Like so many dramedies in the past few years, "Greenberg" tells a coming−of−age story about a man who is decades past adolescence. The film raises important issues of identity and provides countless triumphant moments of dark comedy. Unfortunately, the story's lack of direction and the unlikeable protagonist mean "Greenberg" falls short of success.
Although ABC Family's "10 Things I Hate About You" claims to be loosely based on Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," it is more clearly a replica of the beloved 1999 movie of the same name. Recreating all of the plotlines from the eponymous film, the show deals less with the feminist issues of "Taming of the Shrew" and more with the romantic entanglements of the movie.
After the announcement that OK Go will be rocking Spring Fling, some of us here at the Daily Arts Department couldn't help but let out a slight sigh of disappointment. While a treadmill dance-off would bring Spring Fling to a whole new level, we couldn't help but put together a list of a few other possibilities that would have made this Spring Fling the best ever. 10. The Fray: Oh wait, NO. No sane person has ever wanted to hear The Fray, because their songs all sound exactly the same: crappy. 9. Blue Man Group: It's three bald, blue men, and odds are the audience will be pelted with toilet paper and Twinkies. It would make one hell of a mosh pit. 8. Ricky Martin/Jewel: After breaking it down with "Livin' La Vida Loca" (1999), Martin might just throw on a wig and become his alter ego — that's right, Jewel — and follow up that Latin pop with the calming "Stay Here Forever" (2010). Spring Fling could have two concerts for the price of one. 7. Gwar: Most people haven't even heard of these guys, but you should have. They dress up in monster costumes, do freaky stunts on stage and mumble lyrics in a devilish voice. If you don't believe us (which most of the Arts department didn't at first), go to their Web site and see for yourself. 6. Yellowcard: Though these punk rockers are on hiatus (why do you torment us so, Yellowcard?) they could totally rock Pro Row as if it were "Ocean Avenue" (2003) ... with their blonde, dyed haircuts, nasally voices and emo themes. Lame. 5. Michael Bublé: This doughy, Canadian tenor would class up Spring Fling. C'mon, he spells his name with a freaking accent aigu. 4. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch: All we want is for Mark Wahlberg to give up the whole acting gig and go back to his hip-hop days as Marky Mark. Having him rap shirtless on stage with his chiseled abs would definitely bring "Good Vibrations" (1991) to Spring Fling. 3. Zombie Michael Jackson Doing "Thriller" (1983): He was the biggest pop star on the planet while he was alive; just imagine how HUGE he'd be UNDEAD! No performance of "Thriller"would ever be as literally drop-dead amazing. 2. The Sound of a Babbling Brook: No, that's not the band name. And no, you haven't heard of them even if it was. Welcome to the new, super-hip age of music: the pure noise of nature. Brown University's Spring Fling has nothing on us. 1. Miley Cyrus/The Jonas Brothers (3D): Words cannot describe how happy we'd be if our Spring Fling became a "Party in the USA" (2009). Nobody can class up a joint quite like Miley with her kicks (not stilettos) and American flag backdrops. She may be the pinnacle of contemporary music. As for the Jonas Brothers, they did a 3D movie, and they'd be a fantastic continuation of our Disney-infused bash.
Tufts students who look for passive-aggressive friendships, salacious romantic entanglements and quippy dialogue in their TV shows need not look as far as Orange County or the Upper East Side. In fact, they may not even have to look off campus.
Jamie Oliver has come to America. He is here to create a food revolution, instilling habits and a love of healthy eating in a nation where one-third of adults are obese. He is delving into the supposed unhealthiest community in America — Huntington, West Virginia — to spur a desire for lifestyle change. Against him stand stubborn community members, school lunch officials and local radio hosts, as well as a love of processed foods and a stigma of veggies.
Want to make your weekend artsy? Check out these events! Nasturtiums at the Gardner Museum: On Saturday, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum begins its annual display of nasturtiums (vines of bright, orange flowers), which are hung in the Museum's spectacular courtyard from the windows of the third floor. These flowers were Gardner's favorite, and have been displayed in the museum every April since 1904 to celebrate her birthday. The display will be complemented by special dishes featuring edible nasturtiums available in the museum's cafe. (Saturday, April 3 through mid-April at The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 280 The Fenway) Drive-By Truckers at House of Blues: Tonight, Southern rockers Drive-By Truckers bring their unique brand of country to Boston. The band is touring in support of their recently released 8th studio album, "The Big To-Do" (2010). (Friday, April 2 at 8 p.m. at the House of Blues, Boston. 15 Lansdowne St. Tickets from $23.) World Pillow Fight Day: Who doesn't love a good pillow fight? Banditos Misteriosos presents the 2nd annual Pillow Fight Day in Boston this Saturday at 3 p.m.. Last year, 16 cities worldwide participated in this crazy event and Boston had the third largest Pillow Fight in the world. Grab a pillow and some friends so this year's Boston Pillow Fight can be even bigger and better! (Saturday, April 3 at 3 p.m. Place TBA on the Banditos Web site http://misteriosos.org on Friday, April 2 at 11:55 p.m.) Opus: A talented violinist disappears the night before a string quartet's biggest performance. Written by Michael Hollinger, the play delves into complex relationships and secrets among the musicians when a new member is introduced to the group. Jim Petosa directs this production, which intertwines music and drama. (Friday, April 2 at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 3 at 8 p.m. and through April 17 at the Arsenal Center for the Arts. Mosesian Theater, 321 Arsenal St. in Watertown. Tickets from $35 and half-price student discounts are available.) "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000):" Before a screening of Ang Lee's landmark martial arts epic, Boston University physics professor Andrew Cohen will give a talk exploring how the film uses and breaks the laws of physics. (Monday, April 5 at 7 p.m. at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. 290 Harvard St. in Brookline. Tickets are $9.75.)
