Film

“The Bad Backwards Walking” — A Dispatch from William Kentridge’s Fourth Norton Lecture

April 12, 2012
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William Kentridge spoke of the value of using a mirror to re-learn what he already knew how to do; the clear implication was that we are daily surrounded by mirror-images that we do not see for themselves but that hold the potential to alter our relationships to our tools and to our visions.

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Short Fuse: Basketball, “The Hunger Games,” and Postmodernism

April 10, 2012
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What struck me about “Hunger Games” is that the rules change in Katniss Everdeen’s battle to survive against others like her, including others she likes, might even love.

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Coming Attractions in Jazz: Spring Preview

April 3, 2012
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Pianist Fred Hersch

A reprise of Fred Hersch’s Leaves of Grass highlights the key role of Boston’s educational institutions; plus, an abundance of performances celebrating CD releases.

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Movie Review: “The Deep Blue Sea” — A Feast for the Eye and the Mind

April 2, 2012
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While “The Deep Blue Sea” may be a throwback to another era, director Terence Davies has used his masterful style to engage the audience cinematically and psychologically in an elegant circular structure.

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Coming Attractions in Film: April 2012

March 31, 2012
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It’s film festival time! That means you need to stretch, exercise, and drink plenty of liquids because there’s a lot to see. The month is capped with an amazing line up of 66 features at the Independent Film Festival of Boston.

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Film Review: Life Without Principle

March 16, 2012
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Director Johnnie To has a playfulness found in much Hong Kong cinema. He has found a different way to unfold a story, making clear how money and greed can inform everything, but with plenty of room for humor and for good fortune.

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Film Review: “In Darkness” — Not Just Another Holocaust Movie

March 12, 2012
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Twenty-one years after she received a Golden Globe for “Europa Europa,” director Agnieszka Holland returns with another uncompromising vision of perseverance and the power of human connection in the worst of times.

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Coming Attractions in Film: March 2012

March 4, 2012
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What’s coming up now in this small gap between the Awards shows and the Film Festival Season? Lots! This month is a cornucopia of adventurous off-the-radar films. March features several great director’s series, Hong Kong, German, and Czech premieres, women directors, local directors, and a range of documentaries on music that you probably never heard of.

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Theater Interview: Viva August Strindberg — The Great Swedish Modernist

February 29, 2012
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August Strindberg’s work unquestionably has not received the degree of popular acclaim in America that it deserves. It’s a bit mysterious, given that major U.S. playwrights — Eugene O’Neill, Edward Albee, Tennessee Williams — have openly acknowledged their debts to Strindberg.

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Movie Review: Oscar Nominated Live Shorts — A Very Competitive Year

February 22, 2012
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Five strong contenders: production values are high, the actors excellent, and four are beautifully grounded in their settings –- Norway, Calcutta, and two in Ireland.

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