Film
“The Sessions” quietly and lovingly engages humor, philosophy, sexuality, and spirituality to create a poetic meditation on the nature of physical love and emotional connection.
Read More“Cloud Atlas” is irresistible, a visual and sensory marvel with a winning mix of charm and humor to offset the darkest violence and mayhem within the sobering tale.
Read MoreYes, Ben Affleck took some liberties in “Argo” for the sake of the dramatic arc and a kickass, intense finale. But mostly, the story is so bizarre that it hardly needed enhancement.
Read MoreThe director of THE MASTER, Paul Thomas Anderson, runs toward Scientology as fast as he runs away from it and its top guns (Tom Cruise did visit the set to lodge a few complaints).
Read MoreDirector Paul Thomas Anderson doesn’t provide answers nor does he pose questions: the ambiguity of his characters and his confounding storytelling style are what drive “The Master.”
Read More[Update: Tonight’s performance at Scullers by Mozik and special guest Rebecca Parris is still on. Rumor has it that the set will include Herbie Hancock’s “The Eye of the Hurricane”.] All treats, no tricks —it’s a great month for jazz in New England. The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra turns forty, and so does NEC’s Contemporary Improvisation department. Meanwhile, a raft of musicians make deep dives into electronica.
Read MoreThe month features a number of ambitious film festivals and the predictable cinematic excursions, classy and crass, into the spooky.
Read More“The Master” is not easily pigeon-holed as a film but one can argue that it is, at its core, a brilliant anti-war movie.
Read MoreMusician Patty Schemel’s slow climb to sobriety and wellness serves as the gripping backbone of the documentary “Hit So Hard,” to the point that it is difficult to believe that someone thumped so severely lived to tell her story.
Read More“Ruby Sparks” is more than a sweetly moving love story with a happy ending; to their credit, the filmmakers add some disturbingly nightmarish edges to its “Pygmalion” meets “Frankenstein” plotline.
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Arts Commentary: Rich in Creativity — But Nothing Else