docreviews

[docreviews]

Review 10 (Deathgrip 2017)

This documentary is more like an adventure when watching. Travel the world with many talented bikers who share their stories and talents to the audience. This documentary shares the difficulties and joy of mountain biking. Mountain bikers put their lives at risk to experience adventure in these amazing courses/tracks. The music makes this film better as well. I have tried mountain biking and it is very difficult trying to learn, bu these professionals make the sport look effortless. The interviews and teachings this film offers is great for those interested in the sport. The visuals are also immaculate. My favorite part is the introduction scene with the two bikers racing down the mountain because it leads into the unforgettable experience this film offers. International sports do not seem to ever disappoint and so does this film. I enjoyed this film because it offered creativity and diverse stories to share. Rating: 7.9/10

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Review 9 (Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal)

This Netflix documentary series follows a South Carolina Family's disturbing secrets linked to tragedies within their community. The documentary starts with the first tragedy involving a young girl named Mallory Beach who lost her life due to Paul Terry Murdaugh's intoxication and outbursts while driving the family motorboat. Paul crashed the boat at 2 am on February 24, 2019 which caused Mallory to be thrown overboard and eventually struck in the head leading her to drown to death. Her body was discovered after eight days. The Murdaugh family, known for their notorious ways in getting away with crimes in the area due to their power in the legal system, wanted to place Paul's crime of crashing the boat on another friend on board named Connor Cook. This eventually lead to a lot of threats and investigation within the community. That is one of the few incidents that involve the Murdaugh family. It eventually leads to Alex Murdaugh and the murder of his wife and son. The Murdaugh family was involved in the deaths of five people in six years. This documentary was going on during the trial of Alex Murdaugh and it brought light to the case and eventually justice. This was an unpredictable watch and it definitely kept my attention throughout the series. At the same time it is tragic. Rating: 8.5/10

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Review 8 ("13th" Documentary)

This documentary gives more insight to African American criminal justice history. Slavery was an economic system and African Americans were arrested after the civil war (minor crimes). They had to provide labor to rebuild the South after the war. African Americans were painted and portrayed as evil characters in society (animal-like). Black men were seen as a threat to white women (r**ists). This allowed a huge wave of terrorism (lynchings, murder, etc.) The 1980s War on Drugs (dealing with drugs as a crime instead of a health issue)  was the reason many people were being sent to prison and jail for drug offenses (marijuana) (It is all about throwing black people in jail). There was an economic drought during the Ronald Reagan presidency (the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer) (Increase in poverty) Crack was marketed to be less expensive and this meant that it was going to affect the African American communities (police cracked down on crack dealers) while Cocaine was more “sophisticated”, but crack was “black.” Media used the word super predator to describe the generation of young men (black men). Central Park five were all innocent and the public was convinced the opposite because of this notion. Black men are not raping white women as much as white men are raping black women in American history. This all lead to the overpopulation of prisons today and how African Americans are over represented in that area. This documentary is very educational, but it is also a hard watch. Rating: 7/10

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Review 7 (Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich)

This was another disturbing documentary. It was interesting and unsettling to see a woman born and married into wealth get away with a lot of s**ual misconduct and s** trafficking. Men are usually the face of these crimes. Hearing about a woman do these disgusting things with her spouse made this an uncomfortable watch. Her upbringing and close relationship with her wealthy father made her into a narcissistic sociopath who felt untouchable enough to exploit people for her amusement. Of course this is another case police not taking allegations of rich and powerful people seriously. A lot of the victims were brave enough to share their stories of interacting with Ghislaine Maxwell. One close friend recalls a time when men and women were in a room at a formal gathering and Ghislaine told the men to be blind folded. She then told the women to take off their tops and have the men feel their breasts. She then asked the men to take off their blind folds and match the feeling of the breast to the woman. It seems she exploited people before she met Jeffrey Epstein. The stories do get worse and viewer discretion is recommended. I hope she suffers in her 20 year prison sentence. Overall the documentary did a good job storytelling and involving the court case within the film. Rating: 6.5/10

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Review 6 (Formula 1: Drive to Survive Documentary Series)

Formula 1 is one hell of a sport. It has a high risk of death, but a high reward of fortune, fame, and legacy. Each of these drivers have the skills and bravery to be a top racer in the international competitive racing league. This documentary series dives into the lives of drivers, workers, and companies to give insight to strategies and lifestyle behind the F1 teams. Formula is a very high investment for parents. Kids have to start out as good go-cart drivers with hopes to make it to the next level. But just like every corrupt system, money can get you places quicker (even if you have not earn certain statuses). Money cannot bail you out of performance in the big leagues though, but it can help with gear, car performance, exercise, meals, etc. I think many will enjoy this educational and fascinating series about the different racers and workers behind the very competitive F1 league. It can get a little slow or repetitive when it comes to planning what to do for racers and even what to do when failure happens. But that is how they want the audience to feel at times because this sport is very stressful to watch and be a part of. Formula 1 dominates the world stage since 1950. Rating: 6/10

