Movie Review by Cindy Summers
Good Boys
2 palm trees out of 4

Having been invited to his first kissing party, Max and his friends Lucas and Thor set out to discover how kissing is actually done being only 12 years old and having never kissed a girl before. Not able to find reasonable answer from the internet, the boys use Max’s dad’s drone against his demands it to spy on a teenage neighbor for kissing tips, but that’s when things go wrong for them leading them on an accidental adventure involving party drugs and many adult situations they must hurdle to right the wrongs of their drone incident. Released by Universal Pictures, Directed by Gene Stupnitsky, Written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and staring Jacob Tremblay as Max, Keith L. Williams as Lucas and Brady Noon as Thor.

When Max is invited to his first kissing party, he elicits the help of his fellow “Bean Bag Boys” Lucas and Thor to discover the unknown world of kissing girls. As with most young people today, they begin their search for knowledge on the internet, which reveals way more than they bargained for on their quest for the basics of kissing, likely from a site such as porn7 – though kissing is still featured on those sites.

Their next plan involved spying on Max’s teenage neighbor with his dad’s drone, which he has been instructed to not touch, and unfortunately for the boys the drone is lost in the endeavor. Good news is that Max’s dad is out of town, which buys them some time to replace the drone, though the path to doing so is plagued with adult and even dangerous situations along the way.

Max has charisma and is more like a kid from the popular crowd, while Lucas has a soft sensitivity, likes fantasy adventure games and tends to always have a mild mannered demeanor and Thor is both brave and a little dense compared to his two childhood friends. They discover in the end that this is also a time in life where kids tend to go their separate ways as they go to junior high and high school, but made a pact to always be there for each other for the big things in life.

Good Boys is produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg who produced Superbad in 2007, a very similar story of three friends experiencing life through wild misadventures, though they were preparing for college, while the characters in Good Boys are on their way to middle school experiencing many age-inappropriate situations along the way.

I question if it would be more relatable if I had a tween in my life or were a tween or teen, but also personally felt there was too much unnecessary profanity, especially Max’s character, and honestly feel somewhat disappointed if that’s the general vocabulary of tweens today. An interesting note is the movie was actually filmed at Jacob Tremblay’s school in Vancouver.

Though the movie touches on many realistic situations for tweens, it generally does so in very vulgar and profane ways that don’t seem necessary to the story. There’s a believable innocence to their misadventures involving foreign things such as sex toys and their purpose, which for them were ideal as weapons and disguises, however think in several instances that there was just gratuitous vulgarity disguised as comedy.

Rated R 95m (for strong crude sexual content, drug and alcohol material, and language throughout – all involving tweens)

by Shirley Lorraine

High energy hilarity hits Simi stage

Actor’s Repertory Theatre of Simi brings the house down with its current production of The Drowsy Chaperone now on stage through September 1. The 1920’s musical within a current comedy provides everything one could desire for an entertaining evening at the theater –lively music, dancing, overdone characters, mobsters, spit-takes and explanatory narrative.

The play opens in the dark as Man in Chair (Kevin Ellis), an agoraphobic devotee of musical theater, introduces the audience to his favorite musical, the fictional The Drowsy Chaperone. As he plays the LP on his record player (yes, a record player!) he outlines the characters and basic plot of the story. As his excitement increases, the musical magically comes to life in his living room, complete with lavish costumes, lights and brightly colored set. It is an unusual treatment that is enchanting, different and captivating.

Plot A features a socialite, Mrs. Tottendale, (Denise Jaffe) who is about to host a fancy wedding between a Broadway starlet (Dawn Michelle) and her debonair fiancé (Vincent Perez). She is assigned a chaperone (MarLee Candell), a drunken diva who handles her duties only slightly. A frenzied producer (Will Shupe) desperately wants the starlet not to marry. Two mobsters disguised as Max Sennett type pastry chefs encourage him to derail the wedding.

