Category: Stu’s Reviews

Stu’s Reviews- #258- Film- Fences

Genre:  Film

Grade  A-

Notable People:   Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Directed by Denzel

Title:   Fences

Review:  INTENSE…The film adaptation of the last of August Wilson’s brilliant ten play sequence on the post war African American experience, this film was written by Wilson and is rightly predicted for many awards. The acting in towering with Denzel unrecognizable from more recent roles and Davis her always amazing understated self. The dialog is beyond powerful and the small supporting cast is superb. I reduced my rating only because I thought it was overly long and very slow at times. In fairness, this is really due to the fact the film is really a cinematic play, all taking a place in a few small stage sets. Brilliant and intense- perfect if you’re in the right mood.

Stu’s Reviews- #257- Novel- A Man Without Breath

Genre:  Novel

Grade  A

Notable People:   Philip Kerr

Title:   A Man Without Breath

Review:  Another of Kerr’s dozen or so Bernie Gunther books, this one takes place in Berlin and along the Russian front in the middle of 1943 as it becomes clear the Nazis are going to lose the war. Filled with angst and anguish, out troubled hero continues to struggle with the demons of his participation in this horrible regime and attempts to thwart it at every turn and maintain his integrity in the most difficult of circumstances. As always, the setting sand characters are historically accurate and paint an extraordinary picture of the time and place. If you like history and the WW II era –these are really great books in the great Raymond Chandler mystery tradition.

 

 

                                                                                                                                           

Stu’s Reviews- #256- Film- Manchester by the Sea

Genre:  Film

Grade  A

Notable People:   Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan

Title:  Manchester by the Sea

 

Review:  This is a moving film about death, perseverance and family. You’ve probably all seen the promos and know the basic story. Well filmed, well lit, good score and the directing and acting are quite impressive. This is  a breakthrough role for Affleck, continued excellent work from Chandler (check him out on Bloodlines on Netflix) and  Williams, and a brilliant run by young Hedges who brings an air of humor to an otherwise depressing story. The characters seem very solid and real and the setting is uniquely Boston and Southie. Excellently done.

 

 

Stu’s Reviews- #255- Novel- Endangered

Genre:  Novel

Grade  A

Notable People:   C.J. Box

Title:  Endangered

 

Review:  This is the 15th in the Joe Pickett series from C.J. Box- mystery novels with the protagonist, Pickett, a game warren in remote Wyoming. If you like offbeat settings and stories, these are not to be missed. Box has won every award imaginable for mystery writers and is clearly one of the master practitioners of this art who is writing today. The novels just keep getting better, with great characters and descriptions of the Rocky Mountain culture and lifestyle. Joes’ sometime friend and colleague, the ultra-enigmatic Nate Romanowski, is a character for the ages. Sit down with book one of the series  for the winter and you’ll be set for reading for the season..…if you are serial type. Vunderful, vunderful, vunderful.

Stu’s Reviews- #254- Novel- The Paying Guests

Genre:  Novel

Grade  B+

Notable People:   Sarah Waters

Title:  The Paying Guests

Review:  Very intense and very long (600 plus pages) novel of forbidden love set in post WWI London. Francis at a 27 year old woman (oddly referring to herself as a spinster) living with her 50 something mother (oddly referred to as elderly) in a falling down house that was once grand, before the war related deaths of both of her brothers and then the death and financial ruin of her father. As a result, she and her mother are forced  to take in boarders (called “paying guests” in England) to make ends meet. A simple enough story of the times, it becomes much, much move complicated halfway through the book….almost a suspense thriller, which was wholly unexpected. Well written and quite provocative, but went on about a third too long for my tastes. Still, very evocative of the time and place and worth the read.

Stu’s Reviews- #253- Film- Allied

Genre:  Film

Grade  A-

Notable People:   Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Lizzy Caplan, Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Title:  Allied

Review:  A different kind of film from the director of Back to the Future and Forrest Gump, this is a love and heartbreak story set in Casablanca and London during the middle years of World War Two. Filled with great detail of the times and the underground resistance movement, it morphs into a spy thriller halfway through. Cotillard is simply luminous- a landmark actress and a vision in 40s wartime garb. Pitt is his usual self- not particularly noteworthy , but a good role for him. Lots of twists, turns and surprises and suddenly quite emotional. I liked this film a lot- a good addition to the recent spate of movies about the great war. The early scenes shot in Casablanca will have you waiting for Rick and Ilsa to appear at Rick’s Café American.  Round up the usual suspects….

Stu’s Reviews- #252- Film- Hacksaw Ridge

Genre:  Film

Grade  A-

Notable People:   Andrew Garfield, Theresa Warner, Vince Vaughn, directed by: Mel Gibson

Title:  Hacksaw Ridge

Review: This is an unusual film; in many ways a very traditional WWII story with all the usual characteristics and not for the squeamish. The battle scenes in Okinawa in 1945 are draining and full of bloody violence. But…this is an amazing true story about the only soldier in the war who fought overseas without a weapon. a conscientious objector, Desmond Doss insisted on serving as a field medic , but refused to carry a gun. Ridiculed and almost court- martialed by the army, he turns out to be one of the greatest heroes in the annals of war with his unbelievable courage in the battle of Hacksaw Ridge. Garfield is wonderful it the title role, and Vince Vaughn continues to expand his repertoire. Not for the feint hearted, but very moving film.  

Stu’s Reviews- #251- Book- Tibetan Peach Pie- Tom Robbins

Genre:  Book

Grade  B+

Notable People:   Tom Robbins

Title:  Tibetan Peach Pie

 

Review: The deeply way-out author of classic Americana, since the early 70s, has penned his memoirs. They are like outtakes from “Another Roadside Attraction” and “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues”…which is not a bad thing. Robbins is a true American alt-mystic…applying his paranormal, abnormal, contra-normal and pseudo-normal takes on the American way through dizzying descriptive paragraphs of stolen Jesus mummies, CIA secret plots, Zen-like forest animals of every stripe and loads of psychedelic experiences. Robbins is just kind of nuts…..in a good way, and his books are adventures into an alternative universe. It’s safe to say that his memoir is no different…..and not for everyone. But if you like his stuff, this will amuse and educate you…..he always does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stu’s Reviews- #250- Film- Girl on the Train

Genre:  Film

Grade  A-/B+

Notable People:   Emily blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Theroux, Directed by: Tate Taylor

Title:  Girl on the Train

Review: . Very faithful film adaptation to the mega-best-selling novel. Fine suspenseful drama with a  wonderful Blunt as THE  girl on the train. Lots of twists and turns and commendable acting. Well shot in the New York area- as opposed to London area locale for the novel. Nice rainy day film, and you can catch in at the Cineplex (for us that means a 20 minute drive instead of over and hour though the mountains to get to the art house). Worth the viewing.

 

Stu’s Reviews- #249- Novel- Hitler’s Peace3- Philip Kerr

Genre:  Novel

Grade  A

Notable People:    Philip Kerr

Title:  Hitler’s Peace

Review: Wow- this is one for the ages. I have be reading Kerr’s accounts on pre/during/post war Nazi Germany through the lens of his Bernie Gunther detective novels for the last year and have been duly impressed. This is a whole other level. Kerr tackles the 1943 “Big Three” conference in Teheran –which had Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin meeting to plan out how to end the war. Under this veneer, are plots to assassinate both Stalin and Hitler. secret operations of Nazi parachutists into Iran to kill the “big three”, total immersions into the beginnings of the spy culture and the cold war…all in a fascinating (and partly true portrayal of the last push of the war; to find pace, to eliminate Hitler and to control Stalin. Extremely well written and a nail biter to boot.