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‘One Battle After Another’ is an American masterpiece

In Paul Thomas Anderson ‘s gloriously messy, madcap roller coaster ride through modern America, objects in the rear view may go out of sight, but they don’t disappear. Political struggles never die in “One Battle After Another,” they just repeat. Or maybe they grow older and become paranoid, pot-smoking, pajama-wearers like Bob Ferguson ( Leonardo DiCaprio ), a washed-up revolutionary living off the grid with his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). The cycles of oppression and resistance are palpably felt in Anderson’s film, a decades-spanning odyssey where gun violence, white ...

Gray Areas: Take II turns 30 and Strollo directs premiere

Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment: • It all started when Dr. Robert Walton was at a meeting at the old Ground Round on Elm Road NE and a friend talked the reluctant dentist into sticking around to hear a woman sing karaoke. Walton doesn’t like karaoke, but decided to stay. He was impressed by what he heard from Ellie Kovell. “We had both been in musical endeavors, and we didn’t like it, and we just started working together,” Walton said. The duo, known as Take II, will celebrate its 30th anniversary together with a performance from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday ...

Summer to close with ‘Faust’

A fall tradition in the Mahoning Valley will close out summer this year. Opera Western Reserve will stage Charles Gounod’s “Faust” at Powers Auditorium on Saturday. In the past, OWR has waited until November to present its annual full-scale production. Director Scott Skiba said they started rethinking the schedule in 2023 when it switched from Stambaugh Auditorium to Powers for the venue. “I'm always looking several years ahead and planning,” he said. “Because we’re doing it at a different place, is it still the best time to do it? We are up against a lot of other ...

Country doubleheader comes to Youngstown amp

Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre will host a pair of country shows this week. Lee Brice returns to the Mahoning Valley for a show tonight at the outdoor venue, and Cody Jinks brings his Hippies and Cowboys tour there on Saturday. Brice is a South Carolina native, but he’s referred to the Mahoning Valley as “another hometown” because he is married to Poland native Sara Reeveley. He’s also played plenty of area shows over the years, from past headlining dates at the amphitheater, Covelli Centre and Packard Music Hall and opening for Kid Rock for the 2023 YLIVE ...

Caring rockers, beer fest raise cash for causes

Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment: • There is no shortage of national charities raising money in search of cancer cures and offering help to those battling the many forms of the disease. Chuck Gisewhite wanted to make sure the money raised here stayed here to help those most in need. The seventh Rock for the Care event starts at 3 p.m. Saturday at Ross Eatery & Pub, 8421 Tod Ave. SW, Lordstown. Gisewhite often took his mother to her cancer treatments at Mercy Health-St. Joseph Warren Hospital, and he said she actually enjoyed going there because they treated ...

‘Pan’ prequel opens 2025-26 season at Ashtabula theater

The play “Peter and the Starcatcher” opens 13th Street Theatre’s 2025-26 season at Ashtabula Arts Center. The play with music by Rick Elice is based on the novels by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson that serve as a prequel to “Peter Pan.” A nameless young orphan and his mates are shipped off from England to a distant island ruled by an evil king. Their ship, The Neverland, also carries a precious, otherworldly cargo: starstuff, a celestial substance so powerful it can reshape reality. When the ship is taken over by pirates, the orphan boys join a young ...