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Reviews
Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders (2023)
Bloat and Ego
Watching the first episode, I was interested in the subject matter and actual news reels from 1982. It wasn't great, but I had hopes it would get better. It didn't.
This "documentary" was much more focused on skewing the actual fear of that event into some sort of manufactured drama. It substituted or embellished the facts of the story with conjecture.
The entire 4th episode was focused completely on the "journalist" making this pile of compost. We are forced to follow him from place to place as he tries to track down the houses where ancillary characters, long deceased, used to live. We are treated to his frustration at being foiled in his noble efforts. It reeks of ego and desperation for relevance. You can almost smell his hair products and Drakkar Noir.
If you must watch this limited series, be sure to count the number of times the interviewees are asked irrelevant, repetitive, asinine, or insulting questions.
The ONLY saving grace is the genuine likability of the victims' family members.
Inside Man (2022)
Cheap Plot Tools Are Not The Same As Suspence
How do you take a cast like this and make such a horrible waste of time? Gah!
There are moments of real genius, and they kept me watching. The humor was appreciated against the backdrop of gore, both insinuated and graphically shown.
The rest is just an endless series of blatantly stupid decisions made by supposedly intelligent characters. This is not a story. It's a giant manipulation, and I resent it. I'm actually angry.
If it had been a book, I'd have thrown it across the room. As it is, 4 hours of TV viewing I'll never get back, all I can do is warn others of the risks. It's not a nice way to spend a day.
Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World (2022)
A Moving and Beautiful Documentary
I watched these episodes on Discovery+, without commercials.
Each episode centers on a unique region or feature of Patagonia; coastline, mountains, glaciers, forests, etc. We are shown the wildlife, plants and trees, weather, and people of each region. We see the beauty, and the threats posed by global warming and human encroachment. We also see the measures being taken to save the wild places and inhabitants.
The series is beautifully filmed and edited. The narrator, Pedro Pascal, is a wonderful choice. We can savor his calm voice and perfect pronunciation of the names of places and animals. In fact, one of the best aspects of this series is that every scientist, naturalist, advocate, and citizen we meet is from or of that environment. No white saviors here.
I learned a great deal watching this documentary series, and enjoyed myself thoroughly.
Vatican Girl: The Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi (2022)
Good First Episode, Downhill from There
I was drawn into the story of Emanuela's disappearance as told by her family members. They presented as genuine and intelligent. What they went through that summer, and later on, was heartbreaking to see. The rest of this maze of a miniseries, however, was a big disappointment.
Why was it necessary to spend so much time on every single false lead, to the point of interviewing the coroner who autopsied a murdered mobster? Repeated scenes questioning the creepy guy who kept pulling his mask up and popping the collar on his black leather jacket, only to find out he made it all up?
As others have mentioned, the fast-clip flash backs are awful, and serve no purpose other than to make the viewer nauseous.
But what really made me think I'd wasted my time with this was when they showed everyone getting excited about the Vatican agreeing to allow the opening of two consecrated tombs. Right after reiterating, in detail, how the Vatican had provided nothing in aid of Emanuela's search, they actually believed that her remains are anywhere near there?
We all know by now that the Vatican is and always has been corrupt. We certainly don't learn anything new from this series.
Girl in the Picture (2022)
Well Told, but...
The events were absolutely horrible. The story of the investigation is extremely interesting. The human beings involved are dedicated to finding the truth.
But...
The "documentary" is liberally peppered with bad reenactments and intentionally jumpy editing. It's as if someone was trying for an art film.
This true story, and the people involved in the actual events, deserve better.
Building Roots (2022)
Same, Same, Same
Yet another HGTV show with exactly the same formula as every other:
1. A couple teams up in their home improvement business. He designs and builds, she decorates the finished product.
2. Wealthy people spend $200,000+ to update their homes.
3. 5 minutes spent showing the old design, 5 minutes showing demo, 5 minutes on nifty computer generated plans, and 5 minutes on the precise placement of throw pillows.
4. A soundtrack by your neighbor's kid's garage band.
The designing couple seem nice and the setting is gorgeous, but it's not enough to carry the whole show. HGTV formulaic programming at its most mediocre.