WED 11/4: Film, Play, Stars, Rock, TV

Hey, Bostonians! When I encouraged you to vote, I didn't mean that guy...

Yes, there are free things happening at colleges that are open to any shmuck that wants to show up.

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WED 11/4

7pm
"Sin Nombre": Screening and Q&A
at Room 100, Bldg 26, 60 Vassar St, Cambridge (MIT Campus)
FREE

I recall reading positive and less-positive reviews when this film was released earlier this year. Whatever else you may take away, Central Americans really do ride on the top of trains to America. Director Cary Fukunaga did his homework, and he'll be present for the post-film Q&A.

WED 11/4

7pm
"My First Sony"
at Fong Auditorium, Boylston Hall, Cambridge (Harvard Yard)
FREE

In this one-man play, a middle child tells the story of his dysfunctional Israeli family. He happened to record much of it on his toy recorder. Apparently Roy Horovitz has performed this played based on an Israeli novel (excerpt).

(In English)

WED 11/4

7:30pm
Astronomy Open Night
at Coit Observatory, 725 Comm Ave, Boston (BU campus)
FREE

I think it's supposed to be clear tonight, you could stand on the roof of a BU building and look at the stars. When I went to my high school's observatory, it seemed like it was always cold. (Maybe I didn't show up when the weather was nice...) Maybe it'll be better than your sweltering apartment? Here is some of the straight dope:

Astronomy Open Night at the Observatory is a chance for people to come observe the night sky through telescopes as well as binoculars and to see things they might not otherwise get to see, all while learning some astronomy.

To find out if the Open Night will be held, call 617-353-2630 no earlier than two hours before the scheduled starting time.

Take one of the elevators to the 5th floor; the stairwell to the Observatory is located next to room 520. There is no handicap accessibility.

This happens most Wednesdays especially when school is in session.

WED 11/4

Attack the City (11pm), Action Verbs (10pm), The Hollow Sound (9pm)
at Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (Fenway)
$6 / 21+

Whenever I throw the term "pop/rock", I forget about bands like Attack the City who are aiming for popularity with polished recording and yelping-emo vocals on a fancy MySpace page (I put the PureVolume link above).

There's nothing wrong with being popular -- that's a desire of all musicians at some point in their endeavors. I just don't hear a lot of these bands on a local level. Take a listen, and you might like it. I prefer the other two bands who play first.

Action Verbs and The Hollow Sound each offer a pleasing, poppy-yet-looser indie-rock vibe. It's a CD release party for Action Verbs, and they've got a good promotion where the first 50 people that buy a drink will get the 4-song EP called "Meeting People on the Internet".

WED 11/4

9:30pm
okCaptain, The Volunteers, The Summer Villains
at PA's Lounge, 345 Somerville Ave, Somerville (Union Sq)
$7 -- 21+ / $10 -- 18+

Maybe I ripped on the band above, because I feel a kinship to okCaptain. They remind me of a band that used to be in that started as an acoustic trio who found a rhythm section to make straightforward yet progressive song-oriented rock. (The singer might be trying to hard like my singer, but this guy does a pretty good Jeff Buckley imitation.)

I really like The Volunteers. I heard them at the beginning of the year, and "FckMyGhst" is definitely going on my Top 10 songs of the year. They're smart and nimble and rock out in all sorts of rockish & funky ways that makes it hard to pigeonhole them. All of the songs share a sardonic wit and brash attitude when they rock.

Summer Villains do a fine Americana-rockin' job.

Note: If you're feeling generous, you could make a donation to help The Volunteers with a huge van repair bill. Watch the video for "FckMyGhst" while you think about it.


WED 11/4 (thru SUN 11/8)

9:30pm
"The Twilight Zone": TV on Big Screen
at Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$7 minimum donation

It's four episodes of old-time television, but these shows were better than most movies. The new movie about the "red button" with Cameron Diaz? It was a Twilight Zone episode (albeit the '80s version). The point is Rod Serling was freaking people out on a weekly basis with wild twists in stories that often had a philosophical/intellectual angle.

And that was 50 years ago -- take that "Lost" and so on!

The Brattle will present four different episodes for four nights (also 11/5, 11/6, and 11/8). Tonight:

"Where Is Everybody" (man walks around an abandoned town -- or is it?)
"The Invaders" (old woman encounters 2 spacemen in her cabin)
"Walking Distance" (man walks to his hometown, but different than he thinks)
"The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street" (mob paranoia spreads in a neighborhood)