SpacemanBob Reviews

Murder Comes to Town (2014–2018)

Well done as these shows go.

[7/10 · 8 April 2024]

I liked this for the most part. The cases are interesting and the vast majority of them were new to me.

The re-enactment's can be a little cheezie, but aren't they always? They mostly didn't bother me, and don't dominate the show. Those are offset by interviews with people who were there at the time; primarily family members of the victims, and of course, the law enforcement who worked on the cases.

A lot of reviewers seem to have a problem with the narrator. I didn't. His voice seems to fit the subject matter, and he sounds similar to the original City Confidential narrator, Paul Winfield. I've heard much worse.

For myself, these shows are all about the cases and how they were solved, and this series brings that. Overall, I think it's a solid who-done-it? Most of the cases are quite intriguing with plenty of twists to keep you guessing till the end.

Burning Body (2023)

It just drags.

[5/10 · 13 September 2023]

If you know the details of the story, it's just not very entertaining. Perhaps because I just watched the documentary series, that this dramatic retelling feels redundant. With nothing especially gripping about either the story telling, the acting, or the level of suspense, I got bored with it quickly. It seemed to drag on and on. They could have done this in a 90 minute movie.

This is an interesting case, and the documentary series is very good, I highly recommend it. I probably would have liked this dramatic series more if I hadn't known the details of the case going into it. Instead, I wanted it to be over after about 3 episodes, just to get to the end.

Missing: Dead or Alive? (2023– )

Not that good

[5/10 · 11 May 2023]

Roughly midway thru the first episode. I wasn't sure if what I was watching was a true crime documentary, or a drama meant to look like a documentary. To find out, a little checking on google confirms that these are actual cops, and actual missing persons, and suspects. All that just made it worse tbh, because now I *know* they're staging most of it.

The format of the show is modeled after 'The First 48.' They borrowed a lot from it, right down to the timer. I know that show scripts certain things also, it'd have to in order to exist, but they're obviously so much better at it, I hardly notice. I still like that show, knowing as much. It's that they use some discretion with it, they don't insult the viewer.

Naked and Afraid (2013– )

Beware of Menacing Stock Footage.

[2/10 · 13 March 2023]

They're lurking. There are medics seemingly five minutes away though, so when one of those leopards, venomous snakes, or giant spiders jumps from a separate film and attacks on location, they've at least got a prayer.

This is reality TV, so I know going in that it's fake, scripted, and staged; filmed in front of a professional film crew and edited to scrap hours of footage that didn't fit the backstory.

Some similarly crafted shows can be entertaining, nonetheless, with the right mix of story and more so interesting and unique characters. This show, however, is way over the top; it's a little too obvious that a lot of the interactions between characters are forced.

There's not very many likeable cast members either. Intentional? Perhaps, but that's where it loses my interest and puts it's flaws under the microscope.

Senzo: Murder of a Soccer Star (2022)

Solid true crime series.

[7/10 · 27 October 2022]

While this series could have been edited a little better for brevity's sake, I enjoyed it overall. I also watched it over three sittings, so I didn't feel like it ran excessively too long.

I had no prior knowledge of this case, and it's an interesting one, for sure. There are some twists and turns as the story unfolds, and no shortage of interviews, with credible people directly associated.

My biggest complaint is I wish it had featured more footage with Senzo. I felt like I didn't get to know enough about him, other than the obvious. I'm glad I watched this, I'm going to continue to follow this in the news.

Keeper of the Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders (2022– )

Cringeworthy

[2/10 · 26 July 2022]

What is Kristin Chenowith doing in this film? She adds nothing except about two hours of unnecessary length. I skimmed through a lot of it in getting to the end. It was an awful tragedy, but to take advantage of it for some kind of self promotion is so out of place and unappealing. Would have been a decent documentary without her.

My Daughter's Killer (2022)

Don't miss the story

[9/10 · 19 July 2022]

Great documentary about a father's 30 year quest for justice for his daughter; murdered by her stepfather; a con artist, rapist, and pedophile. The film is well done; it's nicely edited, so therefore not overly long or hard to follow; however, the real reason to watch is the story. Coming from a father, Bamberski is a legend and a hero!

(consider watching with subtitles ON and English audio/dub OFF. At this time, the English voice overlay isn't synched very well)

D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! (2022)

The makers of this garbage deserve ridicule.

