Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women's and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
By Lynn Venhaus The rare white Alba truffle demands top dollar on the international market, from hundreds of dollars to over a thousand. The golden tuber is known for its pungent aroma and earthy flavor, and diners enjoy it shaved over pasta, risotto, eggs and meat. It has a short growing season of only a few months a year, and the forests of Italy are the premier location for hunting this delicacy.
Nowadays, there is an art to foraging for them, as the truffle has resisted modern science’s effort at cultivation. Expertly trained dogs join a rare breed – aging truffle hunters whose
Their secret culture is the subject of a fascinating documentary.
The elusive white truffle’s journey from the forest to the table is an interesting subject in the unusual Italian documentary “The Truffle Hunters.”
Eccentric elderly men, often in their 70s and 80s, are obsessed with the lucrative truffle hunt — so much so that they are unwilling to share the tricks of the trade, passed down from generations, with younger men who want to follow in their footsteps. Therefore, these Italian professionals are a dying breed.
Directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw provide vivid portraits of four of these men — Carlo, Aurelio, Sergio and Angelo, characters all — and their beloved dogs living a simple life in Piedmont, Italy. It may look like something out of the Brothers Grimm, but these gruff, competitive men are not fairy tale characters.
Nor do they assimilate in the 21st century with tech-savvy knowledge.And some would just prefer to be left alone, with the trusty companion, nevertheless.
While truffle hunting is a way of life they have mastered, it is not without its challenges. Climate change and deforestation have caused problems with a decreased supply at harvest time.
Dweck and Kershaw, who recently won the Directors Guild of America award for directing a feature documentary, bring out all the quirkiness of these hunters and show the affectionate bond between the men and their dogs.
The cinematography is another outstanding element, and Dweck and Kershaw won the American Society of Cinematographers award for best documentary.
If you are a dog lover, this movie needs to go on your watch list. If you are like me and enjoy learning about something you never paid much attention to, “The Truffle Hunters” is worth 90 minutes of your time as a snappy homage to these guys who take obvious pride in their work.
At only an hour and 24 minutes, this film is a snappy homage to these guys who take obvious pride in their work. “The Truffle Hunters” is an international feature documentary, in Italian with subtitles, directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw. It’s rated PG-13 for strong language and runs 1 hour, 24 minutes. In theatres. Locally, at the Hi-Pointe Back Lot on April 23. Lynn’s Grade: A-.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
By Lynn Venhaus When husband-and-wife collaborators Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy work together on screen, a low bar has been set, for their previous four movies together had little to redeem them. Yet “Thunder Force,” while just barely a cut above the others, has its moments.
And only a few, for “Thunder Force” is a hodge-podge of tone, temperament and style that squanders opportunities to boost its likability. The strongest aspect is the cast, who looks like they are having fun indulging in all the silliness.
And there is plenty of that, along with slapstick and repetitive gags. Maybe the jokes don’t all land, but let’s keep hammering them again and again just in case people will finally ‘get’ them.
In a world terrorized by super villains, scientist Emily Stanton (Octavia Spencer) has developed a way to give regular people superpowers. That happens to her estranged best friend Lydia Berman (Melissa McCarthy), who is injected with super strength, when she is poking around. Emily can become invisible. These powers, to be used for good, can protect their city from evil. But can Thunder Force save Chicago from these Miscreants?
After the disappointing “Tammy” in 2014 and the unwatchable “Life of the Party” in 2018, (I skipped “The Boss” in 2016), one wonders why writer-director Falcone still gets to helm projects with his Oscar-nominated wife McCarthy but in November, they presented another lackluster high concept “Superintelligence” on HBOMax and now the forced “Thunder Force” on Netflix.
McCarthy is playing the same character that she has milked for laughs since her breakout role in “Bridesmaids” in 2011 – an uncouth loudmouth slob who beats to her own drummer. The common thread there, along with “The Heat,” “Spy” and “Ghostbusters,” is director Paul Feig, who knows how to reign in her penchant for absurd riffs.
Feig’s direction is disciplined, unlike her husband of 16 years, who lets her go on and on and on – singing random pop songs, doing goofy impressions and just making a good punchline less amusing by not knowing when to stop.
Why does she stay in her comfort zone when we know she is capable of much more — the Oscar-nominated “Can You Forgive Me?” and an Emmy as host of “Saturday Night Live” in 2017 (and that hilarious Sean Spicer impression)?
The Falcones met doing improvisational sketch comedy at The Groundlings in L.A., and I think their strength is humor in short doses. This movie is like a “SNL” sketch that has gone on far too long.
Apparently, McCarthy and Spencer met during that time, and have been real-life BFFs since then. But you would not know of their connection by the way the relationship is framed in the film.
Emily is a brain who devotes all her time to her work, with little time for frivolity. Lydia is a lonely hard-drinking forklift operator. Neither of them are endearing as good friends, thrown together in school as misfits, but neither is the loyal true-blue friend they should be.
So, they magically team up again after years of estrangement?
