Walked to Vincent’s Market to pick up a few groceries, and everyone was very polite, kept their social distance. The butcher — they have a meat counter – stood behind a window-type glass pane. They have plastic shield up at the checkout.
Hadn’t been at a store —with social distancing contact —since Friday.
Checker was a friendly young man and we chatted about the howling – the store closes at 8, so he hears it when he leaves. The Werewolves of Soulard – nightly ritual.
Vincent’s is a third-generation neighborhood market. It has many local products. What I like best is that they have small quantities – one or two chicken breasts in a package, a small bunch of broccoli, and so forth.
Picked up the latest Sauce and the rogue RFT (Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Edition) issues. Bravo for them. Feels like we will come out of this stronger. Communicators will see us through the dark times and give us light.
I am adamant about supporting local businesses, so it is not a new habit I need to acquire.
Due to my inability to make a larger dent on an ever-growing to-do list, instead of making what I planned for dinner, wound up chowing down on cheese and crackers. Will cut up an apple or orange later after I watch Garth and Trisha.
Just finished my census. Took 3 minutes. Go to www.my2020census.gov if you haven’t already.
Heard about the Teddy Bear Hunt – National ‘thing’ – put stuffed bear(s) in your front window. Then little tykes can walk or drive by on a Teddy Bear Hunt and count them.
Bialosky Bear
I have a Jerry “Garcia” Beanie Baby bear so that is who is sitting in the front window but I want to find one of the boys’ stuffed bears that might be packed away. I kept a few. Somewhere. Found Tim’s Bialosky Bear, the 1982 model. I can’t ‘bear’ to part with it but it’s comforting to know it’s here.
Gotta get back to writing some streaming movie reviews.
Also, for my KTRS segment Thursday night, Ray Hartmann wants me to watch Tiger King. Going in soon, Ray. My sister Mary says I must see this. Now I have a reason.
I had one of those tossing-and-turning night’s sleep after watching some disturbing movies and feeling more frightened than I had been so far about coronavirus and the failures on multiple levels. Even though I see the daily totals and news reports, I know what is ahead will be really bad compared to what has transpired. And the disconnect about people not taking it seriously. Gov. Cuomo said we all need to take Responsibility. Amen. But can’t fix stupid.
Nevertheless, I have some positive articles in the works. And it is just good to keep on keeping on.
Talked to my 87-year-old uncle today about his doctor appointments – one moved, one by phone. He is at an assisted living place that is being very conscientious. So happy he is there. I just can’t go in and see him, I am just glad he is safe and sound.
They take his temp twice a day and his BP. Good staff.
Some residents’ relatives aren’t being very nice to the staff regarding the lockdown. What can you do? It is NOT about you.it is about their safety.
Those attitudes have always driven me crazy.
And that is precisely why this quarantine will be in place much longer because of all the people who don’t think it applies to them in a global pandemic.
Stay safe everyone. Thank you front liners. Applause, applause.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
The eighth annual St. Louis Theater Circle Awards are taking place in cyberspace on Tuesday, April 7, rather than at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the campus of Webster University. That March 30 event was cancelled because of the current public health crisis. The COVID-19 global pandemic has affected the St. Louis region, with government quarantine orders in both St. Louis city and county through April 22.
The awards honoring excellence in professional regional theater for the 2019 season are being made available by the Higher Education Channel at 7 p.m. on their platforms. Their link is: Higher Education Channel TV (HEC-TV)
The streamcast will be able to be seen on HEC Media’s Facebook page, channel 989 on Spectrum (Charter) and channel 99 on AT&T U-verse.
HEC Announcer Rod Milam will state the winner after the Circle members voice-over the nominations in 33 categories. It is expected to take a half-hour.
The Muny, now in its second century of performances at its outdoor amphitheater in Forest Park, leads the way with a total of 25 nominations, followed by 24 for The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) and 21 for New Jewish Theatre. Stages St. Louis follows with 13 nominations, West End Players Guild with 10 and Stray Dog Theatre with a total of eight nominees.
In all, 25 local professional companies received nominations for 51 different shows. Lighting designer Sean M. Savoie leads all nominees with three different nominations out of a total of 125 nominated artists, including six who received two nominations apiece. The awards honor outstanding achievement in locally produced professional theater for the calendar year 2019.
