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Reviews
Where Is Baby Gabriel? (2023)
Absolute Nonsense With Monsters Everywhere
So many people pulling all the same speculation with all the typical nonsense surrounding the case.
First- Tammi Peters Smith.
Her and Jack are the most reprehensible, vile monsters with not a redeeming quality between them. Leader portrays her as some saintly second coming with only pure intentions involved. With absolutely nothing to validate the insanity claimed by Elizabeth and has nothing but the intention of stealing a child she has no rights to and a vindictive attitude towards everyone but herself. Her adopted daughter needs serious psychiatric help
Second- Elizabeth is a reprehensible, vile, disgusting murderer and as much as I'd love to hope for the best, and that I'm very wrong, but at the heart of this I'm absolutely sure she committed infanticide. She's an abomination who blames everyone but herself for everything wrong in her life. She's an evil, corrupt monster who happened upon a like-minded monster in Tammi in a pairing best described as made in hell that was intent on destroying Gabriel's dad Logan, with no ones interest but their own. I find it hysterical that Tammi is so dismayed at how she was perceived by the public because she's incapable of conning most people like she did the dupe Elizabeth.
The 'journalists'- aside from the gentleman who covered it from the beginning, the rest are morally bankrupt and somehow convinced Elizabeth couldn't possibly be the monster she truly is.
Law enforcement- it's funny that this case is so eerily reminiscent of Charles Vallow and what he experienced with law enforcement and how they treat men trying to get help from abusive partners. Not once do they listen to him, same as with Charles, and conveniently both happened in Arizona. I sincerely hope agencies are paying attention to these cases, and will start taking men more seriously.
Noble in Australia- what in the world kind of huckster is this guy? That he was allowed to portray himself as some sort of investigator when we know he was trying to extort money from people and he fled like his life depended on it.
This is just a complete travesty and that there are so many people portrayed here as upright citizens is a gross misrepresentation.
Anatomy of Lies (2024)
This Feels 'Off'
I'm not sure why but after reading another review, I think they nailed it- somehow it all feels. Like some sort of an attempt at a redemption arc and very much ick.
Poor Jenn- my God this woman has suffered so tremendously and then this absolute abomination strolls in and does nothing but create havoc and destroy what little joy Jenn had managed to find. Of course the term narcissist is completely overused, but if ever there were a person deserving of the descriptor, Finch is the epitome of a narcissistic personality.
Of all the evil people I've seen and read about, this one cuts to the core- someone such as Finch preys on the most vulnerable, and those they feel are beneath them so they're easier to manipulate and gaslight. That this monster seems to be attempting an horrific comeback is very disturbing, and leaves me wondering.........
WHY?
I know Hollywood is infiltrated by gross, abhorrent soul-suckers who thrive on the controversy and predatory behaviors, but I have to wonder, if this were a man, would he even be allowed to attempt to ask for forgiveness or a second chance? No. Kevin Spacey, who has been found not guilty, and is an amazingly talented actor isn't allowed even small, insignificant roles, but this monster can write a story 'explaining' (read: excusing) her behavior and multitude of pathological lies and she's actually being considered?
This right here is why no one cares about Hollywood anymore, the hypocrisy knows no bounds. What has happened to Jenn is absolutely unacceptable and completely unforgivable. I sincerely hope Jenn now has a substantive support system around her, and it's amazing to see her children so invested in their mother's welfare. I hope Finch dies lonely, sad and utterly alone.
The only reason I've rated this as highly as I have is solely for Jenn, and for Jenn only.
Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare (2024)
Absolutely Insane Gullibility
So you see someone you have supposedly chatted with, but who has NO IDEA WHO YOU ARE- and you brush it off that he's intoxicated and busy so there's nothing wrong, AND YOU PROCEED TO FABRICATE A NINE YEAR IMAGINARY RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW?!?!
This is the most garbage documentary I've ever seen in my life- this woman is a complete psychopath that's insanely unhinged and because she's unable to fathom reverse image searches she was duped for a DECADE and then drug the husband and wife into the middle of this mess because she's so delusional that she can't see how ridiculous she's being, and her incredible lack of sense and insatiable need to have any type of boyfriend led her down a path of nonsense that could have easily been solved with a simple search of social media.