With a title like "Hot Tub Time Machine," one would expect that this is a film that does not take itself too seriously. Thankfully, that assertion is mostly correct, and instead of a terrible comedy that tries to make a point, the audience gets a mediocre comedy that gathers mild laughs from dumb jokes. All things considered, the film exceeds some low expectations.
Last week, the Independent Film Festival of Boston announced its official lineup for its 8th festival, happening April 21-28. Though our pre-break predictions and hopes were only slightly fulfilled ("Winter's Bone," 2010 is the only film that will actually be screening off of our previous list), the lineup still has some incredibly exciting picks that we can't wait to get in there and cover.
This past weekend, the film "Hot Tub Time Machine" was released. Reviews were mixed, and the cast wasn't particularly marketable. Yet everyone we knew had heard of the movie. The reason: the title. It was so obvious, yet so ridiculous. Like a song by Ke$ha, we loved to hate on it for its superficiality, but we couldn't seem to get it out of our heads.
Though Western films were a staple of cinema 50 years ago, modern takes on the genre have struggled to keep afloat. Some neo−Western films and television shows have garnered critical acclaim — "No Country for Old Men" (2007) and HBO's "Deadwood (2004−2006), to name two — yet the golden age of Western films has long since ridden into the sunset.
It's a jazz club all right, with dim lighting and a couple of tiny tables intimately placed in front of the stage. A man hits a few keys on the piano, and then there's the calming sound of Woodrow Johnson's song "I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone" — sung Billie Holiday−style. In the Lyric Stage Company of Boston's production of "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill" by Lanie Robertson, there's nothing else left to do but lean back, absorb the music and enjoy the ride.
What would happen if everyone simultaneously saw two minutes of their lives six months in the future? Would everyone revel in their wisdom, lash out irrationally with their knowledge or simply be utterly confused at what they saw? Well, ABC's "FlashForward" explores the repercussions of knowing what looms in the future.
Anyone who watches movies knows that Zooey Deschanel has filled the quirky, cute role for quite a few years — the runaway sister in "Almost Famous" (2000), the childlike girl who works in a toy store in "Elf" (2003) and a blue−eyed heartbreaker in last year's surprise indie blockbuster "(500) Days of Summer." Less well−known by name, but an indie staple all the same, M. Ward has released solo albums and has guested for artists ranging from Bright Eyes to Norah Jones. Forming an unlikely pair in the musical duo She & Him, Deschanel and Ward have put out what sounds like a variety of vintage country/pop songs.
In the future, there will be no more waiting lists for kidney transplants, or any kind of organs for that matter. Instead, doctors will be able to sell people mechanical organs produced on a sterilized assembly line and branded with a barcode, ready to replace a failed body part like a new set of tires on a car. This is the world of "Repo Men," the newest installment in the dystopic sci−fi thriller genre. But in the land of synthetic livers and manufactured muscles, health care is not universal.
Concert Board yesterday confirmed that the power-pop band OK Go will headline this year's Spring Fling taking place May 1, with Canadian rapper Drake taking second billing.
What happens when a two−member band pushes garage rock to the very limits of listener tolerance? What happens when that very same band decides to tour, of all places, every single province and territory of Canada? The result is The White Stripes' new live album and accompanying documentary film, "Under Great White Northern Lights," based on the band's 2007 tour.
Nestled in a small theater space, there is a play that seems to burst with vibrant, exuberant energy. The Actor's Shakespeare Project's refreshing production of "Othello" is performed as if it weren't written in Elizabethan England, but as though it were a new play, with an unabashed force that carries its audiences through the five acts with ease.
It seems reasonable to expect a romantic comedy to provide either romance or comedy, and preferably both at the same time. But director Andy Tennant's jaundiced and charmless "The Bounty Hunter" is a paragon of rom−com, minus both the "rom" and the "com" — and the resulting picture is not pretty.
Libraries hold millions of stories on every imaginable subject, but the institutions themselves also have histories and stories to tell, from why they were founded to who has kept them going. The Boston Public Library (BPL) is one such institution. Founded in 1848, the library is the oldest free and full-scale municipal library in the United States.
