ricewithaspoon

The Misery Index (2019)

entertaining, funny, easy

The premise is interesting to me... the rating of misery on a scale. a plus is jameela, i love her since the good place. impractical jokers are ok but it's not something i'd rate higher than a 6?7? - actually, come to think of it.. challenging someone to make an idiot of himself & prank others never made me die of laughter..? so anyway.. back to the misery index.. given the increase in negative emotions, depression ... this rating system makes me smirk and definitely puts some s*** into perspective for me. (my second day of migraine, the weather makes you suicidal here, and i feel there is no light at the end of the tunnel... & that the tunnel is in fact a neverending spiral.. - but hey at least i have all my toes and fingers, wasn't attacked by a swarm of bees, didn't lose my tongue & won't have an accident in an elevator today.

if you need something light ..give it a try

The DNA of Murder with Paul Holes (2019)

...leaving you somewhat confused

I am sure i'll keep watching, not sure yet if because of my crime, psychology or paul holes fetish. .. 2nd episode in now i am left hanging regarding the first case. i initially assumed the case will stretch over to other episodes? the second one however did not resolve nor even mention the last case? huge plus points for: being informative & not using dramatizations. it could be more scientific.

in the 2nd ep. when he went through the case with a mysterious dark haired lady ( who wasn't introduced & whose role i still couldn't figure out) it seems like they are talking to themselves and not bouncing off of each others thoughts.. strange communication dynamic... felt a little too acted.

The Murder of Laci Peterson (2017)

very good attempt to offer the bigger picture

Shows both sides, really liked it - but left me terribly overwhelmed and defeated... i am in my early thirties and i feel paralysed by this s*** quite frankly. tired, of society and people. wtf is happening to common sense and broadening your horizon?

so many absurd factors playing into what should be a fair, objective, neutral legal process, in which facts are layed out - for the prosecuted & victim somehow ultimately.

• the media

i am again disappointed by humanity. look at what things morph into. the media: sensationalistic jodeling about their personal emotions (there is even a mini bio on nancy grace's destiny thrown into..) when they should be reporting news as in facts. otherwise go write a blog and call it 'nancy's thoughts on'. ( to me, it was disgraceful to watch her getting so much attention for craving attention. i could not yet understand what qualifies her to comment on pending investigations, trials etc... she was never a judge as far as i know? you can watch her ego literally exploding when somebody laughs at her sarcastic sum ups & provoking interpretations.) gomez lady is no better. if these 2 ladies were an instrumental, pivotal voice in "news"-reporting ( i don't know how much air time they have on US-tv? ) i see no light at the end of the tunnel. but i guess... yes, what is a life compared to the ratings of news-shows?

• single individuals, so narrow-mindedly making it about themselves... it's astonishing

why did amber inject herself so prominently into this? how do a few dates with him qualify her as a character witness? if this is a really legit step/ action in a legal process, i am truly afraid. people who met me 4 times could decide over my life? apropos being afraid - i did not understand why she stated so many times that she was scared. of what? talking to him on the phone? i suspect more it's the adrenalin of being part of sthg exciting.. tapped phones & cheating, a disappearance & possible murder! you only see this on primetime tv! she got a massive kick out of being involved in this.. everyone would, of course , it's the adrenaline. but she really milked it. this is & will be the highlight of her life. and she will tell herself years from now 'she did the right thing' - 'for the family' ... she will say 'she just had to come forward and tell "the truth" '... distorting the obvious insertion and dramatization of her role. does that only make me sad? (hasn't anyone read the spectacle by Dubord?) the 'pretty lady' on tv arguing for his guilt mentioning possible strangulation instead of asking for facts and posing genuine questions? didn't/ don't viewers think this is somewhat breaching the line? who is she to imply that? & gomez lady about how her connections and how the people just like to talk to her. and she is so this and that.. nancy, her face and loud voice roaming free over the whole screen when she should put more energy into double checking facts. truly disturbing.

• the jury

the handling of the jury was like sthg out of a soap opera. the judge not declaring a mistrial.. - i never understood people saying they trust the jury, they just want a trial.. a jury is made of humans. humans have egos. many of them bigger than they should be. if a bully is preferred over questioning attorneys or doctors on a jury then...i rest my case.. there is nothing else to say..

so yes. i am left speechless and under the impression that the law and justice-system is nothing but a platform for marketing campaigns and a stage for judge-wannabe's.

excited to see the next docu about this case in 10 yrs ... maybe we can see some parallels to the michael peterson case...

