Go! Magazine • Aug. 21, 2015

Also: Jason Aldean wants you to see his show again

+ Old Bakery Beer Co. / Babes in Toyland / ‘End of the Tour’

08.21.15–08.27.15 • STLTODAY.COM/GO •

ST. LOUIS’ GUIDE TO THINGS TO DO

2015 RISING STARS NOW YOU SEE HIM

Comedy, magic, baked goods — there’s nothing Justin Willman can’t do

CELEBRATE AT OUR FALL ARTS PREVIEW EVENT AUG. 26

2015 RISING STARS

10 STL ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT PROS WORTH WATCHING THIS FALL

26 Secret weapon While Jesse Eisenberg is the star of “American Ultra” as a stoner/CIA agent, Kristen Stewart is the best thing in the film.

08.21.15–08.27.15

26 Dangers of adolescence In “Diary of a Teenage Girl,” Bel Powley stands out in a challenging, star-making role. BY CALVIN WILSON

STEVIE WONDER SUNDAY, OCT. 25

ON SALE TODAY AT NOON

27 Troubled times “Jimmy’s Hall” addresses a recurring theme in filmmaker Ken Loach’s work: the effect of the political on the personal.

FRIDAY, NOV. 6

ON SALE TODAY AT 10 AM

TONIGHT!

BY CALVIN WILSON

27 Shrill arguments “Best of Enemies” shows how the debates between William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal paved the way for today’s political coverage.

ARIANA GRANDE SUNDAY, OCT. 4

ScottradeCenter.com

28 Kind of creepy A ghoul visits kids in the not-so-scary “Sinister 2.”

ICE BREAKER 2015

28 Cold hearted For a thriller about genetically modified assassins, “Hitman: Agent 47” is overly serious.

AT BALLPARK VILLAGE

AUGUST 30, NOON - 3PM GO TO STLOUISBLUES.COM FOR MORE INFO

PEABODY OPERA HOUSE UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR presented by

FRIDAY, SEPT. 4

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FUEL COVER STORY 13 Scene makers St. Louis has a thriving arts and entertainment scene. We highlight 10 of the area’s rising stars.

BY GO! MAGAZINE STAFF

24•7

ROB THOMAS ON SALE TODAY AT 11 AM

Hip-hop collective MME

HEADLINERS BOYZ II MEN

4 Best Bets Our critics pick the best events in the week ahead, including Festival of the Little Hills in St. Charles, Kevin Hart at Scottrade Center, St. Louis World’s Fare Heritage Festival in Forest Park and author Adam Johnson at Left Bank Books.

Plus, what to look forward to in the coming weeks.

7 Moving forward After 18 years, punkrock band Babes in Toyland has reunited.

BY DANIEL DURCHHOLZ

11 Giving back St. Louis rapper Thi’sl says the events in Ferguson have shown him the importance of highlighting the positive things African-American men are doing. BY KEVIN C. JOHNSON

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23

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To see our complete upcoming events schedule, please visit PeabodyOperaHouse.com

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GO! MAGAZINE • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • 08.21.15–08.27.15

6 Change it up Country star Jason Aldean says fans who saw his tour last year in St. Louis will see a new version of it Saturday. BY KEVIN C. JOHNSON

STAYING IN 35 Words of wisdom TV fans ask our critic about “Doctor Who,” “Sesame Street” and the possibility of a “Deadwood” movie.

BY GAIL PENNINGTON

SEE+DO 12 Magic man St. Louisan Justin Willman brings his magic/comedy act home this weekend with a show at the Pageant.

BY GAIL PENNINGTON

THE BIG SCREEN MUSIC+CLUBS

32 Personal touch Old Bakery Beer Co. in Alton features sandwiches, snacks and more than a dozen craftbeer styles. BY IAN FROEB

25 Promising performance In “End of the Tour,” Jason Segel is thoroughly empathetic as writer David Foster Wallace.

BY CALVIN WILSON

ON THE COVER NOW YOU SEE HIM 2015 RISING STARS

Comedy, magic, baked goods — there’s nothing Justin Willman can’t do

Also: Jason Aldean wants you to see his show again

+ Old Bakery Beer Co. / Babes in Toyland / ‘End of the Tour’

CELEBRATE AT OUR FALL ARTS PREVIEW EVENT AUG. 26

2015 RISING STARS

10 STL ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT PROS WORTH WATCHING THIS FALL

PHOTO BY 123RF 30

G O ! M A G A Z I N E / S T. L O U I S P O S T- D I S P AT C H / 1 2 . 1 4 . 1 2 – 1 2 . 2 0 . 1 2

COPYRIGHT 2015 • Go! Magazine is published Fridays by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Lee Enterprises. No part of Go! Magazine may be reproduced without prior written consent. For permissions requests, reprints, back issues and more information, call 314-340-8000, or visit STLTODAY.COM/CONTACT. For distribution information, call STL Distribution Services at 314-556-6404.

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PHOTO: CORY MILLER

PLAYER APPEARANCES, GIVEAWAYS, LIVE MUSIC, AND MORE!

ST. LOUIS’ GUIDE TO THINGS TO DO

SATURDAY, OCT. 10

08.21.15–08.27.15 • STLTODAY.COM/GO •

FRIDAY, AUG. 21

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“Our first Fall Arts Preview event, Wednesday at the Luminary!” •

Gabe Hartwig / editor 314-340-8353 / ghartwig@post-dispatch.com Jody Mitori / Post-Dispatch assistant managing editor for features 314-340-8240 / jmitori@post-dispatch.com “The Fall Arts Preview event, of course!” •

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08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

3

BEST

BETS

Hagar (though Jason Aldean on Saturday night will rock hard in his own way).

Earplugs are optional for the Incubus/ Deftones double bill.

FRIDAY Festival of the Little Hills WHEN 4-10 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday • WHERE Frontier Park, St. Charles • HOW MUCH Free • MORE INFO festivalofthelittlehills.com

Festival of the Little Hills features live music, craft vendors and food offerings that range from lobster cakes and gyros to snow cones and s’mores. BY CAITLIN

✔

GROVE

Incubus/Deftones, Death From Above 1979, the Bots WHEN 6:15 p.m. Friday • WHERE Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, 14141 Riverport Drive, Maryland Heights • HOW MUCH $25-$99.50 • MORE INFO LiveNation.com

Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre is finishing a busy month of really hard rockin’ with Incubus and Deftones Friday night, coming on the heels of Foo Fighters, Slipknot and Sammy events are ✔ These Editor’s Picks

Joe Schaefer of St. Louis paints in his booth at the St. Louis World’s Fare in 2014.

Hart Kevin Hart’s ‘What Now’ tour WHEN 7 p.m. Friday • WHERE Scottrade Center, 1401 Clark Avenue • HOW MUCH $46.50-$147 • MORE INFO Ticketmaster.com

Hart’s ✔ Kevin movies the past few years have been a money-making batch of critical hits and misses, including “Ride Along” “Think Like a Man,” “About Last Night,” “The Wedding Ringer” and “Get Hard.” But where Hart thrives best is on the concert stage, which he’ll hit Friday night with his latest stand-up tour. Heavy laughter seems likely.

BY KEVIN C. JOHNSON

Rise Up Festival WHEN 4-10 p.m. Friday • WHERE 1627 Washington Avenue • HOW MUCH Free • MORE INFO 314333-7000; risestl.org

Friday evening brings the Third Annual Rise

SATURDAY–SUNDAY

‘Wild Oats’

Party in the Loop II

St. Louis World’s Fare Heritage Festival

WHEN 8 p.m. FridaysSaturdays, 2 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Thursday; Friday through Aug. 30 • WHERE Ivory Theatre, 7620 Michigan Avenue • HOW MUCH $15$20 • MORE INFO 314-3615664; stlshakespeare.org

WHEN 2-9 p.m. Saturday • WHERE Market in the Loop, 6504 Delmar Boulevard • HOW MUCH Free • MORE INFO visittheloop.com

WHEN 4-10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday • WHERE Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park • HOW MUCH Free • MORE INFO stlworldsfare.com

annual festival sets out to celebrate ✔ This St. Louis’ cultural offerings with music acts including Grateful Dead tribute band the Schwag and jazz/fusion act Looprat; live art; a business expo; food from local restaurants and food trucks; and games of washers, Backyard Jenga and Yard Yahtzee.

BY CAITLIN GROVE

Up Festival, “a St. Louis-centric, familyfriendly, multimedia street festival.” It takes place right in front of the Rise office and features local music acts (the Dirty Muggs, the Jeremiah Johnson Band), a juried fine arts and crafts show, family-friendly street acts, offerings from local businesses, and plenty to eat and drink

from local eateries and microbreweries. Once the sun goes down, there’s the additional promise of “special scintillating surprises” to come. Rise’s nonprofit mission is “to revitalize, reinvigorate, and foster healthy communities in the St. Louis metro area,” and the festival will help them meet that goal.

BY SARAH BRYAN MILLER

✔ American playwright James McLure came up with a bright twist on John O’Keeffe’s 1791 comedy of manners by transposing the action to the Old West. In this farce, scheming servants and lustful aristocrats give way to dance hall girls, cowpokes and a cavalry straight out of “F-Troop.” Shaun Sheley directs the comedy at St. Louis Shakespeare’s new home in Carondelet, the Ivory Theatre. BY JUDITH NEWMARK

McDonald

SATURDAY Michael McDonald WHEN 8 p.m. Saturday • WHERE Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Boulevard • HOW MUCH $79 • MORE INFO sheldonconcerthall.org

Former Doobie Brother, hit solo artist and St. Louis native Michael McDonald brings his distinctive sound home for a show at the Sheldon. St. Louis R&B singer Brian Owens will have an opening set.

The event is a benefit for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse — St. Louis Area. BY JODY MITORI

FAST FORWARD Festival of Nations, Aug. 29-30 at Tower Grove Park: Enjoy food, art and music from around the world at the International Institute’s free celebration ➙ Craft on Tap, Aug. 29 in downtown Clayton: Inaugural event features more than two dozen craft brewers ➙ “A Walk in the Woods,” opens in theaters Sept. 2: Belleville’s Ken Kwapis directs Robert Redford and Nick Nolte in the film adaptation of Bill Bryson’s best-seller ➙ Def Leppard, Sept 4 at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre: The band may have hit its heyday in the 1980s, but it’s still producing new music and touring, this time with fellow rockers Styx and Tesla

4

GO! MAGAZINE • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • 08.21.15–08.27.15

It’s too soon to hear any clang, clang, clangs just yet, but construction on the Loop Trolley project is moving right along. A party this weekend will celebrate installation of a section of track. Events include live music, pizza- and wing-eating contests, raffles, drink specials and more. The 2.2-mile

Loop Trolley route will link University City and Forest Park.

Completion is expected by mid-2016. Track the progress at looptrolley. com. BY GABE HARTWIG

MONDAY Vanessa Diffenbaugh WHEN 7 p.m. Monday • WHERE St. Louis County Library, 1640 South Lindbergh Boulevard • HOW MUCH Free • MORE INFO 314-994-3300

✔ Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s first novel was the bestselling “The Language of Flowers,” about a

Robert Redford and Nick Nolte in “A Walk in the Woods”

Find more events, and get your own events listed for free ➙ events.stltoday.com stltoday.com/go

P H O T O S : R O B E R T O R O D R I G U E Z / F I L E ( W O R L D ’ S FA R E ) ; B R O A D G R E E N P I C T U R E S ( “A WA L K I N T H E W O O D S ” ) ; A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S F I L E ( H A R T ) ; G E T T Y I M A G E S F I L E ( M C D O N A L D )

BY KEVIN C. JOHNSON

former foster child who learns to help others through flowers. In her new novel, “We Never Asked for Wings,” a single Hispanic woman no longer has her parents in the U.S. to care for her children while she works. Now she must reconnect with them and find a way out of her home’s dangerous neighborhood. BY JANE

Get our free app!

Find things to do every day with our new mobile app, in the App Store at Google Play. stltoday. com/apps

HENDERSON

WEDNESDAY Adam Johnson WHEN 7 p.m. Wednesday • WHERE Left Bank Books, 399 North Euclid Avenue • HOW MUCH Free, but RSVPs requested • MORE INFO 314-367-6731; left-bank.com

Whether you find his stories darkly funny — or merely dark — Adam Johnson’s work is mesmerizing in “Fortune Smiles.”

Characters include a spouse paralyzed

by Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a pedophile struggling to suppress

Johnson his urges and the spirit of a wife killed by breast cancer. Johnson, a professor at Stanford University, won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in fiction for his novel “The Orphan Master’s Son.” He spent years researching North Korea for the novel and even made a five-day trip there in 2007. “My tradition

is formal realism, but in North Korea what is real is in question,” he told BookPage.

He’s said the mass of people seemed afraid to look at the 6-foot-4 foreigner.

But St. Louisans will be lucky to attend his event next week.

BY JANE HENDERSON

THURSDAY ‘Spinning Into Butter’ WHEN 8 p.m. ThursdaysSaturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; Thursday through Sept.

13 • WHERE Heagney Theatre at Nerinx Hall, 530 East Lockwood Avenue • HOW MUCH $15-$35 • MORE INFO 314-556-1293; insighttheatrecompany.com

SAINT LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER JOIN THE MISSION

In Rebecca Gilman’s thought-provoking drama, the dean of students (Jenni Ryan) at a small college in Vermont faces a tough situation when one of the school’s few African-American students receives racist comments.

Everyone deplores the sentiments, but the situation forces the dean and others to examine their feelings frankly.

Sunday matinees of the play will be followed by talk-backs.

Trish Brown directs.

BY JUDITH NEWMARK slsc.org/GOjour ney

SNEAK A PEEK EVERY THURSDAY. Get a preview of Go! Magazine each week in your email by subscribing to our free newsletter.

