jahaugh Reviews

I Am a Stalker (2022)

Some good information, but not the production victims deserve

[5/10 · 7 December 2022]

This documentary series certainly draws attention to the crime of aggravated stalking and the paltry sentences issued to perpetrators in these cases. It's clear that laws differ state by state, and that punishment for stalking is all over the place.

While there is an interesting format of providing both the sides of the victims and their incarcerated offenders, there was an opportunity missed in determining whether the parties viewed past events differently. Interviewers could have played a greater role in challenging the offenders' statements. There also seemed to be a great deal of missing information, as though the documentarians wanted to get by with as few interviews as possible. Where are the attorneys, judges, juries in these cases? Were there just too few individuals' perspectives to seek to make this a richer discussion?

The whole series might have been better off as a podcast, where anonymity could have been kept and B roll of houses and letters in mailboxes (the same shots used more than once) and, strangely, close-ups of people's hands could have been avoided.

Street Food: USA (2022)

Okay, but cringeworthy amounts of styrofoam

[5/10 · 22 August 2022]

I love street food, and I appreciate this show's effort to bring the stories of the cultures that exist behind the cuisines. But I couldn't help but notice the amounts of styrofoam and plastic that come out of these food trucks. Kind of wish the documentarians had been more prone to offer more publicity to folks who are thinking about environmental impacts too.

The Last Movie Stars (2022)

Layered, complex portrait of layered, complex people

[10/10 · 1 August 2022]

It's difficult to encapsulate everything I want to in a short and succinct review, but I'll try.

Ethan Hawke's effort here to paint the complete, well-rounded, warts-and-all portrait of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward is a triumph. He upends the typical documentary format with a set of subtle transitions, told through several means: his conversations with fellow modern-day actors, re-voiced transcripts from taped interviews, historical live television interviews, and from messages within the films themselves. This is an extensively researched passion project, a doctoral thesis in the form of a love letter.

In E5, as Ethan Hawke is expressing to his daughter the challenge of what should be the focus of this colossal documentary subject, Maya Hawke hits it on the head: it's not about each individual, but about the being that emerges from their relationship-a sentiment perfectly captured by the subjects themselves, as they describe the "ego of their marriage" taking precedence over their own as individuals.

One of the Newman daughters describes a hint of guilt she feels in bursting the public's bubble about her parents' "perfect" marriage. But my response is that the fact that they went through plenty of personal and marital difficulties, juggled intense and irregular careers with a family life of six children, endured the loss of one of those children, and, by the way, were likely some of the most recognizable stars in the world, I'd say they are all the more admirable. They always found their way back, maybe because of their mutual respect for each other's talents and differences, similar hearts, generosity, and senses of humor.

So thank you, Newman family and Ethan Hawke, for allowing us to bask in the presence of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward for a while. I'm even more in awe of them now.

Queer Eye: A Night to Remember (2021) Season 6, Episode 4

Warning: waterworks ahead

[10/10 · 8 January 2022]

Every time a new season of Queer Eye comes out, it hits every single high note there is-joy, love, compassion, humor, and hope. This episode features a group of early-college high school students from primarily immigrant backgrounds whose families have faced all kinds of uphill battles. They are the school's prom committee after more than a year of the pandemic, which created additional chaos, uncertainty, and tragedy in many of their lives. But the waterworks come on early in this episode as they show their wisdom and maturity, especially as they interact with their incredibly dedicated and loving teachers. Get your tissues. You might also want to take all these kids home with you to squeeze them. You've been warned.

Black and Missing (2021)

Excellently done

[10/10 · 25 November 2021]

I have a feeling some reviewers are trying to sandbag this series out of deliberate bias, but please see that for the racist nonsense it is. Well documented, uplifting, heartbreaking, compelling, this series is an eye-opening look at how the system fails persons of color seeking answers for missing loved ones. No one should have to endure this suffering along. Let's hope this series shines a light on the resources needed to help these families find those who are lost and that these be treated fairly in being given the resources and attention they deserve.