What's lacking here is the countless opportunities laid before her to use COMMON SENSE- when you're so controlled you can't use the restroom? When there's myriad excuses for not meeting, or someone just randomly says 'I love you' and asks you to marry them AND YOU HAVE NEVER TALKED IN PERSON? This is a painful watch because it is so hard to fathom this level of naivety.
Save yourself the time. I watched it so you don't have to.
I'm Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders: Part One (2024)
Nothing But Excuses....
Oh poor, poor Lois!! This woman has somehow convinced an awful lot of people that due to her supposedly horrible upbringing, her supposedly abusive husband (who conveniently can't defend himself), her supposed laughable lack of knowledge regarding finances, her self martyrdom, and her narcissism to the point where she's constantly throwing herself on a cross by caring for others and it seems that she's constantly trying to exclaim to others that she's SUCH a selfless person!!
She stole thousands upon thousands of dollars, was caught red handed and Lois does nothing but lie on top of lie on top of lie, stealing left and right, all the while she's hiding behind her gambling, with an 'addiction specialist' to give her all kinds of excuses for her outright felony thefts, her friend who's nothing but an enabler, small town reporters who can't fathom what an abhorrent abomination Lois is so they also make constant excuses, and not one person will push back even a little bit on her behemoth falsehoods, when it's blatantly obvious she's lying through her teeth.
If I didn't know any better I'd think Lois directed this nonsensical comedy they somehow claim is a documentary. Absolutely infuriating, disgusting and gross. These people defending her should be ashamed of themselves.
Forty Eight Hours: Where is Jermain Charlo? (2024)
Racism Of Course
Why must the media constantly play up the crazy race angle, when it's entirely their decision to play it up in the first place? When you screech incessantly about people supposedly ignoring native Americans going missing, it doesn't exactly endear the cases to the general public.
There's many aspects of this case that seem incredibly problematic- why didn't she have an attorney for a custody case? Why was she seen on camera that night she disappeared with the guy who was abusive to her and what looks to be a friendly, open manner? Why weren't her family reporting her missing immediately instead of many days later? Why was she not parented away from such an abusive, insulting partner? Why are red hands being painted across peoples faces when we have been constantly barraged with a steady beat of NOT associating native Americans with 'red' skin? Is t that, in and of itself, a racist act?
Gabby Petito's case caught fire because THE MEDIA played it up. Why are there billboards without Jermaine's face when she's the one missing? And this woman claims she doesn't want it to be about her?
My God. Perhaps the tribal council should be employing better police officers that can actually do their jobs? Maybe Jermaine's aunt needs to stop making it about her and spend more time looking for Jermaine.
How (Not) to Get Rid of a Body: Needles in a Mineshaft (2024)
Horrible Story Telling By Too Many
STOP LETTING TALENTLESS 'PODCASTERS' PRETEND THEY ARE PART OF THE FAMILY AND/OR INVESTIGATION!!
Whoever this podcaster is, cannot tell a story to save her soul, and she keeps saying 'we' when referring to family and then referring to investigators like she was right along side them. She keeps taking these long, drawn out pauses, like she's trying to fill an hour, but can't seem to grasp that her cadence should slow and not accentuate the pregnant pauses between words.
You have plenty of family and law enforcement that seem capable to tell the story, there's no need to bring some random third party in to narrate the story.
Podcasts are (thankfully) dying a quick death, and everyone and their brother thinks true crime is their path to financial freedom. Stop giving them credit for reading (poorly) from a script.
Jailbreak: Love on the Run (2024)
Dishonest Portrayal
Vicky was certainly experienced enough in her position- having worked there for over seventeen years- portraying her as some simpleton that was merely looking for love and fell for the wrong guy is disingenuous, at best. There's a lot of excusing of stupidity here, and if the roles were reversed i sincerely doubt we would see a male guard portrayed so sympathetically or as an innocent who was merely led astray by a predator. Casey is definitely preying on her vulnerability, but as an employee surrounded by men every second of her working day (50-60 hours her WEEK) one would think the need for fortifications and reinforcements in place to ensure this was not even a possibility. There should never be any vulnerability to exploit, and one should never be acting as some sort of 'surrogate' of a mother or worse, a lover, for inmates with nothing to lose and everything to gain by exploiting these employees. I understand sympathy, or even empathy, but that's what those incarcerated are looking for- a way in. Even if there isn't ill-intent on behalf of the inmate, you're becoming a loophole for them. Just as the inmate interviewed talked about trying to ferret out those who threatened to out the affair, he expressed anger over her not being able to be his 'mommy figure'. That is absolutely not her job, and that should never be something expressed to these inmates. That she was constantly going out of her way for her favorite inmates or that of her 'boyfriend' says everything wrong with this entire debacle.