( i personally wouldn't take his 'unemotional' demeanor as a sign for it. he wasn't spectacularly emotional when he was charged, nor when he was convicted -- i wish more people would be interested, care for and dive into psychology - there is a 2 part essay about this sort of behaviour (scott peterson is also mentioned as an example) it talks about being/acting so 'aloof'/robotic... in "unusual" situations... look it up. also.. who wouldn't turn into a shell-shocked stone in his place - if he is innocent. this is the ultimate trauma, leaving you with no orientation at all. there is no up and down. there is only wobbly nothingness. you don't trust anything you perceive. this again brings me to the masses in front of their tvs. surely most of the viewers experienced trauma in one way or another? how can everyone be so judgemental and not ashamed at all? )

Dirty Money: Hard Nox (2018)

as a european i say WATCH IT!

Well, contrary to the other europeans commenting here i do not intend to take the mentioned parallels to hitler out of context (when it's about gasing monkeys) Or resolve to hairsplitting. And to imply that this documentary communicates the oh so arrogant US is - what else - better... i have not heard anyone state such a thing. how about we look at the facts. if the story is about VW it could be somewhat legit to also talk about the country - in fact ..all countries involved. it is also legit & critical to raise the issue and dynamics of law making & bending we are exposed to. i am not anti-europe or anti anything.. but one thing for sure is true.. stuff like this surfs the newspapers like a superchilled stoner a mellow wave. not much is done, if anything. some talk. and talk. but nothing is done. nobody gets active nobody feels responsible to raise the s*** head on. but hey .. again.. isn't it everywhere like that? much more could be done? (i can only talk for myself, this general lack of transparency is paralysing me. inquiring anything is mostly seen as an insult or critique here...it is exhausting and seems endless.) i am shocked to read now that winterkorn is still basically untouched.

there is no point in one nation pointing fingers at another. we are all in this together as should be clear by now... "we are all under the "free" market and capitalism" - umbrella. and we are all breathing the same nitro-air.

i for one am happy to have seen it and have a thousand questions now.. which i think is or should be the intent of a documentary. that they probably will never be answered is another story...

Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety (2006)

WOW

..that this is over ten years old worries me... i had no idea to what extent the system of decision making regarding pharmaceuticals was already taken over by companies.

i love how the professionals interviewed here spoke so openly and clearly, explaining the shift and reasons...etc.. i love how the information was put over editing style and sensationalistic presentation.

you've gotta see this!

Audrie & Daisy (2016)

left speechless

I don't know what hits me more.. the apology of one of the guys that included that he learned "that girls gossip a lot more & guys are more laid back"? or the maryland prosecutor dropping the charges? the police-man's comment saying the girl was as much at fault as the guy? or the bullying? or the maryland politician (?) asking why the media explodes about this but doesn't report that they built a lake and golf course being under the best 100 in america?

...or some of the comments on here criticizing 'the condescending tone' in the documentary and questioning the 'agenda' of making it...

i am thunderstruck, at loss for words..

Deadly Women (2008)

why call it true crime?

When nothing they show seems 'true' in it's truest sense I was quickly annoyed. they grind these shows on an assembly line it seems. bad actors, sequences of interpretations.. & banal commentary, but no original material.

no emotional engagement not to talk about connections to individuals - i would think these cases are folded out to offer information, perspectives ... but i don''t get any here.

Murder Among Friends (2016)

one of the bad ones

Only re enactments. Various, pretty much unconnected, people giving their opinions (telling the story). 1 or 2 scenes of interrogation-tapes (approx. 10 sec. long) per episode. super weird soundtracks. the victims are not even honored with full names or at least a picture in the end.

Murder Among Friends: Murder Circle (2016)

case of Matthew Silliman vanished 2008

Annoyed by episode-lists not revealing the real cases/names...just wanna throw in basic info. (it's ok... i'm not into dramatisations.. like it more when original material is shown or nothing instead of filling episodes with sequences of interpretations/representations of situations - makes it fictional & unreal ..)

True Conviction (2018)

why isn't she presenting her own cases?

I fail to understand why she is 'hosting' this series. the cases are solved. her questions bring no additional insight - they could have taken anyone narrating this. I think she should have built on her own cases as a premise for this.

i'm asking myself, why the hell, as a former homicide prosecutor! is she doing this now? the only logical explanation for me would be: it's her hobby? & bc she is married to the channel-boss.... idk.... - i wouldn't recommend it...and i watch A LOT of crime-s***

The Disappearance of Susan Cox Powell (2019)

Good Job!

I've seen probably ...really every show about this case and i could say this covers the whole thing in the best possible way.. given what we know... regarding evidence. one reviewer criticised the editing asking why the story was given away before the end?.. which i don't understand...? it actually followed the timeline. i liked that. and i liked that it was, to 99% probably, made out of original footage - meaning no reenactments.

totally recommended

Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland (2017)

robots must have voted it above 5*

This was so terribly ridiculous.. i can't even.. from acting to script to editing... i don't know what to say... again... i give 3 stars bc this project created 'jobs' ..but nothing else really...

