Review – Unthinkable

This “thriller” has two basic plot elements: arguing and mutilation. And after awhile both become extremely tedious. The set-up is a typical contrivance of scenarios in which torture might possibly be justified, which adds an extra layer of artificiality to the story. See if desperate

Review – Last Call

The subtitle “When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York” somehow implies that this hadn’t happened before and hasn’t happened since, which of course isn’t accurate. Still, the murders committed by Richard Rogers back in the 1990s provide some food for thought about the question of people that law enforcement does and doesn’t care about, particularly the older, closeted victims who might otherwise have been a priority for the police. Especially noteworthy are the efforts of the LGBT+ community to force homophobic authorities to do their jobs. Mildly amusing

Review – Eye in the Sky

Military echelons from drone operators to anti-terrorism commanders to the Prime Minister wrestle with the ethics of launching a drone strike that will kill terrorists in their lair but also blow up a little girl selling bread in the street outside the building. So basically this is nearly two hours worth of an expensive version of the trolley car problem. See if desperate

Review – The Eugenics Crusade

Just in case anyone needs a reminder (or worse, this is new information to you), the Nazis didn’t invent eugenics. This installment of American Experience documents the monstrous philosophy’s heyday in the United States prior to World War Two. Though we didn’t make it all the way to death camps here, things were still plenty bad for awhile (and parts of the madness linger still). The documentary does a solid job of covering the rise, the fall and the issues that came up while eugenics held sway. Worth seeing

Review – Parkland

This docudrama shows the attempts to save the lives of Parkland Hospital’s two most famous patients: John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald. It’s interesting to compare this to other ER-centered medical dramas concerning less historical moments. Mildly amusing

Review – Damsel

Someday we’ll reach the point where entire plots can no longer be constructed out of little more than reversal of stereotypical roles. But clearly we haven’t gotten there yet. Millie Bobby Brown stars as a woman designated for sacrifice to a dragon. In the absence of a male rescuer, she becomes her own knight in shining armor. The story drags out a bit, but the effects are good and the action keeps things entertaining. Mildly amusing