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Lynn Venhaus

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Lynn Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com...Presents, and writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat daily newspaper. She is a member of CCA, AWFJ and St. Louis Film Critics Association.

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Reviews

Movies 온라인카지노추천 Shows
On Swift Horses (2024) 52% D+ “Tell us something we don’t know and would like to know and not foist half-baked performative junk at us and call it alluring. “On Swift Horses” goes in circles and limps to the finish line with a clumsy ending that doesn’t answer any questions raised. ” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Apr 24, 2025 Full Review The Wedding Banquet (2025) 88% B “The characters could all easily have been one-note, but the performers provide unexpected layers, while also crowd-pleasing with broad laughs. OK, it may be cliché, but the scene where they “de-queer” the girls’ home is very funny.” – AWFJ.org Apr 21, 2025 Full Review Final Vows (2024) B+ “The most surprising aspect of the film is how joyous the women are about their faith, their acceptance of serenity, and their resolute commitment to this way of life.” – AWFJ.org Apr 14, 2025 Full Review Warfare (2025) 93% A- “Garland and Mendoza filmed this war drama with such meticulous detail that you feel the tension, the clock ticking, the exactness of surveillance evidence, the danger lurking, maneuver plans, and the aftermath of an ambush as if we're peeking through...” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Apr 11, 2025 Full Review The Life List (2025) 45% B “ It has appealing elements, most notably its winsome heroine, who unearths some gumption and gets back on the path to self-fulfillment.” – AWFJ.org Mar 29, 2025 Full Review The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2024) 88% B “Writer-director Peter Browngardt has enlisted 10 other writers to craft this blender-version of sci-fi kitsch, taking the pod paranoia of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” with bits from such disaster movies... and then typical looney cartoon explosions.” – Webster-Kirkwood Times Mar 15, 2025 Full Review Novocaine (2025) 81% C+ “A clever caper, “Novocaine” intrigues with alluring young talent but prefers to keep piling on the bone-crunching bloody gore. That, unfortunately, pummels moviegoers with repetitive sadistic images of gruesome bodily harm, deadening our interest...” – Webster-Kirkwood Times Mar 15, 2025 Full Review My Dead Friend Zoe (2024) 95% B “Hausmann-Stokes may be a first-time director, but he knows his subject matter well, and cares deeply. You can feel the earnestness in which he tells this specific story with its broader message and plea to help care more for veterans’ PTSD plights.” – Webster-Kirkwood Times Mar 7, 2025 Full Review Seven Veils (2023) 77% C+ “The film, in its 1 hour, 47 minutes runtime, loses its way because of the disjointed narrative. But what it has to say about exploiting women are points well-taken. ” – AWFJ.org Mar 4, 2025 Full Review Last Breath (2025) 80% B ““Last Breath” is a worthwhile endeavor that rewards our empathy, the kind of rare storytelling that triumphs because it is gratifying and extraordinary without extra padding.” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Feb 27, 2025 Full Review The Monkey (2025) 79% C+ “(Perkins) has an obvious appreciation for the B-movie grindhouse homages because he stages these outrageous, outlandish, very bloody death scenes with gleeful zest.” – Webster-Kirkwood Times Feb 20, 2025 Full Review The Gorge (2025) 63% B “With its genre mash-up of science fiction, horror, action-adventure and romance, the most surprising of all is that the romance is the most satisfying aspect of “The Gorge.” And that’s because of the sparks flying between charismatic co-stars...” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Feb 15, 2025 Full Review I'm Still Here (2024) 97% A- “Salles, who directed “Central Station” and “The Motorcycle Diaries” (2004), takes a methodical approach and allows the film to unfold naturally, showing the close-knit family bonds, their resilience, and above all, Eunice’s remarkable strength.” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Feb 8, 2025 Full Review You're Cordially Invited (2025) 48% B- “Of course, the story is goofy, featuring some good slapstick bits, but also stretched thin (and goes a tad too long – 110 minutes), but it’s fun to watch this ensemble.” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Feb 1, 2025 Full Review Vermiglio (2024) 93% B “The authenticity draws one in, and while the story is more of a restrained drama than an emotional powerhouse, it feels accurate – especially in revealing generational secrets that alter individual paths.” – AWFJ.org Jan 24, 2025 Full Review The Brutalist (2024) 93% B- “This film is a grand effort in establishing his singular vision. Yes, it’s artsy, but it’s also indulgent, and I feel parts are disjointed and often try too hard.” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Jan 24, 2025 Full Review September 5 (2024) 93% A “The tragic outcome was a gut-punch, for the news a short time earlier had been hopeful. That sickening feeling is authentically duplicated in {this} intense and riveting film that has meticulously recreated the network’s control room perspective.” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Jan 24, 2025 Full Review A Complete Unknown (2024) 82% A “Whether you like Dylan’s music or not is immaterial – director James Mangold makes us feel his impact as one of the most iconic singer-songwriters in history, and it’s glorious. He captures a vibrant music scene in New York 1961...” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Dec 30, 2024 Full Review Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) 56% C- “Lacking a creative spark, this misfire is a generic, dull and soulless attempt to go back to the familiar Shakespearean theme, with Biblical roots, to rehash family bonds and destiny. Yawn.” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Dec 19, 2024 Full Review That Christmas (2024) 67% B+ “Charming and delightful, “That Christmas” is an animated comedy that will give you the warm-and -fuzzies without the too-sweet and unrealistic situations that derail many of these holiday-themed movies.” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Dec 14, 2024 Full Review Nightbitch (2024) 59% D “Overall, the film’s repetitiveness – how many ways can one show repressed rage – weakens the intention because the points aren’t hard-hitting. Of course, this topic is worth focusing on, but the clumsy way it’s handled is just too weird to be effective.” – Webster-Kirkwood Times Dec 5, 2024 Full Review Maria (2024) 75% B+ “In a bravura performance, Angelina Jolie dazzles as the colorful coloratura who endured tabloid-headline celebrity. She masterfully conveyed Callas’ prickly temperament and artistic demands. ” – AWFJ.org Nov 27, 2024 Full Review Wicked (2024) 87% B+ “Did it need to be this long? No. Is it worth your time? Yes. With ‘wow factor’ production values and sensational performances, this vivid re-imagining of the Land of Oz is a must-see event best-suited for the big screen.” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Nov 21, 2024 Full Review Red One (2024) 30% C- ““Red One” is altogether too much – aggravating over-the-top computer-generated images (CGI), big beefy actors going through the motions imitating standard characters, derivative storylines from better films, and an overload of shiny distractions” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Nov 15, 2024 Full Review A Real Pain (2024) 96% A “He (Eisenberg) reveals a remarkable knack for storytelling, and his deft direction makes for a lean 90-minute odyssey where the pair discover themselves and move forward with far more understanding.” – PopLifeSTL Podcast Nov 14, 2024 Full Review
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