“Given the huge amount of attention from clips of his final flight circulating online in recent years it’s surprising it’s taken this long to turn the ‘Sky King’s’ story into a documentary,” writes streaming columnist NICK OVERALL. 

“I think I’m going to try to do a barrel roll, and if that goes good I’ll go nose down and call it a night.”

Those were the famous and tragic last words of Richard Russell, a seemingly ordinary 28-year-old airport ground employee who in 2018 made international news when he stole an empty passenger aircraft in Seattle and took it on a dramatic joy ride.

Not only did he fly the plane with essentially no piloting experience, he performed a remarkable set of acrobatic manoeuvres before intentionally crashing it into an island, killing only himself.

The audio of his final conversation before hitting the ground has become mythologised by the internet.

“Man I’m sorry about this I hope it doesn’t ruin your day,” he told air traffic controllers as they tried to get him back down to earth.

“I wouldn’t know how to land it. I wasn’t really planning on landing it.”

Posted and reposted on social media channels, Russell’s daring final act resonated with people around the world, who gave him the name “Sky King”.

That’s also the title of a new documentary streaming on Disney Plus which recounts this strange and remarkable story.

Given the huge amount of attention from clips of his final flight circulating online in recent years it’s surprising it’s taken this long to be turned into one.

While many around the globe will only know “Sky King” from the infamous black box recording that went viral, this doco now explores the life of the man behind it. 

It includes interviews with his mum and siblings, former colleagues at Horizon Air, and the air traffic controllers who had that last, crazy conversation with him, finally peeling back the mystery of what led to Russell’s dramatic final decision.

If you’re looking for a doco with a truly unique topic, it can definitely be found here.

Clocking in at 90 minutes, this story is undeniably a sad one and yet, for millions around the world, it’s also sent spirits soaring.

BECOMING an unexpected box office hit, The Sheep Detectives starring Aussie icon Hugh Jackman has now made its way to the streaming world.

Available on Amazon Prime Video, this film is a murder mystery with a wooly twist.

It’s not moody detectives solving the crime this time round, but a pack of sheep.

Yes, you read that right.

When a shepherd who loves to read crime stories to his flock is found dead, it’s up to his well-fleeced followers to use their knowledge to solve the case.

It all sounds ludicrous on paper, but this cosy film, based on a novel by German author Leonie Swann, has become a breakout around the world. 

That’s thanks to some genuine, heartfelt writing that has audiences leaving the cinema feeling better than when they went in, making it a major circuit breaker in an industry so bogged down in dark and depressing.

Recent up-beat hits such as last year’s Superman and Apple TV’s Ted Lasso prove feel-good is still a great way to go.

It’s thanks to this approach The Sheep Detectives comes out as one well spun yarn.

THOSE who do like things darker and more dystopian though will have plenty to find in Apple TV Plus’s sci-fi drama series Silo.

It has just come back for its third season.

This series hypothesises a future reduced to a toxic wasteland, with humanity having to retreat underground as it clings to survival.

The story follows skilled engineer Juliette Nicholls (Rebecca Ferguson), who lives in the lower rungs of a huge silo acting as a cradle for what remains of humankind.

Soon though Juliette learns what lies outside this oppressive, cylindrical existence may just be very different to what those in control are telling the masses, sending her on a journey to uncover the truth of what exists beyond.

Tense, well-written and pulled together with the sci-fi sheen that Apple’s bottomless wallet allows, Silo maintains the momentum with its third season.

News all day, every day at CityNewsQBN.com.au.