DOWNFALL: The Case Against Boeing
A searing investigation of a once-iconic company and its tragic failures, DOWNFALL: The Case Against Boeing exposes how Wall Street’s influence and Boeing’s crumbling internal culture resulted in two historic plane crashes, 346 fatalities, and a shocking cover-up. Directed and produced by Rory Kennedy. Produced and co-written by Mark Bailey. Executive produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.
In 2012, I became friends with a couple who were both mechanical engineers at Boeing. I recall a conversation in which they nonchalantly explained that the only thing holding a Boeing aircraft together were some bolts, and the likelihood that a crash didn’t occur more often was surprising. Everyone in the room immediately hushed, and I think they got the hint that we were terrified by those statements, especially considering a vast number of our spouses traveled on a plane twice a week. In the new Netflix documentary DOWNFALL: The Case Against Boeing, I came to realize just how haunting these seemingly off-the-cuff comments would become.
After 346 people died on Lion Air Flight 610 on October 29, 2018, the ensuing blame game began. Their PR coming from Boeing was suspect. Then a second crash months later with Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019. Wall Street Journal writer Andy Pasztor started digging into the facts. What the hell is an MCAS? What did they know and when? Could these tragedies have been prevented?
The film uses heart-wrenching footage of recovered luggage and personal items, like small children’s shoes. Recreations show the viewer precisely what occurred based on the black box’s digital information. The film puts faces to those on board the two flights. We hear from family members about who they were. They each recall how they found out their loved ones had been on those planes. We see internal memos and hear from, you guessed it, former employees. It’s nothing less than stunning.
I sat shocked while watching this film and having heard the same concerns from former employees’ mouths… six years prior. Boeing makes its morals very clear. Speed over safety. Profit over people. When you see and hear about these shortcuts, you will gasp. DOWNFALL: The Case Against Boeing is now streaming on Netflix. I highly encourage you to watch and ask yourself, “Should I trust a company like this?”
KING KNIGHT
Committed coven leader Thorn is hiding a secret. How will his partner Willow and fellow coven members react when the truth comes to light? 
Writer-director 
Angela Sarafyan
In my humble opinion, horror must be enthralling to justify 2-hour runtime. Shudder’s latest original film, 
Michelle Krusiec
Trauma, the Catholic Church, politics, mental health, justice, and sexual abuse, 
The metaphor of a peloton is perfect. The lack of safety as Dave (mostly) rides alone represents every survivor who felt dismissed, who lived in fear, who kept it inside from childhood to adulthood. His unadulterated honesty and bravery connect people of all ages across the country. 
Episodes 1 -3
***Golden Nymph Jury Special Prize Winner – 2021 Monte-Carlo TV Festival***
Streaming Exclusively on Topic Beginning February 17th
Oscar® winner Jordan Peele disrupted and redefined modern horror with Get Out and then Us. Now, he reimagines the summer movie with a new pop nightmare: the expansive horror epic, Nope. 
The film reunites Peele with Oscar® winner Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), who is joined by Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Alice) and Oscar® nominee Steven Yeun (Minari, Okja) as residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.
When a close-knit circle of private school friends attempts to request a makeup calculus test, things do not go as planned. Student Body flips the script, quite literally, on whatever genre you thought you were watching. In a film of consequences and crazies, surviving high school just became a lot harder.
Writer-director Lee Ann Kurr gives us two distinct genres by structuring the script as one half character development and the other half horror. The issue with the second half is pacing. The urgency is missing. There are 15 minutes between murders, a brief slump then the third. Then, it stops being cohesive at all. There’s an overall emphasis on safety. We know new locks and safety glass were installed as they make a point to highlight it over and over. Unfortunately, unless I missed it, there’s no president for the measure. As the generation who experienced Columbine, some of these details seem nonsensical. Bulletproof windows and roll-down gates, but no classroom locks from the inside?
Ghosts of the Ozarks
Torb and Lucille’s (
The Pact
The sets and costumes are sumptuous. The dialogue is delicious and poetic, possessing a gravitational pull that is undeniable. The film’s intentionally steady and emotional momentum works its magic on you. 
