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Film Review: “Life Itself” — The Roger Ebert Story, Told Brilliantly

July 11, 2014
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Film critic Roger Ebert was a complicated man and this documentary does a superb job of exploring his different sides, detailing the evolution of his personality over the decades.

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Visual Arts Review: Red Writ Large — Soviet Propaganda from the Cold War Era

July 11, 2014
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Darker Shades of Red focuses on the Soviet Union’s creation of internal propaganda, its array of striking posters aimed at keeping those in the Motherland and the satellites in line.

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Film Review: “A Coffee in Berlin” — A Funny Film From Germany?

July 11, 2014
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A Coffee in Berlin is described accurately in its publicity as “a slacker comedy.”

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Music Interview: Guitarist and Singer Tobin Sprout — the George Harrison of Guided by Voices

July 10, 2014
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Since then, they have remained as indefatigable as ever in terms of writing, recording, and touring.

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Theater Review: “Last of the Red Hot Lovers” — Comic Froth Infused With Gravity

July 10, 2014
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Neil Simon’s Last of the Red Hot Lovers wears surprising well after nearly half a century, with the help of minimal, subtle updating of topical references.

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Film Review: The 19th Annual Boston French Film Festival — “Love Is the Perfect Crime,” “Abuse of Weakness”

July 10, 2014
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This year’s Boston French Film Festival (July 10 through 27) proffers a just-about 50-50 mix of male and female directors.

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Theater Review: Are the Iraqis “Waiting for Gilgamesh”?

July 9, 2014
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Playwright Amir Al-Azraki is in the camp that believes that the Iraqis themselves bear much of the responsibility for the chaos in their country.

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Classical CD Review: San Francisco Symphony’s “West Side Story” — A Brashly Invigorating Performance

July 9, 2014
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The music of West Side Story sounds grippingly urgent and colorful as ever in the hands of one of America’s best orchestras and conductors.

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Classical CD Reviews: Mozart’s “Haydn” Quartets and James Gaffigan conducts Dvorak (Harmonia mundi), plus James Brawn plays Beethoven (MSR Classics)

July 9, 2014
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Cuarteto Casals brings out Mozart’s playfulness, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester delivers a solid Dvorak’s Sixth, and James Brawn continues to brilliantly play Beethoven’s piano sonatas.

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Book Review: In “Europe in Sepia,” Croatian Writer Dubravka Ugrešić Bets a Few Chips on the Future

July 8, 2014
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Translator David Williams has hit upon a judicious combination of snappy repartee and dark underbelly that communicates essayist Dubravka Ugrešić’s rapier wit and black despair in equal measure.

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