Stu’s Reviews

Stu’s Reviews- #798- TV Series – “Tokyo Vice”- Max/ HBO – Season 2

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A

Notable People: Ansel Elgort, Odessa Young, Ken Watanabe, Sho Kasamatsu Created by: JT Rogers

Title: Tokyo Vice

Review: Wow- this is still a hard one to not want to binge. Adapted from the memoir of Jake Adelstein, a young man from rural Missouri, who goes to Japan to pursue his dream of being an investigative journalist for Japans’ leading newspaper, Season 2 picks up full steam where the first season left off-and only gets better. Jake doubles down in all of the underbelly of Tokyo life and becomes ensnarled with the devilish ministrations of the infamous Yakusa gangs. The supporting characters become more fleshed out in season 2 with a number of compelling outside story lines. Extraordinarily well acted, with crisp dialog and a startling sense of being encompassed by Japanese culture- half in English and half sub-titled. Elgort, Young and Kasamatsu are perfectly cast in great roles and Watanabe may be the foremost Japanese actor of his generation. I found myself bowing to people everywhere I went. Season 3 is purported to be most likely.

Stu’s Reviews- #797- TV Series – “Tulsa King”- HBO/Max -Season 1

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A-/B+

Notable People: Sly Stallone, Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Max Casella, Dominick Lombardozzi, Created by: Taylor Sheridan

Title: Tulsa King

Review: New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi is released from prison after 25 years and exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla.; realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a wacked-out cowboy/misfit/ drug dealer crew. Part comedy and part Mafia wannabe show, Stallone takes the cake, shocking us in his comedic versatility and deadpan one liners. This is not high brown art, but a lot of fun and a close second in mob-gone awry shows to Miami Steve in Lillehammer. Another boost for the current Midas touch of serial television, Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, et al). I am almost ashamed to admit how much I liked this show- which was immediately renewed for second season, moving from Tulsa to Atlanta………. Yo, Adrienne……

Stu’s Reviews- #796- Book – “Carnegie’s Maid””- Marie Benedict

Genre: Book

Grade: A-

Notable People: Marie Benedict

Title: Carnegie’s Maid

Review: Benedict has taken on a personal mission of wiring historical fiction about the woman behind the scenes of historically significant giants/moments. He ability to weave her created characters into very accurate historical narratives is superb and her writing style immensely engaging. After taking on Heddy Lamar’s role in the Nazi empire (Only Woman in the Room) and Einstein ‘s wife (The Other Einstein)-she turns her attention to the post-Civil War era of the Gilded Age of American Industrialization with this wonderful novel in which she skillfully introduces us to Clara Kelly, a young, solo Irish immigrant to America, in the 1860s, who unexpectedly becomes the maid to Andrew Carnegie’s mother. Clara becomes close to eldest son, Andrew Carnegie, and helps to make him America’s first philanthropist. Th story is full of captivating twists and turns and unexpected romance, and lifts up the often unsung role of women in history. Great invented a real character portrayals and a compelling tale of courage in the emergence of modern America.

Stu’s Reviews- #795- Film – “Zone of Interest” “

Genre: Film

Grade: A

Notable People: Christian Friedl, Sandra Huller, Directed by: Jonathan Glazier

Title: The Zone of Interest

Review: This extraordinarily provocative film won the 2024 Oscar for Best International film and is available now on HBO Max-with sub-titles. Written and directed by Jonathan Glazier and co-produced between the United Kingdom, the United States and Poland-it is Loosely based on the 2014 novel by Martin Amis, and focuses on the life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoss and his wife Hedwig, who live with their family in a home in the “Zone of Interest”. They are a very typical German family with kids playing in the beautiful summertime gardens and a wonderfully rehabbed country fresh property with swimming pool, trips to the lake and family picnics- and they just happen to live next door to the massive death camp where daddy goes to work each dat preside over the genocide. All very mundane, except that their property is bordered by Auschwitz and their very ordinary daily life is set against a sky with blackened smoke from the death ovens and the constant sounds of death and despair-all of which they ignore. The seemingly gentle film hovers over a brutal portrayal of the complete unimportance of those being cremated, in the horrific ovens, to the average German soldier. Many powerful moments in the film are easily overlooked given the soft blurry capturing of mundane family life. We never actually see the Camp, but are never unaware of it. A powerhouse!

Stu’s Reviews- #794- Book – “Storm Watch”- CJ Box

Genre: Book

Grade: A-

Notable People: CJ Box

Title: Storm Watch

Review: the latest in Box’s wonderful series, featuring Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett, is a whirlwind of tension set amidst the storm of the century in rural Wyoming. Box continues to find ways to enliven what might seem like a mundane job of fish and game violations; at various times mixing in Soviet spies, Chinese obstructions, deep state plots and larger than life characters. Joes sometimes best buddy, Nate Romanowski, remains one of the most interesting characters invented in modern American literature. You may have to suspend belief a bit to buy into these plots, but they are so well written and the characters and places so vivid, it is absolutely worth it. Consider starting at the beginning of this great series.

