Crime, Chaos, Corruption Documentary Reviews
If true crime documentaries like Tiger King are trash television, what the heck are Lifetime original movies? The network known for being “television for women” is actually full of violence and mayhem. Over on Hulu, they’ve done a good job of advertising their Girl in a (insert location here) films. After seeing Girl in the... Continue Reading →
Let’s do this review of the Netflix documentary Victim/Suspect a little differently and not just because it has a slash through the title. I’m giving it away in the title; this was not a particularly good film. Yes, it was better than Old-Growth Murder which got a 1 out of 10 from me. I’m going... Continue Reading →
Aside from a good unsolved true crime about a disappearance where maybe the person just got sick of their life and ran away, a favorite documentary genre of mine are the ones about mountain climbers. It’s so unfathomably lame to risk your life to climb something high. I’m fascinated by it. This is why Eye... Continue Reading →
You can get through this documentary in less than an hour if no one interrupts you and your bladder is empty. The Castration Cure is a documentary about a possible "solution" for pedophiles behind bars: removing their testicles. Narrated by a British man, you’ll feel like you’re watching an old-school documentary you might see in... Continue Reading →
Here’s the thing about the Boston Strangler. We all know the notorious nickname of one of America’s first well-known serial killers. He predates the term “serial killer.” What many people don’t really know for this alleged solved crime is who the man responsible for the killings was. This isn’t like the Zodiac Killer whose identity... Continue Reading →
After all of the documentaries I’ve watched, I’ve come to the conclusion that I can usually tell from the premise which types I’ll really like. There needs to be some sort of an unsolved factor to it. Even if we get someone behind bars, it’s the doubt that will keep me interested in a case... Continue Reading →
Standing at 4’9, Richard Flaherty became the shortest member of the Green Beret. A decorated veteran of the Vietnam war, The Giant Killer covers his life and unusual death. Like far too many veterans of the war, Flaherty suffered when he returned home to the US. He got mixed up in some shady business at... Continue Reading →
I haven’t written a review on any disaster documentaries in a while. One film to catch my eye was the recently released Finding Michael. It’s the story of Spencer Matthews who sets out to find his brother Michael who died on Mount Everest. The premise is a lot better than the execution. This documentary wasn’t... Continue Reading →
What A Murder in Mansfield is all about without spoiling the show This true crime documentary is different from many others. It’s not so much the case of Jack Boyle murdering his wife Noreen as much as it is about their son’s revelations in the aftermath. A Murder in Mansfield starts off with courtroom footage... Continue Reading →
What Tell Me Who I Am is all about without spoiling the show The documentary Tell Me Who I Am is exactly what it presents itself to be: a mystery. We begin with a man waking up from a car wreck with no knowledge of who he is or what happened. He later finds out... Continue Reading →
Nobody seems to be able to pick out a more unique premise for a documentary than filmmaker Errol Morris. I hadn’t seen any of his films prior to watching The Thin Blue Line in 2022. The 1980s true crime documentary made me an instant fan. His style of filmmaking is so basic and simple. It... Continue Reading →
When I watched Who Killed Lt Van Dorn I was hoping for something different. I don’t always read the descriptions of the documentaries I watch. Maybe I am partly to blame for not enjoying this one as much as other people could. Who Killed Lt Van Dorn sounds like a case of a military person... Continue Reading →
Pharma Bro is a documentary about the life, times, and possible heel character created by Martin Shrkeli. He’s more than a vowel short of being a nice person. Known mostly for raising drug prices several years ago for his own profit, this documentary sets out on a mission to uncover whether or not Shkreli is... Continue Reading →
What Dreams of a Life is all about without spoiling the show Unless you count being a bad friend a crime or a disaster, the documentary Dreams of a Life is quite different from many of the others reviewed here. It’s the story of a woman named Joyce Vincent who was found dead in her... Continue Reading →
What Bender is all about without spoiling the show Bender is a scripted film loosely based on the Bender Family that terrorized citizens in Kansas during the 1800s. Known as the Bloody Benders, the foursome has the reputation as the first serial killer family. Here you are thinking the Partridge Family was it. The film,... Continue Reading →
