rodeo accident, a comatose Race Bannon is rushed to Questworld to be revived. Unfortunately, the Quest team had reckoned without their old nemesis Jeremiah Surd, who caused the accident in the first place, and who intends to get even with his lifelong enemy, Race, now that the poor man is unconcious and helpless. Technically the 39th episode of The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, "To Bardo and Back" is listed in most sources as the 26th and final episode of season one -- even though it was telecast on January 2, 1997, well into the series' second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
An oil expedition in Bermuda is terrorized by what seems to be band of phantom pirates. Sent to investigate, the Quest Team comes face to face with ghostly buccaneer Black Jack Lee, whose galleon, the Ivory Web, sank near the expedition site centuries before. As it turns out, however, Black Jack isn't quite as spooky as he seems. The first episode of The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest to be telecast (though actually the fourth one filmed), "The Darkest Fathoms" got the new series off to a rousing start, with first-rate animation and character design. The program originally aired on August 26, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
The old Hanna Barbera cartoon adventure series Jonny Quest was given a new coat of paint -- and infinitely better animation -- in this daily, half-hour cable-TV offering, co-produced by Japan's Pacific Animation and several Korean cartoon firms. The basic characters -- spunky teenager Jonny Quest, his scientist dad Benton Quest, his muscular teacher-guardian Race Bannon, his mystical best pal (and now adoptive brother) Hadji, and his little dog Bandit -- remained intact, as did the original series' globetrotting-adventurer premise. This time around, however, there was whole new cast of voiceover actors, including (during the first season, at least) J.D. Roth as Jonny and George Segal as his dad. Also, there was a typically '90s emphasis on computer technology; in fact, Dr. Quest was now described as a "computer genius," ready and willing to use the vast resources of his Quest Foundation, and the limitless opportunities afforded him by his new virtual-reality domain Questworld, to battle the forces of evil. The scripters also broadened the appeal of the series by adding a strong, positive female character, Jessie Bannon, the teenaged daughter of Race Bannon (whose estranged spouse Estella Velasquez also showed up on occasion). Premiering August 26, 1996 and running until April 16, 1997, the 52 episodes of The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest were first-run simulatenously on three different Ted Turner-controlled cable services: TBS, TNT, and The Cartoon Network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, Quinton Flynn, (more)
- 1996
Jeremiah Surd, one of the Quest team's most persistent antagonists, makes his first appearance in "Escape to Questworld." Bearing a grudge against team member Race Bannon, whom he holds responsible for his present paralyzed condition, Surd takes over Questworld and prepares to release a deadly nerve gas upon the unsuspecting citizens of Chicago. Donning protective clothing, Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji try to prevent disaster from befalling the Windy City. This is the episode in which we learn that Hadji's last name is Singh. "Escape to Questworld" originally aired on August 27, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
Estella Scheele asks the Quest team (minus Jessie) to locate her missing grandfather, a famed ornithologist. The heroes are unaware that Estella actually hopes to locate the legendary "city of gold" El Dorado, and she doesn't care who perishes in the attempt. A startling finale caps this beautifully rendered episode. Bandit, Jonny Quest's faithful bulldog, makes his first Real Adventures of Jonny Quest appearance in "In the Realm of the Condor," which made its American TV debut on August 28, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
First telecast August 29, 1996, "Rage's Burning Wheel" served to introduce "apocalyptist" villain Ezekial Rage to The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (voiced by both David Ackroyd and Michael Bell, who took over the role). Hijacking a space capsule, Rage intends to use the vehicle to destroy the earth's ozone layer. Fortunately for mankind, Dr. Quest and Hadji are on board the capsule, and they are able to communicate their plight to Jonny and Jessie back on earth. There's still more danger ahead in the form of Rage's fanatical disciples, who have overrun Questworld's Mission Control. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
In Tanzania, Quest team members Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji receive a summons from "beyond" to protect a pachyderm named Ndovu as it makes its final journey to the elephant's graveyard. En route, our heroes run afoul of poachers who intend to rob the sacred burial site of its rich ivory deposits. Parent alert: There are several deaths in this episode, though the actual violence is held to a minimum. "Ndovu's Last Journey" was first telecast on August 30, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
New York City is held in the grip of terror when a white tiger escapes from its underground home -- an abandoned subway tunnel -- and goes on a rampage. In their efforts to capture the beast, the Quest team must also contend with a slimy tabloid-TV host named Vince Vance, who intends to milk this potential disastrous situation for all it is worth. Another treat for fans of "real" animation (rather than the limited stuff usually foisted upon TV viewers), "Manhattan Maneater" was originally broadcast on September 2, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
