tv review
Big crimes, small screen; true crime television series and TV documentaries that recreate and reexamine some of the mystifying and grisliest cases in history.
Carrying Biracial Guilt Through the Lens of 'When They See Us'
Unless you’ve been living under a pop culture-deprived rock, you’ve probably either heard, watched, or cried along to Netflix’s latest drama miniseries, When They See Us. As the brainchild of Ava DuVernay (A Wrinkle in Time), Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), and, unsurprisingly, Oprah Winfrey, the series chronicles the truth behind the infamous Central Park jogger case in which five innocent black and Hispanic minors were wrongfully imprisoned for the rape and attempted murder of Trisha Meili.
By Melissa Lee7 years ago in Criminal
Series Review: 'When They See Us'. Top Story - June 2019.
So... when I saw this dramatic re-telling of the ordeal of the Central Park 5 being advertised on Netflix, I was already pretty sure that it was going to be must-watch television. I was also extremely apprehensive about seeing the events through the eyes of these five kids (now grown men) and being able to emotionally process it all. The case (and the legal and societal issues it brings to the forefront) kind of hits close to home for me as a parent, and as an African-American man. I'd seen the Ken Burns documentary on the Central Park 5 a while back, so I was already very familiar with the case, and some of the very problematic issues it brought to the table for the American public to address. Systemic racism, classism, and lack of accountability for law enforcement and agents of the legal system were all things that were at the forefront of the documentary. Ava Duvernay did an excellent job of showing the social and personal toll this case had on these men and their families, as well as the greater impact that the institutions of the law and media played in that accrued trauma. Every episode of this mini-series was visceral and traumatic. Whether it was the very public shunning of Yusuf Salaam, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, and Raymond Santana upon their release from custody as adults, to the entire fourth episode being devoted to the ordeal of Korey Wise's experiences at Riker's Island as an adult, the entire progression of the series takes a huge emotional toll on the audience watching it.
By Herbert L. Seward III7 years ago in Criminal
True Crime Must Watch
Lately, all the rage on Netflix has been about these True Crime Documentaries. It truly is fascinating to learn why these men and women decided to do such horrible things towards other humans. With so many out there, there are some great ones and some that are not as thrilling. I have watched a fair majority of them, well pretty much all but 2 or 3. In talking with others and seeing posts online I've noticed that many people question why they did the crimes they did, how they don't get the why.
By Hannah Elliott7 years ago in Criminal
20 Must-See Netflix Crime Documentaries
Don't know what to watch tonight? Why not dive into the sought-after genre of crime documentaries? I have compiled a list of 20 documentaries that will stay on your mind long after the film ends. We cannot explain, why we as a society have become obsessed with crime documentaries. Is it the (oftentimes) blood boiling botched investigations? Is it the suspense of the manhunt and conviction? Or are we simply facing the foreign and unknown to us, acclimating ourselves, in return one day hoping to have no fear and therefore fear nothing? Whatever your reasons may be, here is a promising list of must-see Netflix (chills involuntarily provided).
By Angie Robinson7 years ago in Criminal
10 Documentaries About Dangerous Cults
Call it human nature, nosiness, or just plain fascination—there is something inherently intoxicating about cult documentaries. While they are quite dark in nature, they are nonetheless intriguing; mostly due to the fact that they just appear so insane that you couldn't believe people ACTUALLY fell for that kind of a farce. But hindsight is 20/20, and these poor victims who fell pray to "drinking the Kool Aid," so to speak, made gruesome history in the process.
By Timothy Kohut7 years ago in Criminal
Review of 'The Case Against Adnan Syed' 1
The Case Against Adnan Syed debuted last night on HB0, the first in a four-episode documentary about the murder of Hae Min Lee on January 13, 1999, for which Syed was convicted. The podcast Serial in 2014 generated enormous international interest about this case, and the possibility that Syed was not the killer. Presumably at least in part as a result of this and new evidence brought to light, the path to a new trial was set for Syed in July 2016 by a Maryland Court of Special Appeals. That court indeed ordered a new trial in March 2018. But a higher Maryland Court of Appeals overturned that order on March 8, 2019—or, amazingly, just two days before the premiere of the HBO series. You just can't make this stuff up.
By Paul Levinson7 years ago in Criminal
My Review of 'Bad Blood'
I didn't expect Netflix to have a TV series based on mafia gangsters in Canada. Let's face it, no one really expected it. Usually when we think of mafia crimes, we think of New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas. The big profile stories are always based in the United States, especially the true story ones. Although the stories have been made over and over again. I guess they needed new material. It so happens that Canada had a large mafia problem of their own. I'm sure not a lot of people know about the story of Vito Rizzuto. Sometimes they say the biggest gangsters are the ones that no one knows about. That ended soon now that this series has been made. Who knows... Canadian shows aren't ever that popular.
By Brian Anonymous7 years ago in Criminal
Review of 'Making a Murderer' 2
My wife and I binge-watched the second season of Making a Murderer on Netflix the past few evenings. In an America brought to new levels of injustice and anger and despair courtesy of Trump, and commitment to vote him and his Republicans out of office as soon as possible, the story of what happened to Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey provides yet another totally separate example of the decline and miscarriage of justice in America, in this case due to police, prosecutors, and judges, including the U. S. Supreme Court.
By Paul Levinson7 years ago in Criminal
'American Vandal' Season 2
American Vandal, season two, came out on Netflix last Friday and I watched it all in a day. It was really good. As most fans were, I was worried it wouldn't live up to the first season, and while it did lack in some areas, it overall stood on its own legs. It's an impressive follow-up to an iconic first season.
By Katherine Bullion7 years ago in Criminal
'Castle': A Rom-Com Procedural
One show that has stayed with me a few years after ending is the television series Castle starring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. While the show has ended much to fans' dismay, I'm happy we had it for as long as it lasted. What was so special about this series, and what made it work more than just being a procedural series, is that there was comedy mixed into the plot more than other cop shows these days.
By KRYSTAL READS7 years ago in Criminal
