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Review of the Netflix docuseries Trial 4

Rating **** 1/2

Sean Ellis and Rosemary Scapicchio

Nineteen-year-old Sean Ellis goes to a Walgreens to buy some pampers. Days later, police charge Ellis and a friend for the murder of a Boston police officer. The police officer, John Mulligan, was shot five times in the face in the same Walgreens parking lot at around the same time that Sean and his friend were there. Both men are eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison. This eight-part Netflix docuseries follows Sean through a series of trials and investigations as he tries to prove his innocence.

The murder occurred in 1993. Both Sean and his friend, Terry Patterson, are black. As is the case with most wrongful convictions, there is a long list of errors, questionable police and prosecutor actions, and coerced testimony. Unraveling these mistakes and deliberate fabrications by investigators and the prosecutor is the task of defense attorney Rosemary Scapicchio.

Sean’s original defense attorneys do a commendable job, usually not the case in wrongful convictions. It’s only many years later that it becomes apparent that the original investigators framed Sean and Terry to prevent the discovery of their corruption, which also involved detective John Mulligan.

Throughout this eight-episode docuseries, I frequently found myself wanting more information. I wanted to know more about the two guns police found in a field after Sean’s uncle told them a story that implicated Sean. I wanted to know more about Terry Patterson’s case. I wanted to learn more about the timeline. I wanted to know why Rosemary didn’t spend more time with Sean’s girlfriend and his uncle, both who testified against Sean. I wanted to see a ballistics report. I felt that there needed to be more follow-up on the plausible evidence pointing to a specific individual who may have been the actual killer.

Lastly, I wanted to see retribution. Not only was no one held accountable for the twenty-plus years Sean spent in prison, but the Boston district attorney, who dismissed charges against Sean, went out of his way to say that he believed Sean was still guilty. The same is true for the retired Bostin detectives interviewed for the series. They arrogantly dismissed any possibility that they got it wrong. “It was airtight,” one detective claimed, while the filmmakers poked holes in every aspect of the case.

The sad truth is that if not for the work of a few dedicated people, Sean Ellis would have spent the remainder of his life in prison for a crime he did not commit.

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Review of The Way I See it

Review of The Way I See it on MSNBC
Rating *****

When I first heard about this documentary, I put off seeing it. I didn’t think that a story about a Whitehouse photographer sounded all that interesting. Don’t make the mistake I made. This film will remind you of what the office of the Presidency should look like.

A still image can capture a moment in time better than any video. You can look at a still image and study it in detail, capturing things that you might have missed in a fast moving video. More importantly, you can tell a story about an image: where you were when you took it, what was happening at that moment. I recently purchased a large format digital frame, which I use to display artwork from around the world as well as images that I’ve taken. Some of my favorite images are ones that I took while my wife and I were visiting national parks. They’re not only beautiful images, but I can remember where we were and what was going on at the very moment that I took the picture.

Pete Souza was the official Whitehouse photographer for President Obama. He was also the Whitehouse photographer during the Regan administration. Pete has some great stories to go along with his hundreds of pictures. One story that I particularly liked was an image of Obama at a dance rehearsal for his daughter. Obama is there because he can’t make the actual dance. He has to fly to Connecticut to give a speech about the Newtown shootings. He is sitting alone editing his written speech. His attention, however, turns to his daughter as she takes the stage. That one image says so much about the man and his character.

Obama at his daughter’s dance rehearsal Photo by Pete Souza

What comes across loud and clear as you listen to Pete describe some of his iconic images is the stark contrast between President Obama and President Trump. I will celebrate the day that this self-absorbed man walks out of the Whitehouse for the last time (hopefully in a few months). There are certain traits that a good leader must have: honesty, empathy, integrity, character, compassion, intelligence, the ability to listen and learn and admit mistakes. Our current President has none of these qualities. Watch this documentary and you will come away with the same conclusion.

