Arts

Arts

Madeline Hall | The Tasteful and the Tasteless

April 4

I'm fond of grandfatherly rants, and I reserve the right to use this particular column to emulate that advisory style. Increasingly so, I feel as though our society is abandoning general decency and recognition of privacy for the sake of technology. I do not identify as a Luddite, nor do I object to advancements in order to preserve some sense of the "good old days" (which I understand is just code for the 1950s in America, if we want to put a spatiotemporal label on these things). Instead, I refer to the fact that venues for broadcasting one's life are growing larger, turning our society into some kind of sick collective exhibitionist cult. We just don't wear any snazzy cult robes.

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Arts

Elo Experience' showcases unique 'theatrical journey'

April 3

There are few moments as bittersweet as when you stumble upon a treasure — a book, a designer, a recipe — only to find that you are late to the scene and that your newfound infatuation is actually something already widely known to be remarkable ("You never had tiramisu before? It's only the best dessert ever"). The experience can be humbling, but the challenge of catching up on years of ignorance can, if approached correctly, be a joy.

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Arts

MFA exhibits American expatriates' work

April 3

Europe has for years served as a Mecca for artists looking to study and spend time with the famous, historical masterpieces. American artists have especially found these European cities inspiring and the "Artists Abroad" exhibit, currently at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, consists of works that resulted from this inspiration from 1825 to 1925.

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Arts

Spring Fling Preview | Diverse talents of The Roots and RJD2 will make for a lively Spring Fling

April 3

The Roots just might be the hardest working band in hip−hop. In the past year alone they released two albums, won a Grammy award and now appear as the house band for NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

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Arts

Shakespeare seamlessly given a modern twist

April 3

Facing high expectations, "A Merchant of Venice" seemed bound to fail. Featuring an Oscar-winning actor, the modern interpretation of the classic Shakespearean play opens with an electronic score and a stage illuminated by three Apple laptops. Yet while modern interpretations unfortunately tend to resemble Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" (1996), the focus on Shakespeare's script allows the play to move beyond the clash between old (English, that is) and new. As the first act concludes, the unassuming nuance of F. Murray Abraham combined with the fast-paced, cutthroat world of Wall Street leaves the audience mesmerized by a truly remarkable interpretation of a classic play.

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Arts

Mitchell Geller | Makes it Rain

March 30

I was recently talking to my sister about James Blake, dubstep wunderkind. Her reaction to his self-titled debut album was, "Arthur Russell did it better."

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Arts

NBC offers underrated, underwatched Thursday night comedy

March 30

This is the fourth and final installment in a four-part series investigating the current state of television comedy. Over the course of the week, the series has looked at the half-hour comedy offerings on the four major broadcast networks. Today's installment focuses on those comedies airing on NBC.

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Arts

Beauvois' third effort, 'Of Gods and Men,' presents a beautiful, jarring look into the past

March 30

For a film with deep undercurrents of spirituality, "Of Gods and Men" can be, at times, jarringly soulless. While the terrain covered here could certainly be expanded into grand, sweeping drama, French director Xavier Beauvois opts instead to work on a smaller scale, one at a greater distance from his viewers, as the film has a pervasive sense of emotional remoteness, the source of both its beauty and its narrative frustrations. In crafting such an aesthetically dense, but emotionally sparse tale, Beauvois creates a portrait that is as alienating as it is impressive.

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Arts

Haute couture in the Hub: Three individuals discuss Boston and Tufts fashions and the role they play

March 30

Fully covering Boston's fashion scene would be a nearly impossible task. As a city with over 50 universities in the metropolitan area, Boston has a demographic that is not only skewed toward a younger population, but also a diverse one. Students from all over the country and the world call Boston their temporary home, making the city's fashion style more of a melting pot than anything else. East Coast sophistication blends with West Coast ease, while Southern lightheartedness is thrown in with New York gravity.

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Arts

Torn Ticket II's 'Pippin' puts the comedy back in dark comedy

March 30

If you've seen the episode of "Gilmore Girls" (2000-07) in which Miss Patty's dance school puts on a corny and somewhat eclectic dance recital, then you're already familiar with "Pippin." The recital kicks off with invasive and enthusiastic children in bright leotards singing "Magic to Do," an upbeat song that maps out the journey the performers hope to guide the audience through. "Magic to Do" also happens to be the opening number for "Pippin," Torn Ticket II's spring major play, and though the piece is just as lively in the Tufts troupe's hands, it's also something more: It's sexy, jarring and even a little sinister.

