sundayatdusk-97859

Each episode of this miniseries started off with a disclaimer that while it was based on true events, some parts were fictionalized. Some parts? It was like most of it was fictionalized. All those personal family conversations and what happened during the trip to Kokomo were all fiction. What was even the point of an entire episode consisting of nothing but supposedly what happened on that trip?

The creators of the show obviously had an agenda. Namely, they wanted to show what Buster Murdaugh went through as the sole surviving son, who had to wrestle with the idea his father may have killed his mother and brother. They wanted to create as much sympathy for him as possible. They also cleared him of killing Stephen Smith, even showing a scene where Smith's mother said she did not believe he was responsible.

In addition, they wanted to show Paul Murdaugh deeply regretted the boating accident and had changed his ways. Maggie Murdaugh, too, was seen as someone totally unaware of her husband's fraud, the seriousness of his drug addiction, and someone who would never be more concerned about her son Paul's life than the lives of his friends, including the life of Mallory Beach.

Now, all this may have been true, but how would those behind this miniseries know? They would not. It was mostly fiction, telling a story how they wanted it told. It wasn't exactly captivating or compelling how they told it, either. If you already know the facts about the Murdaugh case and have seen documentaries on it, you can skip this movie. If you can't get enough of the case, though, and love fiction, do watch it.

Yet another holiday movie about someone dying or someone who had died. I swear I am swearing off those type of movies. The main problem with this film, though, was the dialogue was dull; sort of like the type people would have every day in real life that would bore outsiders to death.

Personally, I had no interest in listening to so much talk between a widow and her real estate agent neighbor about staying or moving. Or listening to a granddaughter go on and on about her life and boyfriend, while she and her grandmother were cooking the holiday meal. Both the writing and acting seemed amateurish.

Yes, never-ending mundane talk and that was way before the Thanksgiving meal. Just because people actually have those type of conversations in real life doesn't mean they will interest a movie audience. Thus, I stopped watching and hoped the meal talk was much more interesting for those viewers who continued watching.

I've seen three Poirot movies now starring Peter Ustinov and like his Poirot best in this one. He's not a jerk in this film like he was in "Death on the Nile". It's an interesting story, too, about adult children rigidly controlled by their ex-prison warden stepmother. Which one who so desperately wanted their freedom killed her? Or was it all of them? Or was it someone else? I figured it out before the end. Sometimes the actor or actress chosen to play a killer in a film gives away early on who committed the crime.