Alex Winter Returns to SLIFF With ‘The YouTube Effect’ documentary

Alex Winter Returns to SLIFF With ‘The YouTube Effect’ documentary

By Lynn Venhaus

After decades in the entertainment business, Alex Winter has become a multi-hyphenated mainstay, renowned for his work in front of and behind the camera.

Now 57, he remains the face of Bill S. Preston, Esq., in pop culture, but has directed notably high-profile documentaries “Zappa,” “Showbiz Kids” and his tech trilogy, “Downloaded,” “Deep Web” and his latest, “The YouTube Effect.”

“The YouTube Effect” will be one of the opening night films of the 31st annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival. It will be shown at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Galleria 6 Cinemas.

This cautionary tale is meant to be a nuanced look at the tech revolution, how it has evolved, good and bad.

Produced with Gale Anne Hurd, the film examines the impact of YouTube on society, how it has made our lives easier and more enriched, while also presenting dangers that make the world a more perilous place.

“The growth of the online community since I made ‘Downloaded’ and ‘Deep Web’ has made a big impact on society, and Gale and I were looking to tell a story about the changes occurring, and where do we go from here,” he said during a phone interview.

The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June and is currently on the festival circuit, most recently at the Montclair Film Festival.

“It’s been going great,” he said. “We’re bringing it to a lot of festivals, and really happy with the reception.”

Winter is pleased that it’s included in this year’s fest in St. Louis, where his previous films “Downloaded,” “Deep Web” and “Zappa” were also screened.

“I love the festival. It’s my third time in it. I’m always really happy to be part of it and I’m grateful for the film to be shown there so that people in St. Louis can see it,” he said. “I’m not able to be there, things didn’t work out with my schedule, but I’m long overdue for a visit back. I have family and friends there.”

Winter lived in St. Louis as a child, and his first acting gig, a commercial for Kentucky Fried Chicken, was filmed under the Arch, while his first stage role was at the Muny, when he was 10, as one of the orphans in “Oliver!” that starred Vincent Price as Fagin.

His father co-founded Mid-America Dance Company (MADCO) and his mother worked in the dance department at Washington University.

In a previous interview, he spoke about his bond with St. Louis.

“I have a special place in my heart for the city. I’ve always considered myself a Midwesterner. The Midwest has a strong cultural identity, and I have an affinity for it, those core values. I still have a lot of friends there. I spent my formative years there, from 5 to 12, and my dad and brother stayed there, so I was back a lot. It’s always been a second home to me. I feel anchored there,” he said during a phone interview in 2015.

The YouTube Effect

Looking at YouTube

Self-described as a research fanatic, he eagerly dove into this expansive subject.

While he thinks YouTube has been “very equitable in its business model,” for people being able to monetize it as a platform, there needs to be safeguards.

“So that people can have the full spectrum of experiences. There needs to be accountability. It’s not going to happen overnight, but it’s good for people to be aware about it,” he said.

Winter thinks the public needs to take more responsibility about the input and influence, and push for more regulations, not be passive about it.

Winter said he is concerned about “the misinformation apocalypse” and the negative fallout from political ideologies, especially conspiracy theories.

“There is a lot of power in that,” he said, noting how social media gave voice to marginalized people.

YouTube has been singled out as how the Christ Church mass shooter in New Zealand in 2020 (51 people in two mosques) became radicalized.

The movie seeks to find a balance, he said.

“There are a lot of good things going on on You Tube. I’m not wagging a finger at them,” he said. “I respect technology. It’s here to stay. We need to figure out safeguards, changes need to be made.”

Here’s the trailer: https://www.facebook.com/YouTubeEffect/videos/1137513703766536/

Winter said he is in negotiations for the film to become available on streaming services.

“I can’t talk about it, but we’re hoping to have it wide in early January-February,” he said.

For more information, visit: https://www.cinemastlouis.org/sliff/festival-home

Alex Winter (left) and Keanu Reeves in a promotional photo for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Fest Favorite

Winter appeared at the festival in 2015, when he received the prestigious Charles Guggenheim Cinema St. Louis Award after his documentary, “Deep Web,” kicked off that year’s St. Louis International Film Festival.

“Deep Web” is the inside story of a digital crime saga that caught his attention. With access to the Ulbricht family, he told the story of  Ross William Ulbricht, the 30-year-old entrepreneur who was accused of being “Dread Pirate Roberts” as the creator and operator of the online black market Silk Road. He looked at the thought leaders behind the so-called Deep Web and its future.

A finalist for a distinguished Cinema Eye Honors Award, “Deep Web” was produced and narrated by Keanu Reeves, Winter’s good friend since they portrayed Bill and Ted.

He was also in attendance to present the 1989 cult classic that catapulted him into pop culture history, “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” recounting anecdotes about the making of the movie prior to its late-night showing at the Tivoli.

The fest also showed acclaimed 2013 documentary, “Downloaded,” about the rise and fall of Napster and a look at the digital revolution.

“I was fascinated by the online communities that started in the late 1980s. It was clear that this was a major shift in communication. Bitcoin, Silk Road and other anonymous digital sites were the first on a large scale,” he said in 2015.

In 2020, when the fest went virtual, his documentary, “Zappa,” was in the line-up.

His look at the complex and visionary iconoclast Frank Zappa took six years to make, and he received cooperation from the family.

“Getting the family’s support was vital to the project,” he said. “There has never been a definitive biography about him. I am extremely happy to do it. He was a great artist at a turbulent time in history.”

It is available to watch on Hulu and can be rented or purchased on several platforms.

The year “Zappa” came out, during the global coronavirus pandemic, was also the year his very personal documentary, “Showbiz Kids,” premiered on HBO, and the third installment of “Bill and Ted,” “Face the Music” was one of the most anticipated films in 2020.

“That was a very strange year,” he said. “Things I had been working on all popped out at once.”

“Face the Music” shot to no. 1 in U.S.

“It came out at the right time, and a lot of people got to see it. I’m glad it gave fans some fun then,” he said.

Winter said he and Keanu had a great time making the film and won’t shut the door on another one.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “We’re always playing around with ideas on where the story could go, what are the possibilities. I always say never say never.”