More than 120 locally produced professional theatrical productions were presented in the St. Louis area last year.
Ken and Nancy Kranzberg will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of their long-standing commitment to the arts and theater in St. Louis, including Grand Center.
The official hashtag for the event, to be used on Twitter and Facebook, is: #TCA20
The St. Louis Theater Circle would like to thank the folks at HEC Media, including Dennis Riggs, Boyd Pickup, Rod Milam, Paul Langdon, Christina Chastain and their colleagues, for stepping up and making this streamcast production possible after the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of our eighth annual gala.
The St. Louis Theater Circle includes Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Tanya Seale, Broadway World; Judith Newmark, Judy’s Second Act: Mark Bretz, Ladue News; Tina Farmer, KDHX; Gerry Kowarsky, “Two on the Aisle” HEC; Bob Wilcox “Two on the Aisle” HEC: Ann Lemons Pollack, St Louis Eats; Steve Allen, Stage Door STL; Chuck Lavazzi, KDHX; Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts; Bob Cohn, St. Louis Jewish Light; and Lynn Venhaus, PopLifeSTL.com. Eleanor Mullin is the administrator.
For more information, visit the Circle’s Facebook page.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
Dateline: March 31, 2020. We’re in lockdown. Adjusting to a new world.
How we all doing? Today my to-do list kinda went out the window after my morning deadline. Of course checking on family, wishing my sister happy anniversary (She and Dean 15 years!), in touch with friends and watching news. Lot of people ask me about Charlie in NYC. He and Maria are fine, both working from home in Brooklyn. Still I fret.
Prepping for new articles. News never ends, particularly now. Grateful for busy work. Adding stuff to a nearly empty calendar. Just so weird. Then longer than usual nap — sometime life just makes other plans!, a really long shower, more work and walk. Fresh air is so vital during this time — so is light— but I was getting an article updated first so I didn’t get out the door for a walk until 7:15. Little chilly. But nice. I like to mix up the route.
Observation the past week: Us old people wave across the street and say HI. Young folk do not. Hardly anyone out though – I went entire blocks not seeing or hearing anyone. At 8 p.m, some Soulard residents have taken to opening their windows or stepping outside and howling. Like a wolf. At the moon.
Art Installation in Soulard. Lynn Venhaus photo.
I heard about it on Next Door but hadn’t actually heard anybody until tonight. Made me smile. Some blocks more robust than others. Photos here: I saw the outdoor yard art installation on 12th Street near Lami. I don’t know who or what but coming back home, it looked really cool. (And daffodils, but that’s Aboussie Park on April 3).
After turkey taco Tuesday, I must watch “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” for review. VOD Friday and streaming. They cancelled the in-person screening, of course. I will let you know how it is. Another deadline in the morning. Webster Kirkwood Times online.
Something about seeing the daffodils blooming gives me hope. And someone came up with howling. We have not lost our sense of humor! Stay safe, everyone!.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
She quotes poetry and he combs through books for his classes in their well lived-in cottage by the sea. Their grown son, Jamie (Josh O’Connor), rarely visits, and they all interact with such restraint that you know some things are simmering underneath the polite and genteel façade.
Grace (Annette Bening) is needy and Edward (Bill Nighy) is distant. They are a longtime married couple slogging through a dull, lifeless marriage. When Edward decides he can’t give Grace what she wants as they approach their 29th anniversary and he will leave for another woman, their divorce drama plays out, pulling in their single adult son.
This is a British movie sorely in need of some “oomph.” And that doesn’t mean more sweeping shots of the coastal cliffs.
Well-intentioned, though, this look at a disintegration of a marriage and its ripple effects isn’t as finessed as the superior “Marriage Story” or even “Shoot the Moon” starring Albert Finney and Diane Keaton 30-some years ago.
Director-writer William Nicholson, who was Oscar-nominated for his screenplays of “Gladiator” and Shadowlands,” has adapted his 1989 play, The Retreat from Moscow,” into a very stiff movie.
While the performers are good delving into their characters, a pall of melancholy hangs over what is a nice-looking film. Bening’s accent wavers, and both characters are annoying as their selfishness is exposed.
And the subplot with the son’s inability to sustain a close relationship needed more development. O’Connor, who played Prince Charles in “The Crown,” is strong and deserved a better-written character.
