Weekend - April 08, 2021

For the most up-to-date listing of events, go online to masslive.com/entertainment

Weekend

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HISTORIC DEERFIELD: Virtual forum to explore clothing trades, equity, E3 LIVEWIRE: Livestream concert to benefit the Shea Theater Arts Center, E4 OFF THE MENU: Third-party delivery proves costly to restaurants, E8

| THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021

Festival of Flowers Springfield Museums welcome spring with opportunity to reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic, E2

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The Springfield Museums will present “Festival of Flowers: Reflections,” today through Sunday, with floral arrangements on display in galleries of the art museums and virtual events, including a lecture, tours and family activities. (SPRINGFIELD MUSEUMS PHOTO)

ON THE COVER

Festival of Flowers returns to Springfield Museums

I

By Cori Urban

Special to The Republican

t’s spring, people are getting vaccinated, and the Springfield Museums will present “Festival of Flowers: Reflections” after last year’s cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are incredibly excited to host the Festival of Flowers event once again,” said Director of Education Larissa M. Murray. “The annual celebration has always focused on welcoming spring, but this year it has taken on new meaning. We enjoy the warming days and the gardens waking up on the Quadrangle Green, but we also are filled with hope as more visitors begin to return to the museums and more and more people receive the vaccine.”

More than 25 floral arrangements will be on view in the galleries of the art museums today through Sunday, and a lecture, virtual tours and a several complimentary family activities will be available on the Springfield Museums website.

The Festival of Flowers was cancelled last year as the world responded to the coronavirus pandemic. Keeping in mind this difficult year, “Festival of Flowers: Reflections” will showcase arrangements that interpret the way people are feeling now. Participants may choose to create a display

Carol Lawson and Sandy Lepore, both of Agawam, check out a floral display during the 7th annual Festival of Flowers at the Springfield Museums. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed when viewing arrangements on display for this year’s festival. (FREDERICK GORE PHOTO)

A floral arrangement stands on display at a past Festival of Flowers at the Springfield Museums. This year’s festival, “Reflections,” will showcase arrangements that interpret the way people are feeling following a year-long pandemic. (FREDERICK GORE PHOTO)

of hope and optimism or a tribute to someone lost.

Arrangements could celebrate new scientific advances or express gratitude or focus on a favorite color or flower that brings comfort and happiness.

“Festival of Flowers will be powerful and filled with emotion, welcoming spring,” said Kay Simpson, president and CEO of the Springfield Museums. “It will also reflect on the past year we have experienced together.”

In the past, the Festival of Flowers arrangements have interpreted museum objects and artwork; the event was a way to greet spring and highlight the collection while celebrating the talent of local florists and garden club members. “However, this year, we felt that the event should reflect on this past year and our shared experience, to heal and to recognize what we have all been through,” Murray said. “Flowers can provide hope, solace, joy, memories and wonder.”

Usually at least one arrangement is placed in each gallery

SEE FLOWERS, PAGE E3

“By their nature, flowers lift spirits and bring happiness; hopefully the 2021 Festival of Flowers event will do just that while projecting optimism for the spring and summer ahead.”

LARISSA M. MURRAY

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THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021 | E3

Historic Deerfield to explore clothing trades, equity Virtual forum ‘Invisible Makers’ planned for Saturday

By Cori Urban

visitors want to hear when in fact everyone needs to hear them because they are a part of American history.”

In early America, she continued, there was often no mention of the contributions of enslaved Black craftspeople who labored in shops making and contributing to objects because they were enslaved.

“That continues to this present day when museum’s attribute objects specifically to a particular white craftsperson when in some cases it is known through examining the white craftsperson’s papers that they enslaved Black craftspeople who were skilled and labored in the white craftsperson’s shop,” she said.

According to Lazaro, while the clothing and textile trades have historically been anonymous, except in cases of extreme luxury or accidental notoriety, recent scholarship has begun to shift. “Textiles and clothing made, traded or worn by marginalized people in American society of the past is now recognized as an important aspect to how we study history,” he said. “In the past, Americans’ exploration into the contributions of Black, indigenous and people of color within fashion and textiles has not been forthcoming. This is partly because research interests tended to focus on white narratives.”

But the lack of identifiable BIPOC makers and wearers of

preting museum objects in 2022. The collection items are selected on a rotating basis CONTINUED FROM PAGE E2 so as not to repeat paintings, of the art, science and history sculptures and objects from museums; however this year year to year,” Murray said. the reflective arrangements Visiting during the Festival will be located in the two of Flowers has been an annual art museums: the D’Amour tradition for many people.

Museum of Fine Arts and the “Visitors are awed by the George Walter Vincent Smith creativity of the floral designers and also enjoy seeing new Art Museum. The pedestals holding the arrangements will types of flowers with which they may not be familiar,” be well-spaced allowing for she said. “By their nature, social distancing.

“We will return to interflowers lift spirits and bring

happiness; hopefully the 2021 Festival of Flowers event will do just that while projecting optimism for the spring and summer ahead.”

For those unable to visit in person, the museums staff has created a virtual tour with photos and participants’ personal statements. Additional resources and family activities will be available on the museums’ website.

For more information, go online to springfieldmuse ums.org/flowers.

Many people today are increasingly concerned about transparency, equity and the environmental impact of the clothing trades.

“Where our clothes are made and under what conditions are now seen to reflect us as a society,” said David E. Lazaro, Historic Deerfield’s curator of textiles. “That concern also acts as a lens through which to view clothing and textile production in the past.

Understanding labor and technology patterns increases what we can learn about ourselves and makes us more informed about the choices we make today.”

Historic Deerfield will present a virtual forum, “Invisible Makers: Textiles, Dress, and Marginalized People in 18thand 19th-Century America,” on Saturday from 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Academic and museum professionals will discuss examples of the important roles and contributions of Black, indigenous and people of color textile and clothing producers and consumers in the 18th and 19th centuries. Presented as case studies, the research includes textiles and clothing produced by forced labor within plantations; people of color working as tailors and dressmakers in Massachusetts; and marginalized people who fashioned their dressed

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bodies using Anglo-European garments in ways that both subverted normative styles while expressing other cultural identities.

