#285 Untold: Crossing The Streams (Bonus Ep79) – Great TV binge watching suggestions!

CTS Announcer 0:02

Looking for your next TV show or movie to binge? Well buckle up, grab the remote and settle into your couch for this special edition of crossing the streams. We're here to help you tune in and get the most out of those 50 monthly streaming channels you're currently paying for. So without any further ado, here's your host of crossing the streams. Jeff Dwoskin

Jeff Dwoskin 0:30

Hey, oh, it is Jeff Dwoskin, your host of classic conversations and your guide for this bonus episode of crossing the streams. What is crossing the streams? It's where we answer the universal question. What should I binge watch next? I just watched something and now I gotta watch something else. Well, you've come to the right place. We have over 130 hours of binge watching TV movie suggestions on our YouTube channel and your unlock because I have hand picked three of those segments from three of those shows to beam directly into your ears or right now those shows are from Live episode 84 untold the girlfriend who didn't exist the Mansi Teo story, Rama Live episode 32 generation war and from a live episode 96 My old school so much goodness coming at you right now let's kick things off with untold the girlfriend who didn't exist sounds Emilio take it away. All right, let's start with untold the girlfriend who didn't exist. This is a brand new documentary on Netflix, but an oldie but goodie story. Yes,

Sal Demilio 1:46

it is. This is another untold which I've been doing all of them. And I heard they've got I think three more after this one coming out. So basically, untold are just all documentaries. Anyway, this one like Jeff just said, everybody knows the story or a lot of people do. You might have to live through it. Almost It was exactly 10 years ago. Now that man Todd Taylor, this great college football player was pretty much I guess the first national person that ever got catfished. That was a term that came out back then when somebody online fake who they were and obviously as time went on, we realized how to stop that stuff. Now unless I don't know Maybe Jeff still getting catfished I don't know maybe but most people don't get catfished anymore, but back then it was a new thing. So anyway, let's start from the beginning. It's a two part documentary. The first part basically introduces nya to watch the sell bowl. I hope I'm saying that right but and I'm just gonna get this out of the way during the making of this or throughout the story. Nya have transitioned into a transgender they even had had to clarify that at the beginning of the documentary, because she transitioned during the making of this. So he was a he and played college football himself, and then becomes nya later on in the documentary. And this is the person she was the one that started the catfishing just they're both from the Hawaiian Islands. So they kind of know each other's cultures. And knio was shy online, and so was so as man's that tail and a kind of a way because he was so busy with football and a friend request kind of started as a friend request. And then she was matching up with other of his friends. So it looked like she was part of almost like his community of people that he knew. And next thing you know, they're just kind of communicating with each other. And he's kind of building his career up at Notre Dame, which I again, I know, Jeff talked about how we know the story. So well. This is what I like documentaries, he kind of dive into the story. I didn't know that, that this all started in, actually 2009 is when she started to communicate with him on Facebook. It didn't materialize till what the national news knew about it till almost 212 2012 or 2013. So this relationship was not something I thought it was something like six, seven months. This was actually like a four year kind of texting relationship online. I know it's kind of sounds weird, like how did he go this long? without ever meeting her? It's just unbelievable. They kind of go over that a little bit. In the documentary. They said one time they tried to zoom like a zoom thing and her connection wasn't good. It never was good. And it's like Wouldn't that have said something to him? Like that said that's kind of weird. We can't even see each other like on a FaceTime or something which I think was was available then. So anyway, that's kind of weird, but they always had a talking relationship they would talk on the phone and it was just crazy. And then she was she felt guilty sometimes about leading him on but then sometimes what the documentary she kind of make her look kind of horrible in this like she's just so selfish and but it's kind of the the parents are involved because the parents kind of know about it. Then what happens is he's at it called Monday's were his whole college football career. And now all of a sudden, he's a senior playing in the national championship game, this relationship is still going on online. But now it's getting to a point where she's like, sick, and she's got cancer or leukemia, and she's gonna die. And then her, his grandmother really does die at the same time. And literally, they show footage of the national championship game, they're just he's just a Cinderella story, because he's in the national championship game, his girlfriend died, his grandmother died. It's such a big story. And that's kind of how the first episode ends, which is kind of cool kind of gives you that whole story. And then in the second part of the documentary, they talked about the dead spin, guys that just recovered this up and knew that it was a hoax and kind of revealed it. And then all of a sudden, it's just, he's just the laughingstock of the United States at that point. And what was really interesting, he's interviewed a lot throughout this. And he's just seems like a great human being right now. He just seems like he's in a great place. I kind of Google that he's married now with a kid. I think he has a kid. But just the way he talks about it throughout the documentary is excellent. He really reveals himself on why he did this and why he just how he was kind of led on so easily, and he kind of explains it. But there was a moment where he says, literally, in one day, I went from, hey, look, there's magnetotail like they were just excited to see him. And then the very next day, he would he was like this, he's like, Yeah, look, there's a man tight tail, like he just went for it was and he said, it was a very, very hard thing to get over. It affected him mentally. And I think he's still going through, you know, some stuff about it. But that's basically the story. And it just, it just gets revealed that the end and the country is just, it's just this hoax and catfishing because he's kind of like the face of catfishing. Now, you know, and it's just the craziest story ever. And all I guess, at the end is she dies. And that's how it kind of got exposed. It's just a sad story at the end, but you know, they're both doing well, and you know, they I don't think they've talked but they've apologized and, and all that. But just an interesting document, I highly recommend. It's a two part series easy watch. It's, it's not very long. So I don't know if anybody saw it.

