Known for his hooky, melodic, Beatle-esque rock songs, Ben Kweller will unveil a separate side to his artistic talent with his forthcoming album, "Changing Horses." Still in the opening leg of his latest three-month tour, Kweller is performing one night only tonight at 9:00 p.m. at Boston's Paradise Rock Club.
At the beginning of her one-woman performance, Carrie Fisher, sprinkling glitter all about and frolicking across the stage, asks the audience to join her "on a journey." Though the line is delivered as facetiously as possible, what the laughing audience doesn't realize is that Fisher's narrative will truly take them for a ride.
One of my English professors says that the entire act of reading or watching a story is sadomasochistic. You want to see the characters happy … but at the same time really can't wait till the next horrific turn in their lives. I'm starting to feel that way about the state of the country.
With the recent success of TV shows like "The Office," writers and directors have started "Americanizing" popular British television shows with increasing regularity. The newest victim of America's transatlantic theft is the short-lived cop/time travel series, "Life on Mars."
This year, "Cloverfield" popularized the "first-person point of view" shooting style. This technique has appeared more and more over the past few years in films to varying success. For example, George Romero's "Diary of the Dead" (2007) tried to use the technique in a zombie film, though the experiment ultimately failed. "Quarantine" (2008), directed by John Erick Dowdle, tries to take another crack at the style by remaking a popular Spanish film, "[REC]" (2007), adopting the exact same plot and visual style.
"We used to be the entertainment capital of the world," each character sadly and proudly recants in the production of "Miss Margaret LaRuhe in ‘Milwaukee'" at the Boston Playwrights' Theatre. Written and directed by Milwaukee native Wesley Savick, the play provides a glimpse of the sorrowful present of a town living in the shadows of the long-dead glory of its past.
The awkward teenage comedy is a formula that doesn't seem to get old; it made John Hughes successful with his '80s brat pack flicks — such as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986), "The Breakfast Club" (1985) — and continues to be redone by various modern directors. "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" is a shining example of a New-Age romantic, awkward and truly funny teenage comedy. The film is based on the book of the same name by authors Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, although most of the film follows a completely different plot line.
It's almost impossible to give an impartial assessment of Bill Maher's new film, "Religulous." The subject matter is so loaded, and Maher himself so difficult, that the viewer's preconceived notions of religion, positive or negative, will inevitably win out in the end. Maher, bright guy and shrewd documentarian though he may be, is most likely fighting a losing battle. When one's opponent is religion itself, most battles are.
Lars Nilsen is a man who enjoys his work.
In this recession of creativity and rash of terrible acting plaguing the television world, it is refreshing to know that there's a certain Sarah here who knows how to connect with everyday Americans. Those tuning into the mid-season premiere of "The Sarah Silverman Program," regardless of their level of sobriety, undoubtedly walked away laughing at the limitless humor that lies in the term "nocturnal emission."
Over the course of her 10-year literary career, Tufts alum and author Amy Krouse Rosenthal (LA '87) has not only dabbled in different types of writing, but also expanded her creativity into other media. "I just pay attention to what I'm interested in at the moment and try to stay true to that," Rosenthal said, concerning her wide range of passions. Her newest film project, "The Beckoning of Lovely," has attracted a large-enough following that she decided to expand its scope and welcome submissions from any type of artist working in all imaginable media. A personal journey
Looking ahead to the new season of "The Sarah Silverman Program," which premiered last night, Sarah Silverman sat down to talk about her show and her other recent project, The Great Schlep.
