The Truth is Out There… “Mark Felt” Informs and Entertains with All Star Cast

The country is in turmoil, the war at home and abroad rages on. The government and the President are involved in one of the biggest cover-ups in history. Many officials have either been given subpoenas or resigned, in lieu of jail. The White House finally admits their sins and then a President is forced to resign. This may sound like the times we are living through, but in reality, it is one of the most tumultuous times in US history. It is the Watergate cover up and the hero that brought down the White House was Mark Felt or “Deep Throat.”  

Peter Landesman has succeeded in bringing an all star cast together to tell the tale of Watergate and the man who brought down Nixon. Liam Neeson leads the cast as the man who held the FBI’s secrets and was J Edgar Hoover’s right hand man. Felt also had his own secret and did everything he could to find answers to it. Felt remained loyal and faithful until Hoover’s death. Feeling that he is being edged out for Nixon’s men, Felt becomes the “voice” that tells all. Neeson  brings it to the table with a very complex role. He is a traitor, but you also can’t help but root for him. Diane Lane accompanies Neeson as the dutiful wife who follows him from assignment to assignment. She shines when she is reunited with her daughter.  Felt’s right hand man is Ed Miller played by a man who is no stranger to political roles, Tony Goldwyn. Goldwyn’s long career playing politicians ranges from Chief of Staff in “Pelican Brief” to his current role as Former President Fitzgerald T. Grant on ABC’s “Scandal.” Goldwyn’s authoritative presence is definitely noticed in the movie. There is also a bond between Miller and Felt that is conveyed very well by the two actors. Fellow “Shondaland” alumni and Piven standout, Kate Walsh charms as the fun loving Pat Miller. Broadway standout, Brian D’ Arcy James shines as Robert Kunkel. Marton Csokas captures the treachery of acting FBI director, Gray. Gray is Nixon’s pick for the replacement of Hoover following his death. ABC seems to be well represented also by Wendi McLendon Covey  or the mom from hell on “The Goldbergs.” . She is the loyal secretary to Felt and seems to adjust to drama just fine. This is a good showcase for her as well. Josh Lucas is also a standout as the confused agent who was forced out , Charlie Bates.  Bruce Greenwood and Noah Wyle round out the cast as Prosecutor  Stan Pottinger and Time Magazine editor, Sandy Smith.

Neeson shows all facets of the character from the tough , loyal FBI agent to the father who is looking for his daughter.  He has a very good chemistry with Goldwyn, almost reminiscent of the relationship he had with Steppenwolf’s Jeff Perry on “Scandal.” Lane shows the inner workings of a deeply troubled character who has embraced her position and money to make up for thinking she was a failure as a mother. Even though she is young, Maika Monroe goes straight for the heart as the young, hippie daughter of Felt. Bravo to costuming for this movie . They seemed to capture the fashion mode of the period very well. Some of the daughter’s clothes were so cute , I wanted to run out and get them for myself. The hairstyles for the period were right on point, except it seemed like Lane’s wigs were leftover from Scandal’s hairdresser for Bellamy Young.

Whether you were alive or just studied about the events in school, “Mark Felt” is the perfect movie for people who want to learn more about the “Watergate” scandal. It is also a great movie because it is a showcase for actors that the audience is very familiar with. Who hasn’t seen “Grey’s Anatomy” or “ER” or “Scandal?” It is no wonder that this movie was one of the standouts of the Toronto International Film Festival. So for an intense film that shows a different view of history, go and see it.

 

Guess Where You Saw Them 2014

Hi there, It is Fall 2014 and that means our annual ritual of looking at tv’s newest and remembering where we saw them last. There are a lot of actors who are in new series . Some of them have made such a name for themselves before that the networks are hoping you want to see them again. We also have a few actors that are returning to tv in new roles on returning shows. Come with us down memory lane as we remember ….

Katherine Heighl will always be remembered as one of the original interns on “Grey’s Anatomy” Izzy stole our hearts with her love of Denny and her cancer . She returns this year in “State of Affairs” She is the head of the CIA to POTUS Alfre Woodard on NBC.

