THUR 10/29: talks, Dance, Film, Rock

I can't believe we're on the cusp of Halloween already. It's not my favorite day of the year, but I know others get into it. I'll see about putting up some ideas later...

There are more items on the calendar, but I've decided to pare things down a bit, including a couple free movies at BU.

Not so cheap: Tonight's talk "World of the Dead: The Egyptian Afterlife" about the MFA's new exhibit is free with museum admission ($20); they're open until 9:45pm tonight, so you can go through the exhibit afterwards. The Phoenix praised it...

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THUR 10/29

6pm to 8pm
Gladys Monterroso, "The Day That Changed My Life Forever: A Guatemalan Torture Survivor Speaks Out on Violence, Impunity, and Immigration Reform"
at Room S020, Center for Govt & Intl Studies - South, 1730 Cambridge St, Cambridge (Harvard campus)
FREE

I read a Washington Post article about Gladys Monterroso, and I was amazed by a story you'd think only still happens in movies.

She is a law professor in Guatemala who is also married to the country's human rights ombudsman. Practically on the eve of her husband presenting his first damning on police abuses, she was kidnapped, beaten, and raped before being dumped in a park that night.

"Opportunity for questions and comments to follow presentation."

THUR 10/29

6pm, 7pm, 8pm
"Movement at the Mills"
at Mills Gallery, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St, Boston (South End)
FREE

Feat: Accumulation Dance, lizroncka/Real-Time Performance Project, Urbanity Dance

Three is the magic number as 3 dance groups will simultaneously perform 3 times (on the hour) on 3 stages/rooms.

I don't know how this wouldn't entertain anyone, at least for a little while. The idea is to walk around and check out the different groups, so the performers and audience are both moving.

THUR 10/29

6:30pm to 8pm
"Autism: Looking Beyond Cause and Cure": Discussion
at C. Walsh Theater, Suffolk University, 55 Temple St, Boston (Beacon Hill)
FREE

If you're interested to know more about autism, this panel should be enlightening:

Susan M. Wilczynski is Executive Director of the National Autism Center, Brenda Smith Myles is an author who has written books and articles on the subject, and Jim Brett is the current chair of the Governor's Commission on Developmental Disabilities.

THUR 10/29

7pm
"Color of Cannibals": Screening
at Enormous Room, 567 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
FREE

I remember talking to the director of this flick as I was watching a Davis-Sq-to-The-Cellar zombie march, and he seemed like your average low-budget-horror-auteur from the woods of Maine. It's supposedly the Cambridge debut of the 45-minute zombie movie.

I recall him filming that night, so all you zombies might be in the movie! It's no Ben Affleck production, but...

THUR 10/29

7:30pm
Beantown Boozehounds, Faulty Conscience, The Scrapes, Graverobbers From Outer Space, Steve the Farmer & the Murder Balladeers
at Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (Fenway)
$9.50 advance / $10 door / 21+

For the most part, it's a punk-rock line-up. The Boozehounds and Faulty Conscience are fine specimens of Boston punk. The Scrapes include the rhythm section from Gang Green, so think about that! "Graverobbers From Outer Space" got together to specifically do a Misfits tribute set tonight. Steve the Farmer & the Murder Balladeers kicking things off in a rootsy vein. (Would you expect something else from a group with that name?)

Of course there's a costume contest, so dress up. Halloween is just a couple days away.

THUR 10/29

8pm to 10pm
Stephen Dubner, "Super Freakonomics": Discussion
at First Parish Church, 3 Church St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$5 (tix available at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Mass Ave -- or by phone: 617-661-1515)

Dude. I won't try to convince you to read this stuff, but these guys come to some really interesting and plausible conclusions about all sorts of topics.

THUR 10/29

"The Name Of This Band Is The Talking Heads" (Midnight), "Robert Palmer Robert Palmer" (11pm), Preacher Roe / The Replacements (10pm), Heavens To Murgatroid / The Who (9pm)
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$9

Besides rock shows with costume contests, there are wall-to-wall tribute shows. I can't get too excited about these things anymore -- and I don't remember ever being very excited, but it's a fun idea for one-off shows any time of the year.

The Talking Heads, Robert Palmer, The Replacements, The Who... That would be a killer show! These bands have a lot of material to choose from each of the artists.

The "Talking Heads" are a collection of players from Mean Creek, Polarbaron, and Campaign For Real Time. (Don't ask me who from which...)

"Robert Palmer Robert Palmer" will be fronted by dualing Robert Palmers: John Powhida and the singer from The Upper Crust.

If there was a full-time Replacements tribute band, I'd consider listing all their gigs. Preacher Roe can do justice to the material.