Pete has become an Instagram star with his use of images to comment on the Trump administration. Count me in as a follower of Pete’s work.

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Review of The Last Dance

Review of the Netflix docuseries The Last Dance
Rating *****

You don’t have to be a basketball fan to enjoy this highly entertaining ten-episode docuseries. The plotline, established in the first episode, centers around whether or not the Chicago Bulls can win a third three-peat before the Chicago Bulls management disbands the winning team. Thus the title “The Last Dance.”

At the center of this dynasty is Michael Jordan. There is little doubt that the Chicago Bulls could not have won as many championships as they did without Michael Jordan. But it’s also true that Michael couldn’t have done what he did without a talented cast of supporting characters, including Scottie Pippen, Denis Rodman, Steve Kerr, John Paxon, and a host of other players that came and went.

The ten episodes cover eight years, starting with the signing of Michael Jordan. Between the conference and championship series, there is a dizzying amount of time-shifting flashbacks and individual player profiles. When this series first became available on ESPN, I passed because I couldn’t make sense of the structure. The filmmakers do a commendable job by using a timeline graphic. Once you accept the time-shifting structure, you can sit back and enjoy the anecdotes, profiles, and basketball highlights.

Every episode contained anecdotes from players, coaches, and management. One of my favorites involved an interaction between Michael Jordan and teammate Steve Kerr. There were just a few seconds left in a championship game. Everyone knew that Michael was going to get the ball. While sitting on the bench, Michael whispered to Steve Kerr and asked him if he was ready, the implication being that Michael was going to pass the ball to him. Steve Kerr’s reaction to this unexpected revelation was memorable.

Despite the confusing structure, the filmmakers deserve credit for putting together one of the best sports documentaries ever produced.

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Review of the Netflix docuseries Immigration Nation

Rating *****

Two sides of an equation

The six-part docuseries Immigration Nation is an unbiased examination of both sides of the immigration issue. Throughout the series, viewers meet a wide range of immigrants, border patrol agents, ICE agents, homeland security personnel, concerned citizens, and shady employers who participate and what is known as wage theft. Each episode focuses on a few specific issues: illegal border crossings, child separations, asylum seekers, sanctuary laws, deportations, DACA, wage theft, migrant deaths, veteran deportations, and the criminalization of human trafficking.

By looking at all sides of the immigration problem, viewers can make up their minds about the effectiveness of the current administration’s efforts. One thing that I didn’t see was evidence of immigrants taking jobs away from Americans. One example involves workers who move around the country seeking work in areas affected by storms and hurricanes. Someone has to repair roofs. Someone has to rebuild. Someone has to clean up streets from debris. In many cases, immigrants, including many who may have entered the country illegally, perform these jobs.

Unfortunately, there are a handful of companies that employ illegal workers and then refuse to pay them. Instead, they threaten to report workers to ICE when they demand pay. One company highlighted for wage theft was Winterfell Construction and the company’s owner Tommy Hamm. Tommy’s defense that it was his contractor’s responsibility to pay the workers is weak. Not only did he not take any steps to ensure that his contractors pay their workers, but he also threatened the workers and their representatives with lawsuits.

The singular goal among immigrants is for a better life for themselves and their families. The vast majority of them would be happy to enter the U.S. legally. But rather than make that a realistic goal, current immigration policy has shut down all legal paths. We treat immigrants as criminals. We deport people with no criminal records without regard to the impact on the family members remaining behind. What exists now is an immigrant community that lives in constant fear.

It is human nature to want to better one’s position in life. No one would willingly leave their own country if they weren’t escaping violence and poverty. Rather than spend billions of dollars on policies that are cruel and heartless, we should be granting more work visas. We should grant legal status to immigrant veterans. We should do what we can to improve living conditions in Central America. We are better than this.