In fact, the movie just goes through the motions, and fails to sustain any momentum. “Hope Gap” is a drama rated PG-13 for some thematics elements and brief strong language. Directed by William Nicholson, its stars Annette Bening, Bill Nighy and Josh O’Connor. Run time is: 1 hr. 40 min. Lynn’s Grade: C
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.” – The Serenity Prayer
This is really a movie with the Serenity Prayer theme front and center. A grieving alcoholic father’s road to redemption is wrapped around an inspiring high school sports story – think “Hoosiers” meets “A Star is Born” (2018), “The Verdict,” and/or “Flight.”
Once a high school hotshot, Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) threw away his full ride to Kansas. His adult life – construction job, failed marriage, personal tragedy – has not turned out that well either. Using alcohol to mask his pain and self-hatred, he’s mired in a bad place. Then, his alma mater, Bishop Hays High School, calls to offer the head coach job. Going back to the school where he had his glory days proves to be redeeming as he turns around the team. But it’s not an overall fix, as he needs to deal with his demons and addiction, and his family ultimately helps put him on the path to recovery.
“The Way Back” is not your typical rah-rah sports underdog tale, to director Gavin O’Connor’s credit. O’Connor worked with star Ben Affleck in one of his best performances, “The Accountant,” and gave us “Miracle” about the U.S. 1980 Olympic hockey team and his acclaimed estranged family drama with a mixed martial arts focus, “Warrior.”
O’Connor knows how to stage sports action and captures well the re-energized youths of the Hays Tigers, with stand-out performances from Melvin Gregg as showboat Marcus and Brandon Wilson as loner Brandon, the team’s best player. Al Madrigal is memorable as assistant coach Dan.
But make no mistake, this is Ben Affleck’s comeback, and the parallels between his real-life battles with alcoholism, relapse and recovery come into play. You can’t help but think of his demons that he has wrestled with his entire life, for it is a genetic family disease.
Many families can relate to this struggle, which is why the film succeeds. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s realistic.
Beefy, with slumped shoulders signaling life defeat, Jack makes it through the day by drinking. He’s a construction worker with a cooler in his truck and vodka in his water bottle. After work, he’s either stopping at a liquor store or is a barfly, helped up the steps of his drab L.A. apartment at closing time.
His family watches his self-destruction. Sister Beth (Michaela Watkins) sees their father in Jack’s downward spiral. His ex-wife Angela (Janina Gvankar) tries to be supportive.
While he can’t get a handle on adulting, he sure finds his purpose in coaching his alma mater’s basketball team. He turns the team into a unified group who believes in their ability to win.
Yet, until Jack deals with his alcoholism, his life can’t get back on track. So, we see all the steps – the hitting bottom, the facing his troubles in rehab, the making amends. It’s a one day at a time process, no simple solutions.
It’s a sobering film, unconventional in a way because nothing is neatly tied up.
Understated, using natural light and dark shadows, its view is clear, despite some clunky transitions in the script by Brad Ingelsby.
And Affleck, with a strong body of work – and two Oscars – doesn’t have to prove his talent, but shows he is ready to move on to a better second act.
And his character sees more clearly now because of this hard-fought journey, which is reason to cheer, no matter how the team did in the playoffs.
“The Way Back” is directed by Gavin O’Connor and starring Ben Affleck. It is rated R for language throughout including some sexual references. Running time is: 1 hr. 48 min. Lynn’s Grade: B+.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
By Lynn Venhaus Elevated by beautifully nuanced performances from award-worthy Lesley Manville and sturdy Liam Neeson, “Ordinary Love” shows us “all the feels” between a longtime married couple facing a life-altering situation.
Married for a long time, Tom and Joan face new challenges when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Their relationship is tested during this frightening journey. The intimate contemporary drama is about the moments between a couple that give meaning to their lifetime together – by showing their daily living routine, yet underneath that microscope, they must deal with uncertainty and a test on survival.
As cancer touches every family in America, your
level of comfort with the realistic details from tests to surgeries to
treatment will depend if you have gone through it with a loved one, or
yourself. It may trigger memories of those tense, distressing times.
Co-directors and married-in-real-life couple
Lisa Barros D’ Sa and Glenn Leyburn present a comfortable, common life of two senior
citizens – assuming they are retired, but nobody says from what – in the most
generic way in northern Ireland. Yet, as unexciting as it is, there is revelation
in its repetition.