STLTODAY.COM/NEWSLETTERS

CHARLI XCX AND JACK ANTONOFF BOND ON THE ROAD

MERYL STREEP ROCKS OUT IN ‘RICKI AND THE FLASH’

•

PHOTO: HANDOUT

BEEF STEALS THE SHOW AT BBQ SALOON

stltoday.com/go

08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

5

St. Louis’ most-Shazamed songs for Aug. 18 1 “The Hills” (The Weeknd) • 2 “The Fix” (Nelly feat. Jeremih) • 3 “Here” (Alessia Cara) • 4 “Where Ya At” (Future feat. Drake) • 5 “Say It” (Tory Lanez) • 6 “Don’t” (Bryson Tiller) • 7 “All Eyes On You” (Meek Mill feat. Chris Brown & Nicki Minaj) • 8 “679” (Fetty Wap feat.

Remy Boyz) • 9 “Ex’s & Oh’s” (Elle King) • 10 “Best Friend” (J.R. feat. Trey Songz) ➙ See the full list at stltoday.com/hotlist

Jason Aldean performs in 2014 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, now Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre.

‘Burn It Down’ 2.0

The country star was here a year ago, but he says fans will find new things to love about his tour’s second go-round

BY KEVIN C. JOHNSON / POP MUSIC CRITIC / KJOHNSON@POST-DISPATCH.COM

C

ountry superstar Jason Aldean’s “Burn It Down” tour last summer at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater gave fans a preview of his upcoming album.

On Saturday, he brings the tour back to the renamed Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre for the revised “2015 Burn It Down” tour.

That album he previewed a year ago is now the million-selling “Old Boots, New Dirt,” featuring hit singles “Burnin’ It Down,” “Just Gettin’ Started” and “Tonight Looks Good on You.” Fans who saw the show last year may wonder: What’s the point of going again? He’s telling them to come on out.

There will still be “lots of fire, flames and fireworks,” as expected with a show called “Burn It Down.” But Aldean adds: “We’re trying to change it up, unveiling a new version of it as we go back into these markets we’ve already been in.

6

We’re not giving them the same show. It’s ‘Burn It Down 2.0,’ making it something a little new, a little different, for those who caught it before.”

Aldean says fans will see changes to the stage setup, video content and fireworks.

“You never want the same look or to take the same tour to a city twice,” he says. “And we’re changing up the songs a little bit.”

That’s especially important in a city such as St. Louis. He says our city has always been a great one for him.

“I think there’s certain markets you know when you book, those shows are going to be great, and for whatever reason that’s one of those cities for us,” Aldean says. “I’m not sure why that is, what the connection is there, but the people are always great. We’ve played two nights in a row there, and it’s always cool.

“I remember going there and getting to play with Ozzie Smith one time.”

GO! MAGAZINE • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • 08.21.15–08.27.15

“Old Boots, New Dirt” represents the “Big Green Tractor” singer’s sixth album and he says with this one “a lot of things had gone on in my personal life during the making of the album.”

While making the record, Aldean’s name became tabloid fodder. He filed for divorce from wife Jessica Ussery in 2013 after photos with former “American Idol” contestant Brittany Kerr surfaced. He married Kerr this year.

“To me, it was sort of a way to say, ‘All right, I’m going to put a lot of stuff behind me,’” he says. “It’s the same me, but I’m moving forward, getting past the personal stuff.

Making this record during that time gave me something to focus on. By the time the record came out, it was behind me.”

Aldean acknowledges that great albums have come from artists making music about breakups, but this isn’t that album for him.

“I didn’t need to do that,” he says. “More than anything, when I’m making a record, it’s about having an outlet for whatever I’m feeling. It’s therapeutic at the time. But what I don’t want to do is ... put all my personal life out there.”

Some say Aldean’s new album makes his biggest leap yet into pop music territory, though he disagrees with that assessment.

“You hear drum loops in a few songs, making it easy to say I’m moving in that direction,” he says. “But honestly, if you sit down and take the drum loops out, these songs are country. Most of the album is what we’ve always done. The core of the songs and what we’re talking about is country.”

As with each album, Aldean feels as if he’s better as a singer and the musicians are better as players, and together they lock more and more into what they do.

“I love listening to this record and listening to my first record or two records ago and seeing how far it has gone,” he says. “Musically it’s so much better. That’s the one thing I take from each record: making sure I’m not going backwards and breaking new ground, pushing the envelope a bit.”

WHAT Jason Aldean “2015 Burn It Down Tour” with Cole Swindell, Tyler Farr • WHEN 7:30 p.m. Saturday • WHERE Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, 14141 Riverport Drive, Maryland Heights • HOW MUCH $30.75-$70.75 • MORE INFO Livenation.com

Aldean sticks to his Spotify decision Shortly after the release last year of “Old Boots, New Dirt,” Jason Aldean decided to pull it from Spotify, citing issues with the streaming service’s payment structure.

Nine months later, Aldean sticks by his decision. Here’s what he has to say:

“Honestly, there’s been so much stuff about that, and I’ve been misquoted.

The ultimate goal is I want fans to have the best experience they possibly can. I want fans to hear my music whenever they want.

But there’s also a right and wrong way to do it.

“It’s easy for everybody to stand back and not take a stand. They think there will be a backlash or don’t understand how it works. It’s easier to go along with what everybody else is doing. For me, I got a lot of friends who make a living writing songs, and those guys are getting cheated.

“Taylor Swift, Brantley Gilbert, Justin Moore and myself, a lot of guys are starting to see that as well. That’s all it was about. You want it to be fair. As artists, we don’t make crap off of streaming. Lots of major record companies are part owners in Spotify, so they’re gonna get their money regardless. I’m more about the small guy.

I’m on a smaller label.

I’m an indie guy. I’m not the big commercial grocery store. I’m the mom-and-pop store.

“I don’t want to see this affect the music biz for the long term, but I was always taught to stand up for what I believe in. Spotify has changed their stance a little bit, and that’s cool. I’m starting to see that. But my stance hasn’t changed at all.”

BY KEVIN C. JOHNSON

Find more music events, photos and concert news ➙ stltoday.com/music stltoday.com/go

P H O T O : J O N G I T C H O F F/ F I L E

SHAZAM ST. LOUIS TOP 10

Babes in Toyland traveled a long road toward its reunion

BY DANIEL DURCHHOLZ / SPECIAL TO GO! MAGAZINE

V

eteran punk-rock drummer Lori Barbero — whose band Babes in Toyland recently reunited after an 18-year hiatus and is once again touring America — has something to say to younger bands who think they’ve got it tough.

“Do you know how much easier it is to tour now than it was then?” Barbero says by phone from her home in Minneapolis. “Now there are cellphones and GPS. We didn’t have any of that. We stopped at gas station payphones to advance the shows or to call for this or that. We looked at paper maps and drove around till we found where we were going.”

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“I challenge any band to go out there and do that today,” she says. “Go see what that is like, and write about it.”

There probably won’t be too many takers.

But that was part of the adventure when Barbero and guitarist/vocalist Kat Bjelland formed Babes in Toyland in 1987. (Bassist

Maureen Herman joined in 1992.) So was being an allfemale band in a male-dominated world. Babes arrived on the scene prior to the Riot Grrl movement of the early ’90s and long before “women in rock” became a cause celebre later that decade.

“We didn’t mention it; we didn’t feel like it was a factor at all,” Barbero insists. “It was just something we wanted to do. I feel like women play music different from men, and it would be fun to play in a band with just women. Men get to do everything all the time, and I just wanted to play with the girls.”

Influential British deejay John Peel called Babes’ independent debut album, “Spanking Machine,” his favorite album of 1990.

The group went on to release a pair of major-label albums, “Fontanelle” and “Nemesisters” before falling silent in 1997.

Somewhat infamously, Courtney Love, who had befriended Bjelland in Seattle, hung around the group in Minneapolis for a short time, but absconded with Babes in Toyland

Bjelland’s “kinderwhore” look, some of the band’s musical ideas and some of their money as well.

Asked if she feels like Love kind of stole Babes’ thunder, Barbero says coolly, “I’d agree with that statement.”

The road to a Babes reunion was a long one. Each of the band members had gone through various personal traumas and had issues with either other as well.

“When people would ask me if we would ever get back together, I’d say, ‘Hell, no; no way; never,’” Barbero says.

“But you have to get past some things to move forward. I tried to let go of some stuff and move forward, and now here’s where we’re at.”

Returning to the stage in her mid-50s has been grueling, Barbero admits.

“It’s pretty hard. I’m a lot older. I’m probably the oldest touring female drummer. I should Google that.”

Besides, she adds, “I don’t just get up there and tap the hi-hat. I’m a blaster.”

Still, the rewards for getting back in the game are becoming apparent as the band soldiers on. They’ve played a number of festivals and begin their American tour proper with a show at the Firebird next Thursday.

“There’s been a lot of people who say, ‘I never thought I’d get to see you,’” Barbero says. “Or, ‘My mom or my dad used to listen to you.’ There’s been generations coming together. We get 14-year-old girls and then their sisters and their moms. Something like that. It’s been really great.”

PHOTO: HANDOUT

WHAT Babes in Toyland • WHEN 8 p.m. Thursday • WHERE The

Firebird, 2706 Olive Street • HOW MUCH $22-$25 • MORE INFO 314-535-0353; firebirdstl.com

stltoday.com/go

Hillary Werth, St. Louis

Exhibit September 2015 V Projects 1245 S. Vandeventer Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110 VProjectsArt.com

MIDW PREMIEEST RE!

SEPTEMBER 11-13

Fri & Sat at 7:00pm, Sun at 2:00pm Journey with the STL Symphony back to the land of Hyrule with The Legend of Zelda:™ Symphony of the Goddesses. Master Quest is a never-before seen or heard multimedia concert experience that celebrates the beloved 28-year-old The Legend of Zelda Zelda™ franchis franchise.

The Legend of Zelda™: Symphony of the Goddesses is produced by Jason Michael Paul Productions, Inc., and Nintendo. Thee LLegend of Zelda is a trademark of Nintendo. All music and associated trademarks are owned and used und der license from Nintendo.

314-534-1700 stlsymphony.org 08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

7

2015 Relleke's BACK TO SCHOOL TOURS RELLEKE PUMPKIN PATCH SCHOOL TOURS

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27th Midwest Salute to the Arts

The Midwest’s Premier Art Festival August 28, 29, 30, 2015

chesterfielD aMphitheater chesterfielD, MO

Moody Park on Longacre Drive In the HEART of Fairview Heights, ILLINOIS

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8

GO! MAGAZINE • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • 08.21.15–08.27.15

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08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

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2720 Cherokee Flavorus.com • Slum Village, 8 p.m. Sept.

24, $10-$12.

Fubar Ticketfly.com • The Internet, 8 p.m. Oct. 8, $17-20.

Off Broadway Ticketfly.com • Israel Nash, 8 p.m.

Nov. 3, $10-$12, on sale at noon Friday.

• An Evening with David Bromberg, 7 and 9:30 p.m.

Nov. 19, $30.

Old Rock House MetroTix.com • “I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends: A Benefit for Drew Franklin” with Big Brother Thunder & the Master Blasters, Thunder Biscuit Orchestra, Mathias & the Pirates, Illphonics, Blank Generation, Love Jones, DJ Mahf, 8 p.m. Aug. 29, $10.

• Marshall Crenshaw as part of the Listening Room Series, 8:30 p.m. Nov. 5, $18-$25.

iPARTY

• Gorgon City, 8 p.m.

Oct. 27, $25-$30.

Sammy Hagar • Aug. 15 • Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre 1 Vincy and Steve Trosley of St. Ann • 2 Shayla (left) and Gloria Hopkins of Louisiana, Mo. • 3 Ed and Kathy Baird of O’Fallon, Mo. • 4 From left: Mindy Hanna of Waterloo, Shelly Neff of New Athens and Sherri Joshu of Millstadt • 5 Belenda Bailey (left) and Sandy Mathes, both of Macon, Mo. • 6 Susan and Gary Collins of Eureka • 7 Joyce and Victor McCoy of Richview, Ill. • 8 From left: Roger Behrens, Shellee Garner, Rebecca Behrens and James Garner, all of Overland • 9 Brenda and Mike McNamara of Lake Saint Louis • 10 Marcie and Rob Carr of Eureka • 11 Becky Kohler (left) of Ellisville and Debbie McKeague of Kirkwood • 12 Vickie Gaddy (left) of Atlanta and Lisa Chapman of St. Louis

• The Chainsmokers, Matoma, Shaun Frank, Super Duper, 8 p.m. Nov. 19, $20-$30, on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.

• Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute, 8 p.m. Nov. 28, $10 presale available, on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.

The Ready Room Ticketfly.com • Combichrist, the Birthday Massacre, MXMS, Echo Black, 8 p.m.

Nov. 19, $20-23, on sale at noon Friday.

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Scottrade Center Livenation.com • Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life,” Oct. 25, $39.50-$149.50, on sale at noon Friday.

Sheldon Concert Hall MetroTix.com • Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, 8 p.m. Oct. 3, $55-$65, on sale at 10 a.m. Aug. 28.

Touhill Performing Arts Center touhill.org • Arlo Guthrie: “Alice’s Restaurant” 50th Anniversary Tour, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 16, $29-$79.

Stevie Wonder

Find iParty photos from this event and more around town, and order photo reprints and keepsake merchandise: stltoday.com/iparty

10

GO! MAGAZINE • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • 08.21.15–08.27.15

Find more concert announcements, music events and party pix ➙ stltoday.com/music stltoday.com/go

P H O T O S : J O N G I T C H O F F ( I PA R T Y ) ; A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S ( W O N D E R )

TICKET TRACKER

The Pageant Ticketmaster.com

Changing directions

thing to talk directly to the people I wanted to talk to.”