The keynote lecture, “Someone Knows My Name: A Framework for Researching the Lives and Experiences of Under-represented Craftspeople in Early America,” will be presented by Tiffany N. Momon, assistant professor of history at the University of the South and founder of the Black Craftspeople Digital Archive.

She will explore the methodology behind the Black Craftspeople Digital Archive (blackcraftspeople.org) and discuss the methods used to uncover Black craftspeople through examining historical documents, objects and places.

She will discuss the impact of this work and the goals of the project and explore the lives of a few Black craftspeople who labored in trades such as weaving, sewing and tailoring.

“Today, objects made by Black craftspeople are underrepresented at museums and historic sites,” she said, explaining that often stories of Black craftspeople are barely mentioned for a variety of reasons: “Some museums and historic sites choose to ignore these stories because they have determined that these are not stories that their

Special to The Republican

Enslaved Labor, Fashioning an Appearance as Negotiation and Self-Expression and Following the Threads of Dressmaking and Tailoring.

Textiles and clothing have been a life-long interest of Lazaro. “The technical, artistic and intuitive knowledge required to create and decorate fabric as well as the manipulation of that two-dimensional material into three-dimensional forms that clothe the moving human body or an upholstered piece of furniture, never cease to amaze me,” he said. “Textiles and clothing are visual, auditory and textural; all the senses come into play when we see ‘dressed’ people or objects. Fashion and textiles communicate so much about who we are as individuals and as a society. So much is encoded and perceived in how A circa 1770 embroidered we dress and decorate — aessilk waistcoast from Historic thetics, mood, assumptions Deerfield’s collection. about gender, wealth, geograsurviving garments or the lack phy, and so much more.”

The link for the live Zoom of evidence in archives and museum collections added to webinar will be sent to registrants prior to the event. the difficulty in telling those stories. “Plus literacy was not Recordings will be available to registrants for two weeks after a given, and some cultures each session. passed down information The cost for the webinar is orally rather than through writing,” he said. “With more $60 ($50 for members), $85 for new members (which inefforts undertaken in the last cludes membership) and $45 several years, including the for students. Register online at Black Craftspeople Digital historic-deerfield.org.

Archives, those stories and For more information, identities are thankfully coming to light.” contact Julie Orvis at jorvis@ Panel topics for the forum historic-deerfield.org or call will focus on The Fabric of 413-775-7179.

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E4 | THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021

MUSIC

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Livestream concert to benefit Shea Theater

ust as baseball season gets underway, the Greenfield-based musical collective The Frost Heaves and Hales will play a doubleheader of sorts.

Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m., the ensemble will livestream a combo of old and new creations as they play both the 12-year-old eponymous “Frost Heaves” album, along with singer-songwriter Daniel Hales’ pandemic compilation album “Unstable Oscillators.”

“Unstable Oscillators” is a collection of the first three EPs of Hales’ pandemic solo project, “Selah haleS.” The show also falls one day from the 12th anniversary of “Frost Heaves,” which was released back on April 10, 2009.

The show will be livestreamed from the Shea Theater, and tickets are available on a sliding scale from $1 to “name your own price,” with 40% of sales directly benefitting the Shea Theater Arts Center.

For tickets, go online to showclix.com/event/sheapresents-daniel-hale Liner notes • Carrie Underwood’s Easter livestream concert raised more than $100,000 for Save The Children.

Titled “My Savior: Live From The Ryman,” the show featured traditional hymns that the country singer sang on her latest album, “My Savior.”

“It means so much to be able to bring this event to people in their homes on a day that holds so much meaning for us spiritually and to be able to raise

Daniel Hales, left, and James Lowe of The Frost Heaves and Hales, will present a livestream concert tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. to benefit the Shea Theater Arts Center.

George Lenker LiveWire

much-needed funds and awareness for the incredible work of Save the Children as we celebrate the importance of family,” Underwood said in a press release.

• While Staind’s Aaron Lewis may not be a Bruce Springsteen fan, The Boss need not worry, as another platinum-selling musician obviously still loves him/ Lorde, a New Zealand native, recently made a surprise appearance, joining Marlon Williams onstage in Auckland, New Zealand, for a duet, according to Coup De Main magazine. Lorde and Williams performed a piano-based

Carrie Underwood performed an Easter livestream concert that raised more than $100,000 for Save The Children. (ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO)

version of Springsteen’s “Tougher Than the Rest,” from his 1987 album “Tunnel of Love.”

This may have been a reciprocal tip of the hat, as Springsteen has covered Lorde’s “Royals” during a 2014 concert in New Zealand.

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HOLYOKE

HCC virtual play earns national honors The Holyoke Community College Theater Department’s fall 2020 production, a livestreamed virtual play called “Fatal Fisticuffs,” won two awards at this year’s Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

Holyoke Community College theater professor Tim Cochran, right, directs a fight sequence with alumni actor Mike Pray for the HCC production of “Fatal Fisticuffs,” as streaming coach and HCC alumnus Cory Missildine, left, records the action against a green screen.

The original work, written

by HCC alumnus Tom Roche ’16 of Holyoke, was recognized with a merit award for “Innovation in Digital Theater.” HCC student Nanette Mendieta, of Holyoke, won an award for excellence in stage management.

The awards were announced at the end of the KCACTF Region I festival, which was held virtually this year in January.

“Fatal Fisticuffs” was originally conceived as a traditional stage production that was meant also to be streamed over the internet and include real-time interactions with a virtual audience. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced the play off stage and completely into the digital realm.

“We were all trying to overcome the obstacles that were placed in front of us as we attempted to tell a story in a virtual world,” said director and HCC theater professor Tim Cochran. “We wanted to experiment and push our technical abilities as far as we could. Being recognized on a

UPCOMING PLAY Event: ‘In These Times’ What: HCC Theater Department will present a dramatic collection of original stories from the HCC community about life during the COVID-19 pandemic Where: Streamed online April 14-17 For more information: Visit hcc.edu

regional level is important because it provides affirmation that our work is respected by other colleges and it recognizes our merit as a program of excellence and innovation.

This play was being produced at an incredibly difficult time for all of us and it became a light in the darkness for a lot of people.”

