Archives

'Beowulf' entertains audience with eccentricity, innovation

Concert Review | Arctic Monkeys perform raw, straightforward show

For some, concerts are a form of performance art - a chance for an artist or band to reveal a wild side or grandiose conceptual act. From the most extreme cases - Kanye West's postponing of the Yeezus tour because a few of his outrageous props had been damaged - to even the most subtle interactions - like Taylor Swift's occasional walk through the crowd - it seems that artists now find concerts to be a more intimate chance to put themselves out there. But English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys do not belong to this school of thought. Ironically, that is a breath of fresh air.

Book Review | Bo Burnham surprises with new book 'Egghead'

Bo Burnham was 16 years old when he started putting comedic rap and music videos on YouTube to amuse

Book Review | 'Violent Death' is modern, emotive

Although it falls into Amazon's Love Poems" category, Heiko Julien's "I Am Ready To Die a Violent Death" seems to deserve a more general classification - something along the lines of "Books That Make You Feel Things." The new work blends Internet poetry with short stories, both believable and ridiculous, in a poignant, moving way.

Concert Review | Mezzo-soprano Christianne Stojin lifts BSO

The Boston Symphony Orchestra performed the last concert of a program including the American premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage's Speranza" and Gustav Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde" last week. Although stylistically different, both pieces were thematically similar: each one expressed a feeling of hope. The title of the first work, "Speranza," means hope in Italian, and the names of the four movements of the piece come from Arabic, German, Gaelic and Hebrew equivalents: "Amal," "Hoffen," "Dochas" and "Tikvah." The pairing of this work with Mahler's orchestral song was notable because "Das Lied von der Erde" also possesses pan-cultural elements, with the piece including German translations of Chinese poetry.

Concert Review | How To Dress Well delights with angelic set

Those familiar with musician How To Dress Well know that his music tends to be very intimate - the perfect soundtrack for a melancholy bedtime diary session or a solitary walk through city streets late at night. One might wonder how well this atmosphere would transfer over to a live show: will that intimacy be lost among a crowd of people? Yet last Thursday night at T.T. the Bear's Place in Cambridge, How To Dress Well captured that aura perfectly, adding a number of new dance-influenced songs to his repertoire. The artist demonstrated he is capable of more than just somber ballads.

British import 'Broadchurch' lives up to hype

It's the buzziest British import since Downtown Abbey" (2010-present) hit American airwaves, but despite all the hype, "Broadchurch" still certainly lives up to expectations. "Broadchurch" premiered this spring in the United Kingdom to huge ratings and rave reviews. It airs in the United States on BBC America, so the ratings will likely never approach the numbers seen in the U.K. The critical praise, however, has been just as strong, with the show being so well received that an American version is currently in development.

Boyle's 'Trance' relies heavily on soundtrack, visuals to excite audiences

Concert Review | Fleetwood Mac rises to occasion at TD Garden

Concert Review | Yo-Yo Ma leads BSO in brilliant program

The legendary Yo-Yo Ma paid a visit to Boston last week, performing as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). It's hard to imagine another musician who that has so fluidly bridged the worlds of classical and popular music, and few empty seats were seen in Symphony Hall - proof of Ma's superb reputation.

Closed Circuit' bores in theaters with cheap thrills

The government is watching us - all of us. This sentiment, particularly resonant for audiences at a time when WikiLeaks and the NSA are prominent parts of today's zeitgeist, pervades the new British film Closed Circuit."

ArtsEmerson play seems important but scrambled

Few things are harder than trying to piece together Stacey Gregg's Hold Your Tongue, Hold Your Dead" ("HYT, HYD"), but it is easy to see by the end that something important has taken place on stage. But what is it exactly that happens? The "HYT, HYD" work-in-progress collaborative began when the cast of actors hailing from the Emerald Isle gathered to share their experiences on the very topic their play discusses. "HYT, HYD" examines the conflict between opposing sides of Northern Ireland's divide and the emotional ramifications of this political struggle. With such a lofty goal, the work could have flown high. However, though the scenes are performed beautifully, the audience is ultimately left with a series of jumbled anecdotes rather than a cohesive story.

