An Exercise In Nonsense

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I could make a documentary and use only evidence that makes Manson look innocent. Paradise Lost was made by foreigners with the intent of making the American justice system look bad. Then all of the closet satanists and atheists took up the cause. In one of the earlier documentaries, one of the supporters is actually on the phone telling others that they do not want everyone showing up at an appeal hearing dressed in all black. They also use a bunch of clowns with made up forensics as "proof" of their innocence.Which brings us to this trash. It is a propaganda rehash of the other documentaries. The rednecks railroaded some innocent teenagers. First, why would an investigator allow the murderer of 3 little boys to get away, just to convict 3 other morons. Second, if you research the real facts and not the made up nonsense of this POS, you will see that their was a lot more to the prosecution's case. These guys did it, were convicted, and in the end made a guilty plea that basically states they were not pleading guilty but agreed that the prosecution had enough evidence to convict them again.Everybody who was moved by this documentary would have been marching up and down the street in Germany in the 30's saluting Hitler. Propaganda is used because it works on the majority of gullible people. I particularly like the reviewer with the devil face and horns in his avatar, he must be unbiased and he supports these guys fully. You may think the devil worshiping thing is BS, but three redneck teenagers from West Memphis were playing devil worship games in 1993 and murdered three little boys in the process. Now they are free to roam the streets thanks to these documentary filmmakers.I read earlier that one of the murderers is a producer of this trash. So now he is making money off of his crimes. He also goes on the college circuit to proclaim his innocence for money. However, every time he is confronted by someone with the real facts, he runs off the stage in a tantrum.

I've been following this case ever since HBO aired the first 'Paradise Lost' film in 1996. I was 15 then, and at the age, I was outraged and angry at how the justice system was working in Arkansas. I couldn't believe that these people could convict three innocent young men with no evidence to life in prison, with one receiving the death penalty. Needless to say, over the years, i have researched and tried to help any way that I could to this case by sending emails and letters and really anything I could do in my power to help free the West Memphis 3. And fortunately, there were two more sequels done by the original team who made 'Paradise Lost', which shed new light on the convictions. However, now, director Amy Berg delivers 'West of Memphis' with the help of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, which offers many new insights and interviews for the audience who have followed this case from the beginning, while letting newcomers in easily. It's one of the better documentaries ever made.I'm sure some of you might say, "why is this even being made?" Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky already made the three 'Paradise Lost' documentaries, which chronicled the three men's trials, prison sentence, and their ultimate release for prison 18 years later. You can rest easy to know that Berg pays homage and gives credit to the 'Paradise Lost' films almost immediately and does so throughout the 2 and a half hour documentary, and even goes further than the original filmmakers did.It starts out with the actual footage of the police officers finding the three murdered children, which this beginning acts more as a recount of why Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin are in prison. The year is 1994 in West Memphis, Arkansas, and we see a montage of dialogue and video of their first trial and their convictions, which ends with Echols smiling from the back of a police car as he's hauled away. For some people not familiar with the case, it would be easy to see why these boys were convicted.From here we fast forward 15 years later with millions of people around the world out to free these three innocent men who are still in prison. Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh (famous for 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy), heard about this case and immediately wanted to help. So in 2005, they called the right people and financially supported new DNA testing, new investigations into the trial, and even getting new hearings based on the evidence they were finding. Some of their researched turned up that while back in 1994 at their trial, it was said that satanic ritual killings were used on the three children, but that the evidence showed that their bodies were being eaten by animals as they laid in the water. They even did live tests to show that turtles were the particular animal that caused all of the scratches and bite marks on the children.The documentary also focuses on Echols' time in prison and how he met Lorri Davis, a woman who wrote to him in prison and eventually married and are still together to this day and living in New York. Lorri has worked on the case for a long time and was a big part of organizing the world wide awareness of the injustice of the West Memphis 3.There is also a very big chunk of the documentary devoted to Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of one of the victims, who we learn is the prime suspect in the murders and is still walking free today. Through Berg's documentary, she unravels some harsh and very shocking truths about Hobbs and how the West Memphis police never thought he could be a suspect. However, that's not the case as new testimony made from a tip line in 2012 suggests that Hobbs was the killer and that they had evidence.Well, we all know the story and how the state of Arkansas, in order to avoid the shame and humility and loss of millions of dollars, told the three men that they could go free if they pleaded guilty, which is called the Alford Plea. And we see some of the degenerate Arkansas politicians who were wanting to close this case with much quickness as to avoid any possible embarrassment and says that he still believes the three men are guilty because they pleaded guilty in order to get out of jail, which made the entire audience gasp and yell.Berg pulls at our heart strings for these three once young teenagers who are all now in their 40s and have spent 18 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. If you see one documentary this season, see 'West of Memphis'. It will stay with you forever.