The plot holes don’t help. The Miscreants are former borderline sociopaths empowered by interstellar rays in the early ‘80s into super-villains who wreak havoc on the streets of Chicago.
Laser, played by “The Guardians of Galaxy” breakout Pom Klementieff dressed as a dominatrix, hurls blue bolts for destruction.
The thug-boss mayor, played over-the-top by – of course – Bobby Cannavale, referred to as “The King,” and is straight out of Gotham City’s playbook, appearing like a cartoon buffoon in “Batman Returns.”
Falcone also plays one of his henchmen, and after unfortunate skin tasering, has a running gag on how the unsightly scabs appear on his face. Once was enough but the fact it’s repeated is indicative of this hot mess.
And Oscar winner Melissa Leo is totally wasted in a tough-lady operative role.
Now, for the good parts. Jason Bateman, who worked with McCarthy in “Identity Thief” in 2013, is a half-creant, with crab pincer claws as arms. Inexplicably, The Crab and Lydia are drawn to each other (and there is a foreplay scene with drawn butter and Old Bay seasoning). You can tell he’s just slumming, and that’s OK because he knows how to deliver one-liners in a deadpan way. and has a gift for comic timing.
This film, however, belongs to the younger ladies. In flashback, McCarthy’s daughter Vivian Falcone plays her in middle school – and is terrific – and Bria Danielle Singleton is strong as young Emily. They could have had a whole movie developed around them, and that would have been OK, preferable to the middle-age edition.
That said, the jokes about hefty middle-age women in spandex suits and entering and exiting a sports car are funny and relatable.
Taylor Mosby is winning as Emily’s daughter Tracy.
The fact that this movie wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, but it was enjoyable in spurts.
“Thunder Force” is an action comedy directed and written by Ben Falcone. It stars Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer, Bobby Cannavale, Jason Bateman, Taylor Mosby. Melissa Leo and Pom Klementieff. Rated PG-13 for some action/violence, language and mild suggestive material, the run time is: 1 hour, 46 minutes. The film is available on Netflix beginning April 9. Lynn’s Grade: D+
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
Prism seeks submissions from women playwrights for “Spotlight on… Women Writing: Prism’s Festival of New Works”
The mission of St. Louis’ newest professional performing arts organization, Prism Theatre Company, is to promote the work of women and emerging artists, on stage and off, through the lens of theatre for the new world. We produce both new and classic works in an atmosphere of inclusivity, where artists from all walks of life can come together to explore our common humanity. Prism is creative collaboration, without the cliques.
To that end, Prism is currently seeking submissions for new plays by women playwrights based in Missouri or Illinois for “Spotlight on… Women Writing: Prism’s Festival of New Works.” Prism is accepting non-musical plays of any length that feature 2 – 15 characters. All submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. CST on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Visit prismtheatrecompany.org for full submission guidelines.
Prism’s search for the most talented playwrights in our region will culminate with the inaugural season of a series of staged readings this summer (dates TBA), featuring some of St. Louis’ favorite actors and exciting, emerging artists. COVID safety guidelines will be strictly followed for in-person readings, and a virtual option will also be offered. Details on the festival are available on Prism’s website, Instagram, and Facebook page.
Prism Theatre Company is the brainchild of Trish Brown and Joy Addler, St. Louis-based theatre-makers and longtime collaborators.
Trish Brown, a professional director, actress, and theatre educator, has directed regionally, as well as in Canada. She is a proud associate member of SDC, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
She holds an MFA in Directing from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and worked professionally in Chicago for a number of years before returning to the St. Louis area.
A process-based, ensemble director, Trish is trained in and utilizes a number of acting methods in her work while specializing in the Michael Chekhov technique.
She is a founding member of The Moving Dock Theatre Company, a Chicago-based company dedicated to the actor’s creative process through the use of the Chekhov technique. Theatre education is also a passion of Trish’s and she has taught in regional arts programs such as COCA in St. Louis and Hinsdale Center for the Arts in Chicago. She is now a Professor of Theatre at Principia College. Her educational productions have won numerous recognitions, including two Best Production for the State of Illinois awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Trish also loves directing film and coaching actors for stage and screen.
Joy Addler
Joy Addler is a St. Louis area stage manager, company manager, and nonprofit professional. A proud graduate of The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University, Joy has a BFA in Stage Management and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management. She is also a member of the Actor’s Equity Association. Currently, Joy works as the Performing Arts Manager for Variety the Children’s Charity, overseeing their inclusive chorus and dance programs throughout the year, as well as serving as the Company Manager and Production Stage Manager for their annual Variety Theatre production. In addition to her work at Variety, Joy works as a freelance AEA stage manager throughout the St. Louis area.
