fri, oct 31

DANCE | Sprout

“Sprout” features a selection of dances by the multi-talented Ryuji Yamaguchi ’03. presents Fri.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at Green Street Studios, 185 Green St., Cambridge. Tickets $15, $12 for students; (617) 864-3191. (TIH)

MUSIC | The Slip Halloween Costume Show

Local band the Slip offer mellow jazz-influenced rock on this night of witches and warlocks. Don’t forget your costume! Mahi Mahi perform as special guests. 8p.m. $15. 18+. The Paradise Rock Club, 967 Comm. Ave., Boston. (SLS)

MUSIC | The Groovie Ghoulies

Known for their B-movie-influenced live shows and cartoonishly fun punk songs, it’s hard to think of a better band to see on Halloween night than the Groovie Ghoulies. The Flipsides also appear. 9 p.m. $10. 18+. The Middle East (Upstairs), 472 Mass. Ave. (SLS)

READINGS | Michael Wood

Celebrated British filmmaker and author Michael Wood discusses his new book Shakespeare, which corresponds to his upcoming PBS documentary chronicling the life of the bard. 7 p.m. Free. The Harvard Coop, 1400 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. (SLS)

THEATER | Temptation

The Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club presents Temptation, a Faust-inspired, biting satire from Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic. Watch as tempted scientist Dr. Foustka exposes the evil in all of us. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $6, $4 students. Loeb Mainstage, 64 Brattle St. (MRR).

THEATER | Faust I

Full-frontal nudity hits the Loeb Ex stage in this creative interpretation of Goethe’s Faust, directed by Clint J. Froehlich ’05. 7:30 p.m. Free. Loeb Experimental Theater, 64 Brattle St.

THEATRE | Gheri Dosti

Sponsored by the Harvard South Asian Association, this four week run brings together five short plays originally developed in New York City and exploring issues of same-sex relationships in South Asia. 8 p.m. Tickets $20, $7 students. Leverett Old Library Theater. (MRR)

THEATRE | Hairspray

Adapted from John Waters’ 1988 musical Hairspray, this larger-than-life play tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, a poor, ambitious teenager who lands a featured spot dancing on the Corny Collins Show, a hugely popular after school television program in the tradition of American Bandstand. Dancing on the show was every girl’s dream at the unpopular but good-hearted Tracy’s high school, and when she is unexpectedly awarded the honor after a dance contest, a veritable class war between her and Amber von Tussle, the quintessential wealthy bitch, erupts in their hometown. Before long, Tracy finds herself fighting for racial equality on the Corny Collins Show, but despite this segment’s somewhat serious subject matter, the play remains lighthearted and hilarious. Carly Jibson and Bruce Vilanch star in the touring Broadway ensemble. Through Nov. 7. 8 p.m. Tickets $30-97. Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St. (LN)

sat, nov 1

MUSIC | Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda

If you’re up for a night of Phish-channeling, this show is for you. Boston-based jam band Arcoda headline. Mamacita, Clemmy’s Guttatta, Sam Bigelow and Lifted join them. 8 p.m. $8. 18+. The Middle East (Downstairs), 472 Mass. Ave. (SLS)

MISC | El Dia de Los Muertos Celebration

Go to celebrate Halloween, Mexican-style. The event promises altars, art, film, demonstrations, food, performances, and more. 2 to 9 p.m. Tickets $15, $10 students. The Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., Cambridge. (SLS)

sun, nov 2

MUSIC | Herbie Hancock Quartet

Grammy and Academy Award winner Hancock is a highly acclaimed performer of acoustic and electronic jazz and R&B. A former child piano prodigy, Hancock now divides his time between performing and producing music, as well as maintaining his program to increase the spread of technology: the Rhythm of Life Foundation. Berklee Performance Center, 7 p.m., Tickets $29.50-35.50. (JW)

mon, nov 3

MUSIC | Electric Six, Junior Senior

Electric Six is an eclectic sextet featuring not only a bass player, two guitarists, a drummer, synthesizer and a singer, but also a cowbell and dancing. Junior Senior, a duo from Denmark, are unique for their differences: one small man, one tall man, one gay man, one straight. The Middle East, 8 p.m. (JW)

READINGS | H.W. Brands

This Texas A&M professor, author of seventeen books and innumerable articles, reads from his newest novel, a story about the people who searched for gold and the political and social consequences of this era in United States History. The acclaimed Brands was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and his books frequent the New York Times bestseller list. WordsWorth Books, 7 p.m. (JW)

tues, nov 4

MUSIC | Kid Koala

Join the funny Canadian turntablist and his merry band of DJs, P-Love (thugged out Koala) and Jester (nice guy Koala). The Kid is touring for his recently released sophomore album on Ninja Tune, so expect more inimitable record play and stage humor. Also featuring vocalist Lederhosen Lucil and projected animations by Monkmus, who was responsible for Koala’s “Basin Street Blues” video. The Middle East, 8 p.m. (RJK)

films

Kill Bill: Volume I

Quentin Tarantino’s new film centers on a woman known only as The Bride (Uma Thurman), who awakens from a coma four years after she is nearly assassinated at her wedding party by the elite fighting force to which she once belonged. Once she’s up and about again, The Bride sets out on a mission of revenge against her former compatriots. On paper, Kill Bill: Volume I sounds dangerously close to Charlie’s Angels: there are many martial arts action sequences, all of the main characters are women and one of them is played by Lucy Liu. However, whereas Angels was mindless fun, Kill Bill is a thoughtful and beautiful homage to classic themes and styles while remaining the most fun and exciting film of the year. Within the film, one can see hints of all of Tarantino’s influences and tastes—blaxploitation, spaghetti westerns, Hong Kong kung fu, Japanese samurai, anime—but all are wonderfully adapted to fit into the unique Tarantino vision. (SNJ)

