By Lynn Venhaus With their mega-watt star power and effortless charm, George Clooney and Julia Roberts are just so darn cute together that they make the high-concept rom-com “Ticket to Paradise” go down as easy as a fruity tropical drink while watching an island sunset.
“Ticket to Paradise” follows the formula of many personality-driven light-hearted escapes set in an exotic locale and depend on thorny romantic complications with an easy-going cast having fun with each other.
As a bitterly divorced couple, they team up and travel to Bali to stop their only daughter (Kaitlyn Devers) from making the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago.
In their fifth film together, Clooney and Roberts appear to be having a ball, even while pretending they hate each other’s guts. That fine line between love and hate, you know. They were college sweethearts and married for five years. Their house burnt down, and their relationship flamed out.
But they had a daughter, Lily, whom they dote on, and are forced to be together for those kind of family rituals like graduations and weddings. The ever-reliable Kaitlyn Dever plays recent law school graduate Lily, who is on a long holiday with her roommate and best friend Wren in Bali before embarking on real-world careers.
Party girl Wren is given some oomph by Billie Lourd, the late Carrie Fisher’s daughter. She’s mainly around to be supportive of her buddy, but it would have been nice for her to have a storyline too. She and Dever were both in “Booksmart,” and work well together here.
Roberts’ character, Georgia, an art gallery owner, is engaged to a handsome younger pilot, endearingly played by French actor Lucas Bravo (a delight in “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” this past summer and on “Emily in Paris.”) He’s a good sport, even as the butt of some jokes.
The lovestruck Lily throws everything into chaos when she breaks the news that she is engaged to an Indonesian seaweed farmer, Gede (Maxime Bouttier), a sweet and sincere islander she fell head over heels for – and is ready to build a life faraway from what she’s known. They make a cute, believable couple.
Bali is a stunning location with gorgeous sunsets, warm hospitality and a relaxed way of life. What’s not to love?
The parents are determined to sabotage the wedding, and unite to carry it out, but as expected, things aren’t going according to plan in the story by Ol Parker and script co-writer Daniel Pipski.
The parents have time for reflection and look back at their tattered relationship, which the two Oscar winners carry out well.
Maxime Bouttier, Kaitlyn Dever
It seems like a predictable patchwork of other rom-coms – a dash of “Crazy Rich Asians,” a touch of “Mamma Mia!”, a sprinkle of “Gidget Goes Hawaiian,” and a smidge of “My Best Friend’s Wedding, as well as a litany of Hallmark movies involving matrimony, but that doesn’t make it less palatable.
When you sign on for a romantic comedy, you know what’s ahead. This is a Mom movie – one you can take your mother too and not worry about salacious content. If it appeals to a certain demographic, so be it.
The pleasures here are enjoying the shimmering panoramic vistas in the south Pacific and two charismatic movie stars who are adorable when lighting up the screen. Their chemistry is so smooth that you’d watch them just sitting and talking to each other (at least I would).
The last movie they made, “Money Monster,” was a middling crime drama-thriller in 2016. Clooney was a financial TV host and Roberts played his producer who are in an extreme situation when an irate investor takes over the studio.
But their casting as Danny and Tess Ocean in the “Ocean’s” movies – 11, 12 and 13 — caught fire in that entertaining caper franchise. They first appeared in “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” which Clooney directed in 2002, an adaptation of game show impresario Chuck Barris’ cult memoir about being a CIA hitman.
Although capable of crafting fine characters in their legendary careers, they are well-suited for romantic comedies. After all, that’s where Roberts broke through (“Pretty Woman”) and had considerable box office power (“Notting Hill,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding, “Runaway Bride,” among them.) They have their dramatic cred – and Oscars to prove it, too.
The outtakes shown during the end credits seem unnecessary and rather silly, but other than that, it’s not a waste o’ time.
Ol Parker, best known for “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” in 2018 and “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” in 2011, directed “Ticket to Paradise” with a light touch, careful to not make the proceedings too slapstick-y (but not above some goofy moments, like a dolphin attack and a snake bite).
He knows and respects his audience, and so do the lovable movie stars. If you are looking for a pleasant trifle to wile away a couple hours, “Ticket to Paradise” will amuse. It isn’t destined to become a classic but will stay in fans’ rotations.
“Ticket to Paradise” is a 2022 romantic comedy directed by Ol Parker and starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Kaitlyn Dever. Rated PG-13 for some strong language and brief suggestive material, it runs 1 hour, 44 minutes. Opens in theatres on Oct. 21. Lynn’s Grade: B-.
The Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced today that comedian, television host, best-selling author and advocate Chelsea Handler will host the 28th annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, January 15, 2023 (7:00-10:00pm ET – delayed PT, check local listings), airing live on The CW from the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
Handler’s humor and candor have established her as one of the most celebrated voices in entertainment and pop culture. After a strong seven-year run as the host of E!’s top-rated Chelsea Lately, a tenure during which Handler was the only female late-night talk show host on-air, she launched her documentary series Chelsea Does followed by her talk show Chelsea on Netflix in 2016. As an author, she has penned six New York Times best-selling books, including 2019’s “Life Will Be the Death of Me,” which is also being adapted into a TV series for Peacock under her production banner, Chelsea Handler Productions. Handler will executive produce and star in the show.
