Pressure Point (1997)

Hopeless, 22 May 2020

After CIA operative Sebastian Dellacourt (Don Mogavero) botches an assassination attempt, he’s tried and sentenced to jail.  Sometime later, one of Dellacourt’s old bosses offers him a chance at freedom if he’ll complete one last mission - bust up a dangerous militia bent on destroying the US government.  

I think I’ve rated every movie I’ve seen from Edgewood Studios a 3/10.  For Pressure Point, there are so many problems I could point to that it’s really not worth the time and/or effort.  The screenplay, the dialogue, the acting, the fight choreography - it’s all so hopelessly pathetic.  I suppose, however, that one of the biggest problems with Pressure Point is lead actor (and writer) Don Mogavero.  He’s pretty much the antithesis of an action star.  No offence meant toward the man, but Mogavero looks more like he should be playing an accountant rather than a CIA hitman.  He’s got a dad bad, a disappearing hairline, and all the athletic grace you’d expect from a middle-age white dude.  Now that i’ve written that, I realize he doesn’t sound that dissimilar to me.  Hey, maybe I’m an action star and I just don’t know it!

There are many, many little things about Pressure Point that left me scratching my head.  Things like: What’s up with the total lack of security at that maximum security prison?  I think I saw a total of three guards - and two of those were on a smoke break.  Or, where is this film supposed to be taking place?  Vermont?  Delaware?  Who knows?  Or, is it really that easy to steal a helicopter from a group of law enforcement agents?  It’s like taking candy from a baby.  Or, could Dellacourt’s prison escape have been any more awkward looking?  He can’t run very fast, he has all the jumping ability of a walrus, and he’s wearing a prison outfit that’s about three sizes too big.  Smooth it ain’t.  Or . . . well, you get the idea.  From an empty six-pack of Diet Coke used as a weapon to sticks of dynamite in a microwave, there’s a lot here to ponder.

Finally, I want to mention two things in Pressure Point that I actually enjoyed.  First, Steve Railsback easily acts circles around everyone else in the cast.  He also makes a fantastic baddie.  The movie might have been better had he had more screen time, but i’m sure they didn’t have the budget for that.  Second, it was “nice” spotting Matthew Bruch in a small role.  If you’re a “fan” of the Edgewood Studios’ classic Time Chasers, then you’re all too familiar with Bruch.  Go Castleton!

3/10

The Saint “The Arrow of God” #1.7 (1962) (TV)

Welcome to the Bahamas! 22 May 2020

Simon is invited by an old friend to spend some time with her family and friends at their home in the Bahamas.  Among the group is a nasty piece of work named Floyd Vosper (Anthony Dawson). He's a journalist who enjoys exposing the secrets of the rich and powerful.  It seems he has something on every guest.  So, it’s not terribly surprising when Vosper turns up dead.

I’ve about decided that a lot of these early episodes have a different sort of “feel” to them.  In the case of The Arrow of God, it has more in common with an Agatha Christie story than what I expect from The Saint.  You know, everyone in the household had a reason to kill the victim, but everyone has an alibi.  Here, though, instead of a stuffy detective, Simon solves the case and delivers what amounts to the drawing room denouement.  And much like Christie, the solution to whodunit is riddled with holes.  But seriously, I could care less.  It was so much fun watching Simon get to the bottom of things that I wasn’t overly bothered with a plot issue or two.  

One of the things that makes this one so good is the acting.  I’ll start with Anthony Dawson.  His portrayal of Vosper is an absolute blast to watch.  Every word out of his mouth is like acid.  It’s no wonder he meets his untimely demise.  Good stuff.  I was also impressed with Elspeth March as Simon’s friend Lucy.  I thought she did a nice job of expressing an array of emotions throughout the episode.  Finally, I’ll mention Honor Blackman.  She’s solid.  It’s pretty cool to see three actors (Dawson, Blackman, and Moore) who would go on to memorable performances in the James Bond films sharing screen time in an early episode of The Saint.  

7/10

The Saint “The Pearls of Peace” #1.6 (1962) (TV)

From New York to Mexico, 21 May 2020

Simon agrees to help finance a friend’s ill-fated pearl hunting operation.  Years later, he receives word that his friend is living in Mexico and wants to pay back what he owes.   Simon heads to Mexico to investigate and is shocked at what he finds.