And the Academy Award goes to...

With the current dearth of quality entertainment in theaters, it can be easy, at times, to overlook the fact that 2013 delivered one of the strongest and most enjoyable years for film in recent memory. From the surprising blockbuster success of Gravity" to the controversy that erupted over Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street," this past year has seen a variety of engrossing and memorable performances, along with films that have pushed the boundary of cinema and contributed to the cultural dialogue. The packed field has led to a highly competitive race throughout the awards season, and it all comes to a close this weekend with the 86th Academy Awards, to be hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. And just in time for those last minute Oscar pools and bets with friends, the Daily has your guide to picking the winners for this Sunday's ceremony, complete with an analysis of the six major fields. Best Picture"12 Years A Slave""American Hustle""Captain Phillips""Dallas Buyers Club""Gravity""Her""Nebraska""Philomena""The Wolf of Wall Street"Will Win: "12 Years A Slave"Should Win: "12 Years A Slave"Heading into awards season, it seemed like the Best Picture category would be a two-way race between "Gravity" and "12 Years A Slave." While "American Hustle" gained enough momentum to be the only other major challenger from the nominees (thanks to critical acclaim following its December release and a major win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards), the race still boils down to the two main contenders. After winning Best Motion Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes and a slew of top prizes at numerous critics' awards, it's likely that "12 Years" will end up coming out on top at the end of the night, although it is possible that "Gravity" could win out if enough voters end up being turned off by the intense violence of the film."Gravity" is a spellbinding crowd-pleaser and an impressive technical achievement (more on that later), but there is no doubt who should be taking home the Oscar on Sunday. "12 Years A Slave" is a haunting yet powerful film that depicts the brutalities of slavery and forces viewers to directly confront this dark period of United States history. Some of the other nominees may be more creative ("Her") or more entertaining ("American Hustle"), but what sets "12 Years" apart from the pack is its ability to masterfully deliver a heart-wrenching emotional journey that cuts straight to the core. Is it a pleasant film? Absolutely not, but some great works of art are meant to challenge their audience, and by doing so "12 Years" has already earned its status as a cinematic landmark. Best ActorChristian Bale ("American Hustle")Bruce Dern ("Nebraska")Leonardo DiCaprio ("Wolf of Wall Street")Chiwetel Ejiofor ("12 Years A Slave")Matthew McConaughey ("Dallas Buyers Club")Will Win: Matthew McConaugheyShould Win: Chiwetel EjioforOut of all of this year's major races, the Best Actor category is easily the most competitive and unpredictable. Receiving a nomination alone was a struggle, with many actors who would have been a lock in weaker years (Tom Hanks, Robert Redford) being snubbed entirely. It's possible that there could be an upset by Dern - many hail his performance as a career best - or DiCaprio, who is destined to win one day, but probably not for his slimy but charming portrayal of Jordan Belfort. In an ideal world, Chiwetel Ejiofor's subtle yet gut-wrenching performance as Solomon Northup would win

Academy Awards race expected to be competitive

When 12 Years a Slave" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, it was met with resounding praise. Critics hailed the film as one of the year's best and confidently predicted that it would win Best Picture at the 86th Academy Awards in March. Director Steve McQueen and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o also garnered rave reviews for their work.

At the center of ABC's new psychological drama Mind Games" is a puzzling contrast:"

For an artist whose heyday was in the late 1980s, Neneh Cherry has made quite a comeback with her newest album, Blank Project." One would think that being out of the alternative/electronic/punk music scene for such a long time would put a damper on the brash effectiveness of Cherry's earlier work, but in her latest project she returns with an assertiveness that not only rivals the initial shock value of her 1989 debut, "Raw Like Sushi," but also places her on the forefront of female-driven punk music.