Other Career Highlights

His movie career took off with “The Lost Boys” in 1987, then came the juggernaut of Bill & Ted, and they reunited for a sequel in 1991.

His 1993 science fiction-horror-comedy “Freaked,” which he co-wrote and co-directed with his college pal-collaborator Tom Stern, is revered as another cult classic.

Another feature he wrote and directed, “Fever,” a 1998 dark tale starring Henry Thomas and Teri Hatcher, was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

His work on Cartoon Network, where he voiced the Adult Swim character the King Mole Man, was on two episodes of “Robot Chicken,” and MTV’s “The Idiot Box,” a sketch comedy series he developed with Stern, was also highly regarded.

He is a graduate of New York University’s film school. Today, his production company is behind commercials for Ford, Peugeot, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Nickelodeon and 1800 Tequila.

He’s directed music videos for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, Extreme and Helmet.

He was on Broadway in productions of “The King & I” with Yul Brynner, and “Peter Pan” with Sandy Duncan.

With Stern, Winter starred in, co-directed and co-wrote the hit MTV comedy series, “The Idiot Box” and starred in their theatrical co-directing debut, “Freaked,” released by Twentieth Century Fox.

Another documentary was “The Panama Papers,” about the corruption scandal and the journalists who broke the story.

Next up is a cameo role as a cab driver in “Blue’s Big City Adventure,” to be streamed on Paramount Plus on Nov. 18. He’ll be seen in “Absolute Dominion” on Netflix next year, and a film “Destroy All Neighbors” on Shudder.

For the 2015 BND feature: https://www.bnd.com/living/magazine/article42065412.html

Cover Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for AwesomenessTV/AP Images

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 30: Director Alex Winter speaks onstage at the TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2013 at The Manhattan Center on April 30, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for TechCrunch)
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Genial Cast Nimble in Simon’s Creaky ‘Barefoot in the Park’ at Moonstone

Genial Cast Nimble in Simon’s Creaky ‘Barefoot in the Park’ at Moonstone

By Lynn Venhaus

With its jaunty game-show music and kicky retro fashions, Moonstone Theatre Company’s staging of Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” is a throwback to amiable, innocuous 1960s-era sitcoms.

Only the Wayback Machine hasn’t been kind to Simon’s first major success in 1963, a fluffy lighthearted comedy about a couple with opposite personalities starting married life. They live in a fifth-floor walk-up apartment in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, which becomes a running gag.

A smash hit that ran four years on Broadway, the breezy trifle was directed by Mike Nichols, garnered four Tony nominations and he won for directing. In 1967, the popular movie adaptation paired Robert Redford, the original Paul on stage, with Jane Fonda as the ditzy Corie, and the sublime Mildred Natwick recreated her scene-stealing timid mother role. The play went on to be a beloved staple of school, community, and dinner theater. It was a go-to during high school speech meets for duet-acting partners back in my day.

But that was then, and this is now.

Sixty years later, it’s flimsy rather than frothy — a period piece that probably wouldn’t make the cut for a 1960s-time capsule if selections were today, despite Simon’s hit-making machine status.

The antiquated attitudes on wives and mothers are hard to surmount – we’ve come a long way, baby. I suppose looking back at the pre-feminism years reinforces how times have changed. But engaging? Not so much.

The dialogue reflecting the time’s societal mores is sometimes cringy. Corie’s widowed mom advises: “Make him feel important. Give up a little of yourself. If you do that, you’ll have a happy and wonderful marriage — like two out of every 10 couples.”

Moonstone has set the show in 1966. The cast tries hard to toss off one-liners with some pizzazz but are hampered by how dated the wisecracks sound.

However, the cast gets the rhythm of Simon’s trademark patter, and the genial performers supply several bright spots because of their commitment to the characters.

Particularly funny are well-known veteran actors Chuck Brinkley, who plays the jovial telephone repairman – back when rotary dial was standard, and a Princess phone was fancy — and Bob Harvey, doing funny physical schtick as a huffing-and-puffing delivery man. Ever reliable, the old pros’ brief bits are amusing.

Appealing performers Luis Aguilar and Rhiannon Creighton convey the newlyweds and do what they can to enliven the creaky conversations, but the thinly drawn Mr. and Mrs. Bratter roles have never seemed so bland. They move in after a 6-day honeymoon, and all the character tics appear to aggravate.

This depiction, when the man was the breadwinner and the woman was the happy homemaker, is simply stale.

While cheery and sweet at times, bride Corie does come off as clingy, whiny, and shallow in other moments. Intended as an early image of Simon’s adored first wife Joan, Corie is not as interesting as screwball heroines of days gone by because there’s not much character development. She’s advertised as a ‘free spirit’ but seems tamer in retrospect.

Domestic bliss is threatened because she fears her fuddy-duddy lawyer husband, who is trying to concentrate on his job, will never be spontaneous, like she is. For instance, he wouldn’t walk barefoot in Central Park on a frigid winter day.

Luis Aguilar and Rhiannon Creighton. Photo by Jon Gitchoff

Faring better, although stuck in the tired stereotype of hovering suburban mom, is Jilanne Klaus as widowed Ethel. She’s in her 50s, an empty nester in New Jersey, and dull as dishwater. But she will soften and lighten up. Oh, the agism jokes! Let’s get the retirement home ready!

Corie’s perturbed that mom keeps sending wedding presents almost daily from Lord and Taylor. Oh, the horror.

The hijinks ramp up when Corie fixes up her uptight mother with the nutty neighbor Victor Velasco for a dinner double date. Starting off with exotic gourmet food and braggadocio, the eccentric Hungarian charms the ladies, but Paul immediately dislikes the international man of mystery.

And the night, fueled by assorted alcoholic beverages and dinner in Staten Island (offstage), gets wild and crazy – especially for the stick-in-the-mud mom and husband. But Corie and Victor are kindred spirits.

Slapstick-y wackiness ensues, and Aguilar deftly displays a flair for physical comedy. TJ Lancaster wisely decides not to go too over-the-top playing the live-wire lothario who lives in the attic. He and Klaus demonstrate they are smart, instinctual performers whose crisp comic timing and ease on stage is a plus.

