The Arts Fuse Newsletter, November 27
Coming Attractions, Reviews of "Galileo’s Daughter", Five Broadway Musicals, Netflix's "The Piano Lesson", and concerts by the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sturgill Simpson
From The Editor's Desk:
I am no fan of listicles. They are nothing but shopping lists, useful only when the picks reward the unfairly neglected or prick the overpraised. Who needs a lineup of the usual ballyhooed suspects? That said, the listicle below furthers an argument: it provides additional evidence of how arts and culture coverage in the mainstream media is more about promotion than stimulating dialogue and debate. Yes, interviews with artists can be informative, even at times illuminating: but these chats are hardly ever critical. Worse, what looks like an equalitarian bulletin board approach really only doles out editorial favors to the chosen few. It is any wonder that readership for the arts pages (and interest in culture and the humanities) is declining? When publicity, non-stop happy talk, crowds out critical perspectives, the result is somnambulistic.
Here’s a listicle of recent films that did not receive a Boston Globe review. Some of the filmmakers were granted an interview. Note: movies by women, independent/foreign films, and documentaries tend to be the ones that receive puffy pats on the head, not critiques. Also, a (calculated?) confusion is generated between what is a feature and what is a review. For example, here is a comment on the Globe’s interview of the director of the film Rita: “Thank you. This is a beautifully written review. It is so helpful to read about the history of the country and the people who live in that country. This sounds like a movie worth viewing.” The comment right after that one: “Sounds fascinating! Will the film also be reviewed? It's helpful to pair promotional stories with critical analysis.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Challenging independent and/or foreign films
Guy Maddin’s Rumours
Aaron Schimberg’s A Different Man (mentioned in Globe’s Fall preview)
Victor Erice's Close Your Eyes
Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border
Baltasar Kormákur’s Touch
Chris Skotchdopole’s Crumb Catcher
Thomas Napper’s Widow Clicquot
Sam Eggers and Max Eggers’s The Front Room
Jayro Bustamante's Rita (interview)
Films by women
Megan Park's My Old Ass (interview)
Shuchi Talati's Girls Will Be Girls
Lana Wilson's Look into My Eyes (interview)
India Donaldson's Good One (interview)
Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow (interview)
Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s In the Summers (mentioned in CineFest Latino Boston festival round-up)
Documentaries
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (interview)
How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer (Boston Globe critic Odie Henderson introduced the doc at a Coolidge Corner Theater screening but no review or interview)
Leap of Faith (interview)
This is a follow-up to an earlier column (August 7, 2024) in which I pointed out that the Boston Globe was snuffing out film reviewing. I emailed the Globe arts editors, asking them to clarify their policy: any reasoning behind what receives a critique and what doesn’t? They responded that they had no comment. So much for transparency. More proof that arts criticism in our newspapers and magazines is dying a very quiet death.
—Bill Marx, Editor-in-Chief
Archive: From the Editor's Desk
Coming Attractions Through December 7 — What Will Light Your Fire
Compiled by Arts Fuse Editor
The magazine's expert critics supply a guide to film, visual art, theater, author readings, and music. More offerings will be added as they come in.
Concert Review: Sturgill Simpson — Nothing if not Chameleonic
By Scott McLennan
In this overstuffed show, Sturgill Simpson presented himself as someone who, after too long away from the stage, was back because he was in love with playing for the sake of playing.
Theater Review: “Galileo’s Daughter” — Ill-Matched Stories
By Martin Copenhaver
A story of divorce and self-discovery may be worth telling, but it suffers when it is interwoven with a life narrative that is clearly weighter.
Theater Reviews – A Musical Mixed Bag on Broadway
By Christopher Caggiano
Capsule reviews of five new musicals that opened this month on Broadway
Classical Concert Review: Berliner Philharmoniker Plays Bruckner
By Jonathan Blumhofer
The whole effort culminated in the finest orchestral performance these ears have heard in Boston since, well, the last time the Berliner Philharmoniker was here.
Television Review: “The Piano Lesson” — An Invaluable Tutorial
By Bob Israel
Suffice it to say that this film version of The Piano Lesson does playwright August Wilson proud.
Visual Arts Review: Wading Through “Deep Waters” at the MFA
By Kathleen Stone
By juxtaposing different artistic approaches, the past with the present, Deep Waters offers a fresh way to consider what we humans have done to the ocean, to the creatures that depend on it, and to each other.
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Questions, comments, concerns?
Editor-in-Chief
Bill Marx
wmarx103@gmail.com
