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Review of the Netflix Film Worth

Review of the Netflix Film Worth written by Max Borenstein and directed by Sara Colangelo rating **** 1/2

This film proves that you don’t have to have a big budget and special effects to tell a compelling story. Michael Keaton plays Ken Feinberg, the lawyer tasked with administrating the victim’s compensation fund for family members of those lost on September 11.

It starts with Ken and his law firm taking on the task pro bono. He’s not out to take advantage of the situation. At first, it seems like a relatively cut and dry problem. You take a person’s current income projected over their expected lifetime, and you come up with a number of that person’s financial worth. The loss to a family member whose wife or husband was a CFO making 750,000 a year is worth more than someone who lost their retired father living on social security. It’s not the first time lawyers have had to deal with this type of situation. There have been other incidents involving victim’s compensation funds. It doesn’t take long, however, to realize it’s not quite as simple as looking at a table of numbers to find out what your loved one is worth.

People at the low end of the payout rightly argue that their loved ones meant just as much to them as those looking at receiving much higher amounts. Other issues arise. What about domestic partners who are not legally married? What about illegitimate children? How do you handle first responders suffering from health problems due to the effects of toxic dust?

Family members of 9/11 victims had three years to decide to either accept the government’s offer or join a class-action lawsuit. As the deadline nears, only 1200 families out of 7,000 families agree to the payout. Something has to change. At that point, Ken Feinberg realizes that trying to fit everyone into a spreadsheet isn’t the way to go about it. Instead, he decides to hold private meetings with family members and treat each case individually.

I don’t know if this film had a theatrical run. I’m guessing if it did, it was limited. But that doesn’t matter. It’s a story worth telling, especially with the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. It’s the number two movie on Netflix. It’s worth your time.

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Review of the Netflix Documentary Series Turning Point

Review of the Netflix Documentary Series Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror
Rating *****

If you can watch only one 9/11 documentary, make it this one. This five-part documentary series expertly encapsulates the mistakes made before and after that terrible day.

Rather than focus solely on the events of 9/11, this documentary series examines the Bush Administration’s flawed response: the missed opportunity to get Osama Bin Laden when he was still in Afghanistan, the lies and deception that led to the invasion of Iraq, the misguided justification for the use of enhanced interrogation techniques (torture).

One fact that I was not aware of concerned the motivation to go after Sadam Hussain. I always believed, and still do, that the entire Iraq invasion had more to do with a failed assassination attempt on George H. W. Bush than any claims of supposed ties to Al-Qaeda and the possession of weapons of mass destruction. It turns out, however, that part of the justification came from an Al-Qaeda operative who provided false information while undergoing torture by the CIA.

After watching this documentary series, I agree that it was time to leave Afghanistan. We let 9/11 happen partly due to a lack of governmental interagency communication. We tried to force American values on a nation that was only somewhat receptive. We stayed too long. We spent too much money for what we got in return. This documentary series demonstrates the truth behind the statement “elections have consequences.”

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Review of the Netflix Bob Ross documentary

Review of Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed Directed by Joshua Rofe
Rating *****

I don’t know if it was the voice or simply the fascination of watching a painting come to life in thirty minutes, but I always stopped channel surfing whenever I came across A Bob Ross Joy of Painting show. The new Netflix documentary about the famous painter tells the story of his rise to fame and the subsequent exploitation of his name and likeness after his death in 1995.

The documentary relies heavily on snippets from past shows. They not only show Bob doing what he did best, but the filmmakers use Bob’s own words to advance the narrative and provide subtext. For example, the filmmakers insinuate that Bob may have had ideas of his son taking over the shows in the future. Bob’s son, Steve, appeared frequently. Bob also mentioned his son in several episodes. But Steve had other ideas.

As Bob’s show grew in popularity, so too did his fame. Annette Kowalski and her husband, Walter, who, along with Bob, started BRI (Bob Ross, incorporated), saw an opportunity to capitalize on that fame. They began selling Bob Ross merchandise and pursued other money-making ventures using Bob’s name and likeness.

When Bob was diagnosed with cancer, and his show was winding down, he attempted to distance himself from the Kowalskis. He prepared documents that left future income to his son and brother. The Kowalskis, though, had other plans.

The Kowalskis ultimately declined to be interviewed for the film. Now they are complaining about inaccuracies by the filmmakers and a lack of transparency in their initial communications. Sorry, that argument doesn’t hold up. You had your chance. Maybe you consulted a lawyer who advised against being interviewed. Regardless, it was a terrible decision. Unfortunately for them, the Bob Ross empire they built and relied on will likely go up in smoke.