Addler and Brown began work on Prism Theatre Company over 18 months ago in a pre-pandemic world. The company was a long-time dream of these partners who wanted to provide a home for artists from all walks of life to shine, especially women. “As members of the St. Louis theatre community, and in talking to our friends in the community, we noticed a gap in the opportunities for women to really be at the forefront,” says Joy Addler, Prism’s Managing Director. “We want to provide a safe space for the voices of women to really shine and take center stage.” Though the company’s mission puts women at the forefront, men are also an important part of Prism’s work. “We love all artists and welcome men into Prism, as actors, technicians, directors, designers, and Board members. Nothing at Prism is exclusionary,” says Trish Brown, Prism’s Artistic Director.
Trish Brown
Prism is also designed as a home for new and emerging artists. “Because I’m passionate about theatre education, fostering new and emerging artists was an important aspect of Prism,” says Brown. “I remember graduating from college with my BA in Theatre and wondering, ‘OK, what now’? It was difficult to break into the theatre scene in a meaningful way. Few companies were open to mentoring young artists at that time. We want Prism Theatre Company to be a place where emerging artists can work with kind, collaborative, seasoned professionals so they can learn, grow, build their resumes, and make connections.”
Theatre artists who are interested in joining Prism’s Board of Directors or Company may contact Prism at prismtheatrecompany@gmail.com. Prism invites actors to like us on Facebook for access to audition details for the festival and for future productions. Women playwrights interested in submitting their unproduced scripts for consideration to “Spotlight on… Women Writing: Prism’s Festival of New Works” can find full details on Prism’s website.
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ABOUT PRISM THEATRE COMPANY
Prism Theatre Company seeks to champion the voices and stories of women from all walks of life, giving emerging artists a platform to showcase their work with seasoned professionals. We produce both new and classic works in an atmosphere of inclusivity, where artists from all walks of life can come together to explore our common humanity. Prism is creative collaboration, without the cliques. Learn more about Prism on our website, Instagram, and Facebook.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
The Black Rep continues its season of virtual programming with a mainstage production of Home, a moving love story by American playwright and screenwriter Samm-Art Williams, streaming on Vimeo beginning on April 15 and running through April 25. Nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award, the play moved from the Negro Ensemble Company to the Cort Theatre on Broadway in 1980.
Directed by Producing Director Ron Himes, Home tells the story of farm boy Cephus Miles who has inherited the family farm. He is content working the land until the girl he loves leaves for college and marries someone else. After a stint in prison for his opposition to the Vietnam War, he moves to the big city where he enjoys the fast-paced city life. His return to North Carolina, the farm, and the girl, reveals the true meaning of Home.
Produced at the Edison Theatre on the campus of Washington University, the production features members of the Black Rep’s Acting Intern Company with Brian McKinley (Spell #7, Milk Like Sugar) portraying Cephus Miles, Christina Yancy (Spell #7) as Woman One/Pattie Mae Wells, and Tyler White (Spell #7, Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope) as Woman Two; with scenic and projection design by Peter and Margery Spack, lighting design by Joe Clapper, costume design by Ellen Minch, and Kasey Dunaski as stage manager.
Home is supported in part by The Nebraska Rep #realchange. Tickets for Home are available at The Black Rep website at theblackrep.org or by calling our Box Office at 314-534-3807. Streaming free on demand, a suggested donation of $25 will directly help support the theatre company and its artists.
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Founded in 1976 by Producing Director Ron Himes, The Black Rep is one of the largest, professional African-American theatre companies in the nation and the largest African-American professional performing arts organization in Missouri. Quality professional dramas, comedies and musicals by primarily African-American and African Diaspora playwrights are produced. Mainstage productions and education programs combine to reach more than 80,000 people annually.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
By Lynn Venhaus In yet another exploration on how humans are wired and the inevitable devil inside, “Voyagers” is ultimately a stale old story, yet spruced up with fancy technology and a diverse crop of young actors.
Thinking ahead, because Earth has climate issues, scientists raise a group of children, bred for intelligence and obedience, to embark on an expedition in 2063 to colonize a distant planet and save the human race. Cut to 10 years later. Now young adults, they rebel against the mission’s constraints. As their primitive natures, fears and hunger for power come out in the group dynamic, they descend into chaos. Written and directed by Neil Burger, who uses some slick techniques from his cautionary designer drug science fiction thriller “Limitless” and borrows from the youth friction examples in his first “Divergent” movie. However, the narrative tropes and trappings are too generic and sterile for a different kind of space odyssey.
Sadly, as much as I liked this premise, think about it — scientific experiments rarely seem to work out well in using the allure of the final frontier. We should know by now from previous far-flung film forays and “Voyagers” fails to set itself apart.
Thus, this coed hormones-gone-crazy outer space version of “The Lord of the Flies” winds up dour and depressing.
Colin Farrell is Richard, the benevolent caretaker of these test-tube kids raised in isolation. On the ship, he is a dutiful mentor, but some of the boys discover that the blue liquid they drink daily is toxic. Richard knows it keeps them docile robot-like minions for a reason. But oh, they want none of that – so they stop taking it in the name of freedom. Bad idea. ‘Let’s do whatever we want!’ doesn’t turn out so well and behavior goes downhill from there.