KCACTF Region I includes colleges and universities in northern New York and all six New England states. Awards are based on the recommendations of respondents, who — usually — travel around

SEE HCC, PAGE E5

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THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021 | E5

MOVIES ONLINE STREAMING

‘Roe v. Wade’ brings controversy to the table Casey Affleck stars in ‘Every Breath You Take’

By Michael O’Sullivan

Washington Post

Arriving amid controversy and with a chip on its shoulder, the drama “Roe v. Wade” lands on premium video-on-demand services after premiering at February’s Conservative Political Action Conference.

Billed as the true story of the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case affirming the right to safe and legal abortion, the film was produced, co-written and co-directed by Nick Loeb, who also plays the film’s main character: Bernard Nathanson, best known as the co-founder of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (now NARAL Pro-Choice America) and an abortion provider who renounced his practice to become a prominent opponent of the procedure. (The

John Schneider, left, and Jon Voight play Supreme Court justices in “Roe v. Wade.” (QUIVER DISTRIBUTION)

Loeb’s performance in “Roe” is not what anyone will be talking about after watching this polemic abortion narrative – one that centers on a man (ironically, given its subject matter).

Those who have already made up their minds in favor of abortion rights are unlikely to be swayed by the film’s arguments against them, but persuasion seems hardly the point. Mostly, the movie plays like catnip to

Matt Smith appears in “Mapplethorpe: The Director’s Cut.”(SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS)

confirmed abortion opponents, and in addition to some brief, shockingly graphic images – it includes performances by Donald Trump-supporting actors Jon Voight, John Schneider and Stacey Dash – along with a bizarrely unshaven Corbin Bernsen as Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, who wrote

Also streaming Casey Affleck plays a psychiatrist whose career and family life is threatened by the brother (Sam Claflin) of one his patients, who has taken her life, in “Every Breath You Take.”

Slant magazine calls it a “stalker thriller without thrills or stakes.” R. Available via premium on demand. Contains some violence, strong language and brief sensuality. 105 minutes.

“Mapplethorpe: The Director’s Cut” adds about 12 minutes and a new soundtrack to a biopic that came out in theaters two years ago about the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, played by Matt Smith. In The Washington SEE STREAM, PAGE E7

weekends, and the work is evident in what we see on the stage and, now also, on the CONTINUED FROM PAGE E4 screen.” the country to view college The production featured theater productions and offer a number of HCC theater critiques. alumni in key positions: Cory In the case of “Fatal FistMissildine ‘13, a profesicuffs,” the production was sional gamer and owner performed live four times of the Easthampton-based over three days in November livestreaming company 2020. During the show, 13 Missildine Online, served as student-and alumni-actors streaming coach; Mike Pray performed in front of green ‘08, a member of Tieline screens in their homes with Theater, a Massachusetts the live action patched theater collaborative, served together remotely with fight as fight choreographer; and scenes pre-recorded on Roche, an award-winning the stage of HCC’s Leslie playwright, wrote — and Phillips Theater. Based on rewrote — the script. their performances in “Fatal In the past nine years, the Fisticuffs,” student-actors HCC Theater Department Lauren Bailey, Miguel Perez has won 12 KCACTF awards and Brandon Rodriguez were for individual acting, ensemble acting, dedication to a also selected to perform in an acting competition during script, stage managing, and best original music, among the festival. others.

“I think the students’ This spring, the HCC Theperformances speak to their dedication, talent, and com- ater Department will present mitment,” said Kim Hicks, another virtual production, HCC dean of Arts & Hu“In These Times,” a dramanities. “The same applies matic collection of original to our Theater faculty, who stories from the HCC community about life during the work collaboratively with COVID-19 pandemic. The students to create the fall show, directed by HCC theand spring theater productions each year. Everyone ater professor Pat Sandoval, involved in these shows puts will be performed online April 14-17. For more information, in an incredible amount of visit hcc.edu. work, including nights and

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real-life Nathanson narrated the infamous 1984 antiabortion documentary “The Silent Scream.”) Loeb, for his part, is less known for his acting than for being Sofia Vergara’s ex-husband, who recently lost on appeal his custody lawsuit over frozen embryos he and the actress created while married.

the majority opinion in “Roe.” Viewers on the left may come looking for unintended comedy in cameos by Tomi Lahren (as Blackmun’s daughter) and Milo Yiannopoulos (as a doctor who teaches Nathanson a timesaving abortion technique), but these blink-and-you’llmiss-them performances are less deliciously overripe than simply dull. PG-13. Available on demand via Amazon, iTunes, Google Play and cable/satellite. Contains mature thematic elements and some bloody and disturbing images. 112 minutes.

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MOVIES DVD RELEASES

OSCARS

Your guide to 2021 Oscar shorts 2021 OSCAR SHORTS

A scene from the documentary short “A Love Song for Latasha.” (SHORTSTV)

I

By Michael O’Sullivan

Washington Post

think we can all agree: It’s a weird year for the Oscars, and not just because Glenn Close and Olivia Colman are going head to head again, after Close lost the best actress race to Colman in 2019. It’s so weird that some have taken to calling them the Oddscars. Should Close even have been nominated for her over-the-top performance in “Hillbilly Elegy”? In this pandemic year of streaming releases, did anyone even see “The One and Only Ivan” (nominated for a visual effects prize)?

It is reassuring to see that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – which extended the deadline for eligibility – has not forgotten even the smallest awards, or the smallest films.

The Oscar-nominated shorts, in categories of live action, animation and documentary, are available for streaming via virtual cinema, and they’re worth checking out.

Don’t want to watch a whole program of five nominees? As noted below, many individual films are available to stream a la carte.

Animation “Burrow” (available on Disney Plus) has the light touch you’d expect from Pixar. It’s the story of a bunny looking for a subterranean home, in the midst of too many neigh-

Playing at: Virtually at Amherst Cinema, Amher stCinemaAtHome.org.

