Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
The Tinder Swindler – Netflix Documentary

The Tinder Swindler is a British true crime documentary about Israeli conman Simon Leviev who used the Tinder dating app posing as the son of wealthy billionaire Lev Leviev to manipulate hundreds of women emotionally into giving him what totaled millions of dollars. The documentary centers around the experiences of three women; Cecilie Fjellhoy, Pernilla Sjoholm and Ayleen Charlotte, who all lived in different places around the world.

In his many online accounts, Simon had pictures of him traveling on private jets, sailing, business meetings, beaches, cool cars and amazing parties all over the world. Posing as CEO of LLD Diamonds (his so-called family business), Simon had photos on his social media accounts showing him pictured on family vacation with Lev Leviev (who was known as the king of diamonds) and his wife. Though Lev Leviev was the actual owner of LLD Diamonds, he had no relationship to Simon who was later found to have faked the family photos.

Cecilie Fjellhoy dreamed since childhood of finding a prince charming, and Simon immediately swept her off her feet by sweeping her away in a private jet to Bulgaria after meeting him for the first time over coffee. Cecilie had never been on a private jet, and Simon would arrange private flights several more times for Cecilie to meet him while he was traveling. Simon told those he dated that due to his families wealth and influence, there were people after him which necessitated him always traveling with his friend and bodyguard Peter.

While away, Simon reached out to Cecilie saying that Peter had been attacked while protecting Simon and he was having trouble with his credit cards and needed her help, even sending photos of them in an ambulance with a large cut on Peter’s head. Cecilie provided Simon with a platinum AMEX and also asked her to take out a personal loan and bring 25,000 in cash to him in Amsterdam, which she did. Eventually Simon asked her to move in with him and gave her a budget to find them a apartment together.

Pernilla Sjoholm also met Simon on Tinder, and began traveling and partying together, not really finding a romantic connection but both enjoyed the luxury lifestyle. A short time later, Simon began dating a woman named Paulina and all three of them spent time traveling together to various expensive and exotic locations. Simon ultimately conned Cecilie out of $250,000 incrementally that was used while he was traveling and partying with Pernilla and Pauline.

Ayleen Charlotte had been dating Simon for 14 months when she saw the VG article online with Cecilie and Pernilla titled “The Tinder Swindler” and immediately questioned Simon as she too was looking for a home to share with Simon. Ayleen compared the videos and texts she got from Simon to those posted online and they were identical. Simon was reported to the police in at least seven different countries, but was difficult to catch as he was traveling so often, so Cecilie and Pernilla outed him on dozens of news outlets and podcasts, basically anyone who would listen.

It was discovered that it was a Ponzi scheme where Simon was using the money he was squeezing out of his last victim to pay for the luxury travel and lifestyle he was sharing with his current victim. Simon used the same texts, photos and videos in sequence like a formula to gradually con each woman he met online. Ayleen was able to help authorities capture Simon in Isreal, but he only served 5 months and is out now somehow again living in luxury.

Runtime: 1h 54m

by Shirley Lorraine

Hi-Jinx on High Street with Matilda

It is a multi-award winner. It was Best New Musical in 2012. It is high energy, high camp and filled with talent. The production is Matilda, the Musical, based on the 1988 book by Roald Dahl, perhaps best known for Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Moorpark’s High Street Arts Center has compiled an extensive cast of characters from kids to, well, not kids, all of them eager to share the eccentricities of Dahl’s imagination.

It is an extremely ambitious undertaking. Kudos to director Tami Keaton and the multitude of crew members who make the magic happen. And yes, there are some truly magical moments throughout.

Not familiar with the story? It centers around Matilda (dual cast with Noelle Gibson and Bridget Hunzeker), a young girl who is saddled with a set of n’er do well parents, a lazy brother, and no encouragement to become educated. She reads. This angers her mother and father, who clearly think reading is a waste of time.

