HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER – My rating: 8.5/10

This highly anticipated mystery, How to Get Away with Murder “HTGAWM”  is well worth the wait.  Another Shonda Rhimes production is a huge success.  The series is created by Peter Nowalk, who is also the executive producer along with Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers.  There is so much mystery, suspense and thrills, you just can’t ignore your racing mind of thoughts that will have you “gone wild”.  A brilliant practicing lawyer and professor uses her Philadelphia University, law students as well as her expertise as a lawyer to win cases.  Her students have turned out to be quite worthy of investigating, finding motives and evidence, as well as unproven alibis and much more.  The professor/lawyer named Annalise Keating played by Viola Davis presents all kinds of though provoking issues as she exercises her principle of getting her client off at any cost.  She doesn’t care if they are guilty or not, as long as she is representing them, she will do her best to make sure they win their freedom.  There are acts of murder, cover ups and guilty pleasure taking place behind the scenes.  We the audience are kept guessing every week as to “who done it” and what’s really going on.  Billy Brown plays Nate Leahy, a love interest, Alfred Enoch plays Wes Gibbins, a student responsible for the main case this series will focus on, Tom Verica plays Viola Davis’ husband, Sam Keating and Jack Falahee plays Connor Walsh one of Violas  students.   I find How to Get Away with Murder interesting, entertaining and quite the thrill ride.  I have not figured out everything that’s happening yet but I will certainly keep glued to the series.  “HTGAWM” currently airs on ABC.

THE JUDGE (2014) – My rating: 9/10

I smell Oscar nominations here.  The Judge goes deep into ones soul.  I loved the way it wrapped up the ending and I loved the cast.  Robert Downing, Jr. plays Hank Palmer, a hot shot lawyer from Chicago who has a reputation for winning his cases.  When his mother dies, Hank is summoned back home where he hasn’t been for 20 years.  He’s leaving his troubled home in Chicago where he has a cheating wife and a small daughter, arriving in his home town of Carlinville, Indiana where he has 2 brothers Glen Palmer (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Dale Palmer (Jeremy Strong) and a father, Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall) that makes up a dysfunctional family that he never speaks to.  Hank expected his trip back home to be short but when his father is accused of murdering a convict he sentenced in his court years ago, Hank stays to defend him.  Many paths are explored in this 2 hour and 27 minute film.  So far, The Judge has proven to be a more than worthy contender among the better movies I’ve seen this year.  Billy Bob Thornton plays the states attorney (Dwight Dickham) who prosecutes the judge.  Dax Shepard plays C. P. Kennedy the defense co-council and Hank’s daughter, Laura Palmer (Emma Tremblay) are just a few that make an excellent cast.  While visiting Carlinville, Hank discovers there are many old relationships that need closure.  This film makes for a very interesting story and well worth the price of a movie ticket to see it.

[THE JUDGE is nominated for Best Supporting Actor]

NO GOOD DEED (2014) – My rating: 8.5/10

Amongst Hollywood’s redundant plots, No Good Deed is a refreshing change.  Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson give top notch performances.  Colin Evans, played by Idris Elba, is an imprisoned serial killer with a narcissistic complex.  After almost serving a five year prison term for manslaughter,  (he murdered 5 women and 1 man) Colin was denied parole, so he breaks out of prison with a specific agenda in mind.  Taraji who plays Terri Granger, is a housewife and mother of 2.  Terri is married to a prestigious lawyer named Jeffery Granger, played by Henry Simmons, who is always on the go.  This plot appears to be the usual prison break story but it offers a mind binder that is the saving grace for this film.  I cannot reveal much of the plot because it will give away the element of surprise so I have limited my comments.  Aside from the brilliant acting, the movie is well directed,  suspenseful and thrilling.  I believe No Good Deed is a winner and worth seeing on the big screen.

VERONICA MARS (2014) – My rating: 7/10

I’ll admit Kristen Bell is cute and as my grandson says, hot.  However, in my opinion, the movie Veronica Mars isn’t very cute or hot.  In this updated, modern day, version of Veronica Mars, a teen age semi-quasi private eye goes to college and earns her degree followed by law school where she passes with above average grades. After seeking a job as a lawyer, she is accepted by a prominant law firm in New York but she turns it all down for a private eye and CEO position along side her dad at their own detective agency called Mars.  Did I mention, she also gives up her gorgeous fiance (Chris Lowell), who is also a lawyer, in favor of her old high school flame, now a Lieutenant in the United States Navy?  So, Veronica travels back to her small hometown of Neptune, where she tries to solve a “who done it” murder case for which her old flame was accused and arrested.   Although Veronica strives to get the private eye bug out of her system, she just couldn’t,  no matter how hard she tried.  You could say the moral of this story is “once a dick, always a dick”.  Glad I waited for the DVD.  Not a waste of time but low on the entertainment grid.

