Theater/Film Reviews
-
Beginners
“Beginners” is an excellent movie that deserves the chance to be seen by a lot more people than its “R” rating will provide. It’s a very simple story, beautifully written and directed by Mike Mills, and based to some extent on his own life. Hal (the matchless Christopher Plummer) is 75 years old and has
-
Bride Flight
There’s a lot of soap opera, and considerable sex, to “Bride Flight,” a Dutch romance involving three young women who emigrate from the Netherlands, battered and still weary from World II, to young, fresh New Zealand. Two have been married by proxy, the third is betrothed. All are looking for new lives. For some reason,
-
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
Hardly anybody in show business had a tougher two years than Conan O’Brien in 2009 and 2010. However, given the opportunity to make chicken salad out of a cow’s ear, he leaped at it and went on a live tour, covering 30 cities in “The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television” tour, which was
-
101 Dalmatians
If parents are interested in encouraging children to understand, appreciate and like musical theater, Disney may not be the perfect place to start. But his simple tales are geared for little ones. "101 Dalmatians," which opened yesterday at Stages St. Louis, fits its target audience, is nicely staged, runs only 45 minutes, and kept an
-
Submarine
Everyone comes of age! And everyone with access to a camera and a way to finance distribution makes a movie about it. Richard Ayoade, a young Englishman, tells the story in “Submarine,” his debut as a director, and he does it so well that all its familiar twists and turns were welcome to follow. J.
-
Queen to Play
Actors from other countries come to Hollywood and end up speaking excellent English — or American — for their movie roles. Kevin Kline has reversed that procedure, learning French and speaking it in "Queen to Play," a gentle little film that equates chess with seduction, with pleasure but without touching. Set in Corsica, it opens
-
Company
It's hard to believe so much talent could fit on a single stage, even the one at Lincoln Center, but the dazzling production of Stephen Sondheim's "Company," coming here tonight for the first of three on-screen performances at the Tivoli, is simply amazing. With the New York Philharmonic Orchestra behind it, it's a spellbinding evening,
-
The Visit
In the search for justice, where does revenge enter the equation? And now large a part does it have? That's one of many questions Friedrich Durrenmatt asks in his play, "The Visit," which receives a splendid production and fascinating staging from Gary F. Bell and the Stray Dog Theatre company. It opened over the weekend
-
The Mineola Twins
Much of it is extremely dated, but Paula Vogel’s “The Mineola Twins,” still shows wit and attitude, and her ability to painfully scald boring social conventions, like Long Island suburbs, and political points of view with which she does not agree. The comedy opened last night as the second play of Muddy Waters Theatre’s 2011
-
The Robber
I’ve often been told that running has real value, but I never saw any proof until now — a movie about a bank robber who literally runs away from the police and escapes with his loot. Based on a true story, “The Robber” is a rather stark, but interesting tale of Johann Kastenberger (Johann Rettenberger