Janet Zarish Movies
- 2003
Charissa Chamorro guest stars as defense attorney Kay Hartley, the former classmate and bitter rival of ADA Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm). Hartley is defending the schizophrenic suspect in a particularly callous hit-and-run killing. Relishing the opportunity to settle old scores with Hartley, Southerlyn veers dangerously close to overplaying her hand in court. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1999
The then-current efforts to impeach President Bill Clinton were clearly the inspiration of this episode, the first in a two-part story. A Baltimore official is murdered in New York's Battery Park, compelling the NYPD's Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) to work side by side with Baltimore homicide cops John Munch (Richard Belzer) and Rene Sheppard (Michael Michele). It turns out that the victim was killed on Munch and Sheppard's home turf before being dumped in Briscoe and Curtis' backyard. The ensuing investigation involves a high-level Washington cover-up, a lesbian romance, and an FBI-protected witness, culminating in a clash between ADA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and duplicitous Independent Counsel William Dell (George Hearn, who, coincidentally, bears a strong physical resemblance to the redoubtable Kenneth Starr). This two-parter was Law & Order's third and final crossover with the NBC crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street; the conclusion originally aired as an installment of Homicide February 19, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Writer-director Spike Lee's epic portrayal of the life and times of the slain civil rights leader Malcolm X begins with the cross-cut imagery of the police beating of black motorist Rodney King juxtaposed with an American flag burning into the shape of the letter X. When the film's narrative begins moments later, it jumps back to World War II-era Boston, where Malcolm Little (Denzel Washington) is making his living as a hustler. The son of a Baptist preacher who was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan, Little was raised by foster parents after his mother was deemed clinically insane; as an adult, he turned to a life of crime, which leads to his imprisonment on burglary charges. In jail, Little receives epiphany in the form of an introduction to Islam; he is especially taken with the lessons of Elijah Mohammed, who comes to him in a vision. Adopting the name 'Malcolm X' as a rejection of the 'Little' surname (given his family by white slave owners), he meets the real Elijah Mohammed (Al Freeman, Jr.) upon exiting prison, and begins work as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Marriage to a Muslim nurse named Betty Shabazz (Angela Bassett) follows, after which X spearheads a well-attended march on a Harlem hospital housing a Muslim recovering from an episode of police brutality. The march's success helps elevate X to the position of Islam's national spokesperson. There is dissension in the ranks, however, and soon X is targeted for assassination by other Nation leaders; even Elijah Mohammed fears Malcolm's growing influence. After getting wind of the murder plot, X leaves the Nation of Islam, embarking on a pilgrimage to Mecca that proves revelatory; renouncing his separatist beliefs, his oratories begin embracing all races and cultures. During a 1965 speech, Malcolm X is shot and killed, reportedly by Nation of Islam members. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, (more)
- 1990
The then-contemporary "Preppie Murder" case was the obvious inspiration for this 1990 episode of Law & Order. A wealthy and well-connected young man is charged with the murder of his girlfriend. The efforts of Stone (Michael Moriarty) and Robinette (Richard Brooks) to prosecute the case are stymied by a huge publicity blitz, and by the Defense's strategy of putting the dead woman's character on trial. "Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die" was originally telecast October 11, 1990, as a last-minute replacement for the scheduled episode "Poison Ivy" (which was moved up to November 20). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
On the day of the state assembly election, Dan (John Larroquette) comes face to face with his opponent Joan Hobson (Janet Zarish) for the first time. Before the returns are in, Dan and Joan have put their political differences aside for an evening of pulsating passion! Meanwhile, Harry (Harry Anderson) accidentally passes along a flu bug to his idol Mel Torme--causing the Velvet Fog to cancel the concert at which Harry was to have been his special guest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Three teenagers learn a lot about life and love one summer in this romantic comedy-drama. Kat (Annabeth Gish), Daisy (Julia Roberts), and Jojo (Lili Taylor) are three working-class women just out of high school who have jobs at the same pizza parlor in the resort community of Mystic, Connecticut. Kat wants to study astronomy at Yale; when she starts baby-sitting for Tim (William R. Moses), a wealthy Yale graduate summering in Mystic, she finds herself falling in love with him, even though he's married and nearly twice her age. Daisy, who isn't sure what she wants from life, starts going with Charlie (Adam Storke), a recent law school dropout, though she starts to think that it may be more to rebel against her family than out of genuine affection. And Jojo is attracted to Bill (Vincent D'Onofrio), but she doesn't want to get married (she's already left him at the altar once); when Bill announces that he's no longer willing to have sex without marriage, she has to decide if his affections are worth a lifetime commitment. Conchata Ferrell appears in a supporting role as Leona, the proprietor of the pizza parlor, who zealously guards the secret formula of her sauce. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts, (more)
- 1979
Rebecca Page plays a poor girl who comes across an injured horse. She names the animal Danny, nurses it back to health, and grows to love it. The problem is that the horse had previously been sold off to a wealthy family, whose spoiled daughter (Janet Zarish), having previously rejected Danny because of his injuries, now wants the horse back. Who will emerge triumphant? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