One such song is “What Are We Fighting For,” a heartfelt plea to young men in the St. Louis area.

“I’m apologizing because I fell into the same lie that told me I had to hate you because of the game, because we live in different neighborhoods,” he says. “The more I learned about myself and about life and about our creator, the more I saw we’re more alike than we think we are.”

On “Lord Help Me,” he’s talking to people outside of the community, expressing how tired he is of politicians and others viewing African-American homes as fatherless.

In addition to songs with a message, Thi’sl says there are some fun songs, including “It’s All Good” featuring Ashton Jones from “American Idol.”

Thi’sl, who has been been one of St. Louis’ top gospel rappers, is fine with just being referred to as a rapper at this point.

“I don’t personally care if you call me a Christian rapper,” he says. “But I wanna give the message in the music a fair chance. When you lead out and say ‘Christian rapper,’ people think, ‘Oh, my God, it’s going to be corny,’ or that I’m going to beat you over the head with Bible scriptures about how wrong you are. That’s not a fair representation of this project. But I am Christian and believe in the Christian faith.”

The Blender Unrest in Ferguson lead to

new plans for St. Louis rapper Thi’sl

BY KEVIN C. JOHNSON / POP MUSIC CRITIC / KJOHNSON@POST-DISPATCH.COM

St. Louis rapper Thi’sl was kneedeep in promoting his 2014 album “Fallen King” when Ferguson happened, changing everything.

He says “Fallen King” had been doing well, but the fallout from Michael Brown’s shooting death changed his feelings about promoting the album with a tour and video.

“It was either time to talk about my record or time to try to help my city and people and navigate what’s going on,” Thi’sl says. “I could go online to promote my record, but all this crazy stuff was happening in my city.

“But the artist side said I gotta go ahead and do this stuff. I was torn.”

Thi’sl titled his new mixtape “Heavy is the Head,” to reflect his feeling of being torn.

After much back-and-forth, he put everything on hold, including his tour. He didn’t want to be on the road when the grand jury made its decision whether to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson in Brown’s death.

Thi’sl held the video until the end of the year, though “the record was pretty much over by that point. People were still buying the record, but the spark was stltoday.com/blender

@kevincjohnson

gone, and I had a whole new desire.”

He set out to keep peace and give direction. He produced a Hope for the City concert and worked with the Bubba Watson Foundation on a $25,000 giveaway for Ferguson’s Griffith Elementary School, where computers were stolen.

“My goal for being involved was always that I wanted to go out like Robin Hood — making money and finding ways to give it back.”

He says the events in Ferguson have shown it’s time for AfricanAmerican men to “Heavy Is the Head” be highlighted doing positive things more than ever.

He says he put a certain energy forward with “Heavy Is the Head” (free at iamthisl.com) that may vary from some other post-Ferguson expressions.

“Normal energy can turn into songs that are more militant,” Thi’sl says.

“When I looked around, I saw a broken system, people who don’t have a voice.

I remember being out there and seeing black dudes getting into it with each other, and it made me think about life and how much I had contributed to that stuff in the past.”

As a result, “I wanted to make some@blenderpd

C

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g Our ratin

1985

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th

Anniver

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sar

y!

30th Anniversary Celebration Join Us

August 22nd

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10am-5:00pm

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Those Were The Days Pops Program Colonel Jack Moelmann Walt Strony and Lew Williams at the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ

St. Louis Fabulous

Fox Theatre This Sunday 2:00 p.m.

Tickets: $25 general admission, $35 for the mezzanine.Tickets available through the Fox Box Office and MetroTix.

08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

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Daily video reports by our staff STLTODAY.COM/GO

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

FRIDAY

Tube Talk

The Blender

Go! Sneak Peek

Off the Menu

TV critic Gail Pennington gives you the scoop on what shows are worth watching in the coming week.

Pop music critic Kevin C. Johnson takes a look at the latest concert announcements and St. Louis music news.

Go! Magazine editor Gabe Hartwig previews the best stories and reviews you’ll find in Friday’s new issue.

Restaurant critic Ian Froeb gives a more in-depth look at the dishes featured in his dining review.

in West Hollywood, Calif. “It led me into performing, into comedy, into everything else. Magic was my gateway drug.”

Comedy Central viewers know Willman from his special, ”Sleight of Mouth,” and from appearances on Chris Hardwick’s “@Midnight.” The Disney Channel tapped him as host of a new “Win, Lose or WATCH: JUSTIN Draw” last year. On the Food IL AMAZES GA Network, he hosted eight WITH A MAGIC TRICK IN LA seasons of “Cupcake Wars,” o m/g y.co stltoda always charming even when sending failed bakers on their way. (Approached about hosting the current “Cake Wars,” Willman declined, not wanting “to get pigeonholed as that dessert showdown guy.”)

Onstage, his act is as much comedy as magic, and as Magic as an much magic as art form has comedy. As opbeen such a gift to me. It led me posed to popular into performing, magicians such into comedy, into as Criss Angel, everything else. “my vibe is apMagic was my gateway drug” proachable, not scary,” Willman Justin Willman said. “My humor is snarky, cynical, self-deprecating. A lot of people haven’t been exposed to a funny magician.”

St. Louisan Justin Willman’s talents go far A lot of people in 2015 haven’t beyond hosting dessert showdowns on TV been exposed to magicians at all, except on TV, occasionally, and at

BY GAIL PENNINGTON / TV CRITIC / GPENNINGTON@POST-DISPATCH.COM children’s birthday parties. and entrepreneur. ver since he was 11, when But in places like New York and Los Today, Willman is all grown up and his uncle pulled a coin Angeles, where the Magic Castle is a hot attraction, “magic is more has built a varied and successful career out from behind his ear, popular than ever,” Willman said. on stage and television, but he’s as Justin Willman has been Actor and ubiquitous host Neil crazy for magic as ever. He brings his madly in love with magic.

Patrick Harris is working hard to act home on Saturday, when he’ll perTeaching himself from library form at the Pageant in his first public books, Willman was performing, and bring magic to the masses and will host getting paid, by the time he was 12. At show in St. Louis for two years. a prime-time variety show, “Best Time Ever,” this fall on NBC. “Magic as an art form has been such 16, a junior at Ladue High School, he a gift to me,” Willman, 35, said over was featured in a Post-Dispatch arWillman is all for more exposure for grilled cheese sandwiches recently ticle that praised him as a showman magic, and for the opportunities that Comic and magician Justin Willman

Playing with magic

could bring. Someday, he’d like to have his own TV series, but in the meantime, he’s happy to keep busy touring, as well as acting when opportunities come up.

Soon, Willman is in for a big life change. In just a few weeks, he’ll marry his girlfriend of three years, Jillian Sipkins, a photographer and Chicago native. They are already parents to two pit bulls.

First, though, Willman has to get ready for the Pageant, and performing at home means “mixing things up,” he said. “People will be there who’ve seen me over the years, and I have to bring a new show, because they’ve seen my bag of tricks.”

At least the audience there won’t be on skates.

“When I was around 14, I performed for two hours every Saturday at Sam’s Roller Rink,” Willman recalled.

“Ninety minutes of that was facepainting, which I mostly faked, and then I got to do a 30-minute show.”

Then, as now, the show was the payoff. “But it’s hard doing magic for an audience that’s short, and on wheels.”

WHAT Justin Willman • WHEN 8 p.m. Saturday • WHERE The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard • HOW MUCH $25 • MORE INFO Ticketmaster.com

A young Justin Willman, Ladue High School grad

12

GO! MAGAZINE • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • 08.21.15–08.27.15

Find more events, reviews and blogs by our critics ➙ stltoday.com/arts stltoday.com/go

PHOTOS: HANDOUT

E

2015

RISING STARS

St. Louis’ vibrant arts scene is filled with established talent — big names who are always up to big things. But this week, meet some up-and-comers we think you’ll be hearing a lot more about in the future.

PHOTO: 123RF

12-PAGE PULLOUT SECTION.

CELEBRATE THE ARTS WITH US

From 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, join us at the Luminary for our inaugural Fall Arts Preview event, featuring music by Jazz St. Louis, art by Zack Smithey, performances by Thom Dancy of the Big Muddy Dance Company and Karlovsky & Company Dance, food and drink samples, and more. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Find more information in our ad on Page 21 and at stltoday.com/fallartspreview.

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START PLANNING FOR FALL

Coming in the Aug. 30 Post-Dispatch A&E section, meet five women who are leaders on the local arts scene. Plus, take a look ahead to the many performances and events in the coming season with our Fall Arts Preview.

08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

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Saturday, September 26, 2015 • 7:30 p.m.

Forest Park’s Central Fields St. Louis, MO Walk Day Information Registration begins at 5:00 p.m.

Remembrance Ceremony begins at 6:00 p.m.

Walk begins at 7:30 p.m.

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Join us and help support kids like Campbell, Julia, and Gram.

They are all survivors and patients of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, the most common type of leukemia in children and young adults under age twenty. stltoday.com/go

2015 RISING STARS ACTOR

Pete Winfrey

I

n recent seasons on stages around St. Louis, actor Pete Winfrey has worked steadily without turning into a “type.”

He played doomed Leo Frank in “Parade” at R-S Theatrics and a charming sheriff, the romantic lead, in “The Spitfire Grill” at Insight. Both of those were musicals, but Winfrey, 24, appears in plays at least as often: a passionate young painter in “Red” at Encore! Theatre Group, an obsessed gamer in “Connected” at HotCity Theatre, assorted soldiers and servants in Shakespeare Festival St. Louis productions, and a policeman in Tennessee

ACTOR

Grace Kaufman

PHOTOS: HANDOUT

G

race Kaufman can’t remember when she knew she wanted to act.

Maybe she was 3 and putting on shows in her backyard. For sure when she was 7 and got her first professional job.

Now 13, Grace comes by acting via both her parents. Dad David Kaufman (DeSmet High School, Class of 1979) has acted since kindergarten and is best known as the voice of the animated “Danny Phantom.” Mom Lisa Picotte started acting with a bit part in “Say Anything” and went on to collect credits in TV shows from “Married ... With Children” to “The X-Files.”

The senior Kaufmans now coach young actors in Los Angeles, where

stltoday.com/go

Williams’ rarely produced “Stairs to the Roof” at Sudden View.

Not to mention a giant praying mantis in OnSite’s “A Prayer for the Gun Bug.” From the platform boots to the huge helmet that hid his bright blue eyes, that Bug wore one strange costume.

“I couldn’t see at all,” explained the actor, who graduated from Washington University two years ago. “I could peer down at my feet and see a little bit in front of them. But it was awesome.”

Winfrey — who grew up in Shrewsbury and got into theater under the guidance of legendary St. Louis University High School teacher Joe Schulte — says that one day he might want to investigate theater someplace else. But not too soon.

“St. Louis has a really intimate theater community,” he says. “I won’t say that it’s small, because it’s growing — but it is tight. You work with people, and they lead you to the friend of a friend and to another show. There are

Grace was born in 2002. (She also has a younger brother, Henry, 8, who just voiced a character in a kids pilot for Amazon.)

Even though she’s an LA kid, Grace considers herself very much a St. Louisan. The whole family roots for the Cardinals, and with David’s family here, they visit whenever they can.

This summer, when Grace met Kali the polar bear at the St. Louis Zoo and enjoyed her first trip to Circus Flora, she was just off a movie set in Tennessee. In “Brave New Jersey,” a comedy that spoofs Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds,” she was cast alongside Tony Hale (“Veep,” “Arrested Development”) and Anna Camp (“Pitch Perfect”).

Meanwhile, Grace was on screen in Season 2 of TNT’s “The Last Ship,” in which she plays the daughter of star Eric Dane. Last winter, she starred as one of the grandkids in the ABC pilot “Chev and Bev,” with Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. Ultimately, the network passed, but Grace is philosophical, believing that what is meant to come along will come along.

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great opportunities here.”

He has a few lined up. Come September, he will appear in an independent feature film, a contemporary Western, to be shot here and on a nearby farm.

That won’t be out for a while. But you can catch him in November at Slightly Askew in the Hitchcock spoof “The 39 Steps” and in December at New Jewish Theater in the biting comedy “Bad Jews.”

By Judith Newmark, theater critic

Sept. 9 – Oct. 4

Oct. 14 – Nov. 8

Dec. 2 – 27

Jan. 6 – 31

Feb. 10 – Mar. 6

Grace Kaufman Mar. 16 – Apr. 10

Her biggest role yet came along in the indie movie “Sister,” which was directed by David Lascher and took her and her castmates to film festivals across the country in 2014. Like many indies, “Sister” is still looking for distribution, but is certain to wind up on cable or Netflix soon.

Increasingly in demand for both movies and TV, Grace is happy to follow her parents’ rule of waiting and choosing the right projects.

Meanwhile, she’s happy to stay home, sleeping in her own bed, playing with her two dogs and starting eighth grade late this fall.

By Gail Pennington, TV critic

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08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

15

2015 RISING STARS

Matt Daughaday

CHEF/RESTAURATEUR

T

he eponymous Reed of Reed’s American Table is the middle name of owner and chef Matt Daughaday. It’s also his paternal grandmother’s maiden name. Ask him about it, though, and he segues into a metaphor of how a reed — as in the plant — bends in a storm and then stands back up. The image, he says, plays off the idea of “how important our team is.”

The self-effacement is typical. Ask Daughaday, 34, how his plans for his eagerly anticipated debut restaurant have developed, and he talks about the talent that he has gathered, including beverage director Andrei Ivanov (Elaia and Olio) and pastry chef Summer Wright (Five Bistro, Brasserie by Niche). “(Reed’s) started out as an outlet for me to be able to continue working on the food that I was doing,” Daughaday says. “(Then) Andre came along.

