Story: Katha has a high-powered job in the city that keeps her in high-stress mode. Her husband Ryu is a plastic surgeon who seems always to be on the run. One day, when Katha by chance meets a dapper fellow named Dean on the street and inquires about his ‘retro’ look, he hands her a brochure about the Society of Dynamic Obsolescence.

Beach season is almost here, and the look for summer is definitely Bohemian. Ethnic prints mixed with muted colors, fringe details and loose-fitting shapes work on everyone.

A cool breeze will now flow through the hot summer nights at The Muny in Forest Park. Audiences can sit back and take in the comforting effect of high-tech fans as they experience the open air theater’s new season of shows. The 95th year will open June 17 with Monty Python’s Spamalot, starring John O’Hurley of Seinfeld fame. LN recently spoke with executive director Mike Isaacson for the scoop on the season, its stars and many more surprises.

So, I’m an OK mother—Cranky, Whiny and Punch seem to be surviving. Honestly, were I grading my parenting, I would give myself a B, which is weird because I always have been an A student.

Just go. That’s really all I have to say. A Jackie Robinson biopic was long overdue and this is an A+ effort. It’s a 9.

Story: Jane Eyre, orphaned at an early age, is taken in by her mother’s brother and his family. After his death she is subject to ridicule and abuse by her aunt and cousins, and ultimately dispatched to the Lowood School for Girls at age 10. Living conditions at the institution are squalid, and many of Jane’s classmates die in a typhus epidemic.

Well, it’s another dry week at the cineplex. So if you were hotly anticipating my review of the Evil Dead remake or Jurassic Park 3D I’m sorry to disappoint. Nevertheless, if you insist on getting out of the sunshine and hunkering down in a murky movie theater here are your options:

Well, it’s another B- week at the movies. If you’ve checked all the Oscar nominated films off your list, and you’ve seen Olympus Has Fallen and Oz the Great and Powerful, it might be a good weekend to park on your couch. Here are some options:

I am blessed with five grandchildren; and two of them are blessed—or cursed—with allergies. I’ve previously discussed food allergies; and this month, we talk about springtime environmental allergies. Once again, I called on my colleague, Mercy Clinic pediatric allergist Dr. Laura Esswein, to share her expertise.

I will be brief. It was all I could do to stomach the last seven or eight Twilight movies—at least it seemed like that many. Now, author Stephenie Meyer brings us The Host. Instead of vampires, we have aliens; and instead of…well, that’s about it.

WEBSTER UNIVERSITY’s Chess Team, ranked No. 1 in the nation, will be competing as the top seed in the Final Four of Collegiate Chess this weekend. The team, coached by renowned chess grandmaster SUSAN POLGAR, will do battle against students from University of Maryland-Baltimore County, University of Texas-Dallas and University of Illinois. The six grandmasters who make up the Webster team include: WESLEY SO (also ranked No. 1 in the Philippines), RAY ROBSON (also ranked No. 8 in the U.S.), FIDEL JIMENEZ (also ranked No. 3 in Cuba), GEORG MEIER (also ranked No. 4 in Germany), MANUEL HOYOS (also ranked No. 1 in Mexico and is the reigning U.S. Open Champion), and ANATOLY BYHKOVSKY (also ranked No. 21 in Israel). Bring home a winner, Webster!

Let me just start off by saying that there may not be two more likeable people on the planet than Tina Fey and Paul Rudd. (Yes, Fey’s Garnier hair commercial where she suddenly has the glowing locks of Rapunzel is mildly annoying, but I’m willing to overlook it.) Pairing them in a romantic comedy seems like a no-brainer. The problem here is this isn’t a romantic comedy: It’s not funny and it’s barely romantic. Yes, there are a few one-liners thrown in for good measure, but make no mistake—this movie is a drama. It’s not a bad movie, I just don’t like being duped.

