NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021½

Interesting but not compelling . Expect more from hbo and spike lee . Perhaps its tome to give other directors new directors a deal.

"NYC Epicenters 9/11 - 2021½" (2021 release; 4 episodes of about 115 min. Each) is a new documentary mini-series from Spike Lee. As Episode 1 opens, we get some quick testimonials from New Yorkers when they heard about the coronavirus for the first time. Lee then serves up images of the abandoned city in March-April 2020 as Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" plays (in its entirety). We then go back in time to clips from 2005 and 2014 when then-Presidents Bush and Obama, respectively, predicted that a pandemic would strike at some point and we needed to be prepared for that. Of course Trump then threw out all existing preparations upon becoming president. It all leads to the devastation that COVID-19 brought upon the 5 boroughs of New York, each one more so than the other... At this point we are 10 min. Into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this is the latest "joint" from Spike Lee, looking at something that is near and dear to his heart: New York, and Brooklyn in particular. What begins at a fairly high-level/big picture view, eventually becomes very personal, as we hear time and again how people in New York were affected by and coping with COVID-19 in all of its forms: from healthcare providers to how bars and restaurants were struggling, etc. At times it is so personal that it becomes emotionally overwhelming (listen to the second generation Colombian-American as he relays what happened with his mother on a nursing home, just heartbreaking). This wouldn't be a true Spike Lee joint if we didn't get some political stuff thrown into the mix: Gov. Andrew Cuomo's cooking the numbers relative to seniors deaths in nursing homes (and then for good measure, trying to cover it up) gets extensive attention, and rightfully so. But also the unintended effect of COVID-19 on the murder of George Floyd and its subsequent fallout are closely examined (always from a New York point of view).

"NYC Epicenters 9/11- 2021½" premiered this weekend on HBO and Episode 1 is now available on HBO On Demand, HBO Max, Amazon Instant Video and other streaming services. New episodes air Sunday evenings at 8 pm Eastern. I quite liked Episode 1 and I look forward to seeing the remaining 3 episodes. If you have any interest in New York, or are simply a fan of Spike Lee, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

*UPDATE 8/29/21* As Episode 1 was released, Spike Lee revealed in a New York Times interview that in the last episode of this mini-series, where much of the focus is on 9/11 and its immediate aftermath, he had provided extensive coverage/platform to 9/11 conspiracy theorists about what caused the World Trade Center buildings to collapse, and simply commented to the NYT that "everyone can make up their own mind". This caused a huge uproar and pushback from the public at large, and long story short, it was just reported that Lee cut out the entire 30 min. Segment dealing with the 9/11 conspiracy theorists. As a result, Episode 4 apparently is now just 90 min. Long. To be continued...

*UPDATE 9/6/21* I've now also seen Episode 3. I can't readily recall a better/more riveting look at 9/11 and all that it entailed, before, during and after. Which makes it all the more puzzling why Episode 4 originally contained a full 30 min devoted to conspiracy theories about how the Twin Towers collapsed. Really looking forward to see how the 4th and last episode turns out.

*UPDATE 9/14/21* I've now seen Episode 4, and it is a logical and moving conclusion of the mini-series. It does indeed clock in at 90 min instead of the usual 120 min. Why Spike Lee originally wanted to include a 30 min segment on the (long-time debunked) conspiracy theories on how the 2 towers "really" collapsed is frankly beyond me. It would've put the entire series to shame. So yea, Lee "did the right thing" but it took a public uproar to get him to do it.... It's important to keep perspective, though, as in: yes, the loss of almost 3,000 lives on 9/11 was and is horrific. But it's the same number of people who continue die of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic EVERY 36 HOURS, as we speak. Covid-19 has claimed 660,000 American lives, and still no end in sight.

Just ignore 1 * reviews from these flat earth right extremist Trump loving cry babies. This is an awesome docuseries with a lot of interesting side stories that does justice to the greatest city in the world - NYC.

Pretty objective view for about 60% of the show. Really compelling stuff, great interviews from regular people you've never heard from before, which was really emotional and was truly compelling.

Then spike adds a "VH1" type comedy relief "witness" who clearly was only in the show for 'scripted' reasons. After he had the hi wire guy and the base jumper interview, and so many "credible" stories, which were amazing and kept me glued to the screen! It was truly disappointing to see some random person, bad mouthing the first responders for keeping poeple at bay after such a serious atrocity. There wasn't a clear message there, because the film tried so hard to reward the first responders, and then he blamed them for protecting the crime scene...

And then at the end he put George Floyd in the film. I completely agree that he was wrongfully treated, abused, and murdered. However , why take away from the9/11 victims? Please don't convolute and confuse the masses.

That is all.

Any negative review or rating below 8/10 of this work (a DOCUMENTARY series) is based purely on ignorance and stupidity. The End.

STATEMENT OF TRUTH: Basing a review of CLEARLY DOCUMENTED FACTS and the ACTUAL EXPERIENCED REALITY of others on opinion and conjecture is thoroughly & absolutely RIDICULOUS. You, meaning all the OTHERS who were NOT PRESENT for originally filmed/documented experiences and/or included as survivor subjects in the filming of these experiences, DO NOT get to have an opinion about someone else's LIVED EXPERIENCE!!! It's THAT simple.

A review or rating of documentary work should be solely inspired by one's visceral response to the filmmaker's artistic expression of said facts & experiences. For example, the question to ask one's self is: how did the inclusion or exclusion of XYZ make you feel?/what kind of response did XYZ elicit from you?

For me personally, I truly appreciated the very candid interviews conducted throughout the series so far. They added another important, necessary dimension or layer of humanity to the potentially abstract or otherwise oh so very blunt force trauma and horror of catastrophic events collectively experienced, even if in very different ways, by Americans across the country and around the world. My experience of the terrorist attacks perpetrated on September 11, 2001 was INCREDIBLY traumatizing (I ended up hospitalized as a direct result of that stress & experience) in its own way despite living in middle America, very much removed from the Eastern Seaboard. I have/had family in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, etc. For whom I was very concerned and afraid. However, my trauma, though absolutely no less valid, is quite significantly different than someone else's who may have been at the Pentagon, inside the Twin Towers, was a family member of someone aboard United 93 who LITERALLY lived through that deadly attack, or had a direct personal attachment to any of those locations. Those interviews, the ones conducted by Spike Lee himself, were an excellent addition to this work. I learned things about which I'd previously NO EARTHLY CLUE because of those interviews. The same can be said of the musical selections, the Covid stories & experiences, the BLM movement & protests, in support of social & cultural change, etc.

This creatively produced, extremely well done docuseries is nothing short of amazing. Spike Lee is simply brilliant and I applaud him, his crew, and everyone involved with the series development and production.