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9/10
An essential corrective to the unethical original
31 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I'll preface this by saying I am not a Candace Owen's fan. I find her obnoxious and irritating. Thankfully, the series has her sitting in the back seat and offscreen for most of the time.

Part takedown of the original Netflix series, part case against Steven Avery, this series nails its mandate with flying colours.

I was one of the original fans of Making a Murder (MaM) on its initial release - memes, the Reddit rabbit hole, all of it. I was convinced not only of Brendan Dassey's innocence, but also of Steven's.

Fast forward to the release of Convicting a Murderer (CaM). I'd begun to have my doubts over the years, starting with a blood test that involved one of the infamous vials. If the original doco had lied about the hole in the lid of the vial, where else were they being lenient with the truth?

Turns out, everywhere. CaM exposes the unethical behaviour of the original filmmakers, editing quotes from the trial, copying and pasting random footage that made police look nervous or like they were lying, covering up the horrendous past of SA.

CaM is very well made. The filmmaking is snappy and suspenseful, and the variety of people interviewed keeps it from ever getting too slow.

The only criticism I have is that it's behind a significant paywall. I understand DW need to make money to continue to make series like this, but given the fact that millions and millions of people have been duped by the original series, I think it deserves a much wider audience.

That said, if you're not a DW subscriber, I recommend you pay for a month and watch anyway. It's worth your time.
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C*A*U*G*H*T (2023– )
1/10
Really, really bad
9 October 2023
I love offbeat, weird comedies. I was hyped by the trailer, the premise is awesome! I was thinking this might be the crossover event Aussie comedy has needed for years.

But no, it's not. It's really not.

The acting is just awful. The jokes are forced and unfunny. The editing is disjointed and choppy.

Not one of the main characters has any serious stage presence or charisma, and the supporting cast is in memorable and weak. I don't know what they fed to Sean Penn to get him to appear in this, but it has to be strong.

Whoever gave this the green light needs to be sacked.

Seriously - don't waste your time on this.
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Barbarian (2022)
3/10
Very unsatisfying.
12 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I went into this one with high expectations from other reviews and hype from around the internet. Unfortunately it was all wind.

The first half of the movie is compelling and atmospheric. The chemistry between the two main characters of this half was top notch, and Skarsgard was believable and just a little creepy.

However, the second half empties all the tension and atmosphere of the first. It's almost as though the writing and directing team left the room and gave it over to a bloke who walked in from the street.

Massively. Disappointing.

Spoilers - in the final act, was I really supposed to believe that 1. AJ heaved Tess over the edge of the water tower one handed?

2. She fell so slowly that the Mother could catch up and position herself between the ground and Tess?

3. That both Tess and the Mother were **completely uninjured** by the fall?!?
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Midnight Mass (2021)
4/10
Great concept that staggers and falls under the weight of its own self-importance
3 February 2022
Episodes 1-2: wow! A thoughtful and engaging story with interesting characters, good scares, and mystery? Count me in!

Episodes 3-5: seriously, another monologue that reads like a teenage atheist's yearbook quote?

Episodes 6-7: let's get this over with already, please. Capped off with a nonsensical voiceover telling us nothing really actually matters, so no need to care about anybody or anyone you love, nor stand up for those who have been wronged. We're all just dreaming dust or something.

Ugh.
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