He began his career on the local high school stage and is now an award-winning Broadway star. Since his early days growing up in South St. Louis, Norbert Leo Butz has found great success on Broadway, as well as in film and television. Even with a busy schedule that includes the lead role in next month’s world premiere of Big Fish in Chicago, Butz remains close to his roots. In May, he will return to St. Louis to headline a benefit concert for The Angel Band Project, a nonprofit that uses music to encourage healing and empathy for survivors of sexual violence. The Angel Band Project was created following the murder of Butz’s sister, Teresa Butz, in 2009. With the first show on May 8 at The Sheldon sold out, a second show has been added for May 9 at the 560 Music Center. Recently, Butz took a few minutes to speak with Ladue News about his career and the concert.

The recipe for a good action movie is fairly simple: You need a believable, if not intelligent, premise; a seemingly undefeatable villain; and an unlikely, albeit handsome and hunky, hero. This movie has that in spades. Yes, it requires a certain willing suspension of disbelief, but don’t all action movies? I am happy to report that Gerard Butler must have fired his agent, as he has transitioned from crappy romantic comedy protagonist to spot-on action hero, a role for which he is much better suited.

Caroline Kennedy will be in town next Wednesday, April 3, for the ninth annual Family Read Night at St. Louis County Library headquarters to discuss her new book.

Well, we’re almost out of the woods. We made it through the January bilge and a February with nothing but Oscar re-releases that were worth seeing. Spring break is almost over, and the studios know that the time has come to start releasing some movies that people actually will pay to see. Here’s what we have (hopefully) to look forward to this spring:

I don’t know what to tell you. This movie stars some of the greatest comic actors working today. It has a clever, timely premise and some very funny dialogue. Yet, all I can do is picture a half-dozen studio executives and screenwriters sitting in some dive bar in West Hollywood saying to themselves, How did it all go so terribly wrong?

Once again I find myself on the horns of a dilemma: We have an Academy Award-winning actress at the helm, a fairly original premise and a suspenseful plot. Yet somehow, the movie just misses the mark. It hits the dartboard, but not the bull’s eye.

Story: Walter Huff makes his living selling insurance policies in Los Angeles. He meets with gruff businessman Herbert Nirlinger to discuss the latter’s insurance needs. While at Nirlinger’s impressive home, Huff strikes up a conversation with Herbert’s wife, Phyllis.

The Baldwin Report

When is enough, enough? Die Hard raised the bar on The French Connection. The Matrix raised the bar on Die Hard. What’s left? How many ways can a bad guy kill a good guy? How many ways can a good guy exact revenge? How many car chases/explosions/torture scenes/shootouts do you need to make a movie worth the price of admission? In the end, I think we could all do with a little less sensory overload and a tad more plot. Oddly, this film has too much of both.

Hollywood has grappled with this dilemma for decades. It’s the unanswerable question, the cinematic sphinx. How do you make a sequel/prequel/remake/reboot/re-imagining of a classic? Do Rick and Ilsa meet again? Do the von Trapps form a folk singing group in the Alps? Is tomorrow another day? They tried with The Sting and failed. They tried with Love Story and failed. They tried (many times) with The Wizard of Oz with less-than-overwhelming success. This time—for the most part—they got it right.

We now have the names for the upcoming Maryville University St. Louis Speakers Series. The 2013-2014 season at Powell Hall begins Oct. 8 with former Greek Prime Minister GEORGE PAPANDREOU. The rest of the lineup includes: A Walk in the Woods author BILL BRYSON, Former U.S. Defense Secretary ROBERT GATES, Apple co-founder STEVE WOZNIAK, historian/author DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN and journalist DAN RATHER, whose March 25, 2014, appearance will be sponsored by LN. For subscription information, visit stlouisspeakersseries.org.

Story: Homer Smith has received his honorable discharge from the Army in 1949 and has decided to see the USA, specifically the American Southwest. He has enough money saved that he can afford to take this scenic vacation, picking up odd jobs along the way for extra cash. While traveling through New Mexico, he happens upon a village where a group of nuns from East Germany lives just outside the city limits, on a hardscrabble farm where they grow their own crops.

Does your pet have a case of bad breath? If so, don’t blame Fluffy or Fido, area vets say. Good oral hygiene is an important part of your pet’s grooming, and this often-overlooked aspect of their care should start early.