Author: stumberry

Stu’s Reviews- #637- Book – “All the Devils Are Here”- Louise Penny

Genre: Book 

Grade: A

Notable People: Louise Penny

Title: All the Devils Are Here

Review: Well, if you have not yet chosen to take my advice from the many, many Penny reviews I have done on the Gamache series for the last couple of years……well…. you should. Aft two years, I am also caught up with her which I really don’t want to be. This is her 2020 offering and the first set principally outside the magical town of Three Pies in southern Quebec. This one is solely set in Paris, which Penny lovingly bestows in the same way she has been drawing our fancies to Quebec for the last 20 or so editions. Full of drama, intensity and beautiful character studies, all anchored by the portrait of Chief Inspector Gamache with his rosewater and sandalwood calmness. This one is one of the best yet. The tour of insider Paris is masterful, and she never misses a chance for bit of wittiness in the midst of chaos. From the most amazing acknowledgement sections of a book to the fully developed characters and dead-on dialog, Penny is a master.

Stu’s Reviews- #636- TV Series – “Emily in Paris”- Netflix – 2 Seasons

Genre: TV Series   

Grade: B

Notable People: Lily Collins, Philippine Leroy- Beaulieu, Ashley Park, Lucas Bravo, Samuel Arnold, Created by: Darren Star

Title: Emily in Paris

Review: This is really a mostly vapid eye-candy series from Sex in the City’s Star, that deserves a B rating, except for Lily Collin’s (Phil from Genesis’s daughter) extraordinary outfits and the incredibly loving capturing of Paris in all it a glory. She is an American PR mensch assigned for a year to a Paris satellite company, and fills the bill for the ugly American, but she is kind of enduring and quite funny. The French characters in the show are too die for, especially Leroy- Beaulieu as the crotchety older femme fatale of the Paris office, and you will want to rush out to the closest Brasserie for a meal and a sunset walk along The Seine. Lightweight, but entertaining.

Stu’s Reviews- #635- TV Series – “The Gilded Age- HBO Max – 1 Season

Genre: TV Series     

Grade: A-

Notable People: Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobsen, Christine Baranski, Created by: Julian Fellows

Title: Rake

Review: 1880’s New York, in all its uptight debauchery, is the setting of this well done show by Downton Abby creator, Julian Fellows. The novena riche Russels try to make inroads with the Astor-led scions of Gotham society. Beautifully filmed, amazing sets and fine acting make this show worth watching…but oh, my, these rich folks are just brutal. Renewed for second season. If you like this historical period, you’ll like this show.

Stu’s Reviews- #634- TV Series – “CB Strike- HBO Max – 2 Seasons

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A-

Notable People: Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger, Kerr Logan, Killian Scott. Created by: Ben Richards and Tom Edge

Title: CB Strike

Review: One-legged war veteran turned private detective Cormoran Strike solves brutal murders with the help of his trusted assistant Robin Ellacott. This BBC produced version of the Robert Galbraith (JK Rowland) book series nails it- the casting, especially Burke and Grainger,  is dead on, the setting and dialog jump out of the books. The two seasons cover the first three books in the series, with two more in production. Dark, gritty London and a swirl of underworld charters contrast with the extraordinary non-sexual intimacy of Strike and Robin. This series far exceeded expectations.

Stu’s Reviews- #635- Book – “Troubled Blood”- Robert Galbraith

Genre: Book  

Grade: A-

Notable People: Robert Galbraith

Title: Troubled Blood

Review: If you’ve read Harry Potter to your kids, you know how good a writer this woman is, but for reasons I can’t fathom, she writes this series under the Galbraith pseudonym. Regardless, it is a unique London based mystery series featuring one legged private detective, Cormoran (CB) Strike, a taciturn and complex crime solver and his sidekick, Robin. Their years long unresolved flirtation is intense and the mysteries to be solved extraordinarily convoluted. This one takes almost at 1000 ages to resolve, which may be a bit much, but the story in quite enthralling and the characters wonderfully developed. Bonus is the story meandering all over the Isles. This series is already a brilliant serial on HBO that has masterfully captured the books. Luv’ me some Strike.