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Review 5 (The Alpinist)

This documentary kept me at edge the whole way through. This documentary mainly examines a solo alpine climber named Marc-Andre Leclerc. This Canadian rock climber dismisses gear when climbing steep mountain tops around the globe. That is already too risky and impressive. But then he does this with ice . He pecks the ice when climbing with no gear to stop his fall. He was truly a legend. He was described to be a little different going up and loved to discover new things. His girlfriend and love for climbing helped get him off his drug addiction. He loved climbing so much that he sometimes did not want the camera crew following him. He wanted to experience the mountains for the joy/thrill and not for attention. He sadly passed away at the top of a mountain after a successful climb due to a devastating avalanche. A fellow climber died among him. His climbing and great personality is remembered on tape and through story telling. This documentary was heartwarming, interesting, and scary to watch. I am glad to see that this sport has gotten the recognition it deserves. Rating 8/10

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Review 4 (The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness)

A lot of bad events have occurred in New York. It is hard to keep track or even know a lot of the tragedies that have happened throughout the years. I was surprised when I did not even hear about David Berkowitz. I felt the fear New York city had when the police could not figure out who was out shooting people and why. This man killed six people and injured seven people with a 44 caliber revolver. A lot of people were afraid to go out at night for a long period of time. This documentary focuses on the police's efforts and tactics to catch killers and how they respond to it. They also interview witnesses and residents who were close to the action. The documentary does a tremendous job telling David Berkowitz background and how it is linked to his crimes. But there is more to it than just David Berkowitz. He said he did not act alone. It is was an interesting watch and it told the story pretty well. Rating: 6.8/10

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Review 3 (30 for 30: Bad Boys)

This documentary was about the notorious 1980s Detroit Pistons and their bad reputation throughout the NBA. This team used to bully, hurt, and scare players intentionally in order to win basketball games. A lot of the players sit down and describe their experience with the team and how much it took to win a championship. Isiah Thomas was one of the stars who helped the team succeed with his talents at the point guard position. He talks a lot about his role with the team and how it changed his career in the NBA forever. This team rivaled against Michael Jordan for a while. Michael Jordan fell victim to the "bad boy treatment," but he worked hard to become stronger and eventually not be bothered by the tough Detroit Pistons. This documentary surprised me because of all the fouls and disrespect this team got away with. It was an educational and interesting watch for those interested in NBA history. Rating: 7/10

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Review 2 (Central Park Five Documentary)

The Central Park Five documentary made me realize how corrupt and terrible the criminal justice system is towards Latino and African Americans. Kory Wise, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, and Yusef Salaam were all wrongfully convicted of r**ing and beating a jogger named Trisha Meili Manhattan, New York April 19, 1989. Her identity was kept secret for years. This documentary highlights the different experiences of the central park five in the criminal justice system and how it has forever changed their lives. This story became very popular among the country because of the media's interest in painting black males as predators among the streets of America. Interesting fact a black woman was beaten, r**ed, and thrown off a building the same night and did not get any news coverage. The story that stuck out the most was Corey Wise because his prison experience involved many struggles with beating, solitary confinement, and mental health. No money can take back the years they spent as innocent men in jail and prison. This documentary was a tough watch, but there is a lot to take away from this. Rating: 7.6/10

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Review 1 (John Wayne Gacy Netflix Documentary)

I heard about this weird individual among many conversations and references, but I did not know his full story. I wanted to figure out the origin of what made this man so deadly for a long period of time. John Wayne Gacy is probably the scariest serial killer that I have ever heard about. The documentary I watched on him gave a lot of insight on how regular of a person he was before and during the events of his wicked murders. He performed as a clown to seem innocent and regress to his childhood. The interviews conducted by the police force and the recordings of conversations among the victims, Gacy, the courtroom, and eventhe victims' families. He used his sexuality to attract young and gullible males to his house. He used his job to lure more young men to his seemingly charming presence. He was a man who had parties and did a lot for the community, but he was the reason why a lot went missing. What made him more loathsome was that he denied everything after being accused. His span of crimes ranged from 1968-1978. The evidence made it clear he committed 33 murders. This documentary was insightful and disturbing. Rating: 8/10