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.
RESTAURANT REVIEW Affordable Food du Français
<i>For those of us hoping to take a date out to a nice restaurant over the weekend, the options for affordable fare can be few and far between in Boston. Many of the fine dining establishments serve delicious and unique chow, but unfortunately for the average college student, there are few that do not break the bank. I will be eating my way through these options, and, hopefully, finding an economical, date-worthy restaurant for other MIT couples to try. </i>
ON CLASSIC CINEMA It’s alive!
Nothing screams Halloween like a good old-fashioned monster movie.
ALBUM REVIEW Tunstall plays dress-up
If “Suddenly I See” conjures up the lipstick-and-heels world of <i>The Devil Wears Prada</i>, then “Uummannaq Song” invokes a different kind of fierce. KT Tunstall’s new album <i>Tiger Suit</i> opens with the rattling and echoes of mysterious campfire rituals. Then an unmistakable voice breaks in: “Hold your fire / I’m coming out and I’ll tell you the truth.”
CONCERT REVIEW Performance or Performer?
Thursday evening’s BSO performance found it hard to separate artist from opus: Marcelo Lehninger’s performance with the orchestra marked the 31-year-old conductor’s premiere as assistant conductor of the ensemble. Not a daring program, the performance somehow begged a divination of the young maestro’s future career than a complete synthesis of the evening’s works.
THEATER REVIEW Swords, storms, and (bloody) eyeballs!
The MIT Shakespeare Ensemble’s production of King Lear opened last weekend. <i>King Lear</i>, considered one of Shakespeare’s finest tragedies, starts with an ill-conceived brownnosing competition and ends, unsurprisingly, in death. Lots and lots of death.
OPERA REVIEW Balinese paradise
A night at the opera transfiguring into a trip to the tropical paradise of Bali sounds like an excellent selling point to all the weather-ridden Bostonians. Yet, Evan Ziporyn’s recent opera “A House in Bali” has only now been staged in our beloved city after more than a year since its American premiere, which took place in San Francisco last fall.