Author: Jay Ruud

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom George C. Wolfe (2020) Facts for You: Where to Watch: Streaming on Netflix Length: 1 hour 34 minutes Names You Might Know: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman He Said: August Wilson’s “Pittsburgh Cycle,” sometimes called the “American Cycle,” is one of the great achievements of American theater. A series of ten plays, each set in… Continue reading Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

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Money: A Suicide Note

Money: A Suicide Note Martin Amis (1985) Martin Amis, son of another acclaimed British novelist, Kingsley Amis (LuckyJim), is, I’m quite certain, better known in England than in the United States, having been ranked as  No. 19 on the London Times’ famous 2008 list of the “50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945” (his dad came in at… Continue reading Money: A Suicide Note

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Borgen

Borgen Adam Price, Jeppe Gjervig Gram and Tobias Lindholm (2010-2013) Facts for You: Where to Watch: Streaming on Netflix Length: 3 seasons of 10 episodes each  Names You Might Know: How well do you know Danish actors?  Language: In Danish with subtitles She Said: When Netflix serves me a foreign-language television series, I’m all ears and… Continue reading Borgen

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How to Raise an Elephant

How to Raise an Elephant Alexander McCall Smith (2020) This latest installment in Smith’s enormously popular No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series—the 21st—is newly released (as of November 24), and if you are a fan of the series, you will find it a very comfortable read. Within a few paragraphs you are back in Botswana with… Continue reading How to Raise an Elephant

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Mank

Mank David Fincher (2020)   Facts for You: Where to Watch: Streaming on Netflix Length:2 hours, 12 minutes Rated: R for language Names You Might Know: Gary Oldman,Amanda Seyfried, Charles Dance, Lily Collins   He Said: “You cannot capture a man’s entire life in two hours, you can only hope to leave the impression of one,” says Herman J.… Continue reading Mank

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The Order

The Order Daniel Silva (2020) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Shakespeare-180×180.jpg’ attachment=’76’ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’] Like several of Daniel Silva’s previous espionage thrillers featuring Israeli spy Gabriel Allon, his most recent novel (the 20th in the Allon series) premiered at No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list this past August, so I… Continue reading The Order

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Run

RUN -- They say you can never escape a mother’s love... but for Chloe, that’s not a comfort — it’s a threat. There’s something unnatural, even sinister about the relationship between Chloe (newcomer Kiera Allen) and her mom, Diane (Sarah Paulson). Diane has raised her daughter in total isolation, controlling every move she’s made since birth, and there are secrets that Chloe's only beginning to grasp. From the visionary writers, producers and director of the breakout film Searching, comes a suspense thriller that shows that when mom gets a little too close, you need to RUN. Chloe (Kiera Allen), Diane (Sarah Paulson), shown. (Photo by: Allen Fraser/Hulu)

Run Aneesh Chaganty (2020) [av_image src=’http://jayruud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/SusannTennyson.jpg’ attachment=313′ attachment_size=’square’ align=’left’ animation=’left-to-right’ link=” target=” styling=” caption=’yes’ font_size=” appearance=’on-hover’] [av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”] The mental disorder generally known as “Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy” seems to be having a moment in popular culture. The term describes a condition in which caregivers deliberately report nonexistent symptoms or, more alarming, cause… Continue reading Run

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