Each of the three shorts programs plays a seperate feature. You can buy tickets for each program individually, or combined as a bundle. Also available at afisilver.afi.com, virtualavalon.com and shorts.tv/theoscarshorts; available April 20 on iTunes, Amazon, Verizon and Google Play Rated: Animated: Unrated (treat as PG-13); Live Action: Unrated (treat as R); Documentary: Unrated (treat as R) Running time: Animated: 99 min.; Live Action: 130 min.; Documentary: 136 min.

conflict, commerce, politics and everything in between are literally on the screen as the camera zooms out from a massive, pyramid-shaped world teeming with tiny, antlike people.

Critic’s pick: The smart money is on “If Anything Happens I Love You” (available on Netflix), which centers on the aftermath of a mass shooting and its impact on grieving parents. Heavy for a cartoon? Yes, but what could be more timely?

Unrated (treat as PG-13). The animation program contains strong language, smoking, brief nudity and themes intended for mature audiences. 99 minutes.

In addition to the five nominated films, the program also A scene from the animated short “If Anything Happens I Love includes a selection of addiYou.” (SHORTSTV) tional animated films from the bors: gophers, mice, badgers wind “Genius Loci” and “Op- Oscar shortlist. and even ants. The Icelandic era.” The first one is a dreamy fantasia: an at-times-abstract, Live action film “Yes-People,” in which Connection and disconat-times-surreal meditation all the dialogue consists of nection are rampant in the on chaos, via images renthe Icelandic word for yes dered in watercolor, colored live-action category, starting (which sounds a little like pencil and woodcut. “Opera” with “The Present” (avail“yow”), is also quite cute. able on Netflix) and “White set its sights on something But you’ll be glad the next Eye.” The first film follows a equally ambitious: all of hutwo films are streaming, SEE OSCAR, PAGE E7 because you may need to re- manity. Birth, life, death, sex,

‘Earwig and the Witch’ a first for Studio Ghibli

A scene from “Earwig and the Witch.” (HBO) Tribune News Service

An unusual animated feature tops the new DVD releases for this week.

“Earwig and the Witch,” the first 3DCG feature from acclaimed Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli, is about an orphan who is adopted by a witch. Her bratty personality sets her apart from most of the heroes in the famed studio’s films.

“Earwig is this protagonist who talks about controlling people and is someone that always tries to get payback,” director Goro Miyazaki told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published earlier this year. “She is not a proper good kid, really, and I thought that made her very charming.

“I wanted to portray her,” he added, “as someone who is energetic and honest about her wants who just doesn’t fit the ‘good kid’ mold.”

But despite the new ground, the film failed to impress some critics. Variety called

SEE DVD, PAGE E7

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THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021 | E7

MOVIES

Oscar CONTINUED FROM PAGE E6

Palestinian man (Saleh Bakri) as he and his young daughter encounter bigotry in their attempt to buy an anniversary gift on the far side of a West Bank checkpoint. “White Eye” looks at another disturbing Middle Eastern encounter – between an arrogant Tel Aviv resident and the Eritrean immigrant he believes has stolen his bike.

“Two Distant Strangers” (available on Netflix) is a “Groundhog Day”-like fantasy about a White police officer’s violence against a Black man. The mix of drama, sci-fi and moments of comedy make this oddest nominee, stylistically. “The Letter Room” (available on Topic) packs the most star power, with Oscar Isaac playing a kindly corrections officer assigned to sort through and censor mail addressed to death row prisoners.

Critic’s Pick: “Feeling Through” (available at feelingthrough.com) is a quiet candidate for best live-action short – literally. One night, a young homeless man (Steven

Stream CONTINUED FROM PAGE E5

Post’s 2019 review, the portrait of the controversial artist was described as “airbrushed into banality.” Unrated. Available on Hulu, Amazon, iTunes, GooglePlay, Kanopy, FandangoNow and Vudu. Contains nudity, sexual situations, obscenity and drug use. 114 minutes.

German forced-labor camp where her brother – a member of the Resistance – died.

“Hunger Ward” (available at pluto.tv) is tough to watch, as filmmaker Skye Fitzgerald – a 2019 nominee for “Lifeboat” – visits two pediatric malnutrition wards in Yemen.

It’s a bleak, depressing gut punch of a movie. “Do Not Split” (Available on Vimeo) looks at the 2019 origins of Steven Prescod, left, and Robert Tarango in “Feeling Through.” Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests.

(SHORTSTV) Critic’s Pick: The fatal 1991 Part of the New York Times’ shooting of Latasha Harlins Prescod) meets a deaf and Op-Docs series of short blind man (Robert Tarango) by a Los Angeles convenience “opinion” films, “A Concerto in need of assistance getting store owner – who mistakenly home. Across the divide, they Is a Conversation” (available thought the 15-year-old was figure out a way to communi- at nytimes.com) centers on shoplifting an orange juice – is cate and, more importantly, co-director Kris Bowers’s refracted through the hearta way to relate to each other, 91-year-old grandfather, who breaking lens of “A Love Song for Latasha” (available on Netone human being to another, looks back on his journey flix). The film, which paints a which the other films in this from the Jim Crow South to category prove is all too diffiLos Angeles, where he built a vivid portrait of a person who’s cult these days. absent from its footage, uses business and a life. (Bowers Unrated (treat as R). The live is a musician and composer, the voices of Latasha’s cousin action program contains strong and his conversation with his and her best friend, in a kaleidoscopic collage of memory language and themes intendgrandpa takes place against ed for mature audiences. 130 the premiere of his “Concerto that evokes old VHS tapes and minutes. for a Younger Self ” at the Walt faded photo albums.

Unrated (treat as R). The Disney Concert Hall.) The Documentary theme of revisiting the past is documentary program contains A poignant theme of remem- continued in “Colette” (avail- themes intended for mature brance runs through several of able at theguardian.com), audiences, as well as graphic imagery of malnourished children this year’s nonfiction offerwhich follows a 90-year-old ings. in “Hunger Ward.” 136 minutes.

French woman’s trip to the

thinking or feelings,” Wu delivers a “ferocious, driven performance,” Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi.com. In Taiwanese and Mandarin with subtitles. 103 minutes.

Variety calls “Shiva Baby,” a film set during a Jewish shiva, or mourning ritual, and centering on a college senior (Rachel Sennott) with a much older boyfriend (Danny Deferrari) a “fast, tightly choreographed farce with confidently sharp Jewish humor.” Unrated.

