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Reviews
Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter (2024)
My Heart Is Completely Broken
So much sadness and tragedy in two episodes- this horrific story is one of sorrow, absolute horror, anger and grief, but yet I found myself filled with an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction, pride and gratitude for so many people, but most of all an immense sense of love for people like Kathleen's family, but most for. Cathy. I cannot fathom the depths of hell one must descend to in order to give your flesh and blood for adoption, but we're always assured it's 'for The best' and the child will have a much better life.
Having been born in '66, and raised at a time where children were still to be more seen than heard, children were absolutely not believed, and any child making claims generally was considered 'a problem' and most often would be acting out, but now we know these children who are behaving in such ways likely are that way due to the trauma. We've come so far in the psychological field since then, but there are so many children who've been failed from then and earlier.
Watching this was so painful, yet leaves the viewer with so much satisfaction and, more importantly, answers in three cases that were in desperate need of closing. Dennis is an abhorrent, evil man who should never have seen the light of the outside world again, and I truly believe Brenda deserves a seat in the women's penitentiary. I'm so relieved for these families to finally see an end to this unbelievable nightmare and I hope Cathy can find some small solace in knowing the excrement is where he belongs and her tenacity is admirable. She did what she did because she truly believed she had her daughter's best interests at heart.
Evil Lives Here: Three-and-A-half Hours of Hell (2023)
What Is This Nonsense?
So many red flags it's like the Rose Bowl Parade but despite his own mother telling her vehemently to RUN, a pre-marriage counselor telling her not to marry the guy, the possessive attitude, the self harm, the countless other examples, she doesn't think he's going to do anything bad? I and many other grew up in dysfunctional families, suffered abuse from our parents, and never would I ever use that as some half-baked excuse to justify this type of behavior. You may be able to fool yourself into passing off plausible deniability, but you are not convincing anyone else.
You stayed and waited for your abuser to inflict countless abuses on you, until you finally had no choice but to leave because he almost killed you, OR YOU WOULD STILL BE THERE. Good lord, this is insanity personified. And to have the nerve to sit there claiming 'oh poor me!'
Evil Lives Here (2016)
So Incredible
But not in the way you think- there's absolutely no way these 'victims' are completely innocent; absolutely no one deserves to be beaten/tortured/murdered, but there's a point where they have to hear themselves and the absolutely insane statements that tumble from their mouth and not put it all together. There's no plausible deniability whatsoever, when these red flags present themselves there's a clear and concise explanation for this and it's abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, love-bombing, or all these combined.
It's incredibly frustrating to watch story after story (I could only make it through 3) of these people making countless excuses for behavior that should have sent them fleeing for the exit, yet they hang around. Believing the abuser didn't mean it, they can fix them, if they love them more the behavior will surely change. Yes, being raised in an abusive environment as a child can certainly skew your point of view but there's never any excuse, reason, rationale that can ever override your own self preservation. And for the love of all things holy, stop having children to feed your overweening ego. Bringing another generation into a cycle of abuse won't fix your 'need to feel loved' when you're dead.
It Ends with Us (2024)
Having A Dyson Moment Here.....
Because WOW did this suck mightily. I'd like both my money AND my time back.
I've not been a fan of Colleen's writing so I guess I should have lowered my expectations- especially after learning Blake and Colleen are 'NOMG besties!!' and that Ryan was helping her rewrite scripts without bothering to mention the fact to the writer or director.
Like the 'I thought you were a crypto bro!!' line, it's something that's so ungodly cringe and showcases how incredibly out of touch these people are with the real world machinations and how people normally interact with one another.
The script itself was tedious and labored- like having a root canal without the pleasure of novocaine. The acting (by Lively especially) was just so forced and felt insincere, I'm not sure who thought McKidd was the guy for that role, but the casting director should have been fired for that alone. The main characters are meant to be portrayed as mid-20s, and instead we see someone pushing mid 40s? It makes absolutely no sense, and I (stupidly) thought that maybe this could salvage Colleen's novel, but alas, I may have just as well tossed a $50 into the fountain and made a wish- because neither of my thoughts would have a snowballs chance of coming close to expectations.
