Robert Patrick – Matt Lynn Digital

Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon and Ginnifer Goodwin in the James Mangold movie ‘Walk the Line’

Biopic movies have had a place in cinema since I began taking movies serious enough to rank movies. Country musician Johnny Cash received such treatment based in part on his autobiographies Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words of 1975 and Cash: The Autobiography, with Patrick Carr, of 1997 plus. Walk the Line (2005) received that plus deeper treatment with additional screenwriting from Gill Dennis and director James Mangold. Friend of the Matt Lynn Digital blog Cobra listed Walk the Line at #16 on his listing of top 20 movies as recently as 2018.

(From left, **Reese Witherspoon** as **June Carter** and **Joaquin Phoenix** as **Johnny Cash** in the **James Mangold** movie **Walk the Line**).

The movie itself begins with scenes of family life for the Johnny Cash from 1944 in Dyess, Arkansas. We meet Johnny Cash‘s mother Carrie, his abusive father Ray, and his brother Jack. Robert Patrick, Shelby Lynne, Lucas Till and Ridge Canipe portrayed Ray, Carrie, Jack and Johnny at this point of the movie, with tragedy befalling Jack and Ray severely resenting Johnny for it. Joaquin Phoenix would go on to portray Johnny Cash as an adult.

(**Ginnifer Goodwin** as **Vivian Cash** in the **James Mangold** movie **Walk the Line**).

It’s 1950 when Johnny Cash joins the U.S. Air Force. Cash takes a liking to writing songs while stationed in West Germany, developing Folsom Prison Blues before returning to the United States when discharged in 1954. Cash would marry his first wife, Vivian Cash as portrayed by Ginnifer Goodwin, before the couple moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Vivian inspired Cash‘s first hit song I Walk the Line.

(From left, **Larry Bagby** as **Marshall Grant**, **Joaquin Phoenix** as **Johnny Cash** and **Dan John Miller** as **Luther Perkins** in the **Larry Mangold** movie **Walk the Line**).

The absence of success as a door-to-door salesman as a means of supporting his family, in part, led Cash to seek an audition with a small band for Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records. While Cash, Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant first aimed to play gospel music, it was Folsom Prison Blues that won the trio a contract and financial success. Among others, the three would begin touring with Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins, as portrayed respectively by Waylon Payne, Tyler Hilton and John Holiday. Dallas Roberts portrayed Sam Phillips.

(From left, **Robert Patrick** as **Ray Cash** and **Shelby Lynne** as **Carrie Cash** in the **Larry Mangold** movie **Walk the Line**).

The touring introduces Johnny Cash to June Carter, as portrayed by Reese Witherspoon. The influence Carter has on Johnny Cash is a source of friction for Vivian Cash. Feelings of love develop between the pair, though attempts from Johnny to initiate a romantic relationship with June are initially rebuffed. A large portion of the film is dedicated to this dynamic, the children between the separate marriages for the pair, and the familial drama that remains between Ray and Johnny Cash. The eventual intimacy, drug and alcohol overuse by Johnny, an eventful Thanksgiving on that path, and a dynamic journey to ultimately get there provides depth to the personal story that is told by Walk the Line.

(From left, director **James Mangold**, actor **Joaquin Phoenix** and actress **Reese Witherspoon** in the **James Mangold** movie **Walk the Line**).

Walk the Line is well crafted entertainment with a strong underlying narrative. The drama is true to the music style of June Carter and Johnny Cash, with feelings of love and social norms of the larger society factoring into the tale. Learning more about the music and the biography of the early part of Cash’s family and career was worthy of my time, too. I rate Walk the Line as directed by James Mangold at 4.0-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Bruce Willis, William Atherton and Bonnie Bedelia in the Renny Harlin movie ‘Die Hard 2’

With the theory that movies set with references to Christmas as part of the underpinnings for establishing the story might be Christmas movies, we return to the action thriller sequel to Die Hard (1988) with the Renny Harlin directed movie Die Hard 2 (1990). This movie is set on Christmas Eve with the main context for the movie being Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia.

(From left, **Bruce Willis** as John McClane and **Dennis Franz** as Captain Carmine Lorenzo in the **Renny Harlin** movie **Die Hard 2**).

With the movie Die Hard 2 having been based on the book 58 Minutes by Walter Wager, we encounter John McClane awaiting the arrival of his wife, Holly, on a flight arriving at the airport. McClane, as portrayed by Bruce Willis, uses his intuition as a lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department to act on his suspicions that a pair of men are behaving erratically. In following the men into a restricted space for sorting baggage, a gun fight ensues with just two of the three men in the encounter escaping with their lives. Bonnie Bedelia portrayed Holly, John’s wife.