THE GOOD WIFE – My rating 9/10

I don’t usually watch shows on CBS.  No particular reason, I just haven’t found interest there.  I decided to give them a good look and discovered not only is there plenty of interest, they have one of the best shows ever written, in my opinion.  The Good Wife looks at the legal world of lawyers, cops, corporations and the entire justice system from a perspective I’ve not seen.  I started watching The Good Wife On Demand.  There are 5 seasons consisting of 22 to 24 episodes each.   I am only on season 2, episode 12 and I watched those in 3 days time, that’s how much the series holds my interest.  I don’t know what’s going to happen in the coming episodes but I know I’m really looking forward to seeing them.  Alicia Florrick , played by Julianna Margulies, is an above average lawyer who after 15 years of being a housewife and mom, had to go back out into the field in order to survive her husband’s, philandering and corruption charges that landed him in jail.  Peter Florrick, played by Chris Noth, being the sole breadwinner, has incurred legal expenses and a high profile life style to be paid for by his wife.  There are many, many stars that make up this most interesting show.  I especially like the diversity shown throughout the episodes and the cases taken on by the firm Alysha works for.  I will add on to this review as I advance through the seasons to update the current situations and to see if my 9/10 rating still holds.  For now, I’m really liking The Good Wife!  Go CBS!

MISTRESSES – My rating: 6/10

I feel somewhat reluctant critiquing Mistresses because I’m not certain it’s going to be renewed.  I understand the British version is a big hit, but that’s in England.  In the US it’s considered just okay.  In my opinion the plot is a little ridiculous.  Mistresses is a drama about the scandalous lives of four girlfriends.

 Savi (Alyssa Milano), a successful lawyer is married to Harry (Brett Tucker), a restaurant owner and chef.  They want to start a family (he more than she). Savi ends up having a one night stand with Dominic, a lawyer on her job, played by Jason George .  She becomes pregnant to her husband’s delight but has to come clean since the father in unknown and the baby could be black.

Season 2:  Savi’s baby problem is resolved since she was in a horrific car accident in last season’s finale, causing a miscarriage.  She divorces her husband anyway, in favor of her baby daddy. For the record, Savi seems very uncomfortable in this relationship — the chemistry is just not there.

 Josselyn (Jes Macallan), Savi’s younger sister is a savvy real estate agent and a single, serial dater who strikes up a love relationship with a female client. Josselyn ends up sleeping with her French boss, causing her current gay relationship to come to an end. Additionally, Josselyn is wild and loves to party.

Season 2:  Josselyn is no longer a real estate agent.  She along with her sister’s x-husband, Harry, are party planners, complete with catering.  For the record, this is an unlikely pairing since Harry will be constantly running into his X, plus he’s a professional.

 April (Rochelle Aytes), an entrepreneurial, store owner is a  recent widow with a young daughter.  April seems to be the only normal one in the group until her dead husband reappears, complete with a mistress and child, clamming blackmail as the reason he faked his death.  April is currently dating and now has to figure out what to do going forward.

Season 2:  April has met someone new and is throwing her prudish ways out the window to enjoy lots of sex with her new hunk.  For the record, no mention of her resurfaced, dead husband.  Life goes on as usual.  I think they replaced the person playing her daughter.

Karen (Yunjin Kim), a successful therapist with her own practice, has an affair with her dying, married client, Thomas Grey (John Schneider).  After many complications, Karen ends up sleeping with Sam Grey, Thomas’s son.  If matters weren’t bad enough, Thomas’s wife fines out and has Karen arrested for aiding in her husbands death, which she did not do.

Season 2:  Karen no longer has a private practice since Sam got killed and his mother was arrested for the murder.  For the record, this story is pretty gray since there was a struggle at the end of last season, between Sam and Karen and Sam’s mother when the gun went off.  It seems odd that anyone was arrested for this accident/incident.  There was no motive for killing Sam.

Mistresses aired for 13 weeks in June of 2013.  I just learned Mistresses has been picked up for a second season and will air June of 2014.  I don’t know how they will resolve Sevi’s potential baby daddy, Jason George, since he also plays Dr. Bailey’s husband on Grey’s Anatomy.  He was away for a while but has returned.  It’s unrealistic to think 4 friends have this kind of life or maybe I’m the one that’s out of touch.  Mistresses airs on ABC.

Season 2:  Still unrealistic and has started off rushed with most of the characters emotionally detached. For the record, I will be surprised if Mistresses makes it a 3rd season.  Only time will tell.

 

RAKE – My rating: 8/10

I’m giving Rake a rating of 8 because it so entertaining, I can’t give it any less.  It’s wild, crazy and totally unrealistic.  It’s almost bordering on being a fantasy.   Keegan Deane  played by Greg Kinnar, is a lawyer with a gambling and sex problem.  He really belongs nowhere.  He’s estranged from his wife and son but remain friends.  He had a tiny practice, but lost it all to gambling debts that he still hasn’t paid.  He has more than his share of true friends and a very loyal assistant named Leanne Zander played by British actress, Tara Summers (best know for Boston Legal).  Deane has managed to have sex with every nationality of woman and from every walk in society, including a hooker that he is practically in love with.  He lives from pillar to post.  His best friend owns a law firm and has hired him to help get some of the less sophisticated cases resolved.   Keegan’s  antics are outrageous and he’s well known among the judges.  Despite his up-side down world, he seems to always win.  He’s smart, clever and extremely street smart.  I like this show because it makes me feel uninhabited and it makes me lmao.  I’ve always been a fan of Greg Kinnar and I’m happy to see his career taking off.  I really think if you’re looking for an escape from the everyday hum-drum series, get into Rake.  I’m not sure why it’s called Rake but I think it’s a keeper.  Rake currently airs on FOX. Rake has been cancelled — Maybe there’s just too many series on TV!