Summer came along. The strength of the concept has grown really strong.”

Still, for diners — including this

16

GO! MAGAZINE • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • 08.21.15–08.27.15

restaurant critic — who were won over by the creative, flavorful dishes that Daughaday served over his three years as executive chef at Gerard Craft’s Taste in the Central West End, he remains Reed’s star attraction.

The University City native promises that Reed’s will deliver his riffs on “classic” fare, from a St. Louis-style pork steak to a version of eggplant Parmesan with which he first experimented while working at Luciano’s Trattoria in Clayton.

Daughaday is especially excited to offer whole-roasted, stuffed trout and other seafood dishes, a passion that dates to his time in San Francisco at California Culinary Academy and then working at the acclaimed seafood restaurant Waterbar.

Daughaday’s fans might argue that his star has already risen after his spell at Taste. But with his middle name above the door, and those doors slated to open by August’s end, many more diners are about to learn who Matthew Daughaday is.

By Ian Froeb, restaurant critic

stltoday.com/go

PHOTO: HANDOUT

Matt Daughaday

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JUTTA AND THE HI-DUKES NOVEMBER 6 CARMINA BURANA starring Nashville Ballet NOVEMBER 6-8 MADCO: LIQUID ROADS NOVEMBER 13 & 14 THE STANLEY CLARKE BAND NOVEMBER 21 COLIN MOCHRIE & BRAD SHERWOOD: TWO MAN GROUP DECEMBER 4

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08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

17

2015 RISING STARS CHOREOGRAPHER

Thom Dancy

T

hom Dancy has enjoyed a successful career with the Big Muddy Dance Company. But not just as a performer.

More and more, Dancy’s work as a choreographer is turning up on the company’s programs. And increasingly, he’s also creating work for other dance companies. DanceWorks Chicago featured his duet piece, “Prom and Sensibility,” during the Spring to Dance Festival last May. Dancy is restaging the piece for Big Muddy’s season kickoff Nov. 21 at the Edison Theatre.

Eventually, he says, he’d like to be a full-time choreographer.

“I would like to continue to dance for a while longer, before making a shift in that direction,” says Dancy, 28. “And I’d also like to continue to help grow Big Muddy Dance Company, just because it’s a real privilege to be around a very talented group of dancers.”

Working with the Big Muddy dancers is also good for developing his skills as a choreographer, Dancy says, because of “their work ethic and their commitment to the art.”

In contrast, being a guest choreographer with other companies involves a

“definite learning curve,” he says.

Among prominent choreographers whom Dancy cites as influences are Jiri Kylian (“He takes the ballet form and manipulates it”) and Crystal Pite (“You don’t fully expect the twists and the turns — and it always feels like a surprise”).

Dancy, a native of Winston-Salem, N.C., says that dance wasn’t originally the art form he intended to pursue.

“I started in classical music, studying to be an opera singer,” he says.

“I spent a year at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. But I realized that was not what I wanted at all.”

Only after he auditioned for musicals in New York did his potential as a dancer reveal itself.

“People kept telling me that I had natural facility, and some ability that I could tap into,” Dancy says. “So I just kept pushing myself.”

Thom Dancy

By Calvin Wilson

SEE A PERFORMANCE

BY THOM DANCY Our inaugural Fall Arts Preview event, 6-10 p.m. Wednesday at the Luminary, will feature Thom Dancy of Big Muddy Dance Company, plus live music, live art and more.

Tickets are just $10 in advance and $15 at the door. stltoday.com/fallartspreview

six-show season ticket packages now on saLe!

314-535-1700 FabulousFox.com/ Subscribe 18

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HARPIST

COMEDIAN

Allegra Lilly

Micaela Mohr

PHOTOS: HANDOUT

A

llegra Lilly, about to start her third season as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s principal harp, spent her summer break making beautiful music with another great orchestra.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s principal harp, Jessica Zhou, is on maternity leave, and Lilly has stepped in as principal harpist for the BSO’s Tanglewood season and its early-September tour of European festivals. She’ll return to St. Louis the day before the SLSO’s first rehearsal.

Lilly, 29, made her solo debut at age 12 with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The Michigan native got her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Juilliard and has performed as a soloist or an orchestra member with many other ensembles, large and small.

At the SLSO, “they keep me very busy,” Lilly says. “They do a lot of allBeethoven or all-Mozart weeks (which have no harp parts), but I find I’m on almost every program. That’s great for me. It’s nice to be active for so much of the season.”

2015-16 is particularly exciting, from a harpist’s point of view, filled with big

Allegra Lilly

repertoire by composers like Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler.

“The biggest reason I wanted to be an orchestra musician was to play the Adagietto (movement) from the Mahler 5th Symphony,” Lilly says. “It’s a breathtakingly beautiful piece.”

The orchestra will perform both Mahler’s fourth and fifth symphonies, in which “the harp parts are just so brilliantly written; he had almost a unique way of using the harp, and a lot of big sonority. I love the massive size of those works.”

Lilly is working with LA-based composer Drew Schnurr on a commission for solo harp. She’s involved in the Community Partnership Program, which sends members of the orchestra to play in area churches, hospitals and other community venues. And she’s an active member of the SLSO’s Musicians’ Council, which works with management on issues affecting the players: “I think it’s really important to see the other side of what we do, and to be as involved on as many levels as I can.”

By Sarah Bryan Miller, classical music critic

M

icaela Mohr has been looking for the perfect description for her comedic style.

“I used to think it was self-deprecating. Self-deprecating is fun, and I still do that,” says the comic who opened a recent show at the Blueberry Hill Duck Room with a bit about her boyish appearance.

She had short hair as a child — and still does. Her grandmother used to joke, “Who is that little boy in a dress?”

“But I’m trying to not be so negative about myself now,” says Mohr, 26, of St. Louis. “It’s really about personal experience and personal growth — things I’m learning about myself. I like to talk about stuff that doesn’t include genitalia and my mother. That’s been done a lot. I want people to know other things about me. I struggled with confidence and depression my whole life. I want to let people in on the journey I’ve been going through.”

Mohr has been doing comedy for 2½ years.

“I’m still fresh and green, but I always wanted to do it,” she says. “But I

Micaela Mohr

figured I couldn’t.”

When her boyfriend, Kevin Person, also expressed interest in performing comedy, she stayed quiet. But when he didn’t act on the idea, she forged ahead and hit the stage.

“I think he was a little jealous at first,” Mohr says. “That’s all I would talk about for a while.”

About six months after she got her start, Person gave comedy a go, too.

Mohr finds the St. Louis comedy scene interesting, albeit a bit cliqueish.

“There’s some parts of the scene I try to not pay attention to,” she says.

“Some of it is very high school. I haven’t been to high school in years and don’t plan on going back. I don’t want to join a comedy gang. So I started my own little show.”

Mohr’s occasional show is “Blackball Comedy.” She’s at America’s Tavern (1449 South Vandeventer Avenue) on Saturday and Shameless Grounds (1901 Withnell Avenue) on Aug. 29.

“We don’t blackball anything,” she says.

By Kevin C. Johnson, pop music critic

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2015 RISING STARS

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AUTHOR

Elsa Hart

F

or Elsa Hart’s first novel, Kirkus Reviews says “think Agatha Christie writing ‘Shogun.’” Close, but wrong country.

Hart was in China, not Japan, when she started plotting “Jade Dragon Mountain.” Christie’s brainy mysteries were certainly an inspiration, however.

“I’ve loved Christie since I was a kid,” Hart says. “Always been a bit obsessed.”

For an author who never studied creative writing, Hart, 30, has had phenomenal luck.

A graduate of Washington University law school, Hart was with her husband, who was researching flora for the Missouri Botanical Garden, when she started imagining her fictional novel.

Later, she sent her manuscript to an agent, who not only sold it to a major publisher, but obtained a contract for Hart’s second novel, too. “Jade Dragon Mountain” from Minotaur Books goes on sale Sept. 1 (she’ll read Sept. 3 at Subterranean Books). It has received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which praised Hart’s “sure command of historical complexities.”

“I feel very fortunate,” Hart says.

Elsa and Robbie Hart, who met as undergraduates at Swarthmore College, both came to St. Louis for graduate school. Later, she visited him in China while he did research.

While working on 18,360-foot Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in southwestern China near Lijiang, Elsa Hart struggled to sleep in the high altitude.

“At night I’d listen to Agatha Christie radio mysteries,” she says. “I found them very comforting. I was thinking about mysteries and learning a little bit about the history of this place. I starting wondering if you could set a mystery in the style of ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ on an ancient trade caravan. ... wondering whether these remote places in China would create enough isolation so that it could be

Elsa Hart

almost a closed-room mystery. In the end, that’s not the story I ended up writing, but that’s where it started.”

She’s had much experience navigating foreign countries. Born in Rome, she grew up in both Moscow and Prague (her father, Jeffrey Trimble, served as Moscow bureau chief for U.S. News and World Report).

Hart says that in the early 18th century, Jesuit priests were the only Westerners allowed into China. In her historical mystery, a smart, aging priest appears to be poisoned just days before Emperor Kangxi will visit and (according to his majesty) command a total eclipse of the sun.

“All of the descriptions (of the mountain) in the book are from actual experience,” Hart says. The area is “really stunning” (the mountain’s name was shortened for the book). Since she’s not fluent in Mandarin, though, she did most of her research into Chinese history at the Thomas Jefferson Library at UMSL. “I started looking into the patterns of how the Chinese empire built out into these really rural provinces that are not ethnically Chinese and how that dynamic worked.”

Deciding that she didn’t want a foreigner to solve the mystery of the priest’s death, Hart’s Hercule Poirot is a native Chinese who has been exiled from Beijing. Li Du, a sharp but humble librarian, questions the possible suspects.

“What ended up helping me a lot was for him it was essentially a foreign country,” she says of the area, where Tibetan traders traveled to buy tea.

Li Du will also star in Hart’s second book, and, she hopes, a third.

By Jane Henderson, book editor

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PHOTO: HANDOUT

THE WORLD’S

2015 RISING STARS JAZZ BAND

The People’s Key

PHOTO: HANDOUT

E

clectic St. Louis band the People’s Key is making jazz music more accessible to everyone.

“The whole idea of the group when we first started was to bring some of that old-flavor jazz and infuse it with tunes from the modern songbook with more current artists like Green Day or Radiohead or Michael Jackson or the Beatles,” says Ryan Marquez, 29. “It’s our way to meet the listener where they are in introducing familiar material.”

He says a lot of people have different ideas of what jazz is. But to the members of the People’s Key, “jazz just is. It’s all-encompassing. We try to find a way where it can be relatable.”

Marquez, who plays organ, keyboards and other instruments, says many jazz artists do things thematically, melodically and harmonically that can lose the casual listener.

“There’s certainly a market for that — a time and a place,” he says. “But in the broad spectrum, we felt playing songs that the majority of the listening audience would have familiarity with would get people excited enough to listen, conveying a different jazz style that provides an access point for people who wouldn’t normally listen to jazz. It’s a way to bridge the gap.”

Marquez says the great thing about the King of Pop’s music is that his songbook is so deep and encompasses many styles.

“The older, more classic songs tend to have good solid jazz changes in them already,” he says. “A lot of the harmonies in his songbook lend themselves to jazz changes or superimposing jazz changes on top of what’s already there.”

The group has put out an album, “Heal the World,” covering Jackson’s music, and is on Lamar Harris’ project “The Shawn Carter Jazz Suite,” featuring the music of Jay-Z. The People’s Key is also working on

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The People’s Key

original music that Marquez says is more funk- and groove-oriented.

“Whenever you’re in a group, it takes time to find your voice together,” he says. “We have utilized the idea of the band covering popular material and arranging it in a jazz style and using that as a foundation to get familiar with each other’s playing and what we like to do. And now we’re at a place where we want to do something original.”

The group Whenever performs a Stevie you’re in a group, it takes Wonder show time to find Aug. 23 at the St. your voice Louis World’s Fare together. We Heritage Festival have utilized the idea of the and will also band covering perform at Funk popular Fest 10 Sept. 19 at material. … And now Broadway Oyster we’re at a Bar. place where The People’s we want to Key got together do something original.” three years ago after members Ryan Marquez played together in various combinations. In The group also includes Mike Murano (drums), Charlie Cerpa (saxophone) and Matt Rowland (guitar).

“We just started playing together and having rehearsals,” Marquez says.

“When you live together with other musicians, it’s easy to get together.”

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By Kevin C. Johnson, pop music critic

08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

21

2015 RISING STARS HIP-HOP COLLECTIVE

MME

MME

S

cause they’re scared to. It’s not even a part of their process of thinking.

“There’s all these different philosophies we talk about and how we try to live life and directly correlate it through the music. We’re all spiritual people, and it’s like a form a therapy.”

MME has released three compilations. The latest, from Akashic Records, came out in March. The members also do solo work and albums with other groups.

Mvstermind says he started producing beats when he was a teenager. His

SOUL SINGER

JLR

S

t. Louis soul singer JLR had one motivation for his new album “The Rawness.”

“Basically, it’s handsdown raw soul,” he says.

“Nobody does that anymore — just real sounds, real art, real music and everything.”

JLR, 35, says there won’t be manufactured sounds on his album. Today’s music is excessively Auto-Tuned, and listeners don’t get to hear singers’ real voices, he says.

“I’m going back to the old way of doing it,” he says.

Another thing that’s missing from music nowadays: love.

22

JLR

“There was a place and time when old-school artists were talking about love. I’m pushing for love. ... Now these guys are talking about sex,” he says. “And everyone’s trying to make a dollar and appeal to the masses.

Don’t get me wrong — I want to make that dollar bill, too. But at least show the trueness in what you’re trying to do rather than say ‘I wanna make this money.’

