emilio-7-298172 Reviews

Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (2021)

Elections have consequences

[9/10 · 10 September 2021]

If you can watch only one 9/11 documentary, make it this one. This five-part documentary series expertly encapsulates the mistakes made before and after that terrible day.

Rather than focus solely on the events of 9/11, this documentary series examines the Bush Administration's flawed response: the missed opportunity to get Osama Bin Laden when he was still in Afghanistan, the lies and deception that led to the invasion of Iraq, the misguided justification for the use of enhanced interrogation techniques(torture).

One fact that I was not aware of concerned the motivation to go after Sadam Hussain. I always believed, and still do, that the entire Iraq invasion had more to do with a failed assassination attempt on George H. W. Bush than any claims of supposed ties to Al-Qaeda and the possession of weapons of mass destruction. It turns out, however, that part of the justification came from an Al-Qaeda operative who provided false information while undergoing torture by the CIA.

After watching this documentary series, I agree that it was time to leave Afghanistan. We let 9/11 happen partly due to a lack of governmental interagency communication. We tried to force American values on a nation that was only somewhat receptive. We stayed too long. We spent too much money for what we got in return. This documentary series demonstrates the truth behind the statement "elections have consequences."

Framing John DeLorean (2019)

The rise and fall of John DeLorean

[8/10 · 18 June 2021]

John DeLorean was a man considered a visionary in the automotive industry. He was a top executive at General Motors. He headed the Pontiac division and was instrumental in the development of the widely successful Pontiac GTO. After leaving GM, he started his own company and came out with the futuristic DeLorean automobile.

Behind the scenes, however, John DeLorean was more of a con man than a visionary. He dumped his first wife, had plastic surgery, and pursued attractive young women. His second wife was just nineteen years old when they married.

When it came time to build a factory for his bat-winged DeLorean, he chose Ireland, which was facing economic hardships and civil unrest at the time. His pitch to the Government was that if they provided startup funds, he would build his factory there, bringing thousands of jobs to the region.

It seemed like a win-win for everyone. But Ireland did not have any workers who had experience in automobile manufacturing. The first batch of cars had quality control problems. Additionally, those first cars came out just as the United States was entering a depression. It wasn't long before DeLorean faced financial difficulties. His efforts to solve that crisis would affect not just him but his family and the thousands of workers who relied on him.

He should have followed Spike Lee's advice, "Do the right thing."

The Donut King (2020)

An addiction or a character flaw?

[8/10 · 18 June 2021]

Ted Ngoy was a Cambodian refuge who rose to prominence from the success of a chain of donut stores. Ted's rise to donut king began from the moment he first tasted a donut. He wanted to learn all he could about the donut business. He began working for Winchell's, the largest operator of donut stores in Los Angeles. Once he learned the ins and outs of the donut business, he left to start his own donut shop.

His modest success allowed him to sponsor other Cambodian refugees. Once in America, Ted offered to teach his fellow countrymen the donut business and persuaded them to open their own donut shops. In return, they would enter a lease arrangement with Ted, providing him with thousands of dollars a month in lease payments.

Ted became very wealthy and was well respected. He threw it all away over an addiction. An addiction that in many ways wiped out all the good he had done prior. In looking back over his rise, it's hard not to think that his benevolence early on had more to do with the possibility of income for himself rather than to help other refugees. I won't spoil the story here about the addition that caused his downfall. I will only say that I don't believe it was his only character flaw.

The Crime of the Century (2021)

Lots of blame to go around

[9/10 · 20 May 2021]

In a scene in the second installment of this two-part documentary, the filmmakers follow DEA agents as they raid the house of a man in Lubbock, Texas whom they believe was selling large quantities of fentanyl. That man is eventually arrested and convicted and given a lengthy prison sentence. The arrest, however, is just one part of a much larger story that begins before the raid and continues long after the man begins his sentence.

It starts with the overdose death of a young woman. The investigation into her death and scores of other fentanyl-related deaths leads to an unassuming computer repairman named Caleb Lanier. As much as you'd like to see this man pay for the many deaths that resulted from his actions, you come to realize that he is just another addict. He is a family man whose wife knows nothing about his addiction or his connection to the fentanyl deaths. Caleb Lanier pays the price for his actions. The same can't be said about the pharmaceutical executives, politicians, doctors, sales reps, and pharmacists whose greed and lax oversight led to the epidemic.

The filmmakers trace the origins of the opioid epidemic to a single company - Purdue Pharma. Their success is largely the result of the intervention from an FDA insider who paves the way for the company to introduce OxyContin as an all-purpose pain reliever with a low chance of addiction. Once the company has the blessing of the FDA, they are off and running using bribes, deceptive advertising, and other deceitful tactics to get physicians to over-subscribe the medication.

Other unscrupulous companies such as Insys use similar tactics to introduce even more addictive drugs to an unsuspecting population. Add to this mix a lack of common-sense regulations, politicians who promote bills written by lawyers representing the pharmaceutical companies, all while accepting large campaign donations, and you have the ingredients for a full-scale epidemic that is still causing pain and suffering.

