WICKED (1998)

WICKED (1998). Director: Michael Steinberg.  

Ellie (Julia Stiles of Orphan: First Kill) is a 14-year-old high schooler who has a sick crush on her own father, Ben (William R. Moses of Perry Mason: The Case of the Poison Pen), a crush that he does little to discourage -- and worse. Ben is having an affair with the housekeeper, Lena (Louise Myrback), even as Ben's wife, Karen (Chelsea Field), is having an affair with neighbor Lawson Smith (Patrick Muldoon). So when Karen is bludgeoned to death, Detective Boland (Michael Parks) has no dearth of suspects. Once Karen is out of the picture, Ellie starts acting just like Ben's wife, until Lena comes back onto the scene. Something will have to be done about that. 

Wicked is not a very good movie, but it holds the attention and is well-acted. Stiles was 16 at the time and comes off a little older. Moses, always an appealing actor, is good in a very unsympathetic role, but Muldoon doesn't quite make the most of his part as the sleazy, sexy neighbor. Michael Parks of The Idol and Bus Riley's Back in Town offers a quirky performance that never actually seems real. There are some credible supporting players, such as Linda Hart as another neighbor who winds up falling for Parks. 

Verdict: Not good enough to be a trash wallow but the players are interesting. **. 

PERRY MASON: THE CASE OF THE POISON PEN

Raymond Burr as Perry Mason

PERRY MASON: THE CASE OF THE POISON PEN (1990 telefilm). Director: Christian I. Nyby II.

Bradley Thompson (David Warner) is a slightly obnoxious bestselling author whose most recent work is a non-fiction study of a murder case that Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) worked on, successfully defending the accused. Thompson named a different suspect in his book, which led to the man's suicide. When Thompson is poisoned at a literary conference, there are numerous suspects, one of whom is arrested: ex-wife Martha (Barbara Babcock); author Rita Sue Bliss (Cindy Williams); former protege Michael Garcia (Tony Lo Bianco); assistant Rebecca (Katherine Moffat); bartender Chris Fulmer (Don Reilly); and others. Most of these suspects have secrets, and most of Thompson's output may well have been written by others. 

William R. Moses as Ken Malansky

The Case of the Poisoned Pen is decidedly one of the better Perry Mason movies, with a strong hook, a good plot, and lots of motives. Burr is as excellent as usual as the defense lawyer, and there are especially good performances from Warner, Babcock, and Williams. Theater actor Don Reilly also makes a positive impression. The ever-likable William R. Moses plays private detective Ken Malansky, but he never seems quite as solid as Paul Drake, literally or figuratively -- Bill Hopper had those football-type shoulders after all! However, Moses is good and is still a busy actor today. 

Verdict: Quite entertaining and well-acted. ***.