Stu’s Reviews

Stu’s Reviews- #783- TV Series – “Fisk”- Netflix -2 Seasons

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A-/B+

Notable People: Kitty Flanagan, Kitty Zemiro, Marty Sheargold, Created by: Kitty Flanagan and Vincent Sheehan

Title: Fisk

Review Flanagan is wonderful as a lost soul lawyer in this Australian show shoe also produced, writes and directs. Lost soul lawyer Helen Tudor- Fisk (often sounds like tuna-fish!) joins a dysfunctional brother-sister Probate law firm. Flanagan is an iconic comedian in Australia and very droll-dry funny, with some tip of the hat to Larry David’s Curb. The half hour comedy is light, airy and quite funny and her de riguer brown pants suit is worth the price of admission. Australians seem to make good TV (check out “Rake”)

Stu’s Reviews- #782- Book – “The Lavender Lane Lothario”- David Handler

Genre: Book

Grade: A-/B+

Notable People: David Handler

Title: The Lavender Lane Lothario

Review: This 2016 edition sadly seems to be the last in the line of Handlers very amusing and surprisingly captivating Berger and Mitry mystery series. The usual shenanigans take pace in the fabled town of Dorset in the Connecticut community on Long Island Sound. Formidably intense African American state trooper Mitry mixes it up with surprising love interest Jewish “Doughboy” transplanted NY film critic Berger and untangle local mysteries that defy belief. This one is more out there than most. Nothing heavy here, but Handler has won awards for this series and I hate to see it discontinued; he writes well and has created characters are quite engaging as is the community he has created in very old blue blood New England style. Bring it back, Dave!

Stu’s Reviews- #781- TV Series – “The Vietnam War by Ken Burns”- PBS -1 Season

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A++

Notable People: Ken Burns and Lynn Novak

Title: The Vietnam War

Review I’ve said before that Burns is the greatest documentarian in film history, and I would place this as his absolute masterpiece. The ten part, 20 plus hour series from 2017 narrates the sad and sordid tale of US involvement in southeast Asia, from the replacement of the French invader-hordes during the Eisenhower years and through the next four presidents. It took us 3 months of dinner watching increments to get through this- partially because of how long it takes, but mostly because of its raw power. It portrays the greatest divide in American history post-civil war- even greater than our current mayhem, and is filled with moral degradation, extraordinary lack of leadership, fear and power based lies that led to the loss of 60 thousand American lives. These were our children sent off by charlatans to fight an ideological power struggle on the other side of the world; one that was never in a million years going to be won. Burns does am amazing job of presenting all sides of this ideological debate, including many perspectives from both South and North Vietnamese warriors, as well las our own. That sense of what this decade of madness did to it warriors/participants becomes absolutely overwhelming to watch in the final episode as they look back, reflect on the impact their, and their family’s lives and ultimately build an astounding remembering wall; we wept for most of those two hours. No American should avoid watching this; if we do not learn from the mistakes of history we are doomed to repeat them. Amazing.

Stu’s Reviews- #780- Book – “The Caretaker”- Ron Rash

Genre: Book

Grade: A-

Notable People: Ron Rash

Title: The Caretaker

Review: This is my first experience with the prolific and award-winning books of Rash, after I found this book on the Chicago Tribune’s “Best of” books for 2023. Great recommendation!!!. This very powerful novel, set during the Koren war in North Carolina and Tennessee, is a brilliant telling of the damage done by possessiveness and control, and ultimately lies strewn like ashes in order to achieve ignoble ends, but also the balancing out of that with love, redemption and forgiveness. Al this is bound in a compelling and very well told tale. Rash, a Penn/Faulkner award winner lives up to the billing. This is a book that is hard to put down. More Rash in store for me.

Stu’s Reviews- #779- Album – “Was “- Bruce Moon

Genre: Album

Grade: NR

Notable People: Bruce Moon

Title: Was

Review: Bruce’s 20^th self-produced and recorded album , available on Spotify and other streaming platforms, is a quiet set of 11 songs that are consistent with the music Bruce has been making for the 40 years we have been friends. Based solidly in the American Folk tradition, with stylistic waves to Dylan and Simon, Bruce’s all original songs are about aging, loss and regret, reflections on life lived, and fine songs of love; many with a bend towards social issues. Bruce is a very polished acoustic guitar player and gifted songwriter. I personally like when his music is filled out a bit more with accompaniment; there were many instances that I could easily imagine the addition of bass, violin or accordion coming in to further flesh out the sound, and though Bruce does make some ensemble music he is mostly an old-style troubadour. Good playing, nice singing, heartfelt songs, well arranged. If you are a folk music fan, check it out. Note- this album is not rated as I don’t rate efforts made by personal friends to avoid bias.

