ENTERTAINMENT
Available Now ‘THE INNOCENCE FILES’ INTERROGATES THE AMERICAN JUSTICE SYSTEM ON NETFLIX BY JOE NOLAN Film Critic Police procedurals and true crime programs of all sorts are trending before our eyeballs and in our ear buds courtesy of streaming docuseries and podcasts. The Innocence Files is a new Netflix series that scratches this same itch, but with a twist: It profiles innocent people behind bars and the struggles they face on a long road to freedom. The title refers to The Innocence Project, which was founded by former defense attorneys Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck at Cardozo School of Law in New York City in 1992. The organization was inspired by the advent of DNA evidence technology, which The Innocence Project has leaned on in its mission to free wrongly accused prisoners and even death row inmates awaiting executions for crimes they never committed. The Innocence Files reads like series-within-series with the nine episodes in its first season divided into categories: The Evidence, The Witness and The Prosecution. Some of the cases presented get followed for more than one episode. Some do not. The episodes also explore cases in different cities in various regions of the country. What holds the The Innocence Files together is its interrogation of the justice system as a whole. The Innocence Files argues that when innocent people are jailed
by a corrupt system it’s whole families, entire communities, and — ultimately — democracy itself that pays the price. I’m more of a police procedural geek than a true crime fanatic, and The Innocence Files offers a cornucopia of details about how crime investigations play out, and the tools and skill sets that inform them. The Evidence episodes of the series spotlight the field of forensic odontology, which applies dental science to crime investigations. An expert examination of the teeth of an anonymous victim might help to make a positive identification. On the other hand a bite mark on a victim might be treated like a fingerprint if a mold of the suspect’s teeth match a bite pattern on a victim’s skin. However, the patterns of our teeth change with age and dental history, and there is no science supporting the notion that dental patterns are unique — like fingerprints — between individuals. The Innocence Files’ fascinating excavation of the practice reveals that forensic odontology helped to convict Ted Bundy. It also put three of the series’ innocent prisoners behind bars. Neufeld and Scheck serve as the series’ protagonists — more realistic versions of the crusading lawyers we’re served in Hollywood
What Podcasts to Listen to 8 PODCASTS TO DISTRACT YOU, TEACH YOU SOMETHING NEW, OR MAKE YOU LAUGH. BY SANDRA AMSTUTZ Staying In with Emily & Kumail Writer/former therapist Emily V. Gordon and comedian/actor Kumail Nanjiani created the Staying In podcast as a response to our physical and emotional needs during this pandemic. With Emily being immunosuppressed, they discuss how they are dealing with the stress of the pandemic and her health as a married couple. They also created this show as a way to provide distraction recommendations and helpful communication and coping strategies to use while we’re all stuck in our houses. All of the proceeds generated from Staying In are being donated to charities helping those struggling as a result of the quarantine. Good One: A Podcast About Jokes Vulture.com senior editor Jesse David
Fox hosts this weekly podcast dedicated to the analysis of a perfect joke. Each episode features a comedian explaining the origins and development process behind some of their most successful material. Comedy Central roasts, stand-up bits, Saturday Night Live sketches and more are all picked apart and mined for the ideas and methods that crafted them. “Anthony Jeselnik’s Three Flights” is a great episode to start with as it dissects how Jeselnik can make seemingly offensive material undeniably funny. Inside Voices Kevin Porter creates and listens to lots of podcasts. On his newest show, Inside Voices, he has other podcast hosts on as guests to discuss the quality of their voice, why they started podcasting and how their shows have progressed. If
courtroom dramas. Their passion for justice and their sense of crusade against an unjust system is real, but so are their tired eyes and the mundane administrative slog that is the greater part of the work of criminal justice lawyers. The unfairly jailed “innocents” actually seem eerily similar — once unique, younger, more vibrant individuals who’ve been stifled and stunted by years or decades behind bars. The most colorful characters in the series are the experts, district attorneys, family members, friends and crime victims who fill-out The Innocence Files’ universe and remind viewers of the complex chess board where criminal justice is played out, and the high stakes that are weighed in the balance.
you are hunting for new podcasts to listen to, this is the perfect place to get started. One particularly interesting episode is “Amir Blumenfeld Has A Nasal Voice” because it charts not only guest Amir Blumenfeld’s journey as a content creator and podcast host, but also as a founder of a successful podcast network. Newcomers Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus are two comedians who have never seen a single Star Wars movie. This show documents their journey watching every film in the saga and exploring the fandom from a fresh new perspective. Helpfully, they also have Star Wars superfans as guests on each episode to provide context for the times the movies were released and the ever-changing relationship the fans have with George Lucas. Newcomers is filled with laughs and errors (such as Nicole refusing to call Harrison Ford’s character anything other than “Hans”) and, therefore, not recommended for those who are easily angered by people not taking a space opera seriously. Punch Up The Jam Host Miel Bredouw (and in earlier
The series boasts a slew of Academy Award and Emmy winners in production and directorial roles and the series consistently and effectively shifts its tone between a grisly crime documentary, a journalistic investigation that’s mostly very good at producing the necessary receipts and a human drama about time lost and time regained. Time spent with The Innocence Files is time well served. The Innocence Files debuts on Netflix on April 15.
Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/ songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.
episodes, former co-host Demi Adejuyigbe) created Punch Up The Jam as a way to comedically dissect some of the most famous modern pop songs. A line by line lyrical analysis with a fellow comedian guest is followed by a Weird Al-esque “punch up” of the original song, created by either Miel or Demi. Music lovers will appreciate the nerdy, but lighthearted approach to studying chord and lyric choices. Start with an episode that features your favorite song or listen to “‘Kokomo’ by The Beach Boys (w/ Jon Gabrus)” for one of the show’s best song parodies.
Blank Check Respected film critic David Sims and actor/comedian Griffin Newman are two close friends who love talking about movies. Together, along with their jolly and vocal producer Ben Hosley, they created Blank Check, a podcast about director’s filmographies. Throughout multiple mini-series, each featuring a different director, they review every film a director has made. With very few new movies being released right now, this podcast is the perfect opportunity for film fans to go back and catch up on all the films from the industry’s best creators.
Dead Eyes Back in 2001, comedian/actor Connor Ratliff auditioned for and booked a small role on HBO’s mini-series Band of Brothers. He was soon fired and told that it was because director Tom Hanks thought he had “dead eyes.” Following in the footsteps of much more serious mystery shows such as Serial and S-Town, Dead Eyes strives to uncover the truth behind Connor’s firing. The show also features a bevy of well-known guests having vulnerable discussions with Connor about rejection and the fickleness of the entertainment industry.
Urgent Care Mitra Jouhari and Joel Kim Booster are comedians and close friends who host the advice podcast, Urgent Care. They can’t always guarantee good or healthy advice, but you will have a blast listening to them confidently answer their troubled callers’ questions. Half of the fun is witnessing them struggle to come up with a clever nickname for each anonymous person that writes in or leaves them a voicemail. Like most things in life, the best place to start is with their first episode, “Icelandic Meat,” where two precocious teens call in asking for the best way to get revenge.
PAGE 12 | April 15 - 29, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