What The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker is all about without spoiling the show The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker is to true crime documentaries what Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town is to the Pearl Jam catalog. It’s a mouthful yet beautifully titled piece of true crime documentary. This story begins with how Kai, a... Continue Reading →
What Tickled is all about without spoiling the show Tickled has one of the strangest premises of any documentary in any category. A journalist and filmmaker goes into the world of competitive tickling. Who knew this was a thing? Do they make trading cards? What he discovers is as strange as one might think. Is... Continue Reading →
What Down the Hill is all about without spoiling the show Down the Hill is the story of what became known as the Delphi Bridge Murders. By the time I watched it, the story was very outdated because it was a newer case and there was a lot of mystery at the time when Down... Continue Reading →
What The Anthrax Attacks is all about without ruining the show A well-documented case anyone who was around in 2001 will remember, The Anthrax Attacks is the story of the post-9/11 mailings of anthrax to both prominent people and regular citizens. The documentary uses some good reenactments to tell the story of the man, Bruce... Continue Reading →
What Sins of Our Mother is all about without spoiling the show Sins of Our Mother is far too difficult to describe without giving away too many spoilers. The basic premise is a mother, Lori Vallow, who seems to have an affinity with a strange cult-like belief about the end of days and a chubby... Continue Reading →
What The Tetris Murders is all about without spoiling the show The Tetris Murders covers the story of a Russian immigrant, Vladimir Pokhilko, who was involved in the creation of the video game Tetris. Years later, he allegedly killed his wife and young son while taking his own life. The problem is that much of... Continue Reading →
What The Thin Blue Line is all about without spoiling the show This 1980s true crime documentary is the story of a man imprisoned for murdering a police officer. It sounds simple enough, but The Thin Blue Line sets a high bar. Both the imprisoned and the only other suspect in the case, a much... Continue Reading →
What Sole Survivor is all about without spoiling the show Sole Survivor has an incredibly unique premise. It follows the story of several individuals who were the lone person to survive a major plane crash. The focus is on one man in particular who, as a teenager, survived a plane crash. Now, as an adult,... Continue Reading →
What Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields is all about without spoiling the show The documentary Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields, which’ll now be referred to as The Texas Killing Fields from now on in this review, is about a well-known case in, of all places, Texas! A series of bodies are found along... Continue Reading →
What FIFA Uncovered is all about without completely ruining the show Every four years, the world gathers around to enjoy the World Cup. The organization running this soccer tournament isn’t the cleanest. FIFA Uncovered does exactly what the title of this documentary claims it will. It uncovers FIFA, strips it naked, and reminds sports fans... Continue Reading →
What The Clown & The Candyman is all about without spoiling the show Two of the sickest serial killers might have actually had a connection according to thise true crime documentary. The Clown & The Candyman proposes an idea that John Wayne Gacy and Dean Corll may have been part of a pedophile ring extending... Continue Reading →
What FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened is all about without spoiling the show For the sake of keeping it simple, I’ll refer to this documentary simply as FYRE. Repeatedly mentioning it as the greatest party that never happened will get tiring. We all know it didn't happen. Let's not waste words. Deal? Not... Continue Reading →
What The Killer Nanny: Did She Do It? Is all about without spoiling the show The Killer Nanny: Did She Do It? is the story of and English woman who comes to the United States, lives in Boston, and ends up on trial for the murder of an infant. Did she do it? The documentary... Continue Reading →
What Two Shallow Graves is all about without spoiling the show The high-profile disappearance of the McStay Family of four (Joseph, Summer, Gianni, and Joseph Jr.) is the case discussed in this true crime documentary. This is a case many people followed when it was merely a missing persons case. There was a ton of... Continue Reading →
Practically Trouble 