Found (I) (2021)

Lovely

[9/10 · 16 November 2021]

I needed a good, heartfelt, sincere documentary about good people, and this delivered. Other reviews so far have mentioned the compassion of the aunties / nannies, which is absolutely true, but I have to give a big shout-out to Liu Hao, the genealogy researcher who made herself vulnerable and cared deeply about all parties who wound up in these circumstances. She is the nucleus of a very emotional process for everyone.

They Drive by Night (1940)

Uneven plot, uneven performances

[4/10 · 7 July 2019]

They Drive By Night (billed as a "trucker melodrama" in a Wikipedia entry, which is a new genre for me) struggles to hold up as a compelling film noir. The criminal elements don't appear until close to the end of the film, at which point it's difficult to grasp how some of the characters' decisions were made along the way. One strange choice was to put George Raft in the leading role, which may be a case of hindsight being 20/20; he never had the star power that Humphrey Bogart ultimately rose to. Ida Lupino's character's obsession with Raft as a sleep-deprived, unkempt, perpetually underpaid bachelor trucker felt contrived. When witnessing their friends' fatal truck accident, somehow Raft's character was largely unaffected, whereas Bogart was bothered, but the subject inexplicably never came up again. Thereafter the plot wanders into territory that feels random. Great showcase of 1940 fashion, however, in Ida Lupino's wardrobe.

One of Us (IV) (2017)

Powerful, heartbreaking, compelling

[10/10 · 20 October 2017]

I just want to say first and foremost that I am in awe of the three featured individuals. Etty, Luzer, and Arye/Ari are former members of Brooklyn's Hasidic Jewish community who, for various reasons, and out of varying degrees of excruciating horror or sadness, have chosen to leave the only community they've ever known—a community that eschews formal education, job skill-building, or co-mingling with a 21st-century secular world. In effect, by choosing to use the Internet or eat cheeseburgers or enter a public library, formerly Hasidic Jews in New York face complete isolation and ostracism.

All three stories are heartbreaking in their own ways, and each person was heroic in their willingness to challenge and question a system that does not celebrate America's "rugged individualism." It's no doubt hard for many of us in the secular world to grasp just how complicated it may be to confront such a world. But the real heroism is within Etty, an extraordinarily articulate woman with such steely resolve and fierce affection for her seven children by an abusive husband she barely knew before marrying. It's a mystery how she became so strong, especially given what happens during the course of the film, but she deserves a standing ovation for never losing sight of her principles and her humanity.

Beautifully shot and scored, this film is a thoughtfully constructed and deeply humane exploration of the role of the American Hasidic community in the wake of the Holocaust. I hope there is a follow-up film from the same creators.

The Good Wife: Goliath and David (2014) Season 5, Episode 11

Hmm

[6/10 · 12 January 2014]

I am a huge fan of The Good Wife. The strengths of this show are its acting, style, character development, and ability to juggle many plot lines at once. Through the years, I have never grown tired of the show, and haven't missed an episode.

That said, I think this episode lacked imagination. Rowby Canton depicted as a ditzy musician was probably intended as comic relief, but it was a rather hackneyed and tiresome characterization. Musicians the world over were probably cringing through this episode, since professional musicians are well acquainted with the ins and outs of copyright infringement.

I agree with another reviewer's comments about the unbelievability of Marilyn's naïveté as well, as well as Kalinda's tryst with someone so obviously deceptive. It is undoubtedly difficult to come up with ways to make use of an intriguing character like Kalinda, who was, for many viewers, a huge reason to continue watching. But it's necessary to maintain her credibility, something that got damaged during the ongoing saga of her ex-husband. It would make sense, for instance, to call into question what she ever did to be rid of him forever.

Please stay strong and smart in your character development, Good Wife show runners. You've done better.