Save your money, and maybe wait for it to be released on an app you already subscribe to, on a cold winter's night when you're bored to tears. At least this will help you fall asleep.
Nothing Lasts Forever (2022)
DeBeers Lasts Forever Thanks To Gullibility
A somewhat interesting take on a topic many of us already knew- synthetic diamonds/lab created diamonds are awash in the market and the entire apple cart is not only upset but completely upended and in tatters. Yet, despite voluminous evidence that shows us how corrupt, sinister and unethical these members are, how destructive the industry is, and how manipulative they've been, people fall for the ridiculous marketing campaigns. Thankfully the insane tactic of trying to use gender equality as a marketing scheme to prey upon women's egos absolutely fell flat. They've largely operated on incredibly lucky marketing tactics that people bought into, like the three months salary lie.
Every player in this Greek tragedy, barring a scant few, are just slimy; they're all so completely up their own behinds so far that they're unable to see how wrapped up in their own lies and willingness to sell their souls to keep the money train coming into the station.
What's lost here is, while the DB president (or whatever he is) wants to talk about 'oh look how awesome Botswana is!!', there's still crippling poverty and it includes employees of their own company. DB is very similar to Phillip-Morris, in that, when a product came along that they were unable to squash, (synthetic diamonds/vaping) they decided to try and become a part of what they claimed was just so appalling five minutes ago.
These people are terrified for the future that inevitably awaits and it cannot come soon enough.
The Price of Glee (2023)
Stunningly Horrific
This was absolutely horrendous for a multitude of ways- it's awful for all of obvious reasons: the people in this series feel so icky and gross. Especially someone like Justin, who becomes an apparent leech almost immediately. And what a shocker, there's a headshot and an IMDb profile for the guy. Or the hairdresser who says 'oh I feel like I shouldn't even say this!' Okay then DO NOT SAY IT.
There's the issue of Co.ry's OD- and what is glaringly apparent yet not a single person will say, IT LIES COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY IN HIS HANDS. Period. I don't care who told him it was okay, or who pushed him to work hard, or the myriad excuses poured out- it is absolutely on him to take his sobriety seriously, and he didn't.
Then the crux of the discussion- Ryan Murphy. I don't know if he's the new and improved Harvey of Hollywood, bot you won't hear anyone on camera saying what an absolute monster he is. You'll hear it whispered, credited to anonymous sources, and people constantly dropping over that are associated with his productions, but he's constantly elevated to deity status when it can be sussed out. Behind the scenes? There's constant turmoil where he's concerned. Even in this salacious nonsense, there's barely any negativity around this absolute narcissist, and is the worst kept secret sans Harvey.
This is horrifically bad, just skip it.
Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion (2024)
1 Because 0 Isn't An Option-
~*INCLUSIVITY! BODY POSITIVE! NO SHAME GAME!*~
I should have known. Except I don't have preteen/teen girls, so the brand has flown under the radar for me. Never heard of them, never have seen a brick and mortar store front, seen an ad, nothing. So I was initially intrigued by a doc about a clothing brand and came in, open mind, ready to view.
Despite the insane number of negative reviews, I still wanted to give it a fair chance- and I usually will casually see what kind of a rating something gets before viewing- not because I will/won't watch, but I try and temper expectations.
Started off with a bad taste immediately. These girls/women seems so obtuse- like they're paid stans for the brand. Yammering and stammering, tripping all over each other to gush all over this brand and practically wax philosophical on it. So I get it- you want the viewer immediately smacked in the face with the feeling of cultish, syndromic programming. Then in swoops the 'journalist'. Just in case you are one of the cult members, or maybe you think 'huh this brand is cute, looks affordable and seems like my kinda vibe, she's here to tell you they ARE NOT politically correct and their target audience is unfair!!
I'll let you in on a few secrets and hopefully future filmmakers are paying attention: most people are absolutely disgusted with 'cancel culture' and are now going out of their way to support decent companies/people who do nothing wrong but for some reason, some of the people in the outrage mob were offended. So this machine starts to roll along, except now it's getting incredibly cumbersome. What used to evoke fear and cowering by people has slowly switched over to anger/outrage, and companies who choose not to 'bend the knee' are beginning to be rewarded with even more business if they stand their ground and refuse to apologize.
