Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.howtogeek.com
To end the month, HBO Max is raising the bar in terms of the quality of its content. One of my favorite new movies of the year, The Invite, is now streaming on HBO Max. It’s a comedy for adults, a genre that feels like a rarity in today’s Hollywood landscape. Speaking of adults, documentaries are a staple for older audiences, and HBO Max has intriguing options.
I picked three documentaries that you can finish in one weekend. The first is an insightful look into the famous son of a U.S. president who became a cultural icon in the 1990s. The next documentary is a recent release about the origins of a Louisiana pet cemetery. Finally, my top selection of the week is an exploration into the life and career of the Piano Man.
3
American Prince: JFK Jr.
A pop culture sensation
Credit: CNN
Celebrity offspring are a part of tabloid culture. This coverage is very prominent with the children of actors—look at Zoë Kravitz, Suri Cruise, and the children of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as prime examples. The children of political leaders are a different type of celebrity. Stories about Jenna Bush Hager and Malia and Sasha Obama are certainly written, but they don’t hold the same weight as a headline with an A-lister.
John F. Kennedy Jr. broke the mold for coverage of a politician’s child. JFK Jr. was as A-list as you could get from the late 1980s through the 1990s. Every single thing JFK Jr. did move the needle in tabloid culture: failing the bar exam, playing football in the park, and his love life. JFK Jr.’s relationship with his wife, Carolyn Bessette, was dramatized earlier this year in Love Story, a streaming show that everyone was talking about.
American Prince: JFK Jr. examines the titular prince’s decision to create George, a magazine that tried to bridge the gap between politics and lifestyle entertainment. His relationship with Bessette and their tragic deaths are also covered in this three-part documentary. However, the George launch is an undercovered element of JFK Jr.’s life that many might be learning about for the first time.
American Prince: JFK Jr. consists of three episodes that run for 43 minutes each.
2
The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story
How do you lose a person?
Hand up—I did not realize pet cemeteries existed in the United States. My knowledge of the topic stems from Pet Semetery, the Stephen King novel adapted into multiple movies. The movies are fictional, hence why I didn’t know pet cemeteries were a real thing. Not only do they exist, but one in New Orleans might be haunted.
The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story is a wild documentary series that takes viewers back to 1985. Dorothy Lou Thompson, who owned a pet cemetery in the bayou, was found wrapped in chains at the bottom of the Mississippi River. The murder case went unsolved for years due to a lack of evidence. In 2009, things changed after a witness came forward and claimed he saw Dorothy’s ghost. It sounds like an unbelievable story, but the more the authorities look into the supernatural claim, the more information about Dorothy’s tragic past surfaces.
It’s a documentary that makes you question everything you think you know about paranormal activity. Are you a believer, or are you a skeptic? Dorothy’s case feels like something that would be used in an episode of The X-Files. Perhaps you should leave your beliefs at the door and watch with an open mind.
The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story has three episodes with runtimes between 44 minutes and 53 minutes.
1
Billy Joel: And So It Goes
Sing us a song tonight
Being from New York, you’re almost required to listen to Billy Joel from a young age. The Stranger is my favorite Joel album. It’s certainly a love letter to New York, but on a thematic level, The Stranger revolves around the duality of human nature and the secrets we hide from others.
Now, Joel is revealing some of those secrets in Billy Joel: And So It Goes, a fantastic two-part documentary about the rise, fall, and comeback of the Piano Man. Joel came from a humble background on Long Island, and his musical talent emerged at a young age. The doc explores how Joel came to write some of his biggest hits, including “Piano Man,” “She’s Always a Woman,” and “Uptown Girl.” I always love learning how the ‘sausage is made’ in the music industry.
However, the bigger selling point of And So It Goes is the exploration of Joel’s private life. Behind closed doors, Joel was a tortured artist who found a savior in music. His personal struggles are reflected in the lyrics of many of his songs. It’s a fantastic documentary, and you’ll likely start adding more Joel to your playlist.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes has two episodes with runtimes of 147 minutes and 145 minutes.
What else should you be watching?
I’m always looking at the weekly lists of movies being added to streaming services. I have my eye on Whiplash, which is coming to Netflix on Nov. 1. Speaking of Netflix, I recommend Heat and Top Gun: Maverick, two movies impossible to stop watching after the first scene.
- Subscription with ads
-
Yes, $10.99/month
- Simultaneous streams
-
2 or 4