Zack Wiseman 7:20

So I watched it because of this garbage I do with Netflix every day. And I did not know this story. I'm not a sports person at all. So when this came over, and I'm like, oh, okay, cool. And I sat down and I consumed this thing. You're right, Sal is so well put together. And the way they tell the story, I mean, you know, him being from Hawaii and being, you know, a Latter Day Saints, and then moving into middle America, where it's, you know, Notre Dame and just straight Catholic, he was dealing with so many things. And he was looking for just for somebody in his community. And then this woman popped up who, and then he Oh, he even asked his cousin like, Hey, do you know this person? And it's like, yeah, I know them, whatever. So yeah, but I felt so bad because he seems like such a great dude. And even nya seems like a good person now. We'll see what he what he went through and then everyone's like, we just want to know Are you gay? And that was like everything was like everything that was going on with him all the people know us. We just need to know Are you gay? Are you get I think to shut up like this guy has been through so much. But yeah, so I completely agree. Great documentary. Very well put together and I was absolutely riveted from that when you go. Oh,

Sal Demilio 8:29

okay. Cool. But for somebody that didn't kind of you weren't experiencing it.

Zack Wiseman 8:33

I had no idea about the story. I like I said, not a sports guy. I have no idea. And I learned so much from this. And yeah, such a cool, weird, cool story. All

Jeff Dwoskin 8:42

right. So works on any level, which is great and untold. Usually, it's just one episode. So this is unique for them to be this one being two episodes. Very true, Jeff. Very true. All right, Sal and Zach Wiseman coming in as well. Definitely check out that documentary from untold if a great series so covers it all here on grace in the streams of next from Live episode 96 Sue Kolinsky guests to the show is going to take us through a my old school take it away. So Oh, we got let's let's go back to sue. Let's talk about my old school with Alan coming. Okay,

Sue Kolinsky 9:26

so basically, the story is that a guy in Scotland duped this academy where he went to school into believing that he was 16 years old, and he was really 32. And it's unbelievable. They have a little bit of footage of him back then. And it is so obvious that he was so much older. The coolest thing about the film is that they interview students who went to school with him now, so it's They basically are narrating it along with Alan coming because the guy didn't want to be on camera. So they use his narration, his voice, and Alan coming is coming out of Alan smell. So he's playing the guy, but it's the guy's real words. And it is the most fascinating story. And just the way they did it because you know, so many times, you have to be so creative if you don't have archival footage, it's like, how do you tell the story, and so much of it took place when he was in school. So they did it, they animated his school life with all these students, which was very, very effective. And because the animation was good was like Dora the Explorer kind of animation. And it really, really worked. So I can't, I don't want to talk, you know too much about it, because I don't want to give anything away. But it's probably one of the I mean, the deception was was was brilliant. I mean, the fact that he pulled it off, and then the layers of the deception because his mother was involved. And it is just a crazy, crazy story, that you got it, you got to watch it. It's really, really great.

