The House I Live In (USA) Directed by Eugene Jarecki

Eugene Jarecki (Freakanomics; The Trials of Henry Kissinger) brings us a documentary examining America’s war against drugs. Using the family experience of his childhood nanny/domestic Nannie Jeter, Jarecki (perhaps not fully aware of the slicing irony involved in his connection) to (somewhat awkwardly) add a quasi-personal element into the mix, weaves his tale of the history of drug enforcement and its overwhelmingly disparaging affect upon minorities and people of lower economic class. Ex-journalist/ author/TV producer David Simon (The Wire; Treme) offers an informed perspective, helping to ground the film, and Jarecki manages to present a wide array of profiled perspectives (including professors; drug cops; judges; attorneys; convicted dealers; inmates; prison employees, etc.) to highlight the folly of the demonizing of street narcotics and the economic machinations of the prison industrial complex. Mandatory minimum sentencing and the disparagement between punishment for certain kinds of drugs; warehousing of inmates; and the racial statistics involving offenders are looked at with a rational, though highly skeptical eye. One of the ongoing challenges for any documentarian is to address trenchant, unpopular subject matter and distill it in such a way that it is palatable to a wide audience. Jarecki manages to break down the history of an escalating campaign against drug abusers and sellers and the attendant results it has had on our society. The study is an interesting one from a psychological perspective and speaks to the morays and fear-mongering that are so much a part of the national political landscape. The idea that what we are doing isn’t working is virtually unassailable. Detailed, tenable solutions to the very intricate social issues involved aren’t quite as readily accessible.

The Central Park Five (USA) (doc) Directed by Ken Burns; Sarah Burns

From Sarah Burns and her famed documentarian father Ken comes the well-modulated story of the five black and latino teenagers convicted of the April 1989 rape and assault of twenty eight year old, white investment banker, Trish Meili (left in a coma with one eye and no memory of the incident), who had been jogging in Central Park. After being brought to the police station and aggressively interrogated for long hours, given no food, told lies about the evidence, and continually promised that their cooperation would allow them to go home, Antron McCray; Kevin Richardson; Raymond Santana; and Kharey Wise all confessed to various levels of participation in the crime and implicated others whose names were fed to them (some of the five hardly knew one another) by signing a statement and repeating it in front of a video camera. Despite verbally going along with the police story after being told his fingerprints were found on the victim, Yusef Salaam refused to sign the confession or give it in front of a camera, but he was implicated by the others. Ranging from 14-16 years of age, the Harlem teenagers had been part of a large, loosely associated group of 25-30 teens causing trouble in the park that night, and all admitted being in the general area, though each of the five denied actually participating in several assaults, including the punching of a bike rider. Many of the young individuals who were part of the group that night were brought in and confessed to various levels of participation in the lesser crimes, but only five were charged with the more serious assault and rape. The publicity surrounding the case created a maelstrom in the city and the press released the names of juvenile offenders (which were supposed to have been protected) while withholding the name of the victim (she later wrote a memo, entitled I Am The Central Park Jogger). At two separate trials, all were eventually convicted despite the absence of a shred of physical evidence (and the existence of the DNA of an unidentified male found on the victim), and the fact that the taped confessions varied widely in literally every pertinent detail involving the crime. The film does not hold back in its indictments of the many who contributed to this miscarriage of justice, including weak, ineffectual parents and sub-par defense, but reserves its most pointed criticism for a lazy and seemingly racist police department; mayor (Koch); press; jury (of mixed race); and prosecutor’s office. While incredibly there was a serial rapist committing crimes in the exact area at that exact time, and one of the detectives involved actually worked both cases, this information was neither brought forth, nor was the rapist’s DNA tested to see if it was a match. In 2002, that same man, Matias Reyes, eventually confessed to committing the rape by himself and his DNA matched the semen found on the scene. While the convictions were vacated, it was too late to reverse the fact that the five had served between six and thirteen years in prison, and (for the ones who had gotten out) upon release, were forced to register monthly as sex offenders. A shameful, appalling indictment of an entire system that is made all the worse by the fact that the city still refuses to compensate the men for the crimes it committed against them. Sarah Burns’ contribution is evident here as this is not a typical, sweeping historical Ken Burns project. It remains tightly concentrated on the story while still managing to pay heed to the pertinent peripheral aspects of the case.