Lost in Translation

Fulfilling the boundless promise exhibited in her debut effort, The Virgin Suicides, director Sofia Coppola crafts a sublime love letter to both Tokyo and transitory friendship with her newest film, Lost in Translation. Hollywood star Bob Harris (Bill Murray) has been shipped off to Japan to hawk Suntory whiskey to the natives. There he encounters Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), the beautiful wife of a photographer who spends much of her day staring out her window in hopes of somehow finding herself within the city’s skyline. The pair are soon discovering Tokyo culture and a profundity in their friendship that is lacking in their respective marriages. Johansson perfects the prolonged sulk, while Murray delivers his best performance yet, donning the hats of weary voyager, droll companion and cynical mentor with equal comfort. There are plenty of belly laughs to be had along the way, but what remains with the viewer is the significance of the fleeting connection that these two people share. Coppola dreamily lingers on every scene, adorning each of them with the sensation of the aftermath of a first kiss. (BYC)

Mambo Italiano

Mambo Italiano opens with promise: warm coloring, fluid camerawork and appealing Italian-themed scenes, with the family eating gelato. We are introduced to in-the-closet Angelo (Luke Kirby), a young Italian man from Montreal finally moving out after 27 years of what he calls “the trap,” living at home with his parents, who just want him to meet and fall in love with a nice Italian girl. After Angelo’s new apartment is robbed, he moves in with Nino, a childhood friend who, like Angelo, is gay. But tell their parents? Fugghedaboutit. Mambo Italiano is a mess. Where sexual orientation, ethnic and family issues should be addressed seriously, another joke is made to relieve the tension. The idea of a gay Italian-French-Canadian has a lot of comic potential; in the end, unfortunately, the director is too overwhelmed to stop making jokes and tell what could have been a winning story. (MRR)

Pieces of April

This low-budget family dramedy, imagines whatever happened to that high school loner who was always up to no good in chemistry class. 21-year-old April Burns (played with unassuming grace by Katie Holmes), armed with the emotional support of her affectionate boyfriend (Derek Luke), embarks on a mishap-filled day of cooking and decoration to prepare her humble New York apartment for a Thanksgiving dinner with her estranged family (headed by Oliver Platt and Patricia Clarkson). Pieces of April showcases homegrown storytelling at its best and marks a strong directorial debut by Peter Hedges (the screenwriter behind About a Boy). (VA)

School of Rock

Jack Black is not a particularly funny man. He can pull off a one-liner, and he brightly sustains the Chris Farley torch of manic physical clowning, but it’s clear that his comedic range is inversely related to his girth. Fortunately, the producers of School of Rock have forged an ideal vehicle for Black’s brand of mischief, and with a sturdy cast and script behind him, he manages to whip up some of the biggest laughs of the year. Black plays Dewey Finn, a guitarist thrown out of his band, rendering him even less capable of paying the rent that he owes his substitute teacher roommate. Posing as his roommate, he assumes the responsibility of educating a classroom of unusually well-behaved fifth graders, who he discovers to be, rather conveniently, excellent musicians. School of Rock echoes with comic and emotional resonance without getting mired in sentimentality, allowing Black to revel in a role in which he manages to hit all of his notes perfectly. (SAW)

Under the Tuscan Sun

A bit of late-summer escapism unfolds on the other side of the pond, as a recent divorcee (Diane Lane) flees to Italy, purchases a villa and finds a mysterious foreign love interest. Adapted for the screen by Audrey Well—who also produced and directed—from author Frances Mayes’ bestselling memoir, with a number of departures from the book. In the past, Wells has been responsible for such mixed fare as George of the Jungle, The Truth About Cats and Dogs and The Kid; here she strives to transcend the cliches of the typical romantic romp. An array of complications and subplots flesh out the simple story of one woman falling in love with a countryside estate, a beautiful landscape and a new life. (SWVL)

Veronica Guerin

Director Joel Schumacher’s latest movie is based upon on the life of the Sunday Independent reporter of the same name. The film is the story of her self-imposed mission to clear the streets of drugs and drug pushers, culminating in her brutal death at the hands of gang leaders attempting to protect themselves from the momentum of her crusade. Most important, it is the story of Guerin herself: her character, her motivations, her fears and doubts. Cate Blanchett’s resplendent performance as Guerin seethes with passion and intensity in every scene. It is her skillful work—as well as that of her supporting cast—that compensates for the film’s directorial inadequacies. (GPH)

Wonderland

As Wonderland opens, John Holmes (Val Kilmer) comes to grips with the fading of his fame as the first and biggest hardcore porn star: he has become just another junkie desperate for his next score. Through a variety of mysterious circumstances, he ends up enlisted by both of his drug dealers as they and their gangs attack each other. Holmes’ relative guilt in both actions is questioned in Rashomon-like flashbacks that see the past through very different perspectives. Until the very end, we are only clear about the strong sleaziness that pervades this man. Wonderland demonstrates how truly awful humans can be; it shows us our own world, making it that much harder to take. (ASW)

—Happening was edited by Tiffany I. Hsieh and compiled by Ryan J. Kuo, Vinita Alexander, Gary P. Ho, Jordan Walker, Simon W. Vozick-Levinson, Ben Y. Chung, Sarah L. Solozano, Scoop A. Wasserstein, Melissa R. Robillard, Leon Neyfakh and Steven N. Jacobs.