entertainment
Harvard Film Archive re-opens
The students aren’t the only ones returning to Harvard this week. Following a three-month closure for much-needed restorations, the Harvard Film Archive reopens its doors Friday for a brand-new season of rare screenings and expert curation. The first series out of the gate is the wonderfully titled “The Cold Heart Is More Precious than Diamonds: […]
In these movies, home is where the hell is
It’s family survival week in a pair of punchy sci-fi thrillers, where death lurks just beyond the mailbox. “The Last House,” on Netflix, finds a Pacific Northwest family sealed inside their house due to mysterious forces at play. Over at the “End of Oak Street,” a big-screen undertaking with Spielberg-ian overtones, dinosaurs move into a […]
Gregg Araki’s latest, an erotic comedy thriller
“I Want Your Sex” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 4. And keeping with the sex theme: It’s been 12 years since Gregg Araki made his last film, “White Bird in a Blizzard,” a competently done mystery and something of a restrained effort compared to his gloriously gonzo, queer-leaning, desperado films of the 1990s (“Totally F***ed […]
A devastating drama and a near-future rom-com
“Blue Heron” ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 4. In case you missed the best film of the year (so far) — it didn’t play a Cambridge or Somerville theater — you can now catch the devastating picture digitally. In Sophy Romvari’s semi-autobiographical film, a Hungarian family relocates to Vancouver Island, Canada in the 1990s. She […]
A spaghetti western and new Spider-Man
“Dead Souls” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 2.5 out of 4. For his self-proclaimed final film, cult warrior Alex Cox has laid his sights on Donald Trump, ICE, and AI. Not a bad hit list, but a little weird when you consider it’s a spaghetti western based on the 1842 book by Nikolai Gogol — where a shady […]
Ross McElwee: Processing pain and grief on film
Ross McElwee, the affable, soft-spoken southern gentleman who bares all in his autobiographical documentaries, has often chronicled personal pain. In his groundbreaking work, “Sherman’s March” (1986), we see a budding young filmmaker’s lost loves and unrealized yearnings. In his latest, “Remake,” he wrestles with the tragic death of his son in 2016. Read more Why […]
Somerville’s ArtBeat Festival turns 40
Somerville is hosting the 40th ArtBeat cultural festival in Davis Square on Saturday, highlighting the city’s diverse arts scene. Read more Alpha-gal is in the headlines. It’s no superhero ArtBeat is Somerville’s “biggest cultural festival” as it “showcases music, dance, culinary arts, and visual arts,” said Rachel Strutt, the interim director of the Somerville Arts […]
Epic storytelling brings the original anti-hero to life
“The Odyssey” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 4. Christopher Nolan’s $250 million retelling of Homer’s classic sword-and-sandal epic is here. And it is also epic, with a nearly three-hour running time. The film delivers, if unevenly, but when the bow is strung and taut, “The Odyssey” flies with fury and purpose. Even though we know […]
Events this week in Cambridge and Somerville: Youth circus, porchfest, live reading
For a searchable calendar of events with your choice of list or map view, or to submit an event of your own, go to the main calendar. Read more Charles River Task Force members hopeful for future Thursday, July 9 2 to 6 p.m.Cambridge Crossing/Lechmere Square in East Cambridge. Soccer Watch Party: Quarterfinals France vs. Morocco […]
Events this week in Camberville: Juneteenth celebration, salsa dancing, and annual Cambridge dance party
Thursday, June 18 Noon to 2 p.m.Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square. Live reggae from Roots Alley Collective featuring special guest Dion Knibb Free but RSVP. In celebration of Juneteenth and presented in collaboration with MIT Sloan School of Management and MIT’s African, Black, American, Caribbean Employee Resource Group, enjoy live music plus […]