Friday, July 13, 2012

FRI 7/13: Fun, Sand, Art, Music, Comedy, Theatre, Film


Cool foreign film alert: If everything goes according to plan, the French thinking-person's action film "Sleepless Night" will eventually have an American remake in a couple years. The original is screening at the Brattle this weekend (9:30pm, 11:30pm).

The advance price was $10 (door is $12), but the He's My Brother She's My Sister/Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library gig (say that ten times fast) at Church should be pretty sweet tonight.

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FRI 7/13 (thru FRI 8/31)

Various Times
"Free Fun Fridays"
at deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Lincoln
at Franklin Park Zoo, Boston
at Reagle Music Theatre*, Waltham High School, 617 Lexington St, Waltham
FREE

ALSO:
at Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham
at Children’s Museum at Holyoke (Western Mass)

One of the best free summer programs lets you choose from a different set of cool places around the Commonwealth for 10 Fridays in a row. If you've got visitors or you take a Friday off, you've got some to do -- if you're not going to the Cape (or wherever).

These destinations may be geared towards providing easy access to semi-educational fun for kids on vacation, however free is free. Carpe diem -- if you don't have plans during the diem.

The deCordova always has a good exhibition; the real reason to visit is to walk around the Sculpture Park for a couple hours which is worth the price of admission (the price of a Zipcar).

Don't ask me to recommend the zoo -- it's not my thing. The asterisk next to Reagle Music Theatre means the free performance of "Bye, Bye Birdie" is at 2pm.

I guess a charity that's geared towards kids would want provide opportunities for semi-educational fun in an easy way by letting everyone in.

There are no strings attached, except what my brother says: "Two's company, free's a crowd." The deCordova museum warns about parking limitations.

FRI 7/13 (thru SUN 7/15)

Various Times
Annual New England Sand Sculpting Festival
at Revere Beach, Revere (closer to the Revere Beach T)
FREE

In my opinion, the sculptures can be hit-or-miss on an aesthetic level. Still it's amazing to see what 14 sculptors from the US, Canada, and Mexico with 10 tons of sand in a 18'x18' area over a total of 24 work hours.

At this point they've made quite a bit of progress to their projects.

In the past, their creations can still be seen (in some condition) for a few weeks, but the next 3 days includes sand sculpting lessons for kids and entertainment at various times as well as fireworks on Saturday night (9pm).

The action is closer to the Revere Beach T Station, and it's a reasonable walk to Kelly's...

FRI 7/13

5pm to 8pm
Second Fridays
at MIT Museum, 265 Mass Ave, Cambridge (near Central Sq)
FREE

Honestly, there are lots of cool stuff at the MIT Museum that's worth the price of admission, but it's even better when you can get in for free -- like every 2nd Friday of the month.

According to today's date, this month's theme is "Superstition Mission" that may or may not include corny riddles as you walk around the museum.

There is a Berenice Abbott photography exhibit through the end of the year that should be pretty cool. And the perennial Arthur Ganson exhibit is an mind-blowing nexis of art, science, and philosophy.

FRI 7/13 (thru FRI 8/24)

6pm
Greenway Session Series: Evolfo Doofeht
at Kennedy Greenway, about 241 Milk St, Boston (Wharf District / near Aquarium)
FREE

Two months of free music Fridays is not a bad way to end the week especially if you work nearby or simply meeting friends for drinks near the waterfront.

The mix of bands should offer something appealing to most before the end of August. Evolfo Doofeht is better than your average funk-fueled bar band, so it could be a good beginning to the weekend unwind.

FRI 7/13

7pm to 9pm
Derrick Adams: "The World According to Derrick: Performative Objects in Formation": Opening Reception
at Mills Gallery, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St, Boston (South End)
FREE

From what I can tell, the exhibit will be a retrospective of 3D pieces, photographs and videos from over a decade of Derrick's career. To add an aspect of performance art, he will be the DJ at the opening reception.

Technically, it's also the opening of the temporary art in the plaza, Jeanne Williamson's "Fence/Curtain 2.0".

