76 newyork| february1–14, 2021
MOVIES
1.SeeFrenchExit
FrancesunravelsinFrance.
InselecttheatersFebruary12.
MichellePfeiffersetsrestaurantdécoronfire
whenshedeemstheserviceinadequate,sneaksa
cat(whomay ormay notbethereincarnationof
herlatehusband)ontoa cruiseship,andis alto-
getherdelightfulasManhattansocialiteFrances
Price. Whenshelearnsthewealthshe’s enjoyedfor
mostofherlifehasrunout,Franceshaulsoff to
Pariswithherson(LucasHedges)intowforwhat
amountstoanoddballcomedywithanunderlying
darkstreak. alisonwillmore
POPMUSIC
(^) Listen to Medicine
at Midnight
The new classic rock.
RCA, February 5.
After more than 25 years of mixing thespeedof
punk rock with the precision of metal andachiev-
ing an accessible hybrid brand of hard,fast rock
and roll, the Foo Fighters start a new chapterwith
the looser, funkier sound of Medicine atMidnight,
the band’s tenth album, where gospel-choirvocals
mingle with crunchy riffs, and the onlypredictable
aspects are Dave Grohl’s full-throatedshoutand
how hard Taylor Hawkins hits the drums.
craigjenkins
TV
(^) Wat ch Super BowlLV
The Big Game, now with social distancing.
CBS, February 7.
It’s the 55th Super Bowl but the firsttobeheld
during a full-blown pandemic, which meansyou’ll
probably be watching the game and theWeeknd’s
halftimeperformancewhileeatingchipsandguac
byyourself. jenchaney
BOOKS
4.ReadNoOneIs
TalkingAboutThis
A glory.
Riverhead,February 16.
Anextremelyonlinewomanmeditatesonthe
dreadandhystericsoftheinternet—untila decid-
edlyofflinefamilycrisispullsherawayfromit.
Fromoneofourmost distinctivevoicesaboutlife
livedonline,PatriciaLockwood’slatestreadslike
scrollingthroughbursts offine-tunedhilarity,lyri-
cism,andgrief. A staggeringlyoriginalandmov-
ingdebutnovel. jasminevojdani
CLASSICALMUSIC
(^) Hear BSO NOW
“The Spirit of Beethoven” program.
bso.org, February 11 at noon.
As the prospect of a return to concert lifeappears
as a dot on a hazy horizon, the BostonSymphony
Orchestra has started tiptoeing back intoitshall,
with pared-down ensembles of maskedmusicians
spread out on the stage, playing to the camerasand
the world. Even with those restrictions,though,
the programs can be ambitious. ConductorAndris
Nelsons launches a three-concert festivalpairing
Beethoven works with new ones, startingwith
Hannah Kendall’s Disillusioned Dreamer.
justindavidson
MOVIES
(^) See The Human Factor
“From the POV of the American negotiators.”
In select theaters.
The history of Israeli-Palestinian peacenegotia-
tions has been put on film many times,butDror
Moreh’s gripping doc brings a refreshing perspec-
tive, focusing on the extent to which the specific
personalities involved (often along with their
rather fragile egos) affected the course of negotia-
tions—which constantly changed direction as
various leaders changed—as well as their ulti-
mate failure. bilge ebiri
TV
(^) Wat ch Clarice
Because apparently the lambs haven’t
stopped screaming.
CBS, February 11.
The Silence of the Lambs gives us its second TV
spinoffinthisdeepdiveintothepersonal life of
FBI agent Clarice Starling, a role made most
famous by Jodie Foster and played in this series by
Rebecca Breeds (Pretty Little Liars, The Origi-
nals). If your hunch is that Clarice is wrestling
some demons, you may be onto something. j.c.
ART
(^) See Jack Pierson
New works made in quarantine in Ridgewood.
Kerry Schuss Gallery, 73 Leonard Street,
through February 13.
It’s wonderful that one of Tribeca’s best galleries
is also one of its oldest and most congenial. Here,
Jack Pierson both returns to his assemblage aes-
thetic of the 1990s and spreads his wings in cap-
tivating wall works that have the presence of
magic carpets and love letters and a fantastic ease
and material intelligence. Then chat with gallerist
Schuss himself. jerrysaltz
THEATER
(^) See Theatre@Home
Winter Festival
Everything auld is new again.
irishrep.org, through February 21.
Many of the theaters that moved virtualmoun-
tains to mount productions online in 2020 are
now ready to burst into 2021 with ...thesame
work they made in 2020. Return “engagements”
of last year’s digital seasons are poppingupevery-
where, and New York’s own Irish RepertoryThe-
atre cranked out nine screen worksin2020,
including a hypnotic Zoom-adapted MollySwee-
ney and the musical Meet Me in St. Louiswiththe
divine Melissa Errico and Max Von Essen.Now
they throw a winter rerun festival of allnine,a bit
o’ luck for those who missed them thefirsttime.
helenshaw
MOVIES
(^) See Demonlover
A high-gloss thriller.
In virtual cinemas February 12.
Newly restored and breathtakingly prescient,Oliv-
ier Assayas’s 2002 techno-thriller presentsa ruth-
less world of corporate espionage andmurderous
ambition in which executives from differentcon-
glomerates battle for the rights to highlycoveted
pornography. All the backstabbings andbetrayals
carried out by a cast that includes ConnieNielsen,
Gina Gershon, and Chloë Sevigny maybebrutal,
but what’s really haunting is the dead lookinevery-
one’s eyes, these characters entirely desensitizedto
even the most incendiary spectacles. a.w.
FEBRUARY3– 17
To
TheCU PAGES
For more culture
coverage and
streaming
recommendations
see vulture.com.
Twenty-five
things to see,
hear, watch,
and read.
PHOTOGRAPHS: MARK TAYLOR/NBC (YOUNG ROCK); LOU SCAMBLE/SONY PICTURES CLASSICS (FRENCH EXIT); NETFLIX (BEHIND HER EYES); COURTESY OF HBO (JOHN OLIVER); KATIE YU/NETFLIX © 2021 (TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER)