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helenahandbasket-93734's rating
I feel I must preface this by saying I was never a fan of the Lisa Frank brand-it always felt too 'forced happiness' to me; but I will say, my little sister loved it. The bright colors, the big doe-like eyes on everything, the forced-down-your-throat rainbows were just a lot.
Which is ironic, because it's exactly how this 4-part documentary feels, too. It is a lot to stomach, and definitely defies belief. Most of the stories told by employees feel authentic, Rhonda and James feel cartoonish in their appearances. But these employees are largely no better. If they were hoping to be portrayed in a more sympathetic light, maybe they should have a more sympathetic story to tell.
Being in a career that barely pays minimum wage, just so you can say you're an 'artist' defies logic. It's akin to holding a career in the adult film industry just to say you're an 'actor'; the only difference is, those in adult films are generally paid incredibly well.
There's myriad examples of insanity, but one example that really stands out is a grown adult with bangs (no sis, just no) who loudly proclaims that 'all wealthy adults partook in 'illicit activities' and even if she was serious, it sounds very contrived and forced.
I could almost feel a good amount of empathy for the employees had they been hired at demonstrably higher wages, and then had a rug pull that landed them at 8.00/hr working 12 hour days, but that was not the case. One employee went from a salaried position of 12.5K yearly to 8.25/hr, and I believe the hourly rate puts him miles ahead, with both examples being enough that a sane person would have rather worked fast food 60 hours a week, but apparently being considered a literal starving artist made it a viable career. I do feel badly for people trying to raise families on this paltry salary, however, the moment it's apparent there's nothing changing, it's time to flee and find haven in another job. We're talking about Tucson in the 80s-90s, not exactly a ghost town with no other options, at a time when the economy was thriving.
All that being said, James being the CEO makes all the sense in the world; the head of a cartoonish, flamboyant company is the embodiment of the brand. The mission statement should have been enough to tell you this is not your job. Upon reading this debacle you didn't feel an urge to purge, Rhonda and her antics should have been the impetus for an hasty exit. I don't know if it was her being a female that made her believe being a garbage person was her claim to fame, or the result of working in a miserable environment that eventually exacerbated her persona, but either way, she should have endured multiple.lawsuits, not continued employment. I get the distinct impression that Green was using Frank for a few things- a meal ticket, a beard, and a step stool. I don't really care how little you wanted to have children or how old they are at the time- admitting it was something/someone you did not want or wish to pursue is something you squash deep down to places you don't acknowledge. Ever.
The employees seem intent on creating some sort of cartoonish work environment that anyone with the slightest sense would have walked away from immediately, and given the pure hell they supposedly endured, one has to question the veracity of truthfulness, because I cannot imagine staying.
My review, much like this series could have easily been condensed into a much smaller version, but for some reason, we're forced to hear the same things on repeat as often as humanly possible. Too long, too repetitive and too boring.
Which is ironic, because it's exactly how this 4-part documentary feels, too. It is a lot to stomach, and definitely defies belief. Most of the stories told by employees feel authentic, Rhonda and James feel cartoonish in their appearances. But these employees are largely no better. If they were hoping to be portrayed in a more sympathetic light, maybe they should have a more sympathetic story to tell.
Being in a career that barely pays minimum wage, just so you can say you're an 'artist' defies logic. It's akin to holding a career in the adult film industry just to say you're an 'actor'; the only difference is, those in adult films are generally paid incredibly well.
There's myriad examples of insanity, but one example that really stands out is a grown adult with bangs (no sis, just no) who loudly proclaims that 'all wealthy adults partook in 'illicit activities' and even if she was serious, it sounds very contrived and forced.
I could almost feel a good amount of empathy for the employees had they been hired at demonstrably higher wages, and then had a rug pull that landed them at 8.00/hr working 12 hour days, but that was not the case. One employee went from a salaried position of 12.5K yearly to 8.25/hr, and I believe the hourly rate puts him miles ahead, with both examples being enough that a sane person would have rather worked fast food 60 hours a week, but apparently being considered a literal starving artist made it a viable career. I do feel badly for people trying to raise families on this paltry salary, however, the moment it's apparent there's nothing changing, it's time to flee and find haven in another job. We're talking about Tucson in the 80s-90s, not exactly a ghost town with no other options, at a time when the economy was thriving.
All that being said, James being the CEO makes all the sense in the world; the head of a cartoonish, flamboyant company is the embodiment of the brand. The mission statement should have been enough to tell you this is not your job. Upon reading this debacle you didn't feel an urge to purge, Rhonda and her antics should have been the impetus for an hasty exit. I don't know if it was her being a female that made her believe being a garbage person was her claim to fame, or the result of working in a miserable environment that eventually exacerbated her persona, but either way, she should have endured multiple.lawsuits, not continued employment. I get the distinct impression that Green was using Frank for a few things- a meal ticket, a beard, and a step stool. I don't really care how little you wanted to have children or how old they are at the time- admitting it was something/someone you did not want or wish to pursue is something you squash deep down to places you don't acknowledge. Ever.
The employees seem intent on creating some sort of cartoonish work environment that anyone with the slightest sense would have walked away from immediately, and given the pure hell they supposedly endured, one has to question the veracity of truthfulness, because I cannot imagine staying.
My review, much like this series could have easily been condensed into a much smaller version, but for some reason, we're forced to hear the same things on repeat as often as humanly possible. Too long, too repetitive and too boring.
Wanna be filmmakers retell a story in a way that adds absolutely nothing new- I don't understand how so many people get funding for a film, then get corporations to buy in and everyone makes nice fat stacks.
I'm not sure why these new directors choose to add actors to make a story inside of a story- it's pointless, adds nothing to the story, and is an odd direction choice to make when you had a fascinating story on its own without these weird breaks.
That being said, I'm not sure how I feel, especially regarding 'investors'- it's almost like the old adage that's been prescient since the beginning of time has suddenly been seen as unnecessary. NEVER DO BUSINESS OR LOAN FUNDS WITH FAMILY OR FRIENDS. Full stop. No good can come from it and often leads to disastrous outcomes. You would be far better served by throwing money into a paper bag, starting a large fire, then soaking said sack in gasoline, then tossing it on the fire.
The egotistical people surrounding Hollywood has always been obvious, but watching them behave so foolishly without even the most rudimentary due diligence is crazy; family and/or friends were victims because people such as this prey upon that trust and exploit it until the bitter end. I don't understand the mentality of 'oh he had phone calls right in front of me!' when that is one of the easiest and silliest maneuvers to fall for. It takes absolutely no effort to perform perfunctory tasks to research before investing hundreds of thousands (MUCH LESS 1.3 MILLION DOLLARS! WUT?!) that would at least open your eyes to the nonsense yet so many will charge full-steam ahead, and then actually wring their hands and clutch their pearls that they could be victims.
Look, I get it, being a victim sucks. Losing money really is horrifying. But I would suppose this to anyone considering placing themselves into the same position- if you were asked to place a stack of $1000 on the hood of your car and walk away, in the middle of a busy Walmart parking lot, and you were told you would receive $10,000 if you leave it there for 30 minutes, would you? I promise it will be surveilled by armed guards hiding in plain sight and I guarantee it isn't going anywhere! You've known me twenty years, and I'm conducting an experiment on the susceptibility of human nature! There will be film crews all around!
If you would let this happen, just send that money to a homeless shelter, at least it will help someone in an honest way.
Con men/women (yes women will do this, too) is a term short for CONfidence, which operates under the assumption that the criminal will prey on your trust and belief that you're too smart to fall for this. Do not allow someone to turn you into a victim-if they're angry you won't do whatever it is they've asked for, they're not a good person. Their reaction will tell you everything you need to know about their character and intentions.
I'm not sure why these new directors choose to add actors to make a story inside of a story- it's pointless, adds nothing to the story, and is an odd direction choice to make when you had a fascinating story on its own without these weird breaks.
That being said, I'm not sure how I feel, especially regarding 'investors'- it's almost like the old adage that's been prescient since the beginning of time has suddenly been seen as unnecessary. NEVER DO BUSINESS OR LOAN FUNDS WITH FAMILY OR FRIENDS. Full stop. No good can come from it and often leads to disastrous outcomes. You would be far better served by throwing money into a paper bag, starting a large fire, then soaking said sack in gasoline, then tossing it on the fire.
The egotistical people surrounding Hollywood has always been obvious, but watching them behave so foolishly without even the most rudimentary due diligence is crazy; family and/or friends were victims because people such as this prey upon that trust and exploit it until the bitter end. I don't understand the mentality of 'oh he had phone calls right in front of me!' when that is one of the easiest and silliest maneuvers to fall for. It takes absolutely no effort to perform perfunctory tasks to research before investing hundreds of thousands (MUCH LESS 1.3 MILLION DOLLARS! WUT?!) that would at least open your eyes to the nonsense yet so many will charge full-steam ahead, and then actually wring their hands and clutch their pearls that they could be victims.