Available at afisilver.afi.com and virtualavalon.org. 77 minutes.

ing hotel/prison with nearly 700 COVID-19 cases. The San Francisco Chronicle writes: “It’s an experience you would not want to have directly, but it’s fascinating to watch.” TV14. Available on HBO Max. 40 minutes.

“This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection,” by the Berlin-based Mosotho filmmaker Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, stars the late Mary Twala In the stylized thriller “Nina (seen in Beyoncé’s “Black Wu,” the title character is an Is King”) as an 80-year-old actress on the verge of her big widow whose son has been break (Wu Ke-Xi, who also killed in a mining accident. co-wrote the script based on The Guardian calls the movie, her own personal experiences) which won the Special Jury when she begins to experience “The Last Cruise” takes Prize for visionary filmmaking paranoid fantasies. Despite a documentary look at the at the 2020 Sundance Film what the Hollywood Reporter ill-fated Diamond Princess Festival, a “severe, uncompromising film; it’s more like a secalls the film’s “odd turns and cruise ship that set sail from time leaps that are neither Japan in January of last year, at ries of images strung together, entirely clear narratively nor the start of the pandemic, only each framed exactingly, like satisfactorily explore (Nina’s) to become, in essence, a float- a painting. At the center of it

all is Twala, often silent, her expression fixed in determination – no words needed.” Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi. com. In Sesotho with subtitles.

117 minutes.

DVD CONTINUED FROM PAGE E6

this tale “anemic,” adding: “For years, animation mavens have been debating whether Pixar or Ghibli was the more gifted animation studio, which was a fairly abstract argument when the techniques were different. But now that the latter has produced its first fully CG feature, there’s just no comparison. ‘Earwig’ is inferior on nearly every level.”

Also new on DVD “The Reckoning”: A young woman struggling with her husband’s suicide is further tormented by her creepy landlord.

“Shadow in the Cloud”: Chloe Grace Moretz stars as a female World War II pilot battling a supernatural foe.

“Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar”: Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo play pals from Nebraska who cut loose in Florida in this kitschy comedy.

“Giants Being Lonely”: Coming-of-age drama about two small-town high school baseball players in the South.

“Son of the South”: Grandson of a Klansman joins the civil rights movement. Based on a true story.

“Space Dogs: Tropical Adventure”: Cartoon canines must save the world.

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DINE & WINE

Third-party delivery proves costly to restaurants

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OW THAT THERE’S some glimmer of hope for a return to restaurant normalcy, speculation is intensifying as to the “stickiness” of the restaurant industry operational changes the COVID-19 pandemic brought about.

Most — but not all — in the industry seem to be betting that many of those innovations — family meal packs, curbside pickup, third party delivery, and the like — will become permanent parts of the dining out experience.

One of the big beneficiaries of the pandemic have been the third-party delivery services such as DoorDash, Postmates, Uber Eats, and the like. All were able to dramatically increase their volume of business as restaurants — both chains and independents — scrambled to find options after in-restaurant dining was shut down. Operations that previously saw 2 or 3% of their orders come in from these third party services suddenly were finding that such orders accounted for a quarter or more of their restaurant’s total dollar sales.

The problem with sustaining high levels of third party delivery after the pandemic passes are the costs involved.

Though hard data is difficult to come by, most third party delivery brands take 20 or 30% of every dollar of restaurant sales that get ordered through such a service.

That hefty cut was tolerable when third party delivery sales were a small, incremental part of a restaurant’s business but become unsustainable at higher levels of volume. Even well-run restaurants have a tough time realizing five or ten percent profit on sales; having a delivery service take 20% off the top is unrealistic.

A few independents and chains have experimented with higher menu prices for delivery, but most operators have been “eating” the losses they book on delivery sales.

Hugh Robert Off The Menu

Most third party delivery services take 20% or more of every dollar of restaurant sales that get ordered.

Cape Cod chicken, butternut squash ravioli, and roasted potatoes; an Hawaiian pack with teriyaki chicken pineapple skewers and Island fried rice; and a BBQ pack that feaWhether or not restaurant starter, a salad, an entree, and tures baby back ribs, mesquite owners continue to take chicken, baked beans, and a dessert. such a bottom line “hit” as white cheddar mac & cheese.

Entree selections include on-premises dining returns is a classic chicken Parmesan, The packs include rolls and yet to be seen. dessert. eggplant Neopolitan, redfish Another issue with third For more details, call Chez nouvelle, hazelnut-encrusted party delivery is the ownerJosef at 413-786-0257; their salmon, a grilled, 10-ounce ship of customer data. Since website is chezjosef.com. top sirloin steak, and more. orders are placed through The prix fixe menu is not the service’s app, marketing • Now that the option of available for takeout. intelligence on who orders dine-out weekend breakContact the restaurant fasts is coming back strong, what and when is typically at 413-827-9353 for more operations like Burgundy retained by the third party details.

Brook Cafe and Restaurant service. They are then free to monetarize that information, • Throughout the pandem- in Three Rivers are enhancing either by using it for their own ic, Chez Josef in Agawam has their morning food options with creativity aplenty. marketing or even selling it to been creating an assortment of “Complete Dinner Packs” Some typical experiences data brokers. that it made available for that before-noon customers Side dishes either pickup or local delivery can find include cinnamon • Cal’s Wood-Fired Grill on a weekly special basis. bun French toast, banana & Wine Bar in West SpringNow the operation’s Nutella crepes, and a “ratfield has announced that its tlesnake” omelet that’s filled Chez2Go division is offering $23.99 Prix Fixe menu is now a complete library of dinner with sausage, red peppers, being served on Mondays jalapenos, and melted Swiss packs on a one-week-ad(holidays excluded). Available vance-notice basis. cheese.

Options include a Fall at dinner only, the four-course Traditionalist can enjoy Harvest pack that includes menu includes a choice of choices such as a corned beef

Even well-run restaurants have a tough time realizing five or ten percent profit on sales; having a delivery service take 20% off the top is unrealistic.

skillet topped with poached eggs and hollandaise or sausage biscuit with gravy, while those who like it hot might opt for a dialed-up chicken sriracha benedict.

