Reviews

On the eve of the 10'Th anniversary of the death of his supposed "best friend" Corey Haim, Corey Feldman releases a documentary that belongs in a garbage heap. In the years since Corey Haim had died, Corey Feldman has published a book, made a TV movie, and now this piece of rubbish, all slandering the late Corey Haim, who is no longer here to defend himself, and his bereaved mother. Hollywood led the entire world to believe that Haim and Feldman were the greatest of best friends (the 2 Coreys), when in reality, nothing could have been further from the truth. Both Haim and Feldman were much closer to other people both in and out of the Hollywood industry. However, Feldman continues to ride on the lie that he was Haim's best friend for his own agenda. In this so-called "documentary," Feldman accuses an actor of attacking Corey Haim on the set of 'Lucas.' However, Corey Haim never told any of his family or friends this. Rather, he has accused Corey Feldman's friend of attacking him, and was upset at Feldman for remaining close friends with this particular individual. Although Feldman does acknowledge this in the documentary, he claimed that the incident was consensual. That makes no sense. Corey Haim was 14 years old at the time, and this individual was about 15 years older than him. Corey Feldman is not interested in seeking justice for Corey Haim nor anybody else. All he is interested in, is lining his own pockets. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Shannon Mohr was just getting over breaking off an engagement when she attended the wedding of a co-worker. There, she met Dave Davis, who immediately proposed marriage, upon meeting her. He then fed her a string of lies, such as being raised in an orphanage, to serving in the Vietnam war, and most importantly, that he is really rich. The 2 of them marry not long after, & Dave took out several life insurance policies on her. Less than a year after marrying, Shannon was suddenly killed. Her parents suspect Dave, & hire a detective to investigate. It is discovered that Dave had previously collected past suspicious insurances, & soon, they find out that she was injected with a lethal drug. The detective also learns that Dave had actually proposed to several young women within a short period of time, prior to meeting Shannon. Dave escapes. So, Shannon's family & friends tell their story on 'Unsolved Mysteries,' a true crime show, for solving cases, & Dave is apprehended. Years later, Davis is convicted.

A true crime, that took place in NYC, back in the mid-80s. A beautiful teenage girl meets a handsome boy at the local bar & is instantly smitten. The 2 of them even have a few sexual encounters. However, unknown to her, he is a drug-addicted thief who's M.O. was to steal from the girls whom he seduced and dated. She goes on her final date with him in the early hours of the morning in August 1986, to Central Park, where he kills her. His defence? That she tried to rape him, and he threw her off. The evidence actually points to him trying to rob her (as he did with all his other girlfriends), and the 2 fought, and she died as a result. His family hired a hotshot criminal lawyer, who decided to support his claim that she tried to rape him, by portraying her a loose girl. Ultimately, the murder trial resulted in a hung jury, The DA and Criminal lawyers decide to let him plead to a lesser charge and serve a paltry 15 years. The documentary interviews the girl's family; the DA, one of the criminal lawyers (not the main one as he has since died), as well as many of the guy's old girlfriends (one of whom went on to become a famous TV star). The upshot was, after finally being released from prison, before long, he ended up having to go back to prison again after being convicted of drug trafficking. This time for a much longer sentence . So in a way, justice was served to the girl after all. One final note: At the conclusion of the documentary, it showed that one of priests who supported Chambers' defence during his murder trial, had decades later (after being made a Cardinal), had to step down after it was revealed that he was a pedophile. Because of this, Mike Sheehan and a few others suggested that perhaps Chambers may have been one of his victims, back when he was an altar server, as a kid. While showing the "afterwards" of some of the players in this drama may seem logical, throwing out that Chambers may have been one of McCarrick's victims, or even a victim of sexual abuse at all, is pure conjecture, and thereby, should not have been included in the documentary.

Francis Possenti grew up in Assisi Italy, in the 19'Th Century, and was Baptized in the very same place as his the patron saint chosen for him, at his birth and christening. The story shows him growing up from a wild party loving youth, to a deeply spiritual young man who chooses the monastery, over riches. Upon taking his vows of celibacy, Francis changes his name to Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother, in honour of his devotion to Mary's Sorrow over her Son's Passion. The movie flashes back and forth throughout, to show various people who knew him before he died, and advocating for his Canonization. One thing that disappoints me about the movie, is that it left out a very interesting story about his life. The real Gabriel Possenti supposedly saved his town from invading marauders, that were pillaging the town and raping its women. Possenti stepped outside his monastery, & approached the invading men, and managed to take their guns off of them, & demonstrated to them his good marksmanship. Upon realizing how good he was, they left immediately, without further harm to the women there. The movie does not show this heroic act, which is a real shame. Overall, the acting was well done, in my own opinion.