That’s largely due to Manville and Neeson’s
ease with playing two people who spend a lot of time together – conveying both
affection and aggravation in equal parts. They converse in recognizable ways —
bickering at the grocery store, kidding each other without malice, complaining
about minor things, and sitting in their living room ‘places’ while watching
television in the evening, after their daily walk – just everyday regular
folks.
And that’s the beauty of Owen McCafferty’s astute
script, that it dares to be mundane. The film spotlights the kind of
run-of-the-mill details and feelings expressed that make it thoroughly
relatable, especially with such skilled performers.
The changes with Joan’s breast cancer
diagnosis are the significant test to their strength as a unit. They’ve already
endured the loss of a child – their daughter Debbie “was killed” but we don’t
know how or at what age. It’s frustrating to not know that information. The
only drawback to the script is how little backstory we get.
Neeson becomes the dutiful caretaker while
Manville reluctantly transforms from the take-charge half to someone needing
help – and they both admit how frightened they are. Her ability to telegraph
quicksilver emotions, large and small, is astounding, and their tenderness
together is palpable.
Manville, nominated as the controlling sister
in “Phantom Thread” for a supporting actress Oscar, shows the strength and
courage needed to fight cancer as well as the vulnerability associated with
something beyond your control. The waiting, the wondering – all captured well.
And the film is nicely shot, too – a noteworthy mix of the bright lights of
hospitals and the shadows of a home.
It’s refreshing to see Neeson, who has been
in that action zone for years, tackle the head of household role with such
honesty. On a personal note, after undergoing the tragic death of his wife of
15 years, Natasha Richardson, in 2009, that had to be difficult to re-live incidents
demanded in this script, which is why tackling such a role is admirable.
The ordinariness of “Ordinary Love” makes it appealing, yet it’s the craftsmanship of the project that keeps us interested and deepens its very human perspective on staring at our mortality and life as we know it. Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on – we all have learned that – but to be reminded how just ‘keep on keeping on’ is quite an achievement is not a small thing.
“Ordinary Love” is a drama rated R for brief sexuality/nudity. Directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, it stars Lesley Mann and Liam Neeson. Run time: 1 hr. 32 minutes. Lynn’s Grade: B+
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
Simple yet profound, “The Band’s Visit” is a disarming, charming experience.
It may take a little bit to win you over, but it certainly
does – with an invigorating elegance and its big heart, a great example of effective
less-is-more on stage.
Based on a 2007 film, “The Band’s Visit” is not your
average flashy big-budget spectacle, and that’s one reason it’s so refreshing
and relatable. The story is about ordinary people, their hopes and desires to
belong. They just happen to be considered “enemies” because of where they live –
Arabs and Jews – but are they really that different?
Through a bus station-cultural language miscommunication, a
traveling Egyptian Police Band winds up stranded in a small town in the Negev
desert — Bet Hatikva instead of Petah Tikvah. They are supposed to perform at
an Arab cultural center, but another bus is not available until the next day, so,
residents take them in overnight. They share shelter, meals, music and
conversation over the course of one day.
The winner of 10 Tony Awards – and nominated for 11 – in
2018, this musical, now playing at The Fox Theatre in St. Louis until March 8, conveys
what made the off-Broadway show and its move to Broadway such sensations. It is
one of only four musicals in Broadway history to ever win “The Big Six” – musical,
director, composer, book, actor and actress – at The Tonys.
The staging is innovative, and turntables are used effectively, especially during a roller-rink date scene. Humor is key too, as in the park having one bench.
Besides endearing performances from its first-rate cast,
the music and lyrics by David Yazbek are unforgettable. The dynamic, poetic
world-music score, with jazz influences, features an assortment of memorable
songs – starting with the humorous “Waiting” and “Middle of Nowhere,” and wrapping
up with the haunting “Answer Me.”
Make sure you stay after the curtain call for the band’s upbeat
finale, their ‘concert’ performance.
The cast recording won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater
Album in 2019, and they won a Daytime Emmy Award for a performance of “Answer
Me” on The Today Show.
