‘Teen Torture, Inc.’ review: In the troubled teen industry, major profits and major allegations of abuse

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In “Teen Torture, Inc.,” the three-part documentary on Max about abuses children and adolescents have survived at various boarding schools, boot camps and religious programs intended to curb rebellious behavior, a phrase comes up again and again: The troubled teen industry. It’s an industry.

That’s a chilling reality describing what author Evan Wright calls a “grab bag of all these different programs based on the idea that no matter what it takes, we’re gonna make these kids follow the rules because what they’re doing is so dangerous, it will destroy their lives.”

In many cases, the abuse is the treatment.

Director Tara Malone talks to a handful of now-adult survivors who recall, in detail, their harrowing experiences. Alas, the seriousness of their stories is continually undermined by Malone’s stylistic choices, from the use of what appear to be grainy dramatic recreations to a score that seems intended to emulate a horror movie. It’s entirely misjudged and suggests the documentary isn’t a Max (HBO) original, but something made for Discovery’s more sensationalist programming, which also (not incidentally) streams on Max. This blurring might be intentional. Either way, it detracts from the overall quality of the work.

The survivors deserve better than a documentary this shameless and crass.

Even so, they tell their stories with clear-headed disgust. The pain is still very close to the surface. One survivor says she was forcibly injected with Haldol when she refused to get out of bed one morning. Another survivor talks about being waterboarded as a 10-year-old. “What does that do to somebody?” he asks. “What does it do to everybody that watched that?”

Allen Knoll and Dave Bowsher standing outside the City of Refuge hoping to get answers in the documentary “Teen Torture, Inc.” (Talos Films/Max/TNS)

Malone interviews experts besides Wright, but his insights are strongest, perhaps because he also had first-hand experience with these programs, which he details in “The Seed: A Memoir.” (As a journalist, Wright has written for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, and he is probably best known as the author of the 2004 non-fiction book “Generation Kill.”)

There are a thousand known troubled-teen programs operating across the country, he says. Some are run by large corporations. Some are small businesses that exist under the radar as far as state regulators are concerned. Employees are not necessarily licensed mental health or medical professionals. “You’re basically signing away custody (and therefore) that program has the right to make medical decisions for your kid,” says Maia Szalavitz, author of “Help at Any Cost.” But it’s not therapeutic, she adds: “‘Troubled teen’ is not a diagnosis.”

In many cases, when kids act out, they are working through untreated mental health issues, or are coming from homes where they are being abused or neglected. Behavior modification becomes the focus. If that sounds like an innocuous term, Wright pushes back: “The only difference between brainwashing and behavior modification is that if it’s done in a Chinese prison camp, we call it brainwashing. If it’s done in a rehab for teens, it’s called behavior modification. But it’s the same thing.”

All told, these programs affect somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred thousand young people a year, at a cost of $30,000 to $60,000 per person. According to Wright, the programs are more profitable if they “fail” because “the longer the child is held there, the more money they make.”

The documentary allows survivors to recount their experiences with dignity, but it doesn’t go deeper. It doesn’t tell us about what relationships exist, if any, between the survivors and their parents. Or — with the exception of one woman seen briefly at home with her young child and partner — what their lives are like now.

They are, of course, entitled to privacy. But from a filmmaking perspective, Malone’s approach is so limiting that each person is reduced to the worst moment in their lives.

“Teen Torture, Inc.” — 2 stars (out of 4)

Where to watch: Max

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.

Travel & Leisure readers pick their No. 1 resort in the U.S. It’s in California

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It may have taken a quarter century to develop a luxury waterfront hotel in Oceanside, California, but it’s apparently paid off.  The Mission Pacific Beach Resort, which made its debut three years ago, has been named the No. 1 resort in the continental U.S. by Travel and Leisure’s readers.

