Monstros

I knew very little about the Menendez brothers. I knew about the killings and about the molestation defense. But that's about it. The luridness of the story kept me at a distance but now, in this compelling Ryan Murphy series I was hooked from the very first episode. I could watch it as a work of fiction but the fact that it was a true story made me look back and read about it. Oh my God! There are no likeable characters in this saga but really good performances and that's enough to keep you glued to it. And here I discovered Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez. He took over my senses from beginning to end, including the episode that is just him. Superb performance and the humanity he finds in his monster makes you want to rethink the whole thing and believe them/him. He will make re-watch the series again, soon.

There are two monsters is this heartbreaking and compelling story, but they are not Erik (Cooper Koch) and Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez), they are Jose (Javier Bardem) and Kitty (Chloë Savigny).

I don't want to delve too deeply into the legal aspects of this case, because this is not a documentary, but a dramatic series. However, let me start by saying, if Erik and Lyle had been Erika and Lyla-two daughters-they would never have spent a day in jail. That's not to say that Erik and Lyle were blameless, but the mitigating circumstances were so overwhelming and compelling that they should have been sentenced to voluntary manslaughter with a 10 year sentence.

Then there is Dominic Dunne (Nathan Lane) a despicable man who trafficked in gossip and celebrity cocktail parties. He was sort of a straight Truman Capote.

I want to highlight Episode 5 'The Hurt Man.' There are only two characters in the entire scene: Leslie Abramson (Ari Gaynor) and Erik. Director Michael Upendahl places the camera about 12 feet away from the table where the two are seated. Abramson with her back to the camera (we never see her face) and Lyle facing. Slowly, imperceptibly, the camera pushes in on Erik until it passes Abramson and ends with a close up of Erik as he explains the title of the episode. Riveting!

Cooper Koch does a tremendous job throughout, but especially in that episode. Nicholas Chavez is also terrific as Lyle. Javier Bardem and Chloë Savigny are outstanding as Jose and Kitty.

When I clicked to watch the "Dahmer"-release on Netflix, I thought it would be the so-many'th documentary on him. But what a surprise it was to see that it is actually a mini-series of the crimes that Dahmer committed. And what a mini-series it is!

The acting is superb. The script is top-notch! The cinematography one of the best that I have seen in a true crime series of a serial killer!

I am a big fan of Mindhunter, the show about the origins of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit. And I must admit that Dahmer fits right into this type of shows! The show captured me from the first episode and it was a single binge from then on.

I know that there are many other movies from for instance "People's Magazine" that portray the crimes commited by notorious killers. But what Netflix has shown with Dahmer, is a complete new level of enactment! The movies from People's Magazine are just amateur hour compared to the Dahmer-series.

Netflix really surprised me big time with this great show! It deserves a solid 9 stars! And I don't easily give away a 9 star rating!

This was a hard watch....for many reasons. Having been a young adult when all this happened, it....what do the kids say?...it hits different.

Well, it's the Dahmer story. So by default, it's hard and gross and scary.

The acting is top notch. Every performance...it's like you're right there in the room watching this God awful series of events unfold in real time. How the actors got through this is beyond me.

The timeline shifts can be a bit hard to follow. It's not the kind of thing you can just pause and come back to. You have to rewind or start the episode over.

Overall, arguably...this is the best Dahmer depiction. I would recommend watching "My Best Friend Dahmer" prior to watching this, as it accidentally and appropriately serves as a prequel.

Recommend for cast iron stomachs. Don't watch this if you're prone to puking.

Evan Peters has seriously outdone his job here. His acting was top notch and his portrayal of dahmer, from his clothing to expressions, everything was perfect, perfect everything, down to the last minute details. And apart from him, the performances of the other cast members (His father, his mother, grandma, Glenda cleveland and the victims) were excellent too.

Also, the cinematography and music was impressive. The writing and screenplay was decent too, especially the fact that they didn't did much creative liberties, and hence as a result, the story turned out to be close to the actual events. The only thing i found slightly disappointing was the length. The pace was a bit slow, especially in the last few episodes, and i feel the series could've been easily wrapped up in 8 episodes, instead of 10.

But overall, it's a must watch. Especially for the ones who are interested in the crime thriller genre. It's a realistic take on one of the most notorious series killers in our history, where they haven't romanticized him and in fact, called out the ones who tend to do so. And that's the thing which makes it a bit unique and interesting to watch.