They ship Matilda off to a boarding school led by a particularly unpleasant headmistress (played with cartoonish relish by Sean Burns) who enjoys beleaguering the young in her care. Despite efforts to add a touch of empathy to the daily rigor, teacher Miss Honey (Kristina Reyes) befriends Matilda, recognizing her special talents, and things begin to change for the better.

The action is rapid-fire, nearly frantic at times, and spiced with complicated choreography to maintain the very large cast moving so that the stage is fully utilized. Numerous cast members play several roles, switching from speaking parts to ensemble and back with ease.

Matilda’s parents, Mr. & Mrs. Wormwood, are played by Megan Razor and Michael Rosenblum to the hilt. They, too, are caricatures of their characters and fascinating to watch as they are clearly approaching the very limits of hamming it up, to the audience’s delight. They are not likeable people, but the portrayals are a hoot. PC the play is not.

Opening night featured Noelle Gibson in the pivotal role of Matilda. She was on fire and delivered a solid, sterling performance. Backed up by a bevy of talented up-and-comers, Gibson easily held the leading position.

The story has numerous quite dark moments. My 10-year-old niece (my evening’s “date”) shared that she “liked most of it, but some of the parts were scary”. Indeed, they are, and unpleasant, but well managed. She did enjoy the high-camp, cartoony overall shading of the show.

High Street productions consistently deliver high quality theatrical experiences. Their commitment to bringing lesser done works to the stage and encouraging actors of all ages is laudable.

Matilda, the Musical continues its run through February 27 with performances at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Matinees on Sundays. Seating is pre-arranged and reservations are required. Come prepared to show proof of vaccination of a negative Covid result and wear your mask. All details are available on their website www.highstreetartscenter.com. 805-529-8700.

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
As We See It – Amazon Original Series

As We See It follows the lives of three 20 something roommates on the autism spectrum, Jack, Harrison and Violet, as they work to gain the skills to lead independent lives through the assistance of their life coach Mandy. The three live in an apartment together where they have daily check-ins with Mandy to celebrate accomplishments and set goals. Each of them has a different type of autism diagnoses, and Mandy guides them with patience and empathy for the challenges they encounter trying to be “normal” like the rest of the world.

Harrison (Albert Rutecki) is socially disconnected and does not like to ever venture out of the apartment due to his fear of noises, strange people, dogs, …most things. He’s overweight, most likely due to the fact that he spends his days watching games shows on TV in the apartment and has a huge appetite for sweets. He comes from a wealthy, supportive family and has the social mentality of an adolescent, which made his 10 year old neighbor from upstairs AJ the perfect friend and playmate. AJ was young but had some good street smarts, which lead to he and Harrison getting into trouble on several occasions, Harrison being the one that just followed along.

Jack (Rick Glassman) has Asperger’s Syndrome, is a mild form of high-functioning autism more common in males than in females. While quite intelligent, he has no filter which often has him misunderstood and offending others frequently. He does not like being touched and is very detached emotionally, though he is very aware of this fact, and many of his goals revolve around connecting to people as his condition makes social interactions difficult. As an example of this dynamic, he works as a computer programmer, and and when asked at work to change some things with a program he wrote, he said it was asinine and told his boss he had inferior intelligence which got him temporarily fired. Jack is close with his dad Lou (Joe Mantegna) who had just been diagnosed with cancer and concerned he’ll die before his son finds independence.

Violet (Sue Ann Pien) is a 25 year old virgin whose sole motivation in life is to have sex, preparing for it by reading Cosmo, watching videos, learning from other sources online and from co-workers at Arby’s where she worked at the counter until she hit on a married man in front of his wife and was demoted to sandwich maker. She constantly uses profane language and regularly blurts out she just needs someone to f***, having no filter like Jack, especially when it comes to talking about sex. Her brother Van (Chris Pang) became her caretaker after their parents died, and is trying to not let his sister’s issues blowup his relationship with his girlfriend Selena, which has happened every other time in his past relationships.