Unknown Speaker 11:19

What was his? What was his goal,

Sue Kolinsky 11:21

the idea was, the reason why he he went back to school was because when he actually was in school, he went back to the same school that he actually went to when he was 16 years old. And he was not a popular kid. He was kind of, you know, he couldn't he couldn't, he wasn't, he was the kid that wasn't a part of anything. You know, like, if they were doing a play he just like was somebody that would never go out for the play, because he'd probably figured they would never choose him. So he had this lifelong dream, to be a doctor. And he missed the boat. And then he wanted to go back to school as a 16 year old and then tried to get into medical school. It was it was kind of like his parents dream for him as well. They wanted him to be able to, to achieve this. So he went back. And when he went back to medical school, they all his classmates, you know, we're like, what are you doing? You're too young, why don't you just wait? And he said, No, I'm going to I'm going to go back and I'm going to try to do it. So he had this desperate, it was his desperate effort to be a doctor. So he figured let me go back to school because because the idea was that at 30, there's no way in the world in his mind that he would have been able to go to medical school at that age, like he felt like he missed the boat. So he went and went back to school under the guise that he was much younger. It's just this incredible, incredible story. And there is there is some footage of him, I thought that you would never get to see him. There is footage of him. And it's it's a really, really unique, it's a unique way of filmmaking. And the story is is really, really compelling. Cool.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:12

When they interview the other classmates, what were there reflection of, they just accepted it for him being 16 Even though he was older or they go well, we thought something was crazy.

Sue Kolinsky 13:26

Well, you know, when he first walked into the class, some of them said they thought he was like a, like a teacher's assistant, because he didn't have a backpack. Like he had a little briefcase. And the way he was dressed in the glasses that he wore. They were joking that he looked like he was 40 years old. But he was one of those guys that didn't have like, you know, he didn't have a lot of, you know, facial hair. So it's not like, you know, he had a five o'clock shadow when he was showing up to to high school. So they and then they just accepted it. You know, they befriended him. And they were kind of it would what was strange is that whenever the teachers would ask certain questions, whether it was biology or math or history, he had so much knowledge because he was 32 years old. So his answers were so intelligent and an adult that some of the students and even one of the teachers actually said I'm learning from you, which was like bizarre, but they just went along with it. And they went to parties at his house. And he had a car, which none of them drove but they basically he he said that he he lived in Canada, and then move to Scotland. So they just figured Oh, you get your license earlier in Canada. And strange, right? Exactly. Yeah, right. The driver's ed rate so he basically he fooled everybody. He fooled all the teachers to headmaster, it's pretty crazy. So

Jeff Dwoskin 14:54

wow, I looked it up on Rotten Tomatoes real quick. 92% Wow, tomato meter and then 89% Audience score. So people are digging it on both sides of the aisle. All right, very cool. Thank you, Sue Kolinsky. That was my old school. Our final segment is generation war from Live episode 32. Ron lipid is gonna take us through this one. Take it away, Ron. So my generation more this is yet and Ron live a classic. I mean, Ron, talk to us about I appreciate

Ron Lippitt 15:32

it. Thank you, Jeff. I don't imagine any of you guys have seen this show generation war it first off, I'll just say right from the get go. The worst thing about this show on amazon prime is its name generation war, it is a German show from 2013 set in three parts. And the title was wounded or modular annunciator vata, for those of you who speak German, so I don't know where generation war how that became English eyes. only to the extent that it's a story about five friends, for I have five German, Berlin suburb friends who go on various paths in the outbreak of World War Two. And you know, two of them are German soldiers. One of them as an aspiring actress, and other one is an aspiring nurse there. And the fifth friend is a Jewish man, these guys are lifelong, 20 year old friends. And it's a really fascinating story about how this war completely changes them, and kind of what is waiting for them in the three years that they featured them. So it's super interesting, from the standpoint that it gives you the German perspective on the war, which I don't know, from an American audience, you see much of that it's completely subtitled in English from from German and Polish, depending on what part of the show you're in. Like I said, it's three parts. This was originally shown on the German public broadcasting, it was made for German public broadcasting their version of PBS. And then eventually Amazon bought the rights to it and and put it out just a few years ago, even though it was I think, at the time when Amazon bought it bought the rights to it. It was already five or six years old, but it is a yet again, another terrific foreign film. I should say mini series, I guess, you know, when you think of it, these are hour long episodes, three episodes, you know, so it's it's three hours. So, you know, I always wonder why do you have to divide that into three separate shows? Like, couldn't you just make that a three hour movie? I, you know, maybe you could? I don't know, it's the same thing. Zack, you and I've talked about this for a while. So I guess I will, I will give it a knock on that. Because I don't understand why it has to be three separate episodes. But the acting is fantastic. I think the story line is very compelling. It's a dark show, I'm not gonna lie. But it is a story that grabs you it's a the changes to these characters are in immediate and compelling. The acting is fantastic. The production is fantastic. It's directed by a guy named Philip Cadle. Bach, who is only does German show so you're not going to know his work. But if you go and google him, you'll find out this guy's done dozens and dozens and dozens of award winning shows in in Germany. So that it's, it's well thought out well produced. And I just I just I love these foreign films that give Americans perspective from a completely foreign form sense. So it was it's super interesting. From the get go. I think you guys will find that there's nothing boring about the show. It's not traits with the storylines. I don't think that there's a lot the vibe, there is violence, but I think the violence is appropriate. It's not over the top. It's not gory, it's not disgusting, and there's not a lot of sex. It's just great storytelling in three hours. So that's a pretty quick review on a terrible name, show generational war, but highly recommend it. And I think you guys should take a look at it. Did you all three hours, or did you space it out? Did you binge it? Or do you do? Yeah, you binge it. It's because it's honestly the stories. It's the same story for I mean, it's it's like you're watching one story is that just cut it in three parts of I don't feel like it would be it wouldn't it doesn't feel right to stop on one episode, because you're you want to know what's going to continue on with the story. So it's pretty quick. You know, it's a couple