The 161-room, seven-story hotel, which boasts a Michelin-starred restaurant on the premises, was also named the top resort in California. It outranked many long acclaimed properties, including Rancho Valencia in Rancho Santa Fe, which frequently garners recognition in national rankings. It came in at No. 11 in this year’s reader survey of best resorts in the U.S., although it was fourth in 2021.

“I think everyone was completely surprised,” Tim Obert, area managing director of Mission Pacific Beach Resort, said of Tuesday’s announcement. He also manages the hotel’s sister property, The Seabird Ocean Resort & Spa, which was ranked 14th.

“It’s our guests who voted for us, and they’re well traveled and experienced. They know what great is, so it’s flattering that they were kind enough to take the time to vote for us. We had hoped we would score well, but I don’t think any of us expected that we would be No. 1.”

View of Oceanside pier from Mission Pacific Beach Resort. (Mission Pacific Beach Resort)

Travel and Leisure’s article announcing the top resorts is headlined, “The Resort Voted Best in the Continental U.S. Overlooks an Underrated California Beach and Has a Michelin-star Mexican Restaurant.”

It describes the resort on N. Myers Street, as “a place you never really need to leave to have a good time. It’s home to both a Michelin-starred restaurant (Valle, which serves tasty Mexican bites) and a rooftop bar serving craft cocktails that are ideal at sunset.”

Included within the resort is the “Top Gun” Victorian house featured in the 1986 movie. (Mission Pacific Beach Resort)

The resort, it points out, is also home to the original “Top Gun” house, a 19th century Victorian cottage that appeared in the original Top Gun film released in 1986.

Mission Pacific Beach also made it onto Travel and Leisure’s Top 100 Hotels in the World for 2024, ranking No. 11. The only other California hotel to rank higher was the Pendry Newport Beach.

To compile the list of top resorts, Travel and Leisure asks its readers each year to weigh in on their travel experiences, not only for hotels and resorts, but also for cities, cruise ships, airlines and other hospitality segments. More than 186,000 readers completed the 2024 survey, the magazine said, and more than 700,000 votes were cast across all categories.

Hotels were specifically rated on such criteria as rooms and facilities, location, service, food and value.

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The two sister resorts in Oceanside had something of a tortured history as the city sought to bring a destination resort to the oceanfront site since the 1970s. It began courting developers in the 1980s for the two-block site bisected by the western end of Mission Avenue, with boundaries at Pacific and Myers streets, Pier View Way and Seagaze Drive.

Back in 2005, the city of Oceanside chose S.D. Malkin Properties from a field of three finalists. It was Oceanside’s fourth try in 25 years to land a luxury hotel for the site. The project would eventually break ground in 2019.

“When it opened in May of 2021, it opened during COVID, a difficult time to launch any hotel,” Obert said. “So it started slowly and now has gained its footing and competes very well in the market. We run around 67, 70 percent occupancy for the year, but this year we’ll be closer to the low 70s. Like all resorts during the summer through Labor Day, we run well north of 80 percent occupancy.

“Our owners continue to reinvest in the property on a regular basis. They have a luxury retail background and they continue to reinvent the product to be current and relevant.”

Quick Fix: Steak with Shallot Sauce (Steak aux Eschalot) with Potatoes and French Green Beans

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Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News Service

With thoughts of French Bastille Day, July 14, and the Olympics coming to Paris, I thought it would be fun to savor a simple, classic French Bistro dinner, Steak with Shallot Sauce (Steak aux Eschalot).

To go with the steak, I cooked some potato cubes with French green beans. These beans, also called haricot vert, are thinner and sweeter than other green beans. They can be found in most markets. The potatoes and green beans are cooked in the microwave to save time and washing another pot. I then sauteed the vegetables for a few minutes in the skillet used to cook the steak.

HELPFUL HINT:

Any type of quick cooking steak can be used such as skirt or sirloin.

Trimmed green beans can be used instead of French green beans.

Balsamic vinegar can be used instead of red wine vinegar.

COUNTDOWN:

Prepare ingredients.

Microwave potatoes and green beans.

Saute steak.

