CONCERT REVIEW The Inevitable String TributeâŚ
There are a lot of ways to change a song. Obsessive fans tend to covet rare gems like acoustic strip-downs, jazz renditions, or the occasional remix. For the real collector, though, thereâs always another avenue: the string tribute. Often unadorned, and painfully obvious in its recapitulation of a melody, the string tribute does no more for a song than a fancy carrying case does for an iPod â you may think youâre stepping up in class, but youâre right where you began.
MOVIE REVIEW Unplugged in âSurrogatesâ
Imagine a sci-fi thriller that is original, witty, and well directed. Imagine watching a sci-fi thriller without fear of cheesy dialogue, pointless chases, and imminent apocalyptic doom. Now imagine the opposite, and that sums up <i>Surrogates</i>, a whodunit graphic novel adaptation starring Bruce Willis and directed by Jonathan Mostow (<i>U-571</i>, <i>Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines</i>).
CONCERT REVIEW Traffic Jams and Mechanical Claws
U2 is about as big as it gets when it comes to rock bands. Since the Zoo TV tour of the early â90s, theyâve insisted on including the most prodigious, high-tech, and sometimes outrageous â think mirror ball lemon from PopMart â gadgets on their stage sets.
CONCERT REVIEW Ryanhood Heats Up, Melts Chocolate Bar
Ryanhood, formed by Arizona natives Ryan Green and Cameron Hood, gave a free concert last week in their second home of Boston to a small but excited crowd of fans and newcomers. Defined primarily by smooth vocals and slick guitar work, the duo performed a mixed repertoire of flashy jams and deep ballads that demonstrated why, in spite of not having a Wikipedia page about them, they continue to gain new fans with every show.
CONCERT REVIEW Levine Tackles the Greats
James Levine led the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a sold-out show of spiritual awakening last Saturday at Symphony Hall, presenting Stravinskyâs <i>Symphony of Psalms</i> and Mozartâs <i>Requiem in D minor</i>.
CONCERT REVIEW Jamal: Master of Musical Space
Itâs hard to put a finger on Ahmad Jamalâs music. It speaks slowly, suggestively, and delicately. Heâs seen his fair share of music, and his style fits into the spectrum between breezy carelessness and angsty desperation. Perhaps its greatest quality is its use of space. Few other artists out there can tap out of melody with as much natural, composed structure as Jamal can without it sounding inevitable and rigid. Jamalâs playing is unfettered but rational, well-balanced, and smooth. Above all, it feels good.
EXHIBIT REVIEW âActing Outâ Is Raw and Humanizing
Video has become a trendy form of art. For one, seemingly ridiculous YouTube productions can silently generate millions of views, transforming the meaning of âexpressionâ and ârealityâ along the way. And now, five artists from around the world confront this hot new medium by using it as an apparatus to study human interactions and cultural inclinations. The product of their combined efforts is <i>Acting Out</i>, a collection of social experiments captured on video and filtered through an artistic lens. Itâs now playing on the fourth floor of Bostonâs Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA).
CD REVIEW From Harpsichord to Piano
Of the three sets of keyboard pieces J.S. Bach published between 1715 and 1730, the <i>Partitas</i> are, by far, the weirdest.
BOOK REVIEW Our Favorite Harvard Code Breaker Is Back
The famously controversial author of <i>The Da </i><i>Vinci Code</i> has succeeded in crafting a fascinating and suspenseful adventure brimming with new secrets, new twists and turns, and a refreshingly interesting â if not far-fetched â concept. Released on Sept. 15, this newest installment, <i>The Lost Symbol</i>, takes the reader on a harrowing thrill ride to uncover secrets in ancient mysticism and Masonic tradition. Despite some small imperfections, it delivers with a true Dan Brown âcanât-put-the-book-downâ style mystery.
MOVIE REVIEW Brazilian Film an Ode to the Lonely
âWherever you are, look to the sky and your star will guide you where you need to go⌠whatever happens or comes your way, you have your star to thank, more than you know.â
TELEVESION REVIEW For the High-Schooler Inside
Snobby cheerleaders? Check. Corny mantras? Check.
