Author: stumberry

Stu’s Reviews- #217- Novel- Light of the World- James Lee Burke

Genre: Novel

Grade: B+

Notable People: James Lee Burke

Title: Light of the World

Review: Burke has gone a bit over the deep-end. In this, the umpteenth in the Dave Robicheaux crime series, he has moved from the Louisiana Bayou to the Bitterroot mountains of Montana-which corresponds to his own geographical re-location. Ostensibly, Dave and Clete and their families are spending the summer in Montana with a legendary activist writer friend. Needless to say, chaos follows and finds them. The book seems more far fetched than his even his usual and his long diatribes on the nature of evil, biblical exploration and the Vietnam experience take more of the book than the actual story. All that said, Burke is wonderful writer and has developed these great characters over the last 30 years. His descriptive powers of place are also among the best. It’s a thrill ride with a lot of lulls for rumination- but definitely worth the read.

#216- Film- Hunger Games- Mockingjay Part Two

Genre: Film

Grade: B+

Notable People: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland, Woody

Harrelson, Directed by Todd Haynes

Title: Hunger Games- Mockingjay Part Two

Review: well- its now over after four years. Jennifer Lawrence went from being a girl to full grown woman, with even some insinuated sex scenes in the movie (nothing too obvious). The fourth and last was well done and had quite the extravagances. The character roles in this film were really great (Woody, Sutherland, PS Hoffman, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore). Stayed pretty consistent with the marvelous books with a semi-happy ending. Lawrence was born for this role. If this is your kind of thing, make an effort to see it on the big screen- it is deserving of that.

Stu’s Reviews- #215- Film- Carol

Genre: Film

Grade: A

Notable People: Cate Blanchet, Rooney Mara, Directed by Todd Haynes

Title: Carol

Review: This a wonderful film about two women in love I the forbidden 50s. Blanchet and Mara sparkle together- incredible chemistry. Mara is luminous as the young, naive woman who can’t say no. Blanchet is haunted as a repressed lesbian trying to maintain a foothold in the traditional world of the era. Magnificently shot, with enormous attention to detail of the times. The first half of the movie dragged a bit, but once it captured you, it did not let go. I really loved this film.

Stu’s Reviews- #213- Novel- Silkworm

Genre: Novel

Grade: B+

Notable People: Robert Galbraith

Title: Silkworm

Review: The second novel of three published by JK Rowling (Harry Potter) under the pen name of Galbraith, it is another extremely well written book. Galbraith/Rowling is the real deal as a writer, and these Cormoran Strike mysteries are quite the reads. Strike is a one legged gruff Afghanistan amputee living and working his private dick gig in the heart of London. The books are very descriptive and the mysteries pretty complicated. And, awful lot of red herrings. Strikes’ character is quite an enigma and well thought out and written. This is another good installment, but I found the last quarter of it dragged (the books are almost 500 pages to begin with). Still, a good read by a great writer.

Stu’s Reviews- #212- Film- Brooklyn

Genre: Film

Grade: A

Notable People: Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent. Directed by: John Crowley

Title: Brooklyn

Review: This is an absolutely beautiful movie in every way conceivable. In early 1950’s young Irish girl, sponsored by the far away benevolent priest, comes to America form Ireland to find a better life, settling in the large Irish community in Brooklyn. This is the story of her transition, of grief and endings and beginnings, and falling in love..…filled with poignant moments that are so clearly life defining for those in them. I just loved this movie. Ronan is stunning in the lead role, Cohen is just right and Broadbent is a throwback to the priests of 1940s Hollywood. Beautifully shot, both in Brooklyn and Ireland, attention to all the details of 1952 life. Wonderful!

