Results tagged “happenings”

Movies Want to know why Woody Allen's Manhattan (1979) looked so good? Tonight, you'll have the rare chance to ask cinematographer Gordon Willis just what he was up to. The classic film might be the best cinematic rendering of the city and its architecture, and it doesn't hurt that it was one of Allen's funniest and least beset by distracting tics. Harvard Film Archive, Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., 7 p.m. $12.

Dub Rochester's Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad makes a compelling case that there are roots upstate. The music is nothing off-the-way; just well executed dub with enough skank to keep things interesting. T.T. the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St., Cambridge, 9 p.m. $12.

Huge voices Opera Boston Underground advances the sacred cause of performing classical repertoire in venues that sell beer. Gil Rose & his posse of brilliant, attractive young singers always sell out the Lizard Lounge—with free admission to tonight's vocally acrobatic performance, the line down Mass. Ave. is likely to be even further down Mass. Ave. Get there early. Lizard Lounge, 1667 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 7 p.m. Free. More information.

Movies The HFA concludes its look at the career of Taiwanese filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang with the evocatively titled Rebels of the Neon God (1993), a look at wayward youth struggling with its delinquency in the back alleys and video arcades of the city. Harvard Film Archive, Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge, 7 p.m $8/$6.

Knife Play Japanese punk band Shonen Knife has been offering its hybrid of Phil Spector and Joey Ramone since 1981, longer than some readers of this blog have been alive. Incredibly, the band still churns out about an album a year, demonstrating the infinite mutability of three chords and three miniskirts. Performing with Nashville's Jeff the Brotherhood and Boston's The Needy Visions. Great Scott, 1222 Comm. Ave., Allston, 9 p.m. $12.

Hip Hop Roxbury OG Edo G and Brooklyn's Masta Ace just released an album together, which is manna from heaven for the right kind of rap fan. Although Masta Ace spent time with Marley Marl's Juice Crew, the two MCs are best known for their mid-90s boom bap, and you can check in person to see if a decade and a half has left any dust on their flows. Performing with Dub Station, Suave, Roxx, Kore, Pale Wryeter, and O-Ry-An. Chuch of Boston, 69 Kilmarnock St., 8 p.m. $12.

Openings Fittingly, for an art gallery inside of a T station, Axiom presents Riders on a Train, a multimedia showcase of art about riding the subway. Curated by MassArt professor Nance Davies, the exhibit features work from an international coterie of artists who reflect on the experience of mass transit in cities from Massachusetts to India. Davies describes the result as "an aggregate description of the mass-transit experience through a diversity of lenses and media." Opening reception tonight, exhibit runs through December 19. Axiom Gallery for New and Experimental Media, 141 Green St., Jamaica Plain, 6 p.m. Free. More information.

Movies The Bicycle Thieves (1948) has aged exceptionally well, and there's not a fully lucid person alive who could deny it a bid at the greatest film of all time. You might have met Vittorio de Sica's neorealist masterpiece under the title "The Bicycle Thief," but the singular appellation is a mistranslation of the original "Ladri di biciclette." Spoiler: There's more than one bicycle thief. Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. Through Sunday. Tickets and showtimes.

Mummies If you are among the apparent majority of Boston residents who has the day off today, you have little excuse not to high-tail it to the MFA for its Free Community Day, featuring free admission to its ongoing mummy exhibit The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC. Museum of Fine Arts, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Free.

Pie Instead of buying the last can of One Pie and dropping it in the food drive bin (we know who you are), stop by Bella Luna tonight and eat some pie for charity. It's better to donate money than food to JP charity Community Servings anyway, and we need that can of One Pie for our pumpkin flan, thank you. Bella Luna, 284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain, 8 p.m. $10/$25 donations.

Soundtracks The NEC marks the 71st anniversary of Kristallnacht with a performance of Quincy Jones's gripping soundtrack for The Pawnbroker (1963), Sidney Lumet's groundbreaking story of a Holocaust survivor's struggle in a world still in the grips of prejudice and the markers of genocidal violence remain chillingly present. Organized by Ran Blake, the concert features the Storyboard Noir Ensemble, the NEC Jazz Orchestra, and the NEC Jewish Music Ensemble. Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., 8 p.m. Free. More information.