Except for John Kapoor, the CEO of Insys, none of the big Pharma executives receive jail time. They get off scot-free with their billions in sales, leaving behind a trail of destruction and suffering.

As with any good story, there are heroes and villains. The heroes are people like former DEA official Joe Rannazzisi, who tried unsuccessfully to draw attention to the flaws in the bill proposed by Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). The villains are those who turned a blind eye to what was going on because the money was just too good.

Nomadland (2020)

Could have used a little more grandeur

[7/10 · 26 February 2021]

I've waited nearly a year to venture back into a movie theatre. Nomadland was the film I felt I needed to see on the big screen. Before heading out to the AMC movie complex, we considered the possibility that there might be an issue with seating restrictions due to Covid. As it turns out, we ended up having a private showing of Nomadland on an Imax screen.

As a fan of the book and national parks, I was looking forward to this film. I think we all have a bit of nomad in us. Who hasn't thought about how nice it would be to hit the road and see the country? The truth, of course, is that the romanticized view of this lifestyle doesn't always jell with reality.

This film captures the reality:

The crowded RV parks The seasonal part-time work The negative impact on your health due to poor sleep and diet

What was missing for me was the grandeur of nature. There were a few scenes that captured it. There just wasn't enough of them. I felt the film needed to show more of the beauty.

There are tradeoffs in the nomad lifestyle. The film spent too much time on the hardships without showing the flipside, like waking up surrounded by nature.

Still, I give the director credit for making a film with a limited cast and a mostly ad-lib script. Frances McDormand held the film together. Was it Best Actress worthy? Is this film worthy of a Best Picture nomination? I would say that the answer to both is probably yes, but I believe that there are better films and performances out there.

Speaking of better films. If you want to see a movie that captures the grandeur of hitting the road, I recommend the Netflix documentary Expedition Happiness: two people, a dog, and a retrofitted bus.

Selena: The Series (2020–2021)

A great ensemble performance

[8/10 · 18 December 2020]

What's it take to go from playing in local venues to selling out arenas? The answer is that it takes talent, determination, luck, and a driving force. In the case of Selena, the driving force is Selena's father, Abraham.

On the one hand, Abraham is the worst example of a parent taking on the manager's role for their talented offspring. On the other hand, if it wasn't for Abraham's persistence and vision, Selena might not have achieved the heights that she did.

The first season of this nine-episode miniseries covers the period from first inspiration to the point where Selena's fan base has grown large enough that they need to find someone to handle the growing stack of fan mail. That is when the person eventually charged with her murder enters the picture.

I'm quite sure that Abraham Quintanilla had a role in this series. Abraham comes across as both a caring father and a control freak. The actor playing Abraham, Ricardo Chavira, plays both sides of this dual personality expertly. His presence, either directly or indirectly, influences every scene. This is especially true when Selena tries to hide a romantic relationship with a member of the band.

As for the actress playing Selena, Christian Serratos, they could not have found a better actor. The same is true for the entire cast. They are believable as a family. Anyone who has had to sleep together with family members can appreciate the fart jokes.

If this miniseries brings anything new to the Selena story, it would have to be the importance of Selena's brother A.B. If not for his creative contribution, Selena would never have gone further than a cover band.

Based on the quality of the first nine episodes, I look forward to the second season.

Hillbilly Elegy (2020)

The critics got this one wrong

[8/10 · 27 November 2020]

Everything I heard about this film was negative. "A dumpster fire," said one film credit. "I watched it, so you don't have to," said another. It's a good thing I didn't listen to that nonsense. This Ron Howard film ranks right up there with his best work.

I can only surmise that the criticism of the film was political. Author J.D. Vance, who wrote the memoir for which the film is based, is a right-wing media darling. Ron Howard, the director, has made no effort to hide his anti-Trump sentiments. Any attempt to try and tie this film to the political landscape misses the point entirely. This film is a snapshot of one family and their individual struggles, while also touching on other themes such as family, poverty, drug addiction, health insurance, job loss, education, opportunity, and a host of other relevant topics.

Having read a few of the negative reviews, I didn't have high hopes. I was looking for caricatures, overacting, and stereotypes. None of those appeared. What I saw instead was a realistic depiction of rural life that is recognizable to millions of people. I didn't see any political viewpoints because the film was not about politics.

For every critic who complained about Glen Close's performance, I say watch the end credits where there is home video of the real person she portrayed. The same is true for Amy Adams. Was her performance over the top? Not if you look at it from the viewpoint of a drug-addicted mother who became a parent at the age of eighteen.

While all the actors did excellent work, the two actors who portrayed J.D. Vance, Gabriel Basso and Owen Asztalos, were outstanding. The two performances blended into one.

If there were one scene that felt out of place, it would be the scene where Glen Close sets her husband on fire. It was a flashback scene, but there wasn't anything leading up to it that would leave you to believe that the mild-mannered man seen throughout the film was capable of instigating such a response.

This is one time where the critics got it wrong.

