Cranky Bill Burr’s Rants in ‘Old Dads’ Work Better as Stand-Up Routine

Cranky Bill Burr’s Rants in ‘Old Dads’ Work Better as Stand-Up Routine

By Lynn Venhaus This movie would work better as a stand-up routine, for taking Bill Burr’s familiar cranky white guy rant into a broader community... Details
Everybody Wants to Rule the World in a Striking ‘The Lion in Winter’

Everybody Wants to Rule the World in a Striking ‘The Lion in Winter’

By Lynn Venhaus The rapacious 12th Century Plantagenet Family behaves as badly as the modern-day Roys of Manhattan and The Duttons of Montana, a rogues’... Details
STLAS’ ‘Dr. Ride’s American Beach House’ Reflects A Different Frontier

STLAS’ ‘Dr. Ride’s American Beach House’ Reflects A Different Frontier

By Lynn Venhaus Women leading lives of quiet desperation are hanging out on a rooftop one sweltering summer evening in red brick south city St.... Details
Kelvin Roston Gives All in Soul-Stirring ‘Twisted Melodies’ at The Rep

Kelvin Roston Gives All in Soul-Stirring ‘Twisted Melodies’ at The Rep

By Lynn Venhaus Singer-actor Kelvin Roston Jr. is a man on a mission, and he pours his heart and soul into a revealing portrait of... Details
Movement All Around in Stray Dog’s Spry ‘Saturday Night Fever’

Movement All Around in Stray Dog’s Spry ‘Saturday Night Fever’

By Lynn Venhaus Ah, the rose-colored glasses that we view our youth through can differ, depending on what generation, but one thing we have in... Details
‘Fair Play’ Uncomfortably Confronts Gender Dynamics At Work, Home

‘Fair Play’ Uncomfortably Confronts Gender Dynamics At Work, Home

By Lynn Venhaus Sexual politics and corporate backstabbing are a toxic mix in “Fair Play,” an inevitable downward spiral of a film about how maintaining... Details
Riveting Performances Fuel Tense, Draining Thriller in ‘Fair Play’

Riveting Performances Fuel Tense, Draining Thriller in ‘Fair Play’

By Alex McPherson Powered by enthralling performances from Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich, director Chloe Domont’s “Fair Play” is an effective, if exhausting, thriller exploring... Details
‘The Creator’: Self-Serious Sci-Fi Riddled With Bugs

‘The Creator’: Self-Serious Sci-Fi Riddled With Bugs

By Alex McPherson Visually sumptuous but thematically reductive, director Gareth Edwards’ science-fiction drama, “The Creator,” can’t match its awe-inspiring imagery with a well thought-out story.... Details
‘Flora and Son’ Another Irish Charmer on How We Connect through Music

‘Flora and Son’ Another Irish Charmer on How We Connect through Music

By Lynn Venhaus One person’s trash becomes another person’s treasure when a feisty lost soul rescues a beat-up acoustic guitar from a dumpster in modern-day... Details
‘Dumb Money’: Redditors Fight the Rich in Crowd-Pleasing Underdog Story

‘Dumb Money’: Redditors Fight the Rich in Crowd-Pleasing Underdog Story

By Alex McPherson Less smart and invigorating than it thinks it is, but containing strong performances and comedic zing, director Craig Gillespie’s “Dumb Money” eschews... Details