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iain-stleon
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Perry Mason: The Case of the Watery Witness (1959)
I could have picked anytime I wanted too.
This is an intriguing story line which includes an ex-movie star who is self-absorbed and cruel too many people. Initially you will assume that she is a damsel in distress but once you see her up close you will see that this is just to throw you off the scent of the true plot.
The story opens from the initial scenes to a plot of blackmail from a private investigator who has found the child given away 24 years earlier, throw in a mix of heated exchanges between a producer, the lost child and the house keeper and the story begin to take shape. However it is the husband of the lost child who is accused of murder and who Perry will defend.
This is an excellent performance with many twists and turns to keep you guessing to the end who was the actual murderer with so many options. The storyline is easy to follow and gives you just enough that you have to keep watching to find out who done it
There are several scenes that are important but none compare with the watery witness, this is the key to the whole story as it breaks down the inconsistencies with one witness, and allows for Perry to realise who the actual killer is.
I was also impressed that the director and writers included some humour when the house keeper is on the stands and you see Hamilton Burger have a slight chuckle to himself, this serve of levity humanised him and made him likable which is a rarity.
Overall this is one of my favourite episodes and as such it scores very highly with a strong 9.5/10, but that rating is not available above I have marked it 10/10, it just didn't seem fair to mark it down.
Escape Plan (2013)
Action Packed Thriller
The Action Genre of the 1980's is back and this is an enticing and thrilling movie. In the first pairing of Slyvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in leading roles, this is wow from beginning to end.
The character portrayed by Stallone and Schwarzenegger work together to escape from a floating prison designed to keep undesirables from seeing the light of day again. Stallone's character who is an expert in prison design and then exposing the weaknesses of the prison is asked to enter a maximum security facility in order to point out any flaws that may exist, he has no knowledge of the facility and accepts the assignment with some reluctance.
Inside the prison Ray Breslin (Stallone) meets Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger) and together they work together to find a way out of what appears to be an inescapable fortress. The prison is run by a sadistic warden, who is aware of Breslin (Stallone) and what he does for a living. The warden uses the books written by Stallone's character to ensure that the prison is a fortress.
Breslin (Stallone) uses the torture boxes to find his way out and discovers that the facility is on an ex oil tanker, using his wits and the help of Rottmayer (Schwarnegger) he is able to determine the position of the ship. Along with other prisoners they find a couple of weaknesses, but the warden is watching and discovers that they are trying to escape.
When the warden attempts to break Breslin's will, you do feel that all may be lost until he is given a pep talk from his new friend Rottmayer and again they work together to breakout of the floating fortress. Using the ship's doctor they get a message to Rottmayer's people and then the breakout begin, with some misdirection.
When the time comes they break free and with some excellent 80's action scenes the movie begins to pump and tho you have been barracking from the start for them to escape, you are now enthralled to see if the plan is successful. Which they are and when they are on land again, you find out Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger) is actually not who you thought and that Breslin (Stallone) was put in the prison by his business partner played by Vincent D'Onofrio.
This is not a sophisticated as you would expect, but it does highlight that even aging action stars who just a few years ago were irrelevant are able to roar back into starring roles.
If you like true action movies and heroes you will enjoy this movie. I rate this movie highly as it brings back memories of all the action movies from the 1980's and early 1990's. I rate this movie 9/10.
Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
No Medicine Required...
Saving Mr. Banks This is not the movie I was expecting. I was expecting it to focus on Walt Disney, with touches of the story about the making of Mary Poppins, but instead it focused on the author P.L Travers (Emma Thompson).
Saving Mr. Banks focuses on P.L Travers (Emma Thompson) childhood in Australia and her difficulty in allowing Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) and his creative team to bring the movie to the big screen. In the start of the movie P.L Travers (Emma Thompson) is opposed to everything, you can feel the disdain she had for Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) and the types of films he made.
I was intrigued during the movie at Walt Disney's tenacious pursuit in making this movie and to what lengths he would go in order to win over the crusty P.L Travers. I get the feeling from this movie that he was a fan of her as an author but as a human being he was disappointed. You can see how he struggled with her demands, her inflexibility and the general manner in which she conducted herself.