The economy is an horrific train wreck- nobody has money, can barely swing rent/house payments, grocery prices have increased by triple, and inflation is like an overinflated balloon that ready to pop at any moment. If there's clothing brands that offer us an option that looks good, is affordable and ships directly? Not even a seconds delay deciding whether or not there's a purchase to be made. There's brands available anymore for every body type, size and shape. So this brand happens to cater to a demo of thin teens, there's other brands doing so for big gals, big guys, small guys, muscular guys and gals, etc.
If this doc was meant to repel, it's having the opposite effect- look at the BM stans on IMDb smacking any negative review down and you'll see what I mean. I couldn't even get past halfway before I finally turned it off. There's got to be much better products out there for documentarians to take on and streamers to fund.
Taken Together: Who Killed Lyric and Elizabeth? (2024)
2 Are Strictly For LEOs and Drew Collins
WHY is Sires seemingly interviewing himself? What on earth was the purpose of this when there's plenty of sources that could have given this information, and been taken more seriously. The way he lets Lyric's parents off the hook for their absolutely disgusting behavior was incredibly disingenuous and disturbing; how are they so flippant regarding their felonious conduct when the proximity to their daughter's disappearance? How could they possibly believe that law enforcement wouldn't see them as waving giant red flags in the face of officers? There's still far more questions than answers, especially where the drug usage was still featuring prominently during the initial days of the disappearance.
Sires is so late with this 'series' that he's introducing us to the Delphi case as a still unknown suspect, and yet we know there's someone in custody and linked to the murders.
We see FARRRRR too much of this 'director' who seems to spend more time in front of the camera than doing any serious work on laying out a solid story and telling it fluently. He comes off as a creepy stalker of the case whose next inevitable step is a poorly done podcast.
I feel so badly for Drew- as a mom of 4 I relate far more to him than anyone else featured here; the case was a stones throw from our area, and we have seen this all unfold from the first few hours receiving the Amber Alert, then following the timeline. It's such a tragic story that deserves to be told in a much better, more consistent way than this steaming pile of excrement.
Sins of the South (2024)
What's With The Fraudulent Narrator Accent?
I suppose if you're trying to intentionally mock those from the south who also happen to be intertwined in horrific crimes, this is a great way to go about it. Her accent isn't even close to authentic, and completely unnecessary- I'm not sure what the point of it is. If the producers are just bent on a more authentic southern feel, at least hire a narrator who's from the Deep South and has an AUTHENTIC ACCENT.
I tried to make it through even one episode but the completely fraudulent accent is so distracting that it's impossible to make it through even one. The first episode is somewhat compelling but the accent is just so badly done, to the point of mocking those from the south, that it's impossible to continue watching the episode.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Proof The Review Scores Are Garbage
You can still just leave a random score on a movie that, much like this movie, convinces otherwise sane people to throw good money away and spend over two hours in a theater rather than, oh I dunno, nailing your tongue to a tree? Which I might add would be a better use of time than seeing this overinflated vanity project for the bromance of Hugh and Ryan.
It's a struggling storyline that just can't seem to make up its mind on a consistent narrative, takes too long to arrive at anything resembling a point, and no amount of 'oh hey that's so-and-so!', of cameos could save this dumpster fire of a film.
Anyone hoping to have a film wrap up a trilogy in this flick is in for a very obnoxious excuse of an attempt, and if you simply must go see this anyway, check your expectations at the cinema door and just use your brain as a door stop and then you might find this remotely interesting and find entertainment value.
Murder in the Heartland: No GIving Up (2020)
Psychics. No seriously.
Don't be skeptical, be downright distrustful.
There's not a single person in the world who's able to contact the dead, in touch with spirits, able to connect on a different plane, period. Ask yourself, if there's even a remote chance this could be true, why on earth would they would these 'pros' not have finite details regarding those who've passed? Why are statements always made with upward inflection in the voice, no certainty or factual information that comes about organically? I have no doubt that some of these people truly believe they're in contact with deceased persons, but it's most likely due to their years of honing the reading ability, and maybe speaking the lies has convinced them of their supposed talent, but no matter the intent, a lie is a lie is a lie. There's no good lies- you aren't comforting someone with a lie, and if you're worried about your relationship with a person who's gone, look inside yourself for the answers and be better to others.
