Arts

Arts

Absolution of the Wind' sure to blow viewers away

November 11

Emily Corbató recently stopped playing the piano professionally, swapping black and white keys for black and white photos. Plum Island, MA, the location of Corbató's studio, inspired her to take photographs of nature that she feels communicate her inner thoughts. She uses photography as her voice and what she has to say in "Absolution of the Wind" (1997-2009) is definitely worth listening to.

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Arts

Caryn Horowitz | The Cultural Culinarian

November 10

For those of you who also watch the Food Network on a far too regular basis, you probably will have noticed an ad crawler on the bottom of the screen this week for "Cook or Be Cooked," the newest video game from the Food Network. For those of you who watch "Down Home with the Neelys," you got to see a cooking competition between Pat and Gina on last Saturday's episode. Pat and his daughter Shelby made a tomato salad in the game, while Gina made the same dish in the kitchen to see who was faster, the gamers or the cook — Gina won. While this is all great cross-promotion for "Cook or Be Cooked," which was released on Nov. 3, it really got me thinking about whether or not food has a place in the gaming world.

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Arts

J.T. Rogers' play has small cast, big impact

November 10

When Detroit-native Linda (Lyndsay Allyn Cox) says, "to think that yesterday I was knee deep in snow, and today I'm in paradise," she doesn't realize that her paradise's inhabitants are on the brink of a collapse.

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Arts

Friday Night Lights' scores another TD

November 10

Some shows need to know when to quit. "CSI," while it has seen some creative resurgence this season, has suffered some hard blows since the departure of three of its main cast members. "Law & Order," once a shining beacon on the NBC schedule, is now barely pulling its weight on Friday nights after countless casting coups.

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Arts

The Boston Public Library flaunts its idiosyncratic side

November 10

If you can navigate through the labyrinthine — though beautiful — halls of the Boston Public Library's central branch at Copley Square to one of the many main lobbies, you'll come upon the most recent installation of "Cool + Collected: Treasures of the Boston Public Library." It is a year-long exhibit that features some of the more unusual and rare pieces in the library's collection. This particular set of objects will be displayed until February 2010, when the last of three installments will be set up.

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Arts

Derek Schlom | I Blame Pop Culture

November 9

The events and circumstances that fall under the umbrella of popular culture have the ability to shine light on human opinion and emotion: How we react to certain scenarios we see in a television show, how we respond when particular buttons are pushed by events in a film or song lyrics, what we see of ourselves or others in a work of art. But what happens when feelings that should be kept in the dark are pushed into the light by cultural provocation?   

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Arts

Tracy Morgan's memoir not enough, too soon

November 9

The celebrity memoir is sometimes intriguing, often unnecessary and, in Tracy Morgan's case, a little premature.

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Arts

War comedy worth a long look

November 9

A disclaimer at the beginning of the opening credits of this film says it all: "More of this is true than you'd believe." It is true that the American government set up a secret military unit to explore paranormal and psychic warfare techniques. It is also true that the soldiers in this group tried to kill goats just by staring at them. And it is precisely because of these unbelievable truths that "The Men Who Stare at Goats" succeeds as a comedic war film.   

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Arts

MFA curator brings innovative ideas to museum's exhibitions

November 9

When he began teaching art history courses while completing his graduate studies at Columbia University in 1995, Frederick Ilchman quickly realized something.

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Arts

Indie rockers turn their failed relationship into a musical success

November 8

Perhaps most famous for their roles as actors and musicians in the movie "Once" (2007), Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová have begun to expand their sound to a wide range of styles while still maintaining their band's heartfelt core of acoustic guitar, piano and perfectly matched harmonies. They've gone by many names ("Frames" among them), but the latest moniker for indie folk rockers Hansard and Irglová seems to have stuck: "Strict Joy" (2009), the second album released under the name The Swell Season, proves to be a satisfying follow-up to the duo's 2006's self-titled release.   

