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Reviews
Encounters (2023)
One of the Better UAP Shows
After seeing several reviews about how the first episode is just about a few possibly crazy people seeing lights in the sky with no evidence, I actually had to check and make sure this was the same show I watched. The "few crazy people" were actually 100s of witnesses, including prominent members of the community who risked their jobs and reputation by going on record. And after the military said there was nothing on the radar but refused to release the data, a reporter still obtained it through FOIA -- and it corroborated exactly what the witnesses described. Obviously this doesn't mean it was aliens...but it was SOMETHING, and that's compelling enough for me.
The filming and storytelling are really great as well. It definitely had me hooked, and doing some Googling later. I'm not sure where such negative reviews are coming from on here, though. Unless they were expecting the filmmakers to interview an actual alien or something...
The Girl from Plainville (2022)
Portrays The Nuance and Complexity in the Carter Case
Wow. This was fantastic. Not many stories are able to capture the nuance, complexity, and ethical ambiguities in human nature, much less stories based on true events. But this accomplishes it in spades. Stories too often rely on good vs evil tropes to make it engaging, but this dangerously oversimplifies life - especially when the "villain" is a real human being. In a show with no villains or heroes, reality is more accurately reflected - particularly when it comes to the contentious and misunderstood events such as this. People will criticize it for being too easy on Michelle Carter, but that's nonsense. Life isn't a movie, and people's motives are more complicated than our sensationalized media portrays.
All the actors, especially Elle Fanning, were amazing. The story was engaging the entire time, and is a heartbreaker. Just watch it. Please!
Candyman (2021)
More Pop Politics Than Horror Or Serious Commentary
What an awful movie. It tries throwing in every clickbait-y political trend without much concern as to its effect on the narrative. It ends up resembling a rambling Jezebel or Slate article more than anything scary or even thoughtful. And that was the worst part: it wasn't even scary. I can handle dumb social commentary as long as I get a good scare in. But this was just blah.
The one redeeming quality was the cinematography. It was fantastic and the entire movie looked like it could be an art piece. Terry Gilliam, when making Brazil, said every frame should be like a painting. And this movie achieved that very well. Sadly, more attention should've been paid to the script.
Fiasco (2021)
Gripping and Objective Documentary
Too many documentaries favor righteous Good Vs Evil perspectives rather than the more ambiguous and messy truth. This one does a pretty good job at giving multiple perspectives while still maintaining a gripping narrative. People of all political stripes will appreciate it, even if you voted for Trump (contrary to the other smug, condescending review in here that implies all Trump voters are uneducated and ignorant of history, and therefore will not appreciate the objective view of this documentary. Apparently that reviewer doesn't have a very nuanced understanding of the political landscape, but instead favors simplified propaganda tailored for those who j*ck-off to themselves in the mirror).
Relentless (2021)
Addicting True Crime Doc With A Unique Message
While the filming may be amateurish, it actually works in the documentary's favor - giving it an immersive feel that bodes well with its theme of the chaos and confusion many families and investigators experience. The editing also favors ambiguity in the storytelling, occasionally leaving the audience as confused as the actual subjects - but again this is a feature, not a big. Many documentaries feel too polished, like the filmmaker is only allowing the viewer into a pre-determined path and conclusion. The director (Fontana) does not treat her audience like children in need of guidance, but rather gives them what she sees and allows them to come to their own conclusions. It feels more like you're part of the investigation rather than along for the ride. This may make for a bumpier ride, but it allows the audience to see and feel more what it's like to be involved in a missing persons investigation by leaving in raw material polished documentaries would have cut.
Some of the reviewers giving this 1 star seem to not understand the point of leaving some of this raw material in (such as sources that may not be trustworthy). Fake witnesses crawling out of the woodwork for either attention or money is something that families and investigators actually have to deal with, but mostly get left out of final cuts. The point of this documentary is to show the gritty and confusing aspects of solving a case. If you're the type of person who needs your hand held and to be told exactly what to think (like some of the negative reviewers), this won't be for you. If, however, you like to piece things together yourself and are ok with ambiguity, you'll love this.