Girls (HB0) Starring Lena Dunham; Allison Williams; Zosia Mamet; Jemima Kirk; Adam Driver; Alex Karpovsky; Christopher Abbott; Andrew Rannells; Christopher Abbott; Chris O’Dowd; Jorma Taccone; Peter Scolari; Becky Ann Baker; John Cameron Mitchell; Shiri Appleby; Rosanna Arquette; Donald Glover; Billy Morrisette; Jon Glaser; Ben Mendelson

With a finale co-written by show producers Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow, Girls ended it’s 10 episode filled season two last night in somewhat innocuous, rom-com-like fashion, but the overall quality of the run demonstrated positive growth from a breakout season one and a hope for even better moving forward.

The season saw Hannah (Dunham) escape from eccentric, possibly deranged Adam (Adam Driver), have several casual sexual encounters with men that included African American Republican Sandy (Donald Glover); neighbor/recovering drug addict Laird (Jon Glaser); Jesse’s (Jemima Kirk) nineteen year old virgin stepbrother Frank; and a forty-something doctor Joshua (Patrick Wilson)). Adam attempted to date someone “normal” in Natalia (a very good Shiri Appleby); Elijah (Andrew Rannells) moved in with Hannah and then out again; and an imploding Marnie (Allison Williams) lost her job, got briefly involved with artist Booth Jonathan (Jorma Taccone), had some casual encounters of her own (Elijah), but through it all continued to pine for Charlie (Christopher Abbott). For her part, Jessa broke from her ill-conceived marriage to Thomas John (Chris O’Dowd), visited her parents (Rosanna Arquette and Aussie Ben Mendelsohn) with Hannah in toe, and subsequently went MIA. Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) got seriously involved with the unambitious, negative, and older Ray (Alex Karpovsky), and, having lost her virginity, (naturally) had some casual sex of her own.

Hannah signed an e-book deal with publisher/editor David Pressler Goings (John Cameron MItchell), but began struggling again with her OCD disorder - perhaps due to some combination of her break-up with Adam and pressure over the book’s absurdly short deadline. Her relationship with her parents (Peter Scolari; Becky Ann Baker) was additionally strained by a refusal to admit she’d relapsed with her behaviors and some renewed attempts to have them bail her out.

Though it was a favorite of some, the weakest episode of the series was probably episode 5 - the one with Patrick Wilson as Dr. Joshua, who Hannah has a fling with over the course of parts of two days. Implausible, existential, and possibly meant as a complete construct of Hannah’s imagination, the episode still played like a sequence from a romance novel without the happy ending. While the meta-ness of the idea might have been conceptually cool, the episode itself was not a high point. Regardless, it was nice to see Girls taking chances with divergence, ala the Pine Barrens episode in the Sopranos (the difference being that episode was great), straying from the rigidity of steadfastly keeping on the pre-destined path of the main story-lines.

The high point for the admittedly uneven (though ultimately successful) season was probably episodes 8 and 9 that included Hannah’s counting; tics; repeating actions; and jamming Q-Tips in her ears; her seeing a therapist (Bob Balaban); Shoshanna having an uncharacteristic random encounter with a doorman; Marnie’s attempts to express her singing dreams and a subsequent embarrassing public performance; and a startlingly raw sex scene between Adam and Natalia.

What once seemed like a close knit set of female friends were seen to be pulled apart by their various romantic and career endeavors, but with the show’s characters spreading their life wings, and Dunham’s Hannah imbued with a previously unseen level of pathos, there is more breadth to the overall portrait of hipster twenty-somethings in Brooklyn. With Michael Penn’s music woven through the season, there was also a furthering of the feeling that Dunham’s in-show line about being the voice of her generation may not be that far off.