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father convinced him to be more constructive about making music.

“Dad said to buckle down,” he says.

“That started the beginning of us buckling down and working. ... It was the transition to dedication.”

This year, he left his job at Avis and made a deeper commitment to his craft.

“My whole life revolves around this,” says Mvstermind, who used to pass out his music demos to celebrities who’d pass through the car-rental agency.

“I ran into so many celebrities, the right key people, and I handed out my

“I want people to say he made some legendary music.”

The grooves-filled “The Rawness” was primarily produced by Tyrone “DJ Reminisce” Day, though Black Spade contributed a track. JLR was the primary writer; Rhashad Whittier cowrote.

The project follows his 2013 debut album “Book By Its Cover.”

“The first album was good but the second album has more passion,” JLR says. “On the first album, you saw I can sing. On the second album, you see I can sing and write.”

He cites classics including Donny Hathaway and Bill Withers as his main influences, along with modern singers Anthony Hamilton and Jill Scott.

“One thing I always hear people say is that she sings to the soul. She’s not just singing.”

JLR’s sound also draws comparisons

CD every chance I got, music executives who came to our show in Brooklyn who I met at Avis,” he says.

MME is about to embark on a tour that includes a September date with rapper Curren$y in Denver, along with shows in Columbia, Mo., and Lawrence, Kan. A St. Louis show will be announced later.

“It’s been a nice little journey since we first started out working and maintaining that buzz, and keeping it fresh in the process,” Mvstermind says.

By Kevin C. Johnson, pop music critic

to Eric Roberson, John Legend and especially Dwele.

“I feel like that man is about soul, and I am about soul,” he says. “He’s also about old-school. We’re on the same level on some things. But we still have two different sounds. Mine is more hip-hop and jazzy. His is more jazzy and R&B,” says JLR, who also works as a photographer under the name Joseph Richardson.

JLR has been singing since he was a child in the church choir at Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist. He’s still sings in the choir, but at Third Presbyterian Church.

Though his musical ambitions started in the church, his recording career represents “a steppingstone and a stepping away.”

An official release concert for “The Rawness” is forthcoming.

By Kevin C. Johnson, pop music critic

stltoday.com/go

PHOTOS: HANDOUT

t. Louis has had its share of hip-hop collectives over the years, but one of the latest stirring up attention is MME. The members of MME have their own solo careers, but they’ve been performing together since 2009.

Rapper-producer Mvstermind, who founded the group with Mir, describes the underground clique as “individual artists who come together and use the MME name as a platform to come together to propel our artistry. It’s a brotherhood that allows us to have this chemistry whether we’re on stage or working on music together.”

The collective also includes singer Lyrique, rapper-producer Ciej, and rappers Con and Dante Wolfe.

“We speak on topics and certain matters we feel people need to hear,” says 24-year-old Mvstermind. “We talk about things other folks don’t be-

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RENT

THIS!

Top Redbox rentals • Aug. 10–16 1 “The Divergent Series: Insurgent” (Summit) • 2 “The Longest Ride” (Fox) • 3 “Get Hard” (Warner) • 4 “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” (Sony) • 5 “Every Secret Thing” (Anchor Bay) • 6 “Focus (2015)” (Warner) • 7 “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (Fox) • 8 “Unfinished Business” (Fox) • 9 “Kingsman: The Secret Service” (Fox) • 10 “Run All Night” (Warner) BY TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

OUR MOVIE RATINGS ★ Skip it ★★ So-so ★★★ Good ★★★★ Excellent

Jason Segel (left) and Jesse Eisenberg in “The End of the Tour”

Promising detour Jason Segel, known for comedies, triumphs in ‘End of the Tour’ ★★★½

BY CALVIN WILSON / CALVINWILSON@POST-DISPATCH.COM

PHOTO: A24

W

ith his bandana and granny glasses, David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel) looks more like an aging hippie than a newly hot novelist. Yet his latest book, “Infinite Jest,” has caused such a stir that journalist David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) is certain that a profile of this rising literary star would be ideal for Rolling Stone. The assignment

would also be personally satisfying for Lipsky, whose own novel made a swift trip to the remainder bins.

With his idea greenlit, Lipsky sets about drawing out Wallace, who has reluctantly agreed to an extended interview coinciding with the end of his book tour. The two make an interestingly contrasting pair: the shambling, disheveled novelist, eager to please but also guarded about his private life, and the wired, eager journalist,

Find more reviews, theaters and movie news ➙ stltoday.com/movies

looking for an angle that will ensure a lively and possibly controversial story.

It’s not long before things get complicated. Is their relationship strictly professional, or is this the beginning of a friendship? And if they are becoming friends, how does that affect their roles as interviewer and interviewee?

It all comes down to a matter of trust.

Based on a memoir by Lipsky, “The End of the Tour” is about a lot of things: the worship of genius, the burden of celebrity, the bond between journalist and subject. Working from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies, director James Ponsoldt

(“The Spectacular Now”) intriguingly explores those themes while also eliciting an extraordinary performance from Segel.

Best known for his comic roles, in the television series “How I Met Your Mother” and films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” Segel is thoroughly empathetic as an artist who’d rather not be on display. Eisenberg is more than adequate as Lipsky, but Segel gives the film its emotional center.

Despite a premise that seems anything but cinematic, “The End of the Tour” is an offbeat and fascinating film.

WHAT “The End of the Tour” • RUN TIME 1:46 • RATING R • CONTENT Language including sexual references

08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

25

Kristen Wiig (center) and Bel Powley in “The Diary of a Teenage Girl”

‘Diary of a Teenage Girl’ is a provocative coming-of-age story ★★★½

BY CALVIN WILSON / CALVINWILSON@POST-DISPATCH.COM

M

innie (Bel Powley) lives with her freewheeling mom Charlotte (Kristen Wiig) and straitlaced sister Gretel (Abby Wait) in a laidback home that seems perpetually open to guests. The principal one is Charlotte’s boyfriend Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard), who seems so comfortable with her and the kids that it’s something of a surprise to discover that he has a place of his own.

But maybe he’s too comfortable, and inadequately aware of his impact on 15-yearold Minnie. An aspiring cartoonist, she has an active fantasy life. And her fantasies include the much older and unfortunately irresponsible Monroe.

It’s not long before the two become involved in an inappropriate relationship. For Minnie,

26

it’s an affirmation of her burgeoning womanhood.

For Monroe, it’s a way to kill time. It never seems to occur to him that he’s indulging in an illegal activity.

As Oscar Wilde noted, experience is what people call their mistakes, and Minnie is getting plenty of experience. In her heart, she knows that she’s betraying not only her mother but also herself.

Still, she can’t help but find her power over Monroe intoxicating — until she’s forced to face the consequences of a string of bad decisions.

“The Diary of a Teenage Girl” is a coming-of-age story that doesn’t shy away from the insecurities and dangers of adolescence.

In adapting a novel

by Phoebe Gloeckner, writer-director Marielle Heller has delivered a film that’s virtually

guaranteed to generate controversy — but is also unforgettable in its pursuit of emotional truth.

No doubt the casting of Minnie was essential to the film’s success, and twentysomething actress Powley was an ideal choice. Instead of judging Minnie for her moral shortcomings, Powley leads us to empathize with her curiosity and courage. It’s the kind of performance that hints at a significant career.

Films often fail to capture the turmoil of being a teenager — but not this one.

WHAT “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” • RUN TIME 1:41 • RATING R • CONTENT Sexual content, nudity,

drug use, language, drinking

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Bel Powley

Eisenberg is a stoner who can smoke ’em in ‘American Ultra’ ★★½

BY JAKE COYLE / ASSOCIATED PRESS

T

he likably awkward chemistry of Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg remains intact in “American Ultra,” a violent stoner action-comedy that’s half “Pineapple Express,” half “The Bourne Identity” and not as good as either.

Stewart and Eisenberg, who starred together in the splendidly low-key summer comedy “Adventureland,” again come together as an appealing, mutually mop-headed tandem that matches Eisenberg’s stuttering unease with Stewart’s deadpan cool.

They play a flannel-wearing West Virginia couple, Mike and Phoebe, happy together despite Mike’s weed habit, perpetual apologizing and panic attacks from just about anything that upsets his seemingly innate inertia. Looking at a car that’s crashed into a tree, he wonders to Phoebe, placating and devoted, if he’s

the tree and she’s the car.

The small-town, lowstakes drama of “American Ultra” is convincing in the beginning, thanks to the two stars. But it’s a set-up.

Unbeknownst to Mike, a convenience store clerk, he’s an elite killing machine trained by the CIA, a decommissioned government experiment.

Few in the movies would be a more unlikely secret agent than Eisenberg.

Switching to Langley, the film, directed by Nima Nourizadeh (“Project X”) and written by Max Landis (“Chronicle”), fills in the backstory. A petulant young agent (Topher Grace) has risen in the ranks and now wants to eliminate evidence of the experiment that gave Mike his secret talents, overseen by Connie Britton’s more sympathetic Victoria Lasseter.

To prevent her former student’s death, she sneaks

to the convenience store and activates Mike with a few code words. When a handful of thugs come to kill him, Mike is astounded to find himself expertly stabbing one with a spoon.

Afterward, he cowers behind a lamppost, looking at the bloody wreckage.

Much mayhem ensues, surprisingly violent and cartoonish in its extremes.

The small town comes entirely under siege. “American Ultra” is a stoner’s paranoia come to life.

The assembled talent could use more character development and a little more wit in place of the sadistic, fun-draining comic-book action scenes that increasingly co-opts the comedy.

But “American Ultra” has its simple genre charms, thanks significantly to its entertaining cast and leading pair. As if often the case, Stewart’s the best thing in the movie.

She and Eisenberg remain lazy losers we can love.

WHAT “American Ultra” • RUN TIME 1:36 • RATING R • CONTENT

Strong bloody violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexual content

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P H O T O S : S O N Y P I C T U R E S C L A S S I C S ( “ T H E D I A R Y O F A T E E N A G E G I R L” ) ; L I O N S G AT E ( “A M E R I C A N U LT R A” )

Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart in “American Ultra”

William F. Buckley Jr. (left) and Gore Vidal in “Best of Enemies”

Barry Ward (center) in “Jimmy’s Hall”

‘Jimmy’s Hall’ is a heartbreaking political drama ★★★½

BY CALVIN WILSON / CALVINWILSON@POST-DISPATCH.COM

P H O T O S : S O N Y P I C T U R E S C L A S S I C S ( “J I M M Y ’ S H A L L” ) ; M A G N O L I A P I C T U R E S ( “ B E S T O F E N E M I E S ” )

J

immy Gralton (Barry Ward) is back in Ireland after spending a decade in the United States, where the Depression has upended the dreams and expectations of millions.

His return is cause for celebration among his old neighbors — particularly Oonagh (Simone Kirby), who once was much more than that to him, but is now a married woman with children.

Ireland is still recovering from the wounds of a civil war, and Jimmy is a reminder of those troubled times. He had been forced to leave the country because of his socialist beliefs, and because he ran a dancehall where people — especially young people — could be free to behave in ways that might not garner the approval of the church.

The dancehall is now in ruins, and at first Jimmy is inclined to allow it to

remain that way. But his young neighbors have heard about its golden days, and want that experience for themselves.

It’s not long before they wear him down.

The renovated hall is an immediate hit — which does not go unnoticed by a local priest (Jim Norton) who views its popularity as a threat to his authority.

“Jimmy’s Hall” is the latest — and reportedly final — feature film from Ken Loach, one of the most esteemed of British directors. Working from a fact-based screenplay by his longtime collaborator Paul Laverty, Loach addresses a theme that resonates throughout his work: the effect of the political on the personal.

Ward, best known for his performances on the Irish stage, imbues Jimmy

★ Skip it ★ ★ So-so ★★ ★ Good ★★ ★ ★ Excellent stltoday.com/go

with all the charisma that the character requires.

Kirby, who strongly resembles Susan Sarandon, makes Oonagh’s thwarted yearning for Jimmy palpable. And Norton brings subtlety and nuance to his role as villain.

One of the peculiarities of mainstream American cinema is that most characters are depicted as devoid of politics. But as “Jimmy’s Hall” demonstrates, the struggle to find one’s place in the world, in the face of determined opposition, can make for heartbreaking drama.

WHAT “Jimmy’s Hall” • RUN TIME 1:46 • RATING PG-13 • CONTENT

Language, violence

Barry Ward and Simone Kirby

‘Best of Enemies’ examines Buckley and Vidal’s war of words ★★★★

BY MICHAEL PHILLIPS / CHICAGO TRIBUNE (TNS)

T

here’s an excellent, juicy and sobering new documentary just out from the Oscarwinning makers of “Twenty Feet from Stardom.” “Best of Enemies” shifts the paradigm of stardom from unsung female backup singers to two famous men who loathed each other and the America the other one represented, and said as much, across 10 debates produced

by ABC News during the Republican and Democratic national presidential conventions of 1968.

Fueled by their intellects, their failed political ambitions and their delight in the elongated-vowel put-down, National Review founder and “Firing Line” TV host William F. Buckley Jr. (on the political right) squared off against author, screenwriter and playwright Gore Vidal (on the left). The results, argues “Best of Enemies,” changed not just political coverage

but television news and the medium itself. It would require an even better documentary than this, and one of greater length, to fully back up that assertion.

Nonetheless, and with a formidable marriage of style and thought, directors Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon leave us with the uneasy feeling that they’re right.

Outwardly, Buckley and Vidal looked and sounded as if they came from the same privileged womb. At the time of the debates, Vidal’s naughty transsexual romp “Myra Breckinridge” was a best-seller. Buckley’s “Firing Line” had been on the air for a couple of promising seasons.

The acrimony between the two men already was well established.