Plot B brings forth a highly characterized Latin Lothario, Aldolpho, (George Chavez) who seduces the wrong woman, romantic interest between air-headed Mrs. Tottendale and her butler Underling (Mueen Jahan) and Trix, an aviatrix (Shandar Robinson) who comes out of nowhere to wrap up the action in fine musical theater fashion.

It’s all quite tongue-in-cheek and a ton of fun. Imagine adding a tap-dancing best man, a roller skating (blindfolded, no less!) leading man, back-up singer/dancers, a ditzy chorine with questionable talents (Mary Zastrow), nonsensical song lyrics and more energy than should be allowed on one stage. All this with no intermission.

The cast is simple tremendous. Michelle and Perez vocally shine, as do Candell, Chavez, Robinson and Shupe. Choreography is spirited with an ensemble that fills in all the gaps with gusto. Ellis, as Man in Chair, pulls it all together with unending enthusiasm, charm and wit. He is simply delightful.

Superb costuming by Joshua Stapel adds to the flight of fancy inherent in the 1920’s extravaganza. The result is a visual feast.

Director Robert Craig and Producer Jan Glasband have made some slight script updates to be relevant without changing the intent. All the alterations work well. Staging is sharp and makes excellent use of the many entry and exit opportunities provided by set designer Will Shupe.

Musical accompaniment is provided by a live orchestra but never fear, the actors are amplified.

Be prepared for an evening of nonstop hilarity, high energy, high volume, beautiful costumes and outstanding performances across the board.

With stage offerings of this quality in Ventura County, there is no need to travel further than the county borders for excellent theater. It’s right here in our own backyard. Go. Enjoy.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. through September 1. Tickets are $28 adults, $24 seniors and students, $20 12 and under. (805) 583-7900 or www.simi-arts.org.

Movie Review by Cindy Summers
Yesterday
2 palm trees out of 4

Yesterday is a comedy based fantasy that centers around musician Jack Malik’s fortunate accident that he’s the only one in the whole world that remembers the Beatles after an unexplained global blackout. Released by Universal Pictures, Directed by Danny Boyle , Written by Richard Curtis and staring Himesh Patel as Jack Malik who also personally performs all the Beatles music in the movie.

Jack Malik lives in a small English town and where as a singer-songwriter, his career is just as small and seems to be fading. When a world wide power outage occurs, he’s struck by a bus on his bike and wakes up in the hospital with minor injuries, and once recovered is gifted a replacement guitar from his friends to replace the one he lost in the accident.

To Jack’s surprise, not only do his friends not remember the Beatles song “Yesterday” when as strummed on his new guitar, they actually think that Jack wrote it, and Jack soon finds it’s not only is friends but everyone in the world who now know nothing about the Beatles. Finding no trace of their existence, Jack sets out to re-spark is music career by re-sharing the Beatles with the world.

Jack and his music (actually all Beatles tunes) gain immediate popularity and he’s spotted by Ed Sheeran, who asks Jack to join him on tour. Jack finds himself as the opening act in Moscow and Los Angeles and gains world notoriety, but personal issues with Ellie and his conscientious cause things to change course and Jack ends up face to face with John Lennon in the twilight years of his alternate life.

All the Beatles cover songs in the movie are sung by Himesh Patel, who plays the guitar and piano as well. Director Danny Boyle chose Patel for the part after hearing him play “Yesterday” and “Back in the U.S.S.R.” at auditions, where both Boyle and Ed Sheeran agreed Patel’s voice had soul. Patel also has a very likable demeanor that automatically has the audience rooting for him and serves his role well as an accidental world music sensation.

Though Patel is a relative newcomer to the big screen, the cast includes other notable actors including Lily James as Ellie Appleton who is Himesh’s childhood friend and love interest, Kate McKinnon plays the role of his manager Debra Hammer, and Ed Sheeran as himself in fictional role that is somewhat true to his actual life.

Yesterday does well in bringing the audience back to the magic of the Beatles and their music, but the fantasy of the story is too farfetched for it to add up to anything more than a feel good movie with good music.