Tell Them You Love Me (2023)
His Name Is Derrick
Stop attributing nonsensical gibberish to your clear malice which you clearly meant to inflict, AND STILL seem intent on believing. What Anne did to this man with the comprehension of a child is absolutely disgusting and beyond my ability to comprehend. What she did was clear and intentional manipulation by way of Florence Nightengale Syndrome- falling in love with someone you care for, but went into territory of illegality and manipulation.
I'll admit to having a pang of knowledge the minute it was cast on the screen that there was no admission of FC in the trial- while it's largely viewed as junk science by many of the prominent academics in society, it was still a crux of this case and should have been allowed to be heard and shown in order to shine a spotlight on her fraud. Rather than allowing her to manipulate his supposed conversation and intelligence, it should have been performed with Derrick by an outside source, accompanied by a double blind example as shown to see if he was capable or was obviously being manipulated to convey what she wanted. That her case was overturned and she took the option to plead to a lesser charge shows she knew what would be the outcome. Of course her mother and her friend took her side in all of this- but where were the people who were in Derricks corner, besides his mom and brother?
It's absolutely appalling that she still sees absolutely nothing wrong with what she did and what her behavior has left him with. It's quite clear merely by witnessing his mother discuss the need for medication due to his excessive masturbatory practices after Anne's disgusting behavior- how? Because his brain hasn't experienced any sort of pubescent behavior. Thereby introducing her deviancy into his subconscious, he began experiencing something unfamiliar, but pleasing. So as a result, he began behaving in ways that simulated the pleasure in other ways.
It's beyond insulting how these so-called 'white knights' think they're so necessary in saving black culture- and I've no doubt Anne pictured herself on the whitest horse, cloaked in goodness and godliness to somehow save Derrick- yet in her blatant disregard for facts and evidence, saw only her needs and her elevation as the most important factor. She was willing to completely disregard her own family-(husband, children) career and status to be seen as the heroine in her own story.
The most confounding part of all of this though- does anyone realize that Anne fell in love with herself? It's classic psychotic narcissist syndrome- she loves her own image so much that she projected it onto Derrick. That's beyond sick.
Worst Roommate Ever: My BFF Tried to Kill Me (2024)
You Cannot Be A Serious Person
How in the absolute hell did this supposedly intelligent person allow this to continue happening with little to no regard for safety much less common sense? This woman takes more selfies of herself when she's allegedly on death's doorstep, and with a woman who TRIED TO SUE FOR CUSTODY OF HER SON NO LESS, and then can't seem to string together a series of thoughts that perhaps this same psychopath might be trying to kill her? She had no job and continues to pursue surgery for something that isn't being corrected AND THEN allows this same woman to allow this monster to care for herself AND HER SON? I just can't with the stupidity of this case and if this is how the entire series goes, I'm noping out. This is the most intensely frustrating series I've ever watched in my life.
Six Schizophrenic Brothers (2024)
Absolutely Engrossing
As anyone who was born before about 1975 and/or studied in the mental health field will find this all too familiar and heartbreaking to view- unfortunately our family has both aspects; born in '66 and a practicing psychologist for over three decades with a specialization in childhood trauma this series is terrifying.
We so easily forget how far we've come where mental health is concerned- the familiar rallying cry I hear these days is 'we need to bring back asylums!', but anyone younger than around 35 has no idea how horrific these facilities were. The conditions were absolutely horrific- often employed people who could have easily been patients, filth and grime covered everything, the permeating smell of urine/feces, overcrowding, people with things like Down Syndrome housed with schizophrenics, etc., and it's just impossible to describe how awful these places were. And as deplorable as it sounds, this was just the thinking and long-held belief that this was the best place for those with abnormal conditions or birth defects. But with the rampant conditions of abuse and/or neglect, in the 80s Reagan said 'nope, the federal government should not and cannot oversee this. Each state needs to handle its own population and care for those who are incapable of self care', and most states subsequently began closing them down with little to no alternative for parents/families. Eventually communities began creating somewhat viable alternatives for people with disabilities like Downs, Autism, CF (typically didn't survive childhood) etc., and those with things classified as dementia, melancholia, hysteria, could be held indefinitely. So it's no wonder that the family stood on business (so to speak) and refused permanent residency in an insane asylum.
