Friday, December 3

MUSIC | The Ying QuartetThe highly regarded Ying Quartet (Timothy and Janet Ying, violins, Phillip Ying, viola, David Ying, cello) continue their stint as Blodgett Artists in Residence. They will play five pieces on the theme of wandering: Turina’s Oracion del Torero; Villa-Lobos’ Quartet No. 6; D’Rivera’s Village Street Quartet; Ginastera’s Quartet No. 1; Piazzola’s Tango for 4. Presented by the Houghton Library of the Harvard College Library. Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office $20, $10 for students. 8 p.m. Harvard Epworth Methodist Church. (ELF)MUSIC | The Music of Yannatos & BartokThe Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra will perform a superb program of classical music, including a selection written by its conductor, James Yannatos. Come hear one of the greatest collegiate orchestras in the world. Other selections will include Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra and a surprise piece by the HRO concerto competition winner, LaMont J. Barlow ’05. Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office $13/$11/$8, $10/$8/$6 for students. 8 p.m. Sanders Theater. (ELF)THEATER | The Compleat Works of Wllm Shakspr (abridged)The Winthrop House Drama Society will present an uproarious condensation and parody of Shakespeare’s entire corpus. Laugh, cry, then laugh some more at Othello rapping, Titus Andronicus cooking, and Ophelia drowning. “Shakespeare will never make you laugh so hard again!” Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office $8, Students & Seniors $5, House Residents $3. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. Winthrop JCR. (ELF)

THEATER | The Pirates of Penzance

The Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan players enact their namesakes’ most famous comic operetta. This tale of dewey-eyed maidens, bungling policemen and soft-hearted pirates is a known crowd-pleaser. Directed by Ashley A.P. Horan ’05 and Mark P. Musico ’07. Reserved Seating. Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office, evenings: regular $12/$10, students & seniors $8/$6, matinees: regular $10/$8, students & seniors $6/$4, Thursday $4 with a Harvard Student I.D. Friday, Saturday and Thursday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. Agassiz Theater. (ELF)

DANCE | Harvard-Radcliffe Dance CompanyThe longest-running student dance company on campus presents Toys in the Basement: A Winter Concert of Modern Dance. Featuring the choreography of Brenda S. Divelbliss, Rebecca J. Alaly ’05, David L. Blazar ’06, Neil G. Ellingson ’05, Beth A. Griffin, Ebonie-Shay D. Hazle ’06, Jetta G. Martin ’05, Annelisa H. Pedersen ’06, Jeremy J. Olson, Marin J.D. Orlosky ’07, Meredith E. Sandberg ’07, Karin C.L. Shieh ’05, Tina Y. Tanhehco ’05, Kit Tempest, Sonia K. Todorova ’07, and Timothy H. Wong ’05. Bring the kids; it’ll be fun for all ages. Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office $5. 8 p.m.. Also Saturday at 8 p.m. Rieman Center for the Performing Arts. (ELF)

MUSIC | Isis, These Arms are Snakes, Tim Hecker, Dysrhythmia

Catch a great show downstairs at the Middle East. An awesome multiple bill presented by The Middle East and MassConcerts promises to make for a really exciting night of music ranging from more traditional performances to increasingly ambient laptop pieces. Tickets $12. 18+. (NNH)

Saturday, December 4

MUSIC | Harvard-Radcliffe ChorusThe 165-voice choir kicks off its 2004 season, welcoming new conductor, Dr. Kevin C. Leong. The program will be an all-Mozart affair, including Vesperae solennes de Confessore, Missa brevis in F and the ever-popular Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Featuring soprano Amanda Forsythe. Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office $16/$14, $8/$7 for students and seniors. 8 p.m. Sanders Theater. (ELF)

MUSIC | Dear Leader, The Information, The Static Age, The Cignal

These indie rock bands come together for a night of music downstairs at the Middle East. Don’t miss this great opportunity to hear some really good lesser-known bands at a cool club. Tickets are $10. 18+. (NNH)

MUSIC | “Clandestino”—Rock in Spanish Party

Get ready to dance, because “la celebracion del rock en espanol” is coming to Cambridge this weekend! Clandestino is an independent event that moves from venue to venue, featuring Latin American rock stars’ best work so you can show off your best moves. Think Manu Chao and Radio Futura. Upstairs at the Middle East. 9 p.m. For audiences 18+. Tickets $10. (JET)

