You Can’t Make This Up

In Steven Soderbergh's new film, "The Laundromat" he explores the world of offshore banking and the international crises caused by the Panama Papers. Screenwriter Scott Z. Burns, and journalist Jake Bernstein sit down with Soderbergh to talk tax evasion, casting Meryl Streep and to look at how they took a real-life scandal and adapted it into a feature film. 

The original series "Unbelievable" follows two policewomen (Toni Collette and Merritt Wever) trying to capture a serial rapist, and one girl (Kaitlyn Dever) who may, or may not, be a victim. It just depends on who you believe. For this episode, we have Kate Wells and Lindsey Smith (hosts of the podcast Believed) speaking with writer/director Susannah Grant and Executive Producer Sarah Templeton about how they adapted the true story into a series, and what steps can be taken to take these crimes more seriously (See "An Epidemic of Disbelief" in The Atlantic).

From Where She Stands: The OITNB Podcast is a new show that connects the storylines from Orange Is The New Black with the stories of real women whose lives have been impacted by prison. Hosted by Piper Kerman (author of the book "Orange In The New Black: My Year In A Woman's Prison"), each episode will feature an exclusive interview with a cast member from OITNB and will dive into the real stories from women navigating the prison system in America. Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode.

Remember back in 2016 when Cambridge Analytica admited to "hacking" Facebook? In this episode, Aminatou Sow (Call Your Girlfriend) talks with the directors of The Great Hack, Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer. They get into data rights, persuadable social media and how one company used personal information as a means to a political end. 

One year ago, Netflix released all 13 episodes of The Staircase, a documentary series that follows the trials of Michael Peterson. In this month's episode, we revisit the landmark series. Aaron Lammer (host of the Longform podcast) spoke with director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade to discuss the making of The Staircase and its legacy. 

Killer Ratings follows a Brazilian TV show host accused of ordering assassinations to feature on his program. But was it all a conspiracy, or is he guilty of much worse? Rebecca Lavoie and Kevin Flynn (hosts of Crime Writers On...) speak with director Daniel Bogado about this seven-part series.

This month, we bring you a narrative feature. We're getting into Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Aaron Lammer of the Longform podcasts sits down with the film's director Joe Berlinger. Fun fact: Joe also directed the Ted Bundy documentary, Conversations With A Killer, which we discussed in a previous episode. Aaron and Joe dive into both the doc and the film, and how both jobs came to land on Joe. 

This month, we’re covering The Two Killings of Sam Cooke. This documentary is a part of Netflix's ReMastered series, and it takes a look at the untold story of the legendary soul singer and civil rights activist, Sam Cooke.  We have the director Kelly Duane De La Vega speaking with Tracy Clayton, host of the new Netflix original podcast Strong Black Legends. 

Netflix has a new podcast called The Human Algorithm, and we think you might like it! On Human Algorithm, we feature different people, from actors and directors to Netflix employees, recommending their latest Netflix obsession. Each episode focuses on a different genre, and this time we're bringing you Crime Docs. Adrienne C. Moore (Orange Is the New Black) is a fan of The Staircase, Triple Frontier's Adria Arjona wants you to watch Abducted in Plain Sight, and OITNB's Taryn Manning recommends the series Evil Genius.Subscribe wherever you listen to this podcast.

This month, we’re covering Abducted in Plain Sight. This 90-minute documentary follows the unpredictable tale of a girl who gets kidnapped right under family’s nose, not once. But twice. We have the director Skye Borgman speaking with this month’s interviewers, Rebecca Lavoie and Kevin Flynn. You might know Kevin and Rebecca from their podcast Crime Writers On, or from our episode on The Innocent Man. They are here to walk us through this shocking documentary. 

We thought You Can't Make This Up listeners might enjoy a new podcast from Netflix called I'm Obsessed With This. On IOWT, host Bobby Finger invites guests — fans, critics, friends — to gab about the most-discussed titles of the moment. What are people saying? Why do they love it, hate it, or need to scream about it on Twitter? Ranging from meme-y chatter to in-depth analysis, this is the entire range of popular conversation around the newest Netflix titles distilled into a half hour show. In the episode we're sharing with you, Bobby and friends talk about Russian Doll, Velvet Buzzsaw and true crime film, Abducted In Plain Sight. Subscribe wherever you listen to this podcast.

This week, we’re getting into Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. This four-part docuseries follows the crimes of one of America’s most notorious killers, Ted Bundy. From 1974-1978, Bundy committed a multitude of crimes, including murdering over 30 women in 7 states.  The series is based on the book of the same name, written by journalist and author Stephen Michaud. Stephen recorded over 100 hours of his interviews with Ted Bundy, which the series features heavily. We brought in journalist Taylor Crumpton, who has written about Ted Bundy for Teen Vogue and covers social justice in publications like Paper Mag and Glamour, to interview Stephen. 

This week, we’re diving into the new Netflix Original, The Innocent Man. This six part docu-series follows the life of Ron Williamson, who sat on Oklahoma's death row for 11 years for a crime he didn't commit. It’s based on John Grisham’s best-selling true crime book of the same name.  Here to talk about it are the series director Clay Tweel and true crime authors, podcasters and real-life married couple Rebecca Lavoie and Kevin Flynn. They host the popular true crime podcast, Crime Writers On.

With 2018 coming to a close, we couldn’t help but think back on what a crazy year it’s been in the world of Netflix True Crime. We brought in two true crime fans to break down their favorite docuseries of 2018. Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara, co-hosts of BuzzFeed’s Unsolved, talk about the most memorable characters, scenes, and plot twists of Evil Genius, Making A Murderer Part Two, and The Staircase. After that, we get a phone call from Ma Anand Sheela. We met Sheela earlier this year in the hit docuseries, Wild Wild Country. Sheela fills us in on her relationship with the series, her family’s reaction, how she feels about Rajneeshpuram and more.

This week is a true cinephile’s delight. We’re diving into They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, a new documentary directed by Academy Award Winning filmmaker Morgan Neville. They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead chronicles the making of Orson Welles’s previously unfinished final film, The Other Side Of The Wind. Today on the podcast we have Karina Longworth interviewing director Morgan Neville about all things Orson Welles. Karina hosts the beloved Hollywood history podcast, You Must Remember This, and recently released her first book, Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes's Hollywood. Karina and Morgan talk about the making of They'll Love Me When I'm Dead, Orson Welles' impact and why they went with that title. Spoiler alert: it's a great title! While this interview is not actually spoiler heavy, both films are available on Netflix if you want to watch either before listening.