Mandy (Sosie Bacon) is a life coach who educates them about the world and helps them to navigate it. Her patience and tolerance seems boundless, and is never reactionary, rather extremely calm when dealing with the variety of issues that arise coach all three in the same environment. They all trust her implicitly and generally follow her advise or instructions. Mandy wanted to work in the medical field doing autism research, but didn’t pass her MCAT entrance exam, and has a boyfriend named Joel who is trying to persuade her to join him in Berkeley for an internship at USF, but she feels torn about leaving Jack, Harrison and Violet behind.

As We See It is a very warmhearted, compassionate glimpse into the lives of those living on the autism spectrum and Mandy’s role as life coach shares some impressive coping skills that can be applied to many everyday situations with people from any walk of life.

Rated TV-16+ 8 – 35min Episodes

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Yellowjackets – Showtime Original Series

In Yellowjackets, an extremely talented high school girls soccer team is involved in a plane crash in the Ontario wilderness on their way to nationals after having won their state championship. They survived on their own for 19 months until they were rescued, and some never made it home due to the accident and incidents that happened along the way including cannibalism (I don’t consider this a spoiler as it is actually the opening scene in the first episode, though presents questions regarding who was involved and who became a meal for the team).

The crash happened in 1996, and picks up on the lives of several key players 25 years later in 2021 as they attempt to put the past behind them and try to lead normal adults lives promising to keep what happened in the woods only between them regardless of the public’s relentless pursuit to find out the truth. The story bounces back and forth between to the two timelines as viewers discover the terrible challenges they experienced to survive and how it forever changed their lives.

Teen Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) was team captain Jackie’s best friend and pregnant with Jackie’s boyfriend Jeff’s baby, which she discovered after the crash while in the woods. Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) ended up marrying Jeff after returning home and was living the life of a settled housewife, though very suspicious of her husband’s continual late nights at the office.

Teen Misty (Samantha Hanratty) was intelligent but socially awkward and a bit of an outcast with the team where she was assistant to the assistant coach. Though helpful with emergency medical knowledge to deal with the serous injuries that happened in the crash, she seemed to sabotage things to keep her new found role of importance in the group. Misty (Christina Ricci) worked in a nursing home, but had strange hobbies like being part of an online crime solving group and was repeatedly caught undermining some efforts with issues the group faced as adults.

Teen Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) turned to drugs, alcohol and sex to deal with her troubled home life and tragedies of the past. Nat was the rebel of the group, and started a romantic relationship with Travis that continued into their adult lives. Natalie (Juliette Lewis) just got out of one of her many trips to rehab and ended up connecting with Misty, who shared she had found Travis who unfortunately, apparently committed suicide right after Nat reached out to him, though Natalie was convinced he was murdered.

Teen Taissa (Jasmine Savoy Brown) was not the team captain, however was the leader of the team and was often first to try various rescue attempts, finding a lake so they would have water which also led them to an abandon cabin to use as shelter, though it had an unexplained dead body in the attic. Taissa (Tawny Cypress) went to college, then to law school and created a good life for her, her wife and son, though decided to run for state senate causing pressure on their relationship and triggering some negative things from the past related to her time in the woods.

Together they were working to solve who was blackmailing them and how did they learn about the secrets meant to be left in the woods. The teen actors are dead ringers for their adult counterparts, and each episode answers some questions while creating many others. The Season 1 finale left viewers anxious for Season 2, scheduled late fall/winter 2022, and was actually pitched for 5 seasons, which actor Melanie Lynskey (Shauna) has already signed on for, though producers didn’t commit to Season 2 until the middle of Season 1 after it gained traction.

Rated TV-MA 10 – 1hr Episodes

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Queenpins – Showtime

Queenpins is based on actual events involving one of the largest pink collar crimes known to date. Connie Kaminski (Kirsten Bell) and her best friend JoJo Johnson (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) both had overwhelming financial challenges, so decide to turn a causal hobby into a coupon scam that netted them millions of dollars. After discovering that manufacturers were willing to send FREE coupons for complaint letters, Connie came up with the idea to get FREE coupons to sell at a good deal and JoJo was a vlogger who already had a coupon site they could use to sell them.

