Stu’s Reviews – Page 14

Stu’s Reviews- #706- Album – “Comfort Eagle “”- Cake

Genre: Album

Grade: B+

Notable People: Cake Produced by: Cake

Title: Comfort Eagle

Review: Very interesting and strange band I discovered from listening to Bakersfield Beat station on Sirius XM. I originally thought they were a 60’s era cosmic country- psychedelia band, but found they are a 90’s cult group that plays an eclectic mix of styles with unusual instrumentation (check out the cello), strangely semi-melodic vocals and an elusive categorization. Picked this particular album at random to check out, and liked it a lot, though not as country-ish as what I had previously hard on radio. John McRae is the founding member of the group which originated in the early 90s and is still going. This is 200 release of their seen studio album catalog. I’m going to pursue some more before my final assessment, but they are intriguing.

Stu’s Reviews- #705- Film – “The Pale Blue Eye”

Genre: Film

Grade: B+

Notable People: Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Gillian Anderson, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Robert Duvall, Directed by: Scoot Cooper

Title: The Pale Blue Eye

Review: a thriller on Netflix (after a short theatrical release last year) adapted from a novel by Louis Bayard. The plot follows retired detective Augustus Landor at West Point in 1830 West Point, as he investigates a series of murders at the Academy- with the surprising aid of a young military cadet, named Edgar Allan Poe. Quite few plot twist and turns, thug a bit slow moving, but t hatching foe the usual eccentric performance from Bales and a short but rewarding role for the 92-year-old Consigliere (Duvall). Was not as predictable as it might seem.

Stu’s Reviews- #704- Book – “Little Green”- Walter Mosley

Genre: Book

Grade: A-

Notable People: Walter Mosley

Title: Little Green

Review: In 2007’s Blonde Faith, set in 1967, Easy Rawlins drove drunkenly off a cliff in what Mosley indicated was likely his last appearance. Now, after two months of sliding in and out of consciousness, Easy is reborn, beginning the long journey back to the living, in Mosley’s superb 12th mystery featuring his iconic sleuth. Mosley fans were pining for the resurrection of Rawlins. Their dreams have come true…. Mosley returns here to doing what he does best: an intriguing set of mysteries set in the historical context and struggle of race in America; in Mosley/ Rawlins case, that being post WWII LA, and, in the case of this masterful book-late in the Summer of Love. Mosley gives us strong correlations between the counter culture and the movement for civil rights, and, as always, spins a compelling yarn. The 12^th of this series, originating in 1990, and still going strong, with three additions since then. My only confusion is how old is Easy Rawlins, the WWII vet now? Explosive writing, extraordinary characters (Ray “Mouse “Alexander …one for the ages) and an incredible ability to make African -American experience more accessible to us all. Great, great stuff. Mosley is a legend.

Stu’s Reviews- #703- Book – “The Ink Black Heart”- Robert Galbraith

Genre: Book

Grade: B+

Notable People: Robert Galbraith

Title: The Ink Black Heart

Review: Galbreath (JK Rowland) is a superb writer and the characters are so engaging and the stories so complex that it is hard to not be totally impressed with this series; of which this is the fifth entry. Now detective partners, Strike and Robin, follow the dark streets of London in pursuit of the solving of case even Scotland Yard can’t keep up with. The books are full of world detailed info and underlying social commentary with wicked sly humor at times. Now the down sides for me: this book is over a 1000 ages, as they all are; it’s now to the point where you just want to see the two main characters get over it and finally do the nasty, instead of obsessing about it for thousands of pages; and this book is the deepest dive into the dark web, the world of cult adult cartoons and associated video games, as any I have read. There are whole chapters that are only twitter dialog boxes- all of which does not hold the most interest for a non- social media user like me, though I know the focus on social media and its pitfalls is inherently timely. On balance, these are really fine books, though this one did not enthrall me as the first four had.

Stu’s Reviews- #702- Book – “The Old Man”- Thomas Perry

Genre: Book

Grade: A

Notable People: Thomas Perry

Title: The Old Man

Review: Picked this book up at a library sale because I like Perry’s work on the Jane Whitefield series (see numerous previous reviews). Several moths later I took it with me on a trip to San Diego and opened it to realize it as the origin book for the Hulu TV series with Jeff Bridges that I reviewed several months ago. The series was really good, the book is much more convoluted, and great. Perry is a top notch writer and storyteller, and this story of a rogue US Intelligence operative is a beauty. Same character as the book, but a much more complex story, that still involves “the old man” who has been living in obscurity for 35 years and has been rediscovered by a vengeful CIA and its ilk and being hunted relentlessly. The character portraits are outstanding, and the whirlwind treks across the Us and the Middle East are breathtaking. Hard book to put down. Highly recommended.