House of Cards (NETFLIX) Starring Kevin Spacey; Robin Wright; Kate Mara; Corey Stoll; Michael Kelly; Kristen Connolly; Michael Gill; Constance Zimmer; Sakina Jaffrey; Gerald McRaney; Mahershal Ali; Rachel Brosnan; Kevin Kilner; Al Sapienza; Sebastian Arcelus; Sandribe Holt; Reg Cathy; Carly Heath; Wass Stevens

Movie giant Netflix hits the next step in its bid toward creating its own content with a second release (following last years’ Lilyhammer) of a dramatic episodic series via the site’s instant watch option. This time they’ve made all of the initial season 1 episodes available at once, a strategy allowing for the potential binge viewing that has become de rigeur due to increased content availability from a variety of on line and cable venues.

It is understandable if the subject matter feels familiar as it seems to draw from, or at least mirror, a variety of sources. It was based on a Richard III inspired novel by former British Conservative Chief of Staff Michael Dobbs, and the 1990 BBC mini-series of the same name. Co-creator/Showrunner Beau Willimon is the man behind George Clooney’s The Ides of March (2011), which was based on Willimon’s play Faragaut North. The series also reminds us of STARZ’ recently departed Boss, with the Hamlet-like lead character and his wife bearing an uncomfortably close resemblance to those played by Kelsey Grammar and Connie Nielsen. Finally, the basic set-up also shares major similarities with another British series, State of Play (2003), that also became a 2009 American film.

Each of the aforementioned projects involved politics and a declining newspaper industry, and the oft unholy reciprocal bond that exists between the two institutions. We’ve seen various shades of the same kind of story-lines in multiple other films and series as well, from The West Wing (1996-2006); to K Street (2003); to All The President’s Men (1976) to name a few. Still, regardless of the extent of the genre saturation, there is always room for well-written, well-acted, and well-structured narrative, regardless of the medium or mode of delivery.

Coming off a recent similarly styled role as another Washington insider, Jack Abramoff, in 2010’s Casino Jack, 53 year old Kevin Spacey as House Majority Whip Francis Underwood (Ian Richardson was another F.U., Francis Urquhart, in the original) is in full Spacey mode, as nasty, smarmy, and condescending as ever, though his performance is thankfully modulated enough that the piece is grounded the realm of the real. The still exquisite Robin Wright is his ice princess bride Claire, who has also made her fair share of questionable compromises in the name of upward mobility and the acquisition and maintenance of power. The lovely, youthful looking Kate Mara plays Zoe Barnes, a young DC reporter mired in a low level reporter’s job, who strikes professional gold when all of her desperately ambitious prayers are answered witht the consummation of her new-found alliance a with Underwood.

There is a large supporting cast full of mostly strong players, with Corey Stoll (fine, though not fully believable as a man with a blue collar background) as troubled Congressman Joe Russo and Michael Kelly as Underwood’s ever loyal right hand man Doug Stamper among those seeing the most screen time. There are moments of interest from actors like Gerard McRaney as Billionaire Raymond Tusk; Constance Zimmer as veteran reporter Janine Skorsky; and Mahershala Ali as slick, ex-politico corporate attorney Remy Danton, but the show is all about Spacey; Wright; and Mara.

Held over from the original series are the asides Spacey makes to the camera, breaking the fourth wall as he comments on the proceedings and reveals his actual thoughts. Spacey is right at home with this kind of artifice - a nod to Shakespeare that fits in fine with a classically trained former Richard and current artistic director of The Old Vic theater. The device is not overly intrusive, though by its nature the Tony Soprano-in-Melfi’s-office-like confessionals butt up against the largely understated moment-to-moment of the show. Without it, House of Cards (ala Walter White in Breaking Bad) might have gotten some mystery mileage out of having a calculating lead who doesn’t disclose his every motivation.

