HomeFront: Billie Holiday, Beethoven, and Bad Bunny, plus art to comfort and calm
By Marie Morris Globe Correspondent,Updated February 25, 2021, 6:35 p.m.
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Andra Day stars in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Takashi Seida/Hulu
Welcome back to HomeFront, where the moon is almost full, the snow is melting a little, and next week is March, can you believe it? Now that Iâve all but guaranteed a freak blizzard, here are some suggestions for cocooning entertainment.
FILM: The âelectrifyingâ Andra Day deserves better than
âThe United States vs. Billie Holiday,â an âearnestly scatteredâ effort that earns 2½ stars from Globe film critic Ty Burr. Day delivers âa marvel of dramatic and vocal technique as well as a full-on possession,â he writes. â[Y]ou canât take your eyes off Holiday, who in Dayâs performance is a diva and a lost soul, the nationâs conscience and her own worst enemy.â
HomeFront: Thrillers, mysteries, âPixar Popcorn,â and lots of takeout
By Marie Morris Globe Correspondent,Updated January 21, 2021, 4:35 p.m.
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Adarsh Gourav and Priyanka Chopra Jonas in âThe White Tiger.â âSingh Tejinder/Netflix
Welcome back to HomeFront, where weâre feeling lighthearted and well rested despite having engaged in a nonzero amount of day drinking this week. We needed a change, which the universe delivered in a shower of time-honored traditions and breathtaking fireworks. And by that of course I mean the ascension of meme king Bernie Sanders, whose social-media presence shattered the boundaries of time and space, and pandemic overachiever Amanda Gorman, who just since the first lockdowns has graduated from Harvard and written a poem people will be talking about for many, many years.
HOMEFRONT
HomeFront: Albums and books of the year, Pixar with âSoul,â gifts to order now for immediate delivery
By Marie Morris Globe Correspondent,Updated December 23, 2020, 8:36 p.m.
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âFolkloreâ and âEvermoreâ landed Taylor Swift on the Globe s list of the top pop albums of the year.Beth Garrabrant/Universal Music Group
Welcome once again to HomeFront, where prehistoric solstice rituals are currently resonating more than any tradition cooked up since living indoors and spying on the neighbors became a thing. Weâve been studying the night sky, admiring the way we look by candlelight, and clinging to every extra minute of daylight. Winter and the longest year we can remember are both rounding the turn and heading into the homestretch, and not a moment too soon.
Six bright spots in dance this year
Though live performing is virtually at a standstill, dance hasnât stopped moving in 2020.
By Karen Campbell and Jeffrey Gantz Globe Correspondent,Updated December 18, 2020, 10:01 a.m.
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Addie Tapp and Patrick Yocum in Jerome Robbins s Glass Pieces. Liza Voll/Boston Ballet
As with all the arts, the dance world has been devastated by the pandemic. The art form is fueled by the kinetic energy of bodies in motion, an energy that soars over the footlights to engage an audience with an impact not just artistic, but visceral. The loss of that communal experience between performer and audience has been reverberating painfully for months, and has come with dire economic losses, closures, and cancellations.
HomeFront: Best of the Arts 2020 and more
By Marie Morris Globe Correspondent,Updated December 18, 2020, 10:32 a.m.
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The year s highlights include Don t Let Me Be Misunderstood, a Nina Simone-inspired mural in the South End.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
Welcome back to HomeFront, where weâre shoveling snow, counting down to the winter solstice on Monday, and hanging on every word of the news about vaccines â or, as we like to think of them, get-out-of-jail-free cards magically crammed into little glass vials. The year that warped time is finally winding down, and that means looking back at an unprecedented 12 months. Weâve missed out on a lot of communal activities in 2020 (youâre up, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Yearâs), but one thing even a pandemic canât take away is the bonding experience of arguing over arts and entertainment criticsâ year-end lists.