Those two gave a master class in recalibrating their moves when the pair, mindful of a hump in the set’s area rug, acted nonplussed and went on with the show, careful where they stepped during Friday night’s third act.

When the inevitable blow-up occurs in act two – because Paul is a “watcher” and Corie is a “doer,” the couple’s bickering becomes tedious while we’re waiting for the happy-ever-after resolution. No suspense there. Although the fact they didn’t realize their differences before wouldn’t seem to bode well for the future (nevertheless, the Simons were married for 20 years until Joan’s death from cancer at age 41).

One of the most commercially successful playwrights of all-time, Simon, who started writing comedy sketches in the pioneering days of early television, made a career out of first world problems – only the world never really intruded into his work until the brilliant Eugene trilogy, starting with “Brighton Beach Memoirs.”

His customary white middle-class struggles were usually connected to relationship clashes, poking fun at human foibles and using self-deprecating humor, which frequently included Jewish characters in urban settings.

So, the pleasant bon mots and jokes on the squalor of a tiny big-city apartment are expected.

Only, the set isn’t so small. While acclaimed scenic designer Dunsi Dai’s work is a perfect palette of pastels reflecting the time, and his skylight is certainly a “Wow,” it’s too spacious for a supposedly cramped one-bedroom apartment. (If you have been in modest New York City apartments, you know, unless you assume they’re all like “Friends.”)

And the setting is not practical for stage movement, for Creighton must scamper quite a bit – it’s a good thing she’s energetic because we watch her take a lot of steps as she crisscrosses for unpacking, decorating and scene requirements. In a modern setting, she’d be killing it on Fitbit. Director Sharon Hunter’s blocking seems clunky because of the larger dimensions.

Patrick Sullivan’s striking lighting design capably illuminates the night sky, and Amanda Werre’s sound design is smooth.

Michele Siler’s costume designs are noteworthy, having ideally captured the period’s everyday apparel for the women, and Emily Fluchel nails the props – the suitcases, kitchen wares and knickknacks.

Despite it being Simon’s longest-running hit, this would be difficult to pull off in any 21st century theater because it feels synthetic. Nevertheless, the performers’ chemistry and nimble line delivery elicit laughs.

Like so many other plays that depend on a mundane premise to begin with, “Barefoot in the Park” is an unusual classic to present because of the shift in male-female dynamics. No amount of rejuvenation can resuscitate it, despite this likable ensemble and their earnest efforts.

Moonstone Theatre Company presents Neil Simon’s comedy “Barefoot in the Park” from Oct. 27 through Nov. 13 at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center’s black box theatre, 210 E. Monroe Ave. Showtimes are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., except there is no show on Friday, Nov. 11, and two shows on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. For tickets or for more information, visit: www.moonstonetheatrecompany.com.

Jilanne Klaus, Rhiannon Creighton, Luis Aguilar. Photo by Jon Gitchoff
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Popster Picks for Monday, Oct. 31

Popster Picks for Monday, Oct. 31

By Lynn Venhaus

Local Spotlight: Haunted Restaurant

Yes, Papa Vito’s restaurant in downtown Belleville is in a haunted historic building. It has a colorful history, but more importantly, the ghosts remain active. I was just there Saturday evening at a birthday party, and we heard from employees who have had encounters.

Here’s the backstory published in the Belleville News-Democrat today:

https://www.bnd.com/living/article267998297.html?utm_source=pushly&intcid=pushly_2462030

Streaming: Halloween movies for tonight (and anytime you want something spooky)

This is a good comprehensive list of what’s available on the streaming services – classics and new horror films:
https://www.tvguide.com/news/best-halloween-movies-to-watch-2022-hbo-max-netflix-hulu-disney-plus/?ftag=NLS-04-10aaa1a&mid=14045866&cid=2365088847

Theater: Shining Local Star

What a delightful young woman! I was thrilled to be able to write about Berklea Going for last week’s Webster-Kirkwood Times. The Nerinx Hall graduate and Muny veteran of 19 summers is in the national tour of “Frozen” and will be at the Fox as soon as her run in “42nd Street” at the Goodspeed Opera House is over this weekend. Here is my feature on this talented St. Louis native

Here is my feature in Friday’s print edition of the Webster-Kirkwood Times:

https://www.timesnewspapers.com/webster-kirkwoodtimes/i-want-to-take-it-all-in/article_8bf8c7a4-5601-11ed-b8f2-db9cc1105a7c.html

Food: The McRib Farewell Tour

Yes, the McRib is available at participating McDonald’s starting today – but it’s a limited time, and yes, the final countdown.

https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/mcrib.html

Playlist: Who You Gonna Call?

Ray Parker Jr. performed his classic “Ghostbusters” song on “The Talk” today.

Word: “It’s as much fun to scare as to be scared.” – Vincent Price

May you have a safe and fun Halloween!

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Popster Picks for Weekend Oct 28-30

Popster Picks for Weekend Oct 28-30

By Lynn Venhaus

What a weekend ahead – especially all the festivities to celebrate Halloween. Here’ s a round-up of events, movies, music, TV and more.

Local Spotlight: Our National Landmark

Our Gateway Arch was completed on Oct. 28 in 1965. America’s tallest monument, The Gateway to the West, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, is the grand symbol of our region and riverfront.

I was 10 when they put the final link in place. Now it’s 57! I remember coming home from college, and as soon as I saw the Arch, I knew I was home.

Here’s more from the History Channel about this day in history: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history


Movies: Slashfest at the Skyview Drive-In

Belleville Oct. 28 and 29, box office opens at 6 p.m.

Screen 1 – Family Slashfest – Hotel Transylvania PG 8:00 and Gremlins 2 PG13 9:40              Midnight – Rocky Horror Picture Show

Screen 2 – Hardcore Slashfest – Texas Chainsaw Massacre R 7:15, Friday the 13th 7: New Blood R 8:50, The Fog R 10:25 and Killer Klowns from Outer Space R 12:00

They will start the Hardcore Slashfest at 7:15 and the Family Slashfest will start at 8:00.  This is so they can play four movies on the Hardcore side. At midnight, you can choose to stay on screen 2 or move up to screen 1 to see RHPS.


