180. Web-Series Reviews – 35

Some interesting movie/documentary reviews …

The Mauritanian – Based on the NY Times best-selling memoir "Guantánamo Diary" by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, this is the true story of Slahi's fight for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years. Alone and afraid, Slahi finds allies in defense attorney Nancy Hollander and her associate Teri Duncan who battle the U.S. government in a fight for justice that tests their commitment to the law and their client at every turn. Their controversial advocacy, along with evidence uncovered by a formidable military prosecutor, Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch, uncovers shocking truths and ultimately proves that the human spirit cannot be locked up.  Jodie Foster as Nance Hollander and Benedict Cumberbatch in a small role!!

Assassins – Documentary on the killing of the North Korean leader’s murder.  Review from IMDB…

The subject of this documentary is definitely one of those cases of truth being stranger than fiction. I won't go into the details of the story, as this is a film you should approach knowing as little as possible about in order to maximise the surprise and tension generated by its twisting and turning narrative, but broadly it concerns the assassination of a North Korean exile and the subsequent trial of those accused of his murder. The documentary is very well constructed, with the information on the various individuals involved being slowly drip fed, flash back style, over the events of the trial itself. It has the pacing and structure of a classic 70s spy thriller - although this plot is so outlandish it would be deemed preposterous if it weren't actual true. The access to the various participants is excellent & the makers have gathered a wealth of video from CCTV, news & social media to supplement their own footage, so as a viewer it never feels like you are being short changed. It is all very one sided; it’s clear where the filmmaker's sympathies lie, but then again, the North Koreans were never going to participate in a film like this. All in all, this documentary is every bit as enjoyable as a regular drama / thriller & keeps you on the edge of your seat right until the end.  Excellent movie!

Long Shot – When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder, he insists he didn't commit, he builds his case for innocence around raw footage from a popular TV show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm."  Without giving anything away, the movie is all about how his alibi is established.  Excellent movie!

Abducted in Plain Sight – The twisting, turning, stranger-than-fiction true story of the Brobergs, a naive, church-going Idaho family that fell under the spell of a sociopathic neighbor with designs on their twelve-year-old daughter. In 1974, 12-year-old Jan Broberg was abducted from a small community in Idaho. When Jan was returned 5 weeks later, she assured her parents and the courts that "nothing had happened", enabling a pedophile to go free, and paving the way for Jan's second abduction and years of sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse.  A movie to see how gullible people can be!!

Citizenfour – In January 2013, Laura Poitras started receiving anonymous encrypted e-mails from "CITIZENFOUR," who claimed to have evidence of illegal covert surveillance programs run by the NSA in collaboration with other intelligence agencies worldwide. Five months later, she and reporters Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with the man who turned out to be Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with her. The resulting film is history unfolding before our eyes.  All you wanted to know about Edward Snowden!!

We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks – This is a 2013 American independent documentary film about the organization established by Julian Assange, and people involved in the collection and distribution of secret information and media by whistleblowers. Directed by Alex Gibney, it covers a period of several decades, and includes background material.

The 1989 WANK worm attack on NASA computers, originally thought to threaten the Galileo spacecraft, is depicted in the film as the work of Australian hackers, including Assange. The founding of Wikileaks in 2006 is followed by coverage of several key events: its 2009–2010 leaks about the Icelandic financial collapse, Swiss banking tax evasion, Kenyan government corruption, toxic-waste dumping, Chelsea Manning's communications with Adrian Lamo, the release by Wikileaks of the Collateral Murder video, the Iraq War documents, the Afghanistan War documents, US diplomatic cables, Lamo's exposure of Manning to the FBI and the accusations of sexual assault made against Assange. Interview subjects include Julian Assange and other prominent personalities.

All you wanted to know about Wikileaks and Julian Assange!!

The Dissident – The Dissident is a 2020 American documentary film. When Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappears in Istanbul, his fiancée and dissidents around the world piece together the clues to a murder and expose a global cover up.

The documentary follows the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia's effort to control international dissent.  Central to the documentary is the story of the Saudi activist and video blogger, Omar Abdulaziz.

According to the director, the movie’s aim is to look “deeply into Khashoggi's murder and the ramifications of it.” While a CIA report released by the Biden administration implicated Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in the death of Khashoggi, Fogel believes the prince will never face an Interpol arrest warrant or formal investigation considering the vast amount of wealth he owns.

Amanda Knox – Amanda Knox is a 2016 American documentary film about Amanda Knox, twice convicted and later acquitted of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher.

Featuring interviews with Amanda Knox, her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, Italian prosecutor Giuliano Mignini, and Daily Mail reporter Nick Pisa, the documentary chronicles the murder of Knox's roommate Meredith Kercher and the subsequent investigation, trials and appeals. Her notoriety bolstered by tabloid journalism, Knox was convicted of murder and spent four years in an Italian prison before her acquittal by the Supreme Court of Cassation. "I think I'm trying to explain what it feels like to be wrongfully convicted," Knox explained in an interview. "To either be this terrible monster or to be this regular person who is vulnerable."

Cheers till next time!

Today’s Observation 

Nothing in itself is good or bad, except in the way it is used! 😊