MOVIE REVIEW âTaking Woodstockâ Is a Lesson in Film Technique, American History
Ang Lee (<i>Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon</i>; <i>Hulk</i>; <i>Brokeback Mountain</i>) has once again proven his insight and versatility as a director. <i>Taking Woodstock</i> is a delightful comedy set in the Catskills in upstate New York, 1969. It tells the story of Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin), a Greenwich Village designer who comes home to help out with his parentsâ old, run-down motel in White Lake, NY.
THEATER REVIEW Gioia De Cari Searches for Truth
What is truth?â This is the question asked by one of Gioiaâs professors in a sermon to a group of scholars. This is also the question that Gioia has to ask herself â what is <i>her</i> truth â as she presents to us an autobiographical portrayal of her time at MIT.
MOVIE REVIEW Equal Parts Melancholy and Hope
Before the screening of <i>The Burning Plain</i>, one of the film critics near me explained that he had been in the hospital for the last few weeks due to a bike accident. Still tending injuries of a couple broken ribs, he joked that he was âglad that todayâs movie is not a comedy.â Indeed, <i>The Burning Plain</i> is perhaps as far as possible from comedy.
THEATER REVIEW Make Way for Hybrid Villains!
The MIT Musical Theatre Guildâs production of <i>Bat Boy: The Musical</i> (story and book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, music and lyrics by Laurence OâKeefe) is briefly summarized as âBat Boyâs search for love and acceptance,â which, though true, doesnât quite capture the depth of the showâs⌠quirkiness. With a plotline that could be considered odd even by musical standards, <i>Bat Boy</i> is about neither a young Bruce Wayne nor the baseball equivalent of a roadie, although one could argue that it has elements in common with the former.
CD REVIEW Speaking to Love
At any other time during the miserable history of British music, Gerald Finzi would have been considered one of Englandâs greatest composers. Just his luck, he was born just as Ralph Vaughan Williams was realizing his full potential and died just in time for Benjamin Britten to be achieving his.
INTERVIEW From Dot Product to Drama
Gioia De Cari, the writer/performer of <i>Truth Values</i>, received a Masters degree at MIT in Mathematics and was enrolled in the PhD program before she left to pursue a career in acting. De Cariâs play <i>Truth Values: One Girlâs Romp Through MITâs Male Math Maze</i> is an autobiographical solo show showing at Central Square Theater from Thursday, September 10th to Sunday, September 20th. De Cariâs play is aimed at telling her personal story of her experiences at MIT and explores the world of women in math and science. It is presented by the Underground Railway Theater and directed by Miriam Eusebio. For selected performances, the play will be followed by discussions with scientists and artists from both MIT and Harvard.
MOVIE REVIEW â â Designed for Destruction and Hope In â9â
Darkness and destruction pervade throughout much of <i>9</i>, directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton (<i>The Nightmare Before Christmas</i>, <i>Batman</i>, <i>Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street</i>). Based on the Academy Award-nominated animated short film of the same name, <i>9</i> takes place after humans have been annihilated by machines, leaving the world in rubble and ruin. The hero is a rag doll who is initially unable to speak but has an adventurous streak. He meets 2, a kind and industrious individual who enables 9 to speak. A mechanized beast captures 2 and injures 9, setting the rest of the film into motion.
CD REVIEW Eschewing Precision
My piano teacher used to cringe at the mention of Vladimir Horowitz. The Russian pianist was known for his particularly bad posture: sitting with the keyboard chest-level, Horowitzâs fingers would lie flat on the keys, tips almost pointed upwards as he played. Regardless, itâs hard to imagine another twentieth-century pianist who had such influence on the piano literature and the face of piano performance. Despite his questionable stance at the piano, Horowitz managed startling technical prowess at the keyboard, often performing musical acrobatics that were inaccessible to his contemporaries, premiering works both composers and performers thought impossible and forever changing what was considered par for his medium.
INTERVIEW Interview With âOrphanâ Screenwriter David Johnson
If you havenât had the curiosity (or stomach) to check Jaume Collet-Serraâs appropriately horrific horror thriller <i>Orphan</i>, this interview with screenwriter David L. Johnson might do the trick in explaining the motives behind the filmâs mysterious topic. I caught up with the busy writerâfirst-time father-to-be at the Comic-Con in San Diego last month. Clearly a part of the Comic-Con community, Johnson has worked with Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee when he adapted one of his original ideas into a two-hour teleplay for TBS Superstation.