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Arts

Haute couture in the Hub

March 30

Fully covering Boston's fashion scene would be a nearly impossible task. As a city with over 50 universities in the metropolitan area, Boston has a demographic that is not only skewed toward a younger population, but also a diverse one. Students from all over the country and the world call Boston their temporary home, making the city's fashion style more of a melting pot than anything else. East Coast sophistication blends with West Coast ease, while Southern lightheartedness is thrown in with New York gravity.

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Arts

Brookline Jewish deli overwhelming in size and price

March 29

As any Jewish mother will tell you, a hot bowl of matzo ball soup can cure anything from a bad mood to stage-four lung cancer. Thus, in preparation for the last week of tests and assignments due before spring break, my friend and I decided to find a Jewish deli in Boston.

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Arts

ABC's comedy lineup overshadowed by Emmy winner, not getting the full respect it deserves

March 29

This is the third installment in a four-part series investigating the current state of television comedy. Over the course of the week, the series will look at the half-hour comedy offerings on the four major broadcast networks. Today's installment focuses on those comedies airing on ABC, including last year's Best Comedy Emmy winner, "Modern Family."

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Arts

Sucker Punch' a visually stunning but empty experience

March 29

"Sucker Punch," the new film by Zack Snyder (who also directed "300" (2006) and "Watchmen" (2009)), is a movie surprisingly not made by an ADD-ridden, hormone-crazed middle schooler. The film has near-nude women, wars, androids, dragons and huge undead samurais. This all adds up to a film that was probably really enjoyable to create. The viewer, however, does not get the same kind of satisfaction from seeing the final product.

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Arts

Fox offers laughs beyond Seth MacFarlane

March 28

This is the second installment in a four-part series investigating the current state of television comedy. Over the course of the week, the series will look at the half-hour comedy offerings on the four major broadcast networks. Today's installment focuses on those comedies airing on Fox, the top-rated television network in the all-important adults 18-49 demographic.

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Arts

Certified Copy' boasts compelling character portraits

March 28

Imagine the quintessential French film — coffee, cigarettes, plenty of quietly intellectual conversation and an effortlessly casual pace. Fold in a bit of philosophical musing on art, add in Parisian superstar Juliette Binoche, and you have "Certified Copy." Indeed, what could possibly be more French? Perhaps a picture crafted by a French director. Because, for all its overwhelmingly Gallic qualities, the film is but the latest work of acclaimed filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami — who is, in fact, Iranian.

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Arts

After five-year hiatus, The Strokes return with new sound

March 28

From the first calypso-inflected notes of "Machu Picchu," it's clear that those five years apart did something to The Strokes. Gone is vocalist Julian Casablancas' trademark slurred delivery, replaced by cleaner, more polished elocution. Over a bouncing, almost-danceable guitar line, it's the opening salvo from a band that's barely recognizable in its new sonic clothes.

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Arts

Madeline Hall | The Tasteful and the Tasteless

March 28

I already feel a sheepish sense of misplaced intention by writing this column on my chosen topic. This cultural phenomenon is not more complicated to understand than any other broached in my writing; in fact, the subject of this week's column has a distinctly straightforward style in communicating its message. That being said, by writing a column with a Tuesday timestamp, I think I immediately compromise my purpose and confuse my reader. After all, the only day of the week that truly matters is Friday.

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Arts

CBS offers solid, if generic, programming

March 27

This is the first installment in a four−part series investigating the current state of television comedy. Over the course of the week, the series will look at the half−hour comedy offerings on the four major broadcast networks. Today's installment focuses on those comedies airing on CBS, the most−watched television network in America.

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Arts

Lincoln Lawyer' barely passes low bar it set for itself

March 27

The problem with low expectations is that they are often easily met. Commercials for "The Lincoln Lawyer," adapted from Michael Connelly's novel of the same name, gave the impression that this movie was an utterly pedestrian crime drama with attractive stars, absurd plot twists and an underwhelming ending that would be both unsatisfying and pointless. The movie has a few saving graces, but, ultimately, the initial low expectations are exactly what the movie meets.

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