Since it's been announced that Tim Burton's next film will be a reimagining of "Alice in Wonderland," starring, of course, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and, surprisingly enough, Anne Hathaway, we here at the Daily got to thinking: What other classic inspirations could his delightfully sick and twisted mind come up with? What follows are just a few of the infinite possibilities. 10. "The Lorax": Dr. Seuss's message against industrialized society is right up Burton's alley, and who wouldn't want to see Johnny Depp as a two-foot-tall furry creature railing against the evil Once-ler? Hey, they might even be able to re-use that Freddie Highmore kid that was Charlie in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005). 9. "Hop On Pop": Another Seuss classic, the whole point of this book was to inform children that sometimes it's OK to hop on Pop. The only thing we fear is that if Burton got his hands on it, it would become some strange pseudo-sexual thriller, with Pop doing the hopping… 8. "Hansel and Gretel": This would be the feel-good movie of the summer with Burton at the helm. That is, if Hayden Christensen could be tapped to play Hansel. That's what you get for messing up "Star Wars," you jerk. 7. "The BFG": Ignoring the fact that Roald Dahl's psyche was hideously scarred by his most interesting childhood, Burton's take on the tale of the Big Friendly Giant and a little girl could be perfection. The kicker: Yao Ming as the BFG, Rockets jersey and all, and the proportions would be appropriate for Depp as the little girl (come on, he could grow out his hair...). 6. "A Series of Unfortunate Events": So for all of you who hated the Jim Carrey version, why not replace Carrey with Johnny Depp as the evil Count Olaf? Maybe now he will actually be evil and scary, rather than just a buffoon in a bunch of different disguises. Plus, imagine how cool the castle would look after having gone through the mind of Burton. 5. "The Giver": Burton would take out all the ambiguity: The kid dies in the end. In the snow. In the dark. 4. "The Sound of Music": Burton's "Sweeney Todd" (2007) reaffirmed his love of musicals, so why not have him take the reins for a remake of this family classic? Sure, Helena Bonham Carter might be a twisted take on Julie Andrews' melodic nun, but we'd sure love to see her twirling about the mountainside, her hair in that permanently windswept (or electrified) do. 3. "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase": We all agree that Nancy needs to be less perky — put Helena Bonham Carter in peroxide and add gratuitous creaking staircase effects. 2. "The Little Prince": This cute little story has tons of potential, but St. Exupéry's illustrations leave a little to be desired. First, have a snake actually eat an elephant and there will be no confusion pertaining to hats. The little asteroid could also use a few more volcanoes, and replace the flower with a scantily-clad Carter. Even if "the essential is invisible to the eyes," can't it be both? I mean, this is Tim Burton we're talking about! 1. "Where the Wild Things Are": If anyone could bring the dark, fantastical world of this children's bedtime tale to life, it would be Burton. The big dispute would most certainly be: Animation or actors? We're for the latter, as it might lead to Johnny Depp in a large furry suit...
If given the choice between looking for true love with the help of Match.com or the Greek gods and goddesses of The CW's new series "Valentine," an Internet service is definitely the way to go. Although "Valentine" had very little promise to begin with, the absurdity of the show's premise and lack of comedic timing make it almost too painful to watch.
Dear unborn fetus of Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz,
Remember that home video you made with your siblings when you were 10 years old? You know the one. You were probably wearing something you'd never be caught dead in today, belting a song (out of key) with horrifically cheesy lyrics. Thought you had thrown out that videotape long ago? Stop by the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline tonight for the Found Footage Festival, and you might just see some of those moments relived on the big screen.
Ladies and Gentlemen, our freedom is in danger. Back in the day, films were a way to access another world, to see a place similar to ours but different in so many ways. That ability to be stylistic, to transcend the boundaries of what is plausible, however, is being threatened. Who are the fiends attacking it? Batman and James Bond, among others. Poor Indiana Jones and Juno MacGuff have already fallen victim.
Jack's Mannequin's much-anticipated new album "The Glass Passenger," a follow-up to its debut "Everything in Transit" (2005), feels a bit lackluster in comparison to the band's first piano rock foray. The reflective piano notes and punk-sounding vocals are still in sync on the new disc, but the magic of the musicians' interaction is shattered this time around.
As flashes of colored lights glint in the gilded interior trim of the Somerville Theatre like reflections from stained glass, five voices harmonize in a way that can only be described as angelic. Faces in the audience gaze in rapture, some swaying. Last night's Fleet Foxes concert was more than just a performance. In the words breathed by one glowing listener as she left the theater, "it was an epiphany."
Jews and black Africans are not necessarily the first minority groups that come to mind in a discussion of Renaissance Art, but Professor Paul Kaplan believes their place in art history is invaluable.