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Arts

FX's fantasy football comedy is 'Leagues' above the rest

November 8

"The League," a new semi-improvised, half-hour comedy on FX, is in some ways a perfect companion to its lead-in, the cult favorite "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Both shows skirt the boundaries of political correctness and laud the rhythms and patterns of a boys' club. Though the titular league of "The League" is centered on fantasy football, the show works best when, like "Sunny," the gang is left to its own crude devices.

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Arts

Friendship and politics tangle in 'Lady'

November 8

As Kenny (Michael Steven Costello), the physical embodiment of the archetypal Joe Six-pack, dangles a packet of Pop-Tarts in the air and whistles for his dog, Dyson (Craig Houk) gapes at him with unmitigated disgust. Adjusting the shoulder strap that holds his rifle close to his body, he disdainfully informs his longtime friend, "There's two ways to go through life, Kenny: first-class or with the dogs." Yet Zeitgeist Stage Company's presentation of "Lady," Craig Wright's powerful drama about friendship and politics, suggests that the walk of life is less often a forked, traversable path than it is a snarled labyrinth of choice and circumstance.            The play centers on an annual hunting trip that three best friends have traditionally taken since boyhood. Set in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, this year's outing proves to be overshadowed by unprecedented, dark complications.  

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Arts

Did the butler do it?

November 8

It'll be hard to pass up this killer production.   

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Arts

Ears Open

November 8

The technological revolution and the advent of the Internet have done much to change the fabric of the music industry. We all remember the Napster hearings. The first wave of the Internet-based illegal downloading sent music executives and artists into an outright panic that they would soon be without their (in most cases, generous) incomes. But luckily for Metallica and David Geffen, a bunch of teenagers on their Gateway PCs could not cripple the music business.

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Arts

Darko' director, working outside of 'The Box'

November 5

Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur Lewis (James Marsden) are a typical, happily married suburban couple who have fallen on hard financial times. Things change when a box is delivered to their doorstep by a mysterious man by the name of Arlington Steward (Frank Langella) who presents them with a deal: if they open the box and push the button inside, they will receive one million dollars in cash. But pushing the button will also kill one person in the world — someone they don't know.

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Arts

Banhart's latest brings the bizarre

November 5

Devendra Banhart surprised fans last year when he signed with major label Warner Bros. Given that he began his recording career by playing into a tape player in his bathroom (natural reverb?), fans were anxious to see how a major label backing would affect their freak-folk darling. Thankfully, Banhart's newest album, "What Will We Be," released in October, is not devoid of the weird charm that dedicated fans have come to love. Recording with A Band of Bees, the same backing band from his last release, "Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon" (2007), Banhart creates an LP with a depth that he hasn't reached with previous projects.

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Arts

This Is It' shows more relatable side of Michael Jackson

November 5

A pop icon's shining light was nearly extinguished five months ago by his heart-rending death. Today, that light shines on through his legendary songs and, now, in a special release that will run until the end of Thanksgiving weekend, through a concert-documentary that presents a rarely seen side of the King of Pop.

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Arts

Boston opera opens its backstage to the public

November 5

This Saturday, the Boston Lyric Opera is presenting a million-dollar opportunity to fans for free. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. the Shubert Theatre at 265 Tremont St. will be open to the public and filled with activities for people of all ages. Ever wondered what the dressing room looks like for a production of "Carmen" (Boston Lyric Opera's season opener)? The company invites the audience to see for themselves, opening up the dressing rooms, makeup area and stage to idle wanderings.  

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Arts

TV with a recipe

November 4

Turn on the television on any given night and chances are at least one procedural drama will be airing on a major broadcast network. Procedurals are the typically hour-long dramas that focus on a new mystery each week. These puzzles are usually resolved by the end of the episode. Think "CSI," "Law & Order," "House" — the shows that are, now more than ever, ubiquitous on the television landscape. What's a procedural?   

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Arts

MTV's 'Styl'd' takes stupidity to a new level

November 4

Turn off the TV and go outside. Look at the stars. Look at the trees. Dig a ditch. Stare directly into the sun, and it'll be better than what they're doing on MTV now.

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