I Watched A Few Things Lately… 

…and naturally, I had to share with y’all.

• Allen V. Farrow – The documentary explores the sexual abuse allegations made by Dylan Farrow when she was a 7 year old, against her father, Woody Allen. This was a tough watch because it is not an easy subject and watching Dylan relive her trauma was not east. The doc leaned heavily for the Farrow side (we only heard from that side). I think a good doc, regardless of stance leaves you with information but the doc left me with questions. Reading up afterwards, I see that a lot of things about their lives and the circumstances were omitted. I feel like the producers didn’t explore every nook and cranny as they claim, at the beginning of the doc. (HBO Max)
• Demi Lovato: Dancing With The Devil – I have written about Demi’s first documentary, Simply Complicated here. I mentioned how she really opened up and she did the same here as well. Demi has always been very open so she always is a good documentary subject. Reliving her overdose and hearing about her previous traumas (rape at 16 and nothing being done) and new traumas (her dealer assaulted her and she used heroin again after the overdose) made me say a silent prayer that she overcomes this disease. Another tough watch but well done. You actually see her give permission to her friends to be honest and say everything. (Youtube Originals)
• Audrey – The doc tells the life of famous actress Audrey Hepburn. I don’t think it was anything exceptional or that I learned anything new. This is not to say it was bad, it was just middle of the road. I’d recommend watching this if you are just a fan of anything Audrey or need background TV. (Netflix)
• Genius: Aretha – I am a fan of this series. I think the best so far has been the focus on Einstein. The Pablo Picasso season was meh. I thoroughly enjoyed this focus but I can also say that Cynthia Erivo was terribly miscast as Aretha. She did not do a bad job because the woman can act. It just wasn’t a role for her. So, in my mind I watched this as a miniseries about a fictional character. In one scene, she looks like Anita Baker and in another she had been fitted in a fat suit and it was just…That being said, I do recommend it. Special shout out to Omar Dorsey as Pastor Cleveland and Christopher Redman as Clive Davis because I know they will not get the recognition they deserve (National Geographic)
• Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal – We get a deep dive on the scandal through the lens of Rick Singer, the mastermind. It was interesting seeing how the whole scheme was discovered (a white collar crime by a finance guy and the man sang), how Rick is still free because he cooperated with the FBI. The format was interesting because they got look alike actors to reenact (Matthew Modine as Singer) (Netflix)
• Tina – This was tough but also fun to watch. The doc spends a heavy amount on Ike Turner, which I get was a big part of her life. But through the doc you hear Tina say how she is so sick of talking about him, so why devote yet another huge chunk of a sort of homage to you, to him? On the flip, I had a huge appreciation for her talent and that voice! It was so inspiring to see her get her success at 40. For those who don’t know, it may not be a big deal but I felt a lot of important stuff was left out. I def recommend this (HBO Max)

As you can see majority of these are documentaries and unless you are new, you already know that it is one of my favorite genres to watch. Let me know if any of these piqued your interest or if you have watched any of it. If you have, what did you think?