One has to wonder in what type insanity would you ever have an opposite sex employee that oversees so much of the daily goings on? The entire reason she was able to escape the view of her coworkers and/or superiors is because she was responsible for so much of every facet of the facility. Even if opposing sexes are needed, more oversight is absolutely necessary and should be mandatory; the checks and balances didn't even exist here and nobody could see past their own duties to even consider this a vague possibility. There's absolutely no way Vicky wasn't just as culpable, and maybe even more so. Someone has to be the adult in the room or we're looking at mass chaos of the highest order.
It wasn't an unbearable watch, but there were portions far too incredulous to digest. Far too many people placed far too much confidence in someone who was, what seems to be, merely abflattering compliment away from an incredibly felonious act with zero regard for the path of wreckage left in her wake.
Live from the Other Side with Tyler Henry (2024)
Fraudulent Narcissism On Display
Netflix needs to fire whoever is in charge of new programming because this type of pablum, after increasing rates AGAIN, is leading to the downfall of a once perfect system.
Parading this fraud out because Hollywood narcissists have completely fallen for this phony is akin to pressuring these trained seals to endorse political candidates- nobody cares what their egotistical, selfish brains fall for, and nobody with a lick of sense believes in anyone who claims to contact the dead when there's so much obvious data mining and guessing involved in these cold reads.
For anyone daring defend these snake oil salesmen/women, answer this: if anyone is capable of contacting loved ones 'on the other side' why is it that there's never anything solidly offered? Why is it so hard to have a name rather than some broadly asked 'oh I have a woman standing behind you' or 'you lost someone who was a man that's telling me...' how do you not have names? Wouldn't loved ones know their own name? Wouldn't they know exactly what the circumstances of their demise was? Couldn't they relay their connections to the person? Why is it there's never definitive evidence of the actual person 'coming through'? You're actually willing to suspend disbelief because when these frauds go fishing, they occasionally get a bite but for some reason never seem to completely connect on all fronts? Despite claims of 'oh they're helping these people move forward in their grief', there's no way to know what these monsters are saying are of anything remotely resembling healing; what likely happens is the trauma becomes deeper and these victims have more trauma from the charlatan exploiting their pain FOR MONEY.
Ken and Barbie Killers: The Lost Murder Tapes (2021)
Too Long Too Moronic
These people are truly delusional in their belief that karma is not equally as monstrous as Paul- she was an absolute monster who went in for her interviews trying to look as demure and innocent as possible, pulling the wool over these people's eyes. She was a willing participant in the horrendous acts, and the tapes are proof of that.
Stating some insipid comment about 'this is Canada, this type of thing doesn't happen here!', yet it does and still does. Making excuses for Leslie's mother LOCKING HER CHILD OUT OF THE HOUSE, excusing the Homulka parents for allowing this monster to live in the house when their child was under 18, when he was far older than her, 'oh he was so motivated and ambitious!!', yet he is living in your home with no job and no potential fora career ? Then allowing their 15 year old child to become so intoxicated, and what Paul AND KARLA did to her is blatantly evident on the tapes, while he was a welcome addition to the family?
Karla and Paul should have been thrown in the prison and left to rot. There's no rehabilitation for demonstrably evil people such as them- how these officers could have allowed this to continue unabated for so long, and having no clue how to go about an arrest. Given their atrocities in the Barry and Honey Sherman case, this should come as no surprise to anyone with two brain cells to rub together.
This retelling is insane- portraying Karla as some innocent with no clue is a travesty to the victims she readily participated in destroying, and these filmmakers should be ashamed.
Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior (2024)
Why Michael Bay?
Of all the goofball people to tell this story what in the world makes Bay believe he's the chosen one?
All we are missing here is some extraneous explosions and it definitely gives that 'Bay' feeling, and I mean that in the most profoundly ridiculous way. It's so disjointed, nonsensical, and incredibly obnoxious and I had hope, despite the incredibly obnoxious trailer, that this would be a meaningful story told in a thoughtful, intelligent manner, but yikes. I clung to hope through the first episode, despite the jumpy, shaken angles, despite portraying these LEOs like some sort of heroes/heroines, despite trying to eek out remote sympathies for the victims in the most insanely minuscule manner. But midway through the second episode that was the end.