Now that they think Richard has betrayed them, Zac (Fionn Whitehead) becomes a monster. Angry that he is passed over as the leader after a horrible accident – or is it? – he gaslights the impressionable youth and targets the chosen leader Christopher (Tye Sheridan) as the one to distrust.
The pragmatic Sela (Lily-Rose Depp) sees through Zac and is loyal to Christopher, forming an alliance with a small group. It gets downright ugly and bloody – and tedious. Zac has also convinced his allies that there is an alien on board. So, there is that. Their dialogue goes from bad to worse, and there is no way to rescue these kids from this lackluster script.
Now, the stark setting of white corridors gets as monotonous as the characters, clad in uniform black t-shirts and pants, as they run around the ship. The monochromatic scheme is dull, even with all the bells and whistles of a spaceship prepped for an 86-year journey.
As the action descends into chaos, tension does build, but you know what the climactic battle will be. After all that, we see a montage of the next 76 years, which seems to be an easy way out (but no escape from all the cliches).
Cinematographer Enrique Chediak is fond of racing shots as the kids run through the halls either in flight or fight mode.
The ominous score by Trevor Gureckis does add to the creepiness of the claustrophobic setting.
Because the characters are destined to be conformists, the ensemble is rather bland – lacking spark and something to make them memorable. Only a handful distinguish themselves, including the principal triangle of Christopher, Zac and Sela.
Sheridan, who played Cyclops in the X-Men prequels and the lead in “Ready Player One,” is capable as a natural leader aboard the ship while Whitehead’s intensity deepens his sinister vibe as the boy –surprise! – who goes rogue. He was Tommy in “Dunkirk,” but as in that film you couldn’t tell the young soldiers apart either. He does stand out here.
Johnny Depp’s daughter Lily-Rose is just starting out, but this is not really a breakthrough role, although she is sympathetic and the link to Richard’s past life on earth.
“Voyagers” was an opportunity for a fresh look at a futuristic solution to our planet’s plight of drought and disease, but came up short. “Voyagers” is a science-fiction thriller written and directed by Neil Burger. It stars Tye Sheridan, Lily-Rose Depp and Fionn Whitehead. Run time is 1 hour, 48 minutes and it is rated PG-13 for violence, some strong sexuality, bloody images, a sexual assault and brief strong language. In theaters on April 9. Lynn’s Grade: C.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
Clayton Community Theatre’s production of the classic romantic comedy “The Philadelphia Story” swept the 2021 Theatre Mask Awards, winning seven out of its eight nominations.
For the second year in a row, a virtual ceremony took place. On April 3, the 17-minute pre-recorded announcement honored excellence in community theater productions of comedies and dramas, as the TMAs have done since 2015.
Only for 2020, Arts For Life scaled back the format to reflect the number of eligible plays performed before the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. Awards were presented in 10 non-musical play categories instead of the usual 18.
TMA Steering Committee co-directors Melissa Boyer and Tim Naegelin announced the winners. The presentation is available on Arts For Life’s YouTube channel:
Clayton Community Theatre, last year’s big winner in both comedy and drama with “Biloxi Blues” and “A Soldier’s Play,” added to their overall total of 28 awards and 113 nominations. They won for Play, Director Heather Sartin, Leading Actress Kelsey McCroskey, Supporting Actress Caitlin Souers, Costume Designer Julie Smailys, Lighting Designer Nathan Schroeder and Set Designers Andrew Cary, Zac Cary and Heather Sartin.
They staged “The Philadelphia Story” in March 2020. The 1939 play by Philip Barry deals with family dynamics and class prejudice at the affluent Lord estate, where everyone has gathered for socialite Tracy Lord’s second wedding, but romantic entanglements ensue and she must choose between three men – her fiancé, ex-husband and reporter covering the society event.
The winning actresses, McCroskey and Souers played Tracy Lord and her younger sister Dinah respectively. This is Schroeder’s third award for lighting design, winning for CCT’s “Macbeth” in 2015 and “A Soldier’s Play” last year.
Act Two Theatre’s production of the comedy “Who’s in Bed with the Butler?” won two – for Best Supporting Actor Todd Micali and Best Ensemble. The St. Peters-based group had led this year’s awards with nine nominations.
They staged the 2004 farce by Michael Parker in February 2020. It is about a California billionaire who has bequeathed all of his assets to his only daughter, Constance – except the $22 million yacht he wanted Josephine to have, a $25 million art collection left to Renee, and some priceless antique automobiles willed to Marjorie. She arrives at her father’s mansion with her lawyer to find out who these women are and discovers the butler seems to hold the key.
Micali, playing the bumbling detective Davis, has won in the supporting actor category before –as Felix Ungar, in “The Odd Couple” in 2016, and a Best Performance Award for Comedic Actor in multiple roles in “Spamalot” in 2014.
Alton Little Theater won one for Leading Actor, Shea Maples, in “Inherit the Wind.” He played the character Matthew Harrison Brady, which is based on attorney William Jennings Bryan, in the drama that is a fictional account of the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trail.
