lstrawser

The Truth Vesus Alex Jones functions as a two hour summary of four years of legal hell, and a decade of harassment inflicted by Alex Jones and his fanbase on the grieving families of the children slain at Sandy Hook Elementary. While the film hits on the major milestones in this event and is accurate, there is so much texture that was left on the cutting room floor, so many details that make this proceeding far more alarming than the film's solitary focus on a charismatic sociopath's ability to shape reality and turn grieving families into villains for political and economic gain. This matter is really the tip of the ice berg when you realize that Jones has not only rewritten history for at least 24% of Americans, and has written the playbook for other unsavory characters to do the same, he's twisted our legal framework in his favor to allow him to continue sowing his lies for the foreseeable future.

I watched about 80 percent of both trials, I listened to a significant amount of the deposition regarding these cases and what's shocking is that at no point did Jones or FSS seem to attempt a credible defense, their efforts were instead dedicated to delaying the proceedings as long as possible, and, now that verdicts have been rendered, they continue to do the same thing with the bankruptcy court. The documentary sticks to the basic facts of these cases but misses the true insanity of this whole endeavor. It doesn't mention the revolving door of lawyers that Jones employed, it doesn't really enumerate the ways in which Jones failed to comply with discovery which resulted in the default judgement, it doesn't really touch on the abhorrent silliness in the deposition and it barely touches the jaw dropping moment's of Jones and other FSS employees on the witness stand. I'm afraid that, to the average person who hasn't really digested four years worth of these cases, the real horror of this whole circus isn't adequately enumerated.

Most of the time, I believe docuseries are padded and disrepelspectful of their audience's time, but this is one case where instead of getting a two hour film, it might have been better to have four total hours spread across four episodes. Fundamentally, The Truth Versus Alex Jones is a starting point that should be followed with additional exploration of the topic.

Baz Luhrmann's kaleidoscopic 2001 musical wowed audiences with its audacious camera work, editing, lavish sets and costumes but nearly 20 years on it has aged like milk. Its pure style over substance and tragically the style Mr Lurhman has employed looks cheap and attention seeking, the meat of the film vapid and well trodden.

Ewen McGregor plays a writer captivated by the Courtesan Satine (played by Nicole Kidman) who is contractually promised to a Duke who is funding the conversion of the night club Moulin Rouge into a theater. Moulin Rouge draws from several Operas, piecing together plot strands like Legos and it's musical numbers are similarly sourced from pop radio, often several songs are cut and spliced together, different familiar tunes sung in counterpoint by different characters. having borrowed from well known material it becomes quite predictable, leaning heavily on its style to hold audiences attention.

In 2001 the novelty of the garish colors, ornate set designs, frenetic camera and snappy editing blew audiences minds in the context of a musical; a genre that had long fallen out of favor. Its style proves fleeting however, seeming to be the result of a raucous cocaine fueld bender that irritates. Performances are similarly heightened with Nicole Kidman's character moaning, writhing and eliciting lupine barks and howls. The absurd firey facial hair and bulging eyes of the Moulin Rouge's owner, Harold Zidler, match the rest of the film's unabashed gaudiness.

There are some ocassions when all of this ostentatious style comes together and functions as a masterclass in editing and sound design, the "Roxanne" sequence in particular is a highlight, cross cutting between two musical numbers and the Duke and Satine in a profoundly affecting highlight. Unfortunately this isn't sustained, the film imbibes in another bump of fine white powder and promptly reverts back to being shiny garbage.

Moulin Rouge may have seemed like a breath of fresh air when it premiered but its stylistic choices have condemned its appeal to a specific period of time. While older musicals like Jacques Demy's Umbrellas of Cherbourg remain timeless, Luhrmann's effort deserves to rot in a nursing home unremembered by future generations, unvisited by those with fond memories of its decadence and high camp.

The supplemental feature documentary wizard and head of Severin Films David Gregory (Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson, Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau) has spent part of his time in the midst of a global pandemic expanding what was to be a bonus feature documentary to Severin Films release of The Theatre Bizarre into it's own feature length documentary. Tales of the Uncanny is an exploration of the anthology horror film format that features dozens of filmmakers, critics and notable fans, providing brief commentary and impressions about major anthology titles. It's a history that expands from the silent film era to today--a much longer history that is much deeper than I realized before viewing this film.

For those unfamiliar with anthology horror or portmanteaus as they are often called by our friends across the pond, consist of several short films often linked by a wrap around narrative. These stories often are adaptations of literary shorts, with Edgar Allen Poe being a constant inspiration throughout much of the format's history. As expressed in the documentary, the anthology format lent itself to experimentation and freedom for filmmakers resulting in some terrifying, bizarre, funny and unforgettable segments throughout the format's history.

Tales of the Uncanny is about breadth rather than depth, which frankly is perfect since this film is likely to introduce fans to at least a few new titles. Films are generally covered quickly, often one or two segments from each film are focused on. It's apparent which films, or more specifically studio, is most influential on the pool of folks contributing to this documentary since Amicus' anthologies are covered most extensively. This makes sense, give the small British studio's commitment to the format and their influence over anthology horror films but this will likely leave younger viewers or those unfamiliar with these films wishing for equal time to be given to more contemporary examples.

Tales of the Uncanny is an enjoyable overview of a much loved film format that should offer many views a string of titles to discover and fall in love with and the blu ray is highly recommended as it contains a few very rare horror anthologies for viewers to enjoy. This is a must watch doc for any horror lover!