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 The Netflix documentary series Trainwreck brings us another incredibly strange story this week with its latest episode, PI Moms, which looks back at a reality show that became the basis for a true-crime show. In 2010, Lifetime Television approved a reality show starring three mothers working as private investigators for an organization, with the goal of following the women's lives and work as they solved cases. However, the show was ultimately canceled, and PI Moms delves into the reasons for this failure, with exclusive interviews with the participants and the people responsible for uncovering the truth.  The story of PI Moms began with reality showrunner Lucas Platt, who was looking for a new topic for a spectacular show that would immediately capture the public's attention, back in 2010. Based in New York, Lucas had just finished filming the first season of "Steven Seagal: Lawman" for A&E and was looking for an original story that hadn't yet been published...

Netflix has become a haven for shows about small towns rocked by crime. Last week, we premiered Untamed, where the residents of a town in Yosemite National Park became embroiled in a murder mystery after a girl fell from El Capitan. The show dealt heavily with grief, suicidal tendencies, abusive men, and the colonialists' negative feelings toward the Indigenous community. The Glass Dome told the story of a criminal psychologist who returned to her hometown to attend her stepmother's funeral and found herself involved in investigating a series of murders seemingly connected to her past.  Hound's Hill centered on a Polish author who returned to his hometown to come to terms with a crime he may have committed, only to discover that a serial killer is on the loose, killing the perpetrators—and his name could be next on the list. So, yes, when I watched The Hunting Wives, I completely understood why Netflix bought the rights to this show. What confuses me is, who is this series ...

The new K-drama Low Life marks something of a comeback for actor Yang Se-Jong. I suppose he's always been a bit picky about his roles and doesn't appear as often as other actors of his generation. Anyway, Low Life tells the story of a group of men who band together to find a precious treasure at the bottom of the ocean, lost in 1323, after a merchant ship sank off the coast of Sinan with a crew of 100, 20,000 pieces of pottery, and 8 million coins from the Song and Yuan dynasties. In 1977, a team is formed to recover as much pottery as possible from this shipwreck. Episodes 1-3 cover the formation of the team, the reasons for it, and how there's a competition to get to the treasure. Essentially, whoever gets it first wins. With that said, let's move on to the recap of episodes 1, 2, and 3. Episode 1 of Low Life begins with the details of the ship's sinking. We then move to 1962, where a mother and son struggle to prove to the police that they've done nothing wro...

 Netflix has released a new Spanish documentary, "I'm Still a Superstar," which can be watched alongside the comedy-drama series "Superstar." While the series is a fictional adaptation of the peculiar life of Spanish pop singer and businesswoman Yurena, the documentary interviews the woman and some of her co-stars who played important roles in her career, for better or worse. Overall, "I'm Still a Superstar" is a decent film (despite some sloppy editing) as a standalone documentary, giving us a glimpse into the negative impact the media can have on people. However, it's more enjoyable as a companion to the new Netflix series. Born María del Mar Cuena Seisdedos in Baracaldo, Spain, Yurena doesn't have many fond memories of her childhood due to the constant bullying and insults she suffered in her neighborhood as a child. In the 1960s and 1970s, the world was completely unaware of sensitivity, and young Yurena was constantly criticized for he...

Netflix's To Kill a Monkey was, for me, a story of betrayal, loss, and pain. It was the story of a man named Efe, from a disadvantaged background, who only wanted to provide for his family. But then, unwittingly, he entered a swamp from which he could never escape. So let's find out what happened to Efe in the end, whether he managed to save himself or fell prey to the system. A bond of blood, a partnership of trust and camaraderie, was broken by a wrong decision, and although it's not explicitly shown, he could have done much more to tip the scales in his favor. At the beginning of the series, we saw that Teacher was a psychotic person who, for no reason, threatened others just to establish his authority, not understanding that he could have achieved much more progress and profit by joining forces instead of turning people into his enemies. He demanded a 30% tax from Oboz, which the latter was clearly unwilling to pay.  Creator: Kemi Adetiba Stars: Bucci Franklin, William ...

Non-linear narrative wasn't invented by Christopher Nolan; it's a tool as old as literature and cinema. Early examples apparently include Homer's Iliad, Vyasa's Mahabharata, and several stories from One Thousand and One Nights. In cinema, Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr., Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, and Orson Welles's Citizen Kane can all be credited for perfecting this trick and making it accessible to general audiences.  On television, shows like True Detective (the first season), Pachinko, Sharp Objects, Dark, and The Haunting of Hill House are the pinnacle of non-linear narrative, at least for me, mainly because the time jumps gave themes so much depth and developed characters in ways that wouldn't have been possible if they had been given to us straight away. However, as with anything popular, some untalented people jumped on the bandwagon to fully exploit this narrative technique without much thought, resulting in a number of projects that turned out t...

Untamed is an American crime drama mystery starring Eric Bana, Lily Santiago, and Sam Neill, set in the stunning Yosemite National Park. Eric Bana (Hulk) plays Kyle Turner, a brooding park ranger who decides to investigate the mysterious death of an unnamed young woman who suffered a fatal fall from Mount Capitan. Was she pushed or did she fall, either by accident or of her own volition? The powers that be would like this case to simply be dismissed, but there wouldn't be much of a story if that were the case. Director: Felipe Joffily Writer: Leandro Soares Stars: Gabriel Goity, Leandro Hassum, Simon Hempe Kyle receives help from a younger agent, Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago), which causes some intergenerational conflict, but they still end up working well together. Kyle, who has a troubled past, also receives support from his ex-wife (Rosemarie DeWitt) and his boss (the ever-reliable Sam Neill), as he and Naya embark on their search, reaching interesting places and meeting unexpect...

 Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady travel abroad to make a compelling, light-hearted documentary set in the Norwegian wilderness. In the observational documentary "Folktales," Oscar-nominated documentary filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady ("Jesus Camp") revisit education and social context, a concept that informed their first collaboration, "The Boys of Baraka" in 2005. They follow a trio of teenagers who take a gap year at a Norwegian folk high school in Pasvik, located 480 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. The nine-month program, which teaches outdoor survival skills and dog sledding, as well as Norwegian language and culture, is open to teens from around the world, though it's never specified how students are selected, how many there are, or how much it costs to attend. What is clear is the importance of self-confidence and guidance that comes from acquiring these skills in the wilderness and successfully applying them. With the epic, primitive...

As a North Dakota native, I always enjoy seeing how my former home state contributes to cinema, regardless of genre. They're few and far between. Occasionally, you'll see an adaptation of a novel set in Fargo or an independent film shot there. One of Minot's own has become a big-name star, but generally speaking, the state rarely makes the film news. AJ Goes to the Dog Park, a low-budget comedy made by a group of friends in Fargo and set to play in the Midwest, isn't necessarily going to put North Dakota on the star map, but it will certainly draw attention to the charm and peculiarity of its setting. The Fargo it portrays isn't far removed from the Coen brothers' fictional Fargo of a few decades ago, even though that modern classic only had one scene set in the town of its name. AJ Goes to the Dog Park is full of eccentric characters who speak with the region's distinctive cadence. While Fargo was set primarily in the harsh winter, surrounded by crime and s...

 Youssef, a newly single father, struggles to raise his children after the death of his wife. However, everything changes when he stumbles upon videos his wife had recorded to help him with the children. When I first started watching Catalogue, I liked it. But halfway through, I realized it wasn't my first time watching it. Here's the thing: At the center of the plot is Youssef, a heartbroken, workaholic father of two. He lost his wife Amina, who was also a mother of children. Now he doesn't know how to live without her. How could he? He was so used to her taking care of everything that he had no idea he'd have to take care of other things one day, too.  Stars: Mohamed Farrag, Tara Emad, Khaled Kamal From birthdays to pickups and deliveries, it's clear Youssef is having a hard time. But his wife was an intelligent woman. She knew her husband's capabilities and skills. Before she passed away, she recorded videos in which Amina explains everything to Youssef. Howe...

Initially, biopics were probably created with the intention of highlighting the story of an unsung hero whose contribution to a profession has gone unnoticed. Or they were created to celebrate a well-known figure and educate younger generations about who they should acknowledge when doing the most mundane things in life. But over time, this genre became a hotbed of propaganda, whitewashing, or defamation.  This also led to a decline in filmmaking and storytelling, as artists took bland approaches to telling a story "inspired" by real life, so that these films and series could influence even the most intelligent people. Fortunately, there are rare cases where the subject matter has been presented in a way that doesn't feel like a blatant glorification of their exploits. I'm talking about Amar Singh Chamkila, Baby Reindeer, The Aviator, Tetris, Tesla, Elvis Presley, Spencer, Rocketman, Narcos, The Social Network, and many more. Superstar falls into the same category; Ho...

 Wall to Wall (2025) seemed built on a solid foundation. However, the deeper you delve into its conspiratorial walls, the more fragile they are revealed. This is a shame, because with all its varied themes, it could have been much more impactful. Instead, in his latest foray into the thriller genre, writer-director Kim Tae-joon throws too many ideas to the wind, turning what could have been clever twists into distractions. Woo-sung (Kang Ha-neul) emerges as a very relatable protagonist. In 2021, he does everything he can to secure his dream home, an 84-square-meter (approximately 904 square feet) property. A diffused-filter montage reveals his efforts, which range from selling land to applying for a loan, and Woo-sung succeeds. At first, it's a joyful moment, but three years later, his life has become a nightmare, and sadly, he doesn't receive much sympathy. Directors: Kim Tae-joon, Sharon S. Park Writer: Kim Tae-joon Stars: Kang Ha-neul, Yeom Hye-ran, Seo Hyun-woo Formerly eng...

 Taro Sakamoto (Tomokazu Sugita) was untouchable. We see him kill a group of guys, deflecting bullets with his cane, dodging swords, zigzagging like a ghost, leaving people hanging by their necks from the rafters, splattering blood all over Hell, and disappearing. He was tall and slender, with a ponytail and mirrored glasses, which is probably why Aoi (Nao Toyama) was drawn to him. This being one of those anime that employs hyperbole like Gru with the Minions, Sakamoto's eyes pop out of their sockets and shoot to the moon when he sees Aoi for the first time. He gives up on life, gets married, has a daughter named Hana (Hina Kino), opens a 7-Eleven-style convenience store, and quickly spirals into obesity. I'd say he seems happy, but he doesn't say much or give it away with a facial expression. He's all glasses and a broomstick mustache. That's not to say his assassination skills are ruined. Far from it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. At this point, we mee...

A distance of 2,000 meters doesn't seem like much. It can be covered in two minutes, ten minutes, and, if you think about war, a mortar can cross it in just 35 seconds. However, that sense of proximity, as is often the case in Mstyslav Chernov's sobering documentary, is deceptive when the Russians occupying the village of Andriivka are heavily armed and a Ukrainian battalion advances slowly, suffering heavy losses, as it attempts to mount an offensive. Chernov takes us directly to the front lines as troops engage in brutal and deadly skirmishes in an attempt lasting more than three months to liberate the territory. Like his previous Oscar-winning film, 20 Days at Mariupol, this is a fearless work of cinema in the face of danger, where Chernov, serving as director of photography with additional assistance from Alex Babenko, delves into the raw edge of the conflict with soldiers of the Third Assault Brigade. 2000 Meters to Andriivka, like 20 Days in Mariupol, will premiere in the...