ARTS HEADLINES
MOVIES
In ‘Monster,’ on Netflix: when matters of innocence and guilt get complicated
This adaptation of the Walter Dean Myers young adult novel, starring Kelvin Harrison Jr. as a 17-year-old boy accused of being accessory to a murder, is solid, well-acted, and thought-provoking.
What’s happening in the arts world
This week's picks from Globe critics.
MOVIE
In ‘Wrath of Man,’ Jason Statham works for an armored car company. Now there’s trouble.
It's a propulsive but wearily routine revenge thriller directed by Guy Ritchie with none of the Ritchie hallmarks (wit, surprises, oddball supporting characters played by slumming name stars).
BOOK REVIEW
Mining the magical and marvelous in ‘The Rock Eaters’
The 16 stories in “The Rock Eaters,” Dominican American author Brenda Peynado’s debut collection of fiction, traffic in science fiction, fantasy, fabulism, or the surreal, even as they retain an edge of cutting satire or searing insight.
BOOK REVIEW
Joan Silber explores family secrets in new novel-in-stories
“Secrets of Happiness” is told in seven first-person stories narrated by characters whose lives intersect in surprising and enriching ways.
BIBLIOPHILES
Alison Bechdel on reading biographies and self-help books
In her new memoir, “The Secret to Superhuman Strength,” writer and graphic artist Alison Bechdel delves into her long-time obsession with fitness crazes, an often-comic self-examination that leads from spin classes eventually, somehow, to Eastern philosophy.
BOOK REVIEW
In Chris Bohjalian’s latest, accusations of witchcraft
In Boston in 1622, it was safest to fit in. To buck the strictures of the Puritan elders was to court death in this life and possibly damnation in the next, as the young woman at the center of “Hour of the Witch” comes to know.
NEW ENGLAND LITERARY NEWS
From the mind of a cat; the return of the Mass. Poetry Festival; a look at some upcoming titles
News of a bookish bent from all over the region.
MORE ARTS HEADLINES
STORY BEHIND THE BOOK
How the séance gave voice to real, live Victorian women
Author Emily Midorikawa remembers six 19th-century women whose clairvoyance brought celebrity and influence.
BOOKINGS
Virtual author readings for May 9-15
All events take place online; visit the venue website for more information.
Local bestsellers for the week ending May 2
Based on reporting from the independent booksellers of the New England Independent Booksellers Association and IndieBound. For an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound.org.
OMNIPOP
Miranda Lambert and Ashley Monroe are two Pistol Annies whose aim is true
Their new albums are stylistic opposites, but each defies country radio airplay expectations while showcasing the artists' songwriting bona fides.
TELEVISION
Playing defense: ‘Law & Order’ creator Dick Wolf switches focus
It’s notable that the multitasking maestro of the “Law & Order” franchise of scripted crime procedurals is creating a show about the defense side of the courtroom.
A.Z. MADONNA
For mother-daughter violinists, Boston Pops concert is a pandemic high note
An online Mother's Day program features Ala and Maria Jojatu performing Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins.
Dionne Warwick knows the way to San Jose, and she’s quite familiar with Twitter, too
A conversation with the hit-maker, now 80, about "Bridgerton," Burt Bacharach, and finding a new audience on social media.
FILM FESTIVALS
See the complete lineups for the 2021 Provincetown and Nantucket film festivals
In-person events are making a comeback this summer. Here’s what else to expect.