In 2020, Handler released her first stand-up special in over 6 years, the critically acclaimed Chelsea Handler: Evolution on HBO Max, which earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album. Most recently, she launched her iHeartRadio advice podcast, Dear Chelsea, and embarked on the Vaccinated and Horny Tour, bringing her sensational stand-up set to 80+ cities across North America and winning “The Comedy Act of 2021” at the People’s Choice Awards.
“We are thrilled to have Chelsea Handler joining us at the 28th annual Critics Choice Awards,” said CCA CEO Joey Berlin. “We all know and love her work as a standup comedian, a best-selling author, a podcast host, and actress – and now as host of the Critics Choice Awards! I know this will be the best year yet and can’t wait for everyone to see what we have in store.”
The 28th annual Critics Choice Awards will be held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, and air live on The CW from 7:00 – 10:00 pm ET (delayed PT – check local listings). The Critics Choice Awards are bestowed annually to honor the finest in cinematic and television achievement and will continue its combined film and television awards format honoring the best in cinematic, televised, and streaming achievement. Historically, they are the most accurate predictor of Academy Award® nominations. The 28th annual Critics Choice Awards show will be executive-produced by Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment. The CCA is represented by Dan Black of Greenberg Traurig.
This year, the Critics Choice Association will also hold the 5th annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television on December 5, 2022 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, the 2nd annual Celebration of Latino Cinema & Television on November 13, 2022 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel and the inaugural Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema & Television on November 4, 2022 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel.
Follow the 28th annual Critics Choice Awards on Twitter and Instagram @CriticsChoice and on Facebook/CriticsChoiceAwards. Join the conversation using #CriticsChoiceAwards.
About the Critics Choice Association (CCA)
The Critics Choice Association is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 580 media critics and entertainment journalists. It was established in 2019 with the formal merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, recognizing the intersection between film, television, and streaming content. For more information, visit:
Truck Centers is sponsoring the American Veterans Traveling Tribute Vietnam Memorial Wall in Troy, Ill.
It will be open to the public from Thursday, Oct. 20, at 5 p.m. (opening ceremony 5:45 p.m.) until Sunday, Oct. 23, at 1 p.m., on the grounds of the TCI Training Center. It will be accessible 24 hours a day with online name locator resources, and a locator booth will be available daily between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
The traveling wall is an 80% scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC. It is 8′ tall, spans 360 ft. in length, and is the largest traveling tribute in the nation.
My friends in the Flagman’s Mission are placing American flags on the ground before the exhibit opens and will take them down Sunday. For more information or to volunteer, visit their Facebook page.
Joan Lipkin, 1989
On Stage: Reunion of first LGBTQ+ Theatre Performed in Missouri
One Night Only! Tonight from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Missouri History Museum. It’s free.
Before there was Ellen or Will & Grace, there was “Some of My Best Friends Are,” the 1989 landmark production by Joan Lipkin and Tom Clear that was the first LGBTQ+ theatre done in Missouri.
It was also before marriage equality, the Missouri Sexual Misconduct Law was repealed or LGBTQ+ people could serve openly in the military. And in the midst of all this, the AIDS epidemic was raging.
Yet in the basement theatre of a United Church of Christ congregation, the St. Marcus on Russell, they put on a musical theatre revue that sold out every performance, attracted very diverse audiences and was voted Best Play of the Year by the Riverfront Times. By turns scathingly funny and poignant, it changed the cultural landscape in St Louis.
They will perform some of the original numbers and scenes. Members of the original cast expected to be on hand include Kate Durbin, Bill Ebbesmeyer, Terry Meddows, Steve Milloy, Mary Schnitzler, and Christy Simmons. Larry Pressgrove is music director, and Joan will emcee.
Happy Hour starts at 5:30 p.m. and the stage comes alive at 6:30 p.m., with songs, skits, and some reminiscing by both cast and audience.
Tonight is the Season 5 premiere of the comedian’s award-winning show (9 p.m. Comedy Central and Paramount +). There haven’t been new episodes since 2016. Tonight, Ellie Kemper, Olivia Munn and Jesse Williams are among the guest stars in this blend of sketch comedy,vignettes, stand-up and man-on-the-street interviews. Here’s the trailer:
https://youtu.be/9czJbkBKnoU
Playlist: Day-O!
In 1955, Harry Belafonte recorded “Day-O” (Banana Boat Song). This Jamaican folk song became his signature song, and is an example of popular calypso music at the time. It hwas been covered many times, and is featured in a very funny sequence in Tim Burton’s movie “Beetlejuice.”
On This Day in St. Louis
Eighteen years ago today, Jimmy Edmonds hit that 12th inning home run to put the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series for the first time since 1987!
What a shot! What a game!
Of course, we were then swept by the Boston Red Sox. Getting that postseason monkey off their back. But after ’04 we had some very good years, including World Series championships in 2006 and 2011.
#cardinalnation
Word: HUAC
On this date in 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee began nine days of hearings into alleged Communist propaganda and influence in the Hollywood motion picture industry.
“In Germany they first came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me – and by that time no one was left to speak up.”
With the best of intentions and a powerful personal story of transformation to tell, the Black Mirror Theatre Company fully commits to a world premiere that can make a difference in the region and beyond.
Scratch the ‘can’ and insert ‘will,’ for you will be convinced that sparkplug Katie Rodriguez Banister will change the world after you share this unforgettable journey featuring her friends, family, caregiver, and allies.