Stu’s Reviews- #634- Book – “Shadows Reel”- CJ Box

Genre: Book   

Grade: A-

Notable People: CJ Box

Title: Shadows Reel

Review: The 22nd edition in the fabulous Wyoming Game Warden, Joe Pickett, series is masterful barn-burner of a mystery with all the craziness one could want from a book. It’s got Nazi memorabilia, Antifa, crazed mercenaries, cross country hauls and the inimitable Nate Romanowski, extraordinary the outlaw falconer, in a principle roll. These books continue to evolve and get better. Box is at the absolute top of his game and winning prestigious mystery writer awards left and right. Take a trip out to the range-you won’t regret it.

Stu’s Reviews- #633- TV Series – “Rake- Amazon/Acorn TV – 5 Seasons

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A-

Notable People: Richard Roxburgh, Matt Day, Kate Box, Carolyn Brazier, Created by: Peter Duncan and Richard Roxburgh

Title: Rake

Review: Roxburgh is magnificently outrageous in this series vehicle for his improvisational comedy…a lunatic set loose in the great tradition of Jonathan Winters and Robin Williams. Criminal lawyer, Cleaver Greene defends the clients’ no one else will take- in Australia- for the basic plot. Roxburgh, who is the definition of being a” A Rake”, takes it from there. A classically trained Shakespearian actor, he is set loose here to pretty much do anything he wants, and the results are dumbfoudingly hilarious. Hard to take your eyes of him when he is charged up and running on all cylinders. Outstanding supporting cast and well written. First few seasons for free on Amazon , then they want to charge you for an Acorn subscription, but we got the other seasons from the library on Blue Ray.

Stu’s Reviews- #632- TV Series – “Victoria- Amazon- 3 Seasons

Genre: TV Series 

Grade: A-

Notable People: Jenna Coleman, Tom Hughes, Adrian Schiller, Rufus Sewell, Created by: Daisy Goodwin

Title: Victoria

Review: Very well doe series exploring the life and reign of Victoria, the Teen Queen of England- often historically misunderstood, and the longest running Queen (63 years) in world history. Jenna Coleman takes to this roll like a pig in shit, as she becomes queen at age of 16. Coleman is simply masterful as she matures into a world powerful monarch in a hot, steamy and complicated marriage with Prince Albert of Bavaria (Hughes). Everything about this show is meticulously done and the cast is up tight Brit marvelous. Loved it- waiting for season four!

Stu’s Reviews- #631- Album- “Raise the Roof”- Robert Plant and Allison Krauss

Genre: Album    

Grade:  B

Notable People: Robert Plant and Allison Krauss Produced by: T-Bone Burnett

Title:  Raise the Roof

Review:    The follow up album to their Grammy winning Raise the Sand is more or less a rehash of the first. Plant still sounds surprisingly good even after 50 years of being a Rock God, and the few songs in which Krauss sings the lead are the most appealing, but it all more or less sounds alike- feels like elevator music after a while. Very tight band and the Burnett production is stellar- just nothing new here.

Stu’s Reviews- #630- Book – “The Final Revival of Opal & Nev”- Dawnie Walton

Genre: Book

Grade: A-/B+

Notable People: Dawnie Walton

Title: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

Review: Dawnie Walton’s very ambitious debut novel, is a sweeping and thought-provoking look at the meteoric rise and fall of a 1970s-era music duo told from the first person perspective of the first African -American woman editor of a major rock magazine. She also happens to be the daughter of a black drummer murdered at the 1972 Opal and Nev inaugural show by a racist-redneck mob. Confused? This challenging book is tricky to keep up with- the story is told through 30 plus years of interviews (fictitious) with all the key players, but mostly focused on Nev Charles, a prototype British soft rock star, and Opal Jewel, a performance artist/singer/fashion queen form Detroit. The book tackles both gender and race inequality head on- and hits you over the head with it at times. Pretty powerful stuff, though I thought the story drifted at times in the telling through the years of interviews. Another in a long line of books my daughter has gotten me to expand my cultural horizons, which I think is working.