Dum Dum Girls release nostalgic, infectious album

Full of droning melodies, lackadaisical bass lines and shiny synth, Dum Dum Girls' third full-length studio release Too True" is both fiercely nostalgic and outrageously lovable. It's hard to turn this album off, and for good reason: The tracks will undoubtedly remind listeners of the music their parents loved, but at the same time, they incorporate elements of more current music into the mix. Basically, for modern-day hipsters - with their Canon AE-1 film camera, record player (because the sound is just ... better) and headband reminiscent of Woodstock - this album is perfection. However, you don't have to be a hipster to appreciate the musical craftsmanship that went into the creation of "Too True."

ABC Family teen drama 'Pretty Little Liars' strains credulity

Pretty Little Liars" was never going to be a critical darling

Senior Profile: Yessenia Rivas

Yessenia Rivas - a choreographer for Spirit of Color (SoC), Torn Ticket II and Sarabande, as well as an actress and dancer - is a star both on and off the stage. In addition to the many performances she has been involved in, Rivas has also worked behind the scenes, as both the vice president of Sarabande ...

Tufts "acknowledges" it has breached agreement, "committed" to take promised actions

Updated: Echoes of students chanting "re-sign or resign, we need our Title IX" vibrated inside Ballou Hall as more than 100 students formed a human-circle around the administrative building, protesting the university "revoking" the agreement it signed with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR). 

Lex Erath | Sugar and Spice

By the time you're reading this, it'll be yesterday morning that I ran my first half-marathon. If you know me personally, it might be a good idea to reach out to me and make sure I'm still alive, because right now, me making it through the next 20 minutes is sort of up in the air. It was a great experience, and I'm sure in a few more hours I will be glad I did it, but I also learned a few things that I'd like to pass on to you, just in case you ever take leave of your senses in a similar fashion and register for a half-marathon of your own.     1.) Old ladies are speedier than they look. Around mile seven or so, when I was seriously hurting, I was passed on the left by a gaggle of elderly women dividing their time between speed-walking, shake-weighting and bragging about their grandchildren. Although these women were not contestants in the race and had simply overlapped with part of the route, it was still very humbling to be going slower than someone who has 50 years on me.     2.) Old age isn't that far away anyway. Forget Boston's Heartbreak Hill. This course took us over a mound of earth that should be called Torture Mountain, especially when you're nine miles in. Anyway, the only way I could force myself up that incline was to bend over until I was practically horizontal. I'm talking almost 90 degrees here. I hobbled up that slope the best I could and discovered a newfound respect for the elderly. I also realized that it's a very effective way of getting around, so I might start doing that on my way to uphill classes - fair warning.     3.) On a related note, the earth is not flat. I know someone figured this out a really long time ago (We're not the center of the universe! The earth is round! Much science!), but I'd just like to reaffirm this in everyone's minds: The earth is not flat. There are so many little mounds and humps that seem pretty harmless when you're walking or driving over them, but they are the spawn of Satan when you've been running for an hour already. And since these irritating changes in elevation serve no purpose except to steal away a little more of my soul, I say we build a giant bulldozer and make sure the earth is as flat as possible.     4.) I don't have very much dignity. After I finished, I had to wait outside in the 40 degree rain for a few friends and became more than a little cold. When my parents took us out to lunch afterward, I grabbed supplies from the back of the car and marched proudly - well, it was more of a pathetic wobble - into the restaurant wrapped in a giant blanket, which I kept around me the entire meal. I received a few strange looks from other patrons, but I didn't care one bit. Sometimes you just really don't give a crap what other people think, and this was definitely one of those times.     5.) People who run full marathons are absolutely insane and are the most impressive people in the world. I don't think this one needs all that much explanation, but let me just say that I was really struggling by the time I crossed the finish line. I couldn't even fathom running an additional 13.1 miles after the 13.1 I had just completed. Hats off to those people - you're incredible.     I'd say the most impressive thing I did today was not running a half-marathon, but staying awake to write this column. I'm pretty sure I'm still awake. And still alive. I think.     Like I said - if you know me, check up on me tomorrow.