Arts For Life announced the TMA nominations on March 12, during the nonprofit organization’s first-ever virtual trivia night.
“The TMAs were able to do eight shows last year and so the show must go on. Several categories were combined to allow for more nominees,” said AFL President Mary McCreight.
Naegelin explained the reasoning behind 2021’s awards ceremony.
“2020 was a difficult year. Most theatre was cancelled after March, but the TMA Steering Committee and the AFL Board of Directors believed the Theatre Recognition Guild had reviewed enough shows to make a successful TMA event. With only eight shows eligible, some categories were combined so that we did not lose the integrity of our awards and nominations. To that end, there was not a division of drama and comedy categories for this year,” Naegelin said.
During 2020, beginning in mid-March, because of the public health emergency in Illinois and Missouri. performance venues were closed, gatherings limited to a percentage of capacity and safety protocols in place, including social distancing and face coverings to lessen community spread.
Because of the coronavirus crisis, AFL adopted measures to foster the protection of those who work and play in metropolitan St. Louis-southwest Illinois community theater.
“We will continue our charitable mission of service and recognition once it is safe to do so,” McCreight said.
The Philadelphia Story
The 2020 TMA winners are:
BEST PRODUCTION “The Philadelphia Story,” Clayton Community Theatre
BEST DIRECTOR Heather Sartin, “The Philadelphia Story,” Clayton Community Theatre
BEST LEADING ACTOR Shea Maples, “Inherit the Wind,” Alton Little Theater
BEST LEADING ACTRESS Kelsey McCroskey, “The Philadelphia Story,” Clayton Community Theater
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Todd Micali, “Who’s in Bed with the Butler?” Act Two Theater
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Caitlin Souers, “The Philadelphia Story,” Clayton Community Theater
BEST COSTUME DESIGN Julie Smailys, “The Philadelphia Story,” Clayton Community Theatre
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN Nathan Schroeder, “The Philadelphia Story,” Clayton Community Theatre
BEST SET DESIGN Andrew Cary, Zac Cary and Heather Sartin, “The Philadelphia Story,” Clayton Community Theatre
BEST ENSEMBLE Act Two Theatre, “Who’s in Bed with the Butler?”
Winners can record an acceptance speech, no more than two minutes in length, and send it by April 9 to tmavideo2021@gmail.com
AFL will upload the recording to its YouTube channel.
Who’s in Bed with the Butler? cast
AFL Adjusts Events in 2020-2021/Mission Remains the Same
Last year, AFL transitioned to streamed formats for both their TMA and Best Performance Awards (musical theater and youth productions) shows honoring productions in 2019.
The BPAs have been cancelled in 2021, and the few musicals that were performed in early 2020 will be considered for the 2022 awards. In April 2020, the AFL president suspended all public activities of the AFL organization, and then the board extended suspension of the Theatre Recognition Guild judging activities, for the BPA branch (musicals), through July 1, 2021.
“All is well with AFL. We will survive and look forward to meeting again in July. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and I thank all theater groups who are working to create a safe and pleasing future,” McCreight said.
McCreight emphasized that the AFL board will continue to base their decisions upon the best information currently available and will continue to share information promptly and transparently.
Naegelin is hopeful that more productions will be able to be mounted in 2021.
“I love the work that AFL/TMA does in supporting and promoting community theatre. From helping provide a sense of community, to providing scholarships, and mentoring at risk students in local theatre programs, AFL/TMA provides a full range of support to the St. Louis metro area. I’m excited that we can continue that, even in our limited way, in 2021, he said.
AFL was founded in 1994 by Lucinda Guyrci as a local non-profit organization dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the under-served and the community. The BPAs have honored musical theater since 1999 and the TMAs have honored plays since 2015.
To see a complete list of the nominees and awards history, visit the website: www.artsforlife.org
For more information, contact AFL TRG Secretary Kim Klick at afltrg@artsforlife.org
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
By Lynn Venhaus These two hulking movie icons return for an epic showdown in “Godzilla vs. Kong” — only the second time the atomic sea monster has been pitted against the gigantic ape – and they do not disappoint.
When ginormous forces of natures, Godzilla and King Kong, collide again, they might just have to ultimately team up to save mankind. But before a climactic battle, there is a mission into Hollow Earth. We will find out more origin information on the Titans as the good guys fight evil corporate conspiracies.
While the size and scope of these cinematic legends has changed over the years, the basic tenets remain the same. While an incredible hulk, Kong really does have a heart, and the Toho Company’s most famous creation, Godzilla, serves as a cautionary tale about messing with Mother Nature.
This modern match-up is the fourth movie in Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse, which began with a remake, “Godzilla,” in 2014, then “Kong: Skull Island” in 2017 and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” in 2019. But overall, there have been 36 Godzilla and 12 King Kong movies.
A nifty touch is a clever opening credits sequence that gives the backstory of the past films, so you are all caught up by the time we see Kong asleep in his Skull Island habitat.
Intended to be pure monster movie escapism, don’t expect answers to your questions that may arise as you watch a well-executed blockbuster deliver the promised clash of the titans.
