I Wake Up Streaming, Part 1: Manhunt, Ripley, Gentleman, Franklin

A few weeks ago, I thought this title would be great for a podcast to review everything that's streaming now (A parody of the film I Wake Up Screaming). But I'm too lazy to set up a podcast, so I just jotted down my thoughts on what shows I'm viewing via the various platforms which have replaced cable.

Brandon Flynn and Tobias Menzies in
Manhunt. 

Manhunt (Apple TV): Tobias Menzies stars as Action Cabinet Secretary Edward Stanton persuing Abe Lincoln's killer John Wilkes Booth in this adaptation of a non-fiction book. I love historical series, but this one tries to cram too much into too short a space. The actual hunt for Booth and his accomplice David Herrold took place over 12 days, but so much happens in each day in this series it's ridiculous. For example, Dr. Mudd's slave Mary, gets a land grant, sets up a school, starts teaching and loses her land thanks to mean old President Andrew Johnson all in two days. It's still a fascinating look at a volatile time in our history.

Dakota Fanning, Johnny Flynn and Andrew Scott
in Ripley.
Credit: Netflix.

Ripley (Netflix): Andrew Scott, now plays the polar opposite of the sensitive screenwriter in All of Us Strangers. He is the sociopathic Tom Ripley in an elegant adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley, the first of her five novels about killer-grifter with no scruples about murdering anyone who interferes with his pursuit of wealth and luxury. Previously filmed with Matt Damon and Jude Law, this series is filmed in black and white, much to the annoyance of certain young viewers. Not used to the subtlety of grey, they complained about the lack of color and dropped off after one or two episodes. Scott is perfect as the deadly Ripley. Steve Zaillian wrote and directed the entire series brilliantly, creating taut suspense worthy of Hitchcock. Gen-Zers and millennials don't know what they're missing. There are rumors Zaillian plans to adapt the remaining Ripley novels but Scott wants a break first. This will give me a chance to read the books first.

Book Review: Lincoln in the Bardo

Bought at the Strand (I think): Purchased several weeks ago to read while on a ten-day cruise in Greece and Turkey, so I can't recall exactly where I got this poetic bizarre novel. After reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven and The Lovely Bones, it seemed natural to follow up with a depiction of the journey of Abraham Lincoln's little boy Willie in the after life. Saunders imagines a nebulous in-between land as a bridge from life to death. Willie Lincoln perishes of typhoid in the White House while his parents host an elaborate ball and the Civil War rages. Willie's spirit is ensnared by souls of the damned as other departed spirits try to wrest him free. Saunders employs a strange technique--each short chapter is composed of quotes and sources as if this were an historical document. Sections pertaining to events on earth use excerpts from memoirs and histories while those dealing with events in the spirit realm are attributed to the ghosts who speak them. A slew of characters come to life (or death) as Saunders depicts how they passed and their limbo-like status as they await a final judgment. A hunter must spend eternity comforting each animal he mercilessly slaughtered. An African-American enslaved woman repeatedly raped while alive can no longer speak. A repressed gay man is all noses, mouths and eyes since he pushed down his senses in life. Much spookier and more frightening than either of the previously mentioned books on heaven. Fascinating view of 19th century American life as well as a thoughtful fantasy of death and redemption and a searing portrait of Lincoln and his troubled state of mind during the worst part of the war.

Book Review: Assassination Vacation

Found in one of those little library boxes outside a church in our neighborhood. For free. I've been meaning to read this for a while because I love history and this looked like an interesting read. Sarah Vowell takes us on a funny, quirky road trip down American history lane. With her sister and macabre-obsessed toddler nephew, Vowell visits various locations associated with the assassinations of three presidents--Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley. Along the way, she offers views on the current state of our nation, drawing parallels between the McKinley and Bush administrations (the book was written during the Iraq war). There are also fascinating recreations of each shocking moment of violence, the bizarre coincidence that Robert Lincoln, Abe's eldest, was present for all three killings, and the state of our union during the various time periods. Enjoyable and sharp.