Set as Homepage - Add to Favorites

日韩欧美成人一区二区三区免费-日韩欧美成人免费中文字幕-日韩欧美成人免费观看-日韩欧美成人免-日韩欧美不卡一区-日韩欧美爱情中文字幕在线

【eroticism tumblr】'The Staircase' review: Exploitative true crime at its best and worst

HBO Max's The eroticism tumblrStaircaseis like staring into an infinity mirror of true crime. The more you watch it, the more idly transfixed you become by the illusion — and simultaneously perplexed by its existence in the first place.

Fascinating, nauseating, and a slog all at once, the 2022 true crime drama starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette should not be confused with the wildly popular 2004 documentary series of the same name that this fictionalized show is based on. It also should not be confused with the original docuseries' sequel, The Staircase II, or any of the countless re-releases over the past two decades across various networks and platforms — the latest being Netflix's 2018 13-episode version combining all previously released footage with a couple hours' worth of updates.

Clearly audiences (and the TV execs vying for our attention) simply cannot get enough of Michael Peterson's story.


You May Also Like

Back in 2001, the wealthy novelist's privileged life was very publicly shattered after being accused of brutally murdering his wife Kathleen in their ritzy North Carolina mansion. The trial dominated news cycles, as prosecutors insisted that the shocking carnage of the scene unequivocally proved Michael's guilt, while he (and most of their children) insisted it was just a horrible freak accident.

The documentary gave viewers an intimate, all-access front row seat to Peterson's defense team, and the trial's shattering effect on a grieving family forced to perform for the media circus. But the fictionalized series adds a layer of meta-commentary that renders both the prosecution team and the French documentarians (one of whom actually became enamored with Peterson) as central characters in the story.

By incorporating the filming of this popular piece of true crime media into the plot itself, 2022's The Staircaseaims to ask lofty questions about the nature of fact, fiction, and narrative in the American criminal justice system. It's as navel-gazey as this new crop of "elevated" true crime subgenres gets, with a puzzlingly pseudo-intellectual tagline that proclaims "There is No Truth Without Lies."

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!
It's as navel-gazey as this new crop of "elevated" true crime subgenres gets.

To call The Staircasea "true crime classic" is to accurately describe the total dehumanization process that every single real-life person connected to this awful death underwent during their decades in the public eye. But the HBO Max dramatization feels like the final stage of this tragedy-exploitation machine. It not only reduces Kathleen, Michael, and their kids (one of whom is played by Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner) into literal fictional characters for our entertainment consumption, but even adds colorful new personalities like real-life prosecutor Freda Black (portrayed by the inimitable Parker Posey).

It's uniquely grotesque to watch this star-studded cast re-enact the well-worn story beats of this brutal case, especially because of how their immense talents can turn these IRL people into such compelling characters. The show also goes to painstaking lengths to recreate every single blood-soaked second of Kathleen's final agonizing moments of life—not just once, but a couple times. Collette uses all her horror-acting chops to really sell us on every painful death rattle in the two different versions of Kathleen's death posited by the homicide investigators and Michael's defense team.

SEE ALSO: Untangling true crime: Inside the ethics of Hollywood's greatest guilty pleasure

There are even heavy-handed winks to the camera to spotlight what one can only describe as "easter eggs" for "fans" of this classic true-crime did-he-dunnit case. More than once, teasing introductions to key pieces of heavily-debated evidence and hints at the speculative theories about this actual human being's death are deployed for great dramatic effect. Aside from the grossness of it all, it raises the question of who this series is even for. There isn't a lot of new stuff to be gleaned from Hollywood giving the 20-year-old documentary a fictionalized glow-up, but at the same time the show is written in a way that assumes you know everything about the case already.

While reviewers only received five out of the eight total episodes, it's clear that the infamous "owl theory" will soon come into play too, as evidenced by the abundance of bird imagery and some not-so-subtle lines sprinkled throughout. For those out-of-the-loop, the "owl theory" is one of those preposterous alternate hypotheses normalized today by so-called online sleuths who post theories about true crime cases to Reddit and TikTok. Like those amateur internet sleuths, the filmmakers don't seem very interested in interrogating the immorality of treating real-world victims like they're part of a murder mystery game.