Stu’s Reviews- #778- Book – “A Chateau Under Siege”- Martin Walker

Genre: Book

Grade: A-

Notable People: Martin Walker

Title: A Chateau Under Siege

Review: Walker, a former diplomat and international journalist, once again delivers a brilliant combination of mystery, political intrigue, current world events and French culture. This latest (2023) Bruno, Chief of Police adventure surrounds the Russian invasion of Ukraine and related terrorist activities in France; seemingly astoundingly in the lovely and picturesque Vezere Valley. I love every part of these books- but the narrative in which Bruno instructs us on how he cooks classic French fare and the discovery of the remote wine caves, country markets, chateaus and a place that modern stresses have mostly left behind- are priceless. Walker is a really god writer, an apparently great cook, and a master storyteller…and Bruno, a character for the ages.

Stu’s Reviews- #777- TV Series – “Lessons in Chemistry”- Apple TV -1 Seasons

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A

Notable People: Brie Larson, Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King, Kevin Sussman, Beau Bridges, Created by: Lee Eisenberg

Title: Lessons in Chemistry

Review A drama series starring Larson as a pregnant chemist who teaches a cooking show in the 1950s. The series explores her challenges and choices as a woman in a male-dominated field – and world. The cast is great and the post-war LA fifties focus is exceedingly well done. My friend, Ana, told this was must watch TV, and I signed up for a week long binge for free on Apple to watch it. Larson is absolutely riveting in career defining role as a total nerd/scientist lacking any social skills or any desire to be social, until she meets an equally nerdy Nobel prize type scientist, played to the hit by Pullman. The show brings out a lot of emotion and a lot of well-deserved shame about the way we treated woman as recently as the 1950s. Originally planned as clearly a one and done miniseries of the popular book- the sow has been such a surprise that season two is being considered by Apple. This is terrific show.

Stu’s Reviews- #776- Film – “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple TV/ Prime/ Theaters)

Genre: Film

Grade: B+

Notable People: Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Title: Killers of the Flower Moon

Review: Missed this epic the first time around on the big screen (which would be well worth seeing in that format)- but finally caught his 3 ½ hour epic on a free trial week of Apple TV+. My anticipation was too high for a Scorsese-De Niro re-collaboration –along with DiCaprio. Although the primary actors are titans and the story was complex and engaging, I found the dialog slow and film overly long with the themes repetitive. Gladstone is a scene stealer in a very quiet and low key way. De Niro still feels like he is from the mean streets much of the time, and this role is not new one for DiCaprio. The grand sweep of the film and period cinematography are great, and the supporting cast of a bunch of long- known character actors is really good- watch for a surprise cameo by Scorsese. Some have said this is Scorsese’s beet effort in years, but it did not fully sell me, though crumbs from a master are still from a master.

Stu’s Reviews- #775- Book – “Blood Grove”- Walter Mosley

Genre: Book

Grade: A-

Notable People: Walter Mosley

Title: Blood Grove

Review: this 2021 take on Mosley’s fabulous and long running Easy Rawlins series brings us to Watts- torn LA of 1969. If you started early in this series, you know that Easy came to LA in the late 40s as a war struck GI, as the town was in its relative infancy and the boys were coming home to find a better life westward. Easy is in his late 40s now, and has his own private dick agency. The story is, as always, a complicated and convoluted whopper of tale, with endless red herrings. Mosley sis one of those writers whose chosen genre is mostly irrelevant; he is one of America’s best regardless of subject. As the Easy series has developed it had focused more and more on the American Black experience, and this one holds nothing back in describing the degree of racism, even at the time of the flowering of our country. At times, the book seems more about race than a mystery novel or character study, but it is hard not to see that as still relevant. Mosley has had the same adjunct characters for years and they are magnificent…study up on Mouse Alexander, possibly the most loyal sociopath in history. Mosley’s colors are a treat to behold.

Stu’s Reviews- #774- Film – “SOUL”

Genre: Film

Grade: A-

Notable People: Voices of: Jamie Foxx, Tine Fey, Graham Norton, Phylisha Rashad, Questlove and Angela Bassett, Directed by: Pete Docter

Title: SOUL

Review: Released originally in 2020 and winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature that year, SOUL was recently re-released tot theaters. I took my 5-year-old cutie, Sloanie, to see it this week, and all I can say, is Pixar are the masters at making films that can appeal to both kids and adults simultaneously-even little kids. Joe is a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn’t quite gone the way he expected. His true passion is jazz — and he’s good. But when he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have soul. Director Docter states that he “conceived Soul in January 2016, examining the origins of human personalities human personalities and the concept of determinism ….…. I mean, no shit. This is heavy stuff that still kept a five-year-old engaged for almost two hours, even riveted. The music is fabulous and the animation startlingly good. Go see it, with or without your 5- year- old plant.