What we now know are genetic traits and you are predisposed to being a schizophrenic, and in being one, you are incredibly likely to pass on to any offspring you may parent, is leaps and bounds ahead of even fifty years ago. When things like electroshock therapies, lobotomies (through the orbital into the brain) and awful medications like lithium (largely over-prescribed), metrazol (they honestly believed seizures would cure the 'insane'), blood letting, etc were finally done away with and useful medications began to come online, we began to see society become more comfortable caring for and living with those who suffer things like schizophrenia. But there's still so much we don't know/understand. Like how a patient who is progressing well with their current medication can suddenly begin relapsing, or medications that work very well can become ineffective and the psychosis can slowly seep back in. And even when their caregivers see it start to slip away, it's often increasingly difficult to convince the patient of the regression and get them in to their doctor for analysis.
I'm quite sure there's immeasurable damage done to these siblings by the behavior of their siblings (my heart absolutely breaks for Mary) and more that would be done today so mom wasn't shouldered with the complete care of her sons, but she did what she did because that's literally all that existed. She did a mostly good job of trying to care for them, and housing them in asylums may have been better for the family as a whole, but what's done is done and I sincerely hope these remaining children have solid resources that are employed regularly to help them cope with the residual trauma they're likely suffering.
A very well done documentary that shows us how far we've come and how far we have yet to go- if you or someone you love shows even the slightest symptoms, please seek help. Most often, the symptoms begin slowly and in adolescence, and exacerbate in the teens, spiraling from there. The key is to catch on before spiraling begins, and helping each other rather than ostracizing families.
Brats (2024)
Was This Really Needed?
Does anyone bother to age without being a neurotic basket case in Hollywood anymore or did the past generations just hide their neuroses better? Although there's a good percentage of older types that are currently displaying their issues front-and-center, so maybe not, maybe it's this narcissistic need due to social media to always feel 'seen' all the time?
Anyway, this feel very phony, forced and like Andy needed to be 'seen' again; the 'brat pack' moniker stuck because they acted liked brats. Like they felt they were so cute and edgy and fabulous, and what most of us back then already knew from our parents- don't get too big for your britches because you never know when you won't be able to pull your pants up.
I will say a few of the interviews had some interesting things- Ally (who looks fabulous by the way) seems so real and authentic, Demi still seems to be so far up her own behind (seriously, do she and Courtney Cox have the same surgeon?), Rob really turned himself around (what I heard was, it was due to his wife/having a family), Emilio seems like I would have imagined. A lot of people don't realize but I always think of RDJ in the same ethos as all of these people, (same age and did flicks with the members, like Less Than Zero with Andy) but his demons ran so deep that he was above these guys in antics and it always seems like he was sort of deserted by this group. I am beyond happy for his success, he thoroughly deserves only good things. Jud is still the image of cool, so is James Spader.
Andrew still seems the same- his interviews in the 80s/90s were always so giggly/desperate/needy, and he's still there doing the same thing. Apparently he's a somewhat known director, but obviously that's not enough and the moniker that has stuck like super glue in the Sun sticks directly to his soul.
I always advised my children to lean into the negative that sinks into your skin and see what it is that bothers you so much; try looking in and fight the urge to look out.
I was born in '66, so there's a good bit of these films that are a memorable part of youth- Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, etc., but I have always found St Elmo's Fire to be a bit pretentious and a lot boring.
To summarize- I didn't feel like there was anything learned here worthwhile. Unless of course you count the fact that there's a lot of neurotics still existing in Gollywood.
The Sopranos: Boca (1999)
I Forgot How Annoying This Epi Is
So many of the facets of this episode are more than mildly annoying- the nonsense is crazy. From the ridiculous 'sports' they constantly try to show (volleyball on an outdoor court/goalie with no goalie gear/parents storming the field and no ejection/etc) and the insanely forced story of attempted suicide/moral authority of handling a situation rather than turning the degenerate in and destroying him legally, and then finally doing right. The insanity over Junior/Bobbi and THAT being the impetus for Tony's destruction by his uncle? It's always been so annoying how mouthy and disrespectful Meadow is to her parents, and even AJ, like there's not even any remotely responsible parenting done.
This is probable of the weakest episodes of the series, and I had completely forgotten how poorly written it was.
The Sopranos (1999)
Forgot So Much
We found ourselves with not much to watch so decided to rewatch The Sopranos- I find myself having completely forgotten about so many things; most annoying is how big of a narcissistic, whining, infantile baby Christopher is. Knowing what I know now, I don't know how much of it I can take without feeling great nausea rising in the pit of my stomach. I realize so much of the continuing plot depends on his shallow and pedantic reasoning, but it's so painful to watch such a demonstrably flawed person who thinks of only himself with little regard for anyone else in his way.
The episode itself is much more detailed than I recall, and being reintroduced to Agent Harris was a breath of fresh air. The ridiculous behavior during the therapists 'huddle' with Sam and the 'tough Jews' is infuriating- Jens ex and his incredible bias is nothing more than a bullying to insinuate himself into her life is so typical and her defending him is sweet.
The duplicitous and disgusting behavior by Livia and Junior is so much more devious than I remember and I can't believe how much disgust I have for two fictional characters, and Nancy Marchand was a real gem.
Behind the Music: Wolfgang Van Halen (2024)
One Question-WHY?
Because his dad was a phenomenal guitarist with a gigantic ego who, along with his brother, managed to run off so many solid musicians and carve out a niche so the nepotism could carry on? Wolfgang is an average AT BEST musician, but got constantly elevated because dad and uncle Alex and mom Valerie constantly screeching about 'her Wolfie!!' what they did to Michael Anthony alone is unmitigated evil, and all to give this kid his spot. And now we have things like this because his father died due to the heaps of abuse he inflicted upon himself. There's far more worthy musicians in the world that a lot of people would enjoy a thorough episode on- Jon Bonham, and his son who has talent that's evident would be a great episode. Neil Peart? The man who was largely hidden behind his kit but is arguably one of the best drummers in all of rock yet no one knew much about and his band mates are still around to fill in the blanks. Just two excellent people to highlight and shine a much needed spotlight on this level of incredible talent rather than someone insisting on riding other's coattails, despite his feigned indifference to the contrary. This show has sunken so far from where it once was- and the ridiculous levels of forced racism/bigotry/sexism/etc are just unbelievable.
O.J. & Nicole: An American Tragedy (2020)
So He Is Dead....
Now we'll be subjected to documentary and film dissecting this man all over for a while- I was alive and old enough to be aware of the facts and how it all transpired. There's so much this case doesn't discuss, and even more that's come to light after it was made. Whether he was guilty or not was not for me to say- and this nonsense of white vs black regarding the verdict is absolutely ridiculous- many of my white friends simply did not see enough evidence to support his guilt. Many of us watched the trial in its entirety, and the evidence just simply did not support the case put forth by the prosecution. Absolutely abhorrent prosecution, a very educated and effective defense team, an incompetent criminal investigation into the case left the door wide open for the defense to pilot directly through holes so large that you could fly a 747 through them.
Furman was and still is a complete monster, the handling of evidence was demonstrably wrong, the trial judge was completely incompetent and should have been removed from the case the moment his ineptitude was revealed, and Marcia Clark/Chris Darden were just outwitted and outmatched at every single turn.
Now we have the revelation by the jury forewoman that the verdict presented was due in its entirety to the racial divide and having almost an entirely black jury was not inconsequential to that supposition. She point blank said that there was discussion in the jury room regarding this, and much of the questionable evidence was outright ignored. The glove farce was what sealed the deal, and so close to the end of the trial, played a large part in the verdict. Love them or hate them, the defense team was incredibly effective and very good at what they did. They managed to make a fairly experienced prosecution look like amateur hour, and inevitably won over the jury. I've sat on 4 separate juries- 1 being a federal jury, 1 a grand jury and 2 county court juries; I've been the foreman for 3, and I can say with absolute certainty, whether you like it or not, likability plays a huge part in guilty vs not guilty. When prosecutors are arrogant, ignorant and conceited, even if the evidence completely supports the case, juries will go out of their way to find loopholes to punish people deemed deserving. Cases aren't necessarily won or lost based on this, but it can make all the difference when sentencing is made or different degrees of guilt are offered.
Impact by Nightline: The Skinny Shot (2023)
Absolute Garbage
One would have to wonder, which drug manufacturers are paying for these free promos done by once legitimate news sources. These same sources will rant and rave regarding their fall from grace, and when they do, this is but one example of the many to show.
These drugs are questionable at best for anyone considered morbidly obese by a medical professional, and coupled with diabetes type II. Due to the lack of long term studies in human trials, many of these possible side effects are quite possibly going to be commonplace after a few years on the market.
Things like serious mental health issues that no one will acknowledge, the dependence upon your body and brain that could see you having to titrate down much the same as an opiate issue, yet absolutely no one will mention, other than a minuscule portion of physicians/practitioners.
Despite the glowing reviews by our media elites, tread very carefully when considering these medications.
20/20: How'd You Rather Die? (2024)
What's With Podcasters?
It seems like a very lazy manner to tell a story- glom on to a random (poorly done) podcast, take their mediocrity and commingle it with factual information provided by law enforcement and prosecutors who can make a story interesting and compelling, and turn it into a rambling, high school angsty rumor mill that was already told in 2014! 20/20 ran a full story on this exact topic a decade ago, but felt they could just add some nugget of newness that that's all of five minutes, and dump it into the ether as a 'new' episode. I feel like all these true crime shows are operating with this same formula lately, and they're not only burning the podcast world to the ground, they're destroying their own shows in the process. I suppose if that's your goal, well done, but seems a rather odd way to try and make a decent living.
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (2019)
Insanely Lighthearted Portrait of Evil
It's stunning how much evil is wrapped up in this 'funny haha!' look behind Holmes and her cadre of felons and frauds- there's so much to dissect but I'll give a brief summary of what Alex portrays as somewhat cheeky, but is criminally negligent:
1) Tyler Schultz- this poor kid (not under 18, but his youthful exuberance for Elizabeth is reasonable given his age and life experience) was all but destroyed but the sheer audacity of Holmes and her gang, Boyes and his gang, along with financially crippling he and his parents. All in order to manipulate him from being honest.
2) Ian Gibbons story is all but ignored, despite myriad evidence to show how corrupt his woman and her legal team were. Its is beyond reprehensible that this man felt he had no other alternative, given the career trajectory he had been on.
3) is it 'cute' when men seduce women to assuage power? We've seen countless documentaries surrounding this very subject, with men held as reprehensible and arrested for such acts; but shift to Elizabeth who PURPOSEFULLY manipulated considerably older men- some who were well beyond being able to distinguish the sham perpetrated by her (Kissinger and Schultz are great examples) and she targeted them specifically because she knew their image and influence would benefit her greatly. I don't find this somehow charming as much as Gibbey does.
4) the people who were hoodwinked into blood testing that led them to believe they had a serious/deadly disease weren't even talked to, and we have a phlebotomy instructor casually laughing. Cmon now.
5) families were completely and utterly destroyed by this criminal and her cohorts. Yet we have Werner and many others waxing philosophical on her behalf. Wut?
6) Dan Ariely- he's since been proven empirically to be a categorical fraud; manipulating data sets, attempting to coerce others into supporting his fraud, and some of this data HE USES TO SUPPORT HIS POINTS!! Does no one research or even use critical thinking skills anymore?
There's so much that could have been done to make this the documentary behind the deceits and disgusting behavior, yet she's portrayed as some damsel in distress who just made an 'oopsie'.
An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution (2024)
Literally WHAT?
So once again, here's the self-declared hero swooping in to pump up another pharmaceutical company in Ozempic! Seriously, how much is. Novo Nordisk paying her for this cute little infomercial, anyway?