Antipathy towards the Kowalskis is already growing as a result of the film. People are refusing to purchase Bob Ross merchandise. And Bob Ross’s original artwork is sure to take a hit now that authenticity is in question.

All Bob Ross ever wanted was to spread the joy of painting. Thanks to this film and replays of his past shows, his legacy will live on. The Kowalskis on the other hand will have to live with their choices.

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Review of Hunting LeRoux

Review of Hunting LeRoux: The Inside Story of the DEA Takedown of a Criminal Genius and His Empire by Elaine Shannon Rating ****

This book had a little of everything. On the one hand, it was like reading a Jason Bourne thriller. On the other hand, it was a bit like reading about a cartoon villain in the next Incredibles. The main antagonist in this story is so unlikeable, so depraved, that it made the book hard to get through at times.

There are plenty of psychopaths running around in society. The worst kind are those who achieve a level of power and wealth. Paul Leroux had started with honest intentions. There is plenty of money to be made from online pharmacies. But LeRoux wanted more, not that it took much prodding to move from legal drugs to those with more profit potential.

As LeRoux’s empire grew, so too did his need for more revenue. So LeRoux branched out into other money-making ventures like arms sales. If someone deceived him, or if LeRoux suspected someone had deceived him, he had his hit squad dispense with the offender.

LeRoux’s greed had no limit. It’s what ultimately led to his downfall. The careful LeRoux let his guard down, blinded by the prospect of gaining even more wealth. In the end, it was a man with a conscience that brought him down.

The disappointing thing about LeRoux’s story is that he did not face charges for any of the murders he orchestrated.

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Review of The Woman They Could Not Silence

Review of The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore Rating *****

Every story has a protagonist and an antagonist. Elizabeth Packard, the protagonist of this story, had a slew of antagonists, including her husband, her doctor, politicians, church members, and an extended cast of male figures who believed themselves superior to women.

If ever there was a story that demonstrated the difference one determined individual can make, it is this one. Elizabeth Packard was involuntarily committed to an insane asylum solely because her beliefs differed from her husband’s. Her battle to right this wrong not only benefited her but countless other women in similar straits. The whole idea of women’s rights and equality starts with her. Others followed, but Elizabeth laid the foundation.

The Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal.” It didn’t say anything about women. Women at that time were only slightly ahead of slaves thanks to egregious laws and regulations that stripped women of equal rights.

When Elizabeth’s quest for change hit a brick wall due to some ridiculous law stripping women of a fundamental right, she campaigned to have that and similar laws banned or rewritten. She accomplished this through her writings and public speaking. When no publisher would agree to publish her story, she published her work herself, using what the author described as an early example of crowdfunding. She did this despite having to fight off opponents who questioned her sanity.

If you’re someone who doesn’t read nonfiction because you think it’s boring or tedious, I strongly urge you to reconsider. You won’t find a novel with a more compelling story, a richness of characters, and an eloquence of the written word than Elizabeth’s writings and that of author Kate Moore, who weaved together this amazing tale. I also recommend the author’s other book Radium Girls.

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Review of Radium Girls

Review of Radium Girls by Kate Moore rating *****

The book Radium Girls by Kate Moore tells a story of injustice. It’s a story about corporate malfeasance, the role of government and the law, and the struggles of young women terminally affected by radium poising and their efforts to seek justice.

Marie and Pierre Curie first discovered Radium in 1898. They isolated the element in 1902. In the years immediately after the discovery, the belief was that Radium had medicinal benefits. So when the Radium Dial company came up with a paint that took advantage of the luminosity characteristic of Radium, it was believed to be safe. That belief, however, was proven to be wrong.

Executives at the company started to learn of potential adverse effects from Radium. They commissioned an independent report that confirmed their fears. Faced with the possibility of having to close down their business, they prevented the report’s publication. The common practice of workers putting radium-tainted brushes into their mouths continued. Later, when the young women who worked in the factory began showing signs of radium poisoning, company executives and doctors distanced themselves from the issue, denied that there was a problem, and did everything they could to squelch dissenters.

Thus began one of many legal challenges brought by the women, most of whom had suffered greatly from their Radium exposure. The author does a commendable job of bringing to life the disparate parties: the girls, their families, their employer, the lawyers, and medical practitioners on both sides of the issue.

The women ultimately prevail, but in too many instances, it was too little too late.

After finishing the book, I watched the film Radium Girls on Netflix. It is not an adaptation of the book, but it gives you a sense of what it must have been like during that time. I especially liked the inclusion of archival footage.

My recommendation is to read the book and then head on over to Netflix to see the story come to life. If you find this story interesting, you will also find similar stories of injustices in the following books and films: Toms River, The Devil We Know, Dark Waters, and What the Eyes Don’t See.