Sunday, December 5

MUSIC | The Opportunes

Harvard’s oldest co-ed acapella group hosts their “How the Grinch Stole Jam.” Known for their intricate six to eight part harmonies, great stage presences and strong sense of humor, The Opportunes promise to be fun to welcome in the holiday season with. Tickets available at the Harvard box office for $7. 3 p.m. Sanders Theatre. (NNH)

MUSIC | Lucia Lie, A Hero Next Door, Anti-Love Project, Via Audio

It’s an evening of variety. Lucia Lie’s slow, sad melody shares the bill with Anti-Love Project, who dabble in “noisy, erotic, and bombastic” indie rock. Later on, band Via Audio floats in with airy (yet aggressive!) pop. All these groups have loyal listeners, but the treat of the evening may be A Hero Next Door—fans swear these punk/metal rockers’ talent knows no bounds. Upstairs at the Middle East. 9 p.m. 18+. Tickets $9. (JET)

Monday, December 6

SPEAKER | Elie Wiesel

Best known for his holocaust novel Night, writer Elie Wiesel—a survivor of Auschwitz and Buchenwald—has also written over 40 other books. He is also a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace (1986) and the Andrew Mellon Professor of Humanities at Boston University. Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office, free for undergrads and grad students. 7:30 p.m. Memorial Church. (NNH)

MUSIC | The List Exists, The Sanguine, Sparrows

Start your week on a mellow note. A set or two of The List Exists’ highly creative, but relaxed, digital vibe is sure to warm up even a Boston Monday. They’re followed by the haunting, ethereal melodies of The Sanguine. Upstairs at the Middle East. 9 p.m. 18+. $8. (JET)

Tuesday, December 7

MUSIC | Fishbone

Check out energetic hybrid rock-ska-metal-reggae band Fishbone downstairs at the Middle East. A prolific recording career and the ability to incorporate melody into their songs differentiates these guys from other such groups and insures that this will be a fun show. Tickets $15. For audiences 18+. (NNH)

MUSIC | Moving Units

Compared by some to The Strokes, this male trio of punk-revivalists want you to dance along to their rhythm. Upstairs at the Middle East. 9 p.m. For audiences 18+. Advance tickets $8; $10 at the door. (JET)

Wednesday, December 8

MUSIC | Quincy Coffeehouse

The Quincy Coffeehouse is a monthly performance event with a roster of student musicians and performers that includes Mike D. Ramos ’04, Ben D. White ’08 and Angela C. Louk ’08. Liz W. Carlisle ’05 and Dan Gonzalez moderate. Here’s an informal way to hear some great music in a fun setting. Free and open to the public. 7:30 p.m. Quincy House JCR. (NNH)

MUSIC | Jericho (RVA), Lock And Key, Slater, Crisis Bureau

Local band Jericho starts off the night with punk. Next comes Lock and Key. Their symbol is a chainsaw—let’s just leave it at that and follow up with Crisis Bureau, whose original hard rock is appealing even outside the typical fan base. Upstairs at the Middle East. 9 p.m. For audiences 18+. Tickets $8. (JET)

Thursday, December 8

MUSIC | Bleu’s Holidang Bash—Bleu, Raymond, The Unbusted

Local artist Bleu’s music is an exotic mix of classic and modern rock. He’ll be around on Friday too, but Thursday is your only chance to catch the punk/indie/80s blend that is Raymond and The Unbusted’s power-rock chords. Upstairs at the Middle East. 9 p.m. For audiences 18+. Tickets $10. (JET)

Friday, December 10

MUSIC | Christmas Revels

The 34th Christmas Revels again perform at Harvard for their traditional performance—this time, their act will include 18 performances of “French-Canadian winter cheer.” Directed by Patrick Swanson and music director George Emlen, the 2004 Revels feature Quebecois sensations Danse Cadence and others. Audience participation a must. Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office. Adults: $42, $32, $20. From Dec. 10 until Dec. 28. Sanders Theatre. (NNH)

MUSIC | The Music of Sir Harrison Birtwistle

Aleck Karis on piano and soprano Tony Arnold will perform Birtwistle’s works including 26 Orpheus Elegies, Nenia: The Death of Orpheus, Harrison’s Clocks and Verses. Free and open to the public. Parking available at the Everett Street Garage. John Knowles Paine Concert Hall. (NNH)

MUSIC | Bleu’s Holidang Bash - Bleu, Mike Viola, The Rudds

Bleu’s back to rock yet another night away, but this time Mike Viola, who’s led vocals for too many other groups to mention here, chimes in with samples from his repertoire. The catchy upbeat tunes The Rudds do best will leave you humming. Upstairs at the Middle East. 9 p.m. 18+ Tickets $10. (JET)