The Fox Theatre is one of the 32-city stops on the first national
tour, which began June 25, 2019. “The Band’s Visit” played off-Broadway for a
little more than a year, beginning Dec. 8, 2016, and moved to Broadway Oct. 7,
2017. After 589 performances and 36 previews, it closed April 7, 2018.
Combined with book writer Itamar Moses’s witty script, “The
Band’s Visit” emphasizes connection between people and different cultures – if we
all listen to each other.
While the townsfolk desperately want to find meaning in
their lives, we are moved by those universal themes of longing, loss and loneliness
that everyone relates to – and how music is the thread that unites us all.
And what simple kind-hearted gestures and compassion can
mean in times of need. This humanistic approach is how it captivates the
audience. After all, people who need people are the luckiest people in the
world, Barbra Streisand once sang to Omar Sharif in “Funny Girl,” — and a song
is named after the Egyptian-born 1960s movie star here.
The ensemble features 14 people, and the tight-knit company
is adept at conveying bonding and breaking barriers. Janet Dacal is terrific as
a lively Dina, a lonely café owner whose tough and feisty demeanor masks a
heart of gold. She befriends the band’s conductor, Tewfiq Zakaria, played by
Sasson Gabay, who replaced Tony winner Tony Shalhoub on Broadway and originated
the role in the 2007 movie.
As he becomes more comfortable, he shares a personal
tragedy with her. Their relationship throughout the show is a high point.
Also noteworthy are Joe Joseph as the likable trumpet
player Haled, who loves American jazz musician Chet Baker; Danny Burgos as the
timid café worker Papi, who Haled helps out on a date; and Pomme Koch as the
other café worker Itzik, who brings clarinet player Simon home to dine with his
family and they deal with his crying baby.
Known only as the “Telephone Guy,” Mike Cefalo is funny in
a quirky role, and then shows off a beautiful voice when he starts off “Answer
Me.”
The highly skilled band musicians must be mentioned too,
because they add such a vitality to the show: Adrian Ries, conductor/keyboard;
Adam McDonald, associate conductor/keyboard; Tony Bird, violin; George Crotty,
cello; Evan Francis, clarinet, saxophone, flute; Roger Kashou, darbouka/riq; Ronnie
Malley, oud/guitar; Shai Wetzer, drums/Arabic percussion; and Alex Farha,
musician swing.
In small and subtle moments, this pleasant interlude speaks volumes. And that poignancy in a tidy 90-minutes is a life-affirming way to exit the theater and enter a wary world.
The Fox Theatre presents “The Band’s Visit” Feb. 25 through March 8 at the Fabulous Fox, 527 N. Grand. For tickets, visit www.metrotix.com or call 618-534-1111. For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
Alternately charming and frustrating, “Olympic Dreams” squanders its spectacular setting with a scattershot romance that ultimately is a letdown.
Two strangers in a strange land discover a mutual attraction during their stay at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PeyongChang, Korea. They are each at a crossroads in their lives. Penelope (Alexi Pappas) is a first-time Olympian whose cross-country skiing event is early in the games, so she hangs out with Ezra (Nick Kroll), a friendly volunteer dentist on a break from his fiancé.
While they explore the sights outside the Athletes Village and spend more time together, they confess being worried about the next step in their lives. Are they ready to take another leap into the unknown?
While the connection between two lonely out-of-their-comfort-zone people – a cross-country skier and a volunteer dentist at the 2018 PeyongChang Olympics – is intriguing, particularly set against the pomp and pageantry of the 23rd winter Olympic games, it feels too improvised and jagged.
I wanted to like this movie and these people much more, but after the time investment, was as unsatisfied as the couple.
Not that the film doesn’t have its merits. The youthful energy and uncertainty of a 22-year-old introverted athlete willing to pursue adventure is appealing in Alexi Pappas’ character. She certainly wants more from gregarious 37-year-old khaki-wearing Dr. E, who is funny and nice, but just too confused about his romantic status to take the next step.
When they are hanging out inside Olympic Village, it’s delightful. When they first arrive, you have a palpable sense of how overwhelmed they are by their surroundings.
This is the first narrative feature to be shot inside the Olympic Village, and its breathtaking at times. You can also feel the cold, with the backdrop of snow and ice Feb. 9-25 in Asia. The director, Jeremy Teicher, also served as cameraman, and the cinematography beautifully captures the majesty and grandeur of the setting.
The two performers also co-wrote the screenplay with Teicher, and they had a little gem of a genuine romance but its indecision and unfinished quality hinders its overall feeling.