A nice touch to this movie is Ralph (Paul Giamatti), he seems to be the only one in the end who ends up not only respecting her, but earning her respect as well. The good nature of this character and fact that his frustration with her, people skills or lack thereof is not going to change his attitude towards her or is job.
As you follow the story you start to understand how she has been let down by her father (Colin Farrell), who Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) reminds her of with his whimsy and playful nature. You get the feeling that the character needs saving and expect as the movie goes long that eventually she will be saved, but this is not the case.
Midway through when the creative team sings 'Let's go Fly a Kite', you do get the sense that P.L Travers (Emma Thompson) is beginning to change emotionally and become more understanding of the people around her. However by the end of the movie, you will see that the character has not been redeemed, which is a departure from the normal story arc's you would see in a movie of this type.
The cast has done an excellent job to bring this movie to life and I believe that without Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson and Paul Giamatti, this movie would not have had the impact that it did. These exceptional actors showed the diversity not only on the big screen but in real life.
I would recommend this movie to all who wish to see it and rate it a strong 9/10.
Perry Mason Returns (1985)
Perry Mason Returns
The TV Movie - Perry Mason Returns, is a departure from the normal format of the 1950's and 1960's, this is the modern take on the former golden age of televisions hit series.
Unlike the stories of old that were completed in an hour long show, the TV Movies is an hour and half. In order to extend the running time, they have used much more filler such as a car chase in the hills and is very disjointed in contrast to the rest of the story.
The opening sets the stage for the entire movie and it is great to see Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) & Della Street (Barbara Hale) back together again. The chemistry between the two of them has not been lost during the 20 year absents from TV.
The flow of the storyline allows you to workout who the killer is. After Perry meets with the daughter of the murder man and Ken Braddock (Richard Anderson), it is clear here that he is involved, but without a clue as to the way in which Perry will figure it out. Unlike the TV series, in this TV Movie they give it away a bit too easy and too early.
In the court room, Perry is up to his usual tricks and misdirection with great effect, to the objection of the district attorney.
I rate this as an effective comeback from 20 years in the wilderness, with some lack luster moments. The performance of the other cast members can not be compared to the old series as they fail in comparison. William Katt (Barbara Hale's son) is OK as Paul Drake Jr, but is a far cry from William Hooper who played Paul Drake in the TV Series.
Anyone who is a fan of the original series as I am will not be disappointed, but they will see just how good the chemistry between the original cast was. For someone new to the series, it won't light the imagination like the TV series did but is still a good, watchable 80's TV movie.
I rate this a 7/10, if it was only an hour long and used the same format as the TV series this would have made the entire show more punchy and would have garnered a higher rating.
Lucy (2014)
Lucy Lucy Lucy
Let me start by saying this is a movie I have been looking forward too ever since I viewed the trailer for it in early 2014. I watched the trailer over and over in expectation that this movie would wow me like limitless had back in 2011.
Set in Taiwan this was a different spin on the contemporary setting of the U.S, Europe, China or Japan, it put just a enough of a twist on the situation to intrigue me. The switching from one situation to another in rapid succession never truly left me satisfied with a completion of the story arc in progress.
The overall story has some highlight with excellent action scenes and a touch of humor but the overall movie lacked the quality and the finesse that is expected of this genre. Let us be honest we are not expecting a documentary but even the Sci-Fi aspect was out there even for a huge fan.
I was impressed with Scarlett Johansson to a point. I have noticed in all her latest movies she has lacked a range of expression. Her default expression is repeated over and over again and unfortunately lacks the impact that the director was hoping for a she progresses or regresses to an entity of energy, her lack of facial expression is the same as in Avengers, Iron Man 2 and Captain America 2.
Morgan Freeman puts in an O.K performance, the value of him being there is not realized to any degree and I think that the studio and producers were hoping his presents would lend more credibility to the movie.
Overall the movie lacks the quality that is promised in the trailer, my high hopes have been dashed.