[1/10 · 16 July 2022]

As do the morons harassing Mr. Rackstraw, a now older guy who turned his life around a long time ago.

This is bottom of the barrel tabloid TV. It's nothing similar to a legitimate documentary.

The Longest Night (2022)

Bad, not remotely believable

[3/10 · 11 July 2022]

A psychiatric prison it tasked with holding a notorious serial killer overnight. The head of this facility comes in after hours to see it through. He brings his kids. What could go wrong? A lot, when the place has less security than a convenience store.

It keeps getting worse from there, and the acting isn't great, but it could be the script. Probably avoid, although good for a laugh.

Ricky Gervais: SuperNature (2022 TV Special)

Fantastic, and needed

[10/10 · 25 May 2022]

Been a longtime fan of hism from The Office UK, to his podcast, to his stand up. He doesn't care what he says, and right now, that says a lot.

Personally, I'm delighted that people that don't want to see this show will see it. They won't be able to stop themselves. I suppose that's the genius of him. I'm glad he sticks to his guns, but there was never really any doubt.

His previous specials on Netflix are outstanding also. Spread the word, lol.

Meltdown: Three Mile Island (2022)

Dull, and too long

[5/10 · 5 May 2022]

This could have been a 90 minute documentary if not for repeating itself over and over. Not many of those interviewed are very compelling either, and so much of this feels like filler. I normally enjoy Netflix' docs, but I started looking at the clock five minutes into episode two.

There's tons of info about this incident out there, I'm going to try that.

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. (2022)

The film equivalent of NyQuil

[3/10 · 16 April 2022]

The series is stretched out for far too long, repeating itself incessantly. The story could have been told in about an hour and a half. The problem with interviewing the main character too long? She becomes less likable and less believable with each word. It's also tedious. This one's a hard pass.

Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021)

Trapped

[3/10 · 18 September 2021]

I was invited over somewhere to watch this. I couldn't walk out, couldn't change the channel, or make another choice. What utter garbage this movie is. Having a cast of these actors put out this load of cliched tripe, moronic dialogue, and failed humor is nothing but the old bait and switch. A con job.

Nearly an hour of looking at the watch, "is thing over soon?" "My arse itches and is uncomfortable on these peoples couch."

Yancey McCord: The Killer That Arizona Forgot About (2020)

The synopsis sounded intriguing. I said, "how bad could it be?"

[1/10 · 3 August 2021]

Ask a stupid question I guess, the jokes on me. Horrifically bad movie with atrocious acting, silly dialogue, and poorly done in every way possible. Unwatchable for long. Truly.

Heist (2021)

Fooled me for a while

[3/10 · 17 July 2021]

I started with airport heist, episode 3 and 4, as it just sounded like the most interesting of the three cases. I'm watching along thinking this is pretty good; and the guys that pulled this off are pretty entertaining as well. Halfway through episode 4, it sort of hit me, they're way too polished. That led me to look here; and I find out they're actors? And they called this a documentary?

This is pretty disingenuous of Netflix, and took the desire to watch the other two cases was diminished. I did try the first case but quit after several minutes, knowing they're actors killed all it's appeal, I'd rather just read about it.

The only thing I'll say positive is the actors in the airport case are pretty good actors. They had me believing, lol.

The Ice Road (2021)

The Ice Load

[3/10 · 1 July 2021]

Of dung. What a terrible movie. It's way over the top corny, but not campy in a good way. The dialogue is clichéd and silly, and none of it is even remotely believable. Even the special effects are awful.

I do get the fact that it's an action movie, and some suspension of disbelief is going to be required, but there's only so much I can overlook. There are so many continuity mistakes, I lost count. Lazy. This is straight to video, bargain bin, and soon to be forgotten about nonesense. I've already forgotten most of it.

The Serpent (2021)

I couldn't hang with this all the way

[5/10 · 20 June 2021]

Made it through 5 episodes. The biggest issue I had was with the back and forth in time which is seemingly every other scene. I don't mind that usually, but here it's way overdone. Most of the time jumps (or retractions) are important for context, but others seem to add nothing, which made it hard to follow. I tried fast forwarding, but that just made it worse, lol.

The acting was OK; the two leads are portrayed as kind of dull considering their leanings. Acting by the secondary characters is more than adequate. The scenery is gorgeous; they also did a great job with the period correct clothes, vehicles, artifacts, and so forth.