In collaboration with the Banisters’ Access-4-All, Black Mirror has produced “Roll With It!”, an original work that sheds light on disabilities and creates more acceptance and inclusion by using the tools of live theater to connect.
Artistic Director J. Michelle Rebollo adroitly staged this well-constructed exercise, which makes an impact through its realistic vignettes and heart-tugging account of a young woman’s odyssey from able-bodied at 25 to being paralyzed from the chest down in an SUV rollover accident in 1990.
Banister is a speaker, author, poet, playwright, and disability educator. She has lived independently since 1992, and with her husband, Steve, founded Access-4-All in 1997. Their mission is to educate and empower their audiences through their publications, programs, and trainings.
Rebollo has known Katie for more than 20 years, and that familiarity guides this passion project. Both were in sync on making social statements.
A natural performer, Banister has theatrical experience with Joan Lipkin’s That Uppity Theatre Company and her DisAbility Project, which she was a part of for six years.
Katie Rodriguez Banister and Tyler Gotsis. Photo by Bradley J. Rohlf
This play sprang from a piece co-authored with Lipkin called “Go Figure,” and Banister, whose autobiography is titled “On a Roll,” teamed with local playwright Michelle Zielinski to shape the story into what is now being performed.
“Roll With It!” not only educates but entertains, in an interesting way, departing from a standard formula. Katie’s candor, honesty, and humor is apparent as she and her former self struggle with physical, emotional, psychological, and financial challenges during her recovery.
The playwrights present intimate details, anticipating questions people may not want to ask aloud. They’ve ensured that this play, above all, highlights human connection.
The actress portraying Katie is none other than the woman who lived the story – and her hard-fought truths and valuable life lessons resonate as she ultimately finds purpose, beauty, and love in everyday living.
She is aided by fellow live-wire Hannah Geisz, whose affection and enthusiasm for this material is matched by the indefatigable O.G. Geisz embodies her former 25-year-old self, the voice within who encourages, and sort of a spiritual whisperer reminding her of who she was and still is.
And there are daunting obstacles, no sugar-coating those frustrations, and the inner voice prevents her from giving up, no matter how dark it gets.
As a devoted activist, Katie sincerely embraces her role as the production’s flag bearer. With an unwavering fervor, she lets us in – yes, it’s difficult, but behold an ‘influencer’ with a considerable ‘B.S.’ detector.
The play includes flashbacks, visuals, and music to aid the storytelling. Rebollo took care of the projection design, she and Rodriguez Bannister collaborated on the sound design, Ryan Luedloff designed the lighting and the tech, Erin Schwob took care of wigs, and Rachel DeNoyer was the stage manager.
An earnest eight-person ensemble portrayed different roles – mainly health care professionals, family, friends, and lawyers: Kelly Ballard, Dennis Calvin, Tyler Gotsis, Kristen Hays, Hannah (Mo) Moellering, Claire Sackman, Luke Steffen, and Rob Tierney. Gotsis played Katie’s future husband Steve.
With its positive attitude and indelible heroine, “Roll With It!” delivers insight – and warmth. It must be a call to action, for it’s not enough to describe it as inspiring.
Photo by Bradley J. Rolf
The Black Mirror Theatre Company presents “Roll With It!” as a one-act without an intermission on Oct. 13-14 and 19-21 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 15-16 and 22-23 at 3 p.m. at the Kranzberg Arts Center Black Box Theatre, 501 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. Tickets are available through MetroTix. For more information: www.blackmirrortheatre.org
To learn more, visit Katie Rodriguez Bannister’s website, www.awomanonwheels.com
“Be Our Guest” at the 2023 Arts For Life Trivia Night on Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Kirkwood Community Center.
“We are so excited to announce that we are back live and in person for our annual Trivia Night,” said AFL President Mary McCreight. “Don’t miss the most fun time in metropolitan St. Louis’ community theater!”
Nominations will be announced for the annual Theatre Mask Awards (plays) and Best Performance Awards (musicals) honoring excellence in community theater and youth productions during 2022.
Ten rounds of general knowledge trivia will start at 7 p.m., and doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Kirkwood Community Center is located at 111 S. Geyer Road, St. Louis, 63122.
Tables of 8 players are available, at $160 per table. To make a reservation, visit https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/ or www.artsforlife.org. You can also email: [email protected] for more information. Mulligans will be available, at 5 for $10 or 10 for $20.
The event also includes a silent auction and 50/50 drawing. Cash prizes will be awarded to first and second place teams.
Because the Walt Disney Company is celebrating its centennial in 2023, marking “100 Years of Wonder,” AFL is using Disney as its trivia night theme. Guests are encouraged to wear costumes of their favorite Disney characters, which now includes Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Disney Plus, National Geographic, parks, cruises, and theatricals.
For the past 24 years, AFL has honored musical theater with the Best Performance Awards and introduced the Theatre Mask Awards to honor comedy and drama productions in 2015.
This year’s BPA ceremony is going to be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 2, 2023, at the Florissant Civic Center. The TMA date and location will be announced later.
“These events recognize the incredible talent we have in St. Louis community theater and honor the passion and dedication of those who build this amazing and unique theatrical community,” McCreight said.
A quartet of hosts will emcee the trivia night, familiar faces on and off the stage in local theatre.
