Steven Erickson writes that a corrupt media lies at the core of Iranian director #MohammadRasoulof's film "The Seed of the Sacred Fig", a powerful condemnation of his country's politics, particularly their treatment of women. artsfuse.org/300232/

Michael Ullman admires Ohad Talmor’s wide-ranging curiosity. Not only because of the detective work he put into the #OrnetteColeman/#LeeKonitz recordings, but because of his album's uniquely varied presentations of these mostly unknown pieces. artsfuse.org/300321/

Nicole Veneto had a blast with #FrankieFreako. Filled with B-movie puppet antics, the film is a joyous throwback to when you could walk into a video store and rent one of a dozen "Gremlins" rip-offs. artsfuse.org/300359/

Roberta Silman on two novels by Maine author Shannon Bowring (Europa Editions ). This is a wonderfully wise and compassionate writer, exquisitely alert to the varieties of human experience that exist at the end of the 20th century. artsfuse.org/300439/

Not all of conductor Nathalie Stutzmann's ideas about Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony add up, writes @jonblumhofer, but there is not much to argue with in Semyon Bychkov's take on Dvorak’s Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Symphonies. artsfuse.org/300406/

Trevor Fairbrother writes that the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston's show "Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore" builds a case for two artists that many are inclined to think of as “unlikely bedfellows.” Brava! artsfuse.org/300418

Daniel Lazare argues that, in tracing the tortuous path that established historians took in trying to get to the bottom of WWI, Perry Anderson doesn’t acknowledge leftwing observers who knew perfectly well what was going on at the time. Verso Books artsfuse.org/299926/

For Helen Miller, Beaux Mendes’ work piques the same interest in us as our information-hunger. But, set loose from any hope of a grounded truth, it leads to endless searching. At NYC's Miguel Abreu Gallery through November 9. artsfuse.org/300370/

Neil Giordano offers his thoughts on this year's The GlobeDocs festival. The event celebrated its 10th anniversary, screening a wide-ranging sample of the year’s most anticipated documentaries. artsfuse.org/300489/

Paul Robicheau writes that Saturday’s finale of a two-night Roadrunner stand, The Dresden Dolls' first Boston shows since 2017, raged as a celebration of camaraderie and catharsis. artsfuse.org/300542/

Just weeks apart, writes @JasonMRubin, two different groups -- The David Cross Band and Beat -- have made their way to Boston. Without #RobertFripp but with his blessing, their shows focused on a specific era of #kingcrimson’s existence. artsfuse.org/300534/

For Peter Keough, memory – elusive and essential, tormenting and inescapable – serves as a theme for several of the documentaries in this year’s Boston Jewish Film Festival. artsfuse.org/300589/

This week’s poem: Ukrainian poet Serhiy Zhadan’s “What was supposed to happen” artsfuse.org/300635/weekly-…

"The Old Country" (ECM Records) is a wonderful addition to the discography, writes Steve Feeney. There are no stale leftovers here — this album adds a whole new course to the pianist’s extraordinary banquet. artsfuse.org/300682/

Trevor Fairbrother on "Manet: A Model Family". It is a great gift that Gardner Museum has put together such a strong and lively exhibition, presented exclusively in Boston, devoted to Manet. artsfuse.org/300702/visual-…

"The Old Country" (ECM Records) is a wonderful addition to the #KeithJarrett discography, writes Steve Feeney. There are no stale leftovers here — this album adds a whole new course to the pianist’s extraordinary banquet. artsfuse.org/300682/jazz-al…

Christopher Caggiano writes that director Jamie Lloyd’s loud and brash Broadway revival of the #AndrewLloydWebber musical "Sunset Boulevard" is all sound and fury, signifying nothing. artsfuse.org/300731/theater…

Debra Cash writes that choreographer Heather Stewart’s use of stage space in little house dance's "Noisefloor", while not “immersive” by the standard art world definition, is inventive and meaningful. With Palaver Strings. artsfuse.org/300773/

This stage adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic horror novel earns its keep, writes David Greenham. The production at the MRT is provocative, well acted, and completely engaging. artsfuse.org/300881/

David Daniel on "The Absinthe Forger" (Melville House) -- For the absinthe-curious, wondering about those who spend their lives fanning the Green Fairy’s original “spirit,” Evan Rail's enjoyable book will provide a mildly hallucinogenic sip. artsfuse.org/300849/