In the ninth debate, in Chicago, just after the worst of the police clashes with anti-war protesters, Buckley characterized the Daley administration’s security

measures as “reasonable restraint.” Vidal called Buckley a “crypto-Nazi.”

And then, amid a few fateful, chaotic seconds of cross-talk that haunted him for decades, Buckley retorted: “Now listen, you queer, stop calling me a crypto-Nazi or I’ll sock you in the god--- face.” The impact was considerable. The ratings were strong. Buckley losing his temper was riveting TV. “Best of Enemies” gathers sharp insights from contemporary media critics ranging from “On the Media” host Brooke Gladstone to New York magazine marquee writer Frank Rich to Columbia University linguistics professor John McWhorter about the context of the debates, the rhetorical styles of Vidal and Buckley, the irresistible theatrical nature of the 10-episode smackdown. Did it transform TV? This we know: It encouraged TV news executives to reconsider hour after hour of convention coverage, in favor of commentary bordering on heckling.

WHAT “Best of Enemies” • RUN TIME 1:27 • RATING R • CONTENT Some sexual content/

nudity and language

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★★★★.

“

87 OF THE LIVELIEST, MOST ENGAGING MINUTES OF THE YEAR.” – MICHAEL PHILLIPS, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

“There could scarcely be any documentary more

ENTICING, SCINTILLATING AND DOWNRIGHT FASCINATING than ‘Best of Enemies’.”

– TODD MCCARTHY, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

BUCKLEY VS. VIDAL. 2 MEN. 10 DEBATES. TELEVISION WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME.

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‘Hitman: Agent 47’ is dead on arrival ★½

BY KATIE WALSH / TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE (TNS)

I

f you see one movie about governmentally modified assassins this weekend, don’t make it “Hitman: Agent 47.” “American Ultra” is the far superior take on the unknowing super spy, because it takes itself far less seriously, and can actually poke fun at the genre. “Hitman: Agent 47” was just never going to be able to keep up, especially with its overly serious take on the genre. It’s so coldblooded, it’s practically reptilian.

Directed by newcomer Aleksander Bach, with a screenplay by Skip Woods and Michael Finch, the story seems overly complicated but is actually quite simple: Someone’s trying to make more of the genetically

enhanced “agents,” and in order to succeed, they need to find the originator of the project, Litvenko (Ciarán Hinds), who has dropped off the face of the earth.

In pursuit are Agent 47 (Rupert Friend), a contract killer so focused on his job he’s practically a robot, and John Smith (a woefully miscast Zachary Quinto) who works for the private organization Syndicate International. 47 is trying to stop Syndicate from making more agents. He works for a woman, Diana (Angelababy; that is actually her name), who gives him cryptic instructions on the phone.

Caught in the middle is Litvenko’s daughter, Katia

‘Sinister 2’ is a horror film that’s mystifying ★½

BY KATIE WALSH / TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE (TNS)

H

orror sequel “Sinister 2” is a very strange movie. Of course, it’s a horror film, so odd, ghostly, and sinister events are expected. Yet this is a horror film that doesn’t quite know what it is. You can’t tell if the filmmakers (director Ciarán Foy and screenwriters Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill) are deliberately going for a bit of a goofy, throwback feel, but that’s what comes across in this spooky tale. It’s almost like an ’80s movie you’d find on cable, and that might appeal to some horror audiences.

The film, like its predecessor, follows the

creepy crawly antics of the ghoulish Bughuul (Nick King), a tall drink of nightmares. He’s installed in an old abandoned farmhouse where some grisly murders happened. Finding sanctuary there are Courtney (Shannyn Sossamon) and her two boys, Dylan and Zach (Robert and Dartanian Sloane), hiding out from 31 her abusive ex-husband.

Soon they encounter a former police deputy (James Ransone), working as a private investigator/ghost hunter who is scoping out the house.

What they don’t know is that he intended to burn it down, with all the ghosts inside, but the family’s presence

1 2 . 1 4 . 1 2 – 1 2 . 2 0 . 1 2 / S T. L O U I S P O S T- D I S PAT C H / G O ! M A G A Z I N E

GO! MAGAZINE • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • 08.21.15–08.27.15

(Hannah Ware), who is also searching for her father, having been abandoned as a child, equipped with near psychic survival skills, including an extra-sensory perception for lurking dangers. She falls in with Smith and 47, and after a series of rapidly switching alliances, they’re off to the races, with a quick training for her while in pursuit of her father.

There’s a half-baked attempt to answer some existential questions about the nature of humanity when you’re a murderous robot person, but the sentimentality doesn’t mesh with the film’s desire for cathartic, cinematic violence. Unfortunately, the action that we do get is chaotic and incomprehensible, largely bloodless, and without any sense of tension.

There are times when it

has complicated things.

Particularly since Bughuul’s gang of child ghosts have been visiting Dylan at night, entreating him to join their snuff film club. These scary little ghost kids are bad news, and Dylan knows it.

Whether or not his brother Zach fully understands is another question. They are also witness to their parents’ nasty custody battle, in which the former deputy finds himself embroiled.

This isn’t a very scary movie, though there are a couple of good jumps. The potency of Bughuul and the kids quickly dwindles, and the whole thing has a rather goofy feel to it.

Ransone, an electric and often unhinged performer, is here relegated to a rather awkward, buffoonish type.

feels profoundly like a first-person shooter video game, which makes sense because it’s based on one.

Something like “John Wick” worked beautifully to showcase a waterfall of cascading murder. Wick’s motivations were clear: vengeance. Agent 47’s motivations aren’t clear because he’s barely a human, despite Katia’s protestations otherwise. He’s just doing his job, and ultimately the film is about work — what it means to work a job that strips one’s humanity in the service of a contract, and what it means when your life’s work results in those agents. However, the execution of that particular story just falls flat in the sanguine “Hitman: Agent 47.”

WHAT “Hitman: Agent 47” • RUN TIME 1:36 • RATING R • CONTENT Sequences of strong

violence, and some language

The most sinister thing in “Sinister 2” is the terrifying domestic violence and its ripples throughout the family.

Dad Clint (Lea Coco) is scarier with less screen time than any boogey man, proving the time-tested notion that it’s the monsters you see the least that are the most horrific. In a final sequence that pays homage to Michael Powell’s classic “Peeping Tom,” there emerges a rather conservative message about the effects of violent imagery on children, which is itself an indictment of watching horror movies.

If that is the case, audiences shouldn’t worry too much, as the effects of “Sinister 2” won’t be long-lasting.

WHAT “Sinister 2” • RUN TIME 1:37 • RATING R • CONTENT Strong

violence, bloody and disturbing images, and language

★ Skip it ★★ So-so ★ ★★ Good ★stltoday.com/go ★★ ★ Excellent

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“

ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR!”

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SUTTER

DIRECTED BY ANTOINE

Kristen Wiig

AND

“EXTRAORDINARY! UNIQUE AND UNFORGETTABLE.

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF TRAINING DAY AND THE EQUALIZER WRITTEN BY KURT

Christopher Meloni

FUQUA

BEL POWLEY IS SENSATIONAL.”

FEATURING ORIGINAL NEW MUSIC FROM EMINEM

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NOW PLAYING AT THEATERS EVERYWHERE CHECK DIRECTORIES FOR SHOWTIMES - NO PASSES ACCEPTED

(HIGHEST RATING)

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IRRATIONAL MAN WOODY ALLEN Written and Directed by

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Diary of a Teenage Girl MARIELLE HELLER WRITTEN AND DIRECTED By

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St. LouiS LANDMARK PLAZA FRONTENAC CiNEMA 210 Plaza Frontenac (314) 994-3733

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“Noah Baumbach’s great run continues.

Sharp, fast and witty, it’s old school comedy with a cool modern twist.”

“Greta Gerwig is the best screwball heroine since Holly Golightly.”

greta gerwig lola kirke from strangers to sisters.

CA N N E S

FILM FESTIVAL

LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

T R I B E CA

FILM FESTIVAL

IN IRELAND 1932, JIMMY GRALTON’S SIN WAS TO BUILD A DANCE HALL— A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE COME TO ARGUE, TO DREAM AND TO DANCE.

JIMMY’S HALL FROM DIRECTOR KEN LOACH AND SCREENWRITER PAUL LAVERTY OF THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY

directed by

noah baumbach baumbach & greta gerwig

written by noah

INVITE YOU AND A GUEST TO A SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING OF

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For your chance to win a pair of complimentary tickets, send an email to ContestStLouis@alliedim.com telling us about your zaniest friend

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Passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis. No purchase necessary. While supplies last.

One admit-two pass per person.

This film is rated R by the MPAA.

IN SELECT THEATERS AUGUST 28 08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

29

082115

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Showtimes and movies change daily and are provided by the theaters.

Friday, August 21, 2015

Central

St. Charles / O’Fallon

Chase Park Plaza (St. Louis Cinemas) Kingshighway & Lindell J American Ultra (R) DP

314-367-0101

(11:25 AM 2:00 4:45) 7:15 9:30

J The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (PG-13) DP (11:00 AM 1:30 4:00) 6:35 9:20 The Gift (R) DP (12:00 2:30 5:00) 7:30 9:50

St. Charles Stadium 18 Cine (Wehrenberg)

1220 Mid Rivers Mall Dr. www.wehrenberg.com

10:50 AM 2:05 5:00 8:15 11:30

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (PG-13) DP

Fantastic Four (PG-13) DVS,CC

(10:55 AM 1:35 4:20) 7:00 9:40

11:00 AM 2:15 4:50 6:50 10:30

Galleria 6 (St. Louis Cinemas) St. Louis Galleria J Hitman: Agent 47 (R) DP

314-725-0808

(11:45 AM 2:05 4:30) 6:55 9:20 J Sinister 2 (R) DP (10:25 AM 12:30 2:40 4:55) 7:10 10:00

J The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (PG-13) DP (11:15 AM 1:45 4:10) 6:45 9:15

The Gift (R) DVS,CC 11:05 AM 1:45 4:25 7:05 9:45

Ricki and the Flash (PG-13) DVS,CC 11:30 AM 2:00 4:30 7:00 9:30

Ant-Man (PG-13) DVS,CC 11:15 AM 5:20

Trainwreck (R) DVS,CC

Straight Outta Compton (R) DP (10:00 AM 1:00 4:00 5:00) 7:00 8:15 9:30

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (PG-13) DP

11:05 AM 2:00 7:40

J Kick 2 (Telugu) (NR)

Minions (PG) DP

Clayton & Skinker THE BACKLOT

J American Ultra (R) DVS,CC,No VIP after 6PM 11:30 AM 2:00 4:30 7:00 9:30

Moolah Theatre & Lounge (St. Louis Cinemas)

Lindell & Vandeventer 314-446-6868 J Straight Outta Compton (R) DP (1:00 4:00) 7:00 10:00

Omnimax St. Louis Science Center

314-289-4400

Robots (NR) 11:00 AM 2:00 5:00

Humpback Whales (NR) 10:00 AM 1:00 4:00, 10:00 AM 1:00 4:00

Journey to Space (NR) 12:00 3:00

J Journey to Space 3D (NR) 12:00 3:00

Tivoli Theatre (Landmark)

J Hitman: Agent 47 (R) DVS,CC,No VIP after 6PM 11:15 AM 1:50 5:00 7:30 10:00

J Sinister 2 (R) DVS,CC,No VIP after 6PM 11:35 AM 2:00 5:05 7:30 9:05 10:00 11:30

J The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (PG-13) DVS,CC,No VIP after 6PM 10:55 AM 1:40 4:25 7:10 10:00

J Straight Outta Compton (R) DVS,CC,No VIP after 6PM 10:30 AM 11:15 AM 12:10 1:40 2:30 3:25 4:20 5:45 6:45 7:30 7:45 9:00 10:00 10:45 11:00

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (PG-13) DVS,CC 11:00 AM 2:00 4:25 7:25 10:25

Vacation (R) DVS,CC 11:00 AM 1:30 4:05 6:35

6350 Delmar in the Loop 314-727-7271 Minions (PG) DVS,CC 10:30 AM 12:45 3:00 5:15 J The Diary of a Teenage Girl (R) DVS

J The End of the Tour (R)

W E H RE NBERG

(12:00) 2:15 4:30 7:00 9:20

J Irrational Man (R) DVS (12:20) 2:30 4:50 7:20 9:40

J Space Jam (PG) 11:55 PM

30

11:50 AM 2:30 5:00 7:30 10:00

J Sinister 2 (R) No VIP after 6PM 11:50 AM 2:25 4:55 7:25 9:00 10:00

J The Man from

U.N.C.L.E. (PG-13) No VIP after 6PM 11:00 AM 1:50 4:45 7:35 10:25

J Straight Outta Compton (R) No VIP after 6PM 11:45 AM 12:45 3:15 4:15 6:45 7:45 10:00

11:15 AM 2:00 4:45 7:30 10:15

314-995-6273

(2:30 5:00) 7:30

(12:10) 2:20 4:40 7:10 9:30

J Hitman: Agent 47 (R) No VIP after 6PM

The Gift (R)

Ricki and the Flash (PG-13)

5050 Oakland Ave.

11:15 AM 1:40 4:20 7:05 9:35

10:45 AM 1:30 4:15 7:00 9:45

(10:15 AM 12:20 2:30)

Hi-Pointe Theatre

J American Ultra (R) No VIP after 6PM

Fantastic Four (PG-13)

2:30 9:25

(10:40 AM 1:20 4:05) 6:50 9:35

(Wehrenberg)

J Hitman: Agent 47 (R) DVS,CC,No VIP after 6PM J Straight Outta Compton (R) DVS,CC,No VIP after 6PM

(11:35 AM 2:10 4:30) 6:50 9:10

Mid Rivers 14 Cine

1830 First Capitol Dr. www.wehrenberg.com 8:10 10:30

Ricki and the Flash (PG-13) DP

St. Charles / O’Fallon

Ricki and the Flash (PG-13) 11:45 AM 2:20 4:50 7:25 10:00

Shaun the Sheep (PG) 10:00 AM

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (PG-13)

11:45 AM 12:45 3:00 4:00 6:15 7:15 9:30 10:30

GO! MAGAZINE • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • 08.21.15–08.27.15

St. Charles / O’Fallon O’Fallon Stadium 14 (Regal) 40 & Winghaven Blvd.