Following Co-creator/Executive Producer David Fincher’s turn at the pilot and second episode, the series follows him with pedigreed feature directors like Carl Franklin; Joel Schumacher; and James Foley. Fincher, of course, sets a solid, apt visual tone for the series; and though it takes few stylistic risks, it keeps consistent with its portrayal of D.C. in night shadows. Relatively limited in its locations, it still feels fittingly big enough to support the very ambitious material. There are a few stumbles with some of the details (the newspaper stuff; some logic gaps in the thriller aspects), but the first season is a quality effort that for the most part does a laudable job keeping things moving and retaining a handle on the tension quotient.

House of Cards has a locked-in two season commitment, and with 100 million and a bet on a new model invested in its success, it will be interesting to see if this daring venture into uncharted territory pays off. A lack of traditional ratings numbers and Netflix’ refusal to release its own numbers may make discerning that success a less than automatic proposition; though from a purely qualitative standpoint the product is at least on par with top tier cable television programming.

Beauty is Embarrassing (USA) (doc) Directed by Neil Berekley

Currently playing on PBS, this documentary about 55 year old Tennessee bred artist Wayne White is a profile of a man who has worked as a painter; graphic artist; sculpture; animator; art director; illustrator; set designer; puppeteer; musician; and voice over artist. He rose to prominence in the 80s (first in New York; then in Los Angeles) as one of the creative forces behind Pee Wee’s Playhouse (the info about the show is great), and eventually found himself working with music artists like The Smashing Pumpkins and Peter Gabriel on iconic music videos; and doing art work and set design on a number of children’s programs. At one point, struggling with mental exhaustion over the long hours he was putting in, and frustrated by Hollywood’s pitching process, he decided to stop trying to get work in film and television and began focusing exclusively on creating self-directed art. He raised two children with wife Mimi Pond, a writer/cartoonist/illustrator, whom he credits with keeping him stable. In the past four years or so White returned to the public eye through his art exhibitions, which feature written graphics printed on pre-existing cheaply purchased lithographs he picks up at garage/yard sales and consignment stores. The phrases are usually funny and sometimes profane commentary on life and society. White has also continued making puppets, including some large sized ones commissioned for colleges and special events. In 2009 his book Maybe Now I’ll get Some Respect with designer Todd Oldham was published. The book is a kind of retrospective of White’s 30-plus year career as a professional artist and the exposure from it helped drive White into art galleries and the public eye. Throughout the film we bounce back and forth from some of his live, on-stage talks that help frame his story, but the film also includes photos, old video, and plenty of current day interviews with the artist, his friends, family, and famous colleagues like Paul Reubens; Mark Mothersbaugh; and Matt Groenig. What emerges is a portrait of an artist with a lifelong passion and dedication to his work; someone who has stayed the course regardless of the critical response or his financial situation, mostly because it is simply who and what he is. Though surely off-center, White is intelligent and well spoken, and bluntly discusses his thoughts about subjects like compromise, the nature of the Hollywood machine, and his views on the stuffy arbiters of fine art. He seems as surprised as anyone by his mid-life re-surgence, and just as determined to take advantage of any window he has been granted.

With network television now largely consisting of reality shows, CSI-like dramas, and dull sitcoms pretending that the form hasn’t evolved, cable programming has, for some time now, dominated the landscape in terms of quality. Though shows like The Good Wife on CBS; Modern Family on ABC; and Parenthood and Parks and Recreation on NBC have earned their stripes, pay channels HBO and Showtime, and basic channels like FX and AMC are consistently producing the best shows on television. They have the freedom to use whatever language they choose and depict sexuality in a more true to life way. They are not as ratings driven and often allow new shows several seasons to blossom if they deem them worthy. There are plenty of shows doing good things that did not make this list, including HBO’s Veep; The Newsroom; and Curb Your Enthusiasm; AMC’s Walking Dead; FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Justified; Channel 4’sTop Boy; BBC’s Whitechapel and Sherlock; and TBS’s Southland, but here are eleven of the best TV has to offer.

Downton Abbey (PBS) The brilliant British series currently in its third season in the U.K. (it plays in January in the U.S.) has a wonderful ensemble cast and compelling storylines. From creator Julian Fellowes, this rich, sumptuous drama has brought high-brow to the masses.