Live and Local: Saint Charles Legends & Lanterns® is taking over Main Street this weekend – Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.  

More info: https://www.discoverstcharles.com/events/legends-lanterns/

Local Content: Broken Strings

The first episode of a planned local series on artists’ journeys as they search for harmony will be screened at The .ZACK, 3224 Locust Avenue, at 7 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday.

Created as a part of the Kranzberg Artist in Residency program, writer/director Catherine Dudley-Rose has gathered multiple local artists and activists. First one features Dr. Marty K. Casey, Don McClendon, Sydney Russell, and Chrissie Watkins along with supporting cast. Crew: cinematography by Mallory Ingles, edited by Abbey Heise, sound by Bailey Hilmes and assisted by Once Films, and the Regional Arts Commission. Find out more about the development of this community series and how you can participate. Tickets are $15.

More info: https://www.kranzbergartsfoundation.org/events/broken-strings-preview-screenings/

Live: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra “Psycho”

Oct. 30, 7 p.m., Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd.

SLSO is checking into the Bates Motel as Alfred Hitchcock’s classic psychological thriller “Psycho” will be on the big screen, and they will play Bernard Herrmann’s suspenseful score – with its shrieking strings and slashing chords – live.

Beforehand, a costume contest will take place in the foyer, with prizes for best overall, scariest and most creative.

Tickets: https://shop.slso.org/7612

Streaming: “Stars at Noon” on Hulu

Here’s PopLifeSTL film critic Alex McPherson’s review of “Stars at Noon,” currently streaming on Hulu.

‘Stars at Noon’ Is A Provocative, Challenging Love Story

TV Movies: Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas

Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, there is a new Christmas film to view. Here’s this weekend’s line-up:

Friday – A Cozy Christmas Inn
Saturday – Jolly Good Christmas
Sunday – Ghost of Christmas Always

Movie: “Decision to Leave”

Now playing at Plaza Frontenac, writer-director Park Chan-wook’s mystery-thriller uses his distinct visual style to weave a love story and murder case, with flashes of Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” and using nature as a character. The official South Korean selection for the Oscar’s Best International Feature, this will indeed be in the awards conversation at year’s end. Park won best director for this at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Here’s my review in the Webster-Kirkwood Times:

https://www.timesnewspapers.com/webster-kirkwoodtimes/arts_and_entertainment/reel_world/decision-to-leave/article_d7231646-56e5-11ed-b004-9be9c42616d1.html


TV Mini-Series: “The White Lotus,” season 2

Sunday, 8 p.m., HBO

We move on to Sicily this time, for a take on the staff at an upscale resort and the wealthy guests who stay there. Cast includes Aubrey Plaza, F. Murray Abraham, Michael Imperioli, and Haley Lu Richardson, with Jennifer Coolidge reprising her role as the ditzy socialite Tanya McQuoid.

Playlist: Million Dollar Quartet

With the death of Jerry Lee Lewis Friday, one of the pioneers of rock ‘n roll, I am reminded of the one historic night where Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Lewis gathered at Sun Studios in Memphis for one heckuva recording session on Dec. 4, 1956.

The basis for a 20120 jukebox musical

It has played at the Fox Theatre (2013) and at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (, and will be part of Stages St. Louis’ 37th season next summer. Here is the Broadway cast performing at the 2010 Tony Awards. Levi Kreis, who played Jerry Lee Lewis, won the Tony for best featured actor in a musical.

Word: Stephen King

“We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.”

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‘Stars at Noon’ Is A Provocative, Challenging Love Story

‘Stars at Noon’ Is A Provocative, Challenging Love Story

By Alex McPherson
A sexy, hypnotic, and intelligent drama, director Claire Denis’ “Stars at Noon” shines brightly, if viewers can get on its unusual wavelength.

Adapted from Denis Johnson’s 1986 novel of the same name, which takes place during the Nicaraguan Revolution of 1984, “Stars at Noon” unfolds in present-day and centers around Trish (Margaret Qualley), a supposed hard-news American journalist stuck in a politically unstable, Covid-stricken Managua. Lacking funds and a passport, she’s practically at the end of her rope when we first meet her, constantly drunk and turning tricks for wealthy men (including the Minister of Tourism) at the bougie Inter-Continental Hotel to scrounge up the means necessary to leave Nicaragua for good.

While on the prowl for a new client and some precious American dollars, Trish bumps into Daniel (Joe Alwyn), an enigmatic smooth-talker from London who claims to work for an oil company and casually admits he “commits adultery often.” They are immediately attracted to each other, and their transactional love-making evolves into a much deeper attachment. This mysterious white man in a white suit is being pursued by shady government operatives, and Trish’s own life is put at risk. Against their better judgment, these two spiraling souls are pulled together by desperation, romantic longing, and stupidity. They make a last-ditch effort to flee into Costa Rica, pausing frequently for sex, and causing plenty of collateral damage along the way.

Indeed, “Stars at Noon” thrives on mood and tone above all else — tedium mixed with an alluring, dreamlike haziness, offset by jolts of violence and a persistent sense of eeriness. Denis keeps plot details fairly sparse, choosing instead to let viewers bask in the sticky, humid environment, and observe the characters grasping for an escape.

The point is that they’re out-of-place in a foreign land destructively trying to remove themselves. Pacing is slow, conversations stretch on for long periods, and notwithstanding the mounting danger our central duo finds themselves in during the bloated 2-hour-and-18-minute runtime, “Stars at Noon” refuses to stomp on the gas pedal. Despite this subdued pacing, the film is mostly engaging, with a career-best Qualley doing much of the heavy-lifting.

Trish is a wonderfully flawed protagonist, equal parts cynical and helpless, prone to frantic decision-making, which often ends in trouble. Qualley brings a jumpiness that emphasizes Trish’s brash, headstrong personality, but there’s also an ever-present sadness that lingers over her conversations with Daniel and locals, self-loathing that manifests itself in impulsiveness.

