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Books
Book Review: Two Dogs and a Parrot
Two Dogs and a ParrotWhat Our Animal Friends Can Teach Us About LifeBy Joan ChittisterBlueBridgeWhy do we love pets? Because, through them, we “cling to nature in a world made of g…
Music Review: Call It What It Is
Call It What It IsBen Harper & the Innocent CriminalsSTAX RECORDSSinger/guitarist/songwriter Ben Harper is better known for his soulful, socially conscious folk rock than for h…
Music
Music Review: Né So
Né SoRokia TraoréNonesuch From the opening moments of this new album, the African rhythms and captivating voice of Rokia Traoré are powerful and alluring. On this, her sixth album…
Music Review: Blackstar
★David BowieCOLUMBIA RECORDSIn a lesser-known tune called “Black Star,” Elvis Presley once sang, “When a man sees his black star, he knows his time has come.”More than half a centu…
Film
Film Review: They Will Have to Kill Us First
They Will Have to Kill Us FirstJohanna SchwartzTogether FilmsJohanna Schwartz’s wonderful documentary begins with a blast of hip-hop describing the Jihadi takeover of Mali in 2012.…
Film
Film Review: The Seer
The SeerA Portrait of Wendell BerryLaura DunnTwo Birds FilmDirector Laura Dunn’s documentary portrait of the legendary environmentalist, writer, and farmer Wendell Berry owes as mu…
Film
Film Review: Paths of the Soul
Paths of the SoulZhang WangLETV PicturesChinese director Zhang Wang’s hypnotic film follows a small group of Tibetans as they make a months-long, physically grueling pilgrimage to …
Film
Film Review: The C Word
The C WordMeghan O’HaraZorro and Me FilmsThe “C word” is, of course, “cancer,” and Meghan O’Hara’s well-produced documentary offers a look at the ways that our unhealthy diets and …
Film
Film Review: He Named Me Malala
He Named Me MalalaDirected by Davis GuggenheimFox Searchlight PicturesThe terrifying plight of Malala Yousafzai, the teenaged Pakistani girl shot in the face by the Taliban in 2012…
Film
Film Review: Shelter
ShelterDirected by Paul BettanyScreen Media FilmsIn this gritty, nerve-wracking look at life on the streets of New York City, Anthony Mackie plays Tahir, a homeless African immigra…