Mad Men (AMC) Season 5 kept us riveted. Creator Matthew Wiener has said that this meticulously designed show will go for two more seasons. Simply one of the best in the history of the medium.

Breaking Bad (AMC)  Having hit the break between the first part of the fifth and final season, it is obvious creator Vince Gilligan, et al, haven’t missed a beat. Watching Walter White (Bryan Cranston) go from meek, mild chemistry teacher to devious, murderous drug baron has been a wild ride. Already off to a rollicking start, it promises a scintillating conclusion.

Game of Thrones (HBO) A deeply plotted, sprawling fantasy epic chock full of characters and its own interwoven lore. So good that even non fantasists can love it. Huge cast of talented actors, great locations.

Boardwalk Empire (HBO) The show took a tremendous chance killing off it’s second lead character, but now into season three it seems as if the gamble has paid off.

Nurse Jackie (SHO) Keeps on chugging. Boasts one of the finest actors on television in Edie Falco as the titular nurse who plays on ongoing game with her own morality.

Homeland (SHO) A compelling political terrorism thriller starring Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, and Damien Lewis. Strong season one, though with season two underway one wonders if it will be able to maintain the momentum. A slew of major Emmy awards can’t hurt the cause.

Louie (FX) In season three, the innovative Louie CK has already taken an unusual chance by inexplicably casting an African American woman (Susan Kelechi Watson) to play his ex-wife (though both children already in the show appear to be fully caucasian). He also casts an actor (Edward Gelbinovich) who looks like teenager (he’s actually 21) as his agent; David Lynch as a bizarre (what else) talk show host; and the show itself has shifted toward a slightly more surrealistic realm. A great example of a piece dominated by a singular voice that cares more about quality than pleasing a wide audience. Shockingly human.

Girls (HBO) Funny and quirky, from the voice of the talented Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture) and backed by mega producer Judd Apatow. Like most television of lasting value, this one felt different and new from the first episode.

Dexter (SHO) Heading into season eight, the show has lagged in places, and has even become repetitive, but it’s still one of the better shows on the tube.

Boss (STARZ) In the midst of season two, this relative newcomer continues to show great promise. Perhaps still a little early to tell where it all will lead, but Kelsey Grammar is as good as he has ever been as Chicago mayor Tom Kane. Great support from the likes of Kathleen Robertson, Connie Nielsen, Troy Garrity, and Martin Donovan.

The Interrupters (USA) (doc) Directed by Steve James

Steve James is a name that must be mentioned along with Errol Morris; Alex Gibney; Werner Herzog; Michael Moore; and Frederick Wiseman; et al, as being among the pre-eminent documentary directors of our time. It is possible that his work in commercials and in narrative film have prevented James from producing more non-fiction, which if true (while certainly his prerogative) would be a shame. Even in this reality age, there are simply not enough quality stories being told, or at least ones that feel truly important and fully fleshed out. James’ work in this realm has an undeniable mark of virtuoustic authorship.

Like Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters is set in inner city Chicago, and follows a group of gang violence ‘Interrupters’, who, under the auspices of the organization Ceasefire, do outreach work with poor African American and Latinos to prevent retaliatory gang violence. Founded by Gary Sutkin, a white doctor specializing in infectious diseases, the idea is to take former hard core local criminals and use their connections and knowledge to intercede in gang politics when violent situations arise. Sutkin compares the effects of violence in these communities to historic plagues that have devastated large portions of populations.

The crime/murder statistics in the United States involving poor people in general, but blacks and Hispanics in particular, are indeed staggering. It sometimes appears as if there is little that can be done to halt the endless trail of tears and blood that seem to cycle across and through generations of communities dominated by single parents, under-educated/under/un-employed and incarcerated juveniles and adults. These same people wind up producing young children who grow up too soon, racked by the trauma inflicted upon them in their homes, in the inadequate schools they attend, and on the mean streets where they reside, repeating the mistakes of those before them.

