zmyers19

I do not dispute the director's craft. This film is enthralling and engaging, and he keeps it interesting albeit frustrating to the end.

What I do dispute is the director's lack of opinion and apparent siding with this family.

If Arnold and Jesse didn't do anything inappropriate, I can imagine they would be flabbergasted with such charges and be wondering to themselves the entire film "where is this coming from? I'm absolutely perplexed". But they're not. The entire film Jesse and David are constantly WHINING and incredibly defensive, constantly saying "nothing happened." When, things DID happen.

• the police found stacks of child porn in Arnold's office. Fact
• Arnold admitted to abusing Jesse. Fact.

• Jesse admitted to his lawyer (who's more credible than he is) that his father abused him and he abused (and was willing to admit to abusing) computer students. Fact.

• there was a computer game with naked men and women used by Arnold to test the boys willingness to engage.

Arnold, David, and Jesse make themselves out to be these spoiled, whining, brats throughout the film. There's no remorse for anything. There's no empathy for any of the victims, including themselves. There's nothing but absolute denial when the evidence is clear as day.

To me, the BIGGEST VICTIM OF THEIR CRIMES IS THEIR MOTHER. The abuse I saw her endure during this film is absolutely atrocious. I'm glad she found someone decent to live out the rest of her days, because her sons and husband treated her like GARBAGE. It was infuriating the watch. They deserved what they got simply for their treatment of her. It was despicable.

What is perplexing is the wide range of testimony from the computer students, with some saying they were molested several times and some saying they never saw or heard a thing. One picture shows the students having fun in the class. This is the biggest question I have - why do some remember and some don't? I do think it's possible the police may have interrogated inappropriately, even to the point of using hypnosis and planting false memories. If this was true, it would be a massive injustice and proof the police were part of the hysteria.

But to me I have biggest issue with Jarecki and how silent he is on the direction of the film. This is a subject that should infuriate you but he treats it so lightly, allowing footage of the sons berating their mother for having any emotion and making us listen to the sons WHINE CONSTANTLY without offering any evidence of Jesse or their father's innocence. All they did was deny. Everyone deserves a fair shake but to me this entire family was in complete denial and clearly couldn't deal with this situation. I don't blame them, honestly. So why doesn't Jarecki call them out?

I love Mission impossible movies. 4 thru 6 just got better and built upon themselves. I rewatch them once a year or so and always catch something new. Dead Reckoning looked incredible from the trailers but something held me back from seeing it in the theatres. The reviews all seemed to say "I know I just saw a Tom Cruise Mission Impossible Movie and the stunts and action blew my mind but there's something....missing." So I didn't see it in theatres. And I'm kinda glad. After watching it at home, I feel the same way. It's not...quite up to the bar set by 4 thru 6 from an emotional or character development standpoint.

And after watching it twice, a few things annoy me.

1. A few too many head cocks. Seriously, does every person have to cock their head to convey emotion in this film? There were at least 5 of them. I have the key (head cock). I just outsmarted you ( head cock). I just showed up when you didn't expect me (head cock). I pulled off a mask and turns out I'm someone else - bet you didn't see that coming (head cock). You've gone to the well too many times with this gesture and it's annoying. Stop. Stop.

2. And a few too many conversations when 4 different people complete one part of a full sentence in sequence without missing a beat. It's completely unbelievable. I can't have a conversation with ONE person without accidentally talking over them and these people can have fully complete thoughts and decide who conveys that thought in a complete sentence sequentially MULTIPLE TIMES in a movie. It's lazy and overdone and honestly something you see on MANIFEST or something. Maybe once in a movie but not 3-4 times, and every time something complex or incredibly emotional is explained. We're smarter than that - please trust your audience to figure out what's going on.

I do hope the second one is better. I do hope this franchise doesn't go the way of the Matrix or other franchises like it where they sell out on action and forget that their audiences have brains.

There are few things as powerful as the draw of buried treasure. One of them is the love of family. The Curse of Oak Island has both.

Rick and Marty Lagina are two brothers who have been passionate about Oak Island since they were kids reading about it in Reader's Digest. Each episode...each season...each moment is a rollercoaster ride you take with them. They've heard story after story. Legend after legend. There's something down there. And they want to find it. It could be gold. It could be a significant historical find. It could be more. But they're going to find it. And there getting close.

When there is excitement you feel it with them. When there is hope you feel it with them. When there is bitterness, disappointment and loss you feel it with them as well. I'll be honest, this can be a frustrating show. But the geniuneness and determination of Rick and Marty and their team keep me coming back. They're determined to make a breakthrough on this island. This is reality TV at its best. This is a genuine quest for truth and these brothers deliver the goods...just not always the goods you're expecting. There are no scripts that I can see. There are no lines and these folks aren't actors. These are men who want the truth and are giving up everything to find it.

I watch this show religiously with my wife LIVE the day it comes out, every episiode, every week.