Bad Education (2019)

A masterclass of filmmaking

[10/10 · 27 November 2020]

This film could have devolved into a cast of stereotypes. A person entrusted with the finances of an entire school district betrays that trust and embezzles money to live beyond her means. It could have gone the other way and turn into a comedy as the woman, in this instance, an Assistant Superintendent, fails to cover her tracks. Instead, the filmmakers chose to tell a nuanced story involving real people with real conflicts.

There is one scene in the film, in particular, that shows how the screenwriters tackled this delicate balance. It involved someone beloved and respected by his peers. He tells a story of how it all started with a simple mistake of using the wrong credit card to buy a pizza. He realized the error after the fact and planned to correct it the next week. He never got around to fixing the mistake. More importantly, no one seemed to notice. You could almost see the wheels turning.

Another storyline that runs throughout the film involves a student reporter who, at first, claimed to be writing a "puff" piece about a planned construction project called the skywalk. It's only because of her work that the true scope of the fraud becomes public.

Were the individuals involved in the misuse of funds bad people? Or was it a case of competent people who tried to justify their actions even when they knew what they were doing was illegal? The answer lies somewhere in between.

Immigration Nation (2020– )

Hope meets cruelty and despair

[10/10 · 13 August 2020]

The six-part docuseries Immigration Nation is an unbiased examination of both sides of the immigration issue. Throughout the series, viewers meet a wide range of immigrants, border patrol agents, ICE agents, homeland security personnel, concerned citizens, and shady employers who participate and what is known as wage theft. Each episode focuses on a few specific issues: illegal border crossings, child separations, asylum seekers, sanctuary laws, deportations, DACA, wage theft, migrant deaths, veteran deportations, and the criminalization of human trafficking.

By looking at all sides of the immigration problem, viewers van make up their minds about the effectiveness of the current administration's efforts. One thing that I didn't see was evidence of immigrants taking jobs away from Americans. One example involves workers who move around the country seeking work in areas affected by storms and hurricanes. Someone has to repair roofs. Someone has to rebuild. Someone has to clean up streets from debris. In many cases, immigrants, including many who may have entered the country illegally, perform these jobs.

Unfortunately, there are a handful of companies that employ illegal workers and then refuse to pay them. Instead, they threaten to report workers to ICE when they demand pay. One company highlighted for wage theft was Winterfell Construction and the company's owner Tommy Hamm. Tommy's defense that it was his contractor's responsibility to pay the workers is weak. Not only did he not take any steps to ensure that his contractors pay their workers, but he also threatened the workers and their representatives with lawsuits.

The singular goal among immigrants is for a better life for themselves and their families. The vast majority of them would be happy to enter the U.S. legally. But rather than make that a realistic goal, current immigration policy has shut down all legal paths. We treat immigrants as criminals. We deport people with no criminal records without regard to the impact on the family members remaining behind. What exists now is an immigrant community that lives in constant fear.

It is human nature to want to better one's position in life. No one would willingly leave their own country if they weren't escaping violence and poverty. Rather than spend billions of dollars on policies that are cruel and heartless, we should be granting more work visas. We should grant legal status to immigrant veterans. We should do what we can to improve living conditions in Central America. We are better than this.

Outcry (2020)

The truth will prevail

[10/10 · 30 July 2020]

When it comes to wrongful convictions, all it takes is the breakdown of just one step in the criminal justice system. A detective looking to close a case can coerce a false confession. A prosecutor can bring charges that the evidence doesn't support. A jury can send a person to prison for twenty-five years without blinking an eye just because they would rather go home than debate the facts. The story told in Outcry touches on all of these themes and more.

It all starts with an accusation. A four-year-old boy accuses a teenager, Greg Kelley, of sexual assault. Greg is a high school football star with a full college scholarship awaiting his graduation. What follows is one misstep after another as Greg is soon arrested and put through the spin cycle of our broken criminal justice system.

The detective assigned the case doesn't interview a single person in the household where the alleged assault occurred. He doesn't even go to the house to verify the boy's statement. The house where Greg was staying also ran an in-home daycare. The daycare owner recommended a lawyer to Greg's mother, who then hired her to represent Greg. The lawyer, Patricia Cummings, does a less than competent job in defending her client. Since the documentary has aired, Patricia Cummings has gone on the defense and is threatening to sue the filmmakers. My take, based on the facts presented, especially the way she turned on her client when her reputation was on the line, point to ineffective counsel. One of Patricia's defenders is Michael Morton. Michael Morton spent twenty-plus years in prison for a crime he did not commit. I have a lot of respect for Michael Morton. His book Getting Life is one of the best books ever written about a wrongful conviction. I'm sure he has a good reason to come to her defense. But if Patricia Cummings had done half the job as Greg's second attorney, Keith Hampton, there would not have been a wrongful conviction.

The missteps by the lawyers, detectives, and prosecutors are not the only glaring failures. The series also touches on issues concerning sentencing disparities, the appeals process, and the inadequacies of our jury system.

I won't give away the ending. But one of the saddest aspects of this story is that none of the people responsible were held accountable. No one lost their job. Instead, there were promotions and praise. The lead prosecutor, however, committed suicide. It's not known what role this case had in that sad outcome.

Outcry is an emotional rollercoaster that will stay with you long after the last of this five-episode docuseries.