Several ships have vanished without a trace in the Indian ocean, near Christie Island in the Republic of Seychelles. The Quest team investigates the phenomenon, hoping to disprove rumors of a huge sea monster in the region. Inevitably, however, both Jonny and Hadji find themselves in the grip of an enormous squid -- and at the mercy of the squid's human "masters." "East of Zanzibar" made its first cable-TV appearance on September 3, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
Benton Quest and Race Bannon are invited to attend a phenomenology conference in the Himalayas, little suspecting that the conference is a sham created by their old enemy Jeremiah Surd. With Quest Compound apparently unprotected by adults, Surd leads his henchmen on an assault of the Quest team's Maine headquarters -- and also enslaves the mind of Jonny's friend Hadji. With no other choice, Jonny and Jessie pretend to be their fathers, Benton and Race, in order to foil Surd's mad scheme. "Assault on Questworld" first aired on September 4, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
Although the villainous Ezekial Rage first appeared in "Rage's Burning Wheel," episode four of The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, the character was introduced in the episode that ended up as the series' ninth telecast, the appropriately titled "Ezekial Rage." A horribly disfigured former government agent, Rage has been driven insane by the deaths of his family during a botched covert operation. Swearing vengeance against the entire "evil" world, Rage happens to be cooking up his latest scheme in the same location where the Quest team has arrived in search of a missing naturalist -- and a giant bat. "Ezekial Rage" originally aired on September 5, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
The Questworld computer system picks up extraterrestrial warnings to stop a series of American space-defense experiments before they begin. Unfortunately, the Quest team learns all too late that the experiments have already been set in motion by the Vice President of the United States -- actually an alien in disguise. Boasting an excellent display of 3-D animation (some of its computerized, but most done the old-fashioned way), "Alien in Washington" made its first cable-TV appearance on September 6, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
Dr. Quest receives a strange package from his old friend, Native American mystic Alice Starseer, containing a curious quartz statue. In turn, the statue contains a rod that acts as a beacon to summon extraterrestrials. Transporting the statue to New Mexico (conveniently close to "Area 51" near Roswell), the Quest team is targetted for scrutiny -- and possible elimination -- by the ubiquitious Men in Black who seem to always be around in sci-fi stories. "Return of the Anasazi" was first telecast on September 9, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
The Philosopher's Stone, which is said to have the power to turn base metals into gold, is located by Dr. Quest, only to be stolen by Quest's duplicitous partner. The villain then kidnaps Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji, intending to use their Purity of Heart to activate the precious Stone. Those celebrated conjurers Faust and Merlin make "cameo" appearances in "The Alchemist," which was first telecast in the United States on September 10, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
Having returned from her journey through space with the Anasazi, Dr. Quest's mystical friend Alice Starseer arrives on earth armed with the Secrets of the Universe. Intending to lay her grandfather to rest, Alice is targetted for abduction by the Quest team's perennial adversary, Jeremiah Surd, who intends to use her secrets for his own evil purposes. "Trouble on the Colorado" originally aired in the United States on September 11, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
Though the mysterious "disappearance" of the 19th century cargo ship Mary Celeste was merely an invention of author Arthur Conan Doyle, it is treated as fact in this entertaining Real Adventures of Jonny Quest installment. While in search of the Mary Celeste's gold cargo in the Sargasso Sea, Dr. Quest comes across several "crop circles" on the ocean floor -- evidence of alien intervention, and a grim omen of the danger soon to face the entire Quest team. "In the Wake of Mary Celeste" initially aired on September 12, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
In Borneo on an archaeological expedition, the Quest team confront the legendary Amok creatures, so named for their ability to attack from several directions at the same time. But there's even more danger at hand in the form of a band of mercenaries, who, hired to destroy a native tribe, add the Quest team members to their list of potential victims. Somewhat reminiscent of the "classic" Jonny Quest episode "Monster of the Monastery," "Amok" originally aired on September 13, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
- 1996
Jeremiah Surd is back for more deviltry in this episode of The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. Having gained control of the Cetacean Internet bandwith, Surd provokes Cetaceans from all over the world to mount an attack against Questworld. This time, the good guys must put their lives in the hands of their erstwhile cohort Captain Havell. "Besieged in Paradise" made its first cable-TV appearance on September 14, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J.D. Roth, George Segal, (more)