Ongoing

VISUALS | Feed: Artists + Digital Influence

Here digital technology and art converge as multi-disciplinary artists exhibit their work that is cutting-edge in more ways than one. Through Dec. 11. Call (617) 879-7333 for more information. Massachusetts College of Art, 621 Huntington Ave. (VMA)

FILM | Lions of the Kalahari

Escape to the deserts of Botswana and for a moment enter into the jungle world of the Kalahari lion. Brought to you very realistically thanks to the 180-degree dome film screen at the Museum of Science. Daily through Feb. 17. Science Park. (VMA)

VISUALS | Dependent Objects

The Busch-Reisinger Museum presents an exhibition of sculpture by artists who were ambivalent toward the media. “Dependent Objects” presents the works of German artists beginning in the 1960s including works by Franz Erhard Walther, Hans Haacke, Charlotte Posenenske and Gerhard Richter. Through Jan. 2. The Busch-Reisinger at the Fogg Museum. (JSG)

Films

After the Sunset

It’s difficult to understand how this project actually made it through production, when the actors, screenwriters, director and cinematographer are so obviously phoning in their work. Sunset begins with two master thieves, Max Burdett (Pierce Brosnan) and the luscious Lola Cirillo (Salma Hayek), completing the heist of a one-of-a-kind diamond and then jetting to a tropical island paradise to enjoy their retirement. Unbeknownst to them, FBI agent Stanley Lloyd (Woody Harrelson), still simmering from his botched attempt to prevent their robbery, has tracked them down and means to nab them with a brilliant scheme.There are a few decent comic moments thanks mostly to Harrelson who seemingly takes on the daunting task of playing himself, and the occasional stunning shot compositions. But the sad truth is you would be better served catching up on some sleep than finding out what happens in this mind-numbing dud. (TAO)

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

Bridget (Renee Zellweger) is back and this time she’s counting carbs, not calories. There are some other surface changes in the life of the world’s favorite singleton: she’s shacked up with the dreamy Darcy (Colin Firth) and is no longer, well, single. But the script is furnished with the same jokes from the first movie, except the second time the “watch Bridget fall flat on her face in a very short skirt” routine is less vaudeville and more ritual humiliation. The movie seems to perpetuate, rather than poke fun at, the ridiculous conventions of the Hollywood romantic comedy. There are some glimpses of the old Bridget: smart, funny, wholly lacking in decorum. But these moments are outnumbered by the formulaic structure of the narrative, to the point where we’re not sure whether this is Notting Hill, Love Actually, or just some hideous amalgam of all the other resolutely WASPy, sickly-sweet Richard Curtis creations. (AEL)

Finding Neverland

In his newest film, director Marc Forster makes a drastic break from his previous work, Monster’s Ball. Johnny Depp plays James “J.M.” Barrie, in the process of writing his masterwork Peter Pan. Like most of Depp’s characters, Barrie is more than a little strange. His last play was a flop, his marriage has deteriorated to the point that he and his wife (played by Radha Mitchell) barely speak to one another, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, he prefers the company of his dog and his own imagination to most of his peers. This all changes, however, when he meets a family of muses in the park one afternoon. Barrie quickly befriends Sylvia Llewelyn Davies—played with daring and grace by Kate Winslet—and her four sons Michael, Jack, George and Peter to their mutual benefit; Barrie needs them for inspiration and to inject some warmth into what was rapidly becoming a hollow life and they need him to help them get over the recent death of Sylvia’s husband, the boys’ father. Occasionally, the tone can be a little too sweet and sentimental: this is not a movie for the hard of heart. However, like Peter Pan says, if you really believe, at times the movie feels like its flying. (SNJ)

Friday Night Lights

The clichéd line is never uttered, but without listening very carefully, you can hear its echo throughout Friday Night Lights: In Odessa, football is a way of life. And, as is quickly shown, the only way of life for residents of this small Texas town, where state champions become legends and those who fall short become mere pariahs rejected even within their own families. Though American society worships successful professional athletes, the cult following earned by 17-year old high school seniors is for the most part less widespread. Director and co-writer Peter Berg rightly devotes more time to the Panthers’ trials in their daily lives—how they survive in the face of such intense scrutiny—than their gridiron exploits to underscore that this isn’t just a game but a profession. (TJM)

