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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness in TV

Mar 31, 2020 (Updated Mar 31, 2020)  
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
2020 | Crime, Documentary
Tiger King is a true story. That in itself is an absurd thought. The story of Joe Exotic and his self built zoo, housing no less than 227 live tigers is something I never knew I wanted to hear until it was too late.
This well put together documentary took approximately 15 minutes to draw me in, and before I knew it, I had watched the whole thing.

The story in question revolves around Joe's constant rivalry and back-and-forth lawsuits with Carole Baskin, and her Big Cat Rescue sanctuary. It doesn't take long for everything to escalate to dangerous silliness, and the show documents Joe's eventual incarceration, where he is still residing currently.

This deep look into this cult like practice is fascinating to say the least. Some, including me, will argue that wild animals bred in captivity purely for profit is cruel, but it's genuinely difficult to see Joe Exotic as a bad person. His heart seems in the right place, and its sad to see him get so caught up in the money side of things, to the point where his intentions start to stray.
On the flip side, Carole Baskin on the surface doesn't agree with these kind of zoos and aims to rescue these animals, but in reality, she is still turning profit and her sanctuary is arguably just as bad.
These characters that we meet throughout all have layers and secrets, and ensures that the narrative being told through archive footage and interviews never stops throwing curve balls, as what starts as an animal park feud, devolves into embezzlement, attempted murder, suicide, missing persons, million-dollar legal battles... It's honestly hectic.
I'm incredibly interested to see what happens as a result of this series, and I personally don't think Joe will be incarcerated for too much longer.

The limited series could have benefited from losing an episode I feel, as it did drag a little towards the end, but overall, Tiger King is a fantastic documentary that's edited and put together to draw you in, and not let go.
  
The Painter And The Thief (2020)
The Painter And The Thief (2020)
2020 | Documentary
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
After seeing the trailer for this one I was intrigued to see how the subject was handled in this format.

Barbora Kysilkova's prized paintings have been stolen from a gallery, the culprits were not careful and are soon picked up by the police. But all investigations come back empty handed and the two paintings may never resurface. Barbora is interested to meet one of the men responsible for her loss and soon an unlikely friendship begins between the two of them. As their lives become even more entwined we follow their path through troubles and redemption.

The documentary is split into two main parts, first we follow the painter as she uncovers whatever she can about the crime in an attempt to recover the pieces. The second follows out thief and the struggles of his life. Each side of the story shows very different ways of existing, but as it evolves you make surprising discoveries about them both that open your eyes to how reality is sometimes hidden underneath a persona we project.

We're treated to an enlightening journey with the way the narrative is laid out, and it's one that's almost impossible not to react to. Everything from the simple frustrations, to fear and worry, shows through as the connection between them grows, it feels more and more... uncomfortable. This is actually addressed by Barbora's boyfriend and it seems only evident to us and him that it's all a little nuts. At the end I was particularly shocked by the outcome.

Overall I had expected to see more about the crime itself, and in what I'd seen leading up to this it felt like it was bigger, but the crime actually comes across as quite unexceptional. That leaves us with a documentary that's much more focused on human fascination and curiosity, and in my opinion, how that can turn into an unhealthy obsession. While the second half feels more engaging, it was a bit of a slog getting to that. As a piece about human nature it's interesting, but when presented with something involving a crime I'm much more interested in seeing that than anything else.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-painter-thief-movie-review.html