embmw Reviews

American Nightmare (2024)

Important viewing

[8/10 · 13 February 2024]

As usual, it's difficult to separate the documentary from its subject matter when trying to review or rate such a series. In this case, I think the actually documentary could have been better, but it could easily have been worse. It's deserving of seven stars for production value, but I'm bumping it an additional star because of the importance of the subject matter.

Unfortunately, there are still people who believe the old saw that "you don't have anything to worry about from the police if you haven't done anything wrong". But there is a reason why attorneys advise people to *always* have legal representation when being subjected to a police "interview" (their benign term for interrogation). Anyone who doesn't understand the reasoning behind that advice will after viewing this miniseries.

Police have the resources, power, and taxpayer dollars to make anyone's life a living hell if they want to. Just like with plumbers & doctors, there are good cops and bad cops... only there are no Yelp reviews to let you know what kind of cop is "interviewing" you. Since "everything you say can and will be used against you" and if you try to correct a misstatement police will automatically assume you're lying to them, the best thing you can do is to protect yourself from the outset by exercising your Constitutional rights.

This may sound like it's coming from someone who's a lawyer, anti-law-enforcement, or both, but I'm neither. Good cops will understand if you protect yourself; bad cops will be angry because you've shut down their attempt to hang you with your own rope.

Watch this series. Not because it's superb filmmaking, but because of the importance of the message contained within.

The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard (2024)

A love-fest for a damaged individual

[5/10 · 8 January 2024]

(Reviewed through the first four episodes)

It's difficult to separate a documentary from its subject matter, but I've tried to do that by basing my rating on the fact that so far this has basically been three hours of Gypsy & her supporters talking about Gypsy. It's all rather self-serving, and there's virtually no counterpoint given. If you want to feel sorry for her you'll find reasons to do so here... assuming you can believe such a practiced liar.

Being a true crime fan, I'm pretty familiar with the case. It was easy to sympathize with her early on because her mother was so very evil & manipulative. But hearing her words at length here reminds that she is a trained liar who has told so many stories about what went on that it's difficult to think that we're finally hearing the absolute truth here.

She does cop to some unpleasant things, so one could use that as evidence she's finally owning up. But in the last 20 minutes of episode 4 she says, "It feels like after everything that I have been through, why keep me here? It's not going to bring my mother back." That doesn't sound like someone with a conscience to me.

Believe her or not, this simply isn't much of a documentary, nor is it really "prison confessions". It's a one-sided platform for Gypsy to attempt to continue to control the narrative, without fear of contradiction. As a result, it fails as a documentary & deserves my rating of 5 stars.

On the other side of the coin, letting her and her supporters spin their own narrative for three solid hours does show a thoughtful viewer that Gypsy hasn't really changed much. She's still telling stories that suit her purpose, and we're still left wondering where the truth is and whether or not she understands her own culpability in all of this. Perhaps illustrating this by using her own words is what the producers had in mind all along, but with no other context provided that seems like a generous conclusion to draw.

In the end, this mess has in fact changed my view of Gypsy, but not in the way she obviously would have hoped. It's pretty clear from her own words that she learned very well from her master-manipulator mother, a skill that she has continued to hone in prison. Because to Gypsy, everything is all about Gypsy.

Frasier (2023– )

A sad train wreck

[2/10 · 12 October 2023]

The original series is one of my favorite comedies. I've watched it all the way through a few times because it was smart, witty, and original. While not perfect, the writing was usually crisp, mostly avoiding the typical tired sitcom tropes, but putting a fresh spin on those it evoked.

However, this reboot is just plain sad. I realize times have changed, but it's as though no one involved other than the titular character has ever even seen the original show. It's an amalgam of worst: we get 202x era political correctness combined with '70s era cartoonish supporting characters and a heavy-handed laugh track.

Perhaps this sounds like a "but this isn't the original Frasier" lament, but I was prepared to enjoy it on its own merits, seeing Frasier in a new and different scenario. Instead, all I saw was a stale sitcom combining the quality and sensibilities of "The Ropers" with the wokeness of pretty much every other preachy "comedy" from recent times.

I hope it gets better, but I'm not holding my breath. The character deserves so much better. If nothing else, get rid of the nephew! Both the character and the actor are terrible.