Stu’s Reviews- #211- Album- Neil Young- Live at the Blue Note Cafe

Genre: Album

Grade: A-

Notable People: Neil Young, Crazy Horse, Horn section

Title: Live at the Blue Note Cafe

Review: My, my, hey, hey….Another one of Neil’s discs (2 CD set) from his endless archive series. This one in from his dabble in the Blues in 1988 which produced a tour and the album “This Notes for You”. This was in the middle of a run that included his bluegrass persona (The International Harvesters), his Rockabilly persona (Neil and the Shocking Pinks) and his wild electronic persona (giant mice walking around the stage). Suffice it to say, Neil is an unparalleled original in our musical times. This is an interesting album of somewhat countrified blues music done over many concert stops on that tour. The horn section is a bit overdone (should have consulted The Band on this)- but Neil’s eccentric guitar work shines through , along with his plaintiff vocals and the rock steady rhythms from Crazy Horse (Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot, Frank Sanpedro). Nothing new here, but really- who cares? It’s another wild notch of feedback on this guy’s incredible musical journey.

Stu’s Reviews- #210- Film- The Hateful Eight

Genre: Film

Grade: A-
Notable People: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason-Leigh, Walton Goggins, Directed by: Quentin Tarentino
Title: The Hateful Eight

Review: My, my , my…it’s the new Tarantino. The man is utterly outrageous- a non-stop ride for almost three hours. This nod to classic westerns takes place for a bit inside a stagecoach and then the rest is all in a one room cabin (Minnie’s’ Haberdashery!) with 8-9 people inside in a blizzard (listen to that wind blow throughout the film). You get the usual flashback stuff, vice-overs, hidden surprises, and philosophical rambling psychopaths. There are also the great long narrative- monologue stories- in this case presented by Jackson. Russell does a pretty good job channeling John Wayne and Jackson is in his element. Leigh gives a great portrayal of a crazy woman going to get hung and defying everything with a snarl and a snicker. I cannot but like every film this man puts out (this is his eigth)- but I did not think this ranked with one of his best- I got a little fidgety in the middle parts…but it typically ended with bang. You know you’re going to see this- so got out and do it.

Stu’s Reviews- #209- Novel- The Big Seven- Jim Harrison

Stu’s Reviews

Genre: Novel

Grade: B+/B
Notable People: Jim Harrison
Title: The Big Seven

Review: First thing is, as you may know, I am a huge fan of Jim Harrison. In addition, to an extraordinary legacy of great fiction, he has been a master of the short story collection in recent years. His prose is that of the great legends of the craft. That all said, his recent novels have been a bit tiring with an almost absurd Hemingway-like focus of conquering nature, living the good fight, traumatic aging and conquering younger woman. This is the second is a series he started a few years ago, featuring the retired Upper Peninsula police detective, Sunderson. Sunderson is having hard time living without his ex-wife and turns this into an endless reflection on loss and endless sexual pursuit that tends to drift across the country. The cases to be solved are secondary-it’s certainly not a detective novel-almost a parody of one. The “Big Seven” refers to the seven deadly sins, to which Sunderson wants to add an eight. Harrison remains a great writer and these novels showcase his aging humor, but I long for the more serious novels which left you moved in many ways. Good-not great

Stu’s Reviews- #208- Film- The Big Short

Genre: Film

Grade: B
Notable People: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Directed by Adam McKay
Title: The Big Short

Review: Illuminating film about the bust of the housing bubble and the subsequent financial collapse of 2008. Fascinating look at the people who predicted this would happen and how they profited from it…and pretty damning about the big banks and government having their heads up their arses and/or powder up their noses. I found the film very disturbingly informative but VERY dry- almost like a funny documentary with a lot of weird artistic flourishes. The ensemble cast is good, but I was not moved in any way by it. I’d wait to see on Netflix or such.

Stu’s Reviews- #207- Film- Novel- Mendocino Fire

Genre: Novel

Grade: B+ (B)
Notable People: Elizabeth Tallent
Title: Mendocino Fire

Review: This is an interesting set of stories/novellas by this California writer/academic that are alternately set in California and Iowa. they roughly trace the life path of a college professor (clearly the author) through a series of romantic entanglements, life changes and family crisis. Very-very well written but somewhat obtuse and quite esoteric at times. You almost have to have gone to grad school to keep up. If you’re willing to struggle a bit with her intellectualism, there is some vivid material here. Hard to rate this one…so I took the easy way out with a range