Rated PG 112m

Movie Review by Cindy Summers
The Lion King
3 palm trees out of 4

The Lion King is the new CGI photorealistic release of the Disney animated classic originally released in 1994. Directed by Jon Favreau, who also did the CGI remake of Disney’s Jungle Book, Written by Jeff Nathanson with Pharrell Williams producing a new soundtrack of the original Elton John/Tim Rice songs. The voices are done by many notable stars: Donald Glover as Simba, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, and Beyoncé Knowles as Nala.

The story takes place in the African savanna, where Mufasa is the Lion King who regally and responsibly rules the pride lands which he will turn over to his young son Simba when Mufasa’s time is done. As a young cub, Simba is taught the ways to rule by his father, and spends is days playing and adventuring with a female cub Nala, the future queen.

All the animals in the pride lands recognize Simba as the future king except Scar, Mufasa’s brother who believe’s he should be king and gathers the hyenas for support in undermining Mufasa’s plan to have Simba lead the pride. As a helpless cub, Simba finds himself exiled by Uncle Scar and matures away from the pride under the care and friendship of a warthog Pumbaa and his pal Timone the meerkat.

Nala decides to leave the pride to find help in saving the pride lands from destruction under Scar’s rule and stumbles upon Simba. Though conflicted with confusion and guilt, Simba makes the decision to return with Nala to discover the truth and assume his role as king.

Seth Rogan’s comedic prowess is perfect in the role of Pumbaa, and a standout in the cast which includes many other notable stars among them John Oliver as Zazu, Keegan-Michael Key as Kamari and Alfre Woodard as Sarabi. I watched the 3D version and often felt immersed in the African jungle with visuals bordering national geographic realism and some scenes seeming so real they may be disturbing for young, sensitive viewers

The filmmakers used motion capture and VR (virtual reality)/AR technologies, an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real-world are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information, with the production team combining VR technology with cameras in order to film the remake in a VR-simulated environment. Even new software had to be developed for the movie to simulate scenes with a shaky-cam look of a handheld camera, a look that tends to be popular in today’s live action filming.

The real life visual effects are extraordinary, though the storyline is identical to the original animated version so there is nothing new in this version for those who know the story, but it’s a wonderful story of family and friendship that is priceless and timeless.

Rated PG 110m

Shirley Lorraine
Beacon Theater’s inaugural offering solid

There’s a new theater group in town. The recently organized Beacon Theater Company made its debut at the NAMBA Performing Arts space in downtown Ventura last weekend.

With familiar theater notables Tom Eubanks, Steve Grumette, Howard Leader and Anna Kotula at the helm, the company opened with a top-notch performance of Blue/Orange by British playwright Joe Penhall.

Beacon’s stated goal is to “explore the human condition with plays that 1) evoke emotions, 2) encourage you to think, or 3) simply make you laugh. While it is not our intention to offend, neither do we intend to become captive to political correctness.”

As a debut piece, Blue/Orange, awarded the coveted Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2001, certainly fulfills the stated intent.

The scene is a psychiatrist’s office in a British institutional setting. A young African-Caribbean patient, Christopher (Emmanuel Odaibo) has served his required 28 days and is scheduled for release the next day. His doctor, Bruce Flaherty (Brian Robert Harris) believes that Christopher’s diagnosis of borderline personality disorder is just a piece of the puzzle and recommends he stay for additional treatment.

Dr. Robert Smith (Brian Kolb), Bruce’s supervisor, joins the meeting and quickly disagrees with retaining Christopher. As the two psychiatrists’ arguments escalate Christopher rapidly becomes a bystander. His delusions appear and recede with regularity.

The dialogue tackles schizophrenia, racism, superior authority, the mental health system in general, and differing perceptions of treatment. Robert becomes so intent on sharing his new ideas based on R.D. Laing’s ground-breaking theories of socially and environmentally induced causes for psychosis that he fails to listen to either the patient or his colleague.

