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'Les Miserables': There but For the Grace...By Michael S. Goldberger, IBerkshires Film Critic
12:25PM / Thursday, January 03, 2013 | |
 Popcorn Column
by Michael S. Goldberger
Russell Cr Great literature, superb filmmaking and a thoroughly heart-rending immersion into one of civilization's greatest moral conundrums converge in director Tom Hooper's rendition of Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables." Starring Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, the heroic poor soul who went to jail for stealing a crust of life-sustaining bread, it is a tour de force. Great principals and a fine supporting cast tell a bittersweet tale, with an accent on the bitter, in a musical form that resonates with operatic force. With the pageant of history swirling, the 0 Comments
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'The Guilt Trip': Guilty With an ExplanationBy Michael S. Goldberger, iBerkshires Film Critic
11:40AM / Monday, December 31, 2012 | |
 Popcorn Column
by Michael S. Goldberger
Seth Rogan and Barbra Streisand participate in the mother-son comedy 'The Guilt Trip,' directed by Anne Fletcher. I hope the North Central Film Critic Accrediting Association, that august body whose legendary pomposity has long struck fear in many a reviewer's heart, doesn't get wind of this critique of Anne Fletcher's "The Guilt Trip." You see, I enjoyed the albeit schmaltzy ball of fluff, and they might deem me better suited to selling Hyundais on the highway. Don't get me wrong. This goodhearted farce starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen 4 Comments
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Cultural Pittsfield This Week: Dec. 28 - Jan. 3| 08:45AM / Friday, December 28, 2012 | |
 Friday-Wednesday: Last chance to see Myths and Magic: Festival of Trees 2012! If you haven't had a chance to get to this year's Festival of Trees, this week is your last chance. is a wondrous world of enchantment with all of the galleries transformed into a fantasy land inhabited by ethereal creatures of legend and lore. Friday-Saturday: Berkshire Childrens Theatre presents Pinkalicious Based on the popular children's book, the play is presented by a talented group of young performers. loves
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'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey': And a Long One, TooBy Michael S. Goldberger, iBerkshires Film Critic
11:05AM / Thursday, December 20, 2012 | |
 Popcorn Column
by Michael S. Goldberger
'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' follows the adventure of Bilbo Baggins (played by Martin Freeman). If you promised that, in some distant future, the Grim Reaper would delay his visit to me by two hours and forty-nine minutes, the running time of director Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," I might not feel so put out by its indulgent length. While splendid in several ways, the rewards narrowly outdistance its daunting duration. Point of disclosure: Never a big fan of alternate universe fiction, I much prefer my metaphors domestically 0 Comments
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'Hitchcock': A Psycho DramaBy Michael S. Goldberger, iBerkshires Film Critic
09:15AM / Monday, December 17, 2012 | |
 Popcorn Column
by Michael S. Goldberger
Anthony Hopkins performs the role of Alfred Hitchcock in director Sacha Gervasi's homage, 'Hitchcock.' I miss Alfred Hitchcock. The thought occurred with a nostalgic pang whilst viewing director Sacha Gervasi's solidly entertaining homage bearing the filmmaker's name. While Hollywood is flush with technically astute manipulators of suspense and scads of competent horror-meisters, Hitch's sheer and surprising inventiveness is lost to the ages. However, thanks to Anthony Hopkins's witty and dedicated emulation of the title genius, we have the consolation 0 Comments
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'Killing Them Softly': Hard to TakeBy Michael S. Goldberger, iBerkshires Film Critic
10:15AM / Thursday, December 06, 2012 | |
 Popcorn Column
by Michael S. Goldberger
Jackie Cogan, played by Brad Pitt, is the hitman extrordinaire in 'Killing Them Softly.' In Andrew Dominik's "Killing Them Softly," an unrelentingly violent meditation on the world of contract killers, French art house meets Quentin Tarantino with a delirious swirl of über naturalism. Almost every assassination is accompanied by the sound of shattering bone. Then the camera switches to the morgue, where an identification tag is tied to the victim's toe. Slow motion heightens the horror of the deed. But then, by now we're hip to the drill, 0 Comments
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Barrington Stage Founder Pegs Success on Youth, CommunityBy Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
07:13PM / Wednesday, December 05, 2012 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The key to Julianne Boyd's success with the award-winning Barrington Stage Company sounds simple: Get people in the doors.
It's how she got people in the doors that's made the theater company not only a magnet for up-and-coming playwrights and seasoned actors but an integral part of the Berkshire community.
"The idea of bringing in the youth, with the parents, is a really strong idea that's really stayed with us all 18 years," said stage company's artistic director and co-founder. "It's really important to get families together and make it a family event."
Her efforts in developing youth programs
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'Life of Pi': The Young Man and the SeaBy Michael S. Goldberger, iBerkshires Film Critic
11:25AM / Thursday, November 29, 2012 | |
 Popcorn Column
by Michael S. Goldberger
Pi Patel, played by 18-year-old Suraj Sharma, retells his spiritual adventure across the Pacific Ocean. Director Ang Lee's "Life of Pi," adapted by screenwriter David Magee from Yann Martel's fantastical novel, is engaging and fascinating. However, if you've already been through your Hermann Hesse period and have a gift for glibly dismissing that which no longer resonates, "been there, done that" may apply to this foray into Eastern philosophy. Granted, this is big, expansive, colorful and technically accomplished filmmaking. And yet, though one 0 Comments
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Festive Theme Set For Final First Fridays Artswalk of 2012| 12:28PM / Monday, November 26, 2012 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The upcoming First Fridays Artswalk ends the first year of art shows, openings and events in downtown galleries, shops and restaurants with a festive holiday night out on Friday, Dec. 7, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Over 50 local artists will be featured in locations from the Ferrin Gallery to the Berkshire Museum, including — for the first time — Pittsfield City Hall. Free maps and guides will be available throughout downtown as well as at the First Fridays Artswalk website. "First Fridays Artwalk has been a tremendous addition to Pittsfield's lively new Upstreet Cultural District this year," said Mayor Daniel M. 0 Comments
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Williamstown Actor Bringing Van Gogh to Barrington StageBy Stephen Dravis, Williamstown Correspondent
10:30AM / Sunday, November 25, 2012 | |
 WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The first production of Starry Night Theater Company is a one-man show but not a one-man operation.
Williamstown actor James Briggs, who founded Starry Night, will bring "Vincent," based on the life and words of Vincent van Gogh, to Barrington Stage Company's St. Germain Stage in Pittsfield next month.
Briggs is excited to see his fledgling production company get off the ground and thrilled to have an old friend at the helm of the debut performance.
"The director, who I'm really excited about, is named Brant Pope," Briggs said recently during an interview in his Spring Street office. "He was the head of the (Florida State University) Asolo 0 Comments
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