Review

Best Albums of 2023: Notable Operatic Recordings and a Few Non-Operatic Ones

December 14, 2023
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The subjects of our critic’s favorite albums of the past year include a dragon, a sex-obsessed priest, Mỹ Lai, and a grand pageant about Jewish history.

Book Review: Follow These Artfully Woven Threads

December 14, 2023
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The textile arts have been dissed by so many narrow-minded educators and critics over the years that it is heartening to have two exhibits (and their catalogues) treat the art of the woven with the respect and awe that it deserves.

Film Review: “Concrete Utopia” — No Room at the Top

December 13, 2023
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“Concrete Utopia” echoes “Parasite”’s sharp critique of class exploitation, but it applies a faster pace and more restless energy to its vision of economic meltdown.

Film Review: Misplaced Accents Almost Undermine “Eileen”

December 12, 2023
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Like the novel it is based on, “Eileen” eventually becomes a morally ambiguous, and twisted, noirish mystery.

Album Review: “More Than a Whisper: Celebrating the Music of Nanci Griffith” — A Flawless Tribute

December 11, 2023
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Love for Nanci Griffith has empowered a hell of a record.

Concert Review: Indie-Folk Sensation Anjimile at the ICA

December 11, 2023
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The heart of Friday’s performance came in stark impressions borne through Anjimile’s vulnerable voice — along with a little help from his friends.

Film Review: “American Fiction” — Pinned Down by Blackness

December 10, 2023
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In this promising filmmaking debut of Cord Jefferson, we’re given a too-rare peek in cinema into upper middle-class African-American life.

Book Reviews: Peter Stamm’s “The Archive of Feelings” and Bernhard Schlink’s “The Grandaughter”

December 9, 2023
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One wonders sometimes whether the weight of acclaim doesn’t place an author beyond critical reproach. The bandwagon effect.

Jazz Concert Review: “Samara Joy: A Joyful Holiday” — A Prodigious Joy

December 9, 2023
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Samara Joy uncorked her gospel pipes, the likes of which probably haven’t been heard on mainstream secular stages since Aretha Franklin.

Visual Arts Review: “Fashioned by Sargent” — Round Two

December 8, 2023
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Was John Singer Sargent just a talented flatterer of his wealthy patrons or was there more to him?

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