Vacation (R) 9:30 PM

Pixels (PG-13) 11:15 AM 2:00 7:20 10:00

Ant-Man (PG-13) 10:00 AM 1:00 4:05 7:00 10:00

Mr. Holmes (PG)

(12:15 2:45) 5:15 7:45 10:20

Hitman: Agent 47 (R) DVS,CC

Inside Out (PG) 11:00 AM 1:35 4:10 6:45

St. Charles / O’Fallon Town Square 12 Cine (Wehrenberg) 7805 Hwy N. www.wehrenberg.com

J American Ultra (R) No VIP after 6PM 1:30 4:45 7:25 10:05

J Hitman: Agent 47 (R) No VIP after 6PM 2:15 4:55 7:25 9:50

J Sinister 2 (R) No VIP after 6PM 2:15 4:50 7:30 10:05

(11:55 AM 2:25) 5:00 7:30 10:15

Sinister 2 (R) DVS,CC (11:35 AM 2:05) 4:45 8:00 10:45

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (PG-13) DVS,CC (11:05 AM 1:50) 4:35 7:20 10:05

J The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (PG-13) No VIP after 6PM 1:25 4:30 7:25 10:05

J Straight Outta Compton (R) No VIP after 6PM 1:25 3:20 5:25 7:05 8:45 10:20

Fantastic Four (PG-13) 1:20 4:25 7:20 9:55

The Gift (R) 2:05 4:40 7:20 9:55

J Straight Outta Compton (R) DVS,CC (11:00 AM 2:00) 4:40 7:15 10:30

Fantastic Four (PG-13) DVS,CC (11:45 AM 2:10) 4:40 7:10 9:30

The Gift (R) DVS,CC (11:30 AM 2:15) 5:15 7:55 10:25

Ricki and the Flash (PG-13) DVS,CC (11:50 AM 2:20) 4:55 7:40 10:05

Ricki and the Flash (PG-13) 1:40 4:50 7:30 10:05

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (PG-13) 1:40 4:35 7:30 10:25

Vacation (R) 1:50 9:40

Pixels (PG-13) 7:05 PM

Ant-Man (PG-13) 1:15 4:05 7:20 10:05

Minions (PG) 4:25 PM

South

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (PG-13) DVS,CC (11:00 AM 1:50) 4:45 7:35 10:35

Vacation (R) DVS,CC (12:30 3:00) 5:30 8:05 10:25

Ant-Man (PG-13) DVS,CC 7:05 9:45

Trainwreck (R) DVS,CC (11:10 AM 2:00) 4:55 7:50 10:40

Minions (PG) DVS,CC

Keller Plaza Cine 8 4572 Lemay Ferry Rd.

314-845-2900

Magic Mike XXL (R) (11:20 AM 1:50 4:20) 7:10 9:40

Terminator Genisys (PG-13) (11:00 AM 1:40 4:20) 7:00 9:40

Max (PG) (11:20 AM 1:50 4:30) 7:10

Ted 2 (R) 7:10 9:45

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (PG-13) (11:30 AM 2:00 4:30)

Spy (R) (11:00 AM 1:35 4:10) 7:00 9:35

San Andreas (PG-13) (11:10 AM 1:40 4:15) 6:45 9:45

(11:30 AM 2:00) 4:35 7:00 9:25

4:40 PM

Minions (PG)

636-300-9900

American Ultra (R) DVS,CC

10:05 AM 1:10 4:15 7:20 10:25

11:00 AM 1:30 3:55 6:30

J Straight Outta Compton (R) DVS,CC,No VIP after 6PM

All Showtimes are p.m. unless otherwise noted

Bargain Shows No Passes Allowed Closed Captioning Descriptive Video Service Open Captioning Digital Projection

Inside Out (PG) DVS,CC (11:35 AM 2:00) 4:30

Jurassic World (PG-13) DVS,CC (11:10 AM 1:45) 4:25 7:25 10:10

Mad Max: Fury Road (R) 7:00 9:40

Pitch Perfect 2 (PG-13) 9:35 PM

Avengers: Age of Ultron (PG-13) (11:00 AM 1:30 4:15) 6:45 9:15

Home (PG) (11:15 AM 2:00 4:30)

stltoday.com/go

082115

() J CC DVS OC DP

Showtimes and movies change daily and are provided by the theaters.

All Showtimes are p.m. unless otherwise noted

South

South

West

Ronnies 20 Cine (Wehrenberg) Arnold 14 Cine (Wehrenberg) 5320 S Lindbergh Blvd. www.wehrenberg.com J The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The IMAX

Experience (PG-13) No VIP after 6PM 12:25 9:30

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation The IMAX Experience (PG-13) 3:15 6:25

J American Ultra (R) No VIP after 6PM

11:15 AM 1:45 4:20 7:05 8:55 9:45 11:30 J Hitman: Agent 47 (R) No VIP after 6PM 11:30 AM 2:00 4:30 7:00 9:30 J Sinister 2 (R) No VIP after 6PM 11:55 AM 2:25 4:55 7:35 8:50 10:15 11:25

1912 Richardson Rd. www.wehrenberg.com J American Ultra (R) No VIP after 6PM 1:50 5:10 7:40 10:15

J Hitman: Agent 47 (R) No VIP after 6PM 1:45 4:20 7:00 9:30 J Sinister 2 (R) No VIP after 6PM 1:40 5:00 6:50 7:30 9:20 10:00 1:30 4:20 7:15 10:05

2:00 3:40 6:15 7:00 9:30 10:20

Fantastic Four (PG-13)

J The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (PG-13) No VIP after 6PM

The Gift (R)

J Straight Outta Compton (R) No VIP after 6PM

Ricki and the Flash (PG-13)

11:35 AM 2:20 5:00 7:45 10:25

12701 Manchester Rd.

Paper Towns (PG-13)

www.wehrenberg.com

J Hitman: Agent 47 (R) No VIP after 6PM 11:45 AM 2:15 4:45 7:15 9:40

1:15 PM

J Sinister 2 (R) No VIP after 6PM

1:40 4:20 7:05 9:45

12:30 2:55 5:20 7:45 10:10

2:15 4:50 7:25 10:05

11:40 AM 12:30 1:50 3:00 4:05 5:15 6:25 7:30 8:45 Shaun the Sheep (PG) 10:00 11:00 11:20 3:50 PM

J The Man from

11:50 AM 2:30 5:00 7:35 10:15

U.N.C.L.E. (PG-13) No VIP after 6PM

Fantastic Four (PG-13) The Gift (R)

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (PG-13)

Ricki and the Flash (PG-13)

11:20 AM 2:10 4:50 7:40 10:25

Vacation (R)

11:25 AM 2:05 4:45 7:25 10:00

Pixels (PG-13)

Shaun the Sheep (PG) 11:05 AM 1:25

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (PG-13) 1:30 4:40 7:50 10:55

Vacation (R)

12:55 3:30 6:05 8:35 11:10

Paper Towns (PG-13)

11:15 AM 1:55 4:35 7:15 9:55

Pixels (PG-13)

1:00 4:05 7:10 10:15

J Straight Outta Compton (R) No VIP after 6PM

1:40 4:15

Ant-Man (PG-13)

12:30 2:00 3:45 5:15 7:00 8:30 10:15

1:35 4:30 7:20 10:10

Trainwreck (R)

Fantastic Four (PG-13)

6:50 9:45

Minions (PG) Jurassic World (PG-13)

11:45 AM 2:30 5:10 7:50 10:30

North

3:45 6:20

Minions (PG)

St. Louis Mills Stadium 18 (Regal)

Inside Out (PG)

American Ultra (R) DVS,CC

Trainwreck (R)

1:00 4:10 7:10 10:10 11:35 AM 1:55 4:15 6:35 9:00 12:50 3:30 6:15

Jurassic World (PG-13) 4:15 7:20

Jurassic World 3D (PG-13) 1:20 10:25

Gravois Bluffs Stadium 12(Regal)

Hwy 30 @ Gravois Bluff by JC Penny 636-326-2862

American Ultra (R) DVS,CC

(12:00 2:30) 5:00 7:40 10:10

Hitman: Agent 47 (R) DVS,CC

(11:50 AM 2:45) 5:15 8:00 10:30

Sinister 2 (R) DVS,CC

(11:30 AM 2:10) 4:45 7:20 9:50

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (PG-13) DVS,CC (11:00 AM 2:00) 4:50 7:45 10:35

J Straight Outta Compton (R) DVS,CC (11:40 AM 3:30) 7:00 10:20 Fantastic Four (PG-13) DVS,CC 7:10 9:45 The Gift (R) DVS,CC (11:20 AM 2:15) 5:10 7:55 10:40 Ricki and the Flash (PG-13) DVS,CC (11:10 AM 1:45) 4:30 7:05 9:40

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (PG-13) DVS,CC

(11:15 AM 3:15) 7:15 10:15 Vacation (R) DVS,CC (11:45 AM 2:20) 5:05 7:35 10:05 Ant-Man (PG-13) DVS,CC (10:50 AM 1:50) 4:40 7:30 10:25 Trainwreck (R) DVS,CC (10:45 AM 1:40) 4:35 7:50 10:45 Minions (PG) DVS,CC (11:05 AM 1:30) 4:20

stltoday.com/go

5555 St. Louis Mills Blvd.

(314)227-5503

(11:50 AM 2:30 5:10) 7:50 10:35 Hitman: Agent 47 (R) DVS,CC (11:30 AM 2:15 5:00) 7:40 10:25 Sinister 2 (R) DVS,CC (11:10 AM 1:50 4:35) 7:20 10:30

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (PG-13) DVS,CC (1:40 4:40) 7:45 10:45

J The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The IMAX Experience (PG-13) DVS,CC 1:00 7:15

J Straight Outta Compton (R) DVS,CC

(11:05 AM 11:45 AM 12:45 1:15 2:45 3:15 4:15 5:15) 6:30 7:00 8:00 9:45 10:15 10:40 Fantastic Four (PG-13) DVS,CC (11:20 AM 2:10 5:15) 8:05 11:00 The Gift (R) DVS,CC (1:20 4:20) 7:25 10:15 Ricki and the Flash (PG-13) DVS,CC (11:15 AM 2:05 5:05) 8:00 10:55 Shaun the Sheep (PG) DVS (12:00 2:50 5:25)

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (PG-13) DVS,CC (1:10 4:25) 7:35 10:50

J Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation The IMAX Experience (PG-13) DVS,CC

Ricki and the Flash (PG-13) 11:00 AM 1:30 4:10 6:40 9:10

Shaun the Sheep (PG)

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (PG-13) 12:20 3:30 6:45 8:30 9:50

Pixels (PG-13) 2:30 7:40

Minions (PG) 11:30 AM 1:50

Inside Out (PG) 11:15 AM 1:00 3:30 6:00

4:00 10:20

WE HRENBERG

7:55 10:45

Pixels (PG-13) DVS,CC (12:50 4:10) 7:10 10:05

Minions (PG) DVS,CC

(11:00 AM 1:35 4:05) 6:55 9:40

Inside Out (PG) DVS,CC (12:55) 6:50

Jurassic World (PG-13) DVS,CC (12:30 3:50) 7:15 10:10

J American Ultra (R) No VIP after 6PM 4:15 PM

J Straight Outta Compton (R) No VIP after 6PM 2:20 5:45 6:45 9:05 10:05

1:30 4:15 7:10 10:00

Max (PG)

2:45 5:05 7:30 10:00

1:35 4:20 7:15 10:05

J The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (PG-13) No VIP after 6PM

Jurassic World (PG-13) 1:40 4:35 7:30 10:25

Jurassic World 3D (PG-13)

1:10 4:15 7:05 10:00

J Straight Outta Compton: Mega Screen (R) No VIP after 6PM 10:00 PM

J Straight Outta Compton (R) No VIP after 6PM 1:00 1:45 4:10 5:10 7:20 8:30

1:00 3:55 6:50 9:45

Spy (R)

1:20 7:05

San Andreas (PG-13) 1:45 4:30 7:20 10:15

I’ll See You in My Dreams (PG-13) 1:55 4:25 7:00 9:30

Fantastic Four (PG-13)

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1:35 4:35 7:25 10:20

Pitch Perfect 2 (PG-13)

Ricki and the Flash (PG-13)

1:15 4:05

2:15 4:45 7:15 9:45

O’Fallon 15 Cine (Wehrenberg) 1320 Central Park Dr. O’Fallon www.wehrenberg.com J American Ultra (R) No VIP after 6PM

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11:55 AM 2:20 4:45 7:10 9:35

10:30 PM

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11:30 AM 2:05 4:40 7:15 9:50

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The Gift (R)

Trainwreck (R)

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8:35 PM

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Minions (PG)

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11:15 AM

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Lindbergh & Clayton J Best of Enemies (R)

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11:50 AM 2:30 5:10 7:40 10:10

Pixels (PG-13)

Plaza Frontenac (Landmark)

(11:00 AM) 1:20 4:10 6:40 9:20

(3:55) 9:50

4:00 9:20

Magic Mike XXL (R) 6:55 9:50

J Sinister 2 (R) No VIP after 6PM

WEHRE N B ERG

4:20 7:15 10:10

The Vatican Tapes (PG-13)

Terminator Genisys (PG-13)

2:00 4:30 7:00 9:30

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2:05 4:35 7:10 9:50

J Hitman: Agent 47 (R) No VIP after 6PM

Pixels (PG-13)

12:10 PM

50 Ludwig Dr. Fairview Heights www.wehrenberg.com 1:50 4:40 7:25 10:10

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1:45 4:05

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1:35 7:00 10:00

450 THF Blvd. www.wehrenberg.com

Shaun the Sheep (PG)

5:05 10:15

4:35 PM

Ant-Man (PG-13)

11:10 AM 2:15 5:10 8:05 11:15

11:15 AM 1:50 4:35 7:20 10:05

2:20 5:05 7:40 10:10

Illinois St. Clair 10 Cine (Wehrenberg)

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West

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11:00 AM 7:20 10:10

Minions (PG)

11:00 AM 2:00 4:15 6:30

Skyview Drive-In 5700 N. Belt West

618-233-4400

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Fantastic Four (PG-13) 10:35 PM

Hitman: Agent 47 (R) 8:30 PM

The Gift (R) 10:15 PM

08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

31

OFF THE

MENU

A BLT on sourdough with tomato jam, mixed greens and garlic mayo at the Old Bakery Beer Co.