A Murder in the Family (2023)

Quality Story Telling

[9/10 · 16 February 2023]

British crime documentaries can be a bit of a mixed bag. Some are cold narratives without much drama or emotion, rather like long news articles. This is definitely not one of those.

Avoiding the typical tropes of American true crime series, there is no hyping the suspense, as we know from early on the basics of the crimes. And, most thankfully, endless recaps are missing, so we get our entire 46-48 minutes worth.

This allows the filmmakers to unfold the story to us at a pace that simultaneously reveals both the horror of the crimes and their impact on the survivors.

This is the human side of the effects of horrific crimes, and it's extremely well presented. Of course, that makes it gut wrenching to watch because, instead of being constantly teased by "whodunits", viewers get to know the survivors in their own words, getting a real sense of their pain in the process.

The strength of some of the survivors, especially in S01E02 is both mind boggling & inspiring.

Well worth the time to watch. A solid 8 or better out of 10, so I'm giving it a 9 since it's currently underrated in the mid 7s.

Also, I'll second what someone else wrote wrote in a review of another show: 600 words minimum? Amazon ruins everything it touches.

Heavy Rescue: 401 (2016–2023)

This isn't Highway Thru Hell

[5/10 · 5 February 2023]

It's amazing that this show comes from the same producers as Highway Thru Hell, since, in spite of the fact that they're both about heavy rescue, this series is barely watchable, whereas Highway Thru Hell is must-see-TV for me.

The terrain is nowhere near as photogenic, but that's not what kills the show for me. Most of the tow operators (with a couple of very notable exceptions) are nowhere near as professional as the ones in HTH, so the recoveries are often more clown show than the heroics often featured on HTH. I agree with the other reviewers about Steve & Sonny!

But the main thing that ruins this show for me is the focus on the nanny-state police officers. Sheesh, what a bunch of cowering grandmothers! According to them, people drive too fast when it's icy, and yet the minute conditions clear up people they whine that people are driving too fast because it's clear. I fast forward through the cop parts, but they really do ruin it for me. You can't create a nerf-society where nothing anyone does is dangerous, but these utopian cops keep acting like the whole world would be all warm & fuzzy if everyone just drove like grandmothers. I realize they're Canadian, but grow a pair fer-pete's-sake!

Secrets of the Lost Liners (2022– )

Fantastic Documentaries!

[10/10 · 21 November 2022]

An extremely well done documentary series that offers an entertaining & informative background on notable ships that have been lost or abandoned. The period footage and photographs included offer a window into what it was like to experience ship travel in its heyday, but at least as compelling is the sad and dramatic stories behind the loss of the liners which are profiled.

The is how to do a documentary series. Production values are first class. There is little in the way of "Coming up next..." teases and subsequent recaps that pad out American shows. The footage is fascinating, the narration clear, and the information presented is compelling.

I don't know enough about the history of these ships to be able to comment on the accuracy of the six episodes in series one but the overall presentation is impressive indeed. I hope there will be more series to come.

Murdered at First Sight (2022– )

So... Very... Slow

[5/10 · 25 October 2022]

Thankfully devoid of cheesy reenactments that are common in lower-end US true crime series. But this has got to be the slowest true crime show I've ever seen. Before the halfway point of episode one I was already wondering when it would ever end. Made an hour feel like two.

Perhaps the victims' families get some sort of cathartic benefit from talking at length about their lost loved ones, but for viewers who didn't know the victims there's way too much of that in this show.

Perhaps that sounds uncaring, but it's merely a comment on the watchability (or lack thereof) of this particular series.

It would make for better viewing if two or three cases were profiled in every episode. As it is, it's doubtful this series will find a large following since there's very little "meat" for an hour long show.

Menendez Brothers: Misjudged? (2022 TV Movie)

Unwatchably bad

[1/10 · 18 August 2022]

Even as a true crime junkie,. I couldn't watch more than 15 minutes of this tripe. It is NOT a re-examining of the Melendez case-- it's a bunch of millennial internet trolls with zero life experience trying to re-imagine the facts of the case, absent any facts to support them.

From what I saw, no new evidence was presented. The brothers claim they're not responsible because they were abused. True? Maybe, but there's no evidence to support that, hence the guilty verdict at the time. An affirmative defense requires evidence, which simply isn't there.

