Three remarkable women, in The First Lady, a Showtime mini-series (released April 17), provided indispensable support to their husbands before and throughout their presidencies. Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Michelle Obama (Viola Davis)–all three made soul-crushing...
“Tokyo Vice”–Yakuza on Ice
Tokyo Vice, adapted from the titular 2009 memoir, by Jake Adelstein, retells and also fictionalizes the experience Adelstein had as a 20-something American expatriate determined to be a reporter for the largest Japanese newspaper.
The first episode details Jake’s (Ansel Elgort of “Baby Driver” and...
“Anatomy of a Scandal”–Autopsy of Privilege
Anatomy of a Scandal, a Netflix thriller mini-series created by David E. Kelley and Melissa Gibson, is based on Sarah Vaughan’s novel by the same name. Released on April 15, 2022, Anatomy of a Scandal takes the viewer into familiar territory: the “he said, she said” of a rape trial...
“Operation Mincemeat” (2022)–Chopped and Diced
Operation Mincemeat (2021) is based on the true story of a successful British subterfuge against Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Released by Netflix on May 11 in time for Memorial Day, Operation Mincemeat retells the unfamiliar story of a pivotal operation by British intelligence to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of...
“Four Good Days” (2021) –After Ten Bad Years
Inspired by a Pulitzer-Prize winning Washington Post article, Four Good Days tackles the almost insurmountable ordeal of drug withdrawal. And also confronts the parent-adult child relationship that fails repeatedly to lead to a successful outcome.
Thirty-year-old Molly (Mila Kunis) is the damaged and severely addicted...
“Dead To Me”: A Balancing Act
Guest reviewer: David A. Kennedy, horticulturalist and author of the thriller, RICOCHET
Mortality, deceit, redemption – these are bread-and-butter themes for the storyteller. Add a little meat to them bones, and you might have something special. Netflix’s Dead To Me (two seasons with the third coming this fall.) attempts...






