Review

Dance Review: Circa’s “Sacre” — Breathtaking Acrobatics

February 13, 2023
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Circa has come up with a stunning way to combine the athleticism of circus training with the aesthetics of dance theater.

Jazz Album Review: “The Birth of Bop” — Chronicling the Transition from Swing to Bop

February 13, 2023
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The Birth of Bop contains performances from some important participants in the bop revolution — Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Milt Jackson, Allen Eager, Fats Navarro, Max Roach, J.J. Johnson, and others.

Sundance Film Festival Reviews: “The Persian Version” and “Eileen”

February 11, 2023
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The Persian Version and Eileen offer different takes on friction in the family.

Book Review: Andrea Barrett’s Magical “Natural History”

February 11, 2023
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Although science is Andrea Barrett’s springboard, she is writing fiction about the people who do scientific research and teach it: memorable people who have hearts and secrets and feelings and hopes and dreams and goals.

Film Review: “Spoiler Alert” — A Comfortable and Comforting LGBTQIA+ Story

February 10, 2023
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Spoiler Alert is arranged to make the viewer feel snug, like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter day.

Book Reviews: Black Activism in a Quartet of Children’s Books

February 10, 2023
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Given the increasing backlash against books that promote equity and diversity, and the fact that many schools still spotlight Black history in February, here is a sampling of the many excellent Black history and biography books for children published in the past few years.

Film Review: “Close” — Feeling the Tragic Weight of the Human Condition

February 9, 2023
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Some might consider Close to be a depressing film, but its impressive understanding of human frailty and the power of forgiveness is revelatory.

Book Review: “The World and All That It Holds” — A Remarkable Achievement

February 9, 2023
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Aleksandar Hemon’s latest novel is simply dizzying, filled with texture, startling imagery, language in multiple tongues (keep Google within reach!), and it succeeds in most every respect.

Sundance Film Festival 2023, Dispatch #3: Magic Beneath the Surface

February 8, 2023
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Two horror-adjacent films at this year’s Sundance Festival — Sorcery and Animalia — were strikingly beautiful.

Film Review: “No Bears” — An Iranian Director’s Muted Act of Subversion

February 8, 2023
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Rather than coming across as angry or urgent, Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s No Bears feels muted, perhaps even subdued to the point of depression.

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