FRI 7/13

7pm to 8:30pm
"The Egyptian Oracle"
at Raytheon Amphitheater, Egan Engineering/Science Bldg, 120 Forsyth St, Boston (Northeastern campus)
FREE

This could be lame on a 'sheer entertainment' level, because the project is some kind of merging of technology and theater with an interactive element.

If you suspend your disbelief, you (and everyone else in the auditorium) are visiting a fortune-teller in an ancient Egyptian temple. The 80-minute session is being filmed for serious academic research and posterity.

FRI 7/13

7:30pm to 9:30pm
Anderson Comedy: "The Gas"
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$5 / 18+

Feat: Steve Macone, Maria Ciampa, Sean Wilkinson, Rob Crean, Kate Ghiloni, Andrew Mayer

Anderson Comedy has The Gas every Friday, and I'm an advocate of the idea of early Friday fun so you can spend the rest of the night doing anything else.

It's a really strong line-up of comedians tonight. If you don't get $5 worth of laughs, chug another tallboy and/or pay closer attention.

Topic to discuss amongst your friends: How many jokes will there be about making rape jokes?

Hang around and you can drink your way into dancing with "The Pill" at 10pm.

FRI 7/13 (thru SAT 7/28)

7:30pm
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead"
at Mary O'Malley Park, Commandant’s Way, Chelsea Waterfront
FREE

Alternating Bilingual Nights:

English: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
Spanish: Friday, Sunday
The movie was rather funny in an absurd way, so I can imagine the source play should be even better.

I screwed up and missed the first 2 nights of the production, and this happens to be on of the nights when it's performed *en Espanol*.

It could be funnier to follow the concurrent misadventures of 2 minor characters in "Hamlet" when you don't understand Spanish... Or you could go on another night in the next two weeks. (They recommend bringing lawn chairs or blankets -- I sat on the grass.)

The #111 bus may be your best bet for an adventure in free theatre on the other side of the Tobin.

FRI 7/13

8pm
All Things Horror Presents: "It's In the Blood"
at Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville
$10

Also short film: "Familiar"

For the past couple years, the guys at All Things Horror have basically been presenting a monthly indie-horror film festival where they screen creepy/scary/gory/etc stuff before you can see it almost anywhere else.

Tonight's feature stars Lance Henrikson as the father out on a hunting trip with his son that obviously goes horribly wrong. The trailer seems creepy, and I mostly recall Henrikson when he's been weird in movies like "Alien" sequels and the "Millennium" TV show.

The short film also involves a dad that's described as "tinged with Cronenbergian body horror".

FRI 7/13

8pm
Rippin’est Town Rally #8 -- Meet & Greet
at The Baseball Tavern, 1270 Boylston St, Boston (near Fenway)
$10 / 21+

Feat: The Allstonians, Antibodies, Media Blitz, MFP

DJ: Navarone Reggae Sound System

Whether or not you ride a scooter, you can hang out with the mods and so on (can't help but think scooters + "Quadrophenia") while checking out the ska and punk downstairs (straight down when you walk in).

If you happen to have a scooter, you're probably already planning on joining the (free) rally ride to Castle Island that leaves on Saturday morning from the Howard Johnson parking lot across the street.

FRI 7/13

9pm
The Either/Orchestra
at Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge St, Cambridge (Inman Sq)
$10

For more than 25 years, Boston's Either/Orchestra has been killing it as a large jazz ensemble that incorporates influences from Latin America to Africa. They tour all over the world, yet we get to see them in an intimate setting every now and then. (For a relatively small room, the Lily Pad has amazing acoustics especially for jazz.)

I remember a few years ago when percussionist Vicente Lebron was being detained on immigration charges. The good news is that he was released after 3 months.

FRI 7/13

Old New England Weather (11:30pm), Shelterbelt (10:30pm), Chaparrals (9:30pm)
at The Midway Cafe, 3496 Washington St, Jamaica Plain
$8

I predict Shelterbelt will be one of the local acts that will be raved about this year. The songs I've heard have a delightfully twangy jangle, and the band includes members of Mittens, Frank Smith, Fuzzy, etc.

Old New England Weather and Chaparrals add indie-folk/rock party.

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