Director Adam Wingard, entrusted with this long-running franchise after a career making cheesy horror films, sticks the landing by providing the chills and thrills one anticipates. He keeps the story on track and moving at a nice clip – all under two hours.
While the screenplay by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein is mainly a template of broad strokes, the stellar ensemble is convincing in their standard roles, with Rebecca Hall as the “Kong Whisperer” Dr. Ilene Andrews and Alexander Skarskard as the mission chief Dr. Nathan Lind leading the main plot.
Brian Tyree Henry, an Apex Cybernetics employee who records the Titan Truth podcasts, teams up with fan Millie Bobby Brown as Madison, daughter of Mark Russell of Monarch (and Kyle Chandler has maybe three scenes at most, compared to being a lead in “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.”) The inquisitive duo are too curious for their own good, winding up in Hong Kong, smack dab in a crisis of monster proportions.
The bad guys, are of course, with Apex – and that would be Demian Bichir as the head honcho and Iiza Gonzalez as his daughter.
Stealing the film is hearing-impaired Kaylee Hottle, who plays young orphan Jia, who forms a sweet bond with Kong and teaches him sign language. That emotional connection is one that boosts the likability of the film.
The attention to detail that production designer Thomas S. Hammock and his crew put into this film is impressive. Cinematographer Ben Seresin handles the faraway locations with flair, and the music score by Junkie XL (Tom Holkenborg) helps elevate the high concept.
This is the kind of movie that works best on the big screen, but in these pandemic times, HBO has provided a quality audio and visual experience.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” may not break new ground, but satisfyingly entertains its audience with a familiarity that’s expected and outstanding technical elements.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” is a science-fiction action adventure film directed by Adam Wingard and starring Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Eiza Gonzalez, Demian Bichir and Kaylee Hottle. Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of creature violence/destruction and brief language, it runs 1 hour, 53 minutes. It opened in theatres March 31 and is on HBOMax until April 30. Lynn’s Grade: B
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
By Lynn Venhaus A sentimental journey for anyone who spent any part of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s renting movies at video stores, “The Last Blockbuster” will put a smile on your face, just like the talking heads who react over a clamshell case by breaking into big grins. It is like a muscle memory, sharing that pop culture experience — and it’s fun and sad at the same time.
This documentary, directed by Taylor Morden and written by Zeke Kamm, is focused on the last remaining Blockbuster Video, located in Bend, Oregon. But then it turns into a blast from the past.
The world has moved on, but this movie reminds us of everything we associated with the home entertainment boom after Video Cassette Recorders, aka VCRs, became a mainstay in American households around 1982. The ritual of selecting movies with your children or date or friends, and then returning them in the dropbox, is chronicled here.
The first Blockbuster Video opened in Dallas in 1985, and video rentals had largely been small mom-and-pop operations until then. Now, there is just one place in the whole world where you can go to recall the past — a functioning Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon. It is all there, in the blue and yellow corporate color scheme. People are coming from around the globe, all giddy, to walk down memory lane.
The genial manager, Sandi Harding, is known as the “Blockbuster Mom.” Her family works there, so do friends, and she is responsible for many a teenager in town’s first job. She provides quality customer service as she carries on the torch. Filmmakers capture “a day in the life” as she goes about her routine. She has received international fame by being the subject of global media coverage, and estimates she has done 500 interviews.
Famous folks talk about their part-time jobs when they were in school – including actors Adam Brody and Paul Scheer – while other comedians and actors share anecdotes, including Brian Posehn, Doug Benson, Ione Skye, Eric Close and Jamie Kennedy.
Director Kevin Smith, who broke through with his 1994 indie movie “Clerks”– about guys who worked in a video store, waxes nostalgic about the video phenomenon. He wonders if video stores may return as a niche market like record stores have.
In its heyday, Blockbuster had 9,000 stores and 60,000 employees, but technology moved on, and today, there is just one, after one nearby in Oregon shuttered, two in Alaska shut down in 2018 and a location in Perth, Australia, closed two years ago.
Bend is about 170 miles east of Portland. The store used to be Pacific Video, and the owners, Ken and Debbie Tisher, are interviewed. Because it is a franchise, and they have customers, they keep the doors open.
After a series of corporate missteps – did you know Blockbuster could have purchased Netflix when it was a mail-order DVD operation? – that are detailed by the business guys, and changes in habits and the evolving marketplace, its days were numbered.
Remember “No late fees”? What were they thinking? They lost a lot of money. Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in 2010 and all the corporate-owned stores shut down in 2014.
Morden, who lives in Bend, began covering the store in 2017, wanting to preserve its history, as did writer Kamm.
Even in 86 minutes, the filmmakers are repetitive, and outside of people’s reminiscences and Harding’s story, there isn’t much substance.
But allow the wave of nostalgia to give you a warm glow, as the filmmakers have captured a bygone era that we now realize we miss.