Look, I get it, being a victim sucks. Losing money really is horrifying. But I would suppose this to anyone considering placing themselves into the same position- if you were asked to place a stack of $1000 on the hood of your car and walk away, in the middle of a busy Walmart parking lot, and you were told you would receive $10,000 if you leave it there for 30 minutes, would you? I promise it will be surveilled by armed guards hiding in plain sight and I guarantee it isn't going anywhere! You've known me twenty years, and I'm conducting an experiment on the susceptibility of human nature! There will be film crews all around!
If you would let this happen, just send that money to a homeless shelter, at least it will help someone in an honest way.
Con men/women (yes women will do this, too) is a term short for CONfidence, which operates under the assumption that the criminal will prey on your trust and belief that you're too smart to fall for this. Do not allow someone to turn you into a victim-if they're angry you won't do whatever it is they've asked for, they're not a good person. Their reaction will tell you everything you need to know about their character and intentions.
And an investigation.
Our so-called media just loves to paint people into corners, especially when the people are wealthy, famous, and/or can be perceived as 'controversial'. The Ramsey family were certainly wealthy, and some viewed the pageant circuit as controversial. It could also be argued that the family was somewhat famous, at least in the immediate area, so check, check and check.
Given Joel Berlingers diving into other cases, I went in hoping for a documentary that explored all aspects, and not just the popular narrative driven by legacy media. I was not disappointed.
Given the perspective of The West Memphis Three, and how his and one other doc managed to overturn the insanity of 'Satanic Panic' and ultimately free three completely innocent young men, I'm hopeful that we may someday be able to say that Jon Benet wasn't harmed by Patsy, by Jon, or (the worst accusation I've heard) her brother, Burke.
The ultimate failure ultimate goes to the ridiculous handling of the crime scene and that of the police. I've never seen such a mismanaged cluster by so many, who jumped to immediate conclusions, yet made absolutely zero effort to explore all options, and not just one.
OF COURSE any investigation should and usually does center on the small inner circle, HOWEVER, you must simultaneously and methodically gather as much evidence as humanly possible, retain the integrity of the scene (remove all family immediately) and perform extensive and thorough forensic searches AND NOT TELL THE FAMILY TO DO SO, and CERTAINLY not alone. It's nothing short of a miracle that none of the family were charged- but they've certainly endured an ugly cloud of suspicion and ludicrous accusations since that day, and due to the complete and utter ineptitude of numerous law enforcement representatives, nothing of any substance was ever found.
One hopes that, much the same as the Memphis Three case, if no one is arrested, maybe innocent people are able to prove their innocence. Which is directly contrary to how our justice system is structured to work- INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY- not the other way around.
Our so-called media just loves to paint people into corners, especially when the people are wealthy, famous, and/or can be perceived as 'controversial'. The Ramsey family were certainly wealthy, and some viewed the pageant circuit as controversial. It could also be argued that the family was somewhat famous, at least in the immediate area, so check, check and check.
Given Joel Berlingers diving into other cases, I went in hoping for a documentary that explored all aspects, and not just the popular narrative driven by legacy media. I was not disappointed.
Given the perspective of The West Memphis Three, and how his and one other doc managed to overturn the insanity of 'Satanic Panic' and ultimately free three completely innocent young men, I'm hopeful that we may someday be able to say that Jon Benet wasn't harmed by Patsy, by Jon, or (the worst accusation I've heard) her brother, Burke.
The ultimate failure ultimate goes to the ridiculous handling of the crime scene and that of the police. I've never seen such a mismanaged cluster by so many, who jumped to immediate conclusions, yet made absolutely zero effort to explore all options, and not just one.
OF COURSE any investigation should and usually does center on the small inner circle, HOWEVER, you must simultaneously and methodically gather as much evidence as humanly possible, retain the integrity of the scene (remove all family immediately) and perform extensive and thorough forensic searches AND NOT TELL THE FAMILY TO DO SO, and CERTAINLY not alone. It's nothing short of a miracle that none of the family were charged- but they've certainly endured an ugly cloud of suspicion and ludicrous accusations since that day, and due to the complete and utter ineptitude of numerous law enforcement representatives, nothing of any substance was ever found.
One hopes that, much the same as the Memphis Three case, if no one is arrested, maybe innocent people are able to prove their innocence. Which is directly contrary to how our justice system is structured to work- INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY- not the other way around.