I'm not sure what audience Bay thought he would appeal to, but given our very visceral reaction to this drivel, it absolutely does not feel like it was for anyone interested in the true crime genre, documentary genre or psychology genre.
What we witnessed was something like a grift, of sorts. Someone trying to capitalize on the genre(s) thinking he had a clearly better way to tell a provocative story but wound up with some weirdly macabre, morose and despicable portrayal.
The people you should feel empathy for are completely secondary, victims aren't important anyway, amirite? The family/friends seem oddly distant and more like a comic book rendition of what Bay told them to be (Hadden's brother wants so desperately to have so much attention and it's all we could do to keep from FF through his interviews) and then there are law enforcement. Good God almighty. The travesty these abominations perpetrated should be implicitly taught in academies as solid 'how-not-to-interrogate' material. That they pled him out to get the remains located tells you how well this nonsense worked and all four should have been immediately fired and barred from being in LEO ever again. But I'm sure they found employ until retirement, since God knows these idiots always fail upward. It was completely horrific to watch, and as grotesque as you think it could be, multiply that by 200.
What a waste, and the fact that this lunacy is drawn out for eight pointless episodes is the epitome of Bay's career- long past its shelf life and needs to be disposed of immediately. Stop funding these vapid vanity projects.
Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter (2024)
My Heart Is Completely Broken
So much sadness and tragedy in two episodes- this horrific story is one of sorrow, absolute horror, anger and grief, but yet I found myself filled with an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction, pride and gratitude for so many people, but most of all an immense sense of love for people like Kathleen's family, but most for. Cathy. I cannot fathom the depths of hell one must descend to in order to give your flesh and blood for adoption, but we're always assured it's 'for The best' and the child will have a much better life.
Having been born in '66, and raised at a time where children were still to be more seen than heard, children were absolutely not believed, and any child making claims generally was considered 'a problem' and most often would be acting out, but now we know these children who are behaving in such ways likely are that way due to the trauma. We've come so far in the psychological field since then, but there are so many children who've been failed from then and earlier.
Watching this was so painful, yet leaves the viewer with so much satisfaction and, more importantly, answers in three cases that were in desperate need of closing. Dennis is an abhorrent, evil man who should never have seen the light of the outside world again, and I truly believe Brenda deserves a seat in the women's penitentiary. I'm so relieved for these families to finally see an end to this unbelievable nightmare and I hope Cathy can find some small solace in knowing the excrement is where he belongs and her tenacity is admirable. She did what she did because she truly believed she had her daughter's best interests at heart.
Evil Lives Here: Three-and-A-half Hours of Hell (2023)
What Is This Nonsense?
So many red flags it's like the Rose Bowl Parade but despite his own mother telling her vehemently to RUN, a pre-marriage counselor telling her not to marry the guy, the possessive attitude, the self harm, the countless other examples, she doesn't think he's going to do anything bad? I and many other grew up in dysfunctional families, suffered abuse from our parents, and never would I ever use that as some half-baked excuse to justify this type of behavior. You may be able to fool yourself into passing off plausible deniability, but you are not convincing anyone else.
You stayed and waited for your abuser to inflict countless abuses on you, until you finally had no choice but to leave because he almost killed you, OR YOU WOULD STILL BE THERE. Good lord, this is insanity personified. And to have the nerve to sit there claiming 'oh poor me!'
Evil Lives Here (2016)
So Incredible
But not in the way you think- there's absolutely no way these 'victims' are completely innocent; absolutely no one deserves to be beaten/tortured/murdered, but there's a point where they have to hear themselves and the absolutely insane statements that tumble from their mouth and not put it all together. There's no plausible deniability whatsoever, when these red flags present themselves there's a clear and concise explanation for this and it's abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, love-bombing, or all these combined.
It's incredibly frustrating to watch story after story (I could only make it through 3) of these people making countless excuses for behavior that should have sent them fleeing for the exit, yet they hang around. Believing the abuser didn't mean it, they can fix them, if they love them more the behavior will surely change. Yes, being raised in an abusive environment as a child can certainly skew your point of view but there's never any excuse, reason, rationale that can ever override your own self preservation. And for the love of all things holy, stop having children to feed your overweening ego. Bringing another generation into a cycle of abuse won't fix your 'need to feel loved' when you're dead.