If this presentation only revisited the case it would have been so-so, but that wasn't the focus. Instead, a few tik-tok "experts" (who apparently never left their mother's basement) were used to propel this sorry mess forward. These people thought they "deserved" to be heard... in spite of offering NOTHING new.

Even if you've never heard of this case, this is an absolutely awful introduction. There are more opinions than fact here, so don't waste your time. How this ever got made is a bigger mystery than the Melendez case.

Evil Lives Here: He Should Have Died Sooner (2022) Season 12, Episode 1

She should be in jail too!

[1/10 · 20 July 2022]

The perpetrator was a psychopath, possessed, or both but the wife knew right from wrong and chose to do wrong anyway, solely out of pure selfishness. She abandoned pets she purported to love in order to stay with someone she claims mistreated her, and even after she left him she still took money she knew was stolen instead of doing the right thing. Yet she has the nerve to go on TV and try to play a victim?!? If there were any justice she would have done jail time.

This is usually a rather good show, but the producers need to ensure that the "victims" featured truly are victims, and not accomplices.

According to Ben Adams (2016)

Worst Acting EVER!

[2/10 · 1 June 2022]

I wanted to like this movie because I found the premise unique & interesting. But whatever promise it held was wasted through poor acting and a rambling script. I don't recall seeing such bad acting in a film ever before-- it's truly on the par of a small town community theatre, and often sinks below that meager bar. Some movies shouldn't have been made. This is one of them. Hopefully someone with more experience will pick up the concept & run with it.

Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins (2022– )

Talking Faith

[5/10 · 22 February 2022]

The cases covered are so-so, but not at the level of a typical Dateline, 20-20, or even 48 Hours. Production values are lacking, but it would still be watchable if it weren't for Faith Jenkins talking endlessly about herself. It cracks me up when she refers to herself as a judge, when as far as I can tell her experience in that position is limited to TV "court" shows.

5 stars is being generous. I used to watch it if nothing else was on but Faith talking about herself drove me away. She's attractive and accomplished in her own right so it's strange that the show tries to represent her as something she isn't.

What Happened, Brittany Murphy? (2021)

Potential wasted

[3/10 · 17 October 2021]

Using random vloggers as a means to propel the narrative offsets any credibility this mediocre film gains from its few substantive interviews. Mostly, it's just two hours of people offering unqualified opinions. It'd be easier and quicker to learn about this case via a web search. Even as a true crime fan I thought this one was a waste of time.

On the plus side there was some good photography, and the music was quite good. I was never a fan but I came away liking her a bit more after seeing this. Sadly, we hear more from airheads applying their makeup whilst vlogging than we hear about Brittany herself. A wasted effort, and and not worthy of your time unless you're a rabid fan seeking confirmation that Monjack was a bad guy.

5 stars, with two removed for the use of the vloggers.

Mind of a Monster: The Happy Face Killer: Mind of a Monster (2021) Season 1, Episode 7

Low key, but well done

[8/10 · 25 July 2021]

Matter of fact and low key documentary detailing the strange case of a man who confessed to several killings, one of which others had already been convicted. Thankfully devoid of the poor quality dramatized "reenactments" that plague too many true crime shows, there's no sensationalizing here, just story telling through interviews. Using the footage of a semi truck to tie scenes together was a nice touch though. Well worth watching for true crime aficionados, but maybe not sensationalistic enough for fans of shows like "Deadly Women" or "Betrayed".

Worthy of a minimum of 7 stars from this true crime fan but rounding up to 8 in appreciation of the lack of cheesy dramatizations.

Eden (III) (2021)

Glad I looked past its numerical rating

[8/10 · 8 July 2021]

Almost didn't watch this due to its rating here but perusing the reviews revealed a lot of off-the-wall complaints that didn't seem valid, so i gave it a shot. Gotta admit that I was on the fence after the first episode, but momentum began to build by the second episode and by the third there was no turning back.

It's not high art, but how much TV is these days? It's certainly massively better than any scripted "reality" show. Basically, it's quite passable escapist viewing. The scenery is lovely & the story telling rather unique. Lots of strange happenings, most of which are tidily wrapped up by the time the final credits roll.

IMO this one deserves about a 7-7.5 in comparison to other series rated here. In light of the absurdly low rating (currently 5.2) I'll round up and give it an 8.

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021)

Much better than a 5.9 rating

[8/10 · 21 March 2021]

Having seen at least one hour long show covering this case I'd been left with an uneasy feeling that unanswered questions remained. This four part documentary fleshed everything out for me.