All three exhibit varying degrees of frustration, anger, confusion and futility as they all try to make themselves heard to little avail. The result is an intense emotional journey into the minds of three men who all want a good outcome, but who are unable to come to agreement on what that outcome may look like or how to get there.

The true fascination is in watching the high-powered, precise and energetic performances of Harris, Odaibo and Kolb. They are all superb. Harris morphs from the caring, gentle, friendly counselor he exhibits at the start, to a man racked with doubts, excessive anger and frustration as he attempts to stand by his convictions.

Odaibo carries the role of Christopher with skill. One can almost feel the gears in his brain turn faster, reverse and come to a grinding halt before restarting. In the role, he speaks with a heavy and rapid Jamaican accent that takes a bit of getting used to. Thankfully, the printed program features a useful glossary of terms to help the audience along.

Kolb portrays an arrogant, controlled manic personality, doting on his role as “the authority” with his desire to be the one who is “right” driving him forward. All three actors are fascinating to watch as they slowly dissolve. One wonders who the patient really is.

The play only runs through July 28. Try and catch it and watch the Beacon Theater Company take off. It is bound to be a wild ride.

For tickets, visit www.thebeacontheatercompany.com, call (805) 233-6965, or stop in at the Namba venue at 47 S. Oak St, downtown Ventura.

Movie Review by Cindy Summers
Stuber

3 palm trees out of 4

Stu is a very gentle, mild-mannered Uber driver who picks up LA police officer Vic Manning for his first ever Uber ride, though Stu has no idea at the time that Vic unwittingly plans to basically borrow Stu and his Uber to track down new leads on a drug lord he’s been hunting for years. Stu deals with Vic’s angry neanderthal style with humor and sound advice as he tries to protect car, and save his life and perfect rating while repeatedly in the middle of gun fights and explosions. Directed by Michael Dowse, Written by Tripper Clancy and Starring Kumail Nanjiani as Stu the Uber driver and Dave Bautista as LA police officer Victor “Vic” Manning .

Stu works in a big box store and is also an Uber driver desperate for a 5 star review. Stu’s boss enjoys belittling his efforts to make extra money by calling him Stuber, but Stu takes his Uber job very seriously, even offering specialty chocolates and other treats for his riders in hopes to get a good review.

Vic is an Los Angels police officer who is on the hunt for a heroin king pin named Oka Teijo, who slipped through his hands in the past and that Vic is desperate to find to put in jail and to clear his reputation. On the day Vic decides to have eye surgery, his vision is compromised so his daughter schedules Vic an Uber, Vic being obviously smartphone challenged.

Stu gets a pickup request and Vic hops in the front for his first ever Uber ride with meek, mild-mannered Stu, completely his opposite. Vic directs Stu to several locations around LA to track down leads on Teijo, and Stu does his best to try to avoid the violence, though difficult when Vic puts criminals in his car and hands him a gun to guard them and himself.

The two buddy up and find chaos at every stop filled with gun fights and explosions, and they even stop at Vic’s daughters art show opening, where when Stu was is asked how he met her father, he simply and calmly replied “He kidnapped me”.

This was Stu’s tone the entire movie and seriously catches you off guard in extremely humorous and comedic ways. The action portions of the film are much like that of “The Good Guys” and “Pain and Gain”, over dramatized and not so realistic, but don’t consider it a true “get the bad guy movie” rather a comedy that involves getting a bad guy.

Kumail Nanjiani is insanely hilarious in this role with his causal delivery of razor sharp witty one liners that had the entire audience repeatedly laughing out loud throughout the movie. He was well cast in the role as the meeker, weaker of this unexpected buddy cop duo, and included some aspects of his culture in the character, being excellent at expressing a calm demeanor general found through years of meditation.

Dave Bautista is good for the butal, boundless tough guy cop role, though the two didn’t seem to have true chemistry like that of Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell in “The Other Guys” where they were also extreme opposites, but there was some strange underlying connection.

Studer is great for a good dose of unexpected humor, and is more like a night of stand up comedy with Kumail Nanjiani, who will definitely keep you laughing throughout the movie.

