DANCE REVIEW A Night of Magic and Fantasy With the Boston Ballet
This winter, the Boston Opera House will host “The Nutcracker” during the 115th anniversary of the ballet’s premiere in St. Petersburg, Russia. More than 80,000 people are expected to travel from all over New England to come watch this annual holiday tradition.
Interview MF Grimm Takes to the Ink
You may know him as MF Grimm, the limit-pushing MC who raps about gingerbread men and movie monsters, recorded a critically acclaimed album in 24 hours, released the first-ever triple-disc hip hop album, <i>American Hunger</i>, and feuds with former ally MF Doom. You may also know him as Percy Carey, a former Sesame Street star who later turned to drug dealing and was shot 10 times over the course of two murder attempts, overcame serious sensory damage but remains confined to a wheelchair, studied law to get himself out of a life imprisonment, and now works as the successful CEO behind his own company, Day By Day Entertainment.
CD Review Radiohead Brings the Chanukah Cheer
If our own Arts Editor Sarah Dupuis hadn’t claimed reviewing rights to Radiohead’s <i>In Rainbows</i> before I could, an entirely different story would’ve been told. In short, I would’ve torn Radiohead a new basement door for not living up to its own standards, or what I’d perceived them to be. I owe Dupuis a debt of gratitude for preventing me from making such a mistake. <i>In Rainbows</i> is, I’ll admit now, quite satisfying, and it was my selfish here-I-am-now-entertain-me attitude that kept me from understanding that. The album has an oceanic serenity that could be confused for dullness until you let the majesty of “House of Cards” or “Nude” permeate you. So much of it cannot be scrutinized and enjoyed at the same time before you’ve initially taken a more relaxed perspective.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★ Dylan in the Movies
The average biopic takes the life of an extraordinary person and creates a larger than life characterization. Well, what do you do when the subject in question is already larger than life? What do you do when your subject is Bob Dylan, an inconsistent and self-contradictory man inseparable from the shadow of his own legend? Simple: you cast six people to play him, and you make up an impossibly fantastic world for your six Dylans to inhabit.
CONCERT LISTINGS December Concerts
There are only a few weeks left to catch shows before the semester ends, so take note of these top picks. Special interest performances are noted with stars. Send future listing suggestions to <i>arts@tech.mit.edu</i>.
THEATER REVIEW Something for Everyone
A couple of months ago, I was excited to find out that MIT Musical Theatre Guild would produce “Pippin,” and I have been eagerly awaiting the premiere ever since. This musical is particularly endearing, not only because of its catchy music but also because of its remarkably powerful symbolism. The story is an allegory of life itself, unwinding as a journey of self-discovery. It offers a little bit of everything and has something for everyone.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★★ Set Your Sights for the Northern Lights
Picture a girl on the back of a polar bear, bounding across an endless icy expanse with the aurora borealis crackling above, its shimmering veils hiding intimations of a city in the sky. Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials is a captivating exploration not only of new worlds but new ideas and the possibility of hope in a world with and without God.
CONCERT LISTINGS The Best Shows of December 2007
The end of the semester is only a few weeks away, and if your workload looks anything like mine, I bet everything will pile up right about … now. This won’t stop me from going out to shows, of course, and I should hope you’ll be out doing the same. Lots of not-so-well known but totally fantastic bands are headed to Boston this month, so if you’re thirsting for something new, now’s the time to see what’s on the scene. You know, before Built to Spill starts touring for the fiftieth time this year.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★ 1/2 Can You Feel the Love?
Noah Baumbach’s “Margot at the Wedding” is a broad, relentless portrait of a family perpetually strained to the point of breaking. But, oddly, it never does. It is a family whose members are racked by insecurities and self-doubt; they lash out at each other in ways that are almost incomparably cruel. Yet somehow you leave the theater knowing that the characters feel deeply for each other.
CD REVIEW An Experiment in Musical, Cultural Fusion
Yo-Yo Ma has pulled an ace from his sleeve with his most recent album <i>New Impossibilities.</i> Far from canonical, the pieces on the record are wild, living, breathing music. The title, although borrowed from a Mark Twain phrase, seems closer to the kind the writer Jaramillo Levi would use to crown one of his short story collections. In a very real sense, that is what Ma brings to us in his latest production: stories collected from the thousands of miles of the ancient and modern Silk Road. His language is articulated through bold musical sounds, and his subject is the deep continental Asia: Iran, China, and everything in between.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★ ‘Beowulf’: Plot and Clothing Optional
If you think “Beowulf” looks like another one of those over-the-top epic-action-type movies, well, you’d be right. Not that this is a bad thing. Sure, “Beowulf” has a simplistic plot, negligible amounts of character development, and stilted dialogue, but it is also pretty exciting, visually stunning, and just plain entertaining.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★ ‘Cholera’ Falls Flat
Love in the Time of Cholera” is a textbook example of why it is difficult to adapt books into movies. The trailer for “Love in the Time of Cholera” makes the movie look like a generic “epic romance.” While the trailer is a pretty accurate representation of the film, the actual movie is far less epic and far more vulgar with copious amounts of nudity and sexual innuendos.
T★eater Review Three Nights of One-Act Plays Delight Audience
Adult confusion gave way to youthful exuberance, followed by acknowledged vices and finishing with emerging disillusionment, in Dramashop’s annual student-written, student-directed One Acts. Even with a minimalist approach to scenery and costumes, the actors and directors created a memorable atmosphere that was at times ethereal, at others bizarre, and always mysterious.
CONCERT REVIEW No Complaints at Menomena, IllinoisA Critic’s Worst Nightmare
It is so so so hard for me to write a live review of a band I really love. Generally I won’t request press passes for my absolute favorites so I can actually enjoy the music without scrutinizing its presentational flaws or departures from album orchestrations. Well, friends, I guess I botched this one, because last weekend, on a PR company’s dime, I saw two fantastic bands play in Boston. And because they were so fantastic, I followed them to New York the following night.
MUSEUM REVIEW MIT Alum Loans Art Collection to MFA
Ronald C. Wornick SM ’60 describes the artwork he has collected as “good friends you welcome into your living conditions.” Good friend probably isn’t the first thought that comes to mind when viewers behold “She Devil,” a ceramic figure of a large-headed, winged, horned, and tailed creature. But take a closer look. The artistry behind this “She Devil” is unlike any I’ve seen before. Yarn is curled around the upper-half of the ceramic being while the lower half is streaked with paint. It’s a crazy invention, created by Michael Lucero, and I think I need to spend some time staring at it before I decide what to think about it.
CONCERT LISTINGS November Concerts
Some great (and cheap) concerts coming to you in the Boston area this November. Special interest shows are noted with stars. Send listing suggestions for this month and the future to <i>arts@tech.mit.edu</i>.
CONCERT LISTINGS November Concerts
Some great (and cheap) concerts coming to you in the Boston area this November. Special interest shows are noted with stars. Send listing suggestions for this month and the future to <i>arts@tech.mit.edu</i>.
THEATER REVIEW High School Nostalgia, Disney Style
Imagine a mishmash of every teenage chick flick comedy you have ever seen, throw in some singing and dancing, and<i> BAM!</i> you’ve got the live stage version of “High School Musical.”
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★ 1/2 Life in a Box
John Cusack is one of those actors who doesn’t quite fit in with Hollywood. And that’s a good thing. Getting his start as a teen actor in movies like “Sixteen Candles” and “Say Anything,” he transitioned into adult roles without a sex scandal or a stint in rehab. Even more impressive, he has continued to choose projects where he plays quirky, off-beat characters who are more lovable because of their flaws. In “Martian Child,” Cusack follows this trend with an emotional performance that had me laughing, crying, and just plain rooting for him in the theater.