Kate Walsh enchanted us as the ex wife of Derek Shepherd on “Grey’s Anatomy” then she went to LA to find herself in “Private Practice ” Now she shows her fun side as the judge you don’t want to meet on NBC’s “Bad Judge”

Sean Hayes and Debra Messing have returned to television this fall . Sean Hayes is now on “The Millers” He was also in his own  series last year that sadly was cancelled “Sean Saves the World” But here is Sean on Broadway in the musical “Promises Promises” singing a duet with that musical POTUS Tony Goldwyn

Here is Debra as a detective for the NYPD . Her boss is her ex husband and her sons are demon children. Mom  and cop mix for hilarious results in “The Mysteries of Laura

Dean Stockwell and Scott Bakula teamed up to right the wrongs of the past on the sci fi classic Quantum Leap. Bakula also was one of the Enterprise capt on “Star Trek Voyager” Now he stars on NCIS New Orleans

Laurie Metcalf has done the rounds since “Roseanne” where she was her sis Jackie. She has performed live at Steppenwolf in “Detroit” , played the killer in Scream 2, and is delightful as Sheldon’s mom on BBT. Now she is mom to a fun  family on CBS “The McCarthys”

FRIENDS was one of the classic shows of all time. Two of its stars have returned. Matthew Perry is Oscar Madison in “The Odd Couple ” on CBS and Lisa Kudrow returns to television in HBO’s “The Comeback” Lisa was awesome last year on “Scandal” as Josie Marcus , failed Presidential candidate. This is a comeback for “The Comeback” because it was originally canceled.

Here is Lisa as Diva Valerie Cherish ,accompanied by her Publicist Billy played by the Emmy award winning Dan Bucatinsky. As well as “The Comeback” Dan also appears on the NBC show “Marry Me”

But the role that Dan is best known for is the husband -journalist and father , James Novak on “Scandal” Last season he was tragically killed by that bad guy Jake Ballard. Here he is with husband Jeff Perry and their daughter , Ella

Thomas Lennon plays Felix to Perry’s  Oscar, Here he is on “Friends” as Joey’s hand twin . Pictured with Matt LeBlanc Perry and Lennon also worked together in the movie “17 Again” Lennon also worked together with Sean Hayes as his boss in “Sean Saves the World”  last year.

One of the biggest hits of last summer was “TNT “The Last Ship” Both stars are no strangers to television.

Adam Baldwin was Jayne on the sci fi cult classic “Firefly” Here he is pictured with the star of “Castle” Nathan Fillion as Capt Malcolm Reynolds . Baldwin also did a guest appearance on “Castle” as Det Slaughter.

Here is Eric Dane when he was Dr Mark Sloane aka McSteamy . He is pictured with Kevin McKidd and Patrick “McDreamy” Dempsey on “Grey”s Anatomy”

One of the new hottest shows on television is Blackish. It is about a modern black family living in LA. Many of the stars have been seen in other roles ….

Tracee Ellis Ross who plays the mother , Rainbow  was one of the stars of the UPN “Girlfriends”

Yara Shahidi who plays Zoey has a special role that she played. She was the young Olivia Pope on the “Scandal” episode “YOLO”

Anthony Anderson as Andre was on a short lived show from last year called “Guys With Kids” He has also appeared in such movies as “Barber Shop, Scary Movie, and “Scream 4”

Lawrence Fishburne appears as POPS the lovable grandpa. He has also been on CSI and appeared in many movies including his role as Ike in “What’s Love Got to Do With It”

Finishing off Shonda Thursday or TGIT is “How To Get Away With Murder” . There are three familiar faces in this cast. Here is Viola Davis as Analise Keating with her husband Sam played by Tom Verica. Tom is no stranger to Shondaland as a director and one of the co producers of “Scandal”

Here is Viola Davis from “Law and Order SVU”

Here is Tom as Danny on “Will and Grace”

Lisa Weil as Bonnie will played a huge part in the first season of “Scandal”

Here she is with Olivia and Quinn and Gideon Wallace. Lisa will be remembered as Amanda Tanner, Billy Chambers spy and Presidential plaything. She was a major part in Season One until her murder.

We wrap it all up with the new ABC crime drama “Forever” It stars Ioan Gruffuld, Alana De La Garza, and Judd Hirsch.

Ioan previously appeared on an episode of “Castle” He tried to come between the crime fighting duo and failed.

Lorraine Touissaint or Lt Joanna Reece is better known to tv audiences as “Vee” in the smash hit “Orange is the New Black”