I was interested in the story, but I just didn't care for the way this was presented. It's certainly not ALL bad, so it may suit others tastes just fine.

Nail Bomber: Manhunt (2021)

Compelling, but left wanting to know more.

[6/10 · 28 May 2021]

The story is interesting, but the film does not expound enough on the racial environment at the time; nor the white supremacist movement, either then or now. There's plenty of film footage, primarily old news clips, but very little in depth analysis. For instance, not much in the way of the immediate aftermath, or the long term effects of these events.

It's not a very long film; but with that, it felt like further details were needed for some context. A more diverse range of credible interviewees would've helped. It's still worth watching, it's not terrible by any means.

Framing John DeLorean (2019)

It's OK

[6/10 · 16 May 2021]

The part of this film that is actual documentary is quite good. There are plenty of interviews with people directly involved in the story, a good deal of archive footage, and some history of DeLorean's career before he founded of his own automobile company.

Then there's the reenactments. They take away from the film as a whole; they're by nature difficult to pull off effectively, and here they feel like they're interrupting an otherwise well done and interesting film. Another issue is the son, and too much of him. He doesn't add much substantial insight, just an overuse of F-bombs and whining.

There's enough good material in this film to keep you watching until the end, but it would have been better as a traditional documentary. Unfortunately the filmmakers used the format they did. It's as if they created an obstacle in the way their own film.

Murphy's Law (2003–2007)

Excellent detective / crime series with a dose of humour.

[8/10 · 24 April 2021]

I'm late to the party, but spotted this on Prime and decided to give it a go. I'm really glad I did. This is a fantastic series; well written, with fine acting, and as believable as these shows go. James Nesbitt is perfect in this role; Murphy is a complex and memorable character with plenty of great one liners mixed in.

It's been nearly two decades since it initially aired, and it still holds up well.

Murder Maps (2015– )

Pretty bad

[3/10 · 21 April 2021]

Don't be fooled into thinking this is some kind of true crime documentary. Most of the details of each cases are inferences, details they have no way of knowing either way.

Instead, it's made up stories that try to rely on poorly acted, and poorly written recreations. Really lousy, and boring too.

Keeping Faith (2017–2021)

Skip it

[2/10 · 19 April 2021]

Boring melodrama with unlikable main character. This show really drags, I was checking how much time was left about halfway through the episodes.

The use of unconventional camera angles, such as filming from ceiling view, were just annoying, not an enhancement. If they were trying to were trying to set a mood, they did; irritated. Not really sure of the point of all that.

Why Did You Kill Me? (2021)

So sue me, I thought it was good.

[7/10 · 15 April 2021]

A story that revolves around a terrible tragedy, and the uselessness of revenge mentality. I think the makers of this film were trying to point that out definitively, and they did so through flawless editing of what had to be mountains of interview footage.

The film never takes sides, and has no political agenda. The parties involved lay out the story, and it's left up to the viewer to draw conclusions. It's paced just about right, not too long, no repeating itself. Every interview came across as relevant. A good watch.

This Is a Robbery: The World's Greatest Art Heist (2021)

It's not bad

[7/10 · 9 April 2021]

Admittedly, nothing earth shattering is revealed or solved, but having no prior knowledge, I found the case quite interesting. There's some humor and quite a cast of characters involved. The interviewees are credible, in most cases it's those who were there as it happened.

This has got to be an embarrassing case for the FBI, who put a lot of resources to no result in all this time. I'm now interested and would love to know who really took these pieces and where they've been for all these years.

At Eternity's Gate (2018)

Dafoe as Van Gogh?

[2/10 · 6 April 2021]

Willem Dafoe is one of my favorite actors. However, in this film he is very miscast. Dafoe was 63 years old when this film was made, and frankly, he looks more like 83, while Vincent Van Gogh was just 37 at the time of his passing. Perhaps the filmmakers thought nobody viewing would know this, or notice, but this started the film off with a credibility problem, for myself at least.

There are several other reasons this film doesn't work. The shaky camera work is nauseating, not to mention the strange close ups shot at odd camera angles. The acting is just as underwhelming as the story; which slips into pure tedium for extended stretches. I was checking how checking how much time left by the halfway point, praying it was over soon..

The story of Van Gogh deserved a properly cast, much better written effort than this lackluster mess.