The Grudge

The camera stumbles upon a door, it bursts open, the hand of the dying woman drops, a guttural boom blasts from the sub, and that four-dollar bucket of flat Diet Coke resting patiently at your side becomes fizzy and fresh on your lap as you jump—hard. It’s these moments—when some random horrific element comes from nowhere—that make the first act of The Grudge, Hollywood’s latest attempt at remaking a foreign blockbuster, extremely enjoyable. Yet tension gives way to torpor as the first act crawls to a close: the slow reserved pace that initially generates bloodcurdling moments soon begins to retard the motion of the film. Even the supposed surprise ending becomes an “Oh, okay” moment instead of a “Wow, no way, that’s his father?” one. The movie, then, becomes a woeful drudge of cinematic excess: it’s cool for the sake of cool. (BJ)

I Heart Huckabees

Albert is unhappy and he isn’t sure why. Sadly, we never care. The root of Albert’s malaise, I think, is that he has sold out. He has entered into a partnership with Huckabees, a chain of K-Mart-like stores, to throw some muscle behind his coalition to save a local wetland. Russell’s sly appropriation of American corporate-speak provide the best moments in the Huckabees script: therapy would be unbecoming for a corporate executive, so Brad rationalizes his sessions with “existential therapists” by insisting they are “pro-active and action-oriented.” While all of the characters in Huckabees seem primed to arc from ironic distance to grand, tragic catharsis, Jude Law alone provides the emotional proximity the film coaxes you into longing for and then so cruelly denies. (DBR)

The Incredibles

Pixar, the ingenious powerhouses of animation that brought the world personified toys, monsters and phosphorescent fish, has taken on a PG-rated action adventure for its latest premise: the story of an average superhero family.In his glory days, Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) was known to the world as Mr. Incredible, a superhero capable of foiling a bank robbery, stopping a runaway locomotive and coaxing a kitten down from a tree all on the way to his wedding. Segue to 15 years later and Mr. Incredible and his wife Helen, formerly known as Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), and their three children are attempting to live a normal suburban life under the Witness Protection Program. Bob juggles a potbelly and a mind-numbing job as an insurance claims specialist while longing for the old days; Helen is not willing to give up the peaceful life they have earned. Everything changes when Bob receives a communiqué calling for Mr. Incredible’s help in a top-secret mission on a mysterious island. The mission eventually pulls the entire Incredibles family into a battle to save the world from their nemesis, Syndrome (Jason Lee). Writer-director Brad Bird (Iron Giant, The Simpsons), who serves triple duty as the voice of the temperamental superhero fashion designer Edna Mode, has created a film that skillfully blends the excitement of a superhero movie with a carefully-measured dose of family film sensitivity. (JYZ)

The Motorcycle Diaries

The Guevara characterized in Walter Salles’ seductive new film The Motorcycle Diaries is a far cry from the iconic figure, sporting beard and beret, found in so many dorm rooms and poetry lounges. This is Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (Gael García Bernal) in his mid-20s, before he was Che. The film picks up Guevara’s life in 1951 as he embarks with his compatriot, Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) on his travels—powered, initially, by the namesake motorcycle, of course—bound for the southern tip of South America. He is a far more accessible figure, and his journey radiates a certain lost-soul aura to which even a hardened capitalist could relate. (ZMS)

National Treasure

National Treasure is about a third-generation treasure hunter searching for the greatest treasure the world has ever known, ever. Nicholas Cage, who seems to have convinced himself that he’s a modern day Juan Ponce De Leon, runs around like an idiot, examining money like a McDonald’s cashier dubious about a customer paying for an item on the dollar menu with a ten-dollar bill. At one point in the film, Cage’s sidekick, a first generation treasure hunter played by Justin Bartha—I know what you’re thinking: sooooo JV—cracks an ironic smile and asks his fellow treasure hunters, “Who wants to go down the creepy tunnel inside the tomb first?” Unbeknownst to the trusty helper Bartha, his query actually captures the essence of the burden placed on the spectator in seeing this half-assed movie. Who in fact wants to go down a creepy tunnel of a movie? I don’t think you do. Personally, I wish I had not. The movie is lacking something. It definitely was not Jon Voight, the consummate professional, who came through with a performance that rivals the one he turned in for The Karate Dog as his personal best in 2004. Maybe what it lacked was a good script, decent plot, and solid acting. Step it up, Jerry. (TBB)