But that insiders’ look into an athlete’s life at the Olympics and the backstage pass at events is its strongest suit. They used many real-life athletes in the film. In the end credits, they list what country each athlete is from and what sport.
And comedian Nick Kroll showing more vulnerability in a dramatic, less goofy role is another key element.
I wish all the well-intentions and lovely little parts had added up to a gold-medal victory.
“Olympic Dreams” is a romantic comedy directed b y Jeremy Teicher, starring Nick Kroll, Alexi Pappas, Gus Kenworthy. It’s rated: PG-13 for some language and sexual references. Lynn’s Grade: B- A version of this review appeared in the Times newspapers — Webster-Kirkwood Times, South County Times and West End Word.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
“In this intense one-act duet, Laurie McConnell and John Pierson illustrate why if you are going to put two people in one room, it might as well be them.”
On this President’s Day, let’s look back at the films
centered around an American President, and what actors were best at portraying
the Commander-in-Chief – be it fact or fiction. Here are some of my favorite
dramas, comedies and even romances that included the most powerful leader of
the free world. We are only listing theatrical films and the HBO film
adaptation of “All the Way.”
If we included television, we’d have a wider pool, and that’s
for another list. What are your favorites that spotlight our U.S. leader?
1.Lincoln (2012) — Daniel Day-Lewis not only delivers the best presidential portrayal ever on screen, but also one of the best male performances of all-time. Day-Lewis won his third Oscar, and it was never in doubt. Just a remarkable portrayal of Abe as a man struggling to hold the country together and lead them to higher ground. Director Steven Spielberg brought a humanity to the story rarely seen in historical portraits.
Kevin Kline in “Dave”
2. Dave (1993) — Kevin Kline is Dave Kovic, who is hired to impersonate the commander-in-chief when President Bill Mitchell suffers a stroke during an illicit affair.
A comedic take on an everyman winning over government wonks with his common sense, solidly directed by Ivan Reitman. Sigourney Weaver is a formidable First Lady.
Bruce Greenwood as “Thirteen Days”
3. Thirteen Days (2000) – President John F. Kennedy saved the day when we were on the brink of nuclear war with Russia, known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. This is a historical look back at this tense political time in 1962, through the perspective of White House assistant Kenneth P. O’Donnell (Kevin Costner), with Bruce Greenwood strong as JFK.
Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd in “The American President”
4. The American President (1995) – This is Aaron Sorkin’s idealism front and center before “The West Wing.”
Michael Douglas shines as a widowed president running for re-election who starts a romance with an environmental lobbyist played by Annette Bening, but the political fallout affects their relationship.
Savvy script, smart casting (especially Martin Sheen and Michael J. Fox as chief of staff and press secretary) make this Rob Reiner-helmed comedy-drama a memorable one.
Harrison Ford in “Air Force One”
5. Air Force One (1997) – Harrison Ford as kick-butt President James Marshall. Love it! The fit commander-in-chief is a Vietnam vet in this political action-thriller directed by Wolfgang Petersen. A group of terrorists hijack the president’s plane and threaten the U.S. but our hero won’t let that happen on his watch. Glenn Close is the vice president and Gary Oldman the Russian bad guy, but it is Ford, in all his star power, as the take-charge head of state that made this movie one of the most successful of the ‘90s.
Anthony Hopkins as “Nixon”
6. Nixon (1995) – Anthony Hopkins embodied the beleaguered president during his tumultuous White House years, with Joan Allen riveting as his long-suffering wife Pat. Oliver Stone directed, so the agenda is clear.
Michael Sheen as David Frost and Frank Langella as Richard Nixon in “Frost/Nixon”
7. Frost/Nixon (2008) – Frank Langella was Oscar-nominated as the disgraced Nixon seeking redemption in his four-part interviews with Britain’s David Frost in 1977. Ron Howard sharply directed the adaptation of Peter Morgan’s 2006 play, with whip-smart movie script by the playwright.
8. Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) – Director John Ford teamed up with actor Henry Fonda for this look at honest Abe during his early years. Fonda embodies the heroic ideals of the lawyer and statesman who would become the 16th president of the United States.
Brian Cranston as LBJ
9. All the Way (2016) — Bryan Cranston won a well-deserved Tony Award for his masterful portrayal of Lyndon Baines Johnson during the early days of the Civil Rights movement in the 2014 play by Robert Schenkkan.
