Journalism Movie – Matthew Liedke on Film

Another exhibit in the “Frontline” is better than network news magazine shows folder.

“Primetime” is a film centering on “To Catch a Predator,” a series part of NBC’s news magazine show “Dateline,” which boasted massive ratings for the Peacock channel in the mid 2000s. The film picks up with the series having established success and being bumped to a primetime slot to compete for the highest view share.

Driving a lot of success is host Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson), who’s become consumed the ratings success, and the thrill of the hunt, so to speak, in exposing the men looking to meet minors. As the show gets bigger, it hires a young actor, Dan (Skyler Gisondo), to play a decoy. While he’s initially excited about the job, Dan begins to question the tactics of Hansen and the TCAP crew.

The Newspaper of Record is a publication not without its faults, but the rigorous work at the New York Times that launched the Me Too Movement was absolutely commendable.

That effort is dramatized in “She Said,” which follows Times journalists Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan), as well as other staff members digging into sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Their work followed the inauguration of President Donald Trump, with the Times planning to investigate more assault allegations beyond the world of politics.

After getting a lead about allegations in Hollywood, Kantor and Twohey begin working the story and soon find out there’s much more abuse than what was first expected. The movie then follows their efforts to gather legal documents and talk to the many victims.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘She Said’ tells an important story in good fashion”