Ray

There is something like ashy molasses in Ray Charles’ voice: dripping syrupy sweet with southern charm yet charged with gritty, unhewn candor, it resonates with a sense of immediacy and emotional clarity that is nothing short of divine. And yet somehow, even after seventeen tedious years of development, Ray, based on Charles’ life, does not muster any semblance of the splendor within his music. The film lacks emotional attachment on any level and fails in every way as a meaningful addition to his life and legacy. With a mix of deceitful, manipulative Hollywood story telling techniques masquerading as artistic strokes and tacky, unfocused, pop-filmmaking, director Taylor Hackford, manages to turn an amazing story of sheer will triumphing over adversity into a two-and-a-half hour mess that will damage Charles’ memory, even with Jamie Foxx’s almost perfect portrayal of Ray Charles. (BJ)

Sideways

Writer-director Alexander Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor seemed on a winning streak with Election and About Schmidt: both were inventive and quirky, two qualities their newest collaboration, Sideways, unfortunately lacks. The film follows Miles (Paul Giamatti), a burned-out teacher and struggling novelist, and his best friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church) on a road trip through California’s wine country organized to make the most of Jack’s last days of bachelorhood. The trip in Miles’ mind is about tasting great wines and in Jack’s is about getting laid as much as possible before marriage shuts him down. Despite their somewhat incredible friendship—they have completely opposing interests, outlooks and goals—the acting is exceptional and Giamatti and Church exude a chemistry that makes their friendship believable and oddly charming. But sadly, the movie is ultimately worthwhile only for its fine performances. Sideways’s structure is painfully episodic, never allowing audiences to become fully engrossed in its obnoxious characters. (GRD)

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

I didn’t really understand what everyone was talking about in terms of the subversive messages that the show supposedly projects to its mature audience, but I was certainly entertained. The film begins with SpongeBob dejected that his boss, Krusty Krab, did not promote him to manager of the local burger bodega. However, when Krusty Krab is framed, SpongeBob must exonerate his boss to get the promotion he seeks and prove to himself that he is a man. The film takes the audience on a fantasy underwater ride through the depths of a sponge’s soul, testing his courage and self-identity. At one point, SpongeBob and his starfish friend Patrick can’t stop laughing after someone uses the word “weed.” This was one subversive message I could pick up. Wink. The film reaches its climax on the back of David Hasselhoff, who turns himself into some sort of jet-ski to bring SpongeBob and Patrick back to their home so they can save the day and have a big party. If you’ve recently become a baby mama, step out to your local movie theater and see SpongeBob for some old-fashioned family fun. (TBB)

Team America: World Police

The new Trey Parker and Matt Stone production Team America: World Police is a delirious send-up of the international save-the-world action genre spoofing every movie from the Star Wars trilogy to Knightrider to The Matrix and unsympathetically mocks every public figure from Michael Moore to Kim Jong-Il to, curiously enough, Matt Damon. And they do it with puppets. Unlike most politically-motivated comedies these days, there’s no clear slant towards either the left or the right. Team America is a throwback to the kind of movie that casts the establishment as the good guy and everyone who goes against them as either evil or woefully misinformed. While, to many, such a theme may seem ironic, what makes this movie so pertinent and vital is the fact that this unthinking good-vs.-evil mentality may be more widespread than we’d like to believe. On the other hand, this movie also tells me that beating the hell out of puppets is funny. (SNJ)

Vera Drake

An intimate film about the lives of a small cast of characters, this simple masterpiece by director Mike Leigh manages to be at once philosophically expansive and physically claustrophobic. Personalities too large for their surroundings compound the effect of poverty on spaciousness—there is merely too little room to accommodate everyone, their needs for privacy and their individual desires. Imelda Staunton gives a tight performance as the title character, a mid-century London mother who tests light bulbs in a factory and keeps house for the wealthy to provide for her children and aged mother. Somehow, she still finds the time to invite neighbors over to her apartment for tea and a matchmaking session. In her “spare” time, she performs simple abortions to “help out young girls,” as she conceives of it, in a British cultural climate in which doing so is almost unthinkably wrong. The pendulous arm of justice, too, presses down on Vera Drake. By the end of the film, it is not just women as a social category who must live without freedom but Vera herself, forced to exchange liberty for captivity and the ultimate sort of crowdedness—that of a prison. (ABM)

—Happening was compiled by Vanita M. Alexander, M.A. Brazelton, Theodore B. Bressman, Eric L. Fritz, Julie S. Greenberg, Steven N. Jacobs, Bryant Jones, Amelia E. Lester, Alexandra B. Moss, Kristina M. Moore, Nathaniel Naddaff-Hafrey, Tony A. Onah, Will B. Payne, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, David B. Rochelson, Zachary M. Seward, Julia E. Twarog, and Julie Y Zhou.