Sponsorships are available – trivia rounds at $100 and event at $50.
Sponsorship includes group/company name and logo displayed at the beginning and end of event as a sponsor, then group/company name and logo displayed on our social media sites as a sponsor.
Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”
AFL is dedicated to promoting public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it.
For more information, email [email protected]. or visit the website.
AFL is currently accepting applications for the AFL Lifetime Achievement Award. If you know of a deserving candidate, please fill out this application https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2022lifetimeawards
The Roaring Twenties themed AFL Trivia Night in January 2020. From left, Janet Wheatley, board member; Mary McCreight, board president; and Kathy Tate, former AFL board member.
Cover photo is the first place team in 2020, the last live Trivia Night AFL sponsored. We’ve had virtual ones in 2021 and 2022. Photos by Lynn Venhaus.
To celebrate its 55th anniversary, “In the Heat of the Night” is getting the TCM Big Screen treatment.
The Fathom Event, with special insight from Turner Classic Movies’ Ben Mankiewicz, will be at Marcus Ronnie’s Cine at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19.
The Oscar-winning film was set in Sparta, Miss., but most of the movie was filmed in Sparta, Ill. Many of the film’s landmarks can still be seen.
Director Norman Jewison shot part of the film in Dyersburg and Union City, Tenn., and the rest in Sparta, Chester, and Freeburg in southern Illinois.
The Plot: While traveling in the Deep South, Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a black Philadelphian homicide detective, becomes unwittingly embroiled in the murder investigation of a prominent businessman. Finding the killer, however, proves difficult when his efforts are constantly thwarted by the bigoted town sheriff (Rod Steiger). But neither man can solve this case alone. Putting aside their differences and prejudices, they join forces in a desperate race against time to discover the truth.
Freeburg IL location
Nominated for seven Academy Awards, the film won five. Besides Best Picture and best performance by an actor, the film picked up the Oscars for screenplay from another medium (Stirling Silliphant), editing (Hal Ashby), and sound.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 83 reviews, with an average rating of 8.40/10. Its consensus states, “Tense, funny, and thought-provoking all at once, and lifted by strong performances from Sydney Poitier and Rod Steiger, director Norman Jewison’s look at murder and racism in small-town America continues to resonate today.”
The movie is available through DirecTV, and for rent on various streaming platforms.
“Going to the Movies!” made a video of the places: https://youtu.be/-6uD-hvHhE8
Streaming Theater: Seedfolks
Metro Theater Company presents “Seedfolks” live through Nov. 6 at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center, but can also be viewed via streaming video beginning today.
This is a heart-warming play about neighbors drawn out of their lonely isolation to rediscover and celebrate the community around them.
From award-winning novelist Paul Fleischman, the story is about a vacant lot in a broken neighborhood in the middle of the city that becomes a source of hope, with a dozen different characters bringing their stories to life. Kim is one, a nine-year-old Vietnamese immigrant who plants six precious lima beans. One by one, characters, many also immigrants sow seeds of hope amid the dirt and grit, tending dreams to full bloom. As the garden grows, so does the community, blooming into something bigger, better and beyond all expectations.
The play is 60 minutes without an intermission and is best enjoyed by those age 9 and up.
Local actors John Mayfield, Michael Thanh Tran and Tyler White are featured. It’s directed by Jess Shoemaker.
Performances are Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. (socially distant), and Sundays at 2 p.m.
A Virtual Q&A with author Paul Fleischman is set for Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. Registration is free at metroplays.org.
For more information and to get a virtual streaming link, visit www.metroplays.org
Movie: True Crime Thriller
“The Good Nurse” opens today in select theaters and will drop on Netflix on Oct. 26. Starring Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne, this suspenseful film is based on the true crime story of ICU nurse Charles Cullen. Here’s my review:
In 1985, the groundbreaking music video to the synth pop song “Take On Me” gave the Norwegian group a no. 1 hit in America. The innovative video, greenlighted by Warner Brothers executive Jeff Ayeroff is a combination of illustrations and live-action, directed by “Billie Jean” director Steve Barron. It was in heavy rotation on MTV, and won six Video Music Awards, including Best Special Effects, Best Concept, and Viewer’s Choice
The husband-and-wife creative team of Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger used rotoscope to create the realistic movements, showing a-ha frontman Morten Harket getting a girl to visit his cartoon world. The song and video remain popular to this day.
Here is the remastered music video:
https://youtu.be/djV11Xbc914
Word: National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
“Growing up, I was constantly reminded to not to air our family’s dirty laundry. Part of why domestic violence is allowed to continue is because there is often an unwritten rule in many families of abuse: Don’t ask. Don’t tell. Keeping quiet does no good. I found that sharing my story liberated me from my past. There is power in storytelling and, in that, healing. Owning my truth also empowered me. I will no longer be manipulated or controlled by guilt or shame.” — Kambri Crews
By Lynn Venhaus Ah, risk management, the American medical system and a litigious society are focal points into a criminal investigation of mysterious patient deaths in the riveting “The Good Nurse.”
But what separates this true crime drama as more of a ‘howdunit,’ rather than a whodunit, is the way the real-life characters are humanely portrayed. Oscar winners Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) and Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) are in top form, delivering nuanced, lived-in performances as two empathetic nurses leaning on each other. Their bond is believable and the heart of the story.