Likely due in large part to the subject matter, The Interrupters takes a more macro/politicized approach then Dreams did, showing us the various sub-strata of the organization. It took James five years to film 1994’s Hoop Dreams, and some fourteen months for this one, and The Interrupters is not as absorbing as that famously Oscar snubbed film. Of course, despite the similar locale, that is probably an unfair comparison to make in the first place as James’ seminal film is/was considered by many to be an example of the finest of the form.

Despite the charged nature of the material, James employs a light touch, refusing to stretch for drama, nor heighten the proceedings in a bombastic manner - rather, he observes, allowing his subjects speak for themselves. There is real drama on display as we monitor Ceasefire meetings and follow these outreach workers as they work with groups and individuals in crisis by listening, suggesting short term solutions, and relating their own history in the face of extremely volatile, life and death situations.

Cut down in length several times, one can feel some of the events in the film ending too abruptly in places, and what results is more like the highlight reels we’ve become accustomed to in reality TV - thus, the absence of the fully played out mini-dramas we can only surmise were left on the cutting room floor. A longer run time presumably would have provided a more rounded view of these marginalized people, and those who have attempted to curb their lives in order to be of service to their communities.

In terms of structure, James wisely focuses the attention on one supervisor, the eloquent Tio Hardiman, and three of these street-level interrupters, all products of the neighborhoods they work. Ameena Matthews is a soulful Muslim mother, daughter of former kingpin Jeff Fort; Cobe Williiams, a gregarious ex-con and married father/step-father, whose own father was murdered in front of him when he was a child; and Eddie Bocenegra, a soft spoken, introspective Latino who served fourteen years for the murder he committed as a younger man.

While the pure weight of these enormous sociological issues serve to laden the entire proceedings with an air of fruitlessness bordering on despair, the hope and courage displayed by those who refuse to give up on their community or themselves eventually shines through, and the glint that is evoked feels entirely earned.

Mildred Pierce (HBO) Difrected by Todd Haynes  Written by Tod Haynes; Jonathan Raymond  Starring Kate Winslet; Guy Pearce; Evan Rachel Wood; Brian O’Byrne; Mare Winningham; James Legros; Melissa Leo; Morgan Turner; Hope Davis; Marin Ireland; Ronald Guttman; Miriam Shor

Melodrama is most often synonymous with soapy, overdone weepies filled with big acting and plot overstuffed with tragedy. With Todd Haynes it becomes something very different - period piece, riff on earlier masters like Douglas Sirk, and simply put - emotion infused drama of the highest order. This five part, 336 minute HBO mini-series has already deservedly received a heap of awards, including an Emmy for Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce, and ones for music (the great Carter Burwell), casting, and art direction, and is nominated for many others. Based on the 1941 novel by James M. Cain, this adaptation follows the well-known 1945 film of the same name, which famously starred Joan Crawford. This version (perhaps owed in large part to the run time) remains truer to the book, telling the story entirely from Mildred’s perspective. Kate Winslet is nothing less than outstanding in a demanding role in which she is on screen throughout, dominating with a subtle, nuanced performance from start to finish. Guy Pearce as lover and later, husband, Monty; Melissa Leo as pal Lucy; and Evan Rachel Wood as grown up daughter Veda are also superb (young Morgan Turner is less successful as child Veda). Cinematographer Edward Lachman, who also teamed up with Haynes in Far From Heaven, gives the series a warm, cinematic look, and the period is lovingly evoked from an obviously talented design team and a director with a top-notch feel for period. The story revolves around the newly divorced Mildred’s search for identity and financial independence in pre-WWII America, but its narrow focus on one woman’s life does not belie the relevance to greater issues having to do with women, class, and the concept of the American dream. Though Mildred’s daughter Veda is a bit of a one dimensional character, blindly ambitious and pretentious from a young age, she is, of course, an outgrowth of something deep inside Mildred, a manifestation of her own desire to be better in the eyes of the community, and to live up to what she believes herself to be. Adapted by Haynes and director Kelly Reichart’s frequent collaborator Jonathan Raymond, the script is tightly wound and extremely well modulated. An exceptional piece of filmmaking for a cable television station that continues to provide a home for important work in several formats.

