rated R

It’s apt that “Shutter Island,” a pulpy thriller directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, opens on a ferry, where DiCaprio is battling a raging bout of seasickness. He’s trembling, unsteady on his feet, and his Boston accent sounds as unsettled and tenuous as the contents of his stomach. That accent doesn’t get any better, but eventually Scorsese takes command and delivers a thriller that, though imperfect, is luridly fun.

Omega Cinema Productions, 1982

Elaine’s business venture as the new owner of "Honeymoon Island" goes awry as soon as the three couples venture onto the resort. In no time at all, bodies begin to pile up, but the county’s bumbling sheriff spends his days eating, smoking cigars and adamantly refusing to investigate the goings on.

Corn and soybean crops were harvested in record-breaking amounts last year, but what will farmers plant in 2010? The March Agricultural Survey, conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, answers this question, giving local farmers an idea of what they'll pay for grain this year.

best-selling author and Seacoast resident Joe Hill unveils new book in Portsmouth

Joe Hill traveled through a fierce snowstorm to find a patient crowd of several dozen fans, many of them wearing plastic, light-up devil horns to celebrate the launch of "Horns." Hill described his new novel as a supernatural thriller. “It’s also a really, really filthy book,” he warned the crowd at RiverRun.

This week, school vacation brings art classes in Newfields and free admission to the Currier Museum in Manchester. Looking ahead: this summer's public art project in Rochester will take inspiration from the state's eponymous granite. 

New Hampshire could see new jobs and renewable energy initiatives this summer, if a newly proposed amendment to a Senate bill is approved. But some think it gives an unfair advantage to large utilities over small business. Debate heats up at the public hearing on March 4.

Harpist James Montgomery still loves to play. He talks with The Wire about jamming with legends, hanging with Kid Rock, and bringing Boston greats with him to Rochester.

By the time he was in his 20s, James Montgomery had already set the course for the Boston rock scene of the 1970s and achieved far more as a musician than most harmonica players do in their entire careers. Since then, he's gone on to really make a name for himself.

Local musicians get together and gear up for Morrissey cover show, one in a series highlighting their favorite influences

An active musician in a variety of contexts, Tim Fife has led several tribute shows to different artists over the last year, and their upcoming Morrissey show is part of a fun trend for fans. Local rocker Tim McCoy and his various outfits have been known to play sets of The Who, The Guts and The Lanterns have performed blocks of songs by The Ramones, and The Funky Flunkies even played Michael Jackson’s entire “Thriller” album at The Barley Pub in November.

rated R

Tales of civilized people struggling to reconcile themselves with their beastlier impulses have been prowling the tree-line of rational thought since, well, the dawn of rational thought. This week, the ritual carries on with “The Wolfman,” directed by Lucas/Spielberg protégé Joe Johnston.

Cohen, 1982

Even the afterlife must get dull for Japanese samurai ghosts after almost 150 years, but that’s no reason for three spirits to act like they’re stuck in some sort of unbearable committee meeting.

by Andre Dubus III
W.W. Norton & Company, 1999, 365 pages

In “House of Sand and Fog,” the central characters all have reasonable goals and desires, but they all confront problems that are largely beyond their control.