In his first English language film, director Tobias Lindholm focused on the friendship between real-life nurses Amy Loughren and Charlie Cullen who worked the demanding night shift at a New Jersey hospital in 2003.
Amy (Chastain) is a single mother struggling with a life-threatening heart condition. New employee Charlie Redmayne) starts sharing the night shift, and because he’s thoughtful and helpful, they develop a tight bond. After a couple of patients die unexpectedly, alarm bells go off.
The shy but attentive Cullen had been bouncing around several hospitals, with whispers and suspicions, but superiors – worried about lawsuits and unwanted law enforcement involvement – seemed to ‘send it on’ down the road (not unlike the Catholic Church dioceses, we learned when the pedophile priest scandals blew wide open).
Until compassionate Amy, doing her job, helped investigators, at great personal risk. Noah Emmerich and Nnamdi Asomugha are convincing as the Newark detectives frustrated by the system’s closed doors and lack of communication. As a risk management superior, Kim Dickens is chilling — an ice-cold corporate manager whose doubt creeps in, subtly readable on her face, but she does not budge.
Noah Emmerich, Nnamdi Asomugha, Jessica Chastain
I was unfamiliar with Cullen’s story, which made Redmayne’s characterization even more terrifying. Dubbed “The Angel of Death” by the media after his arrest, he was a merciless monster hidden in plain sight (And also more complicated than the true-crime ‘boxes’ often used in storytelling.)
Chastain deftly conveyed Amy’s growing concern over her friend being the prime suspect. If you are unaware of the case, it makes you think the hospital bureaucracy is hiding information and the police are targeting individuals unfairly.
Lindholm’s focus is on Amy as an ordinary hero who makes extraordinary decisions because she is a ‘good nurse.’ She’s a single mother struggling with a life-threatening heart condition, trying to do the best she can for her family’s future. Her integrity and intelligence are evident in Chastain’s shrewd performance.
It makes a resolution for the nerve-wracking mystery even more urgent.
Screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Oscar-nominated for “1917,” has smartly adapted the 2013 nonfiction book by Charles Graeber, “The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder,” which details dozens of deaths over a period of 16 years, at nine hospitals in two states. Cullen confessed to 29, but as the title cards at the end state, the real count could be hundreds.
Lindholm, who directed the Danish films “The Hunt” and “A Hijacking,” effectively builds tension. The music score by Biosphere adds to that growing unease as well.
While I’m not usually a fan of so much natural lighting, it does give the film a realistic you-are-there feel. Cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes, who worked on “Manchester by the Sea,” created a mood through the gray days and playing with the shadows of a mundane workplace overnight, hinting at evil lurking in storage rooms and hospital beds through dim fluorescent lighting.
The film’s hushed tones and how methodically it details the steps to finally catching the killer comes together in satisfying fashion.
With its stellar cast, “The Good Nurse” succeeds as a cautionary tale by highlighting the everyday healthcare heroes doing heartfelt work. But also shows how aberrant behavior can go undetected, and lays bare the cracks in the system.
To the brave souls willing to stick their neck out for the truth, this movie’s for you.
“The Good Nurse” is a 2022 true-crime drama directed by Tobias Lindholm and starring Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne, Noah Emmerich, Nnamdi Asomugha and Kim Dickens. It is rated R for language and the run time is 2 hours, 1 minute. In select theaters Oct. 19 and streaming on Netflix beginning Oct. 26. Lynn’s Grade: B+
New Jewish Theatre Announces 2023 Season – Celebrating 25 Years!
The New Jewish Theatre is pleased to announce its 2023 season, which is also its 25th season of producing professional plays and musicals at the J. The season celebrates some of the New Jewish Theatre’s most beloved playwrights, productions and actors, while also bringing new works to St. Louis audiences.
The season will kick off on January 19, 2023, with Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound. The third play in Simon’s “Brighton Beach Trilogy” picks up with the Jerome family nine years after the events of Brighton Beach Memoirs, which New Jewish Theatre produced to great acclaim in 2019.
Next, is the heart-wrenching and hilarious one-person play Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe. It will feature NJT favorite Will Bonfiglio and is an immersive, interactive and imaginative journey following one man as he works to cheer his depressed mother by listing every brilliant thing in existence.
Will Bonfiglio in his award-winning performance “Fully Committed” at NJT December 2019
In June, NJT will present the regional premiere of Gloria: A Life by Emily Mann. This is both a play and a conversation. The first act takes you on a journey through feminist icon Gloria Steinem’s life, and the second invites audiences to share their own stories.
Following Gloria, the season will feature a classic story of culture clashes and kindness by showcasing Mark Harelik’s The Immigrant, which will be the first play to be directed by NJT’s new Artistic Director Rebekah Scallet. The play tells the story of a Russian Jewish immigrant who struggles to create a new home for himself in a tiny Texas town in the 1900s while forging unlikely but lifelong friendships with its residents.
The season will conclude in December 2023 with the musical comedy, Little Shop of Horrors, about an unsuspecting young plant store clerk who accidentally unleashes a man-eating monster. Written by the dynamite duo of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (the team behind the Disney classics Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid), Little Shop of Horrors is full of toe-tapping musical numbers and fun.