While Trish isn’t an easy character to latch onto emotionally, Qualley’s performance — along with Denis’ patient approach to narrative — helps her feel like a grounded (literally) presence throughout. Her understated expressiveness brings additional layers to Trish’s interactions. Trish is trying to claw her way out of a predicament, likely of her own making, joined by a suave “gentleman” she’s both using and being used by, unsure of the kind of person she wants to become and — as Daniel’s goals become slightly clearer — what kind of impact she wants to leave behind. 

Éric Gautier’s camera follows her with a documentary-esque gaze, allowing us to observe her day-to-day efforts to leave Nicaragua, complete with strict Covid precautions. “Stars at Noon” thrives in tactile details, like the pitter-patter of rain against a windshield, and the warm glow of sunlight passing over naked bodies wrapped together in embrace. What’s sacrificed by this approach, however, is an immediacy that saps some of the intensity from pivotal sequences late in the film, as more traditionally “thrilling” elements come into play.

The soundtrack, by Tindersticks, brings a jazzy, noir-inflected touch to the proceedings, at once calming and uneasy — a dichotomy illustrated in Trish’s connection to Daniel. Sex scenes with Daniel are filmed with vivid eroticism — moments of togetherness that provide physical and emotional release while giving them both hope for a better tomorrow.

One incredible sequence on an empty dance floor, featuring a great song by Tindersticks, is irresistibly romantic, unfolding on a different plane of existence from the characters’ grim circumstances.

Qualley gets the most to work with, but Alwyn’s natural charisma and smooth line delivery helps make Daniel’s character a compelling question mark from beginning to end — mixing the profane with a cool, calm, and collected demeanor. It’s frustrating, though, that “Stars at Noon” leaves the specifics of his goals so ambiguous, rendering the film’s much more politically focused second half lacking the emotional impact it could have had.

It’s clear that Denis wants to illustrate the harmful effects of Western governments forcing themselves into outside countries, but the idea seems underdeveloped here. Trish doesn’t know why people want Daniel dead, hence we don’t know for sure either, only learning tidbits of information from Daniel and a creepy CIA agent (Benny Safdie). By the time we finally figure out what’s going on, the story nears its conclusion, leaving the narrative’s political bent neutered.

On the other hand, Trish and Daniel’s dash to the border does have subversive qualities, as their “love” for one another creates chaos for those they run into. Their heroism, as a result, becomes parasitic. For all the sweltering lovemaking and “adventure,” there’s a human toll, and Denis never lets us forget the pain left in their wake.

At the end of the day, “Stars at Noon” is an imperfect, yet strangely compelling watch, put together with a level of craft that’s easy to admire. Pacing and storytelling issues aside, the film only strengthens upon further reflection, as Denis once again demonstrates her mastery of the medium.

“Stars at Noon” is a 2022 romantic thriller directed by Claire Denis and starring Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn and Benny Safdie. It is rated R for sexual content, nudity, language and some violence, and runtime is 2 hours, 15 minutes. It was released in select theaters Oct. 14 and began streaming on Hulu on Oct. 28. Alex’s Grade: B+      

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Blanchett Fierce But ‘Tar’ Disturbing and Discordant Melodrama

Blanchett Fierce But ‘Tar’ Disturbing and Discordant Melodrama

By Lynn Venhaus
It is easy to be dazzled by Cate Blanchett’s virtuoso performance as a brilliant maestro whose rise in the cutthroat world of classical music will be thwarted by a spectacular fall from grace.

But overall, the excruciatingly bloated melodrama “Tar” is a pretentious exercise.

Set in the international world of classical music, the film centers on Lydia Tár, widely considered one of the greatest living composer-conductors and first-ever female music director of a major German orchestra. But just as her professional career is soaring, her personal life is going to crash, and she is in danger of getting burned.

As played by the two-time Oscar winner, the unsympathetic Lydia is at once brilliant and brittle. Haughty and vain, her carefully cultivated image is going to take big hits in the age of social media outrage and swift cancel culture, for –spoiler alert – she’s a sexual predator.

Cavalierly, she wields power over the vulnerable women she grooms while they curry favor with her. But she doesn’t attend to the messiness that will expose her true nature, and this fatal flaw, for being arrogant enough to think she is untouchable, will be her downfall.

Yet, there is no redemption and little accountability. We’re not going there, but where we’re going is a rather muddled and bumpy journey where we’re kept at arm’s length.

However, Blanchett is fierce as the formidable composer and conductor. She conducts with a ferocity, plays piano nimbly, and speaks several languages. She is on screen nearly the whole 2-hour, 38-minute runtime (which feels like 6 hours), and she’s a thoroughly unlikable character.

The acting is uniformly first-class, as are the production elements moving us between her homes, the concert hall, and the streets of Berlin, New York, and Thailand. Florian Hoffmeister’s cinematography captures the moodiness, the bleak gray skies, and growing unease as well as the upper echelon in the arts and the associated lofty lifestyles that production designer Marco Bittner Rosser has conveyed so well.

The main frustration here is that writer-director Todd Field has decided to concentrate on repetitive minutiae with a backdrop of mundane everyday life details, which drags the story.

At home, she lives with her wife Sharon, the Philharmonic’s concertmaster (an outstanding Nina Hoss), and their daughter Petra (Mila Bogojevic), but she also keeps another place.

And not only is the film’s pacing uneven, but Field is stingy with answers while questions keep proliferating. By the time it’s over – sweet relief (and some of the movie seems in real time) — there are baffling loose ends that prevent it from being a satisfying experience.

That seems indulgent, and a lengthy opening lecture with the New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik and a master class at Juilliard are in desperate need of editor Monika Willi (wait – there is an editor listed in the credits?).

Field, a three-time Oscar nominee who hasn’t made a film in 16 years, isn’t clear about his feelings for the protagonist, or how he wants us to feel. Normalizing her would be a mistake, for she’s a monster. Nor is she deserving of a pity party. Her undoing is entirely her own fault.

For those of you playing at home, do we want to watch a prickly personality pontificate for several hours?

Time and time again, life shows us that you can only run so far before fate catches up with you. What should happen – a comeuppance, criminal charges, civil lawsuit, apology?

That is not where Field is headed. Nor is he compelled to flesh out the vague backstory of Krista (Sylvia Flote), a supposedly ‘unstable’ protégé who committed suicide.