Connie noticed that the coupons all came from the same address in Mexico, not far from where they were in Arizona, so the two set out to find a way to obtain more FREE coupons directly from the source. They met a Hispanic couple who worked in the factory for only $2 per hour and gladly joined Connie and JoJo for a percentage of the profits, agreeing to mail all the excess printed coupons that were supposed to be destroyed directly to Connie and JoJo in Arizona.

The rush of coupons caught the attention of many stores who reported the issue to the district loss specialist Ken Miller (Paul Walter Hauser), who after searching receipts for 11 days was able to find a shopper’s information from her credit card who told him she bought the coupons online from the SavvySuperSavver website. Miller took the information to the local FBI office, which blew him off after he left and sent the information to headquarters to get buried.

After bankning several hundred thousand dollars in their paypal account, Connie’s account was frozen. Feeling it was the only thing to do, they reached out to Tempe Tina (Bebe Rexha) who was actually the person who caused JoJo’s financial trouble after stealing her identity. Tina picked them up, blindfolded them and took them back to her tech hideout. Tina apologized for her past issues with JoJo explaining that now her specialty was Cyber Security, assisting governments and corporations to deal with cyber attacks, and if paid enough to create them.

Tina gave them multiple IDs and a strategy to handle their money for 10% of the profits, and Connie and JoJo decided to follow Tina’s plan to stay off the radar and not spend any funds for six months. While Miller continued making unanswered calls to FBI headquarters, Connie and JoJo made over $5 million mailing coupons, which became their downfall.

Due to the fact that the coupons were mailed, the U.S. Postal Service sent Postal Inspector Simon Kilmurry (Vince Vaughn) to investigate the situation. Kilmurry got the basics from Miller, who was more like a mall cop wanting to be part of the real action. Though Kilmurry denied him initially, they eventually teamed up on the investigation which eventually lead to a cartel size takedown that included millions in fraudulant coupons, luxury cars, and guns.

Queenpins is based on the true story of three Arizona women: Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko Fountain, who ran a coupon scam and the actual police raid found more than $40 million in fake coupons along with $2 million in other assets including 22 guns, cash, 21 vehicles, and a speed boat. Ramirez received 24 months in prison with 7 years probation while her friends served 3 years probation. They also had to pay Procter & Gamble more than $1.2 million.

Rated: R (Language Throughout)
Runtime: 1h 50m

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Don’t Look Up – Netflix

In Don’t Look Up, student astronomer Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discovered a 9 kilometer comet while working on her doctorate research. Initially seeming a cause for celebration, including the esteemed honor of having a newly discovered comet named after her, things changed when Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his student team decided to calculate how close it would come to earth. Unfortunately the math showed that it would actually impact earth in just over six month and destroy the entire planet.

After reporting the information to NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office head Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan) they were flown in a military plane to DC to meet with the president to explain the situation. They waited until late in the evening, watching what seemed to be trivial things get more attention than the literally earth shaking news they were there to share, and were eventually told they would have to wait until the next day.

After being put up in a hotel and waiting a entire second day, they finally met with President Orlean (Meryl Streep) who downplayed the situation as did her son and Chief of Staff Jason (Jonah Hill). Both belittled Dr. Mindy & Kate and sent them on their way saying “we’ll have our scientist assess the situation…” so hang tight and don’t say anything as it’s national security.

Feeling blown off, they shared the story with the New York Herald and on The Daily Rip, an upbeat morning show hosted by Brie (Cate Blanchett) and Jack (Tyler Perry), but again were not taken seriously. Then Dr. Mindy, Kate and Dr. Oglethorpe were all swooped up by FBI and brought to the White House where President Orlean said they confirmed the science and we’re ready to take any suggested steps, seeming to be done for popularity in the upcoming elections and to avoid some negative personal press. President Orlean then made a announcement to the world regarding the comet and plan to use shuttles with nukes to change the comet’s course.

