Review

Visual Arts Review: Visiting a Museum during a Pandemic — A Trip to the deCordova

May 26, 2020
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“We ask that you limit your stay to two hours, and remember that our restrooms are not open.”

Book Review: “I Belong to Vienna” — The Merit of Not Doing the Wrong Thing

May 26, 2020
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The value and virtue of I Belong to Vienna is that it personalizes and humanizes a global reign of terror into an understandable drama.

Film Commentary: Movie Love or, Seven Moments from the Ontology of the Cinematic Image

May 26, 2020
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The anti-cinema, represented by CGI, obliterates perception; it is not interested in tutoring the eye to see more deeply.

Classical CD Reviews: François-Xavier Roth conducts Mussorgsky and Ravel, Manfred Honeck conducts Tchaikovsky and Leshnoff, and Mikolajus Čiurlionis Orchestral Works

May 26, 2020
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François-Xavier Roth and his period ensemble Les Siècles serve up freshness of playing and conviction of interpretation; Manfred Honeck is a conductor who can draw compelling, electrifying accounts of the standard canon as if on cue; the verdict’s mixed on the music of Lithuanian-born composer Mikalojus Čiurlionis.

Book Review: “Here We Are” — Philip Roth’s Boswell

May 25, 2020
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This glimpse into the relationship of two American Jewish writers makes for good reading during the pandemic: an intelligent, gracefully written memoir of friendship.

Classical CD Reviews: James MacMillan’s Viola Concerto, Magnus Lindberg’s “Accused,” and Richard Rodney Bennett Orchestral Works

May 25, 2020
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James MacMillan’s Viola Concert is a magnificent addition to the repertoire; the debut recording of Magnus Lindberg’s song cycle Accused leaves a bit to be desired; a fetching, brilliant gathering of orchestral music by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett.

Theater Interview: Anthony Clarvoe on “The Living” — Surviving Plague Time

May 24, 2020
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The Living “is about the impulse to draw back, to lie, to conceal, and to retreat versus the impulse to gather, to commune, to cooperate, to find common ground. Those two conflicting impulses seem to inform our response to every disaster.”

Poetry Review: “I Aint Yo Earthmama” — Poets Susan Barba and Wanda Coleman

May 24, 2020
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The two books reviewed here represent the launch of the reborn Black Sparrow Press under the auspices of David R. Godine, Publisher. Very exciting. Let’s give them a big warm Boston welcome!

Film Review: “The Ghost of Peter Sellers” — A Riveting Postmortem

May 24, 2020
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The documentary has a “why me?” element to it, with a dark comic edge, but it isn’t a pity party.

Podcast Review: “Team Deakins” — For Film Geeks Only (and That’s not a Bad Thing)

May 23, 2020
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The podcast Team Deakins has quite a bit to teach us about the art and craft of cinematography.

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