FILM REVIEW Dark and perfect
Darren Aronofsky is a director who seems to love to explore the dark side of human nature, and there’s a whole lot of that to explore. It’s easy for us to pawn off our dark side on the orcs and demons in stories, and on some deeper level it probably makes us feel better about ourselves. But every villain, monster, and atrocious real-world act in our recorded history was the creation of human beings.
MOVIE REVIEW Doesn’t just sting, it hurts
I’m not a superhero buff, but I could tell that The Dark Knight and Iron Man were great superhero flicks. The Green Hornet, directed by Michel Gondry (of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind fame, and once an Artist-in-Residence at MIT) and starring Seth Rogen and Jay Chou was not a great superhero flick. It wasn’t even a good superhero flick. It promised an exciting and witty blend of comedy and action, but failed to deliver either in significant amounts. One or two chuckles and a mildly entertaining final action scene couldn’t make up for another hour of vapid dialogue, lackluster 3D, and a general sense of “what’s going on here?”
MOVIE REVIEW Date night don’t
For those who are considering watching the romantic drama Blue Valentine on a date this weekend: Don’t do it.
INTERVIEW Destinations and playgrounds
Tamir Hendelman is a young Israeli musician and a product of the Los Angeles jazz scene. His latest Boston performance at Sculler’s Jazz Club was particularly lively, with Tim Horner on drums and Martin Wind on bass. Hendelman’s music is quite accessible, and he does a particularly good job of combining various musical influences together. Credit should also be given to Horner and Wind, who gave a decisive edge to the trio’s sound. Tamir Hendelman has two recordings released to date: 2010’s Destinations with Lewis Nash and Marco Panascia, and 2008’s Playground with Jeff Hamilton and John Clayton.
FILM REVIEW On loss and words
Rabbit Hole is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire of Boston. I discovered this fact after watching the movie, but I was not surprised. What kept me captivated and what makes Rabbit Hole a movie worth watching is the dialogue. Rabbit Hole is a movie constructed of words uttered by characters — subtle, like human expressions.
FILM REVIEW Living up to its legacy?
In Tron: Legacy, Joseph Kosinski presents the sequel to the classic 1982 science fiction film Tron. Tron: Legacy was produced by Steven Lisberger, the original Tron’s director, and features Jeff Bridges, reprising his role as the protagonist hacker and game developer Kevin Flynn. Despite a shallow storyline, which mainly feeds on ideas from the original movie, Tron: Legacy is epic thanks to its amazing visuals and the fantastic soundtrack, composed by the French duo Daft Punk.
FILM REVIEW A voice for the King
It’s post-World War I England and George V (Michael Gambon) is an aging monarch with a domineering personality. David (Guy Pearce), the immature successor to the throne and the future King Edward VIII, will later abdicate in order to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Bertie (Colin Firth) is his younger brother, the Duke of York. When the time comes for Bertie to take up the title of George VI, the reluctant king must overcome his debilitating stammer and lead his people into war.
EXHIBIT REVIEW Fresh Ink: Ten takes on Chinese tradition
Settled in a gallery that’s not quite part of the new Art of the Americas wing and not quite part of the old MFA, Fresh Ink is surprisingly quite at home. In this newest project, ten contemporary Chinese artists responded to pieces in the Museum’s collection with works of their own, adeptly treading the boundaries of the traditional and the modern, bringing the past and present closer together.
CONCERT REVIEW Schumann times three
On November 19, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) performed an all-Schumann concert featuring the composer’s first and fourth symphonies and piano concerto, with soloist Nelson Freire and guest conductor Kurt Masur.
ALBUM REVIEW Kanye in the eye of the storm
Here are some of the things critics are saying about Kanye West’s latest album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy:
ALBUM REVIEW Catchy but unmemorable
The Far East Movement recently released the album Free Wired in October. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I could actually critique the album, since it’s quite a feat to judge the artistic value of electronic hip hop, and I didn’t expect to have much to say in the area of lyrics, either. I know the album wasn’t intended to focus on lyrics but was based mainly on dance music, so I judged Free Wired based partly on what it was intended to do.
FILM REVIEW The truth behind the housing bubble
The documentary Inside Job by former MIT graduate Charles Ferguson ’89 explains the background of the global financial crisis. It features profound background research and several interviews with insiders of the financial world, academics and politicians. Matt Damon supported the documentary as narrator.
THEATRE REVIEW A grab bag of 30 bite-size treats
The MIT Dramashop’s production of Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind opened and closed this past weekend. If the title of the show strikes you as suspiciously familiar, it’s because Dramashop also put forward a production of Too Much Light in 2009.
FILM REVIEW Magic is still alive
Potter fanatics had been counting down to the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for months; the anticipation was almost too much to bear. On the opening night, throngs of Muggles queued up in theaters, even along sides of streets, in creatively Potter-fied costumes waiting for the clock to strike midnight. Thanks to MIT’s student body class organizers, many MIT students were able to view the pre-midnight premiere at Boston Commons Loews theater, making them the envy of the crowds.
FILM REVIEW Making awkward ‘cool’
Our generation has become used to the slapstick SNL teen comedies. At first glance,<i> Easy A </i>is not dissimilar to its predecessors like<i> Mean Girls</i>. However, unlike other attempts at teenage comedy following <i>Mean Girls</i>, <i>Easy A</i> is fresh, cheeky and actually on the mark.
FILM REVIEW Working with your mind
<i>It’s Kind of a Funny Story </i>is exactly that: kind of funny.
ON CLASSIC CINEMA The original portrayal of the confused youth
<i>Mr. Braddock: What is it, Ben?</i>
CONCERT REVIEW Uninspired but familiar
I found the remnants of Gen X last Wednesday. They were stoned at the Dandy Warhols concert at the Royale on Tremont St. This must have been their last bastion of sanctify from the crippling recession, overdue payments on the BMW, and the fact that mom and dad borrowed away their future for that house on Nantucket.
ARTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT Small revolutions
On Wednesday, October 27, the Berklee College of Music celebrated its seventh annual Evening with an Entrepreneur with one of the premier agents of the indie scene: Tom Windish. Though the name may be unfamiliar to the most, the names of the bands that he represents are not. Since its founding in 2004, the Windish Agency has amassed a roster of over 400 bands, including Animal Collective, the XX, Royksopp, and Crystal Castles. As of now, Windish’s agency is still expanding.
FILM REVIEW Is greed still good?
Wall Street. The two word phrase has been the bane of Main Street for the last two years. We have vilified bankers due to the likes of Bernie Madoff, Citi’s ex-execs and in general shunned and publicly denigrated those who have been tainted with the four word acronym TARP. Well, unfortunately, Oliver Stone’s <i>Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps </i>does nothing to dispel the negative public sentiments associated with the Street. The sequel to the famed 1987 film about greed and deception, it has all the bells and whistles but ultimately falls short of its full potential. The platform was set to address the recent financial calamity and really delve beyond the surface greed but ultimately, shies away from the ugly truths behind the downfall.