As a fan of Field’s acclaimed “In the Bedroom” (2001) and “Little Children” (2006), this was confounding. But others accept it and have lavished widespread praise. I would hope a second viewing isn’t needed for more insight and clarity.

The music, of course, is gorgeous. Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, whose work on “Joker” won her an Oscar, may earn another nod with this sleek score. Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, as the chosen piece to record, is sumptuous.

Other noteworthy performances include Noemie Merlant as Tar’s assistant Francesca and Sophie Kauer as the hotshot young cellist.

There is a story, of course, in the intriguing take on male-female power dynamics, and out-of-control actions made worse in the era of cellphones and social media. And suspense does build, if only in fits and starts.

Full of nagging holes, “Tár” is imperfect, and that’s not acceptable, no matter how sophisticated, given the people associated with this project.

It again, if anything, raises the issue about separating the art from the artist, but that opens a dialogue best served in another more succinct movie, as who wants another paradox after this disturbing – and cumbersome — portrait?

“Tar” is a 2022 drama written and directed by Todd Field. It stars Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, Mila Bogojevic, Noamie Merlant, Sophie Kauer and Mark Strong. It runs 2 hours, 38 minutes, and is rated R for some language and brief nudity. Locally, it opened in theatres Oct. 21. Lynn’s Grade: C.

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Symphony and Chorus Deliver Emotional, Cathartic Performance of Poulenc and Others

Symphony and Chorus Deliver Emotional, Cathartic Performance of Poulenc and Others

By CB Adams

It goes against form to start a symphony review (or any review for that matter) by pointing out the limits of words to describe a performance. Even the inestimable writer Virginia Woolf, when attempting to describe paintings in a 1920s essay, wrote, “But words, words! How inadequate you are! How weary one gets of you.” If words can fail the masterful Woolf, there’s not much hope for the rest of us – though she more than adequately spent the rest of the essay brilliantly describing the art, anyway.

Still, words are our medium. Thus, perhaps the best that can be said for the Friday, Oct. 21 performance of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, directed by Stéphane Denève, is: You had to be there. The same could no doubt be said for the Oct. 22 performance, too.

If you were there, you know how the orchestra, along with the SLSO Chorus, performed a powerfully emotional quadtych of complementary compositions (two by Francis Poulenc, and one each by Florent Schmitt and Reena Esmail). Denève has an avowed passion for Poulenc, a sentiment he reinforced in his introduction to the evening’s performance. “I looooove Poulenc!” he proclaimed from the podium.

Poulenc comprised the second half of the evening’s bill, and Denève avoided giving the Schmitt and Esmail compositions short shrift by describing the interconnected themes of love, faith, dedication and sacrifice. The well-considered choices to explore these themes added up to an entirely fulfilling and engaging experience while locally premiering Esmail’s “Testament” (From “Vishwas”) and the 12-movement “Stabat Mater” by Poulenc.

Jeanine De Bique

The strength of this concert was, at a macro level, the focus on love, faith, dedication and sacrifice. That focus was often filtered through a religious perspective. “Testament,” the final movement of a three-part composition for classical Indian dancer and orchestra, illuminates the fervent belief and hunger strike of a 15th-century poet.

Schmitt’s “The Tragedy of Salome,” is a symphonic suite that presents the sacrifice of virginal innocence, exemplified by its femme fatale protagonist, Salome of Biblical fame. The piece climaxes with a Stravinskian crash in the “Dance of Fear” movement.

Poulenc’s “Stabat Mater” uses the setting of a 13th-century hymn in Latin to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s reaction to the crucifixion of Jesus. The final scene from his opera “Dialogues of the Carmelites” presents a cast of nuns conversing about “anguish, fear, and the human condition.” It ends with their systematic beheadings, complete with guillotine sound effect.

Heavy stuff – indeed. But words fall short of the ultimately cathartic and uplifting nature of the SLSO’s performance. It was akin to attending a Greek tragedy. As Friedrich Nietzsche has observed: experiencing tragedy through art can lead to a meaningful affirmation of our own existence.

The success of this slate of compositions relies on the pieces themselves, the interplay of styles, themes and influences, and the performance by the SLSO and chorus. The sequence of pieces began with a religious person’s hunger strike, continued with the decapitation of John the Baptist, focused on the intense loss of Jesus’ crucifixion and concluded with the execution of 16 nuns. Although this description might sound unappealingly grisly, it was anything but. In sum, it was a satisfying, cerebral experience.

The orchestra, under Denève’s direction, was clean, confident and balanced – as usual. The “exotic” elements in the Esmail and Schmitt compositions were not exaggerated. Neither were the 16 uses of the guillotine sound effect during the “Dialogues of the Carmelites.” The effect was quite similar to the one used during The Muny’s production of “Sweeney Todd” this past summer.  

The addition of the chorus, guest directed by Scott Allen Jarrett, for the Poulenc pieces was a welcome addition and filled the stage with an aural presence that only a large choir can bring.

Reena Esmail

The highlight of the performance was certainly the SLSO debut of soprano Jeanine De Bique. Clad in blood red gown among the more soberly black dress of the rest of the musicians, De Bique delivered a beautiful and commanding performance, especially during the “Stabat Mater.”

The choice of works was innovative and balanced, and it certainly fits within this season’s overarching goal of journeying the world through music – compositions and musicians.

Through the fervency expressed in the works individually stood on their own, it was the cohesive ways the fit together to create a whole experience that proved most successful.


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Popster Picks For Tuesday Night, Oct. 26

Popster Picks For Tuesday Night, Oct. 26

By Lynn Venhaus

Documentary: “A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting”

8 p.m. on HBO  

On Oct. 27, 2018, a white nationalist gunman entered a synagogue shouting “All Jews must die!” and with four automatic weapons, killed 11 while they were praying. It was the largest antisemitic attack in American history.

Directed by and produced by Pittsburgh natives Michael Keaton, Billy Porter and Mark Cuban, the documentary interviews

An important aspect of the film is how the community came together afterwards. The process of healing, rebuilding, and moving forward

I will discuss the film with Ray Hartmann on “Mueller Furniture Presents Lynn Venhaus Goes to the Movies” on Thursday after the 10 p.m. news on KTRS, the Big 550.

