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Reviews
Malice (1993)
great, but a few flaws
You have four really great actors, a very intricate plot complete with twists and turns to the very end. And you even have an unknown (at the time) Gwyneth Paltrow to boot. "Malice" was probably one of my favorite films in the 1990's, and still is today.
Alec Baldwin is fabulous playing the egocentric doctor, Jed Hill. His character is completely vapid in every way. He even calls himself "God". Bill Pullman is the perfect choice for everyman, Andy Safian. His character is not exceptional in any way, except in his consistency. Pullman pulls it off like he always does, with subtlety. Bebe Neuwirth is great as the detective, and probably the only one who can hold up a perfect New England accent. She's tough, honest, and determined to get her culprit. But, the real gem in this movie is Nicole Kidman. I won't give away anything here. But in short, watching her character switch gears several times is amazing. How she wasn't considered for an Oscar for this film is an insult. Oh, and for a last treat, check out Anne Bancroft's cameo as Nicole's mother. She steals the scene and plays her part to perfection.
So....the flaws. For someone whose character is as meticulous to detail as Nicole's is, she makes two major mistakes that seem rather novice. The subplot, involving the serial rapist, takes up too much of the film. While it is needed, to establish times when Andy needed to be elsewhere, it really served no other purpose.
Those might be a little nit-picky. But I digress. Other than those two things, I found this to be a top notch mystery that people will enjoy. And the best part is that at least twice you will find yourself thinking you know what is going to happen. And twice, you will be wrong.
Enjoy.
The Shield: Family Meeting (2008)
Even the best things have to end
Almost 20 years ago, Steven Bochco shocked the world when he created "NYPD Blue". The show was realistic and raw. It pushed the envelope in terms of language, violence, and sexuality. It kept people riveted for years. Then almost 10 years later, Shawn Ryan pushed the envelope even further with his masterpiece, "The Shield." The language was more pervasive. The violence was more graphic. And the sexuality was more explicit. But in taking things to another level, Ryan made a show that will leave impressions with its audience long after the final credits roll. Vic Mackey became the ultimate anti-hero. In the VERY FIRST EPISODE, he shows his true colors when he shoots a fellow cop, who was going to rat him out to the Justice Department. He cuddles up to drug dealers just as easily as he plants evidence on them. Vic and his Strike Team lied, stole, framed people, and even killed. Yet here we were STILL ROOTING for Vic and his crew, despite our own moral dilemmas about doing so. And we loved every minute of it for seven years. Each season just kept us gritting our teeth, watching Vic and his team sink deeper and deeper into an abyss that we (secretly) prayed they might crawl out of. And we felt the pain that they felt when Lem destroyed most of the Armenian Train money, when Vic was being hounded by Lt. Kavanaugh from Internal Affairs, when Shane felt compelled to silence Lem. And the very final episode left us completely breathless, knowing the end is at hand. Some of the "justice" was inevitable (Shane). Some was expected (Ronnie). And some was, as the tagline put it, "twisted" (Vic). The images that perfectly sums up this show are these. Vic telling a perp in Season 1, "Good cop and bad cop left for the day. I'm a different kind of cop." And Vic, Ronnie, and Shane giving Lem his "21-gun salute" at his grave. Bravo, Mr. Ryan. Bravo.