READINGS | Gary Wills

Historical controversy arises once again with the advent of author and historian Gary Wills, here to talk about his new bestseller Negro President: Jefferson and the Slave Power. Wills explores an aspect of Jefferson’s presidency that is often glossed over: the idea that Jefferson actually achieved his presidency by maintaining the institution of “slave representation.” This event is part of the Harvard Book Store’s November Presidential Series, featuring talks with luminaries such as David Herbert Donald, Harry Wiencek and Gore Vidal. 6 p.m. Free. First Parish Church, Three Church St. (SS)

wed, nov 12

MUSIC | King Crimson

As part of its North American tour, King Crimson comes to Boston with opener Living Colour. King Crimson’s current line-up includes Robert Fripp on the guitar, Adrian Belew on guitar and lead vocals, Trey Gunn on the touch guitar and Pat Mastelotto on the drums. Though originally hailed as “the next Beatles,” King Crimson has spent its past four decades of existence evading any kind of simple characterizations. With their newly-released double disc-set Eyes Wide Open, this group continues their refreshingly improvisational style. This appearance will be King Crimson’s only Boston appearance for its show. 8 p.m. $30.25. Avalon, 15 Lansdowne St, Boston, Mass. (SS)

MUSIC | G3

G3 combines the musical talents of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen. This trio of guitar virtuosos has accumulated a staggering number of accolades. Satriani, on the electric guitar, has won six Grammy nominations and sold over seven million albums. Vai has earned three Grammy nominations, one of which he won in 1993 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance on the album Zappa’s Universe. Malmsteen himself is universally considered one of the most talented hard rock guitarists of the ‘80s. The union of this trio promises a show fused with hard rock and heavy metal of the highest order. 7 p.m. Tickets available through Ticketmaster. Orpheum Theatre, One Hamilton Place, Boston, Mass. (SS)

films

Alien: The Director’s Cut

Digitally remastered and in Surround Sound, this reissue of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror film represents the first chance for anyone born in the last two decades to see the film as it should be presented—on the big screen. Seeing the movie in a theater will open your eyes to what is almost indiscernible when watching the DVD—Alien’s incredible sets and lighting: the crew’s space craft “Nostromo” is magnificent on screen and its halls are full of beautiful detail. For those who have seen the film before, Scott has added new scenes which fill out the original film’s commentary about gender roles (Alien is generally credited with creating the first female action hero in the form of Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley). This re-release truly is a remarkable chance for a new generation of moviegoers to see a beautiful classic film. (Ian P. Campbell)

Human Stain

In the midst of the 1998 Lewinsky sex scandal, Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins), a distinguished classics professor at a small Massachusetts liberal arts college, embroils himself in a microcosm of similar scandal and tragedy: one chance comment in class provokes an accusation of racism that culminates in his resignation and the death of his wife. Based on the novel by Philip Roth, The Human Stain follows Silk through four major stages of self-identification: anger, denial, acceptance and confession. A self-made man in every sense of the word, Silk’s success in life embodies a severely warped version of the American dream: an extremely light-skinned black man passing himself off as a Jewish intellectual. Newcomer Wentworth Miller is startlingly good as the tormented young Silk, torn between the pulls of family and future. Hopkins is almost convincing as the tragic hero Coleman Silk, Nicole Kidman less so as the battered Faunia—the cleaning woman who pulls Silk out of his shell.

Much like Silk himself, the film is a prisoner of its own ambitions; it falls victim to its literal devotion to Roth’s novel. In any case, The Human Stain is a story better left in print.

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)