Rated R – 105m

Movie Review by Cindy Summers
Phoenix, Oregon

1 palm trees out of 4

Phoenix, Oregon is the story of a middle aged man whose life is going nowhere when his longtime friend hatches a plan for them to relive some of their younger glory days by reopening the bowling alley they both grew up going to and reinventing it as the best pizza ever made with micro brews and fine wines. Directed and Written by Gary Lundgren and Starring James Le Gross as Bobby the bowling star, Jesse Borrego as Carlos, his best friend and pizza perfectionist and Lisa Edelstein as Tanya, Bobby’s unrequited love interest.

Phoenix, Oregon is set in the actual small town of Phoenix, Oregon, where Bobby works as a bar tender under an oppressive boss that steals his tips and belittles his endeavors. In his younger days he was a legend having bowled a perfect 300 game, but those days of glory were long in Bobby’s past and life offered little to him other than disappointment.

Bobby’s best friend Carlos is a chef, but also unhappy in his situation, so Carlos comes up with a plan for the two to buy the dilapidated bowling alley they basically lived in as kids and make is a prime bowling center with gourmet pizza and fine libations. Tanya enters the picture as a representative for one of the business investors and stirs up some emotional feelings from the past for Bobby.

Bobby and Carlos end up over their heads in a dirty business deal and though they end up losing what they were trying to build, some good things come from their efforts, especially between Bobby and Tanya. This story line is simple and there are really no high or lows, the audience just basically plods along through the simple lives of some simple people in a small town, though does manage to highlight the importance of friendship and to never give up on the things you love and do well.

In this case was cartooning for Bobby, which he did as a hobby to provide a different perspective on him humdrum world, and which in the end he actually decided to pursue as a new direction in his dreary life. Jesse Le Gross does well in portraying this aspect of his character, though the other dreary side drags viewers slowly though the story.

Jesse Borrego was cast well as the best friend Carlos and showed passion and enthusiasm both for premium pizza and his longtime friendship with Bobby. Carlos was really the only joyful character in the movie, though Bobby was able to find his happiness again at the grand opening bowling tournament.

This movie falls flat in providing any real substance, and tends to drag on with trivial issues, though does have a few moments of good feeling entertainment.

Rated R – 108m

by Shirley Lorraine

Secrets Abound at Santa Paula’s Casa

A retro revelation into a world many of us have little or no knowledge of takes the main stage at the Santa Paula theater Center. Casa Valentina, written by Harvey Fierstein (of Kinky Boots, La Cage Aux Folle fame) is based on actual events. Casa explores an exclusive resort in the Catskills catering to straight men who desire a place to dress and act as women, even for a brief time.

In 1962, the play’s setting, such a desire was strictly taboo and considered a severe embarrassment. Although great strides have been made, even today there is still a wealth of misunderstanding, derision and even fear surrounding transvestite lifestyle. for instance people may still judge someone for enjoying porn on a site like shemalehd instead of a heterosexual website alternative. Women dress as men –why are men not afforded the same acceptance? Casa Valentina explores this story of a few brave men who retreat to New York’s Catskill mountains for an annual rejuvenation of spirit.

With Fred Helsel at the Director’s helm, the seasoned cast takes on this enlightenment challenge beautifully.

Chip Albers plays George who transforms into the capable and confident Valentina. Aided by his understanding wife Rita, portrayed by Sindy McKay, the two assist each guest to become comfortable in their temporary roles as women.

A retreat regular, Bessie (Albert) is given larger than life attributes by Allan Noel. By far the most outspoken of the group, Albert embraces his inner femininity with gusto.
He is joined by Michael/Gloria, a younger regular played by the versatile and enchanting Trent Trachtenberg. The other end of the age spectrum is covered by Doug Friedlander as Theodore/Terry, a vision in lavender.