Cook shallots.

Brown potatoes and green beans.

SHOPPING LIST:

To buy: 3/4 pound grass-fed tenderloin steak, 1/2 pound French green beans, 3/4 pound red potatoes, 2 large shallots, 1 bottle wine vinegar, 1 can olive oil spray and 1 bunch fresh parsley(optional).

Staples: olive oil, butter salt and black peppercorns.

Steak with Shallot Sauce (Steak aux Eschalot) with Potatoes and French Green Beans

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

3/4 pound red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes, (about 2 cups)

1/2 pound French green beans cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

2 tablespoons water.

Olive oil spray

3/4 pound grass fed tenderloin steak

1 cup sliced shallots

1 tablespoon butter, divided use

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash potatoes do not peel and cut into 1 inch cubes. Cut the green beans into 1-inch pieces. Place both in a microwave-safe bowl and add the water. Cover with another plate or plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove from microwave, leave covered and set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Spray with olive oil spray and add steak. Saute 3 minutes without moving the steak. Turn steak over and saute 3 to 4 minutes for 1/2-inch steak. A meat thermometer should read 130 degrees for medium rare. Saute a few minutes more for medium 135-145 degrees. Remove to a cutting board to rest. Add the shallots and 1/2 tablespoon butter to the skillet. Saute shallots for 4 to 5 minutes and add the remaining butter and red wine vinegar. Continue to saute until shallots are transparent. Divide the steak into two portions and place on two dinner plates. Spoon the shallots on top. Sprinkle with parsley if using. Add the 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Uncover the potatoes and beans and add to the skillet. Toss for 2 minutes to slightly brown the potatoes. Divide in half and add to the dinner plates. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 517 calories (39 percent from fat), 22.3 g fat (9.0 g saturated, 8.8 g monounsaturated), 99.5 mg cholesterol, 42.3 g protein, 42.6 g carbohydrates, 6.1 g fiber, 211 mg sodium.

(Linda Gassenheimer is the author of over 30 cookbooks, including her newest, “The 12-Week Diabetes Cookbook.” Listen to Linda on www.WDNA.org and all major podcast sites. Email her at Linda@DinnerInMinutes.com.)

©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Recipe: Canned tuna is a key ingredient in this tasty pasta dish

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Years ago, I discovered the culinary joy of canned tuna packed in olive oil. I love the meaty texture that flakes to perfection. There’s not a hint of mushy wateriness. It can be a delicious protein element in pasta dishes.

In this recipe, it teams with orecchiette, that small, round pasta with a concave shape. The name translates from Italian as “little ears.”

Just before serving, the dish is sprinkled with toasted panko breadcrumbs, giving the finished dish a lovely crunch. Buon appetito!

Orecchiette with Tuna, Red Onion, Dill, and Toasted Panko

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

Salt for salting water

1 pound dried orecchiette pasta

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 medium-size red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice, about 3/4 cup

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

2 (5-ounces each) cans of olive oil packed tuna, drained (leave some oil in the tuna, just drain off the excess)

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Optional garnish: Snipped fresh chives

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on high heat. Add orecchiette and cook until just al dente following cooking time on the package. Give the pasta a couple of stirs while it is cooking to prevent it from sticking together. Remove 1 cup of cooking water and set aside. Drain pasta in a colander in the sink; give it a good shake to remove excess water.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil on medium heat in a large, deep skillet. Add onion and cook about 1 minute. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to onion. Stir to combine and cook until garlic softens but doesn’t brown, about 1 minute (onion will still probably have a little crunch). Stir in tuna and dill; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add reserved cooking water and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of water cooks away. Remove from heat.

3. In a small skillet, lightly toast the panko breadcrumbs on medium heat, shaking handle very frequently to redistribute the crumbs. Monitor it to prevent burning.

4. Serve pasta in shallow bowls topped with breadcrumbs. If you like, sprinkle with snipped fresh chives.

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at @CathyThomas Cooks.com

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