This shilling by legacy media and pseudocelebs in favor of these companies is absolutely corrupt. I'll say this louder for people in the back- OBESITY IS NOT A DISEASE. PERIOD. If this is some sort of plague on society, then WHY are there no morbidly obese people puttering around Africa, the Middle East, China, etc? Funny how it's only a disease because it's practically in epidemic proportions in places with glutinous appetites, a lethargic populace, and an infatuation with a sedentary lifestyle.
Oprah half crying because somehow she's been fighting her brain this whole time is nauseating- but what's NOT being discussed are the incredibly serious side effects these injections are bringing about- serious mental health issues to the point that stopping this is not as easy as putting the syringe down, or you can risk serious withdrawal symptoms. There's a high risk of suicidal ideation, and you will be taking these shots the rest of your life, even if you happen to invest in good therapy and completely change your dietary habits, stopping this medication will result in gaining the weight back. Then there's the risk of cancer, which rises exponentially.
Please, do not take injections in the hopes of a miracle- there are no such treatments. This has been foisted on to the public for black label use with NO RESEARCH done as to long term ramifications. We just went through this with another injectable medication that we later discovered had undergone almost no clinical trials on humans, and now we're seeing the damages. Pharmaceutical companies only have your wallet on their minds and couldn't care less about your overall health.
Dateline: The disappearance of Sandi Johnson (2014)
Why Do They Allow It?
Between the prosecutors, police, and the HOST HERSELF stating this absolute nonsense about 'oh he hired an attorney and that's when we knew he must have something to hide!!!' For sobbing out loud, if anyone at this point is ever in close proximity to an horrific crime, I would absolutely implore them to immediately consult an attorney and not answer a single question without them being present. If you feel like these morons that always say the same thing- 'well I had nothing to hide! I wanted to give them everything I knew!', prepare yourself to be a suspect until you can prove your innocence because law enforcement holds no qualms with having a presumption of guilt, and it's completely your responsibility to prove yourself innocent, all while the actual perpetrators walk free, and all resources are spent on trying to prove you are the person. All at the cost of your career, family, friendships, the looks and accusations from random people, and a cloud of suspicion that hangs over you no matter where you go, what you do, and even when it's proven that someone else is responsible (if they haven't charged YOU) it's still there. So by all means, go ahead and don't hire an attorney- because according to every law enforcement official, and some of these ridiculous hosts, you've got something to hide.
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024)
Tinfoil Hat Fodder?
It's truly mystifying that there's still people out there using this rudimentary phrasing to describe something that's in no way something even remotely related to legitimate conspiracies that have come to be known as very true. There's so many examples that it defies logic to entertain people who know better than to follow a narrative just because that's the party line espoused. From RussiaGate, to Hunters laptop, to Project Sunshine, to MK-Ultra; the list is endless. But that's sort of the point, right? Cloud the data of proven and/or probable conspiracies with literally insane theories like flat earthers and things that are probably and demonstrably false, so you can cast aspersions on an entire population of people to make yourself feel safer and saner.
This series immediately gives vibes of that related to a hostage situation- shaky video, shots of someone calling himself a journalist, shots of papers strewn about and endless conversations including vast amounts of speculation that do nothing but go round and round in haphazardly crafted circles. Just when you think points may be connected, another circle starts spinning its way around and suddenly you're surrounded by scribbles roughly resembling circular objects but nothing coherent to string together. Some of the information is definitely compelling but trying to make sense of any kind or even connect one thing to another is almost impossible to do.
There's potential within but this long-winded, maniacal fever dream is so disjointed and meaningless and you're left with nothing memorable to relate to. In short, there's so much more to our government and the deeply threaded fabric that lies deep beneath the surface, and I doubt we ever get any sort of coherent complexities explained. There's an incredibly brief mention of the S and L scandal, you get brief shots of Bush Sr who ran the CIA well before becoming VP, absolutely no mention of the corruption of Carter, no mention of Louis Freeh, nothing about Clinton and his malfeasance, That of his wife, Obama, nothing. It's a lot of talking out of one side of the mouth, completely silence from the other, and not a sensible thing added in the least. If you're silly enough to believe that conspiracies are for the tinfoil hats then you deserve every ounce of your freedoms surrendered with no one to blame but your own hubris.