Noise The Northeast and Power Electronics showcase concludes tonight with a slew of greater Boston's angry young men and their effects pedals. The bill includes Consumer Electronics, Suffering Bastard, Cathode Terror Secretion, and Japanese Torture Comedy Hour, which claims to sound like "Boyd Rice as a Sanrio character." O'Brien's Pub, 3 Harvard Ave., Allston, 3 p.m. $25.

Pythons The Brattle's Python-A-Thon is a brave endeavor—we're not sure we could endure an entire day of Monty Python fans in our own house. But it's necessary and vital that something like this happen. It includes all the Monty Python movies and a few episodes of the television show. If you go and you already know all the jokes, please keep them to yourself. Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. More information.

Movies Argentinian cinema is in great shape these days, and Lisandro Alonso is a big reason why. The HFA runs through the young director's four films this weekend to give Bostonians a glimpse at a promising talent who is not screened often enough in this country. The series kicks off today with Los Muertos (2004), which follows "the enigmatic journey of a newly released convict through the sweltering heart of the jungle," and Fantasma (2006), a companion piece that follows the star of Los Muertos as he wanders through Teatro San Martin looking for the premiere of his film. Alonso will be on hand to tell you why. Harvard Film Archive, Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge, 7 p.m. $12. More information.

Booze Blanchard's Grand Wine Tasting is basically the best semi-annual event on JP's Centre Street. The evening includes samples of more than 100 wines from throughout the world, and all of the wines featured in the tasting will be on sale at 20 percent off. There's also a fair bit of snacking to be done. Veteran's tip: The best snacks usually go out last. Blanchard's Wine and Spirits, 741 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Free.

Minimalism [nec]shivaree, the "attack wing of NEC's new music program," performs three benchmark pieces that span two and half decades of American minimalism. Steve Reich's Piano Phase (1967) might be the best known of the three; it was Reich's first attempt to integrate the phasing effects of his tape experiments into live, instrumental music. No less stunning is Morton Feldman's iconoclastic Why Patterns? (1978), in which three soloists play three separate patterns that eventually interlock with each other. ("The compositional concentration is solely on which pattern should be reiterated and for how long," Feldman said of the piece.) The third piece, Mario Davidovsky's Synchronism X (1992) pairs live guitar with a prerecorded electronic piece. Directed by Stephen Drury. Williams Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., 8 p.m. Free. More information.

Dancing Hipsters The funkiest Canadians since Ladies' Choice, Junior Boys rock a blue-eyed electro throwback vibe that smooths down the edges and gets asses on the dancefloor. A more potent cure for what ails you than l'assurance-maladie, provided that what ails you is an unwillingness to get funky and not, say, tuberculosis. Middle East Downstairs, 472 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, 8 p.m. $13.

Bike Rides The best part of Halloween is Truth Serum's annual Halloween Bike Ride. Starting from the Green Street T station in JP, the ride winds through Boston, Brookline, Allston, and Cambridge before winding back up at JP Licks. Costumes—and the proper safety accessories—are encouraged. Ride clear of the Stereo Bike, which will be blasting the jams that keep the crowd moving. Green Street T station, Jamaica Plain, 8 p.m. Free.

The Sounds of Silence Lon Chaney's turn as The Phantom of the Opera (1925) remains one of the great performances of silent-ear Hollywood horror. Tonight, the Alloy Orchestra gives you another reason to check out the film: a live soundtrack. The evening also includes a screening of The Fall of the House of Usher (1928), accompanied by DJ Dziga. Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville, 6:30 p.m. $21/$26.

Piano Men NEC faculty member Anthony Coleman digs self-proclaimed jazz founder Jelly Roll Morton enough that the noted avant-garde performer dedicated his most recent records to Morton's dusty compositions. He brings this work to the stage tonight, in a concert that is dedicated equally to the Morton's memory and that of Coleman's late partner, Suzanne Fiol. The concert will also feature a tentet of NEC students, "coached" by Coleman, and the premiere of two new works. Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., 8 p.m. Free.

