Elijah McClain · Kaley Cuoco · Taylor Hazlewood
Plus: What we're watching this weekend
the true crime that's worth your time
Hey, it’s not a bad weekend for true crime! Sure, some of these properties stretch the definition a bit (both for “crime” and “weekend”), but after a couple lean weeks, I will take it. As always, we’d love to know what true crime you’re watching/listening to/reading this weekend, so hook us up:
That trailer above is for Miranda’s Victim, a dramatic adaptation of the case that brought us the Miranda warning we all know and love. When Ernesto Arturo Miranda was tried in 1963, his alleged kidnapping and rape victim went by the pseudonym Lois Ann Jameson (a grace granted to her to protect her identity). We now know that her real name is Patricia “Trish” Weir we reportedly follow in the movie, what was released straight to VOD last week.
The cast is solid: Abigail Breslin (as Weir), Luke Wilson, Kyle MacLachlan, Ryan Phillippe, Mireille Enos, Emily VanCamp, Andy Garcia, and Donald Sutherland all appear, but what sold me was this interview with director Michelle Danner in Screen Rant, where she talks about how important it was to her to center Trish in the narrative. I’m interested in seeing how the filmmakers balance that and the civil and human rights matter of problematic confessions (as the U.S. Supreme Court agreed Miranda’s was). While the SCOTUS decision helped establish better protections for folks in custody, we still have a long way to go — but we also have a long way to go when it comes to prosecution of sexual assault cases. It looks like we can find this to rent for about $7 most places, so I might skip my weekend pastries to cover that tab.
Then there’s John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams, which, honestly, has gotten a lot more play here than it probably deserves. That’s not because it’s good (in fact, the reviews are pretty dismal), but because the whole thing seems weird and confusing. So, though The Daily Beast claims that the true crime-billed Peacock series ruins Carpenter’s reputation (have you even seen Ghosts of Mars? because if that didn’t do it, no creative project will), I am definitely going to turn at least one episode on at some point this weekend, though the percentage of attention I devote to it might be in the single digits. But if my choice is copaganda or some strange schlock-meets-true hybrid, I’m gonna go with the latter. All episodes were released today.
Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders dropped on Paramount+ this week, and out of the options I lay out, it’s arguably the most traditional offering. It’s weird to me, though, that they didn’t drop the “Painkiller” part of the name, given how it’ll likely be confused with the Netflix adaptation of the Sackler drug family story that was just released in August. But this company also referred to itself as “P+” in the caption to the above trailer, so bad decision-making apparently abounds over there.
ANYWAY. This five-part docuseries rehashes the 1982-era poisonings, which, five parts seems like a lot. Not to be a dick, but I strongly suspect all the information in this series is also in the case’s wikipedia entry, so I am definitely on the shrug emoji fence with this one — if I’m going to turn a series on for background viewing, I don’t want all the information presented to be stuff I already know. But that’s just me, and there’s definitely a comfort-viewing element to seeing a distant case repackaged in a new format. So if you decide to check it out, no judgement here — and tell us what you thought!
Want a courtroom drama that doesn’t involve rape or murder? Then allow me to direct you to The Burial, which just made its debut on Prime. As you can see even from the above trailer’s still image, we have Jamie Foxx (who, in the words of one of my fave John Carpenter characters, is all better now) and Tommy Lee Jones (who I hadn’t seen for a while and was low-key worried about) as its leads, so this is an Oscar-winner-studded affair.
You’ve likely seen Willie Gary, the guy Foxx plays, before: the influential Florida attorney has a rep for taking on previously-untouchable corporate giants and winning notable settlements and decisions. (Hello, RJ Reynolds.) Jones is Jeremiah O'Keefe, a Mississippi funeral-home owner who took on a big corporate mortuary chain in court, claiming that a stalled sale to the company was a ploy to force him into bankruptcy. (O’Keefe’s wikipedia page spoils the movie, so don’t click if you want to remain in suspense, but his whole life is kind of amazing sounding.)
The jokey/bluesy music in the trailer suggests that it’s a bit of a throwback, but the slipping into a warm bath kind; that said, the director is Maggie Betts, which might make for a fresher eye than I’m expecting. What can I say, it looks formula but fun. Why the hell not? — EB
Hearsay
Netflix Can’t Escape Defamation Lawsuit Over True Crime Documentary Photo [The Hollywood Reporter]
I know I wrote about this suit in April, but here’s the recap: Taylor Hazlewood’s photo appears in the Netflix doc The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, as the words “You can never trust anyone” are displayed onscreen. But Hazlewood has nothing to do with the Caleb Lawrence McGillvary case depicted in the show and says the filmmakers used his Instagram posts without his knowledge or permission, allegedly damaging his reputation with the implication that he’s somehow affiliated with the crime.
U.S. District Judge David Godbey ruled this week that Hazlewood’s defamation case can move forward, saying that “Netflix’s use of the photo ‘caused individuals to believe that he is himself, or is associated with, a criminal.’” In his initial suit, he sought $1 million and punitive damages — and I suspect the streamer will settle. At least, they’d be wise to, given public sentiment toward studios and companies like Netflix in the wake of this summer’s historic writers and actors strikes. This is not the time for Netflix to try to get a jury on their side, I think. — EB
One Officer Convicted and Another Acquitted in Elijah McClain Death [New York Times gift link]
Three police officers and two paramedics were charged in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, whom they placed in a chokehold and injected with sedatives as he walked home from an Aurora, Co. convenience store. He was not suspected of any crime, but after the perplexing confrontation — what was captured on police body cameras — he suffered a cardiac arrest and died in the hospital days later.
Those on the scene are being tried in three separate trials; this one was the first. “How do you convict one and acquit the other? How can you call this justice?” asked an area activist after the mostly-white jury’s decision was announced. “This is the divided states of America, and that’s what happens,” McClain’s mother said as she left the courtroom. — EB
‘Based on a True Story’ Renewed for Season 2 at Peacock [Variety]
The true crime satire will return for a second season; I’m unlikely to watch because, guys, Chris Messina always seems like such a pissy little bitch! I just can’t with him if I’m supposed to be sympathetic. Besides, to be a successful (in my eyes) true crime satire in 2024, you really gotta blow my socks off. This show didn’t manage that in its first season, so this is a preemptive “no thanks” from me, friends. — EB
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