Arts Fuse Editor

March Short Fuses – Materia Critica

March 1, 2021
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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

February 27, 2021
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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

February 27, 2021
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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.

Book/Film Interview: Leslie Epstein on “Casablanca” and “Hill of Beans”

February 25, 2021
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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

February 25, 2021
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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

February 24, 2021
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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.

Television Review: “It’s a Sin” — Poignant Remembrance of the AIDS Era

February 23, 2021
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Despite its inevitable darkness, It’s a Sin never loses sight of the joys of existence.

Visual Arts Review: Trump Likes Minimalism? Really?

February 23, 2021
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All four budgets that Donald Trump and his sycophants sent to Congress had nada for the arts and humanities.

Rap Album Review: slowthai’s “Tyron” — A Rapper of Two Minds

February 22, 2021
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This is a sophomore album that showcases an artist’s desire to grow beyond his initial success.

Film Review: “Billie” — A Fascinating Spotlight on a Jazz Legend

February 22, 2021
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Billie is a stunning new documentary about Billie Holiday, one of the greatest jazz vocalists of the 20th century.

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