(From left, **William Atherton** as Dick Thornburg and **Bonnie Bedelia** as Holly Gennero McClane in the **Renny Harlin** movie **Die Hard 2**).

The men confronted in the restricted area are part of a plan aimed at freeing corrupt foreign military leader General Ramon Esperanza, who is being extradited to from outside the country by airplane to Dulles International Airport. With the help of Sergeant Al Powell of the LAPD, John McClane learns that the man he killed was an American soldier who supposedly died in a helicopter accident two years previously. Airport police chief, Carmine Lorenzo, and air traffic control director Ed Trudeau find McClane’s suspicions unlikely when he reports what he knows. Franco Nero, Reginald VelJohnson, Dennis Franz and Fred Thompson portrayed Esperanza, Powell, Lorenzo and Trudeau, respectively.

(From left, **Reginald VelJohnson** as Al Powell, **Fred Thompson** as Trudeau and **John Amos** as Major Grant in the **Renny Harlin** movie **Die Hard 2**).

Former Colonel William Stuart, meanwhile, works with a group of ex-military sympathizers on the outskirts of the airport in support of causing chaos among the team operating the airport. Thrills, twists and turns follow the initial baggage claim scene with the motivations of Major Grant, Dick Thornburg and others coming into question. The seeds of McClane seizing the initiative, as cultivated with the original Die Hard movie, bears fruit during the blizzard and flight control issues that follow the shenanigans intended by Stuart and the team allied with Ramon Esperanza. William Sadler, John Amos and William Atherton portrayed Stuart, Grant and Thornburg, respectively.

(From left, **Franco Nero** as General Ramon Esperanza, Vondie Curtis-Hall as Miller and **William Sadler** as Colonel William Stuart in the **Renny Harlin** movie **Die Hard 2**).

The central appeal for the movie Die Hard is first and foremost the action and intrigue. The undercurrent of humor present with the original movie were downplayed with the sequel, though I found the movie did not require the humor to remain engaging. I grant Die Hard 2 as directed by Renny Harlin 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, December 3, 2022

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick and the James Cameron movie ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’

James Cameron‘s sequel to his movie The Terminator (1984) offers an example of a film revisited with another story Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) of similar or better quality as the first. Cameron had accomplished a similar outcome in revisiting the Ridley Scott movie Alien (1979) with Aliens (1986). To accomplish two outstanding sequels in close succession, while additionally offering three superior films in less than ten years, really cemented a solid place for the director we review today with Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

(From left, **Edward Furlong** as John Connor, **Linda Hamilton** as Sarah Connor and **Arnold Schwarzenegger** as the Terminator in the **James Cameron** movie **Terminator 2: Judgment Day**).

Terminator 2: Judgment Day picks up slightly more than ten years after The Terminator, which had offered the viewers a sense that time travel was possible, killer robots and people could be selectively sent back in time, and that Sarah Connor’s son, John Connor, would lead a human war against intelligent machines called Terminators. Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator reprised their roles from the original film. John Connor, as the son of Sarah Connor, was born after the timeline of the original movie, as shared with us. John Connor was portrayed by Edward Furlong.

(From left, **Earl Boen** (in tie) as Dr. Silberman and Ken Gibbel (in glasses) as Douglas in the **James Cameron** movie **Terminator 2: Judgment Day**).

The Terminator returns at roughly the same time, about 10-years after the original movie, in southern California. The more advanced T-1000 Terminator, as portrayed by Robert Patrick, also returns. Sarah Connor is locked up in a mental hospital under the care of Dr. Silberman, as reprised by Earl Boen from the original film. It takes a bit of time to connect the motivations of the two competing terminators, as well as to bring together the necessary relationships of Sarah and her son, John. John Connor had been in foster care.

(**Robert Patrick** as the T-1000 Terminator in the **James Cameron** movie **Terminator 2: Judgment Day**).

A really intelligent brand of storytelling for the second movie was to revisit the relationships from the original film, introduce some of the origin story for how the notion of intelligent machines developed in the first place, and to continue things to a point of confrontation spoken of in The Terminator movie. It is in this space that we learn more of the backstory for what had happened between John and Sarah over the 10 years we missed, plus we learned why we should care about Miles Dyson and Tarissa Dyson, as portrayed by Joe Morton and S. Epatha Merkerson, respectively.

(From left, **Joe Morton** as Miles Dyson and **S. Epatha Merkerson** as Tarissa Dyson in the **James Cameron** movie **Terminator 2: Judgment Day**).

