Remember that Harry Potter thing everyone was so crazy over?
There were a bunch of books, or something? Then some movies? Well, you
had better remember, because it is not going away. This week, Boston has
more than one Potter-based celebration. The Harvard Museum of Natural
History has an exhibit, and wizard rock band Harry and the Potters are
playing a free concert in Harvard Square. These events are either to
celebrate the two-week anniversary of the last movie. Or the four-year
anniversary of the last book. Or Harry's birthday, which is this week,
as well.
But
If you don't like Harry Potter, or if like things that are not Harry
Potter, you still have options -- all of which are happening inside,
because no one is making you go anywhere near direct sunlight after the
fiery hell that engulfed Boston last week.
EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
[woof] Escape from Puppy Death Factory
This
new game from Adult Swim is the hottest thing since Robot Unicorn
Attack pranced onto the scene in all its rainbowy, fiery majesty. It
came out last week, but is the perfect waste of time to consume your
attention for months to come.
MONDAY 7.25
[science] Boston Skeptics at the Pub @ Tommy Doyle's 7pm
The
Boston Skeptics like talking about science, but they also like
drinking, which is why they have bi-weekly events dedicated to both
drunken revelry and intelligent discourse (sometimes simultaneously) at
Tommy Doyle's. This week, Boston Skeptics member Jonathan McDowell pays
tribute to NASA and the space shuttles.
TUESDAY 7.26
[theatre] Fringe Wars @ BCA Plaza Theatre 7:30pm
Small
theatre companies go head-to-head in this theatrical brawl to prove
who's the best in Boston local fringe theatre. Each is represented by a
writer and actors, who will preform short plays of their own
construction. The audience and a panel of judges will decide who is
victorious.
WEDNESDAY 7.27
[harry potter] Hogwarts at the Museum @ Harvard Museum of Natural History 5pm
Thought
the nail was finally hammered into the Pottermania coffin last weekend?
Think again. This weekend, the Potterverse lives on with the help of
the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Read about the natural events and
legends that inspired the potions, spells and creatures of J.K.
Rowling's epic tomes.
[to be or not tobe] All's Well that Ends Well: Shakespeare on the Common 8pm
International
stalker/starry-eyed lover Helena pursues Bertram across Europe with
obsessive passion. But will she be successful? Knowing Shakespeare, no,
and Bert won't be sketched out by it in the least. Watch it all unfold
in the Bard's classic comedy, performed, for your pleasure, on the
grassy knoll of Boston Common! This yarn of sweet yet creepy love is
spun several nights a week from now till mid-August.
THURSDAY 7.28
[movies!] Roxbury International Film Festival till Jul 31
The
RIFF, now in its 13th year, is a film festival that celebrates
diversity and people of color. There will be workshops, discussions and
obviously screenings. The lineup
features a selection of shorts and features, both fiction and
documentary, covering race, sports, marriage, war, music and more.
FRIDAY 7.29
[creepy crawlies] Bug, presented by Flat Earth Theatre @ The Factory Theatre 8pm
What do you get when you trap a paranoid waitress and a paranoid veteran in a motel room that might be invested with insects? Bug,
a play by Tracy Letts, explores just that, and its horror theatre at
its best. The Flat Earth Theatre presents this story of love and fear,
and the infectious quality of paranoia. It runs this weekend and next.
[battle of the wands] Harry and the Potters feat. Draco and the Malfoys @ Harvard Square 7pm
No,
we weren't kidding about Pottermania being death-resistant. This
weekend, Wizard Rock bands Harry and the Potters and Draco and the
Malfoys are are coming back home (the bands are from Norwood, MA, and
Woonsocket, RI, respectively) to play a set in Hogwarts--er, Harvard
Square. The concert is free and open-air, open to witches and wizards of
all ages.
[we don't need roads] Back to the Future @ Boston Harbor Hotel 8pm
Marty
McFly's got problems temporal and oedipal. He's stuck in the 1950s with
a younger version of the mad scientist who got him there, and has no
idea how to get back to the mondo modern 80s. The Boston Harbor Hotel is
screening this time travel classic for free on Friday, but if you don't
catch it this weekend, you can always harness lightening into the
flux-capacitor you've strapped to your DeLorean.
[mellltinggggg] Street Trash @ Coolidge Corner 11:59pm Fri + Sat
But if you like your 80s science fiction movies with more exploding organs and melting homeless people, then perhaps Street Trash,
part of Coolidge Corner Theatre's @fter Midnight series, is a better
flick to pick. Screenwriter Roy Frumkes wrote the script for this
gorefest "to democratically offend every group on the planet" and it
worked, along the way achieving cult status among the boys and girls of
America who are into stories about a man who sells poisonous,
bowel-exploding wine to the homeless population of Lower Manhattan.
[royale with cheese] Pulp Fiction @ Somerville Theatre 11:59 Fri + Sat
Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece (and first in what was to be a long series of theatrical tributes to Uma Thurman's feet)
screens at midnight this weekend, as well. In this cult classic, John
Travolta regrets going to the bathroom every time he goes to the
bathroom, Samuel Jackson is a complete badass, and there's a big to-do
over a very dirty watch.
SATURDAY 7.30
[swap n' sip] Vitaminwater Clothing Swap 12pm
Swap.com
is a website that facilitates clothing swaps, and the Swapaholics are
the website liasons who organize swap events. There's one in Boston this
week, and it will include a guest appearance by Jessica Quirk, author
of What I Wore. Sponsored
and hosted by the new Vitaminwater Uncapped lounge on Brookline Ave,
this week's clothing swap event is $10 and a bag of clothes for entry,
swap privileges, author meet-and-greet, and free samples of Pinkberry
and Vitaminwater.
SUNDAY 7.31
[garbo laughs] Ninotchka @ Somerville Theatre 11am
Before
she went into seclusion, Greta Garbo was in this classic comedy about
the French, the Soviets, and jewelry. The poster for this film is kind of creepy, but the movie itself -- one of Garbo's last works, and her only comedy -- is some old-timey gold.
[PIE] The Pie Experiment @ the Middle East 3pm
There are few things in this world more amazing than a slice of pie,
but one of those things might be a room that is full of many slices of
pie. The Pie Experiment is part of a larger national cook-off, but this
local event is about pie in its many incarnations- from quiche to meat
pie, from apple to pecan. This event at the Middle East Downstairs will
feature local pastry chefs going head to head for primacy in the art of
pie.
For more events, check out our geekified listings portal. If you've got any geek-related events you'd like us to post, contact us! Follow us on Twitter @LaserOrgy! Follow our RSS feed! Tell your friends!
Latest Slideshows