Open Thursday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Burgundy Brook Cafe also serves dinner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

More menu details are available at the Cafe’s website, burgundybrook.com. Their telephone number is 413-2896359.

• Like many restaurant chains, UNO Pizzeria & Grill is anxious for employees to get vaccinated, and in order to improve the likelihood that will happen, the Boston-based pizza chain has created an inhouse vaccination “concierge service.” Staffed by volunteer employees, the service helps those who work at UNO-owned restaurants and facilities schedule vaccination appointments.

UNO is also further encouraging vaccinations by offering a $50 gift card to every employee who completes a course of immunization against COVID-19.

• The Student Prince Cafe and Fort Restaurant in Springfield has expanded its brunch program. The restaurant now offers a brunch menu every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Buffet selections include breakfast favorites such as eggs Benedict, waffles, an omelet station, home fries, and a SEE MENU, PAGE E9

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DINE & WINE

Partake Brewing creates line of quality non-alcoholic brews

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Five varieties of non-alcoholic, low calorie drinks offered by Partake Brewing of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. (TERRY L WALLACE / PARTAKE BREWING)

Menu

Braille and large-print menus in all its U.S. and Canadian stores by this summer.

More information about the Aira service is available at aira.io.

VER THE YEARS, I’ve received emails from folks who say they no longer drink but still enjoy reading my column.

While that is a great compliment, I also sometimes worry about enticing people who shouldn’t drink to fall off the wagon. I hope that has never happened. Let’s face it: Alcoholism is a serious problem, and I have friends who have faced it and fight it every day.

There are non-alcoholic beers of course, but I’ve never been a fan of them. But now there seems to be a non-alcoholic brewery that at least

George Lenker Beer Nut

had a decent malt aroma and poured with a very active carbonation. It featured a decent head that didn’t last long. Tea notes were initially dominant in the flavor, and the malt in the nose seemed minimal in the taste. Hops were present, but the missing element was mouthfeel and body. It was thirst -quenching and tasty but lacked the oomph of an alcoholic brew.

SEE BEER, PAGE E10

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which makes RITZ crackers, promoted such a competition late last year, challenging CONTINUED FROM PAGE E8 chefs to come with new selection of breakfast meats. ways of using RITZ crushed Supplementing those choiccrackers. es are pasta salad, several Though the contests are hot entrees, and a carving • Max Burger in Longoften high visibility, the station; a dessert table is also meadow has updated the winning chef typically don’t availability of its Fried Chick- get as much exposure, which part of the buffet package.

In addition to the brunch, en Family Pack. makes Eric Stein, the Grand the Student Prince makes Now offered every other Prize Winner of the 2020 its regular a la carte menu Wednesday, the pack include RITZ Crushed Cracker Conavailable during weekend eight pieces of fried chicken, test, an exception.

Mondelez recently anlunch hours. mashed potatoes, mac & Contact the restaurant at cheese, coleslaw, hot honey, nounced his winning entry, (413) 734-7475. Reservations and buttermilk biscuits with a Fudgy Peanut Butter and can also be made online at Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream honey butter. studentprince.com.

Pie. Stein, who is the research The Family Pack is available for either dine in or take chef for the Atlanta-based • Seattle-based Starbucks out; advance orders by noon Church’s Chicken chain, modhas begun providing technol- on Wednesday are appreciified a recipe for Mississippi ogy solutions that help blind ated. Takeout packs can be Mud Pie by using the savory and low-vision customers picked up between 4 p.m.

Ritz cracker crumbs in both more easily access the coffee and 6 p.m. the crust and crumble topping chain’s retail locations.

Max Burger in Longmead- of his ice cream pie creation.

The company has partow answers at (413) 798The pie’s recipe will be nered with Aira, an online 0101. Online orders can be featured in future Mondelez service that provides replaced at maxburgerma. promotional materials. al-time assistance from a com. remotely-located human Hugh Robert is a faculty agent. Aira’s smartphone • In order to promote the member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and solution helps visually use of their products, some culinary arts program and has impaired customers navifood companies set up congate the restaurant and read tests for culinary professions, nearly 45 years of restaurant signage and menus. soliciting new ideas and and educational experience.

Starbucks also has made recipes.

Robert can be reached online at a commitment to provide Mondelez International, OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.

comes close to what craft beer fans like.

Partake Brewing was founded by Ted Fleming in 2017 after he had to give up alcohol due to Crohn’s Disease. I recently sampled all five of the company’s offerings and while they aren’t going to fool anyone into thinking they’re drinking a top-shelf craft brew, they are overall a pretty good attempt at doing so. The calorie count ranges from 10 to 30 depending on the brew.

Let’s look at them individually: the Pale, IPA, Blonde, Red and Dark.

Starting with the Pale, it

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DINE & WINE

How to read a German wine label Editor’s note: This is part of a series on how to read various wine labels. Other “How to read a wine label” stories can be found online at Masslive.com.

S

O MANY WINE LAbels are so straightforward.

Many wines made with Chardonnay grapes simply say Chardonnay on the bottle.

That’s certainly the case with most California Chardonnays or Cabernet Sauvignons or other wines made with other grapes.

What you read is what you get.

Same goes for many wines from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

The labels are fairly straightforward.

But as I explained when I started writing this occasional series a few months ago, not all wine labels are created equal.

Some seem like hieroglyphics or hidden messages written without a secret decoder.

That’s certainly true for some wines particularly from France and Italy.

For people used to shopping for wine by the grape, it can challenging when faced with a wine from France’s Bordeaux or particularly Burgundy region, where the wines are labeled based on where the grapes come from, not what type of grapes were used to make the wine.

But personally, when it

Beer

many difficult ski trials or complex pieces of music, the fun’s just about the start.

2019: Ok, maybe not just yet.

Here again, it’s pretty straightforward. This the vintage of the wine, meaning the year the grapes were grown and harvested. Let me add, by the way, that 2019 is widely considered one of the best vintages in years for German white wines.

