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Review of Murder on Middle Beach

Review of Murder on Middle Beach HBO rating *****

Barbara Hamburg

A murder mystery. A family drama. A coming of age story. These are some of the central themes covered in this excellent HBO documentary series. Madison Hamburg was a film student when he first learned of the brutal murder of his mother. The police couldn’t solve the crime, so Madison attempted to solve it himself, turning his search for a killer into a four-part documentary series.

While Madison isn’t successful in finding the person or persons responsible for his mother’s death, he does run down numerous leads that point to several suspects, with some of the most promising suspects being family members.

The filmmakers lay out the facts and identify suspects. I won’t go through them here. I will, however, point out one significant clue that stands out above all others. The day before the murder a man wearing dark clothing and a ski mask was spotted wandering the property.

Each episode leads to a different suspect with different motivations. However, the weight of the evidence leans heavily towards the one person who had the most to gain from Barbara Hamburg’s death – her ex-husband and Madison’s father. On the day of the murder, Barbara had an appointment to attend a court hearing over money related to the couple’s divorce. That hearing would have had serious repercussions for Jeffrey Hamburg if he were to lose.

There’s one moment in the series that stood out for me. It happens when Madison and his sister, Allie, are talking about their mom and Madison’s film project. Madison asks his sister what she would say to the person responsible for the murder. I don’t remember her response to the question, but I remember Madison’s answer when his sister turned the question around and asked him what he would say. “I’m coming for you,” Madison said. That remark says a lot about Madison’s motivation.

A story like this takes years to unravel. The series ends with Madison winning a FOIA request for documents in the criminal investigation. Hopefully, there will be more to come.

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Expedition Happiness Quicktake

Rating ****

The idea was to buy an old school bus, refurbish it into a home on wheels, and then travel across Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and beyond. Along the way the couple, Valentina Mogli and Felix Starck along with their dog Rudi, planned to document their journey and turn it into a documentary film. Valentina would write songs along the way and use those songs to both provide some income but also serve as a soundtrack for the film. It was a lofty goal that the three managed to pull off with great success.

While they didn’t spend any time revealing what equipment they used (other than a drone), they proved that you don’t have to have an entire film crew to make a compelling documentary. I would love to read about the technical side of their journey. What cameras did they use? What about sound? Lighting? Editing? The drone footage is put to good use to not only show some of the vistas along the way but also to show the school bus from above as a transition between destinations. Tieing it all together is Mogli’s moody soundtrack.

There have been many books from others who have taken similar journeys. This is one case where film accomplishes so much more. I loved following along on their epic road trip. As a dog owner, I also enjoyed watching Rudi, especially when Rudi started to show his displeasure with the all the travelling.

As grand as the sights and sounds and friendships made are, what makes them memorable is that they are shared experiences. That’s the message I think this film provides more than any other.

The film was made in 2017. It’s non-political, but there are a few references to U.S. immigration policy. Catch this one on Netflix.

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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.