“I guess this is the end/ I’ll have to learn/ To be somebody else,” Mitski Miyawaki sings mournfully in “I Guess,” the penultimate track on her latest album “Laurel Hell.” The album, which was  released Feb. 4, is speculated by many fans to be the final gift of...

“You think your life is hard? I’m a high school junior wearing size 13 Nikes. Men’s size 13 Nikes. Beat that,” says Jodi, the protagonist of Netflix’s “Tall Girl.” Jodi’s predicament is not uncommon. Struggling with body image is extremely familiar to most...

Hollywood newcomer Alana Haim is the saving grace of acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson’s much-anticipated “Licorice Pizza,” which premiered in theatres Dec. 25. As Hollywood braces itself for the Academy Awards in March, Haim will be the talent that takes “Licorice...

In 2018, just two years shy of the real-life pandemic, Ling Ma published her debut novel “Severance,” which follows cynical protagonist Candace Chen on her survival journey after a fictitious disease called Shen Fever sweeps the globe. Spoilers ahead. Shen Fever has eerie...

The third and final act of Marvel Studios’ web-slinging superhero series, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the picture of Marvel at its best.  Fresh off Disney and Sony Pictures’ custody battle over the character in 2019, Spider-Man swung back into theaters Dec. 17 with...

Content warning: Discussion of suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. “Spencer” is a fraught 1990s family Christmas film, a love story of maternal devotion, a ghost story set in haunted houses and a prisoner of war drama all before it is a biopic of the late “people’s...

“A Christmas Story: The Musical” is an earnest and fanciful adaptation of the 1983 film of the same name that's sure to put anyone, even a college student in the midst of finals, into the holiday spirit. The national tour of the show, with music by the same songwriting team...

Boston Ballet’s newest production of “The Nutcracker,” which runs at the Citizens Bank Opera House until Dec. 26, is an enormous feat of skill that brings new light to the holiday classic. The 1892 ballet tells the story of Clara, a young girl gifted a nutcracker by...

It’s December, which means that the weather is getting worse, grocery stores are playing Michael Bublé on a never-ending loop and a fresh onslaught of formulaic Christmas-themed romantic comedies is incoming. Netflix’s latest edition to the vault, “Love Hard,” tells...

“Antlers” is director Scott Cooper’s first foray into horror — backed by monster mastermind Guillermo del Toro — combining the real-world horror of the opioid epidemic and familial abuse with a flesh-eating creature feature.  Both Cooper and del Toro’s influences...

Ridley Scott’s newest film “The Last Duel” is a medieval epic tackling issues that remain extremely important today. The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Eric Jager. A true story, it takes place during the Hundred Years’ War in medieval France, focusing...

“Practical Magic” reminds us of the ancient and powerful magic of sisterhood, healing, love and ‘90s pop anthems. There’s nothing like a witchy cult classic to get a viewer into the fall spirit.  The film, which was released in 1998 and adapted from the 1995 novel...