I know I’m only six episodes into The Saint, but The Pearls of Peace is not what I’ve come to expect from the series.  For lack of a better word, it doesn’t feel like the other episodes I’ve seen.  Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, it’s just different.  Instead of the usual action/crime/drama genre classification I would use to describe The Saint, this episode is more like a drama/romance w/ a dash of crime.  The story is told in flashback style with Simon little more than a background character for most of the episode.  He really doesn’t do much until the episode is almost over.  Again, not that any of this is bad, just different.  One thing that’s not different is that, in the end, Simon’s on-hand to save the day.  However, the little switcheroo that he pulls wasn’t nearly as clever as it was meant to be.  The con was way too easy to predict.  And, I could have done without that sappy final monologue.  It’s a real low point for me.

There are a couple of acting highlights I want to point out.  First, Dina Palsner is fantastic as Consuelo.  She gives a very refined, dignified performance and creates a believably loving character.  Second is Erica Rogers.  Has there ever been a more uncaring, selfish gold-digger than Rogers’ Joss Hendry?  I think that the contrast between these two characters is a real strength of The Pearls of Peace.  

 6/10

The Saint “The Loaded Tourist” #1.5 (1962) (TV)

From Rome to Geneva, 21 May 2020

After unsuccessfully thwarting a murder, Simon agrees to help the victim’s 16 year-old son, Alfredo, discover why his father was murdered and find those responsible.  The trail leads to a stash of valuable jewelry and a surprise suspect.

Overall, The Loaded Tourist is a pretty standard episode.  It’s solid enough, but it’s nowhere near as outstanding as some of the others.  Once in Geneva, the episode moves at a good pace and held my interest throughout.  Highlights include a con that Simon and Alfredo are able to pull on the killers.  It’s a treat watching as their plan unfolds.  There are also a few plot twists near the end that really help make this one better than average.  One of the weaker moments in The Loaded Tourist was, of all things, the murder scene. The staging of the murder and its aftermath (including the discovery of the missing briefcase) felt clumsy to me.  

The supporting cast is a mixed bag in my eyes.  Guy Deghy and Barbara Bates (what a tragic story) really stood out.  Both are rock solid and work well with Moore.  On the other end of the spectrum is Joseph Cuby as Alfredo.  This kid got on my nerves right from the start.  Sure, some of his suspicions were proven true, but did he have to be so whiny?

6/10

The Saint “The Covetous Headsman” #1.4 (1962) (TV)

Top notch episode, 20 May 2020

During his seven hour flight from New York to Paris, Simon befriends a woman on her way to meet her long lost brother.  Upon arrival, she learns that her brothe's been murdered.  Fearing for her safety, Simon agrees to look into things.  And wouldn’t you know it, Simon's right.  It’s not long after Simon starts his investigation that the woman is kidnapped by a Nazi sympathizer.

The Covetous Headsman is easily the best episode I’ve seen so far.  This one could have easily been fleshed out into a full length movie.  There’s a lot packed into the 49 minute runtime.  The writing is very strong.  There are plenty of twists and turns and a real sense of danger.  The story kept me guessing until the very end.  Roger Moore is on top of his game and is much more believable in the action scene that he would be later in his career.  Barbara Shelley makes the perfect woman in peril.  She’s outstanding.  The rest of the cast, especially George Pastell, are more than up for the task.  Overall, a really nice piece of television.

Two more things before I end this:

1. Not unlike another IMDb comment I read, I was bothered throughout by the notion of Simon working with the French Resistance during WWII.  Based on Moore’s age in 1962, Simon would have been somewhere around 16 years old  I’m not sure how realistic that might have been.

2. I always love seeing 1960s-era everyday life.  In this episode, we’re treated to some interesting shots of the now renamed Idlewild Airport and the streets of Paris.  I can’t seem to get enough of this stuff.

8/10

Wicked Stepmother (1989)

“It didn’t work, did it, Dorothy?  This is reality, not MGM!”, 20 May 2020

Writing a plot summary for this one is difficult.  If you’re unfamiliar with the movie, Wicked Stepmother’s star, Bette Davis, left after several days of shooting.  The script was rewritten, creating a fairly disjointed experience.  Because of that, I’ll just try to go through some “highlights” of the plot.  Miranda (Bette Davis), a chain-smoking witch, marries Sam (Lionel Sander) while his daughter, Jenny (Colleen Camp), is on vacation.  Miranda turns the house upside down, making Jenny’s life miserable in the process.  But just as you’re getting accustomed to Miranda and her witchy doings, she disappears and is replaced by her daughter, Priscilla (Barbara Carrera).  Priscilla continues the reign of terror.  Can Jenny put a stop to Priscilla before her whole family is destroyed?