Unguarded (USA) (doc) Directed by Jonathan Hock

Currently being shown on ESPN.

Chris Herren is a former NBA basketball player whose struggle with drugs and alcohol is documented in this look at one man’s battle to overcome his own personal demons.

Herren grew up in basketball crazed Fall River, Massachusetts, a working class community some 45 miles southeast of Boston.  A shorter distance to Providence RI, Fall River has a reputation as a depressed ex mill town that’s a long way removed from ‘better days’, a place where most are born, grow up, and die without leaving.

Raised in a basketball family, Herren, now 36, is one of the greatest high school players to come out of the state. He was an All American and the Gatorade Player of the Year during his senior season. In his junior year he and his team’s state championship drive was chronicled in Providence Journal writer Bill Reynold’s 1994 book Fall River Dreams. Reynolds has co-written a new book with Herren, entitled Basketball Junkie (2011), and the writer appears briefly in the film.

Following high school, Herren accepted a scholarship to Boston College, transferred to Fresno State, played in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics, and then overseas in five different countries, but throughout his journey drugs and alcohol ruled his life, and among other revelations is the fact that Herren admits to playing in college while under the influence of cocaine, and playing professional basketball while being a full-blown heroin user.

Longtime documentary director Jonathan Hock slickly frames the story by showing Herren in his current role as motivational speaker as he tells his story to different groups, interspersing interviews with relatives (the ones with brother Mike are particularly poignant), friends, and basketball insiders like coaches Jerry Tarkanian and Rick Pitino; old photos and footage; and journeying to some key spots in Herren’s past as he relates anecdotes about his playing career and raging substance abuse.

According to Herren he is now (at the time of the filming) three years sober, and spends his time working with recovering addicts, public speaking, and coaching kids. Married, with three children, and clearly contrite about his problematic history, Herren admits to neglecting his family and wasting lots of money on drugs, though, with the exception of a few stories, and some detailing of several arrests, very few specifics emerge about his behavior. Thus, though wife Heather emerges as a kind of stalwart hero, one is left to guess about the merely alluded to extent of what she endured, and immediate questions about her husband’s fidelity, how she has survived as he admittedly sold off their possessions, etc. abound.

As is the film is still a worthwhile cautionary tale, and one must credit the appealing Herren with being willing to expose himself in this way, but the final product is still an obviously manicured profile as opposed to a serious investigative documentary, and whether the supposition is true or not it feels very much as if Herren (like any addict worth their salt) is dictating the terms here. While it would be silly not to recognize the courage it takes to admit to nearly ruining one’s life in this manner, and callous not to applaud him for turning things around, it seems as if concerns for the people closest to him may have led Herren to be less than forthcoming regarding the experiences in his own life, and by extension, the lives of his family members. Admirable perhaps, but not necessarily conducive to telling the whole story.

One only has to look at some of the missing information to see that this is a less than fully rounded piece. In addition to the previous questions posed, there is little to no mention of brother Mike’s own, publicized trouble with the law, including a 2010 arrest and incarceration for beating his twenty five year old girlfriend; the nature of the brothers past and/or present relationship with father Al, or the senior Herren’s well-known career in Massachusetts politics; the impact of the two books involving Herren’s life; his parent’s divorce; the affect his mother’s death had on him; or, the fact that writer Reynolds married his mother. One is therefore left with a host of serious lingering questions about his ongoing mental health and treatment (scant information is given); his family background and possible problems in his childhood home; his wife and children’s road to healing (have they gotten the professional help they obviously deserve and need?); he and his family’s current financial situation; and the reasons why a handsome, superstar athlete with all the gifts in the world becomes a serious heroin addict.

Simply stating he grew up in Fall River and that there was a lot of pressure to live up to community/family expectations is frankly not nearly enough to begin to answer those questions, and unfortunately the film doesn’t even try. An interesting story, but given its handling perhaps better suited for a segment on HBO’s Real Sports.