Excellent product production values. Good balance, although it's very tough to wade through the blather spewed by the "Youtubers" and "web sleuths". But that's part of today's (lack of) culture, and in the end helps to point out how the truth has become even more elusive in an an era where uniformed people have many platforms from which to spew their ignorance.

The last episode is the best, in that it debunks a lot of the conspiracy theories posited via the interwebZ and gives better grounded viewers a a reasonable sense of closure. The producers should be commended for offering a variety of views without comment.

Far better than the current 5.9 rating. This one garners a solid 8 from this true crime aficionado.

Facing Evil (2010– )

Awful

[2/10 · 13 January 2021]

You'd think that an alleged former FBI profiler interviewing inmates about their crimes would result in some insight into the criminal mind, but not in this case. Either DeLong is hopelessly incompetent or "profiling" is pseudo-science made up of subjective opinions. After watching several episodes of this rubbish a good case can be made.that both are true.

In only one of the episodes I watched did DeLong actually offer any real analysis of the inmate's statements, but most of it seemed to be pretty presumptive, although it was clear her final assessment was correct. In every other episode I suffered through she came across more like a (very slightly) less unlikeable version of Nancy Grace-- spouting opinion based on answers to her inane questions, while offering no objective basis for her conclusions.

Since DeLong's commentary is mostly subjective opinion with zero scientific basis, and because she does not bother to compare inmates' claims to evidence presented at trial, let alone do any new investigating on her own, what we're left with is 20 minutes of an inmate telling viewers what they want them to hear. That gets old really quickly.

There are plenty of good True Crime shows available. This is not one of them. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did, but I'm glad it's no longer being produced.

Murder on Middle Beach (2020)

A son's quest for the truth...

[8/10 · 10 December 2020]

I'm a frequent viewer of true crime shows but had never heard of this story until viewing all four parts of "Murder on Middle Beach". Filmmaker Madison Hamburg takes us on an intensely personal and painful journey as he tries to find the truth behind the murder of his own mother.

The story itself is simple but the cast of characters are anything but, so there's plenty of mystery for those of us armchair sleuths parsing the clues at home. Production values are first rate, but low key and thankfully devoid of cheesy reenactments.

I can't imagine going through the pain of such an investigation, let alone doing so on film, yet Madison Hamburg does so with a quiet dignity and forgiving, open mind that is rare in people twice his age. I've never met the man, but I strongly suspect I'd like him.

On the other side of the coin, the police detective apparently heading up the case seems well steeped in the arrogance police officers so often display. In fact, the entire police department is a textbook case for why so many people see no real incentive in cooperating with law enforcement, which surely must add substantially to family members' frustration.

As true crime goes, the murder itself is pretty pedestrian. But the series is a compelling watch due to the filmmaker's personal connection and skillful direction. Definitely recommended for fans of true crime.

Faking It: Tears of a Crime (2017– )

Laughable

[2/10 · 22 October 2020]

As another reviewer pointed out, this is nothing more than self-described "experts" pointing at behavioral characteristics and claiming that they are somehow indicative of lying when the subject has already been exposed as a liar. In one case in the first series one of the "experts" actually engaged in the very behavior they claimed indicated lying *while they were saying the subject was a liar*!

It's well known to any investigator worth his/her salt that people behave differently and react to stress differently. Italians are well known for talking with their hands-- does that mean all of them are lying all the time? Of course not!

This isn't science by any stretch of the imagination-- it's the opinion of snake oil salesmen who would be working carnival sideshows if they hadn't scammed their way into a television show. Just as with bite mark analysis & hair analysis, these interpretations of behavior are highly subjective and are certainly not scientific.

Two points because some of the stories are interesting to those of us who haven't heard them before but minus 10 points to the so-called experts for their laughable, transparently bad "analysis".

Space Force (2020–2022)

You'll need a lobotomy to enjoy it

[1/10 · 30 May 2020]

I hesitate to call this tripe sophomoric, because sophomoric can be very funny. I love "Beavis & Butthead" and "Family Guy", both of which contain lots of sophomoric jokes. The difference between those shows and this one is that there is no basis or theme to the lame attempts at jokes here-- it's just a bunch of unfunny attempts at comedy thrown together randomly, none of which landed for me. This show isn't sophomoric-- it's just stupid.

