Without ignoring the terrible-beautiful magnetism of the industrial imagery we love to hate and hate to love, the camera is gradually, gently, drawn across the river and away from the workday, to spend time with these very real humans who serve the machines.
Rock Album Reviews: New Musical Anarchy from Paul Leary and the Melvins
Unlike so many of the iconoclasts from the ’80s, these architects of alternative rock stay true to their school.
Film Review: “Do Not Split” — A Compelling, Disturbing, and Imperfect Look at the Hong Kong Riots
Is Do Not Split a fine example of provocative filmmaking? Yes. Should you watch it? Certainly. Will it help you understand the forces feeding the discontent and shaping the discourse generated by the conflict? Not really.
March Short Fuses – Materia Critica
Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, and visual arts — fire off a few brief bursts of criticism.
Film Review: Nicholas Jarecki’s “Crisis” — Death, Opioids, and Corporate Greed
Crisis takes on the opioid crisis – which has killed more people than the war in Vietnam — and gives corporate villainy (Big Pharma) the Hollywood treatment.
Film Review: “I Care a Lot” — Vague Villainy
The problem with I Care a Lot is that, despite its intimations of reality, there are tropes and story elements that come off as melodramatic for melodrama’s sake.
Film Review: “Jumbo” — Love with the Proper Object
Jumbo is one of the most magically affecting and visually enthralling romances I’ve seen in quite some time
Book/Film Interview: Leslie Epstein on “Casablanca” and “Hill of Beans”
An interview with Brookline’s own Leslie Epstein on his new novel, the inexhaustible freshness of Casablanca, and the need for truth in historical fiction.
World Music Album Review: Michael Wimberly’s “Afrofuturism” — Journeying Forward Through Diversity
We need more recordings like this. This is a diverse and imaginative album that draws on a wide range of influences: rap, old-school funk, Afropop, traditional West African music, and R&B jam sessions.
Jazz Album Review: Kemp Harris’s “Live at The Bird SF” — An Infectious Hybrid
This live performance recording showcases the Boston-based singer/pianist Kemp Harris’s merrily eclectic approach — it is a thought-stirring and animated musical excursion.