Stu’s Reviews- #701- Film – “The Menu”

Genre: Film

Grade: A-

Notable People: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Rob Yang, John Leguizamo, Paul Dano, Directed by: Marc Mylod

Title: The Menu

Review: Wonderfully bizarre black comedy and social commentary simultaneously released in theaters and on HBO Max, features the brilliant Fiennes in a mad role, as the chef-proprietor of an internationally renowned dining experience on a remote island. The invitees gather for a once in a lifetime extravagant dinner with infamously theatrical, dramatic presentation, only to be confronted with the mad-wrath of the Chef, and his minions’, anger and desire for social revenge. Extremely well done with an excellent ensemble cast of many familiar faces, the viewer keeps waiting for the whole thing to be a joke. Elements of horror, slapstick and total satire abound. Very quirky film well worth the stream.

Stu’s Reviews- # THE BIG 700- Film – “A Man Called Otto”

Genre: Film

Grade: A-

Notable People: Tom Hanks, Mariana Trevino, Rachel Keller, Truman Hanks, Directed by: Marc Forster

Title: A Man Called Otto

Review: My 3^rd trip to the big screen in three weeks, after the Plaque induced 3-year absence, revealed this beautifully quiet film, that had me in tears foe most of two hours, without really being a tearjerker in the pejorative sense. Hanks is masterful. I used to think he was over hyped, but his recent year’s performances have convinced me he is in the top echelon of actors of his generation. In this one, he wears the most amazing permanent scowl and grumbles throughout, almost reminiscent of late stage Clint Eastwood. The story is endearing, from a wonderful novel, and the acting is superb: Trevino is inspiring and casting Hanks’ son, Truman, as his younger self, is brilliant. The supporting cast of eccentric characters is exceptional. This is not a groundbreaking story, but the film is so well done and the acting so perfect, it is well worth a trip to the cinema.

Stu’s Reviews- #699- Book – “Shadow Woman”- Thomas Perry

Genre: Book

Grade: A

Notable People: Thomas Perry

Title: Shadow Woman

Review: This is the third in Perry’s unusual Jane Whitefield series. Jane is a Seneca Indian in far upstate New York who infamously makes people disappear who need to not be found by people with very bad intentions. I was somewhat impressed by the first entry in the series, but each one has grown significantly tighter, more suspenseful, and more intensely psychological. Jane is an extraordinary character who does extraordinary things. The forces of evil she combats are presented in this book in the form of bad, bad Vegas types and a married killer couple, who may redefine sociopathic for any reader. These books may not be everyone’s s cup of tea, but if you have even a minimal interest in the suspense genre, give it a try. When I’m in a real hole, I’m keeping Jane’s number in my pocket. Perry is not prolific with this series, but there have been nine books in 25 years, so you might stay busy for a bit.

Stu’s Reviews- #698- TV Series – “The Empress”- Netflix -1 Season (Austrian- with sub-titles)

Genre: TV Series

Grade: B+

Notable People: Hanna Hilsdorf, Devrim Lingnau, Melika Foroutan, Svenja Jung, Created by Lena Stahl and Kathanna Eyssen

Title: The Empress

Review: Historical drama set in Austria during the reign of the Hapsburg Empire. Two young people meet. A fateful encounter – the proverbial love at first sight. He is Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, she is Elisabeth von Wittelsbach, Princess of Bavaria and the sister of the woman Franz is to marry. Chaos follows in many forms not the least of which is the constant verge of war with /Russian end the underlying people’s evolution to take power. The cast is good, the settings and costumes wonderful and the dialog crisp and inventive. Short six- part first season that has already been renewed for a second. Highly entertaining if you like historical semi-fiction.

Stu’s Reviews- #697- Album – “Sea Change””- Beck

Genre: Album

Grade: A-/B+

Notable People: Beck Produced by: Nigel Godrich

Title: Sea Change

Review: I have been fascinated by what I’ve heard here and there from Beck for the last 20 years and recently decided to explore further. Started with this highly regarded 2002 eighth studio album release. Recorded over a two-month period in Los Angeles with producer Nigel Godrich, the album features themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude, and loneliness. For the album, much of Beck’s trademark cryptic and ironic lyrics were replaced by simpler, more sincere lyrical content. The album feels much like a 60s exploratory throwback in the Donovan tradition, but darker. Beck has a great voice and is a really accomplished and tasteful musician and surrounds himself with quality players, when not playing it all himself. Made me interested enough to pursue his catalog further.