Of course, Blockbuster isn’t the only corporate outfit that closed its video rental business – Family Video, the last bastion, is headed that way after the pandemic forced closing all its remaining stores (even in St. Louis, where Kevin Smith – yes, that Kevin Smith – donated money to help keep the Gravois Road one in south city afloat).
It’s certainly ironic that the company that is blamed for Blockbuster’s demise, the streaming service Netflix, added the 2020 documentary, which was on the festival circuit, to its roster March 15, and its popularity has exploded.
Recent news accounts report that the store is getting mail orders for T-shirts, stickers and face masks (all made by Bend businesses), and renewed interest.
It’s nice to see a well-intentioned film strike a chord about the community-building of neighborhood stores. And recalling how you’d discover a hidden gem because of the clerk’s recommendation – and us film critics alerting you to must-see movies.
Pop culture won’t forget our shared involvement, and like the store in Oregon, this movie conveys our collective memories, which is priceless.
Kevin Smith
“The Last Blockbuster” is a 2020 documentary directed by Taylor Morden. It stars Sandi Harding, her family, Kevin Smith, Eric Close, Doug Benson, Ione Skye, Adam Brody, Jamie Kennedy, Briah Posehn, and more. It is not rated and runs 1 hour, 26 minutes long. Lynn’s Grade: B+. It began streaming on Netflix March 15.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
By Lynn Venhaus The filmmaker tries to sell the upper-class heroine as an eccentric, free-spirited widow that’s a cross between Auntie Mame and a Wes Anderson movie character but she is such an insufferable spoiled snob that it’s painful to watch.
Frances Price is a 60-year-old penniless Manhattan maven (Michelle Pfeiffer), her inheritance all gone from her late husband Franklin, decides to move to Paris, where a friend lends her an apartment. To make the transatlantic jump happen, she sells her possessions, then takes her cat, Small Frank, who may have assumed the spirit of Franklin (Tracy Letts), and her directionless son Malcolm (Lucas Hedges) with her. She attracts an odd assortment of people along the way.
As played by the miscast Michelle Pfeiffer, the annoying socialite has absolutely no redeemable qualities. She’s rude to kind people – you’ll wince when she is mean to the sympathetic and lonely Madame Reynard (Valerie Mahaffey, in the film’s best performance). Frances, who must have always gotten by on her beauty, likes causing a ruckus because she can.
In a flat screenplay adapted by Patrick DeWitt from his 2018 international bestselling novel, Frances gained notoriety 12 years ago when she discovered her husband dead in bed and still went away for the weekend instead of attending to the pertinent matters at home. DeWitt’s principal characters are too remote to care about, not to mention hedonistic.
The ubiquitous cat, as voiced by the droll Tracy Letts, brightens up this off-putting tale, but it is such a jarring shift in tone and a bizarre addition to the third act, which keeps going like a runaway train until we hit 1 hour, 50 minutes.
Lucas Hedges does himself no favors by playing the dullard son. He lumbers through this film with neither wit nor grace, which is so rare after his stellar work in “Manchester by the Sea,” “Boy Erased,” “Waves” and “Lady Bird.”
Malcolm, who doesn’t show emotion, is such a blank slate that it is not evident he is in love with Susan (Imogene Poots), and that subplot resurfaces when his former fiancé arrives in Paris, but it’s a tedious distraction because it doesn’t resemble any kind of relationship among healthy adults.
There is a random detour with Madeleine the Medium (Danielle Macdonald) that he meets on the cruise to Europe that goes nowhere, except for introducing the supernatural so the cat can be a bigger part of the story.
Now, Manhattan and Paris are exquisite locations, therefore the cinematography by Tobias Datum makes the cities inviting and luxurious.
But this is such a strange hodge-podge of rich people lifestyles that the after-thought style of director Azazel Jacobs doesn’t connect at all. Most of all, the pacing is maddening and the insipid characters forced on us are not worth our attention and time. Are they playing it deadpan or are they really deadbeats? We’ll never know and it doesn’t matter.
“French Exit” is a 2020 comedy-drama directed by Azazel Jacobs, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges, Valerie Mahaffey, Imogene Poots and Tracy Letts. Rated R for language and sexual references, it’s run time is 1 hour, 50 minutes. Lynn’s Grade: D. Opened in theaters April 2.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
The 14th Annual QFest St. Louis — presented by Cinema St. Louis (CSL) — will take place from April 16-25. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, CSL will offer all programs virtually, protecting the health of patrons. Programs can be streamed at any time during the festival’s dates. Recorded introductions and Q&As will be available for most film programs.
The St. Louis-based LGBTQ film festival, QFest will present an eclectic array of 24 films (14 shorts, six narrative features, and four documentary features). The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of LGBTQ people and to celebrate queer culture.
The fest is especially pleased to host the St. Louis premiere of new works by internationally acclaimed filmmakers Agnieszka Holland (“Charlatan”) and François Ozon (“Summer of 85”). Another QFest highlight is this year’s Q Classic, the 50th anniversary of the trippy, experimental 1971 film “Pink Narcissus.”