All efforts were shifted to the president’s plan and the science seemed to indicate that there was a very good chance they would be successful, until crazy tech giant Peter Isherwell, the billionaire CEO of BASH and one of Orlean’s top donors, got President Orlean to abort the mission just after take off. Peter had an alternate plan to use developing tech to blow up the comet in space and mine it’s smaller pieces filled with precious minerals estimated to be worth $140 trillion.

Kate told some people the truth in a bar and though they listened, they panicked and started rioting. The FBI grabbed Kate again, and agreed to drop any charges in exchange for her silence. Propaganda campaigns were started to discredit them, saying things like the comet doesn’t even exist and it was all a hoax, but then the comet came into plain site. The scientists replied with “just look up” and the truth can be seen, which created chaos, so President Orlean’s response was a “don’t look up” campaign, saying it was scientists just trying to invoke fear in people.

Unknown to the world and due to the fact they were cut out of the comet mining deal, Russia, China and India teamed up to send a rocket to destroy the comet but the launch failed, leaving only the BASH plan by eccentric billionaire Peter to possibly save the planet. Will greed become mankind’s downfall? Can wealth be a ticket to immortality? These are some of the things revealed in this star-filled, entertaining parody of today’s world stage, headlines and political issues.

Rated: R (Language Throughout|Graphic Nudity|Drug Content|Some Sexual Content)
Runtime: 2h 18m

by Shirley Lorraine

Ode to a New Year

‘Twas the night before Christmas
All the theaters were dark
Productions were finished
The stages now stark

Few rehearsals, few readings
Till the New Year will come
Some actors get restless
And do Improv for fun

Now with no costumes, no blocking
No scripts to be read
So many actors
Are going out of their heads!

But wait, there is hope
The horizon still looms
‘Tis rumored auditions
Will be held very soon

Could it be? Yes, it could –
Stages come back alive
As the calendar changes
Theater lovers will thrive

On Simi, on Ojai
Conejo and more
Audiences wait with impatience
To see what’s in store

Soon it’s back to the boards
With sets to be built
Excitement mounts quickly
Acting back in full tilt

County stages will light up
The curtains will part
With theaters announcing
Their new seasons’ start

So, patrons get ready
To buy tickets and go
As the New Year takes hold–
It’s “On with the Show!”

(Apologies to Clement C. Moore)
Look forward to 2022 season announcements from all our favorite county theaters. Coming soon!

Happy New Year!

by Shirley Lorraine

Elite Stages Non-traditional Holiday Offering

To usher out 2021, the Elite Theater in Oxnard brings an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus to the stage. Not your average light-weight holiday fare full of cheery songs and well wishes. Instead, it is a feast of blood and bitter tongue.

This version, adapted and directed by Bill Walthall, offers a panoply of variations on the Bard’s theme of rivalry, revenge, and retribution. The cast is all-female, save for one. The title character is renamed Tita, played by Sindy McKay-Swerdlove. She embodies her role completely, complete with haircut and tattoos. Well done. She is flanked by an army of Goths, followers and soldiers waiting to do as she bids.

Most of the character names from the original were not changed, simply made to fit within this premise. Warrior women works well, and one quickly dismisses any necessary gender mentions. The character of Aaron the Moor is managed capably by Stan McConnell, the sole male in the cast, who maintains a critical role in the story.

The production utilizes multiple levels of the theater to good advantage, adding depth to the action. Props are used sparingly, allowing the actors freedom to bring the Bard’s words into focus. Costuming has a Mad Max feel to it, giving the staging an almost futuristic and timeless ambiance which has been proven to work well for Shakespeare’s writings.

The acting acumen of the cast is uneven, keeping in mind that this is community theater, and everyone must start somewhere. Shakespeare is not the easiest of trials for any actor, seasoned or not, and I was impressed with the line delivery throughout regardless of recitation style. Every line deserves to be heard.