If the stories I’ve read are true, I don’t blame Bette Davis one bit for walking out on Wicked Stepmother.  It’s pretty much a gigantic mess of a film.  The script is a disastrous jumble of poorly thought out ideas, some of the acting is incredibly weak, most of the comedy doesn’t work, and the special effects are as lame as you can find.  Why would someone of Ms Davis’ stature want to be involved in something like this?  The scenes in which she does appear, however, are easily the best part of the film.  Even in her last, admittedly limited role, she plays “catty” as well as anyone who ever appeared on screen.  

I’m sure that a lot of the issues I have with Wicked Stepmother come from director Larry Cohen’s efforts to save the film after he lost Ms Davis.  And while there are moments here and there that worked for me (the bits with the stunning Barbara Carrera and Lionel Stander are quite good), most of it is difficult and often embarrassing to watch.  For example, watching miscast Tom Bosley talk to a shoebox is cringey and painful.  And, you know you’re in trouble when you see credits that list Richard Moll as a “Special Guest” (at least I think that’s the way he’s listed - I really can’t be bothered to go back and look it up).  None of his shenanigans were in the least bit funny to me.  In the end, regardless of why it’s bad, it’s still just a bad movie.

Finally, including pictures of Joan Crawford was a stroke of genius and something far more clever than the rest of this mess.

3/10

Pursuit to Algiers (1945)

“Oh, so the old girl has lost her emeralds, eh?”, 19 May 2020

Holmes and Waston are engaged to escort a foreign royal back to his home country.  As you would expect, there are those who would like to see them fail.

If you read what’s been written about Pursuit to Algiers across the internet, you’ll quickly discover that many feel this is among the worst of the Rathbone Holmes’ films.  While I certainly understand the arguments against the movie, I at least find enough enjoyment in it to give it a 5/10 rating.

The problems with Pursuit to Algiers are many.  Start with the ridiculous manner in which Holmes and Watson are contacted.  Why not just approach Holmes?  Why go through all the unnecessary cloak and dagger?  It’s all so silly.  Next, Holmes spots the baddies straight away.  He even catches them red-handed (literally) on at least two occasions trying to kill either him or the royal under his protection.  Why not do something about it?  Why let these guys go free to carry out another attempt?  It’s preposterous.  Then there’s the whole subplot about the stolen emeralds.  Even though Holmes says he’s not interested when he and Watson hear about the robbery, you just know they’ll get brought back up.  And, it’s not hard to spot who has them.  Next, there are a number of ship passengers that unnecessarily act like suspicious criminals.  In real life, these harmless people would most likely come across as harmless people.  Most people don’t act that shady when going about their daily lives.  Finally, not that any of these Holmes’ films had huge budgets, but you can tell Universal was cutting corners.  Filming aboard what is supposed to be a ship is about as cheap as you can get with no large sets and a minimal cast.  Throw in some uber-thick fog to hide other deficiencies and you can save even more money.  Oh, I wrote “finally”, but one last thing - Rathbone looks tired.  There’s no sparkle to his performance.  It looks to me like he’s ready to move on to something else.  

Regardless of these issues, there are still things I enjoy each time I’ve watched Pursuit to Algiers.  Instead of a long list as I did with the weaknesses, I’ll limit this to my absolute favorite moment.  I’ve seen this film on at least three occasions, but that ending never fails to catch me off-guard.  There’s a twist near the end that somehow works on me everytime. An ending that effective is worth something when it comes to a rating.

5/10

Murder in the Blue Room (1944)

The mystery is as obvious as the comedy, 18 May 2020

A party is held in a house that has been closed since a mysterious death occurred in one of the bedrooms known as “the Blue Room”.  Believing he might be able to solve the mystery, one of the guests asks to spend the night in the very same fateful room.  The next morning, it’s discovered he’s disappeared.  Has the Blue Room claimed its next victim?