Movie: Streaming Premiere for “The Good Nurse”

Netflix.

The true crime drama “The Good Nurse,” released in theaters on Oct. 19, is now streaming on Netflix.

Here’s my review: https://www.poplifestl.com/the-good-nurse-is-tension-filled-investigation-of-shocking-deaths/

Video on Demand: Studio Ghibli

Japanese animation fans, rejoice! Studio Ghibli’s catalogue of 22 films has been released by GKIDS for rental on all major digital platforms, including Apple, Amazon, Google Play, and Microsoft. Oscar winner “Spirited Away,” nominees “Howl’s Moving Castle” and are available at $4.99 per title. All are available in HD, with most being offered in the original Japanese as well as English dubbed versions.

Mini Burger Palace: A Little Hi

A Little Hi opened Sunday at 15069 Manchester on the strip in Ballwin, where one of the Silky’s Frozen Custard places once was. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

It’s a smaller menu than the parent – the Hi-Pointe Drive-In, with locations downtown, on McCausland, Kirkwood, Arnold and O’Fallon Ill., but still serving the trademark smash burgers, fries, milkshakes, and chef-inspired specials.

It’s also smaller in size. One of the features is a drive-thru window for pick-up orders.

Trailer: Ready for a Christmas Movie?

“Christmas With You” streams on Netflix starting Nov. 17

It’s about a pop star (Angelina, played by Aimee Garcia) who travels to a small town in New York to grant a young fan’s wish. She finds the inspiration to revitalize her career but also a shot at true love. Also stars Freddie Prinze Jr. and Deja Monique Cruz.

Word: Michael J. Fox

“Life is easier when we’re kind to each other.”

–People Magazine, “The Kindness Issue”

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Twisty ‘Fiction’ Explores Blurred Lines in Relationships at Actors’ Studio

Twisty ‘Fiction’ Explores Blurred Lines in Relationships at Actors’ Studio

By Lynn Venhaus

Sympathies shift as does time in the twisty relationship drama “Fiction,” presented by the St. Louis Actors’ Studio as a study in the stories we tell ourselves.

Playwright Steven Dietz explores “What would you do if you had to live with a secret that you thought you would die with?”

That complicates life for sophisticates Linda and Michael Waterman, who are both writers, thus the verbal jousting throughout the two acts.

Their literate lives will be turned upside-down with the diagnosis of a terminal brain tumor (hers) and the revelation of an affair (his).

After Linda’s devastating news, she asks her husband to share his diaries with her. Who can refuse a dying person’s wish, right? He agrees – tearing out a page – and his entries disclose what happened at a writer’s retreat with a young Abby, an administrator at The Drake Colony. Rut-ro.

With his customary witty dialogue, Dietz examines the blurred lines between fact and fiction, truth and lies, reality and imagination. Does discretion spare pain or make betrayal worse? Can couples overcome deceit? Is “memory the better writer” as Michael states?

And what kind of mind game are we exactly in for here?

As cagily played by Lizi Watt as Linda and William Roth as Michael, their carefully constructed worlds come to a head when they are forced into edgy territory – and are backed into a corner.

The very opinionated and glib Waterman defends his journaling by describing it as fiction. A rather stressed Linda conjures up scenarios in her head, as she thinks she knows him well enough to figure out what happened. He described Abby as a lethal combination of beauty, danger, youth and wit.

As they revise facts, trust breaks down. Then Michael reads Linda’s diaries. Well, who is keeping secrets now? And what isn’t disclosed on the hand-written pages?

What a tangled web Dietz has weaved into two hours, adding plot twists – and a few contrivances to make this more confounding rather than easily filling in the blanks.

William Roth, Bryn McLaughlin, Lizi Watt. Photo by Patrick Huber.

What the Watermans have been telling themselves for 20 years is that their longtime relationship is built on honesty and candor. After all, they are writers. But the irony is that sometimes, those adept at the written word aren’t always the best communicators when it comes to expressing feelings and deep thoughts one-on-one.

Confrontations will expose vulnerabilities and appear to be ripping scabs off old wounds. And what’s with this mysterious Abby, and how long was she in contact with Michael? How does she know Linda?

Agile at rapid-fire banter, Watts and Roth are convincing, if not enitrely relatable, as the pair – his character tends to pontificate, and her healthy self can get snippy, but you do feel for her current predicament. His novels are so popular they’re made into movies while her one acclaimed book, “At the Cape,” a fictionalized account of her sexual assault in South Africa, is long in the rearview mirror, and she now teaches creative writing. Linda is tough and confident, not a pushover.

As Abby, Bryn McLaughlin plays her close to the vest when she appears before and present, shading her ambiguously. She holds her own in scenes with the older established characters.

This three-hander, deftly staged by Wayne Salomon, digs deeper into the gray areas of relationships that aren’t so black-and-white. Salomon’s a master at dissecting ordinary people and their motivations, as he has shown in an illustrious career spanning 50 years.

In recent years at STLAS, he’s done sharply defined work with “August: Osage County,” “Three Tall Women,” and “Farragut North.” This one, with its enigmatic premise, is indeed a challenge.

While the actors are smooth and obviously well-rehearsed, given the dexterity on display and their earnest analysis to make the material understandable, the stumbling block is the play’s structure.

The time shifts are not always clear, which is intentional. There are minor changes in costumes to reflect the year depicted, a smart move by costume designer Carla Landis Evans.

When we first meet the couple at a café in Paris (really?), they seem to have a comfy rapport. Dietz’s idea to start with a high-spirited argument on best rock vocal performance is clever, for we immediately ascertain they’re Boomers, with each taking a side – he’s adamant it’s John Lennon in “Twist and Shout,” and she’s making a case for Janis Joplin for “Piece of My Heart.”

Music, being the universal language, helps us size up the characters. But turns out, this is their first meeting, and they eventually marry. It sets up their rhythms, for couples tend to have their own shorthand..

This shift in time will keep us off-guard, particularly with the back-and-forth on the Abby sequences, and perhaps more at a distance that we should be as we’re trying to keep straight what’s accurate.