“There is something for everyone to enjoy in New Jewish Theatre’s 2023 season,” says Scallet. “From the oh-so-familiar funny family squabbles of Broadway Bound to the stirring story of one of the most important women of our time, to a delightfully wicked musical theatre favorite. My thanks to my predecessor Eddie Coffield who largely assembled this season before his departure in August – I am thrilled with the productions he chose to celebrate Jewish authors and themes.”
The shows will premiere at The J’s Wool Studio Theatre (2 Millstone Campus Drive, St. Louis). Season subscriptions go on sale on November 1 and single tickets will be available for purchase on December 1. Tickets are available by phone 314-442-3283 or online at newjewishtheatre.org.
Local Spotlight: Ian Coulter-Buford, formerly of Belleville, Ill., and now on the national tour of “Hadestown” currently at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis through Oct. 23, is the dance captain, understudy for Hermes and a swing in the show.
Here’s a Fabulous Fox video in which he shares a few moves from the Tony-winning Best Musical.
Host Phil Rosenthal opens the sixth season of the Emmy-nominated food/travel series “Somebody Feed Phil” on Netflix. The new episodes take Phil to Philadelphia, Nashville and Austin in the U.S., and Croatia and Santiago across the universe.
A special tribute to his late parents, Helen and Max, is featured as well. The pair inspired their fair share of “Everybody Loves Raymond” moments, which Rosenthal created and was the executive producer from 1996 to 2005 (he also wrote 23 episodes).
Book: Phil Again
“Somebody Feel Phil: The Book” is available in bookstores and online today. It includes recipes, production photos and stories from the first four season.
Rosenthal will be at the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5 with a presentation called – Somebody Feed Phil the Book: Untold Stories, Behind-the-Scenes Photos and Favorite Recipes: A Cookbook
The ultimate collection of must-have recipes, stories, and behind-the-scenes photos from the beloved Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil.
“Wherever I travel, be it a different state, country, or continent, I always call Phil when I need to know where and what to eat. He’s the food guru of the world.” —Ray Romano
From the JBF: Phil Rosenthal, host of the beloved Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil, really loves food and learning about global cultures, and he makes sure to bring that passion to every episode of the show. Whether he’s traveling stateside to foodie-favorite cities such as San Francisco or New Orleans or around the world to locations like Ho Chi Minh City, Tel Aviv, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, or Marrakesh, Rosenthal includes a healthy dose of humor to every episode—and now to this book.”
For tickets or more information and the complete schedule, visit: https://jccstl.com/festival-events-schedule/
Trailer: “Creed III” Released Today!
Follow-up to “Creed” in 2015 and “Creed II” in 2018, star and director Michael B. Jordan introduced the trailer to the third installment yesterday to critics (more on that later), and it came out today.
It will be released in theaters and IMAX on March 3, 2023.
Synopsis: After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian – a fighter who has nothing to lose.
The screenplay is by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin, with story by them and originator Ryan Coogler.
Besides Jordan and Majors, cast includes Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, Mila Davis-Kent, and Phylicia Rashad.
Premium Video on Demand: “The Good House”
Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline reunite for the third time in this adult romantic drama, based on the novel by Ann Leary. Weaver is Hildy Good, a realtor in a small New England town, and she rekindles a romance with Frank Getchell (Kline), But she needs to take care of a buried past, for her drinking is getting out of control again. It’s a portrait of a proud woman who wouldn’t think of asking for help, but whose life won’t change until she does.
Premium Video on Demand is $19.99.
On Nov. 22, the movie will be available video on demand for $5.99, and rental as DVD. It’s available for purchase as a Blu-ray + Digital combo or DVD.
Notes: The pair were in “Dave” (1993) and “The Ice Storm” (1997). Kline, 74, from St. Louis, has won an Oscar for “A Fish Called Wanda” in 1989. For his work on Broadway, he has won three Tony Awards — for two musicals, “The Pirates of Penzance” in 1981 and “On the Twentieth Century” in 1978, and the comedy “Present Laughter” in 2017.
Blackberry Telecaster
Drink: Purple Power
It’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the Fountain on Locust is hoping to see St. Louis turn purple in support!
Order the Blackberry Telecaster or Le Fleur at the Fountain from today through Sunday, Oct. 18 – 23, and half the profits will go to help local St. Louis non-profit ALIVE provide shelter, healing and hope to domestic violence survivors in need.
For more info, visit ww.fountainonlocust.com
Word: The origin of the cocktail
On this day in 1776: In a bar decorated with bird tail in Elmsford, New York, a customer requests a glassful of “those cock tails” from bartender Betsy Flanagan.
Playlist: Chuck Berry
It’s Chuck Berry’s birthday – he was born Oct. 18, 1926, in St. Louis and died on March 18, 2017.
As part of his 60th birthday celebration, parts of the film, “Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll” was recorded at the Fox Theatre on Oct. 16, 1986.
For a look back at that experience, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an article today:
Acclaimed Documentarian Barbara Kopple to Receive The Pennebaker Award Presented by Chris Hegedus
For the Very First Time, the Ceremony Will Be Live-Streamed Through Facebook Live and Instagram Live at 7:00 PM ET on Sunday, November 13
Los Angeles, CA (Monday, October 17, 2022) — The Critics Choice Association(CCA) has announced the nominees for the Seventh AnnualCritics Choice Documentary Awards (CCDA). The winners will be revealed at a Gala Event on Sunday, November 13, 2022 at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan, marking a change of venue and borough. The ceremony will be hosted by longtime event supporter, actor, and standup comedian Wyatt Cenac.