Parker Posey takes on the role of prosecutor Freda Black in "The Staircase" on HBO MaxThere's no arguing that this cast absolutely nails their performances. Credit: HBO Max

While the show purports to ask critical questions about this twisted human impulse that fuels the true crime phenomenon, it delights far too much in sensationalizing Kathleen's mysterious death to say anything of value. More often than not, it comes across as the most disturbing live-action dramatization of Clue: The Real True Crime Story Edition. Where was Kathleen murdered? Why, on the staircase, of course! But was it with the fireplace poker or sleeping pills mixed with a few glasses of wine? Who killed Kathleen on the staircase, with either the fireplace poker or an accidental fall? Why, it can only be Mr. Peterson himself — or that pesky Mr. Owl!

It comes across as the most disturbing live-action dramatization of 'Clue: The Real True Crime Story Edition'

2022's The Staircase clearly wants to take a page out of Ryan Murphy's The People vs. OJ Simpson, though, by calling attention to how American society elides the humanity of victims to put on a good performance of justice in the courtroom. At best, though, it's only a poor, self-serious imitation of what made that show worthwhile. There's far less style, cultural relevance, thoughtfulness, and sensitivity toward the loved ones who still survive those IRL victims and must relive the trauma every time we decide to drag their corpses back onto that public stage for "fun."

Listen, I don't say any of this from atop a moral high horse. I also can't pretend that The Staircasedidn't eventually hook me a couple of times. Like so many others, I'm a bonafide true crime bottom-feeder. If The Staircase(in all its iterations) embodies exploitative true crime trashiness, then I am its garbage disposal — guzzling the regurgitated human blood from the same cases of violent human tragedy over and over again.

If you're looking for answers about this case or even the larger ethical conundrums of the true-crime genre, you won't find it in HBO Max's The Staircase. But when it comes to true crime fodder, it's a retelling sure to feed other murder-loving goblins like myself.

Topics HBO Reviews Streaming True Crime

0.1326s , 10024.140625 kb

Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【eroticism tumblr】'The Staircase' review: Exploitative true crime at its best and worst,Public Opinion Flash  

Sitemap

Top 主站蜘蛛池模板: 1区2区3区4区产品乱码芒果精品神马在线播放 | 夜夜草无码| 亚洲视頻4438 | 亚洲国产丝袜一区二区 | 亚洲欧美国产视频 | 国产日韩精品欧美一区灰灰 | 国产精品扒开腿做爽爽青涩情侣 | 欧美粗大特黄AAA片 欧美村妇激情内射 | 天天干在线观看 | 大白屁股白浆一区二区 | 人妻无码久久精品 | 不卡无在一区二区三区四区 | 欧美日韩第一区 | www一区二区三区 | 色婷婷久久综合中文久久一本 | 无码国产精品一区二区免费16 | 黑人狂躁日本少妇在线观 | 国产精品三级国语在线看 | 人妻妺妺窝人体色聚色窝 | 国产成人久久久精品二区三区 | 精品国产精品乱码不卞 | 四虎影视久久久免费 | 午夜热门精品一区二区三区 | 国产一区2区 | 欧美日韩精品系列一区二区三区 | 国产精品无码mv | 在线免费观看成人网站 | 含羞草官网一线二线人口 | 久久精品免费看 | 天天综合天天综合站网站 | 另类制服丝袜国产亚洲第一页 | 中文有码人妻字幕在线 | 国产suv精品一区二区四区 | av无码国产一区二区三区 | 国产疯狂女同互磨高潮在线看 | 精品人妻无码区二区三区 | 日本小动作影片推荐 | 亚洲成a人片在线观看无码3d | 国产又色又爽又黄视频网站 | 97亚洲熟妇自偷自拍另类图片欧美欧美一区免费视频高清天 | 91麻豆精品国产自产在线观看 |