--The State Supreme Judicial Court just overturned the conviction of a Methuen ex-police officer accused of raping a woman in 2000. The case hinged on whether or not lawyers could prove the woman was "too intoxicated to consent, not that she was merely high and drunk." However, the SJC felt that the trial judge didn't give proper instructions to the jurors. The ex-officer will get a new trial. [Boston Globe] --In a similar case,......

Human Rights International Film Festival at the MFA The Axe in the Attic: Review follows. Sunday, January 20, 2 pm Friday, January 25, 5:45 pm Saturday, January 26, 12:45 pm Thursday, January 31, 6 pm Hot House: A probing documentary that explores the emergence of a Palestinian national leadership within Israeli prisons. Screens Sunday, January 20, 2008, 10:30 am. White Light/Black Rain: A film exploring the threat of nuclear weapons today while looking at mistakes......

Books Ex-SNL writer Patricia Marx, who was also one of the first women to be elected to the Lampoon, will be at Borders Back Bay to talk about Him Her Him Again the End of Him, about a woman who cannot wash a supremely snotty, pretentious man out of her hair. Check out the first chapter, in which Marx's heroine describes her first encounter with "Eugene" and tries to remember what her dissertation was about......

Finally, finally, the National Treasure got the smack-down by two geezers, and ">The Bucket List won this weekend's box office. Juno is still high on the list. While we're happy for Juno's success, is it just us, or are people trying too hard to seem hip by talking about Juno all the time? And has anyone else noticed that Alvin and the Chipmunks isn't going away, either? Now, we'd pay to see the Alvin and......

Human Rights Watch International Film Festival Various Showings, January 16-20 Museum of Fine Arts Boston and Peabody Essex Museum It can be easy to get caught up in local and national news, especially when election coverage is hot and murderous Marines are being sought. But even in the face of exciting events, we shouldn't lose sight of larger, less glamorous issues like human rights. Human Rights Watch has been keeping an eye on international abuses......

The Heartbeat Detector France, 2007, 144 minutes, French/subtitled Boston Jewish Film Festival Saturday, November 10, 7:00 pm, ICA, $10 Official site for the BJFF Bostonist only started to plumb the depths of the offerings at the Boston Jewish Film Festival with last week's list of highlights. Another movie, The Heartbeat Detector, has also intrigued us, and it will make its New England debut tomorrow night. Also known as "La Question Humaine," this movie follows a......

Boston Latino International Film Festival Howard Thurman Center at Boston University 775 Commonwealth Ave October 19-21 Free! [ Schedule ] BLIFF may sound like bluff, but we're not bluffing when we say that the Boston Latino International Film Festival has some fine films (shorts, documentaries, full-length features, and more) coming up in this final weekend of the festival's 6th year running. Titles include Bragging Rights: Stickball Stories, Immigrant Reflections: Three Boston College Service Workers......

Yo La Tengo Presents "The Sounds of Science" Tuesday, September 25, 8:00 pm Coolidge Corner Theatre $25 Introduction by Fabien Cousteau The third-annual Muddy River Environmental Film Series is running at Coolidge Corner Theatre. The series covers wine, global warming, and Tuvalu. Closing night features a screening of several works by Jean Painlevé, a nature filmmaker who sounds like a real-life Steve Zissou, only without the silly outfits. Painlevé's images shocked the scientist crowd, not......

LAist was comped front row seats by the Dodgers due to Malingering being struck by a foul ball last week, and she came back with some great photos, and earlier made fun of 4th of July on Venice Beach. But the biggest stories of the week was that the Mayor's Hot Tamale was revealed, and that a Kwik-E-Mart was erected in Burbank. Phillyist was busy doing the Fourth of July up right, exercising their......

Even though we are way way past school age, we still get a little melancholy at the close of summer. Fortunately, our friends across the -ist network know that the shenanigans don't need to end just because the big yellow buses are back on the roads. So, grab your sunscreen and your favorite hangover cure, as we take a tour of end of summer fun from -ist cities all over the damn place. SFist Tourist......

If it weren't for our life as an -ist, we're not sure we'd ever leave our apartment. Fortunately, to fully -ist, one must seek out the new, the fresh, and the unknown. Brand new, or just new to us, that's what we're all about this week. Phillyist keeps it fresh by getting a new motto, learning to prioritize, and taking in an experimental indie rock show. Torontoist does their first post in franglais, gets ready......

In a world where there's nothing to do but watch movies. In a city full of theaters, museums, and libraries. One moviegoer who can be in three places at once. Opening Friday 6/9 Clean Maggie Cheung, still inexplicably less popular than Ziyi Zhang in this country, kicks her drug habit in Paris. Kendall Square Cinema Showing through next week, $7-$9.25 IMDB | web site | trailers Sketches of Frank Gehry Sidney Pollack's film documents the......

Wednesday kicks off the 4th annual Boston International Film Festival (BIFF). BIFF offers 8 consecutive days of 110 films from over 27 countries with movie genres ranging from animation to comedy to political documentary. All films are being screened at AMC Loews Theatre Boston Common with additional screenings at Mass Art. The BIFF was created to spotlight independently produced films all across the world on stages here in the Hub. A juried festival of......

Bostonist's going to see the movies about four-letter words and zombies, but we urge you to check out the rest of Boston International Film Festival, which offers samurai, crossword puzzles, giant Buddhas, and Pixies. Wednesday 4/19 Lost in Translation The Harvard Film Archive follows up Maggie Chung & Tony Leung's gorgeous, heartbreaking non-affair in Hong Kong with Scarlett Johansen & Bill Murray's equally beautiful, equally heartbreaking non-affair in Tokyo. But we might just stay home......

The MFA brings you the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival this week. Starting with the opening of Born into Brothels on Thursday there will be a number of films from the traveling series screened at Coolidge Corner and the Museum of Fine Arts. In the spirit of the MFA they’ll cost a little bit more than a movie anywhere else, but Bostonist promises that you’ll get more out of any of the films......