It Ends with Us (2024)
Having A Dyson Moment Here.....
Because WOW did this suck mightily. I'd like both my money AND my time back.
I've not been a fan of Colleen's writing so I guess I should have lowered my expectations- especially after learning Blake and Colleen are 'NOMG besties!!' and that Ryan was helping her rewrite scripts without bothering to mention the fact to the writer or director.
Like the 'I thought you were a crypto bro!!' line, it's something that's so ungodly cringe and showcases how incredibly out of touch these people are with the real world machinations and how people normally interact with one another.
The script itself was tedious and labored- like having a root canal without the pleasure of novocaine. The acting (by Lively especially) was just so forced and felt insincere, I'm not sure who thought McKidd was the guy for that role, but the casting director should have been fired for that alone. The main characters are meant to be portrayed as mid-20s, and instead we see someone pushing mid 40s? It makes absolutely no sense, and I (stupidly) thought that maybe this could salvage Colleen's novel, but alas, I may have just as well tossed a $50 into the fountain and made a wish- because neither of my thoughts would have a snowballs chance of coming close to expectations.
Save your money, and maybe wait for it to be released on an app you already subscribe to, on a cold winter's night when you're bored to tears. At least this will help you fall asleep.
Nothing Lasts Forever (2022)
DeBeers Lasts Forever Thanks To Gullibility
A somewhat interesting take on a topic many of us already knew- synthetic diamonds/lab created diamonds are awash in the market and the entire apple cart is not only upset but completely upended and in tatters. Yet, despite voluminous evidence that shows us how corrupt, sinister and unethical these members are, how destructive the industry is, and how manipulative they've been, people fall for the ridiculous marketing campaigns. Thankfully the insane tactic of trying to use gender equality as a marketing scheme to prey upon women's egos absolutely fell flat. They've largely operated on incredibly lucky marketing tactics that people bought into, like the three months salary lie.
Every player in this Greek tragedy, barring a scant few, are just slimy; they're all so completely up their own behinds so far that they're unable to see how wrapped up in their own lies and willingness to sell their souls to keep the money train coming into the station.
What's lost here is, while the DB president (or whatever he is) wants to talk about 'oh look how awesome Botswana is!!', there's still crippling poverty and it includes employees of their own company. DB is very similar to Phillip-Morris, in that, when a product came along that they were unable to squash, (synthetic diamonds/vaping) they decided to try and become a part of what they claimed was just so appalling five minutes ago.
These people are terrified for the future that inevitably awaits and it cannot come soon enough.
The Price of Glee (2023)
Stunningly Horrific
This was absolutely horrendous for a multitude of ways- it's awful for all of obvious reasons: the people in this series feel so icky and gross. Especially someone like Justin, who becomes an apparent leech almost immediately. And what a shocker, there's a headshot and an IMDb profile for the guy. Or the hairdresser who says 'oh I feel like I shouldn't even say this!' Okay then DO NOT SAY IT.
There's the issue of Co.ry's OD- and what is glaringly apparent yet not a single person will say, IT LIES COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY IN HIS HANDS. Period. I don't care who told him it was okay, or who pushed him to work hard, or the myriad excuses poured out- it is absolutely on him to take his sobriety seriously, and he didn't.
Then the crux of the discussion- Ryan Murphy. I don't know if he's the new and improved Harvey of Hollywood, bot you won't hear anyone on camera saying what an absolute monster he is. You'll hear it whispered, credited to anonymous sources, and people constantly dropping over that are associated with his productions, but he's constantly elevated to deity status when it can be sussed out. Behind the scenes? There's constant turmoil where he's concerned. Even in this salacious nonsense, there's barely any negativity around this absolute narcissist, and is the worst kept secret sans Harvey.
This is horrifically bad, just skip it.
Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion (2024)
1 Because 0 Isn't An Option-
~*INCLUSIVITY! BODY POSITIVE! NO SHAME GAME!*~
I should have known. Except I don't have preteen/teen girls, so the brand has flown under the radar for me. Never heard of them, never have seen a brick and mortar store front, seen an ad, nothing. So I was initially intrigued by a doc about a clothing brand and came in, open mind, ready to view.
Despite the insane number of negative reviews, I still wanted to give it a fair chance- and I usually will casually see what kind of a rating something gets before viewing- not because I will/won't watch, but I try and temper expectations.