Howard Rosner 19:21

of things about foreign films. You know, it's funny, because I always often used to struggle watching foreign things because of subtitles. It took me out of it. But as we've talked about a couple of times on the show, and especially as I get older, my eyes get worse and my hearing gets worse. I've been rewatching shows with American shows with the subtitles now because it just helps it you know? Yeah, we've talked about it a budget certainly shows it just helps. The other thing that I find interesting when you talk about you talk about these foreign shows is you know, Ron and I were part of a text chain with a friend of ours who was just couldn't grasp the European Championships of soccer, and a lot of the intricacies of it. And frankly, it was such an Americanized argument. Like he's, he he struggled with the shootout as a way to end a championship. But he's perfectly fine with guys being carted out on back boards with spinal injuries every week American football, because I don't care if they make money, let it it was such an Americanized argument. And that I think comes through that those different attitudes, not that attitude specifically. But when you watch some of these foreign movies, it doesn't have come from the same perspective, that's true that we have here in the United States, that comes from entirely different perspectives. And I think that's probably why a lot of these shows are so unique. You know, that I agree

Ron Lippitt 20:50

with you, Howard. I think I think that's well said. And you know, what's interesting from my standpoint, because obviously, I talk a lot about foreign films with subtitles, and we talk about a lot on the show here. This particular one is interesting, because there is no English in the show. It is entirely German and Polish. So it is literally a translation that you're reading through the words. And somehow it doesn't, it doesn't matter, I think it's still well done. It doesn't affect the way you take in the show. The other thing I'll just say this as a as a Jewish guy, I was worried heading into this show that this would somehow be some kind of an apology, or some type of explanation for why the Holocaust was was able to happen. And I was really pleased to see that that wasn't the case with this at all. As a matter of fact, I think it was more helpful to understand how the Holocaust happened. From the perspective of German kids that were that they had to go through it became ultimately part of the process that led to the Holocaust. So listen, it's history and my kids make fun of me because I watch every world war two documentary there is out there. I'm old. That's what we do. And this is an excellent I think, addition to that. I think it's this is very, very well done.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:58

Well, we've talked we've talked about the subtitles watching it and it helps because you meant you do catch things that you didn't Oh, I thought those birds were chirping but I didn't realize they were chirping Ring around the rosie. It adds like a whole thing like like things that are in the script. He just never would have noticed he can then appreciate

Howard Rosner 22:18

honestly another one of the things that I love about subtitles, like in a lot of the shows that we're watching is when it pops up and tells you what song is playing in the background. But it's not like oh, that's who sings that song. Now I can find that. There you go.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:31

Just pull out your Shazam app. All right, Ron, that was generation war. Ron loves the foreign films is subtitles. How do you feel about subtitles tweeted us? Comment us on Instagram. Let us know how you feel. Oh, that's it. That's a lot. You got a lot of homework ahead here. My old school generation war untold, the girlfriend that didn't exist so much. We're gonna let you go. Go hop on the couch, find your cozy spot, cross your own streams, and I'll see you next time.

CTS Announcer 23:07

Thanks for listening to this special edition of crossing the streams. Visit us on YouTube for full episodes and catch us live every Wednesday at 9:30pm Eastern time. Now turn this off and go watch some TV. And don't forget to tell your family yeah, I'll be busy for a while.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai