March 30, 2015
EP. 68 — Why Documentaries Lie
Anthropomorphic goatee and director of ‘The Jinx’ Andrew Jarecki has recently taken criticism from many sides regarding the ending of his documentary series. Some condemn the way he sat on critical evidence and withheld it from the police, while others criticize how he inserts himself into the story of ‘The Jinx’ and how its final episode fraudulently plays with chronology. But if Robert Durst goes to prison, do the ends justify the means?
Other popular documentaries have an even less legitimate relationship with the truth. Morgan Spurlock’s results from ‘Super Size Me’ haven’t been able to be replicated; ‘Searching for Sugarman’ conveniently leaves out that Rodriguez knew he was world famous in a number of other countries; and ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ is basically pure propaganda, yet their entertainment value is undeniable and carries weight despite these criticisms.
This week on the podcast, Jack O’Brien is joined by editors Jason Pargin (aka David Wong) and Josh Sargent to talk about the recent documentary boom and some of the genre’s most popular entries from the last 10 years. They have a spoiler-filled discussion about ‘Serial’ and ‘The Jinx’, talk through the tricks documentarians use to manipulate truth, and whether their ultimate obligation should be to honesty or entertainment.
Recent Episodes
January 26, 2020
Freedom sucks…and that is why we have to defend it. Because our democracy involves doing a lot of stuff that takes energy, takes time, and lacks that Michael Bay Quality that only a surprise missile launch can provide. So on this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt and special guest Jason Pargin (who writes for Cracked as David Wong) are exploring the ways being afraid of everything (an easy action) can stop us from being free. Discover the decades-long tradition of some Americans wanting to give up everything in exchange for not needing to think, the centuries-long tradition of people inciting fake panics, and the reasonable ways you can help change things for the better.
Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/why-fear-based-democracies-arenE28099t-free-with-jason-pargin/
January 19, 2020
How’s your local shopping mall doing? Have you checked on it lately? Swing by sometime, because its department store might’ve turned into a call center or a hospital or a go-kart track. On this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by the one and only Kai Ryssdal (Marketplace, Make Me Smart) for a look at surprising, strange, and shocking stories from all over the U.S. economy. Discover an international pig flu, a 26-word statement that built the modern Internet, and more amazing ways cash is ruling everything around you. By the way, if you’re an American listener, you spent the past few years funding an astonishingly huge bailout. Surprise! Listen for details!
Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/5-parts-u.s.-economy-that-are-stranger-than-you-think
January 12, 2020
Movies, TV, gaming: three things that are theoretically a waste of time. Oh sure, they deliver value in the art sense, and comfort in the goofing-off sense. But what if they’re more valuable than that? What if consuming shows and playing video games (accidentally) turns people into real-life heroes? On this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by comedians/writers Caitlin Gill and Alex Watt for a look at the surprising number of times that exact thing happened. They’ll explore stories of regular people who saved a life thanks to skills gained randomly from cartoons, sitcoms, ‘World Of Warcraft’, and more silly entertainment.
Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/9-times-pop-culture-accidentally-taught-people-to-save-lives/