Story: We follow the case of the West Memphis Three and how the case showed they were guilty. We then start to look at how things were not as they seemed and that the three were in fact innocent, we meet the people involved in the case and mixed together with real footage. We see how a massive group of people built a support group to prove that the boys were innocent. We also look at how new evidence that continually got dismissed and the case missed key evidence that would have looked at other suspects. We are left to see how this case is still talked about today.After watching 'The Devil's Knot' I was suggested this film by 'White on Film' as it shows more to the story. What this manages to do is show how the case was so poorly put together we do get to see how many people's lives were affected by the outcome of the case. The mix of interviews with the people involved and real footage works really well to help us turn into supporters of the truth. Sadly we still don't get the truth due to the poorly run law system in Arkansas. This is put together really well to help the story be told and it is one that should be heard by everyone. (9/10)Director Review: Amy Berg – Amy does a great job mixing the interviews and achieves footage to tell the story that managed to shock a nation. (9/10)Documentary: As the story has never been solved it is brilliantly put together to show how the whole case was put together so badly. (10/10)Suggestion: This is a must watch as it gives us the audience a chance to see more about the case that people needed to see. (Watch)Believability: This is a mix between the real footage and interviews that tells the true story of a mishandled case. (10/10)Chances of Tears: No (0/10)Chances of Sequel: NoPost Credits Scene: NoAwards: Nominated for a BAFTAOscar Chances: NoRuntime: 2 Hours 27 MinutesOverall: A Must Watch DocumentaryCheck out more reviews on http://moviesreview101.com/

West of Memphis is a documentary of such clarity and precision that its findings will leave you rattled by a heinous crime but also convinced by how methodically researched and argued it is. This is a powerful example of how cinema can be used as an expression of fact and director Amy Berg utilises this strength to persuade and then allow you to draw your own conclusions about the tragic case.With a story that reads like a Hollywood thriller, and one that has been embraced by celebrities in several different ways, there are numerous facets to the tragedy that are examined in great detail. Although the case has been covered between three HBO films called Paradise Lost, this is one single film that reflects on the police corruption, sensationalism and the way that minorities and people of low economic status are discriminated against.The film documents a terrible crime in the city of Memphis in 1993, where three boys were found dead. Their bodies were also mutilated and this was said to be part of a satanic ritual. The satanic element of the crime led the police to arrest three teenagers who became known as the West Memphis Three.Damien Echols' interest in dark magic made him an easy target for the police and was sentenced to death. The other two boys were Jessie Misskelley, Jr., who people said was mentally handicapped, and Jason Baldwin, whose brave decision would affect the lives of the other as much as his own. These two were both given life sentences. The boys would spend eighteen years in prison, but due to the efforts of people fighting for their innocence they were able to enter a complicated plea asserting their innocence but acknowledging the states guilty ruling too. They were released from prison the very same day.The documentary is insightful towards the inconsistencies of policing methods and the evidence used to convict the teens. Police interview recordings show how they interrogated rather than interviewed the boys and then coached the confessions from them, drawing the answers they wanted to hear. Years later, witnesses also admitted to lying and changing their stories too. Another important lapse is the discovery of the murder weapon, the knife. Its location was predetermined so early that the media was alerted before it was found. The markings on the bodies are also said to be from an animal like a turtle, not the knife.A crucial turning point in the documentary is when the film argues persistently about the suspicion of Terry Hobbs. He was the stepfather of one of the victims, Stevie Edward Branch. Venturing onto Hobbs' own personal blog, he is still adamant that there is only speculation about the murders, citing an article from the father of one of the boys, who revokes the claims made against Hobbs. I wonder what the father will make of this film. It covers Hobbs' own violent history, including domestic assault, as well as his constant passivity towards questions over his flawed alibi. By the end of the film I was certain he was guilty.Numerous famous people also believed in the innocence of these teens too, the most prominent of which is filmmaker Peter Jackson. He helped arrange for sophisticated legal aids to be brought in and to reassess the case. Other celebrities like Johnny Depp and various singers addressed the issue. It is also interesting to note how this story is being addressed by Hollywood too in a feature film.It's not hard to see why. The crux of this story could be read as a feel good story about bravery and the determination for the truth. But it is also a sad story about damaged relationships, including Hobbs' own daughter Amanda, who had a fractured life. While in gaol, Damien started a relationship with Lorri Davis from the outside. She supplied him with books and they decided to wed before he was free. Furthermore, the film is also an examination of the impulsiveness of small, insulated communities to demand answers, whether they are accurate or not. One man interviewed states: "The community was relieved to have someone behind bars. They didn't have to be scared anymore". I hope these layers, along with the fear of the unknown and religious fanaticism, aren't lost in the fictional adaptation. It is difficult to state what makes the documentary so compelling. The true story speaks for itself: it's embedded in many complex twists and examples corruption and the failure of the justice system. But it is the coherency of the material, the clarity of the filmmaker's arguments, including how this content is presented through techniques like juxtaposition, which casts this as a thoroughly researched piece. It supplies two of the most important staples of any documentary: it informs and convinces.