Film festival to open Maine eyes to cultures and arts of Africa

PORTLAND — Portland Ovations presents “Porgy and Bess” at 8 p.m. Friday at Merrill Auditorium. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the opera, written by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose and Dorothy Heyward. The score includes such classics as “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” “I Got Plenty of Nuttin’ ” and […]

The trick for any starlet making the transition from teen queen to adult roles is finding just enough edge. Miley Cyrus does that with “The Last Song,” a film built around a rebellious but still family-friendly teen dealing with love and loss in vintage Sparks fashion. Nicholas Sparks wrote the book and script, about a […]

Marionettes (and string pullers) bring classic tales to the stage

NEW ON DVD AND BLU-RAY “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” starring Jason Lee and David Cross. CGI rodents apply their moderately ingratiating falsettos to a variety of familiar radio hits in between engaging in agreeable hijinks related to school, the devious antics of their ex-agent Ian (Cross, who provides a good number of laughs […]

Fast, fresh pizza just the right size at Pie in the Sky

‘Prophet’ shows violence in gory, inglorious light

Piano pounder pours energy into his songs