Arts Fuse Editor
April shows more promise on the film front with the release of the action thriller “Hanna,” the courtroom drama “The Conspirator,” and the adaptation of the best-selling novel “Water for Elephants.” Boston local film festivals continue to showcase the best in independent and international films.
Read MoreFor classical music connoisseurs, YouTube has morphed into a virtual museum of music, at once an oasis of archival material, rare recordings, and provocative content. Rare recorded materials, some of them dating back to the early 1900s that were once available only in the dusty archives of a research library, are now instantly accessible, often…
Read MoreThis first novel from Arab-American writer Thérèse Soukar Chehade, who teaches English Language Education at a school in Amherst, Massachusetts, turns out to be a thoughtful family portrait that deals subtly with the variegated experiences of being outsiders in a strange land and the pulls of loss, memory, and desire. Loom by Thérèse Soukar Chehade.…
Read MoreBalancing the domestic and the tragic, The Wrong Blood explores the ways in which political history and personal histories intertwine: the novel is an invaluable reminder of how, in the midst of war, love and continuity preserve the potential for a richer life despite the disaster. The Wrong Blood by Manuel de Lope. Translated from…
Read MoreWith gift season comes the existential quandary: What to give the culture lovers on your list? This season the writers for The Arts Fuse waylay the crisis by recommending items that will delight the heart and stimulate the mind. Please feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments section. Keep in mind that…
Read MoreBut The Image in Question begs a crucial question: Isn’t modern media supposed to be flashy, colorful, and loud beyond all sane toleration? Aren’t shrill, unceasing proclamations a part of what drives some individuals away from television and video-games to art galleries, the concert-hall, and the cinema? THE IMAGE IN QUESTION. WAR — MEDIA —…
Read MoreThis is a play where characters don’t remove their clothes but the walls they’ve built to protect their inner selves.
Read MoreHowl, the film version of the story behind the poem “Howl,” is defeated by its own messy pretensions, faring best when it reflects the unselfconscious spirit of the poet, veering into chaos when it tries to do more than pay homage to its namesake. Reviewed by Dylan Rose. Howl comes off as a mixed bag.…
Read MoreLike just about everything nowadays, the word epic has been downsized, cut and packaged for the short-attention-span generation. Sure, there are ballyhooed mammoth projects, such as the recent films of James Cameron, but the director/producer pulled them off after years of preparation and with millions of dollars at his disposal. By Chantal Mendes. You want…
Read MoreOpera on Tap is designed to be surprising and fun – what other opera performance encourages its singers to walk right up to your table warbling high C notes? Opera on Tap at Oberon, September 26 and 27 By Chantal Mendes World famous opera master Luciano Pavarotti wouldn’t have been caught dead performing on a…
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Arts Commentary: Rich in Creativity — But Nothing Else