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Review of the HBO docuseries I’ll Be Gone in the Dark

Rating ****

Joseph DeAngelo in a police sketch and a picture taken around the time of his early crimes

How to make a serial killer – that about sums up this intriguing six-part documentary series on HBO. The series centers around author Michelle McNamara’s writing and eventual publication of the book I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, which is about a serial rapist and murderer nicknamed the Golden State Killer.

Michelle died prematurely while working on the book. The cause of death was due to a lethal combination of prescription and over-the-counter medications. The film hints at the possibility that the book’s subject matter and the stress of publication deadlines may have contributed to her use of the drugs. As with the book, her husband, actor and comedian Patton Oswalt, fills in for his wife and sees that her work finds an audience.

I knew from headlines that investigators eventually caught the Golden State Killer and that it occurred after the book’s publication. I didn’t know that Michelle’s work played a role in that outcome.

Throughout this six-episode series, viewers learn how this individual progressed from breaking and entering to rape to murder. The mystery is who is this person, and what motivated him to commit these despicable crimes?

The final episode unravels the mystery. It goes without question that it takes a psychopathic mind to commit these types of crimes. But there are plenty of psychopaths wandering around causing mischief who don’t commit violent crimes. What flicked the switch with this guy?

The filmmakers don’t draw a definitive conclusion, but it seemed obvious to me. The man, Joeseph DeAngelo, was a former police officer. He lost his job after getting caught shoplifting. He also had a strong dislike for women, most likely the result of the breakup of an early relationship. My theory is that the combination of those two events, combined with a troubled childhood, set him on a course of revenge. His goal, in my mind, was to show that he was smarter than the police and women who ruined his life.

In the end, it’s the survivors who get the last word. Their stories are what’s important. The man behind those crimes will now spend his remaining years in a tiny cell with the memories of his victims haunting him night after night.

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Review of Showtime’s docuseries Outcry

Review of Outcry directed by Pat Kondelis Rating *****

When it comes to wrongful convictions, all it takes is the breakdown of just one step in the criminal justice system. A detective looking to close a case can coerce a false confession. A prosecutor can bring charges that the evidence doesn’t support. A jury can send a person to prison for twenty-five years without blinking an eye just because they would rather go home than debate the facts. The story told in Outcry touches on all of these themes and more.

It all starts with an accusation. A four-year-old boy accuses a teenager, Greg Kelley, of sexual assault. Greg is a high school football star with a full college scholarship awaiting his graduation. What follows is one misstep after another as Greg is soon arrested and put through the spin cycle of our broken criminal justice system.

The detective assigned the case doesn’t interview a single person in the household where the alleged assault occurred. He doesn’t even go to the house to verify the boy’s statement. The house where Greg was staying also ran an in-home daycare. The daycare owner recommended a lawyer to Greg’s mother, who then hired her to represent Greg. The lawyer, Patricia Cummings, does a less than competent job in defending her client. Since the documentary has aired, Patricia Cummings has gone on the defense and is threatening to sue the filmmakers. My take, based on the facts presented, especially the way she turned on her client when her reputation was on the line, point to ineffective counsel. One of Patricia’s defenders is Michael Morton. Michael Morton spent twenty-plus years in prison for a crime he did not commit. I have a lot of respect for Michael Morton. His book Getting Life is one of the best books ever written about a wrongful conviction. I’m sure he has a good reason to come to her defense. But if Patricia Cummings had done half the job as Greg’s second attorney, Keith Hampton, there would not have been a wrongful conviction.

The missteps by the lawyers, detectives, and prosecutors are not the only glaring failures. The series also touches on issues concerning sentencing disparities, the appeals process, and the inadequacies of our jury system.

I won’t give away the ending. But one of the saddest aspects of this story is that none of the people responsible were held accountable. No one lost their job. Instead, there were promotions and praise. The lead prosecutor, however, committed suicide. It’s not known what role this case had in that sad outcome.

Outcry is an emotional rollercoaster that will stay with you long after the last of this five-episode docuseries.