Day: April 28, 2023

“Florida Man”: fun and peril in the sunshine

Let’s imagine that Elmore Leonard, Janet Evanovich and Dave Barry brainstormed.
We’ll assume that alcohol or chemical enhancements were provided, The result might be “Florida Man” (shown here), the surprisingly good, seven-part mini-series that arrived recently on Netflix.
Leonard was a Detroit novelist who occasionally moved his focus down to Florida, with a surplus of eccentric character; his “LaBrava” was an award-winner and“Maximum Bob” briefly became a TV series. Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels (set in New Jersey) are filled with odd characters; Barry is the Miami humorist whose first novel, “Big Trouble,” was big on Florida quirks.
Throw them together, mix thoroughly and you have “Florida Man.” Read more…

Best-bets for April 30: “Tom Jones” leads a drama cascade

1) “Masterpiece: Tom Jones” opener, 9 p.m., PBS. Fresh from the celibacy of “Sanditon,” PBS goes in a different direction. The 1749 novel and the 1963 movie both celebrated a lad’s lusty adventures. There’s a lot of that here, including bedroom mix-ups and an older seductress. But this time Tom (the likable Solly McLeod, shown here) is a decent chap, looking for his true love. The resulting four-week story is light, loose, sometimes goofy and often fun. Read more…