SAT 12/12: Film, Santa Run, Rock

It's true I love Davis Square. If you or someone you know is into comic books et cetera, then think about Comicazicon & Bad*ss Christmas Bazaar at Dilboy Hall ($1 admission coupon).

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SAT 12/12

11am
"The Uninvited"
at Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
FREE

It's horror movie in a '40s film noir style based on a novel by Irish author Dorothy Macardle. There must be something to this film if it creeps out Martin Scorsese...

The Brattle basically offers a free monthly film appreciation course with their "Elements Of Cinema" series. I will definitely go to this, if I ever wake up early enough. Prof. Nadia Smith (History, BC) has written a biography of Macardle, so she'll attend to introduce the film and join in the discussion.

SAT 12/12

1pm
Annual Santa Speedo Run
Starts at Lir Irish Pub, 903 Boylston St, Boston (Back Bay)
FREE to watch

Hundreds of (mostly male) runners will do a little over a mile down Boylston and back up Newbury. It should be an amusing sight. I imagine most of the guys will be in good shape, but keep in mind that there'll be some shrinkage down there...

All of the runners have raised at least $250 for Crossroads for Kids. It's for a good cause, and the runners collect sponsors for a different charity every year. There's a post-run party at Lir -- probably with a charitable donation cover. I think it's been $20 in years past. (I won't think less of you, if you hang out at the Pour House.)

SAT 12/12

2pm & 8pm
"Tru Grace: Holiday Memoirs"
at Central Square Theater, 450 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10 * with Discount Code *

Adaptations of Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory" and Grace Paley's "The Loudest Voice".

Find discount code and showtimes (and more) here in the post below.

SAT 12/12

5:30pm
"Blue Butterfly!": A Tribute to Brother Blue
at Hall C, Science Center, 1 Oxford St., Cambridge (Harvard campus)
FREE

Sadly, Brother Blue is no longer with us in corporeal form, but he lives in many hearts and minds. Poets, storytellers, and musicians will celebrate the great man for an "evening of poems, storytelling, and folk music."

Why is the Dept of Sanskrit & Indian Studies sponsoring the event? I don't know.

SAT 12/12

9:30pm
MOTO, Get Laid, The Nymphets, Planned Communities
at Castlebar, 575 Washington St, Brighton (Oak Sq)
$8ish / 21+

MOTO -- or "Masters Of The Obvious" -- started rocking a la Ramones in New Orleans about 25 years ago, moved to Boston in 1987, then moved to Chicago in 1989. One of the guys has been living in Providence for a few months but he's moving again, so this could be the last local gig for a while...

It's going to be a damn good punk show all the way 'round. I'm not sure about the amount, but I'm guessing it'll be close to the last Friday night Castlebar live music cover charge.

SAT 12/12

9:30pm
Curtis Harvey, Glorytellers, Chris Brokaw & Geoff Farina, Tired Old Bones
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$10 / 21+

Interesting line-up of mostly gentle music. Curtis Harvey is known for "slowcore" stuff with Rex in the past, but his solo album is in a intricate folk vein.

With Glorytellers, ex-Karate man Geoff Farina's new band still gets a little jazzy with some folk tinges in the mellowness; sounds good to me. Farina has also recorded a CD with Chris Brokaw of pre-war country blues, so I'm guessing they'll do a set in that style.

I've enjoyed Tired Old Bones' organ-heavy rock, but their opening may not set the right mood...

SAT 12/12

9:30pm
The Cliks, Hunter Valentine, Mrs Danvers
at Middle East - Downstairs, 480 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10 / 18+

Maybe I'm just a sucker for uber-catchy melodies and genre-hopping rock, but my favorite band is the home-girls, Mrs Danvers. Although Brian Viglione of Dresden Dolls is playing drums for The Cliks, which has an exciting, guitar-heavy rock trio with some killer songs and an interesting backstory. The singer's vocals sound like a woman, and it's not that unusual since he used to be a woman... His fellow Toronto-ites Hunter Valentine are along for the rides with decent canuck-rock.

SAT 12/12

10:30pm
Barrence Whitfield & The Monkey Hips
at Plough & Stars, 912 Mass. Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$5ish / 21+

Barrence Whitfield should be more widely as the rock ' soul king of Boston. There are times when I get excited and exaggerate, but this man is amazing. With his mighty soulful singing, he should be in the pantheon of rock/r&b singers. He is something like a missing musical link that skipped from Little Richard directly to the Boston rock scene of the '80s. The Monkey Hips are a squad of rockin' dudes including a sax player.

(It's always free if you get there early enough... Start at 4pm with Josh Lederman & The CSARs, and stay all night!)