Wow!!! Just wow!!!! That first episode alone, was a waste of airtime. Aaron Spelling & Luke Perry must both be turning in their graves. Spelling, because he created the original show, & for the fact that his own daughter is one of the executive producers of this piece of garbage that is desecrating it, & Perry, to have his name & memory to even be mentioned in this mess. It couldn't have been more sleazier if they tried. Oh wait, that is only just the first episode!! Surely, it cannot get any worse, can it?!?!

Clifford Olson is perhaps, the most infamous serial killer in Canadian criminal history. He killed at least 11 kids and then sold ten of the bodies to the authorities for $10,000.00 each, & then revealed the location of the 11'Th body "as a freebie." Usually, serial killers have a specific pattern or "target victimhood." Some will go after all girls. Others will go after all boys. Olson killed both. Some specifically kill by strangulation. Some might shoot. Some might bludgeon to death. Olson didn't use a specific method of murder. Many movies about serial killers change the names of the victims, perhaps to protect their families. "The Investigation" used the actual names of the victims. The movie also captures Olson's arrogance. He knew he was evil, and he was proud of it, which Paul Coeur captures in the role of Olson. He really makes you want to jump right through the TV screen to strangle him!!!! Some of the negative parts of the movie are; it can be a bit boring at times watching the police discussing Olson, and their plans on how to apprehend him. All in all, they captured the story of how this man was caught, very well.

Story begins with him as a teenager,working as baggage handler at Heathrow Airport. We next move to his home life, where his strict Zoroastrian father criticizes his teenage, rebellious behaviour as not keeping in line with "Good thoughts, good words, and good deeds (Zoroastrian code of conduct)," when he chooses to go off to the local bar. At the bar, he watches a really talented group of musicians playing music, & decides to meet them all later, to share his own ideas. However, when he does this, it turns out that the band's singer had just up & quit on them. So, he does an impromptu audition for them, & immediately, becomes their star singer. Not long after, he encourages the new group to forego singing in bars, & instead make an album. When they protest, that this would be an expensive thing to do, he gets them to sell some of their stuff, & then go for it.

They go to the USA, & meet up with some lawyers, to broker their record deal. One of them happens to be named 'Jim Beach,' so Mercury renames him "Miami Beach.' Actually, I overlook one important detail here: Mercury's original name was "Farokh Bulsara, however, he legally changes his name to 'Freddie Mercury,' thus further angering his strict traditional father!!!

The movie also details Mercury's great loves, including with a young woman named Mary Austin, whom he had been engaged to.

Although it does touch on him contracting AIDS, it ends (& in fact, begins) on a high note with him & the band performing at 'Live Aid.' He makes his peace with his father, when he explains that by doing this charity concert, he is fulfilling the "Good thoughts, good words, & good deeds," of the Zoroastrian faith.

Although the acting was excellent, & the drama was pretty good, the story itself suffered, because it was done backwards. When, watching the show, one had difficulty understanding what was going on with Andrew, and his motives for killing all these people, until the next episode would come, & by then, it would only fall flat. All in all, this was a very sad story.

Fact-based story about a serial killer, who marries multiple times, only to kill her husbands, & the children she had with them, so that she can claim the insurances on her dead mates. Joanna Froggatt of 'Downton Abbey' fame, stars as Mary Ann Mowbray, who poisons everyone who gets in her way of her goals. Her final mistake comes when she murders her step-son. Finally she is caught. She is arrested, tried and convicted of this one murder. She is sentenced to death by hanging.

The original animated version that was released in 1991 was excellent, and so was this. Granted, there were a few things from the original which they changed or did not include in this version (Gaston already having the wedding ceremony & reception, for example), but, it was still just as fun as the original, nonetheless.

Another change, though a good one, was that they showed the enchantress was still very much involved in the lives of everyone in the film, albeit, in a very subtle way.

Emma Watson looks exactly like the animated version of Belle, and she had the acting to match. Dan Stevens who plays the Beast/Prince is equally good. Actually, all the actors and actresses were very good in this film.

