Review

Film Review: Louis C.K.’s “Tomorrow Night” – Ernie Kovacs meets early John Waters

February 22, 2014
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“Tomorrow Night” is firmly in the makes-you-cringe vein of comedy of which “Louie” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” would become exemplars.

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Book Review: Philippe Jaccottet’s “Seedtime” — Exploring the Inherent Mysteries of the World As It Is

February 21, 2014
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French writer Philippe Jaccottet’s ever-questioning poetic analyses of haunting ephemeral perceptions are carried on with such scruple and sincerity that, for his European peers, he has become the model of literary integrity.

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Film Review: “The Monuments Men” — Saving Great Art from the Nazis

February 20, 2014
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If George Clooney can rev up our righteous indignation decrying the barbarities of Joe McCarthy, why on earth couldn’t he become eloquent when it comes to talking about fighting to keep Hitler’s mitts off Michelangelo?

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Book Review: “Trieste” — A Vivid and Lurid Chronicle of Horrors

February 19, 2014
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As fiction, “Trieste” is almost entirely a dense tapestry of thinking, remembering, agonizing and raging.

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Theater Review: “Witness Uganda” — From Africa, With Schmaltz

February 17, 2014
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“Witness Uganda” is a quintessential American musical — a work of cultural tourism that condemns cultural tourism.

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Theater Review: Actors’ Shakespeare Project Mounts a Memorable “Cherry Orchard”

February 16, 2014
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Director Melia Bensussen handles the dialogue skillfully, but she also has an eye for creating vivid stage pictures which reinforce Chekhov’s dramatic themes.

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Theater Review: “Absence” — Movingly Moving Toward the Null Point

February 14, 2014
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The protagonist may necessarily be passive in the face of his or her diminishing mental condition, but art must rage against the dying of the light.

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Classical CD Reviews: Smetana and Janacek — String Quartets, Schoenberg and Berg — Music for Strings (Harmonia Mundi)

February 11, 2014
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Two new recordings from Harmonia Mundi offer gripping performances, including one of the Smetana String Quartet no.1 that’s particularly full of fire and life.

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Album Review: Two Ace Post-Rockers Return in a Big Way

February 10, 2014
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Exciting new LPs from two leading practitioners of post-rock — Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Have a Nice Life.

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Concert Review: Boston Symphony Orchestra plays Stucky, Schumann, and Brahms

February 10, 2014
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Pianist Murray Perahia’s return this weekend, with Schumann’s A minor Concerto, seemed tailor-made on paper: he’s one of the world’s great chamber musicians and this concerto plays to all his strengths.

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