Any list - particularly one involving television with its massive viewership and serial nature, is open to debate. For every group of Mad Men devotees there are no doubt an equally massive number of passionate fans of Family Guy, NCIS, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, or True Blood. This is, therefore, a subjective list of the best in narrative (as in it doesn’t include reality or talk programming of any kind) television currently on the air.

1. Mad Men (AMC)

Four seasons in, the best thing on TV. Already but a few pegs below The Wire and The Sopranos, and on par with Deadwood, as one of the best shows of the past decade.

2. Dexter (SHO)

Going into season six, Dexter may well have slipped some, but remains intriguing due to its signature color drenched cinematography and a gripping lead performance from Michael C. Hall, elements that help make this serial killer/police show one of the best on the air.

3. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)

Misanthropic Larry David brings his innovative black comedy back for an eighth season (Seinfeld only ran for nine) and it shows no signs of slowing down.

4. Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Great start to a sweeping series that hints at the possibilities of becoming an all time great. One hopes only that, ala Deadwood, budget considerations don’t force a premature end.

5. Breaking Bad (AMC)

Bryan Cranston heads a solid cast as Walter White, the ex-science teacher turned cancer survivor/big time meth dealer/manufacturer. Three seasons in, the show continues to prove itself to be a singular series without legitimate comparison.

6. Men of a Certain Age (TBS)

Ray Romano’s first series following Raymond is an insightful, tonally complex look at middle aged men and their problems. Smart, understated, and well acted.

7. Friday Night Lights (NBC via DIR TV)

Yes, it’s nearly over, but Friday is technically still alive. It will be missed.

8. Nurse Jackie (SHO)

The brilliant Edie Falco heads a marvelous cast of a show that revels in the minutiae of one morally compromised woman.

9. Weeds (SHO)

Last season (six) was not a high point in the shows history as, with the advent of the Mexican criminal plot, it began to devolve into the absurd. While the jury is still out after a few mediocre first few episodes of season seven, Weeds has been a long time quality mainstay.

10. Louie (FX)

Like Seinfeld with less set dressing than season one and way, way, way more depression. From the brilliant comedic mind of Louie C.K., something of an anti-show. It’s at times, shockingly honest, in a really refreshing (though sobering) way. Like Men of a Certain Age minus any of the good times and/or friendly banter or comeraderie, or Curb except meaner and a lot lonelier and more misanthropic.

Ten More Good Ones (in no particular order)

Episodes (SHO) Matt Leblanc (that’s right, Joey) stars as a version of himself. Surprisingly good first season.

Californication (SHO) While it dropped off some during a wildly uneven fourth season, threatening to become a kind of parody of itself, the show survives thanks to consistently profane and clever writing; David Duchovony’s mostly likable miscreant writer Hank Moody; a quality supporting cast (Evan Handler; Natascha McElhone; Pamela Adlon); fun guest stars, and a high insider Hollywood quotient.

The Office (NBC) It has become de rigueur to bash this show in recent seasons, but it’s still one of the best things on TV. Will be interesting to see where the show goes following the Michael Scott departure.

The Sarah Silverman Show (COM CENTR) Absurd, but consistently funny stuff from the twisted mind of one of the best comics out there.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FOX) Perhaps television’s most irreverent half hour keeps chugging along as it heads into it’s seventh season.

Modern Family (ABC) Disappointing fall-off after a stellar season one. This year might be make it or break it.

Parenthood (ABC) Though there are times when one wishes this family drama would take more chances, it is network television and this is about as good as it gets right now in terms of narrative drama heading into next season.

Life and Times of Tim (HBO) Critically (and critically) neglected animated series.

How To Make it in America (HBO) Another one the critics seem to have missed. An energetic show about two NYC hustlers trying to earn a buck.

The Ricky Gervais Show (HBO) Arose out of the podcast run by Gervais and his British Office partner Stephen Merchant, revolving around their animated discussions with idiot (savant?) Karl Pilkington.