Started off with a bad taste immediately. These girls/women seems so obtuse- like they're paid stans for the brand. Yammering and stammering, tripping all over each other to gush all over this brand and practically wax philosophical on it. So I get it- you want the viewer immediately smacked in the face with the feeling of cultish, syndromic programming. Then in swoops the 'journalist'. Just in case you are one of the cult members, or maybe you think 'huh this brand is cute, looks affordable and seems like my kinda vibe, she's here to tell you they ARE NOT politically correct and their target audience is unfair!!
I'll let you in on a few secrets and hopefully future filmmakers are paying attention: most people are absolutely disgusted with 'cancel culture' and are now going out of their way to support decent companies/people who do nothing wrong but for some reason, some of the people in the outrage mob were offended. So this machine starts to roll along, except now it's getting incredibly cumbersome. What used to evoke fear and cowering by people has slowly switched over to anger/outrage, and companies who choose not to 'bend the knee' are beginning to be rewarded with even more business if they stand their ground and refuse to apologize.
The economy is an horrific train wreck- nobody has money, can barely swing rent/house payments, grocery prices have increased by triple, and inflation is like an overinflated balloon that ready to pop at any moment. If there's clothing brands that offer us an option that looks good, is affordable and ships directly? Not even a seconds delay deciding whether or not there's a purchase to be made. There's brands available anymore for every body type, size and shape. So this brand happens to cater to a demo of thin teens, there's other brands doing so for big gals, big guys, small guys, muscular guys and gals, etc.
If this doc was meant to repel, it's having the opposite effect- look at the BM stans on IMDb smacking any negative review down and you'll see what I mean. I couldn't even get past halfway before I finally turned it off. There's got to be much better products out there for documentarians to take on and streamers to fund.
Taken Together: Who Killed Lyric and Elizabeth? (2024)
2 Are Strictly For LEOs and Drew Collins
WHY is Sires seemingly interviewing himself? What on earth was the purpose of this when there's plenty of sources that could have given this information, and been taken more seriously. The way he lets Lyric's parents off the hook for their absolutely disgusting behavior was incredibly disingenuous and disturbing; how are they so flippant regarding their felonious conduct when the proximity to their daughter's disappearance? How could they possibly believe that law enforcement wouldn't see them as waving giant red flags in the face of officers? There's still far more questions than answers, especially where the drug usage was still featuring prominently during the initial days of the disappearance.
Sires is so late with this 'series' that he's introducing us to the Delphi case as a still unknown suspect, and yet we know there's someone in custody and linked to the murders.
We see FARRRRR too much of this 'director' who seems to spend more time in front of the camera than doing any serious work on laying out a solid story and telling it fluently. He comes off as a creepy stalker of the case whose next inevitable step is a poorly done podcast.
I feel so badly for Drew- as a mom of 4 I relate far more to him than anyone else featured here; the case was a stones throw from our area, and we have seen this all unfold from the first few hours receiving the Amber Alert, then following the timeline. It's such a tragic story that deserves to be told in a much better, more consistent way than this steaming pile of excrement.
Sins of the South (2024)
What's With The Fraudulent Narrator Accent?
I suppose if you're trying to intentionally mock those from the south who also happen to be intertwined in horrific crimes, this is a great way to go about it. Her accent isn't even close to authentic, and completely unnecessary- I'm not sure what the point of it is. If the producers are just bent on a more authentic southern feel, at least hire a narrator who's from the Deep South and has an AUTHENTIC ACCENT.
I tried to make it through even one episode but the completely fraudulent accent is so distracting that it's impossible to make it through even one. The first episode is somewhat compelling but the accent is just so badly done, to the point of mocking those from the south, that it's impossible to continue watching the episode.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Proof The Review Scores Are Garbage
You can still just leave a random score on a movie that, much like this movie, convinces otherwise sane people to throw good money away and spend over two hours in a theater rather than, oh I dunno, nailing your tongue to a tree? Which I might add would be a better use of time than seeing this overinflated vanity project for the bromance of Hugh and Ryan.
It's a struggling storyline that just can't seem to make up its mind on a consistent narrative, takes too long to arrive at anything resembling a point, and no amount of 'oh hey that's so-and-so!', of cameos could save this dumpster fire of a film.