The graphic scope of the tale for the first two movies, with an origin story so completely relevant to the very real political climate that existed in the era that began with the first movie, made for compelling cinema by itself. That a compelling science fiction accounting for the fears that were afloat in a way that delivered a punch made for a compelling sequel movie that stood-up every bit as well as the original film. The offering of a sequel that could and did engage the audience with quality cinema was quite the accomplishment.

(From left, actress **Linda Hamilton**, director **James Cameron**, actor **Joe Morton** and actor **Arnold Schwarzenegger** in the **James Cameron** movie **Terminator 2: Judgement Day**).

The James Cameron movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day receives 4.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, September 18, 2021

Matthew Rhys, Juliet Rylance and Chris Chalk in season one of ‘Perry Mason’

Matthew Rhys, Juliet Rylance and Chris Chalk starred in the first season of HBO Original Series Perry Mason (2020- ). The updated series is set in the 1920s based on characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner. This incarnation of the Perry Mason series was developed and written by Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald. That there would be a second season was announced in July, 2020.

(From left, Matthew Rhys as Perry Mason and Chris Chalk as Paul Drake in the HBO Original Series Perry Mason).

The opening season of Perry Mason offered a decidedly contemporary look into the origin stories and existing human relationships for existing characters known to many familiar with the original Perry Mason (1957-1966) television series or the series of detective novels. This series offers much in terms of offering backstories of characters in ways that would be borderline taboo even on modern day late night network television. Included in this would be the origin story of Perry Mason, as portrayed by Matthew Rhys, his complicated love interest Lupe Gibbs, as played by Veronica Falcón, and the stories involving Paul Drake, as portrayed by Chris Chalk. Diarra Kilpatrick portrayed Clara Drake, the wife of Chris Chalk.

(From left, John Lithgow as Elias Birchard ‘E.B.’ Jonathan, Juliet Rylance as Della Street and Shea Whigham as Pete Strickland in the HBO Original Series Perry Mason).

The story of the opening season of Perry Mason begins with some seedy investigations pursued by detectives Perry Mason and Pete Strickland pursuing seedy private investigation work. Pete Strickland, as portrayed by Shea Whigham, secondhand through lawyer Elias Birchard ‘E.B.’ Jonathan, as portrayed by John Lithgow. E.B. Jonathan, a lawyer down on his luck with his glory days in the past, employed Mason, Strickland, and substantially more than secretary Della Street. Street is portrayed by Juliet Rylance. Street is in a relationship with Hazel Prystock, as portrayed by Molly Ephraim, in the opening season.

(From left, Gayle Rankin as Emily Dodson, Tatiana Maslany as Sister Alice McKeegan and Lili Taylor as Birdy McKeegan in the HBO Original Series Perry Mason).

The case at the center of involves the kidnapping and death of Emily and Matt Dodson’s son Charlie Dodson. Gayle Rankin portrayed Emily Dodson as Nate Corddry portrayed Matt Dodson. The circumstances and political mechanization behind the ensuing investigation, along with the odd circumstances occurring at a radio religious ministry inextricably tied to the happenings of the death become connected to the events. Birdy McKeegan, as portrayed by Lili Taylor, Sister Alice McKeegan as portrayed by Tatiana Maslany, and Herman Baggerly as portrayed by Robert Patrick all have a hand in the prospects within and without the ministry connected to this case.

(From left, Robert Patrick as Herman Baggerly and Andrew Howard as Detective Ennis in the HBO Original Series Perry Mason).

Regarding the disappearance, death, and subsequent trials of Emily and Matt Dodson, police detective Ennis and policeman Paul Drake run afoul of each other in formulating the official theory of the crime. Andrew Howard portrayed Detective Ennis. The theory of the crime, and the subsequent prosecution of it by Maynard Barnes as portrayed by Stephen Root, who aims to make sure the facts to be presented at trial at a minimum will not be derailed due to clever investigation and mechanization by the investigations of Perry Mason, Pete Strickland, and others. The sense of desperation in what motivates some through the investigation and conduct of the trial, in addition to the self-motivation and crime that underpins how justice was operating through the season, certainly offered a grit to the storytelling that I do not recall from the original television series that I remember.

(Stephen Root as Maynard Barnes in the HBO Original Series Perry Mason).

The first season of the HBO series Perry Mason was an intriguing re-imagination of the original characters that were present. That the season chose to focus on a single case with deeper looks into the relationships of the people and the drama does service to a series airing on a premium cable platform. I’m all for additional seasons, acknowledging that the edge this series brings both in violence and sexual content will not be for all viewers. I grade for season one of Perry Mason at 4.0-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, August 26, 2020