Stu’s Reviews- #793- TV Series – “Fargo”- Hulu/FX -Season 5

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A-

Notable People: Juno Temple, Jennifer Jason Leigh, David Rysdahl, Joe Keery, LaMorne Morris, Sam Spruell, Jon Hamm, Created by: Noah Hawley

Title: Fargo

Review: By far the best season since the initial season and though it does certainly not match the chops of the original Francis McDormand film, it has the Coen brothers stamp all over it. Hamm has a career resuscitating role as a very bad religious zealot/crazed all powerful rural and controlling sheriff (and father/husband) and serial abuser- after his stuck as Mad Men hiatus and Spruell is the character you’d expect from every Coen brother’s effort.

Temple is magnificent (how did she manage that accent), and unrecognizable from her wonderful stint in Ted Lasso. The merging of sweet, passive and lilting classic Minnesota personalities combined with the underlying evil and violence is just too good- Hawley and the Coens are masters at this. Loved this cast, loved the writing, loved the bizarre array of Lutherans. Fargo is the story that shifts like a chameleon, but, thankfully, does not go away

Stu’s Reviews- #791- Book – “Runner”- Thomas Perry

Genre: Book

Grade: A-

Notable People: Thomas Perry

Title: Runner

Review: The sixth of nine books in this unusual series featuring Seneca Indian mystic, Jane Whitefield, who helps people who need to disappear. Each story involves multifaceted threats of kinds you cannot imagine as harmless folk try to avoid being taken out by gangland types, contract killers or just plain evil people. Jane may be the true anti-hero, a quiet woman trying to live an unobtrusive life, who keeps getting dragged back into situations to help people out of options to survive, that she may be the only human equipped to do. Masterfully conceived and executed, with fine character development and a great sense of place; this one criss crosses the country from the heart of Seneca Nation in the Adirondacks to the left coast. Really hard to put these down, and am bothered that he may have quit developing these as last one published in 2021. As an aside, Perry ranks at the summit of male writers to ever try to speak through a female protagonist. Would have never guessed the author is male.

Stu’s Reviews- #791- TV Series – “Billions”- Showtime -Season 7

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A

Notable People: Damian Lewis, Paul Giamatti, Corry Stoll, Maggie Siff, David Constabile, Asia Kate Dillon, Daniel Breaker, Condola Rashad, Jeffrey DeMunn, Created by: Andrew Ross Sorkin

Title: Billions

Review: after several lackluster seasons following the departure of Lewis and the loss of the amazing Bobby Axe character, the show rebounded for magnificent finale with Lewis’ return and his subsequent uneasy alliance between he and US Attorney, Giamatti, to fight the evil empire that was Stoll. Snappiest dialog on serial TV and an individual and absolutely huge recurring, ensemble cast for the ages. Constable steals every scene he is in as the dandy Daddy Wags and DeMunn is wonderfully malevolent as the know-it-all patriarch fixer. The writing on the last season was a masterpiece and the finale riveting. A show that makes you like most of the characters despite their astounding level of greed and self-indulgence; just great acting. This show will be missed

Stu’s Reviews- #790- Book – “A Noble Radiance”- Donna Leon

Genre: Book

Grade: A-

Notable People: Donna Leon

Title: A Noble Radiance

Review: got back on the horse with this great Guido Brunetti (Commisario de Policia de Venicia) series whilst wiling away the hours down in the Keys. Good pick. Leon and Brunetti do not disappoint. Not only is Brunetti an enchanting character, but the stories are tightly woven mysteries woven around a lot of social commentary, Italian family life and the Commissario’ s many meandering internal reflections on life, relationships, the state of the modern world and, most hilariously, the Italian government. Major added bonus is the immersion into every side of the quixotic city that is Venice. No cars, many boats and one hard- not- to- love Commissario. Seventh in a very longs series that is still adding a new one annually. Get in this line.

Stu’s Reviews- #789- TV Series – “Lupin”- Netflix -Season 3- French sub-titles

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A

Notable People: Omar Sy, Herve Pierre, Ludivine Sagnier, Antoine Gouy, Created by: George Kay and Francois Uzan

Title: Lupin

Review Sy gets more brilliant with each season as the amazingly charming and astoundingly resourceful Assane Diop; a world class thief (think Robin Hood or Errol Flynn) who models his every move on the exploits of a French literary hero. The thrills are a mile a minute, while still being incredibly cerebral and challenging to keep up with. This third season had impossibly trumped the first two. Wonderful series-plus you get a bird’s s eye view of Paris as a bonus.