Commentary

Arts Remembrance: Arnie Reisman — The Party of the First Part

October 7, 2021
Posted in ,

In a way, Arnie was, to Boston, what George S. Kaufman was to the Algonquin Round Table, except the “vicious circle” lasted only ten years while Arnie enlivened his circle of friends for more than sixty.

Book Review: “The Mirror and the Palette” — Women’s Self-Portraits in Courage

October 4, 2021
Posted in , , ,

By skillfully balancing the historical and the imaginative, The Mirror and the Palette is not only a delight to read, but inspirational.

Arts Commentary: It’s OK to Like Board Games, Even the Bad Ones

September 29, 2021
Posted in , , ,

These cheesy board games were repetitive and horrible and I loved every one of them.

Theater Commentary: Theater in a Time of Emergency? — The Same Old Same Old

September 28, 2021
Posted in , ,

Are Boston’s stage critics disengaged from reality? Or is it that they are afraid to speak up?

Film Feature: A Dispatch from Boston’s Last Video Rental Store

September 20, 2021
Posted in , , ,

“If you really like something and want to make sure you have access to everything, you’ll never do better than having the disc.”

Jazz Appreciation: Remembering George Wein (1925-2021)

September 17, 2021
Posted in , , ,

The sum total of George Wein’s career was a successful wedding of art and commerce.

Book Review: Elizabeth Warren and Alexander S. Vindman — Gifted with a Moral Compass

September 5, 2021
Posted in , , ,

The idea of America is elusive and sometimes, like right now, in danger of disappearing. That is why I have found myself turning for comfort to two books that can give us some perspective as to how to move forward.

Author Appreciation: Historian Stephen B. Oates

August 31, 2021
Posted in , ,

No writer, historian, or filmmaker ever took me nearly as close to Abraham Lincoln the man as did Stephen B. Oates. I have always been indebted to him for that.

Music Remembrance: Gospel singer Lee Williams

August 31, 2021
Posted in , ,

A household name in Black America, Lee Williams had little need for the kind of crossover project that can earn a gospel act attention from the secular music media.

Book Review: “Was It Yesterday?: Nostalgia in Contemporary Film and Television” — Looking at the Past, Fearlessly

August 31, 2021
Posted in , , , ,

The essays in this excellent volume consistently show that nostalgia is about something, and it matters.

Recent Posts

Popular Posts

Categories

Archives