I have never had that kind of experience, until I watched this particular episode on this TV show. I knew Corey Haim before he became famous (in fact, of all the near news-worthy events that occurred in my life, it figures that his story would be the one I would see unravel on screen). When Corey left the Toronto suburbs of Thornhill & Willowdale for the glamorous life of Hollywood, back in the mid-eighties, everybody who knew him from either school, hockey, neighbour, etc., would proudly talk about where we all knew him from, & our own personal social interactions with him. We all thought he was so lucky to become a famous movie star, and we couldn't be more wrong if we even tried. He became a drug addict as a result of Hollywood, and then on his reality show, 'The 2 Coreys,' he revealed that he had been raped shortly after moving to Hollywood. 'Autopsy' had among other things, chose to dramatize for its viewers the imagined incident(or one of) Corey's rape ('imagined' as per the director's POV, that is). The scene literally killed me inside, simply from watching it. The reason being, is because unlike most viewers of this episode (or any other episode of this series), I was not watching a documentary about the tragic life of a former child star. I was watching something entirely different: what really happened to my former childhood school mate when he came to Hollywood.

To sum up my experience of watching that episode, & the gut-wrenching re-enactment of Corey's rape: I wouldn't wish the experience on my worst enemy!!!!

Lyn McKenna attends Premed, at a university in California, on a partial scholarship, along with her best friend since childhood(they are, or course, roommates). Her best friend hooks up with the MVP of the university's football team, and before long, she introduces him to Lyn. Ron (Lyn's best friend's boyfriend) initially tries to befriend her, and she considers him a really nice person. One night, she returns late to the dorm, after attending a medical seminar, and is accosted by Ron, who tells her that the friend is on her way to his apartment for coffee, and that she should join them. When they arrive, her friend is not there. It turns out, that the friend was actually sick, and Ron lied about her coming. When Lyn tries to leave, Ron prevents her, and throws her on his bed and rapes her!! In shock, she keeps the attack to herself, until a friend from class asks her is happening. She gradually breaks her silence and proceeds to press charges. While she has support from her friend who she first confided to, a guidance counsellor, a girl from class, and her own parents, Ron along with his teammates(one of whom befriended Lyn, like Ron originally did), his coach, Lyn's best friend, and even the school administration all oppose her. Although the DA agrees to prosecute Ron, she is very pessimistic about the outcome of a criminal trial, and takes the plea bargain Ron's lawyer offers. Finally, the judge sides with Lyn and sentences Ron to 6 months in jail.

The true story of about a teenaged girl, who, in the mid-eighties, got messed up with an older man, and led her into the world of prostitution. When Diana's parents suddenly divorce, her world starts going down hill. Add to her upset over her home situation, her boyfriend suddenly breaks off with her for another girl, further causing her to lose self esteem. Her best friend takes her to a night club, hoping it will cheer things up for her, and it is here, where she meets AJ Treece(character based on Adrian Coleman). He flatters her, and makes her forget all about her other boyfriend. When Diana invites AJ to come to her house to introduce him to her mother, her mother instantly senses that he is bad news, and lets Diana know. Diana leaves her mother, to move in with AJ, and before long, he gets her to perform at strip clubs, and begins employing her as a prostitute. A police man even tries to warn Diana to get out while she can. When AJ abuses Diana, she returns to her mother, but, AJ convinces to come back to him, and he gets her into prostitution again. Eventually Diana was found murdered in another city, but, there is no strong evidence pointing to either AJ or Randi(another gf-turned prostitute), so Diana's mother and the police officer have to resort to charging AJ which racketeering, in order to have him jailed, for Diana's death.

Decline of an Empire, tells the story of St. Katherine of Alexandria, a young woman of noble birth, who was highly educated in languages, religions, and philosophy. Enthralled by her beauty, the pagan emperor Maxentius has her brought to the palace, hoping that she will later become his mistress, much to the dismay of his own wife, Valeria. Meanwhile, in the British isles, Barbarian women have gone to battle against the Romans, as there are no men left to protect their clans. They have received messages from Katherine of the onslaughts of Christians throughout the empire. Back home, the Roman philosophers challenge Katherine on her faith in God, hoping that she will renounce Him, and return to the Roman religion. Katherine's knowledge in Roman religion, makes her victorious over all of them, and for her treason, she is killed for her Christian faith.