Fire of Love leads with seven nominations, including nods for Best Documentary Feature, Sara Dosa for Best Director, Best Editing, Best Score, Best Narration, Best Archival Documentary, and Best Science/Nature Documentary.
Good Night Oppyis recognized with six nominations, including Best Documentary Feature, Ryan White for Best Director, Best Editing, Best Score, Best Narration, and Best Science/Nature Documentary.
Cenac is an Emmy-winning, WGA-winning, and Grammy-nominated performer, writer, and producer. From 2008 to 2012, he was a writer and popular correspondent on the hit late-night Comedy Central series The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, where he earned three Emmy Awards and one Writer’s Guild Award.
For the very first time, the Awards will be live-streamed through Facebook Live and Instagram Live. Viewing links will be available on the Critics Choice Association website at 7:00 PM ET on Sunday, November 13.
The Critics Choice Associationis honoring the year’s finest achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV, and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of qualified CCA members.
This year, two categories – Best Ongoing Documentary Series and Best Limited Documentary Series – that have traditionally been included in the Critics Choice Real TV Awards will now be presented at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards.
In addition to the 17 award categories listed below, a most prestigious honor – The Pennebaker Award (formerly known as the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award) – will be presented to esteemed documentarian Barbara Kopple. The award is named for Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award winner D A Pennebaker, who passed away in 2019. The award will be presented to Kopple by Pennebaker’s producing partner and wife, Chris Hegedus.
Kopple, a director of documentaries, narrative TV, and film, is a two-time Academy Award winner and ten-time Emmy Award nominee. Her most recent project is the forthcoming documentary Gumbo Coalition, which premieres at DOC NYC as the Centerpiece Presentation in November 2022.
Kopple produced and directed Harlan County USA and American Dream, both winners of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Her other films include Miss Sharon Jones!, Desert One, The House of Steinbrenner, Woodstock: Now and Then, Shut Up and Sing, Havoc, A Conversation with Gregory Peck, My Generation, Wild Man Blues, Running From Crazy, Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson, This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous, and many more.
For the second year in a row, the Critics Choice Documentary Awards welcomes back National Geographic Documentary Films as the Presenting Sponsor.
The Catalyst Sponsor for the Seventh Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards is Peacock, with more sponsor announcements forthcoming.
“This year’s nominees prove that documentaries of all lengths and formats are advancing nonfiction media like never before,” said Christopher Campbell, Co-President of the Critics Choice Association Documentary Branch. “And we are excited to celebrate the tremendous talents who contributed to all of these brilliant films and series.”
Carla Renata, Co-President of the Critics Choice Association Documentary Branch added, “We are also thrilled to witness an exemplary number of women filmmakers and female-focused subjects being represented, further solidifying the Critics Choice Documentary Awards’ commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the documentary landscape.”
Last year at the Sixth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards,Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) received the award for every category in which it was nominated, including the evening’s most prestigious award for Best Documentary Feature, as well as Best Director (TIE), Best First Documentary Feature, Best Editing, Best Archival Documentary, and Best Music Documentary. Subsequently, the film took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film.
The nominees for the Seventh Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards Presented by National Geographic Documentary Films are:
An artist’s concept shows a NASA Mars exploration rover on the surface of Mars. The twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity were launched in 2003 and arrived at sites on Mars in January 2004.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Aftershock (Hulu/Onyx Collective) The Automat (A Slice of Pie Productions) Descendant (Netflix) Fire of Love (National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon) Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down (Briarcliff Entertainment/CNN Films/TIME Studios) Good Night Oppy (Amazon Studios) The Janes (HBO Documentary Films) Moonage Daydream (Neon/HBO Documentary Films) Navalny (CNN Films/HBO Max/Warner Bros. Pictures) Sidney (Apple TV+)
BEST DIRECTOR
Judd Apatow, Michael Bonfiglio – George Carlin’s American Dream (HBO Documentary Films) Margaret Brown – Descendant (Netflix) Sara Dosa – Fire of Love (National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon) Reginald Hudlin – Sidney (Apple TV+) Brett Morgen – Moonage Daydream (Neon/HBO Documentary Films) Laura Poitras – All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Neon/HBO Documentary Films) Daniel Roher – Navalny (CNN Films/HBO Max/Warner Bros. Pictures) Ryan White – Good Night Oppy (Amazon Studios)
BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Andrea Arnold – Cow (IFC Films) Lisa Hurwitz – The Automat (A Slice of Pie Productions) Jono McLeod – My Old School (Magnolia Pictures) Amy Poehler – Lucy and Desi (Amazon Studios) Alex Pritz – The Territory (National Geographic Documentary Films) David Siev – Bad Axe (IFC Films) Bianca Stigter – Three Minutes: A Lengthening (SUPER)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Benjamin Bernhard, Riju Das – All That Breathes (HBO Documentary Films/Sideshow) Magda Kowalczyk – Cow (IFC Films) Lucas Tucknott – McEnroe (Showtime Documentary Films) Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman, Sam Holling – Nuisance Bear (The New Yorker) The Cinematography Team – Our Great National Parks (Netflix) Alex Pritz, Tangãi Uru-eu-wau-wau – The Territory (National Geographic Documentary Films)