This is the Emmy-nominated HBO adaptation, written by the playwright and directed by Jay Roach. Cranston is again uncanny as political animal LBJ, and the all-star cast includes Anthony Mackie as Martin Luther King Jr., Stephen Root as J. Edgar Hoover, Bradley Whitford as Sen. Hubert Humphrey and Melissa Leo as Lady Bird Johnson.
Jeff Bridges as the President and Christian Slater as a reporter in “The Contender”
10. The Contender (2000) — The wonderful Jeff Bridges is a likeable two-term Democratic President, Jackson Evans, who decides to break the glass ceiling and appoint a woman Vice-President after the current one dies.
However, his nominee, Ohio Senator Laine Hanson (Joan Allen) gets entangled in vicious hearings with a bullseye on her back. This political thriller is written and directed by Rod Lurie, a former newspaper guy. Both Bridges and Allen were nominated for Oscars.
Emma Thompson and John Travolta as thinly veiled Hillary and Bill Clinton in “Primary Colors”
11. Primary Colors (1998) – John Travolta was at the top of his game portraying Jack Stanton, a charismatic Southern governor running for president. Recognize anyone? Based on the 1996 “Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics” by Newsweek’s Joe Klein, this fictionalized account of Clinton’s 1992 campaign had a crackerjack supporting cast (Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Oscar nominee Kathy Bates), sharply directed by Mike Nichols and written by his former comedy partner Elaine May.
Tiki Sumpter and Parker Sawyer in “Southside with You”
12. Southside with You (2016) – A ‘what if’ movie that works, quirks and all, with its imagining of what Michelle Robinson and Barack Obama’s first date was like back when they were lawyers in Chicago. Written and directed by Richard Tanner, this little charmer comes alive when the nervous future two-term president shows off his oratory skills at a community meeting. Parker Sawyer is a genuinely believable Obama but Tika Sumpter really shines as the life force who would become First Lady Michelle Obama.
Michael Shannon as Elvis and Kevin Spacey as Nixon in “Elvis and Nixon”
14. Elvis and Nixon (2016) – You may think this is preposterous, but this really did happen. And it’s one goofy movie. On Dec. 21, 1970, rock ‘n’ roll icon Elvis Presley went to the White House for a meeting with President Richard Nixon – and that historical photograph is the most requested one at the National Archives. Talk about offbeat casting — Michael Shannon is a different kind of Elvis while Kevin Spacey impersonates Nixon.
16. Independence Day (1996) – Bill Pullman is memorable President Thomas J. Whitmore facing an alien invasion, and his rallyng-all-Americans speech is one of the best-known in films. Here is the transcript of that great speech:
President Whitmore: Good morning. Good morning. In less than an hour aircrafts from here will join others from around the world and you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind. Mankind, that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it’s fate that today is the 4th of July and you will once again be fighting for our freedom not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution but from annihilation.
We’re fighting for our right to live, to exist, and should we win today the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American President holiday but is the day when the world declared in one voice,
“We will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We’re going to live on. We’re going to survive. Today we celebrate our Independence Day!”
This epic sci-fi disaster film made $817.4 million and won the Oscar for Best VIsual Effects.
17. Lee Daniels’ “The Butler” (2013) and 18. “White House Down” (2013) These aren’t films of particularly lasting impact but the casting of the presidents is genius.
In “The Butler,” Forest Whitaker plays a White House employee who serves multiple presidents – and this casting is certainly eyebrow-raising:
Robin Williams as Dwight D. Eisenhower, James Marsden as JFK, Liev Shreiber as LBJ, John Cusack as Nixon, and the most brilliant turn by Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan (with Jane Fonda as Nancy!).
Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx is the kick-ass president in the action thriller “White House Down,” which came out at the same time as the inferior “Olympus Has Fallen,” all about a terrorist group creating chaos at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He’s terrific and a good match-up with Channing Tatum as a heroic Secret Serviceman.
Honorable Mentions: Oscar nominee Sam Rockwell is pitch-perfect as George W. Bush in “Vice” (2018), but he’s barely a supporting character. In Natalie Portman’s tour de force “Jackie,” Caspar Phillipson and John Carroll Lynch are effective portraying John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