To say I’m disappointed in Murder in the Blue Room would be an understatement.  Going in, the film had so much going for it.  The old, dark house setting, mysterious deaths, secret passages, and maybe even a ghost.  All the trappings are there for a good movie.  And don’t misunderstand my rating, there are bits here and there that I really enjoyed.  Unfortunately, what Murder in the Blue Room doesn’t have is a good script.  To begin with, the mystery parts of the film are way too easy to solve.  The movie all but announces the murderer’s identity from the very beginning.  Second, the only thing more obvious than the mystery is the comedy.  I don’t mind comedy mixed with my old, dark house movie, but only if it’s good comedy.  Most of what is meant to be funny here comes from a trio of wannabe Andrews Sisters.  The jokes are so hamfisted in their delivery that you can spot them from a mile away.  This kind of comedy just doesn’t work for me. 

Finaly, there’s one other thing that really got under my skin while watching Murder in the Blue Room that I want to mention - that ghost.  What was the point?  It wasn’t frightening, it wasn’t funny, and it had no bearing on the mystery.  Why add it to the movie at all?  Despite all of the other issues I had with the film, I might have seen fit to rate Murder in the Blue Room higher had that ridiculous ghost not been included. 

4/10

Rollergator (1996)

One of the absolute worst, 18 May 2020

While at the beach one day, PJ Smith (Sandra Shuker) meets a small, talking alligator.  He’s on the run from an exploitative carnival owner and only wants to find his way home.  PJ agrees to help, but she’ll have to stay one step ahead of the carnival owner, his henchman, and a female ninja (whatever?).

There are bad movies and then there are BAD movies.  Rollergator falls into that second category - BAD.  Someday, I might sit down and make a list of the 10 worst movies I’ve ever seen.  I can safely say that Rollergator will be on that list.  While watching Rollergator, it’s hard to fathom that it was made by full-grown, human adults.  Everything about the movie (and I’m being generous by calling Rollergator a “movie”)  is as bad as you can find.  While I could write pages about the problems found in Rollergator, I’ll limit this to just one.  Never in my life have I seen a movie, especially a “modern” movie, with such poor sound.  There are times where I literally couldn’t decipher what was being said because the ambient noise drowned out everything else.  I could see lips moving, so I knew they were saying something.   What, though, I have absolutely no idea.  I could record something on my phone that would have infinitely better sound quality.  

While I could also easily criticize the writing, directing, special effects, fight choreography, and just about everything else, one thing I will not say anything bad about is Sandra Shuker in the lead role (unlike acting buffoon Joe Estevez).  Admittedly, she’s not very good, but I’m not going to blame her.  First, she’s really not an actress. This is her only acting credit.   It looks like she was thrown into this movie and received little help from the rest of the cast and crew.  Second, she appears to be giving it her all.  You can see she’s trying.  That’s worth something in my book.  

1/10

McBain (1991)

“Santos is dead.  You remember Santos?  This is his sister.”  18 May 2020

Vietnam vet Bobby McBain (Christopher Walken) agrees to help the sister of the man who rescued him from a POW camp at the end of the war.  He recruits some of his old army buddies and heads off to Columbia.  Their mission - bring down the naco-backed Columbian government.  Sounds pretty simple, right?  Lots of explosions follow.

I know that McBain is a favorite of some “bad” movie fans, but it never quite works for me.  I’m not sure why, but I think I missed something akin to a real plot.  McBain features one action set-piece after the next with very little in the way of story to connect these sequences and help make any sense out of the whole thing.  For example, McBain and Co need money to finance their operation.  Next thing you know, they’re extorting a mob boss and, almost instantly, have a $10 million bankroll.  How did all that happen?  The movie has a terribly disjointed feel to it that I didn’t care for.  Also, I had a hard time buying Walken and his buddies as mercenaries.  First, Walken has never reminded me of an action movie lead.  Second, these guys have been out of the military for 18 years, but ‘we’re supposed to believe that they’re able to topple the Columian government?  I’m not buying it.  Finally, when things aren’t being blown up, I found McBain horribly dull.  When the film does take time for exposition, it’s amazingly boring.  Overall, I didn’t enjoy McBain nearly as much as I had hoped.

One last thing, there is one scene in McBain that is so jaw-droppingly stupid, it has to be seen to be beleived.  I won’t spoil it, I’ll just say that I’ve never seen an Air Force jet taken out of the sky in such a ridiculous manner.  It’s laugh-out-loud funny and, for me anyway, one of McBain’s “highlights”.

4/10