Featured

Fuse Book Commentary: A Case for Negative Book Reviews

August 22, 2012
Posted in ,

Why does Laura Miller feel, given her belief that negative reviews are often useless, that she has to kick criticism while it is down? Why argue against the efforts of a small number of delusional reviewers in major publications who continue to speak fruitless negativity to the indifferent masses?

Read More

Book Review: “The Barcelona Brothers” — A Nasty Piece of Spanish Noir

August 22, 2012
Posted in , ,

International noir novels no longer revolve around exotic police procedurals or gimmicky detective stories. They aim to pound readers into the pavement.

Read More

Short Fuse: Russian Dissident Garry Kasparov — Going to Jail for Pussy Riot

August 21, 2012
Posted in ,

Unlike the rock star supporters of Pussy Riot, Garry Kasparov lives in Moscow, which means, given how the Putin regime has dealt with critics, he has a lot more to fear than, say, Madonna, who nevertheless should be applauded for speaking out at her Moscow concert.

Read More

Concert Review: Boston Chamber Music Society enchants with Ravel and Debussy

August 21, 2012
Posted in , ,

Despite the high level of the players, there are things a professional quartet brings to a performance or recording—uniformity of sound and style—that cannot be matched by a group cobbled together and given limited rehearsal time.

Read More

Concert Review: Gil Shaham and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra/Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos

August 20, 2012
Posted in , ,

It’s rather melancholy to think that this incarnation of the TMCO will never perform again as an ensemble. Such is the nature, though, of Tanglewood and many summer music festivals.

Read More

Commentary/Review: Book Critics — “Fire the Bastards!” or Judging the Judges

August 20, 2012
Posted in ,

“New York Times” Book Critic Dwight Garner makes salient points about the need for incisive criticism, claiming that too much happy talk denies common sense and undercuts credibility. But the ‘gonzo’ masterwork “Fire the Bastards!” hammers the point home much more memorably.

Read More

Fuse Film Review: Running as a “Dark Horse” in the American Cinema

August 19, 2012
Posted in ,

Todd Solondz’s lack of commercial appeal as a filmmaker is understandable. His movies deal overtly with some of the most uncomfortable aspects of American life.

Read More

Visual Arts Commentary: Boston Mural Stirs Controversy

August 18, 2012
Posted in ,

A mural painted on the side of a Big Dig ventilation structure in the Boston’s Financial District has generated enormous controversy.

Read More

Theater Review: A Sweet and Contagious “Present Laughter”

August 18, 2012
Posted in ,

Actor Jack Koenig never flags in the Peterborough Players production of “Present Laughter,” and around him in his London studio-flat swirls a churning world of impertinent employees and past and present loves that would do Kaufman and Hart proud.

Read More

Theater Interview with David Sokol, Lyricist who made “Shylock Sing The Blues”

August 18, 2012
Posted in , , ,

“As an artist, you probably know when a project pulls at you, sometimes kicking and screaming. Shylock definitely has me by the back of the neck.”

Read More

Recent Posts