Then, there is the matter of mortality. The reason she’s reading his diaries is that she’s going to die soon (three weeks, or as she puts it, “twenty meals.”) Spoiler alert: But then, lo and behold, doctors say ‘oops!’ and never mind — due to an “oncological misapprehension,” she’s given a reprieve, so that makes things stickier for what’s out in the open. But then… (won’t spoil the rest). And if she has a malignancy tumor, undergoing treatment, wouldn’t that affect her behavior?

These choices are debatable, and the off-kilter nature can be frustrating, if that’s how you sense it. I can see where deciphering the relationships can become chore-like.

In all narratives, talking about writing can get in the weeds with theatergoers, while showing the writing process is even trickier. I can see responses vary about the two.

Should our lives be an open book in our intimate relationships? Dietz brings up questions, but are his points persuasive?

Are the characters unreliable narrators? Things are open to interpretation, depending on your viewpoint. And given human nature, perspectives will vary.

The setting, designed by Patrick Huber and carried out by Andy Cross and Sarah Frost, is minimally staged to focus on the verbal fireworks. No bookshelves, such as those artfully staged for Zoom, for the backdrop.

St. Louis Actors’ Studio, now in its 15th season, is looking through the lens of life’s fundamentals in several productions this year.

Their selections always bring up provocative issues that make a viewer consider how they think and feel, which results in an interesting experience worthy of discussion.

“Fiction” was produced in a workshop setting through ACT Theatre in Seattle in 2002, then presented at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, N.J., and later, off-Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre in 2004.

Active for 30 years, the prolific Dietz is one of the most widely produced playwrights in the U.S. Locally, his works “Bloomsday” and “This Random World” have been performed by the West End Players Guild. “God’s Country,” “The Nina Variations,” “Lonely Planet,” “Shooting Star” and “Private Eye” are among his many plays, often staged in regional theaters. Always witty and frequently insightful, Dietz’ comedy-dramas intrigue.

This much I know is true – the truth is uncomfortable but lies are worse. Although this brings up thought-provoking topics, whatever Dietz was going for in “Fiction” doesn’t land wholly satisfactorily, although the performances are genuine and the production work sincere.

William Roth, Lizi Watt. Photo by Patrick Huber

The St. Louis Actors’ Studio presents “Fiction” by Steven Dietz from Oct. 7 to Oct. 23, on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 p.m. at The Gaslight Theater at 358 N. Boyle in the Central West End.

For tickets, visit https://www.ticketmaster.com/the-gaslight-theater-tickets-st-louis/venue/50324 or purchase at the box office prior to showtime. For more information: www.stlas.org

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Popster Picks for Oct. 21 (And More)

Popster Picks for Oct. 21 (And More)

By Lynn Venhaus

Local Spotlight: Legends and Lanterns

A fun weekend can be had on Main Street in St. Charles.

Legends & Lanterns® is a “spirited” journey through Halloween History is an annual event that finds its inspiration from the past.

“From the vintage charm of Halloween in the 1910s-1930s, to the historical rituals and customs brought to the holiday by the Druids and Victorians, to the ethereal atmosphere depicted in American ghost stories and Brothers Grimm fairy tales; this event will offer treats and tricks for guests of all ages. A little bit silly. A little bit macabre. But all in fun,” so it states on the website.

Dates and Times
Sat, 10/22:     11am to 6pm

Sun, 10/23:    Noon to 5pm

Fri, 10/28:      5pm to 8pm

Sat, 10/29:     11am to 8pm

Sun, 10/30:    Noon to 5pm

https://www.discoverstcharles.com/events/legends-lanterns/

Stage: Personal Transformation and Triumph

The Black Mirror Theatre Company presents “Roll With It!” at Kranzberg Arts Center black box theater

Katie Rodriguez Banister

Katie Rodriguez Bannister was paralyzed from the chest down in an SUV rollover accident in 1990. She was 25. This is her story. Only three more performances left – Friday at 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.

Here’s my review: https://www.poplifestl.com/roll-with-it-shares-a-challenging-path-with-warmth-and-humor/?fbclid=IwAR2ycAmBil46xXR7dhw5iRvwmEDxRKeBr9yLgOlIl5h5mNkIRDsh2hWG2eM

For more about Katie, read the Webster-Kirkwood Times article by Julie Brown Patton:
https://www.timesnewspapers.com/webster-kirkwoodtimes/roll-with-it/article_b6cb1ef8-4591-11ed-aced-37baaa30c353.html

Movie: Julia and George Together Again

Megastars Julia Roberts and George Clooney, who’ve made five movies together, reunite in “Ticket to Paradise,” for a formulaic rom-com that is pure escapism, the kind of “Mom movie” that women of a certain age will enjoy. Here’s my review:

https://www.poplifestl.com/star-power-propels-light-hearted-escape-ticket-to-paradise/


New Year’s Eve Plans: Nikki Glaser tickets on sale

Tickets went on sale this morning, Oct. 21, at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster for Nikki Glaser: One Night with Nikki Glaser at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31, at the Stifel Theatre.

Ticket Link: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/06005D4ECF257338

Spooktacular Movies at the Drive-In

“Jamie Lee Curtis is Laurie Strode in “Halloween Ends

Drive-In Time: Slashfest is Oct. 28-29 at the Skyview Drive-In in Belleville, officially ending the season. However, this weekend, you can enjoy Pre-Slashfest with a combo of new and old movies.

Here is the schedule for, October 21 & 22…

Screen 1 – Halloween Ends R 8:00 and Frankenstein 1931 NR 10:00

Screen 2 – Poltergeist PG 8:00 and The Lost Boys R 10:10

The box office opens at 6:30 p.m. Ads and previews start at 7:50. Good idea to arrive early.

If you want to request a reserved spot for an additional $10, send an email to [email protected]. Tell us which movie you want to see, which night you want to attend, and the year/make/model of your vehicle. Be sure to include all information or your request will be returned to you.

Trailer: The Crown Season 5

Season 5 will drop on Nov. 9 on Netflix, with Elizabeth Debecki as Princess Diana, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth and Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip.

Playlist:


Taylor Swift Dropped “Midnights” — here’s a tract:
https://youtu.be/kWFJni0H774

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