Anyone hoping to have a film wrap up a trilogy in this flick is in for a very obnoxious excuse of an attempt, and if you simply must go see this anyway, check your expectations at the cinema door and just use your brain as a door stop and then you might find this remotely interesting and find entertainment value.
Murder in the Heartland: No GIving Up (2020)
Psychics. No seriously.
Don't be skeptical, be downright distrustful.
There's not a single person in the world who's able to contact the dead, in touch with spirits, able to connect on a different plane, period. Ask yourself, if there's even a remote chance this could be true, why on earth would they would these 'pros' not have finite details regarding those who've passed? Why are statements always made with upward inflection in the voice, no certainty or factual information that comes about organically? I have no doubt that some of these people truly believe they're in contact with deceased persons, but it's most likely due to their years of honing the reading ability, and maybe speaking the lies has convinced them of their supposed talent, but no matter the intent, a lie is a lie is a lie. There's no good lies- you aren't comforting someone with a lie, and if you're worried about your relationship with a person who's gone, look inside yourself for the answers and be better to others.
Tell Them You Love Me (2023)
His Name Is Derrick
Stop attributing nonsensical gibberish to your clear malice which you clearly meant to inflict, AND STILL seem intent on believing. What Anne did to this man with the comprehension of a child is absolutely disgusting and beyond my ability to comprehend. What she did was clear and intentional manipulation by way of Florence Nightengale Syndrome- falling in love with someone you care for, but went into territory of illegality and manipulation.
I'll admit to having a pang of knowledge the minute it was cast on the screen that there was no admission of FC in the trial- while it's largely viewed as junk science by many of the prominent academics in society, it was still a crux of this case and should have been allowed to be heard and shown in order to shine a spotlight on her fraud. Rather than allowing her to manipulate his supposed conversation and intelligence, it should have been performed with Derrick by an outside source, accompanied by a double blind example as shown to see if he was capable or was obviously being manipulated to convey what she wanted. That her case was overturned and she took the option to plead to a lesser charge shows she knew what would be the outcome. Of course her mother and her friend took her side in all of this- but where were the people who were in Derricks corner, besides his mom and brother?
It's absolutely appalling that she still sees absolutely nothing wrong with what she did and what her behavior has left him with. It's quite clear merely by witnessing his mother discuss the need for medication due to his excessive masturbatory practices after Anne's disgusting behavior- how? Because his brain hasn't experienced any sort of pubescent behavior. Thereby introducing her deviancy into his subconscious, he began experiencing something unfamiliar, but pleasing. So as a result, he began behaving in ways that simulated the pleasure in other ways.
It's beyond insulting how these so-called 'white knights' think they're so necessary in saving black culture- and I've no doubt Anne pictured herself on the whitest horse, cloaked in goodness and godliness to somehow save Derrick- yet in her blatant disregard for facts and evidence, saw only her needs and her elevation as the most important factor. She was willing to completely disregard her own family-(husband, children) career and status to be seen as the heroine in her own story.
The most confounding part of all of this though- does anyone realize that Anne fell in love with herself? It's classic psychotic narcissist syndrome- she loves her own image so much that she projected it onto Derrick. That's beyond sick.
Worst Roommate Ever: My BFF Tried to Kill Me (2024)
You Cannot Be A Serious Person
How in the absolute hell did this supposedly intelligent person allow this to continue happening with little to no regard for safety much less common sense? This woman takes more selfies of herself when she's allegedly on death's doorstep, and with a woman who TRIED TO SUE FOR CUSTODY OF HER SON NO LESS, and then can't seem to string together a series of thoughts that perhaps this same psychopath might be trying to kill her? She had no job and continues to pursue surgery for something that isn't being corrected AND THEN allows this same woman to allow this monster to care for herself AND HER SON? I just can't with the stupidity of this case and if this is how the entire series goes, I'm noping out. This is the most intensely frustrating series I've ever watched in my life.
Six Schizophrenic Brothers (2024)
Absolutely Engrossing
As anyone who was born before about 1975 and/or studied in the mental health field will find this all too familiar and heartbreaking to view- unfortunately our family has both aspects; born in '66 and a practicing psychologist for over three decades with a specialization in childhood trauma this series is terrifying.