Wehlener Sonnenuhr: Now you see what I’m talking about. This isn’t the name of a grape or a type of wine. Like many wines from France’s Burgundy region, this is the name of a specific vineyard in Germany. Which part of Germany, you might ask? It doesn’t say on the main label in large print. For that information, you’ll have to look to the side of the bottle at the smaller label with small, fine print worthy of a legal disLearn how to read a German wine label, like this one for the claimer on prescription drug 2019 Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett. packaging.

(KEN ROSS PHOTO) Kabinett: This single word comes to the most challengjust might be the most importwine than the one you planned ing wine labels, the advanced ant word on the entire wine on buying. expert ones that should have label. This has to do with how So without further ado, here’s dry or sweet the wine tastes. In warning signs all over them, some hopefully helpful advice this case, this particular wine nothing beats many of the for how to read a German wine is on the drier side because it’s labels found on many Germany label. Like the other wine labels a “kabinett,” which is Gerwines.

I wrote about earlier this year, Ken Ross man for “cabinet,” which has Part of it has to do with the I’ll start from the top of the botWine Press absolutely nothing to do with language, which can be confus- tle and work our way down to ing to newcomers. grapes or wine or how the wine the bottom, line by line. Hope Joh. Jos. Prum: This is the And while they have gotten even tastes. Instead, from what you enjoy and hope this helps.

I can gather, the name “kabiname of the winery. So far, so slightly easier to read in recent good, you’re thinking. The full nett” means the wine should years, there’s still so much 2019 Joh. Jos. Prum Weroom for error. And if you get it hlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett name is Johann Josef Prum, the be set aside in a cabinet. This was probably some German man who founded the winery wrong, sometimes you can end ($44.99 at Table & Vine in SEE WINE, PAGE E12 West Springfield) in 1911 in Germany. But like up with a completely different

dry citrus quality, and I found this one to be very quaffable, especially on a hot day when you don’t want to CONTINUED FROM PAGE E9 get logy from booze.

But then again, you can’t expect it to The Blonde had a soft but pleasing be exactly like alcoholic beer. aroma of pale malts, and it might be The IPA had a much better start, the overall best of the lot. The body still light in body but not as watery. seemed to have more presence to it, But again, with no alcohol, the body but maybe that was just in comparison with the others. The carbonation and mouthfeel will never match an alcoholic brew. (Alcohol contributes was also ratcheted down a notch, and if you’ve read this column, you more than just booze to a beer.) But the mild malt notes provided enough know I prefer less carbonation, so it was right up my alley. This was a very of a framework for the hops to hang tasty offering. their hat on. The hop notes have a

The Red was OK, with a firm malt profile and adequate body. Caramel notes take the lead here and also hang around in the finish. A decent but distant second cousin to British and Irish ales of the same family.

Certainly drinkable, though.

My least favorite was probably the Dark. It had distant coffee notes in the nose and these were followed up by similar aspects in the flavor. There seemed to be some dark fruit facets in there, but those seemed to conflict with the coffee notes. But those aspects may be palatable to others, so

I won’t say they’re bad – just not up my alley.

All in all, Partake Brewing did a good job here. For my money, I could see myself drinking the Blonde ale on a hot day when I didn’t want to get a buzz or get tired the way alcohol can make you do.

Again, these are not going to replace the robust flavors of your favorite alcoholic craft beer, either in flavor or mouthfeel/body. But for those who abstain from alcohol at all but miss having a brew, these are a good solution.

7

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binge-worthy podcasts

A

By Emma Dibdin

New York Times

year into the pandemic, the end is finally in sight. President Joe Biden has promised to make every American adult eligible for vaccination by May, with the goal of a return to some version of normal life by the summer.

Until then, though, we still need to find ways to hunker down and pass the time.

And if you’ve already exhausted your Netflix queue and made your way through this year’s Oscar contenders, consider making your next binge an audio one.

Whether you’re craving a twisty thriller, a quirky spy documentary or an award-winning exploration of an American musical icon, each of these seven limited series can be enjoyed in a single daylong gulp.

‘Wind of Change’ There’s no shortage of conspiracy theories about the Central Intelligence Agency — including a claim that it actually invented the term “conspiracy theory” — but none quite like the one at the heart of this eight-part nonfiction series. Here’s the premise: The CIA orchestrated the writing of “Wind of Change,” an anthemic

power ballad by the German heavy metal band Scorpions. Why? As part of a covert campaign to undermine the Soviet Union during the Cold War, of course.

Hosted by Patrick Radden Keefe, a writer for The New Yorker, this podcast from Crooked Media takes the listener on a labyrinth of a story, one that encompasses interviews with ex-spies and aging rockers alike, and may change the way you see pop culture forever.

Starter episode: “My Friend Michael” ‘Dirty John’ Wondery, now a podcasting powerhouse that was recently purchased

by Amazon, enjoyed its breakout moment in the fall of 2017, when the network (in tandem with the Los Angeles Times) released the first few episodes of its gripping saga about an abusive con artist and the women he almost destroyed. That show, “Dirty John,” takes place in the idyllic oceanfront setting of Orange County, California, where Debra Newell is about to go on a first date with a dreamy doctor named John Meehan.

Suffice it to say, Meehan is not what he seems. A TV version was released on Bravo in 2018, but nothing matches the raw force of the audio original — particularly the breathtaking finale, in which Meehan’s disturbing behavior reaches its awful zenith.

Starter episode: “The Real Thing” ‘The Mystery Show’ Picture this: You rent a video from a video store, back when those were a thing. The following day, you go to return the video only to discover that the store is gone. You’re not lost or confused — the store has genuinely vanished. This

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‘Escaping Nxivm’ Last year saw the release of two buzzy rival documentaries about the sex trafficking cult Nxivm, whose leader, Keith Raniere, was recently sentenced to 120 years in prison. But long before either show, CBC Radio was the first to delve into the horrifying and deeply peculiar world of Nxivm, whose members famously included “Smallville” actress Allison Mack and liquor heiress Clare Bronfman. In “Escaping Nxivm,” the first season of CBC’s ongoing “Uncover” podcast series, journalist Josh Bloch interviews Sarah Edmondson, a former key member of Nxivm who has now become its most famous whistleblower. An Whether you’re craving a thriller, a spy documentary or an actress by trade, Edmonson exploration of an American musical icon, each of these limited makes for a compelling cenpodcast series can be enjoyed in one big gulp. (IRENE RINALDI / NEW tral figure, her voice vividly YORK TIMES) emotional as she recalls the nightmarish ways Raniere “Twilight Zone”-esque for your ears and now an experience is just one of unexpectedly nostalgic treat and his chosen leaders gradually chipped away at her the real-life mysteries that for those missing air travel.