Thanks to several generous sponsors, CSL is able to make the festival more accessible to all by offering both shorts programs free for the duration of the event.
For the full schedule of screenings, including trailers and descriptions of the films, visit the festival website at www.cinemastlouis.org/qfest. Advance digital screeners of the features and some of the shorts are available for press review on request. Please inquire with QFest St. Louis artistic director Chris Clark.
The 2021QFest St. Louis begins on Friday, April 16, and runs through Sunday, April 25. Tickets go on sale March 24. Tickets are $14 general, $10 for Cinema St. Louis members and students with valid and current IDs. Passes are also available: Five-Film Passes are $60, and All-Access Passes are $115. All screenings will be held virtually for residents of Missouri and Illinois via Eventive, CSL’s online presentation partner. Direct ticket links are available on the QFest website.
QFest St. Louis is sponsored by AARP Missouri, Arts & Education Council, CheapTRX, Grizzell & Co., Missouri Arts Council, Bob Pohrer & Donnie Engle, Crafted., Just John Nightclub, Matt Kerns, Regional Arts Commission, Deb Salls, St. Louis Public Radio, Cindy Walker, and Webster U. Film Series.
Social media: Facebook: @QFestSTL | Twitter: @QFestSTL | Instagram: @QFestSTL
One of the oddest and darkest films screened at QFest to date, “The Carnivores” features a young lesbian couple, Alice and Bret, whose dog, Harvie, is slowly dying. The vet bills are adding up fast, Alice is quietly panicking, and high-strung Bret dotes on the dog and ignores the reality of the situation. When poor, innocent Harvie goes missing, the fragile status quo is finally shattered, and both women go off the deep end in their own way. What had been a bright and happy little family unit is undone by self-doubt, suspicion, and a disturbing amount of ground beef. The Hollywood Reporter writes: “(Director) Caleb Michael Johnson employs a dreamlike, David Lynchian aesthetic to the proceedings throughout the film. If you are a fan of abstract, surreal storytelling supported by strong central performances and a fascinating relationship dynamic, then ‘The Carnivores’ has more than enough meat for you to chew.”
As a sci-fi-obsessed woman living in near isolation, Beverly Glenn-Copeland wrote and self-released the album “Keyboard Fantasies” in Huntsville, Ontario, in 1986. Recorded in an Atari-powered home studio, the cassette featured seven tracks of a curious folk-electronica hybrid, a sound realized far before its time. Three decades on, the musician — now Glenn Copeland — began to receive emails from people across the world, thanking him for the music they’d recently discovered. Courtesy of a rare-record collector in Japan, a reissue of “Keyboard Fantasies,” with support by such electronic musicians as Four Tet and Caribou, had finally found its audience two generations down the line. “Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story” tells an intimate coming-of-age story that transmutes the pain and suffering of prejudice into rhythm, hope, and joy. Half audiovisual history and half DIY tour video, the film provides a vehicle for this newly appointed queer elder to connect with youth across the globe and serves as a timely lullaby to soothe those souls struggling to make sense of the world.
A box of letters, held in secret for nearly 60 years, ignites a five-year exploration into a part of LGBTQ history that has never been told. The letters, written in the 1950s by a group of New York City drag queens, open a window into a forgotten world where being yourself meant breaking the law and where the penalties for “masquerading” as a woman were swift and severe. Using original interviews, never-before-seen archival footage and photographs, and stylized re-creations, “P.S. Burn This Letter Please” reconstructs this pre-Stonewall era as former drag queens now in their 80s and 90s — including James Bidgood, director of this year’s Q Classic, “Pink Narcissus” — reveal how they survived and somehow flourished at a time when drag queens were both revered and reviled, even within the gay community. The government sought to destroy them and history tried to erase them, but now they get to tell their story for the first time.
TAHARA, director Olivia Peace and writer Jess Zeidman
In this queer coming-of-age dramedy, two girlfriends attend a “Teen Talk-back” after the funeral service of their former Hebrew-school classmate. Although the session is designed to help them understand grief through faith, it instead leads to other discoveries, with surprising sparks igniting when one of the girls is manipulated into a romantic encounter with her best friend. The Queer Review writes: “Filmed on location at the Rochester synagogue where (screenwriter Jess) Zeidman attended Hebrew school, there’s a claustrophobic authenticity to the film’s setting. Much of the success of ‘Tahara’ relies on her well-crafted, layered screenplay and the two rich, subtle lead performances by (Madeline Grey) DeFreece and (Rachel) Sennott (also wonderful in ‘Shiva Baby’) keeping things compelling and intriguing. Refreshingly it’s a teen film that doesn’t look down on or objectify its characters, examining our shared human foibles with humor and poignancy.”
SHORT FILM
Eleven Weeks – director Anna Kuperberg (Wash U grad)
U.S / 15 MINS / 2020
Faced with a fast and aggressive cancer, Carla Jean Johnson accepts her diagnosis with clarity and grace, as photographer Anna Kuperberg, her longtime wife, documents their final days and weeks together.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
