Compiled by Rebecca Sirull, News Staff
Entry of the Week: Tuesday, Feb. 25
If you think “Sharknado” should have won an Oscar or couldn’t get enough of Nicolas Cage in “The Wicker Man,” then the Brattle Theatre is hosting the perfect event for you. Trash Night is a monthly screening of so-bad-they’re-good films of all genres and all decades. Encouraging audiences to vocalize their outrage by yelling at the screen, the night is a celebration of the cinematic failures that have grown to become beloved sources of entertainment, though maybe not in the way they intended. In order to break up the cringe-worthy acting or outrageous plotline, Trash Night founders Matt Garber and Stephen Swift have edited in “commercial breaks” of shorter, vintage videos from a variety of sources. Come out to experience this month’s glorious disaster. 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.; 40 Brattle St.; $7; brattlefilm.org.
Thursday, Feb. 20
No matter how long you’ve lived here, there’s always something new and interesting to learn about a city as historic as Boston. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum will host its monthly Third Thursday, an open-house evening with activities related to February’s theme of “Becoming a Bostonian.” Listen to short talks about Gardner’s life in Boston, explore the art galleries, hear music from R&B group Neo Soul, try your hand in the studio by making a thaumatrope (traditional Victorian toy) and so much more. Come celebrate our city with a night as diverse as the citizens of Boston themselves. 5:30 – 9 p.m.; 280 Fenway; $5; gardnermuseum.org.
Friday, Feb. 21
You are getting very sleepy … or not. Come see hypnotist Frank Santos Jr. at the Wilbur Theatre as he amazes and entertains with a hilarious R-rated show. No one is safe as Santos calls upon members of the audience to come onstage and leave their dignity at their seats. Watch your friends perform ridiculous antics that will give you blackmail material to last the rest of the year. By the end of the night, even skeptics will be laughing and might even change their opinions about the powers of hypnotism. With this hypnotist, falling asleep will be the last thing on your mind. 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.; 246 Tremont St.; $25+; franksantosjr.com.
Saturday, Feb. 22
Many college students and recent graduates feel a sense of uncertainty about their futures and a fear of never finding a direction in life. Come see these thoughts acted out and set to catchy songs in Ethan Lipton’s musical “No Place to Go” presented by ArtsEmerson. The performance stars Lipton as himself, a recently unemployed playwright, expressing a mix of resentment towards his former company, confusion at the world and solidarity with his peers. Featuring jazz, blues, folk, country and lounge music, the show’s score, performed by Lipton and his orchestra, has won an OBIE Award, the highest honor in off-Broadway productions. Come enjoy the show and make light of the fact that none of us really know where our lives are going. 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; 559 Washington St.; $25+; artsemerson.org.
Sunday, Feb. 23
Pull out your best American flag printed garb and prepare for some serious USA chants. It’s time for The Great American Foundation’s 12th annual Great American Party. Head out to Ned Devine’s Irish Pub for viewing of the Daytona 500 NASCAR race, entertainment by country music band Dalton & the Sheriffs and an appearance by Boston Bruins legend Rene Rancourt. Guests are encouraged to wear NASCAR or USA themed outfits, with the possibility of winning the title of Miss NASCAR or Mustache Champion. Get ready for beer, trucker hats and cowboy boots aplenty. It doesn’t get much more American than that. 21+; 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; 1 North Market St.; $10; neddevinesboston.com.
Monday, Feb. 24
Gone are the days of simply walking into an art gallery and looking at bowls of fruit painted on canvas. The MIT museum’s “5000 Moving Parts” exhibit pushes the boundaries of conventional sculpture, showcasing pieces of kinetic art that involve either literal or figurative motion, and offer up countless different interpretations. Featuring artists Arthur Ganson, Anne Lilly, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, John Douglas Powers and Vassilakis Takis, the gallery includes sculptures that use sound waves, electromagnetic fields and even calls to action like “Please Empty Your Pockets” to induce motion, either from the viewer or the piece itself. Now get yourself in motion and head over there to check it out. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; 265 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge; $5; web.mit.edu/museum.
Wednesday, Feb. 26
Before “Silver Linings Playbook” was an award-winning blockbuster movie, it was a novel written by New York Times best-selling author Matthew Quick. Come hear him speak at the Boston Public Library as a part of their Author Talks series. He will talk about the creative process behind his novels and read an excerpt from his latest, “The Good Luck of Right Now,” a story about a man who has lived with his mother for 38 years until she suddenly dies, leaving him to begin discovering his independence a few years too late. Come pick up a signed copy of his book and hear more about what goes into creating a hit story. 6 – 7 p.m.; 700 Boylston St.; free; bpl.org/programs.