Starter episode: “Traffic” sense of self. A tough listen Starlee Kine investigates that showcases the unique in “The Mystery Show,” an ‘Dolly Parton’s America’ intimacy of podcasting. early hit from Gimlet Media.

Starter episode: “The You don’t have to be into After the murder mystery “Serial” changed podcasting country music in general, or Branding” forever in 2014, there was an Dolly Parton in particular, to onslaught of copycat shows ‘Bag Man’ be pulled in by this PeaMany podcasts have found trying to cash in on the same body-winning exploration of how the multifaceted star success by re-examining formula by re-examining well-known political scancold cases. Kine, though, fo- became such an enduring cuses on low-stakes puzzles icon. Although much of the dals through a fresh lens that involve no true crimes (most notably Slate’s “Slow show from WNYC Studios but are nonetheless utterly Burn”), but this gem from is taken up with conversations about just how beloved MSNBC pulls off the same captivating.

Starter episode: “Case 1: Parton is by everybody trick with a scandal that who knows her, “Dolly Video Store” almost nobody remembers.

Parton’s America” avoids That’s because Watergate was dominating headlines at hagiography by taking its ‘Passenger List’ title seriously, exploring the the time, but in “Bag Man,” Blending the old-school pleasures of a radio play with Dollyverse against a broad- Rachel Maddow pulls back the curtain on an adjacent a distinctly modern premise, er national backdrop. The 1973 investigation that saw ‘Passenger List’ is one of the host, Jad Abumrad (“Radiolab”), begins the series by Vice President Spiro Agnew best fictional podcasts of explaining his own connec- accused of brazen political recent years. After a flight tion to the star — he hails corruption. Maddow does from London to New York from Tennessee just like not hesitate to point out disappears without a trace what she sees as parallels somewhere over the Atlantic Parton — and the moment to President Donald Trump Ocean, the twin sister of one in 2016 that made him see her as a unifying force in an — Agnew angrily dismissed of the doomed passengers the investigation as a “witch (played by Kelly Marie Tran) otherwise divided nation. hunt” in one example — sets out to uncover the truth Featuring interviews with and for anyone missing about what really happened. musicians, historians, fans the juicy palace intrigue and Parton herself, this is Playing on timely anxieties stories that came out of the surrounding events like the the kind of nuanced and Trump White House, this is intimate profile that audio disappearance of Malaysia a must-listen.

Airlines 370, the show from does best.

Starter episode: “An UnStarter episode: “Sad Ass PRX’s “Radiotopia” is both settling Secret” an addictive popcorn thriller Songs”

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Wine CONTINUED FROM PAGE E10

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winemakers idea of a joke.

But in all seriousness, make sure to pay close attention to this single word or other single words like this one on the label.

That’s because wines made with grapes from the exact same vineyard - in this case, Wehlener Sonnenuhr - can taste dramatically different from one bottle to another. The difference is when the grapes were harvested. The longer the grapes are left on the vine, the sweeter the wine tastes.

So if you see “Kabinett” on a German white wine label, this wine will be on the drier side.

Progressively sweeter wines (meaning wines made with grapes harvested later) include: • Spatlese (which means “late harvest”) • Auslese (which means “select harvest” and which is even sweeter and pretty much a dessert wine) • Beerenauslese (which means “berry select harvest” and which is even sweeter and definitely a dessert wine) • Trockenbeerenauslese (which means “dry berry select harvest” and which is a very rare, very sweet, delightful dessert wine) Erzeugerabfullung: This is the first line on the smaller side label to the left of the main wine label. Here’s where the German labels really start to get fun. This is one of those German words that really means several different words all crammed together to form one, hard-to-pronounce word.

(I know. I took four years of high school German.) “Erzeugerabfullung” simply means “Producer bottling.” There, that was easy, or as they say in German, “Ezschnauttsenfrauengleissich.”

Weingut: This next line’s fairly straightforward. “Weingut” simply means “winery.”

Joh. Jos. Prum: Just in case you weren’t sure you made this wine, here’s the name of the winery a second time, just for kicks.

D-54470 Wehlen/Mosel: Ah, how romantic. Actually, this line is very practical and straightforward. It’s the address for the winery. The

D stands for “Deutschland,” which is German for Germany. Wehlen is the name of the village. Mosel is the name of the larger region in Germany where Wehlen is located.

V.D.P.: This next line is an acronym for “Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter,” which is the name of a German trade organization that promotes certain, higher-quality wineries in Germany.

Product of Germany, Contains Sulphites, Enthalt Sulfite: Ja ja, we know, we know. Schnell. Schnell.

Mosel: This is the name of the larger wine region in Germany where this wine comes from. It’s also one of the best wine regions in the world, particularly when it comes to fragrant, fascinating white wines with character and charisma.

There’s nothing quite like a dry or even slightly sweet white wine from Germany’s Mosel region. And Joh. Jos. Prum is one of the best producers of white wines from the Mosel region.

Riesling: Finally, another straightforward line that makes sense to most people. Riesling is the name of the grape used to make this wine. And again, when it comes to Riesling wines, Germany’s Mosel region reigns supreme.

Pradikatswein: Just when you thought you’d made it through the toughest part of the wine label, you get to this last line on the bottle. “Pradikatswein” is German for “Pradikatswein,” according to Google translate. See, that was easy. But really, what this word really has to do with is the sweetness classification we were talking about earlier, the line where you’ll often find “Kabinett” or “Spatlese” or “Auslese.” This classification system has to mainly do with when the grapes are harvested to make the wine. Again, the later the grapes are harvested, the higher the sugar content in the grapes and therefore the sweeter the wine.

So hope that all makes sense and hope you’re able to enjoy some delicious, German white wine sometime soon.

Prost!

Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s weekend section every Thursday.

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