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.
True Crime
Finally, it’s that time of day when all the chaos has settled down. It’s 9:00 on a Tuesday night. No more kids fighting or asking a thousand questions. No more being pulled in different directions for multiple projects needing to be finished by tomorrow. The dinner dishes have been washed and the kitchen is clean. The kids are in bed and the husband is working late. It is just me, a glass of wine, and the remote control.
Robyn MossPublished 3 years ago in Criminal"Bones"
My boyfriend had dumped me. The next day I was laid off due to budget cuts. My friends had either been his friends or work friends - so now what was I supposed to do? I was new to the city and didn't have anyone with who I could spend my now very ample free time.
S. J. MurpheePublished 3 years ago in CriminalLouis Theroux: Saville Netflix Review
Until 2012 the world viewed Savile as a man who lived a life of fortune, good will and charity, but this documentary uncovers the lies he told and the charade he showed to the world until his death and later demise. Louis Theroux is a thorough investigative journalist, broadcaster and filmmaker. He reveals many intense and shocking walks of life and meets some interesting characters along the way in all of his work.
Rebecca Elvina MennellPublished 3 years ago in CriminalWhy I Am Glad I Watched Criminal Minds, and Why You Should Too.
Serial killers. Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Peter Sutcliffe....men who have captured the interest of America. In the last few years, Americans have planted themselves on their couches, popcorn in hand, and turned on the television to watch the Ted Bundy Tapes and The York Ripper.
Jordan ZiembaPublished 3 years ago in CriminalReview of 'Big Sky' 1.3
Well, that was the best line in Tuesday night's episode 1.3 of Big Sky -- "You kidnapped the wrong girls" -- said by The Big Rick (title of the episode) to Ronald, after Rick retrieves Grace, with two arrows in the leg, after Grace escapes and almost makes her escape good, by getting a fisherman to help before Rick shoots him dead -- with an arrow.
Paul LevinsonPublished 3 years ago in CriminalReview of 'Big Sky' 1.2
Big Sky 1.2 continued as one edgy kind of show, especially for network television. Interesting that David Kelley took this to a network -- ABC -- rather than a cable or streaming service, where "the goods," as the show artfully put it, could have been seen in the scene.
Paul LevinsonPublished 3 years ago in CriminalReview of 'The Undoing' Finale
So the ending of The Undoing turned out to be one grand hiding in plain site situation: Jonathan, who had been the first suspect, and whom so much of the previous narrative suggested was too obvious to be the killer -- and with more than a few plausible other suspects around, not convincing but not implausible --turns out to be the killer, after all.
Paul LevinsonPublished 3 years ago in CriminalReview of 'Tiger King'
“The 'content' of a medium is like the juicy piece of meat carried by the burglar to distract the watchdog of the mind,” Marshall McLuhan famously declared in Understanding Media back in 1964. The content of Tiger King, the runaway global hit documentary on Netflix, are the tigers and other animals in Joe Exotic's Oklahoma zoo, thrown pieces of meat, juicy and otherwise (some is expired meat from supermarkets). But the deeper story, underlying the meat, is Joe Exotic's unquenchable thirst for fame, relentlessly pursued through social media. And in the irony of ironies, he eventually obtained that fame, along with a prison sentence of 22 years for attempted homicide of an animal activist and mistreatment of animals.
Paul LevinsonPublished 3 years ago in CriminalReview of 'The Undoing' 1.5
Well, the algorithm and the waiter were by no means the most important features of The Undoing 1.5, on HBO last night, but I didn't want to give away the main thing, actually two main things, in the subtitle, and the algorithm and the waiter were nice touches. Finding that Jonathan's attorney uses Amazon-level algorithms to get the crucial characteristics of the jurors, that was cool. (And Haley's one one outstanding lawyer, isn't she?) And the waiter constantly interrupting the meal that Jonathan, Grace, and Henry were trying to have in the restaurant -- that was a metaphor for this whole little series, being interrupted by all kinds of things, so that after five episodes, we still can't be sure whodunnit.
Paul LevinsonPublished 3 years ago in CriminalReview of 'Big Sky' 1.1
My wife and I caught David Kelley's Big Sky. He has a good thing currently going on The Undoing, check out my reviews. Big Sky, based on the pilot, appears to be another good thing. [Spoilers below.]
Paul LevinsonPublished 3 years ago in CriminalThe Undoing 1.1-1.4
David Kelley's The Undoing mini-series debuted with a star-studded cast on HBO late last month. I mean, with Nicole Kidman as Grace Fraser a psychologist and Hugh Grant as her husband Jonathan Fraser an oncologist on the posh side of New York City, and a murder and a missing person, we can just stop there and how can you go wrong, right? You can't. The first episode was sleek and blockbuster powerful, an East Coast analog in many ways of Kelley's California Big Little Lies, which was pretty hot, suspenseful stuff, too, over two seasons.
Paul LevinsonPublished 3 years ago in CriminalEnter The BAU
The show that took you in the minds of some of the most dangerous and deviant minds. 15 seasons, over 300 episodes, and endless hours of entertainment. This is Criminal Minds. This show in my opinion reigns supreme against all other shows. I could watch this and only this for the rest of my life and be perfectly content and happy with myself. Unlike other crime/ drama/ law enforcement shows, this one not only shows you a unique niche of the FBI, but each and every episode is based on a real life case that has happened in the United States. From chasing down bombers, to serial killers, to arsonists and psychopaths this show never disappoints. With almost the same entire cast for all 15 seasons, this has become a comfort show/ staple in my life. I have grown up with show and no matter the challenges I face in my every day life, I always turn to this show for comfort and I always find a new message or meaning in the episodes to use in my life, as well as to help me grow and overcome different situations and obstacles.
Katelyn DonerPublished 4 years ago in Criminal