We so easily forget how far we've come where mental health is concerned- the familiar rallying cry I hear these days is 'we need to bring back asylums!', but anyone younger than around 35 has no idea how horrific these facilities were. The conditions were absolutely horrific- often employed people who could have easily been patients, filth and grime covered everything, the permeating smell of urine/feces, overcrowding, people with things like Down Syndrome housed with schizophrenics, etc., and it's just impossible to describe how awful these places were. And as deplorable as it sounds, this was just the thinking and long-held belief that this was the best place for those with abnormal conditions or birth defects. But with the rampant conditions of abuse and/or neglect, in the 80s Reagan said 'nope, the federal government should not and cannot oversee this. Each state needs to handle its own population and care for those who are incapable of self care', and most states subsequently began closing them down with little to no alternative for parents/families. Eventually communities began creating somewhat viable alternatives for people with disabilities like Downs, Autism, CF (typically didn't survive childhood) etc., and those with things classified as dementia, melancholia, hysteria, could be held indefinitely. So it's no wonder that the family stood on business (so to speak) and refused permanent residency in an insane asylum.
What we now know are genetic traits and you are predisposed to being a schizophrenic, and in being one, you are incredibly likely to pass on to any offspring you may parent, is leaps and bounds ahead of even fifty years ago. When things like electroshock therapies, lobotomies (through the orbital into the brain) and awful medications like lithium (largely over-prescribed), metrazol (they honestly believed seizures would cure the 'insane'), blood letting, etc were finally done away with and useful medications began to come online, we began to see society become more comfortable caring for and living with those who suffer things like schizophrenia. But there's still so much we don't know/understand. Like how a patient who is progressing well with their current medication can suddenly begin relapsing, or medications that work very well can become ineffective and the psychosis can slowly seep back in. And even when their caregivers see it start to slip away, it's often increasingly difficult to convince the patient of the regression and get them in to their doctor for analysis.
I'm quite sure there's immeasurable damage done to these siblings by the behavior of their siblings (my heart absolutely breaks for Mary) and more that would be done today so mom wasn't shouldered with the complete care of her sons, but she did what she did because that's literally all that existed. She did a mostly good job of trying to care for them, and housing them in asylums may have been better for the family as a whole, but what's done is done and I sincerely hope these remaining children have solid resources that are employed regularly to help them cope with the residual trauma they're likely suffering.
A very well done documentary that shows us how far we've come and how far we have yet to go- if you or someone you love shows even the slightest symptoms, please seek help. Most often, the symptoms begin slowly and in adolescence, and exacerbate in the teens, spiraling from there. The key is to catch on before spiraling begins, and helping each other rather than ostracizing families.
Brats (2024)
Was This Really Needed?
Does anyone bother to age without being a neurotic basket case in Hollywood anymore or did the past generations just hide their neuroses better? Although there's a good percentage of older types that are currently displaying their issues front-and-center, so maybe not, maybe it's this narcissistic need due to social media to always feel 'seen' all the time?
Anyway, this feel very phony, forced and like Andy needed to be 'seen' again; the 'brat pack' moniker stuck because they acted liked brats. Like they felt they were so cute and edgy and fabulous, and what most of us back then already knew from our parents- don't get too big for your britches because you never know when you won't be able to pull your pants up.
I will say a few of the interviews had some interesting things- Ally (who looks fabulous by the way) seems so real and authentic, Demi still seems to be so far up her own behind (seriously, do she and Courtney Cox have the same surgeon?), Rob really turned himself around (what I heard was, it was due to his wife/having a family), Emilio seems like I would have imagined. A lot of people don't realize but I always think of RDJ in the same ethos as all of these people, (same age and did flicks with the members, like Less Than Zero with Andy) but his demons ran so deep that he was above these guys in antics and it always seems like he was sort of deserted by this group. I am beyond happy for his success, he thoroughly deserves only good things. Jud is still the image of cool, so is James Spader.
Andrew still seems the same- his interviews in the 80s/90s were always so giggly/desperate/needy, and he's still there doing the same thing. Apparently he's a somewhat known director, but obviously that's not enough and the moniker that has stuck like super glue in the Sun sticks directly to his soul.
I always advised my children to lean into the negative that sinks into your skin and see what it is that bothers you so much; try looking in and fight the urge to look out.
I was born in '66, so there's a good bit of these films that are a memorable part of youth- Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, etc., but I have always found St Elmo's Fire to be a bit pretentious and a lot boring.
To summarize- I didn't feel like there was anything learned here worthwhile. Unless of course you count the fact that there's a lot of neurotics still existing in Gollywood.