Boasting spectacular visuals alongside a riveting script from writer-director 
As Cosmic Dawn guru Elyse, 
Is this some extensive gaslighting or is Molly still experiencing PTSD from her previous loss? The marrying of these two concepts is here perfection. For Molly, the idea of sitting idly by will drive her mad. A slow-burn mystery with striking cinematography, Knocking will make your head spin. The use of a go-pro-style camera during a climactic confrontation puts you in the manic state of Molly’s brain. It’s a wildly effective choice. Cecilia Milocci‘s performance is truly compelling. You are right there with her on this tumultuous emotional journey. It’s absolutely award-worthy.
Niamh Dornan
Hirokazu Kore-eda (
Is it fair to categorize Air Doll as an unusual coming-of-age story? Perhaps, a story of enlightened consciousness would be better suited. Air Doll is yet another perfectly thoughtful addition to Dekanalog‘s collection of films. It begs larger questions of existence and life, exploring the meaning of happiness on a grander scale. The film’s evolution is endlessly surprising. You won’t be able to look away. Air Doll is truly something special.
Brimming with trauma, Slapface is a unique horror. Bullying, neglect, and violence swirl to create a horrifying tale of a child reaching out for love. Writer-Director Jeremiah Kipp forces us to ride a rollercoaster of emotions that just keeps going around and around. If you’ve been searching for something unlike anything you’ve seen before, Slapface should be top of your list.
I was a musical theatre major at a conservatory program in Manhattan twenty years ago. As a performer and director, I understand what it takes to make a musical come to fruition. The amount of work ethic required to succeed is unfathomable for anyone outside the industry. I cannot imagine the added uphill battle of mounting a show where every cast member has a disability. IMPERFECT showed me that it’s not only possible but positively triumphant.
The film breaks away from rehearsals to focus on each individual’s personal life. These moments successfully solidify our emotional investment in the cast. We get to know who these actors are and why they choose the theatre. Everyone is unique. Sometimes we forget that disability comes in all forms. Their spotlights shine with eloquence and honesty. They raise awareness, shatter stereotypes, and remind us to choose kindness.
I could have watched an entire film on the audition process alone. Frankly, I would watch a series of “imperfect” shows. It is a brilliant treatment for years of unique entertainment. Phamaly Theatre Company might have cornered an untapped market for the masses. Televising the process could have these performers reach a massive audience beyond “Chicago.” Pushing that grandiose idea aside, as a stand-alone doc, you’ll fall head over heels in love with this company. Directors Brian Malone and Regan Linton (who plays double duty as “Chicago’s” director) have given audiences everywhere a heartfelt gift in IMPERFECT. We learn much in an hour and fifteen minutes.
Nocturna: Side B – Where the Elephants Go to Die
Nocturna: Side A – The Great Old Man’s Night and Nocturna: Side B – Where the Elephants Go to Die will be released January 18 on iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, Vimeo, DirecTv, local cable & satellite providers, and on DVD.
Tale as old as time: Boy is lonely, boy meets girl, girl is bad for him. At first, that’s hot. Later, it’s not. Michael Douglass and Glenn Close taught us these dance moves in 1987’s Fatal Attraction. Prieto’s Shattered takes this formula, adds a helping of 1990’s Misery (James Cann plays an injured writer, and Kathy Bates is the nurse who happens to be an obsessed fan. Great movie – don’t watch if you’re squeamish about ankle torture) and gives it all a glossy high-tech setting.
Things get hot and heavy fast and then go wrong even faster. As in, deliriously bonkers fast. This movie is not interested in slow-burning anything – it turns the gas all the way up. Sky, of course, is not who she claims to be, and Chris finds himself in grave danger. Some films would tease this uncertainty out over many scenes, but Shattered stamps down on the gas pedal. This film burns through the plot faster than it can produce it. There’s probably another version of this film where Chris uses his own security app to slowly turn the tables on Sky – a nuanced vision of cat and mouse for the App generation. I would have also loved exploring more of the film’s snowy Montana setting.
Coming in at a tight 92 minutes, the pacing and pleasures of Shattered are more than enough to make up for any glitches in its application. You’ll double-check your password security after watching this one.
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