Ann Lemons Pollack
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Remember Me
Leading the race for most dishonest film of the year is "Remember Me," which opens here today and shows off Will Fetters as a writer who develops a few interesting characters and a story that seems to be progressing until a teacher takes a piece of chalk and writes a date on a board. It's
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Cafe Natasha’s Kabob International
We’re back from a visit to the Land of Osh. Joe has followed what is now called Cafe Natasha’s Kabob International from its beginnings as a tiny lunch place tucked away in the Arcade Building downtown. Hamish and Beshid Bahrami have gone from roast beef sandwiches to their native Persian cuisine and brought it to
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The Ultimate Wave Tahiti
The spectacular panorama offered by the huge IMAX screen at the St. Louis Science Center is at its most dramatic in films about the glories and the danger of nature. The new movie, "The Ultimate Wave: Tahiti," that opened over the weekend, is a perfect fit for the glorious camera work and the auditorium whose
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The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds
Families in turmoil and Pulitzer Prizes for drama march hand-in-hand across St. Louis stages this week. The vicious "August: Osage County," the winner two years ago, opened on Tuesday at the Fox, and the 1971 winner, "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds," a strong, excellent production by Stray Dog Theatre, arrived last night
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The Ghost Writer
With his life the subject of a great deal of drama, it's no surprise that Roman Polanski's new film looks into a life-reflecting mirror from time to time. "The Ghost Writer," which opens here today, is a rich, multi-layered, high-tension adventure story in which snippets of real people show up from time to time, advancing
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Fish Tank
There are overtones of "An Education" in "Fish Tank," which opens here today, but it's also fascinating to watch Andrea Arnold, another extremely talented woman film director, put a different, but equally powerful vision on a movie about a teen-age girl and a much older man. Acting is a key factor, of course, and Arnold's
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Mai Lee
The new Mai Lee has opened, as we noted last month. And it really is new. The old favorites – excellent Vietnamese food, still at moderate prices, and a hard-working staff – will seem happily familiar, but there’s more. Lots more. One room holds a real bar, with some high tables that provide extra seats
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August: Osage County
Dysfunctional families are a boon to playwrights. From Shakespeare to Eugene O'Neill, from Moliere to Arthur Miller, they've provided the material on which writers have thrived, but rarely has dysfunctionality achieved the level Tracy Letts reaches in "August: Osage County," which opened at the Fox last night. From that simple title, he takes us down
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Gyros House
Tucked back a half block off Delmar in the middle of the University City Loop sits Gyros House. “House” is a misnomer. Not quite small enough to be a cubbyhole, we’d probably go for calling it a nook. Or perhaps a cranny. A sigle chair on the sidewalk hints at warm-weather outdoor seating, expanding the
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Yesterdays: An Evening With Billie Holiday
Wasted by drugs and alcohol, the legendary Billie Holiday, Lady Day of song and story, took a Harlem gig in May, 1959. She was undependable and a risky hire, but she needed work and money to support her habit, and the club owner took a chance in the long-shot hopes of a good score. The