The Summit (2012)

fascinating, but non linear storytelling is more than frustrating

Can somebody enlighten me about the directors ideas to cut the material as he did? 30 min in we are in newspaper clippings after the 'accident'/incident and feelings of friends of mountaineers. 5 min later we rewind to 3 months before.

the attempt to introduce the characters and tell the story seemed a bit too much of an endeavour.

i am really sad about this... very unsatisfying, this could have been a stellar piece of documentary.

The Shivering Truth (2018)

1 star for the effort

And having created a job for some. otherwise .. the point of anything & everything in this 'show' defies me. maybe it's some sort of humour ...? but then again i'm on the spectrum.

Numb (2015)

good start - but ending destroyed the whole thing

Started off well. For a tv movie anyway. actors were decent... but the ending...? rarely have i seen a project being so botched by the ending. there is not much to say, if you are beyond depressed and outside coldest winter and you have masses of time on your hands and some good movies for after 'numb'...then give it a try. otherwise i wouldn't recommend it.

The First (2018)

amazing.

Contrary to the others here i found it engaging and interesting. if you're after space imagery and spaceships.. no. this is -maybe- a pretty realistic insight into the human, psychological dimension and systems behind such a program. why i liked it? because we often forget the human, interpersonal dimension when it comes to space flight.. it conveys the human behind this excellently. one might argue too much daughter time.. but this is the story... and i find it very understandable given the circumstances.

cinematography: 10 stars sounddesign: 10 stars & i as others already mentioned.. sean penn is really good in this..

I Shouldn't Be Alive (2005)

pales terribly in comparison to 'i survived'

Sadly the acting is a joke and utterly unnecessary. i found the music and the filling clips annoying to make it to an hour.

Shattered (2017)

quite intense

Accounts of homicides (some of them well known - also featured by other crime shows) standing out by the storytelling/personal perspectives.

it differs greatly from 'i survived' but it definitely is on the same level of heart wrenching intensity...

• exactly because it is true to the subject matter, because it doesn't distort or sensationalise. music is not abused and no unnecessary re enactments. in fact, i just finished the last episode and seem to remember only in some replications of some moments.

(hate reenactments since they usually show no additional dimension and are time fillers - in my opinion totally misplaced in crime reporting or documentaries)

i find this was very respectful to the victims - on both sides - and makes you see and feel the consequences of such acts.. all these people are so incredibly strong for being what they are today.. and how they cope... and it really makes you question your own connections to close ones. i immediately texted my sister i rarely see after episode 5

It Was Him: The Many Murders of Ed Edwards

honest insight

... in a hunt for truth. i do not understand the critique i have read so far. anyone with common sense won't expect to be served with a clear solution and hard evidence. decades went by, evidence got destroyed or lost.

i really liked the authentic interaction and presentation of the obsession, on Cameron's side to really connect all the dots he found, and confusion and longing for answers about himself, on Wayne's side ( fear of 'having the killer-gene', afraid of having inherited some of his grandfather's psychology ) it follows their quest from station to station of Cameron's almost decade long research. at ep 3 and 4 one can see how far down the rabbit hole Cameron is ... he is obsessed with 'the whole picture' and of course exonerating where exoneration is due. - and i can understand how the viewer (& Wayne!) gets frustrated (when he expects clear judgemental material) but this is no Nancy-show and the reality has gradients.

in the last episodes they get to phil stanford which again serves as a milestone in their journey.. so i would say it really pays to stick with them. you can feel Cameron's pain and misery, I mean ...just imagine being a detective & being so dedicated ... and the years and sacrifices he made. it makes me feel good. it gives me hope to see that such people exist... and to see that law enforcement is so uncommunicative really angers me.. especially with the last bit when it's about hard evidence.

i am sincerely recommending this for anyone not judgemental, interested in crime, psychology & people in general... (and of course the 'system')

( - oh.. one thing i really missed is a visual timeline )

Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda (2011)

this could be a podcast

I saw the high ratings and thought - hell yeah... ( i watch every documentary about crime/psychology )

i just don't understand. it consists of 90% re enactments and 10% him talking. the whole thing is one theater play. no original material, no nothing.

i really just don't understand the rating and can only derive that other reviewers just like this guy and rate his 'persona' that is appealing to them.

i like it when the cases in the foreground and not a single person (that in my opinion appears a little too much in love with himself.)

the 3 stars are simply for the effort of all people involved in this. ...moving on