Pranks Given the nature of the performers, we're hesitant even to list the Yes Men's appearance tonight in our Happenings post. The pranksters, who are notorious for posing as members of the WTO and the heads of corporations, will appear in connection with their new movie, The Yes Men Fix the World. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline, 7 p.m. More information.

Burlesque With Boston's wealth of burlesque, you need a pretty good reason to catch a troupe from out of town. NYC's Pinchbottom Burlesque might offer one: A Halloween spectacle that combines love, monsters, and nudity. Boston boosters, don't feel bad: Co-founder Nasty Canasta is a native. The Beehive, 541 Tremont St., South End, 9:00pm. Free.

Garage Rock Charlie's Kitchen is Bostonist's unofficial offices, but it's also home to live music in Harvard Square. Tonight, the burger joint mounts a program of garage rock, featuring local three-chord masters The Coffin Lids, The Acrobats, and The Egos. Charlie's Kitchen, 10 Eliot St., Cambridge, 9 p.m.

Escape From Mom's Basement We're big fans of the Boston Comic Con, which is reliably awesome and for the nerds. The guests this weekend include Louise Simonson, which alone is reason enough to go. She created Power Pack, dudes and dudines. Back Bay Events Center, Old John Hancock Building, 180 Berkeley St., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $10.

Jazz NEC's celebration of the 40th anniversary of its landmark jazz studies program culminates tonight in a massive performance featuring saxophonist Wayne Shorter and his new work for quartet and orchestra. A bandleader in his own right, Shorter made his name in the 60s playing for Art Blakey and Miles Davis. Today, his motto is "To hell with the rules. I'm going for the unknown." Follow him, if you can afford it. Featuring Brian Blade, John Patitucci, and Danilo Pérez with the NEC Philharmonia, Hugh Wolff, conductor. Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., 8 p.m. $45 to $65. More information.

Jazz The NEC's Jazz40 series reaches its crescendo tonight with the Jazz40 Summit, which unites past and present faculty from the conservatory's landmark jazz studies program. The program turns 40 this year, and it was the first of its kind in the United States, which is how jazz luminaries like Bob Brookmeyer, Don Byron, Gunther Schuller, Ran Blake, Billy Hart, Fred Hersch, and Cecil McBee will share a stage together. 40 years is a long time in the history of any musical genre, and NEC's jazz giants all come from different backgrounds with different ideas about what constitutes jazz. That means that tonight's program is going to be either a hideous cacophony or a glorious revelation. Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., 8 p.m. $25. More information.

Gentle Sounds Atlas Sound is the side-project of Bradford Cox, the front man of the Atlanta band Deerhunter. Cox cushions pop melodies with a layer of reverb and guitar feedback. It's a psychedelia that's soft but challenging, and his recordings bring to mind the work of 4AD labelmates His Name is Alive and the Cocteau Twins. Paradise Rock Club, 967 Comm. Ave., 9 p.m. $15.

Human Rights

Showdowns We're still shilling for the String Quartet Showdown, an event that we really dug this summer. Two string quartets vie for supremacy as they work their way through the Western canon and you drink beer, judging their every mistake. (Or paying attention only a quarter of the time, as the case may be.) Last time we dropped in, it was heavy on the Schubert and the Mozart; maybe this week will be all Elliott Carter. Alchemist Lounge, 435 S. Huntington Ave., Jamaica Plain, 9 p.m. Free.

Movies We're big fans of Home Movie Day, the national celebration of home movies, because we dig antiquated things like Super 8 and 16 millimeter film. Home Movie Day is the opportunity for you to bring your old, moldering films to the HFA, see them on the big screen, and get some advice from professional film archivists about how to preserve your personal collection. Fun for voyeurs, too. And, yes, video is allowed, but you're limited to five minutes of it. Harvard Film Archive, Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge 11 a.m. (screenings begin at 1 p.m.). Free. More Information.