The main characters are all experienced and solid. Backing up Tita is Theresa Secor as Marcus Andronicus, Tita’s sister. She and Swerdlove deliver exceptionally passionate performances. Also of note are Alyssa Carmen as Tamora, Queen of the Goths, and Ashely Maimes as Lavinia, Tita’s daughter.

To minimize the bloodshed (this is touted as the Bard’s bloodiest play), a murder coach (Prof. John Comstock) is credited in the program. Director Walthall cleverly staged bodies to disappear into a great pit or otherwise go out of sight. The many killings are then implied by movement adjustments and costuming enhancement.

The first act was strong and powerfully played as the story unfolded and the audience adjusted to the “look” of the action. However, the second act seemed to me to downgrade into periods of melodrama in delivery and characterization, eliciting laughs as one after another individual was dispensed with and dragged offstage, to return as another minor character.

Andronicus is an unusual choice for season’s end, but it does serve as a reminder that despite a challenging year we have managed to survive and move forward. The Elite is struggling to continue as well. Your support is appreciated.

Andronicus continues through December 19 on the South Stage at the Elite Theater. www.theElite.org or 805-483-5118.

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
King Richard – HBO Max

King Richard chronicles the rise of Venus and Serena Williams to tennis elites, at one time being ranked No.1 and No. 2 in the world of tennis, all due to the plan their father’s grand plan.

Richard Williams (Will Smith) started coaching them from a very young age on the neglected tennis courts of Compton rain or shine to develop their skills to a level in which he was able to seek out funding and to find a professional coach that would take them on for nothing. King Richard (as he was come to be known in the Compton neighborhoods) was able to get the attention of pro tennis coach Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn)

Cohen coached well-known players like John McEnroe and Pete Sampras, and after seeing both girls play he agreed to take on Venus (Saniyya Sidney), but didn’t feel that Serena (Demi Singleton) was ready. While Venus was coached by Cohen, Serena’s mother Brandy Williams (Aunjanue Ellis) worked with Serena to strengthen her skills. The family had 5 girls total, including Richard’s 3 stepdaughters, who were all very close and supported of each other.

Cohen convinced Richard to have Venus play in juniors tournaments, the traditional pathway to going pro, and Venus was 63-0 in her first season. Richard wanted his daughters to be respectful and practice modesty, and was constantly on them to manage their pride and egos, especially as Venus was quickly seen as unbeatable. Though she was playing great and winning all her matches, Richard decided to pull Venus from the juniors after only one year and stopped working with Cohen after a meeting that went wrong with some investors Cohen had lined up.

Richard was even more convinced of Venus’ ability to go pro, so looked for a new coach and the means to follow their dreams. He reached out to Coach Rick Macci, who coached players like Jennifer Capriati and had a training facility in Florida, and convinced Macci to come to California to see Venus and Serena. Macci agreed to coach Venus and move the family to Florida.

Richard decided to remove Venus from any tournament play for the next several years and only practice with pros, focus on studies and have childhood fun. Once the whole family relocated to Florida, he shared this with Coach Macci who was stunned, feeling duped and quite confused how to move forward but went along with Richard’s unrelenting commitment to his plan. Though it was hard for Serena, Richard told her that though he knew Venus was eventually be No.1, that Serena would be the greatest ever.

Venus improved significantly over the next few years, and at 15 years old Coach Macci felt she was unquestionably ready to play a pro tournament, suggesting the upcoming Bank of the West tournament in Oakland. Though Richard had his reservations. he eventually allowed Venus to play after asking her personally if she felt ready. Coach Macci found a sponsor willing to offer a $3 million dollar if they would sign the contract before the tournament.

When asked, Venus decided to pass on the contract and see what offers could come after her first tournament in years. Venus played well and ended up in the finals on the main court with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, the No.1 ranked player at the time. Though she didn’t win, she became known to the world and 9 months later signed a $12 million dollar contract with Reebok.

Venus went on the win Wimbleton five times, and two years later Serena joined Venus on tour becoming a 23-time Grand Slam champion and considered perhaps the greatest player in tennis history, just as Richard predicted.

Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 26m