New life at Old Bakery The Old Bakery Beer Co. fills a big space in Alton with a personal touch ★★

BY IAN FROEB / RESTAURANT CRITIC / IFROEB@POST-DISPATCH.COM

I

f you don’t know Alton very well, the name the Old Bakery Beer Co. might conjure an image of a quaint storefront tucked into a side street of this riverfront town.

In the back, in the narrow space where a second- or third-generation baker once turned out breads and cakes and pastries, a couple of brewers craft lagers and ales one painstaking batch at a time.

This is emphatically not the case.

The Old Bakery Beer Co. opened in January in the former Colonial Baking building, a sprawling facility across the street from the waterfront Liberty Bank Alton Amphitheater. To reach the dining room from the front door, you first walk past the brewery floor, which looks as if it could contain a high school gym (with stltoday.com/offthemenu

32

room to spare), and then through a sort of lobby, which looks as if it could contain an entire dining room (with room to spare). A sign helpfully informs you that you’re almost there.

When you do finally reach the dining room, you immediately stop calling it a dining room and instead think of it as a beer hall, a vast, high-ceilinged space with numerous tables and, along the back wall, a long bar.

Yet once you glance over Old Bakery’s intriguing beer list and modest menu, you might imagine yourself back inside that quaint storefront. Its size notwithstanding, this is no assemblefrom-a-kit brewpub. Married owners Lauren Pattan and James Rogalsky, both Alton natives and both veterans

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@ianfroeb

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of Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., didn’t set out to open a brewery this big. They looked at several locations in Alton and elsewhere before Rogalsky’s family suggested the Colonial Baking building.

The beer list currently offers 17 different styles, from the namedwith-a-wink Yellow Beer (a pilsner) to Gentle Giant, a double IPA named for Alton’s most famous native, the nearly 9-foot-tall Robert Wadlow. Most of the beers are smooth British-influenced or hoppy, thoroughly American ales in the 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent ABV range. I especially liked the English Breakfast Beer, which gilds a classic British brown ale with a slight sweetness from honey and floral notes from tea, and also the India brown ale, which balances the classic citrus and resin hop notes of an IPA with a pleasantly mellow roastiness.

Not for everyone, but worth trying for the curious, is the Single-Source Coffee Lager. This doses a black lager with cold-brew coffee made from single-source Guatemalan beans from Edwardsville’s Goshen Coffee. I love the complex roasted sweetness of a good coffee stout, and Old Bakery’s beer delivers that, but with a much lighter body ideal for warm weather.

(For now, you can only find Old Bakery’s beers in the Metro East, at the brewery itself or on tap in some three dozen restaurants. Pattan says they hope to expand distribution to Missouri by this fall.)

Pattan describes Old Bakery’s food menu as the product of a “relatively informal process” overseen by herself and kitchen manager Matt Cooper. As is practically mandatory at this point, the menu declares its affection for seasonal dishes and locally sourced ingredients, though it doesn’t burden diners with long lists of producers.

The standout dishes tweak classic

OUR FOOD RATINGS

★ Fair ★★ Good ★★★ Excellent ★★★★ Extraordinary

pub and bar-and-grill fare. The BLT ($8) substitutes a tart tomato jam for the usual tomato slices, and it and a garlic-spiked mayonnaise are smart accents for the thick, crisp bacon and its bed of mixed greens. The queso ($6), a starter, is coatthe-back-of-a-spoon thick and very rich. Think of it as more like a spicy rarebit sauce than a conventional queso. The jalapeño appetizer ($6) brings three halved and seeded chiles topped with a blend of bacon and cream and cheddar cheeses. It’s an unbattered, unfried jalapeño popper, and without the batter and oil, you can actually taste the chile and its toppings.

Brewpubs rarely earn acclaim for their salads, but my favorite dish at Old Bakery might have been watermelon tossed with arugula, feta and mint in a balsamic vinaigrette ($4 for a small, $9 for a large), a lovely summer mix of sweet and salty, peppery and verdant. Most main dishes succeed by sticking to tried-and-true formulas: a reuben ($9) thick with corned beef, plump beer brats ($8) with sauerkraut and stone-ground mustard, Italian cold cuts ($9) with provolone, onion and banana peppers. After 4 p.m., the kitchen serves a smoked half-chicken and a smoked pork steak. I tried the latter ($10), and while I liked the spicy dry rub, the very thin cut was chewy at best and tough around the edges.

If the food here isn’t quite so compelling as the beer, that’s no great fault.

Old Bakery has already done a fine job striking a balance between being a broadly appealing neighborhood brewpub for Alton and offering something a little different to entice beer drinkers from elsewhere. And, as you’ll understand as you catch your breath after the trek from the dining room back to the parking lot, Old Bakery still has plenty of room in which to grow.

WHERE The Old Bakery Beer Co., 400 Landmarks Boulevard, Alton • MORE INFO 618-463-1470; oldbakerybeer.com • MENU Sandwiches, snacks and more than a dozen craft-beer styles • HOURS Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday

Hear more about Ian’s visits to Old Bakery Beer Co. ➙ stltoday.com/off themenu stltoday.com/go

P H O T O : H U Y M A C H / P O S T- D I S PAT C H

From stltoday.com/offthemenu Chris Bork, the former executive chef of Blood & Sand, and Casey and Jeremy Miller, the owners of the Benton Park cafe the Mud House, plan to open Vista Ramen at 2609 Cherokee Street in the Benton Park West neighborhood. Bork and the Millers aren’t ready to announce an opening date. However, they plan to preview Vista Ramen through a series of pop-up dinners over the next few months at Brennan’s in the Central West End. ➙ Onesto Pizza & Trattoria in the city’s Princeton Heights neighborhood has new owners. The owners of West End Grill & Pub in the Central West End — Neill Costello, Henry Arciniega, William Roth and Benet Schaeffer — acquired Onesto from Craig Stenson at the beginning of the month. “The menu will be the exact same,” Costello said. “We might just clean (the space) up a little.” BY IAN FROEB

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08.21.15–08.27.15 • ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH • GO! MAGAZINE

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The Shrine reSTauranT

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August 21st Happy Hour 3-5 pm Gary Sluhan (“Parrot-Head”)

5-8 pm 34

Coffee + Donuts.

Sat., Aug. 29 from 10am to noon Tour of Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co.’s roasting facility followed by a cupping and samples paired with donuts from Strange Donuts.

Beer + seafooD Boil + iCe Cream.

Sat., Aug. 29 from 1 to 4pm

Seafood boil with Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co. at 4 Hands Brewing Co. featuring ice cream from Ices Plain and Fancy.

meat + Whiskey.

Sun., Aug. 30 from 1 to 3pm

Butchery demo at Bolyard’s Meat and Provisions with food samples and a whiskey tasting to follow with Square One Brewery and Distillery/Spirits of St. Louis.

Wine Pairing Dinner.

Sun., Aug. 30 from 6:30 to 9pm

Four-course dinner at Cleveland-Heath with wine pairings from Chaumette Vineyards & Winery and products from Baetje Farms and Salume Beddu.

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Saturday

Sunday

August 22nd Altered Fate

August 23rd Bryan & Lola

12-3 pm Steve Leslie Band

(Folk/Rock/Jazz)

(Rock duo)

(Rock)

5-8 pm

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2-5 pm

t si .com i , v ine s et az k ic ag t r m Fo ast fe stltoday.com/go

OVERHEARD

ON T V

“Churches: America’s favorite place for redemption and sixthfavorite place for chicken.”

JOHN OLIVER exposing

exploitation by televangelists on “Last Week Tonight”

enjoying just Netflix and an antenna.

Can I buy a device to record the programs we get locally via the antenna? Are TiVos still around? Yes, you can still buy a TiVo or other stand-alone DVRs. I understand there are also DVD recorders that function with menus, DVRlike, although I can’t swear to that. I think if you’re cutting the cord, you do really need a DVR. And probably Amazon and Hulu too.

When is “Survivor” coming back? Sept.

23. We get a chance to root for Tasha Fox, the St. Louis woman (I liked her) who’s part of the “second chances” cast.

P H O T O S : A M C ( “ F E A R T H E WA L K I N G D E A D ” ) ; P B S ( “ S E S A M E S T R E E T ” ) ; N B C ( L E N O , FA L L O N ) ; H B O ( O L I V E R )

From left: Cliff Curtis, Kim Dickens, Alycia Debnam and Frank Dillane on “Fear the Walking Dead”

TV Q&A Post-Dispatch TV critic Gail Pennington chats with readers every Thursday at 1 p.m. at stltoday. com/chat. Leave your questions and comments for Gail in advance, or come back and join the discussion live. Here are excerpts from

Gail’s chat last week from the Television Critics Summer press tour in Los Angeles: What panel of stars are you ignoring today while you chat with us? So far today we’ve had breakfast with Jay Leno for “Jay Leno’s Garage,” Oct. 7 on CNBC, and the NBC executive session with network announcements.

Ordinarily, I’d have taken a break during the “Sunday Night Football” panel, but decided just to sit here and do the chat.

I’ve heard a rumor of candy in the back but am trying to ignore it.

stltoday.com/tubetalk

@gailpennington

moment, I have only hopes, but I’m pretty sure I’ll watch it.

Leno I am anxiously awaiting the return of “The Walking Dead” and the premiere of “Fear the Walking Dead” (horrible title, by the way). I have my fingers crossed that “Fear” is close to as good as the original.

Any thoughts? I’ll be watching “Fear the Walking Dead” (I agree with you on the title) and writing about it for the premiere on Sunday. At the @tubetalkpd

Find daily TV picks, live chats and celeb news ➙ stltoday.com/tv

A while back I asked you if you had been watching “Doctor Who” during the 50th anniversary in 2013. You said you hadn’t watched much and wasn’t a big fan of Matt Smith. Now the ninth series of the show begins next month on BBC America. Have you watched any of last season’s episodes and the new Doctor, Peter Capaldi? Are you going to give the new series next month a try? Here’s something all fans of a particular show don’t get: People who watch TV for a living can’t possibly watch everything.

There are always new shows to preview for work, and in the limited time that’s left, you really have to pick and choose shows you love and enjoy and find entertaining. So, long answer to tell you I watched Peter Capaldi’s premiere but really have no thoughts on him as the Doctor. This just isn’t going to be a show I keep up with.

I just binge-watched “Younger” on TV Land. What a cute show! Will it be back for a second season?

I liked it too. After four episodes, TV Land picked up “Younger” for a second season.

TV hardware question here: We got rid of U-Verse and have been

Did NBC say anything about why they canceled my favorite show, “Hannibal”?

That’s funny; nobody asked during the panel this morning. But I can tell you: Ratings were super low.

So you were with Jay Leno this morning; how was he? Is his new show going to be like his Internet car show? He seems fine, in good spirits. Looking shaggy. The new show is eight episodes of him driving cars, looking at cars, looking at cars, looking at car engines. I couldn’t really care much less.

What do you make of HBO buying “Sesame Street”? This is the original kid show, and now parents will have to get cable plus HBO to see it.

That deal is a good thing. Sesame Workshop was pretty broke and

“Thank you, heirloom tomatoes, for showing me what it would look like if a tomato hooked up with a pumpkin.”

JIMMY FALLON writing a thank-you note on “The Tonight Show”

“Sesame Street” was actually in danger. It’s expensive to produce, and so valuable for kids. The HBO deal pumps lots of money in, and they’ll do double the original content.

Episodes will still air on PBS, after a nine-month exclusive window.

I saw what you posted about the “Deadwood” movie rumors. Do you think that will ever happen?

I don’t want to get my hopes up. It’s been nine years, and I can’t let go either.

What happened last week is that Garrett Dillahunt tweeted that the promised movie(s) might be on again, and everyone got excited.

Queried, HBO said they’d merely had “a conversation.” That still sounds hopeful to me, especially with so many shows being revived. One big roadblock is that they took down and sold off the sets right after the cancellation.

Fingers crossed.

I’ve been enjoying your dispatches from TCA, but it seems as if you mainly hear about new shows. Do the networks ever bring in people from their returning shows? I think that would be interesting. Not very often. Fox brought in “Empire,” and cable networks brought in returning shows (I think we’ve had four “Masters of Sex” panels from Showtime), but if a broadcast network just has one day, they use all their time for new series.

Were there any new shows you liked better after hearing the cast and producers talk about them? Any you liked less? If a cast is funny and enthusiastic, you always like the show a little better, but I try not to let that influence a review.

Count von Count of “Sesame Street”

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