Rounding out the mix are long-time attendees Judge (Ronald Rezac) who becomes Amy, and Isadore (Elixeo Flores) who embodies Charlotte, a zealot for change. Both are solid in their portrayals.
Enter Jonathan, a first-time guest, in the form of Michael Adams, who takes tentative steps towards becoming Miranda. The regulars all lend their expertise on dressing attractively, hair and make-up assistance and other delicate tips in order to ease the transition.

As the men settle into their alternate selves, tensions rise over questions of potentially identifying themselves as a legitimate group which would involve some privacy being compromised. Not unlike today, fears of retribution cause some to back away, not knowing how their careers or personal lives may be impacted. Acceptance must start from within and project outward. Some just aren’t ready to reveal that side of their lives.

The Casa is struggling to stay open and keep financial solidity. These uncertainties, coupled with each man’s personal reasons for maintaining privacy, threaten the Casa’s very existence.
The story is told with insight, humor and compassion. We witness mental and physical transitions, realities of political climate and societal fears, not unlike those we still endure today, some 50 years later. The play is a timely picture of the constancy of misunderstanding and fear surrounding elements of life that apply to a select few. Hopefully, writings such as Casa Valentina will ease misconceptions and help toward acceptance of all persons.

Casa Valentina continues through July 28 at the Santa Paula Theater Center, 125 S. 7th Street, Santa Paula. Tickets for the Friday and Saturday 8 p.m. and Sunday 2 p.m. performances may be obtained via 805-525-4645 and www.santapaulatheatercenter.org. Adults are $24, Seniors and Student $22. Children not advised due to content.

by Shirley Lorraine
Murder, mayhem & music take stage in Simi

The year span is 1907-09. The tale, told in retrospect as a jail-house memoir, is one of deception, death and dastardly deeds. Set to music. The audience is warned that what they are about to see may be disturbing and, if they are easily offended, they are free to leave the theater now.

And so, presented by the Actor’s Repertory Theatre of Simi, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, the Tony-award winning musical penned by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutyak, begins at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center.

The vocal range of the cast is simply superior. Operatic in places, often reminiscent of Gilbert & Sullivan in its rapid-fire delivery, the lyrics are delivered with impertinence and impunity throughout. What a treat.

Montague “Monty” Navarro (Vincent Perez), upon mourning his mother’s recent demise, is visited by a mysterious stranger, Miss Shingle (Sydney Bowers) who informs him that he, in fact, is a distant heir to the earldom of Highhurst Castle. There are a few minor problems, however. His presence is not recognized by Highurst residents the D’Ysquith family as his mother was disconnected from the line years ago, and there are eight heirs ahead of him for the title. No matter.

Young Monty is in love with Sibella Hallward (Deborah Robin) although she desires to marry for money over heart. Monty accepts the challenge and vows to make his way to the top of the heir-chain by seeing that each heir meets an untimely death. Along the way he intrigues and is pursued by Phoebe D’Ysquith (Siena Avila), a distant cousin.

The entire D’Ysquith line (nine characters) is played by Adam Womak, each character distinct although with uncanny resemblances. Womak is clearly reveling in the chance to play such varied roles and does so in fine fashion, pulling out all the stops.

Six additional seasoned actors fill in as servants, portraits (yes, portraits) and lesser characters to great effect. Adding to their inclusion are highly stylized movements, a wide range of vocal talents and full immersion in their roles. Each of them brings with them a long list of theatrical credits.

Director Will Shupe and musical director Gary Poirot must be especially proud of the abundance of talent this cast displays. There are no weak voices among them. In additional to their sheer strength, the actors are also using microphones to overcome the right-in-front live orchestra. At times the volume overrides the lyrics, but the voices are so fine it is still easy to be impressed.

Period costuming by Joshua Stapel is on point and beautifully styled. The lush fabrics and detailed designs are visually appealing works of art.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder presents a decidedly light-hearted foray in time. The high energy performance keeps the actors on their toes and the audience on the edge of their seats with anticipation of the next twist. Performances are crisp, vocals are superb, and the evening is highly satisfying.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder runs through July 14. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $28 adults, $24 seniors/students, $20 12 and under. (805) 583-7900 or www.simi-arts.org