Another reviewer wrote, "If you're a thinker that loves the weird with a twist and the unexpected, move on, you'll only hate it." I'd wholeheartedly agree, but it'd be just as accurate to shorten that comment to, "If you're a thinker you'll hate it."

Sam Morril: I Got This (2020 TV Special)

Disappointing

[5/10 · 2 May 2020]

Based on the rating here (currently 8.0) I expected a lot more. He's not terrible, but there are many much funnier comics out there. Pretty sophomoric humor, so no deep thinking needed here. The lukewarm response from the small live audience pretty much says it all.

True Terror with Robert Englund (2020– )

Ghost stories around a campfire

[2/10 · 7 April 2020]

There are some fascinating paranormal stories around but for some reason shows about the paranormal are almost always campy, or worse. I had hopes for this one since it was claiming to explore odd occurrences documented in newspapers. What a huge disappointment.

First of all, the presentation is pure camp. This show doesn't explore news items-- it just dramatizes spooky stories of *very* dubious origin. Absolutely no attention is paid to the veracity of the claims or of the sources from which they supposedly originated, and the "eerie" aspects are played up without any mention whatsoever of the much more obvious explanations.

A modern day version of this show would be rejected soap opera actors dramatizing stories from supermarket tabloids. I suppose it'd qualify as "entertainment" to people who get a kick out of hearing silly ghost stories told around a campfire, but if you're looking for serious paranormal investigations this ain't it.

This one gets a generous 2 out of 10 stars for its production values, but a 1 out of 10 for its presentation and investigative quality. All we can do is hope the quarantine doesn't last long enough to make this hokum start to look good.

Torn from the Headlines: The New York Post Reports (2020– )

A nice surprise

[9/10 · 26 March 2020]

Over the past couple of years I've become a fan of true crime shows, but unfortunately a lot of the offerings in this genre suffer from extremely low production values, especially when it comes to dramatizations. So with a name like "Torn from the Headlines..." I didn't have a lot of hope for this one.

But if the first two episodes are any indication, this is much better than the average true crime show. The stories are compelling and well told. The interviewees (including numerous Post employees) are intelligent and well spoken. And, best of all, the dramatizations are simply used to illustrate the story, instead of as a cheesy replacement for substantive interviews.

From the name, I expected tabloid schlock, but after the first couple of episodes this looks like it could be as interesting of a series as "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered" and "Reasonable Doubt" (IOW, the opposite of "Betrayed").

Hard to rate this one versus other TV shows in general since that's highly dependent on the viewer's interest in the genre, but as true crime shows go the first two episodes are a solid 9 out of 10. This is from someone with absolutely no affiliation with the show itself, nor with the NY Post.

Man with A Van (2020– )

Terrible "reenactments" make a mediocre show almost unwatchable

[5/10 · 20 March 2020]

In general, the quality of true crime shows is inversely proportional to the number of cheesy reenactments contained within. There are lots of really bad "reenactments" in this series. If you're a diehard fan of the true crime genre it's watchable because some of the crimes depicted are somewhat interesting. But if you watch a limited amount of true crime shows, there are much better choices.

This show would be far more watchable if the dramatizations didn't look like a junior high stage production.

The Alaska Triangle (2020– )

Some interesting history... combine with plenty of hokum

[3/10 · 24 February 2020]

If you're a fan of "ghost hunter" shows, replete with high tech looking devices that supposedly reveal the presence of spirits, then you may enjoy this. But speaking as someone who doesn't necessarily disbelieve in other-worldy things, but who is highly skeptical of those who seek fortune/fame by "chasing" them, the only interesting aspect of this show is the historic setup. Once they get out the Star Trek ghost-hunting gizmos all credibility goes out the window.

Skip this one unless you believe you can locate you long-dead aunt using an app on your smart phone. The stories told here deserve a better platform.

Fatal Vows (2012– )

Pretty bad

[3/10 · 7 February 2020]

Between the overly emotive narration and the terrible reenactments this show is very much toward the bottom of the True Crime barrel. The so-called professional analysts' commentary adds almost nothing to the story, so it comes across more as what it actually is-- padding to drag out the show to 42-43 minutes. If you're a huge fan of true crime shows and have nothing else to watch you might find it an acceptable time-waster, but there are many better choices in the genre.