By: Henry J. Fromage –
This week was a work and watch type of week, so you guessed it- streaming documentary series all the way.
518. The Vow: Part II
There’s something just a bit off about The Vow, made as it is by folks who were once fully enveloped in the NVIXM cult of Keith Raniere and who maybe harbor understandably mixed feelings about experiences they had there that the general public is more able to reject fully. The series doubles down in its second round, landing interviews with inner circle power brokers like Nancy Salzman, who are even more mixed up about their experiences, in fascinating yet clearly flawed ways. Don’t be surprised if there’s a Part III coming down the pike. Three Beers.
519. Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story
This Peacock documentary series covers the short (but not short enough, bloody career of so-called Dr. Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death, a surgeon who maimed practically every patient he operated on yet was able to practice for several years at several hospitals due to a system predisposed to believing rich white men with good references and altogether too much self-confidence. Honestly, there isn’t a horror film that’s come out this year (or several years prior) nearly as scary as this true-life story. Two Beers.
520. Killer Sally
Another true-crime story, this time on Netflix, this one examines the murder of bodybuilder Ray McNeil by his also bodybuilder wife Sally. There’s obvious sensational interest in solely that description, but the filmmakers do a good job of letting her tell her side of things, before complicating and cross-examining that story with the case presented by the prosecution. This is not a story that purports to settle on a true account, but one that lets you come to your own conclusions. Three Beers.
521. Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes
You can’t really grade this type of project on the scale of enjoyment or even necessarily the same quality measures when speaking about a project that is literally giving voice to a (long dead) serial killer. And yet millions are drawn to this thing through a macabre curiosity, myself included, and I will say that xxx is one of the most overtly creepy and egomaniacal serial killer interviewees in this surprisingly robust category. Two Beers.
522. God Forbid: The Sex Scandal that Brought Down a Dynasty
I’m a Christian, but I do find little more satisfying than seeing a big-name preacher cut down to size by their own hubris and hypocrisy. Perhaps that’s because to become a big name, you usually have to get up to the exact opposite of WWJD (Christ and his disciples would never be within a thousand feet of a private jet, much less a gaudy multi-million dollar superchurch). Anyway, few preachers have proven to be as full of stinking, rotten shit as the Falwells, and seeing Jerry Falwell, Jr. outed as a sex pest alongside his wife with rigorous proof is pretty satisfying. Not very Christian of me, I know, but at least I’m not pied pipering thousands merrily down the lucre-paved path to hell? Two Beers.
523. House of Hammer
Speaking of multi-generational sex pests, it turns out those stomach-curdling kinky texts from Armie Hammer that caused such a stir were just scratching the surface of the disturbing predilections of oil baron-turned conservative operator-turned Hollywood royalty progression of the Hammer family. This series does a good job of drawing a throughline between messed up family history and the controlling and predatory relationship habits of Armie. This doesn’t look like a comeback that’s going to happen, as talented as he was. Two Beers.
524. Keep This Between Us
One more true crime series, this time from Hulu. Renowned documentary director Amy Berg makes up one of a triumvirate of female directors (Jenna Rosher and Kristi Jacobson being the others) who takes on an angle of the Me Too movement that not many want to think about, but which indisputably exists too widely- grooming of girls by their teachers in high school. The brave women who tell their stories here sketch out a blueprint for this kind of crime, which is too often handled in the same manner that molester priests were by the Catholic Church- move them to another district and wash your hands of it. Two Beers.