BEST EDITING
Jabez Olssen – The Beatles: Get Back (Disney+) Erin Casper, Jocelyne Chaput – Fire of Love (National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon) Joe Beshenkovsky – George Carlin’s American Dream (HBO Documentary Films) Helen Kearns, Rejh Cabrera – Good Night Oppy (Amazon Studios) Brett Morgen – Moonage Daydream (Neon/HBO Documentary Films) Langdon Page, Maya Daisy Hawke – Navalny (CNN Films/HBO Max/Warner Bros. Pictures) Katharina Wartena – Three Minutes: A Lengthening (SUPER)
BEST SCORE
Hummie Mann – The Automat (A Slice of Pie Productions) Nicolas Godin – Fire of Love (National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon) Blake Neely – Good Night Oppy (Amazon Studios) Max Avery Lichtenstein – The Janes (HBO Documentary Films) David Schwartz – Lucy and Desi (Amazon Studios) Marius de Vries, Anna Drubich, Matt Robertson – Navalny (CNN Films/HBO Max/Warner Bros. Pictures)
BEST NARRATION
Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story (Fin and Fur Films) Written by Ben Masters, Performed by Matthew McConaughey
Fire of Love (National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon) Written by Shane Boris, Erin Casper, Jocelyne Chaput, Sara Dosa and Performed by Miranda July
Good Night Oppy (Amazon Studios) Written by Helen Kearns, Ryan White Performed by Angela Bassett
Our Great National Parks (Netflix) Performed by Barack Obama
Riotsville, U.S.A. (Magnolia Pictures) Written by Tobi Haslett Performed by Charlene Modeste
Three Minutes: A Lengthening (SUPER) Written by Bianca Stigter Performed by Helena Bonham Carter
BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
The Beatles: Get Back (Disney+) Fire of Love (National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon) Moonage Daydream (Neon/HBO Documentary Films) Nothing Compares (Showtime Documentary Films) Riotsville, U.S.A. (Magnolia Pictures) Three Minutes: A Lengthening (SUPER)
BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
The Automat (A Slice of Pie Productions) Descendant (Netflix) The Janes (HBO Documentary Films) Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power (Peacock) Still Working 9 to 5 (Mighty Fine Entertainment) Three Minutes: A Lengthening (SUPER) The U.S. and the Holocaust (Florentine Films/WETA)
Sidney
BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
George Carlin’s American Dream (HBO Documentary Films) The Last Movie Stars (HBO Max/CNN Films) Lucy and Desi (Amazon Studios) The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (Peacock) Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams (Sony Pictures Classics) Sidney (Apple TV+) Sr. (Netflix)
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
The Beatles: Get Back (Disney+) Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song (Sony Pictures Classics) If These Walls Could Sing (Disney Original Documentary) Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues (Apple TV+) Moonage Daydream (Neon/HBO Documentary Films) Nothing Compares (Showtime Documentary Films) The Return of Tanya Tucker – Featuring Brandi Carlile (Sony Pictures Classics)
BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
Aftershock (Hulu/Onyx Collective) All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Neon/HBO Documentary Films) Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down (Briarcliff Entertainment/CNN Films/TIME Studios) The Janes (HBO) Navalny (HBO Max/CNN Films/Warner Bros. Pictures) Retrograde (National Geographic Documentary Films) Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom (Winter on Fire Production)
BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY
All That Breathes (HBO Documentary Films/Sideshow) Cow (IFC Films) Fire of Love (National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon) Good Night Oppy (Amazon Studios) Nuisance Bear (The New Yorker) Return to Space (Netflix) The Territory (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Citizen Ashe
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
Citizen Ashe (HBO Max/CNN Films) Hockeyland (Greenwich Entertainment) Kaepernick & America (Dark Star Pictures) McEnroe (Showtime Documentary Films) The Redeem Team (Netflix) Welcome to Wrexham (FX)
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
38 at the Garden (HBO Documentary Films) Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices From a Plantation Prison (MTV Documentary Films) The Flagmakers (National Geographic Documentary Films) Four Seasons Total Documentary (MSNBC) My Disability Roadmap (The New York Times Op Docs) Nuisance Bear (The New Yorker) Stranger at the Gate (The New Yorker)
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
The Beatles: Get Back (Disney+) Hostages (HBO Documentary Films) The Last Movie Stars (HBO Max/CNN Films) The Lincoln Project (Showtime Documentary Films) Our Great National Parks (Netflix) The U.S. and the Holocaust (Florentine Films/WETA) We Need to Talk About Cosby (Showtime Documentary Films)
BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
30 for 30 (ESPN) American Masters (PBS) Cheer (Netflix) The Circus (Showtime Documentary Films) Unsolved Mysteries (Netflix) Welcome to Wrexham (FX)
About the Critics Choice Awards
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards are an offshoot of the Critics Choice Awards, which are bestowed annually by the CCA to honor the finest in cinematic and television achievement. Historically, the Critics Choice Awards are the most accurate predictor of Academy Award nominations.
The Critics Choice Awards ceremony will be held on January 15, 2023 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, CA, and will be broadcast live on the CW.
About the Critics Choice Association (CCA)
The Critics Choice Association is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 580 media critics and entertainment journalists. It was established in 2019 with the formal merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, in recognition of the intersection between film, television, and streaming content. For more information, visit: www.CriticsChoice.com.
To learn more about the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and see the full list of nominees, visit the Critics Choice Association website.
