The Boston Traveler

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Monday is going to be a traditionally busy day here in Beantown, what with Patriots’ Day, the 112th annual Boston Marathon, and the Boston Red Sox home game against the Texas Rangers all in the works. How do you find something to do, then, if you have zero interest in any of those events?
I suggest checking out an interesting feature offered at Brookline’s Coolidge Corner Theatre (290 Harvard Street, Brookline, 617-734-2500) in conjunction with the Museum of Science and New Scientist magazine, namely the monthly Science on Screen series. Designed to make good use of the abundant scientific …read more

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Exactly one week from today, the sixth annual Independent Film Festival of Boston will take off with a variety of movies from a variety of talented filmmakers.
The festival has enjoyed such success in the past that this year’s roster has been expanded to encompass 96 films that will be featured at over 150 screenings. The focus is on filmmakers whose work — be it long-form movies, documentaries, or short films — presents themes “that are life changing, thought provoking and expose aspects of life in new and revealing manners.”
And, if you think all the festival is about is going …read more

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If you’re in the mood to take in a movie that explores a world unfamiliar to many people from the United States, then the Boston Public Library has a treat for you on Monday, April 14, from its current film and video series Making a Difference: Individuals Who Chose to Participate.
At 6pm EST, the Central branch will screen the critically acclaimed 1996 South African drama Tsotsi in Rabb Lecture Hall (700 Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston, 617-536-5400). The selection is offered in conjunction with the library’s Choosing to Participate: Facing History and Ourselves exhibit on display through May 18, …read more

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Movie lovers, are you ready for a little something besides the mainstream stuff playing at a local multiplex near you? If so, the Boston Underground Film Festival, aka BUFF, just might have something to offer by way of freshness and diversity this weekend.
The ten-year-old annual event began as an informal affair in 1999, but has since matured and expanded into a full-fledged, more conventionally arranged series of screenings. And, unlike the fare you’ll find at whatever national chain happens to service your community, many of the scheduled works at BUFF will be hosted by the writers, directors, and …read more

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Saturday, March 8, is International Women’s Day, a globally recognized day set aside to spotlight the diverse achievements of diverse women from diverse places, while simultaneously reminding everyone that there is still more work to be done.
Thanks to Hostelling International, Boston will hold its first annual International Women’s Day Film Festival this year to add a three-day, cinematic flair to the usual celebration. The included films were specifically selected to not only exemplify the “extraordinary lives of women around the world” through their struggles and accomplishments, but also to encourage discussion and introspection.
The film festival opens tonight with Denmark’s …read more

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I was truly psyched to learn that I would be receiving my top choice from Netflix this week, Cantabrigian Ben Affleck’s Oscar-nominated directorial debut Gone Baby Gone. The film came out on DVD on Tuesday, which gives stay-at-home movie fans the opportunity to view one of last year’s most discussed releases before the Academy Awards ceremony airs on February 24.
Cast member Amy Ryan is up for an Oscar statuette in the supporting actress category, and the movie has already garnered numerous wins and nominations from many other organizations, including Affleck’s victory for Best New Filmmaker at the 2007 Boston …read more

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Comic-actor Martin Lawrence (Big Momma’s House 1 and 2, Bad Boys 1 and 2) has a new movie opening next Friday, February 8, called Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. In the comedy, he plays RJ Stevens, a famous talk-show host and self-help guru in the style of Oprah or Dr. Phil who hails from the small Southern town of Dry Springs, Georgia.
When Stevens’ parents ask him to return home for their 50th wedding anniversary, the entertainment personality does, and he brings along his ten-year-old son, new wife, and misunderstanding that since he’s a media star now, his family and old …read more

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Local newspaper the Boston Globe is holding an Arts & Entertainment Weekend of events this Saturday and Sunday, January 26–27, and the best part is everything is free, free, free. Billed as Globe Talks, the series of three discussions focuses on theater and film right here in the Bay State.
Saturday | January 26
A Conversation with Playwright Douglas Carter Beane
First up on Saturday is “A Conversation with Playwright Douglas Carter Beane.” A Tony Award nominee in 2007 for the Broadway comedy The Little Dog Laughed, Douglas Carter Beane also wrote, among many other things, the screenplay for the 1995 …read more

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Happy New Year, Boston Traveler readers!
Now that the holiday season is over, my wallet is suffering big time as a result of all the money I spent on gifts and holiday preparations. If you’re also feeling a little exhausted on the financial front, what better way to still keep yourself entertained than to take in a free movie that’s likely to be a big draw at the box office and the awards shows?
Thankfully, the folks at the fine weekly newspaper The Phoenix know a thing or two about how to help Bostonians stay relaxed. Visit the webpage http://thephoenix.com/flix1/ …read more

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