It’s hard to believe that “Sin Nombre” is director Cary Fukunaga’s first feature, as he has created a haunting, serious film about immigration that is both beautifully shot and frighteningly accurate.
    “Sin Nombre” — as much about escaping one’s identity as it is about escaping one’s country — needs a fresh-faced young director to take on its strong themes, burdened as they are with real-time discussions about immigration. Mr. Fukunaga’s take far surpasses this year’s earlier disaster of an immigration movie, “Crossing Over,” starring Harrison Ford.
    And that’s probably where Mr. Fukunaga made his first smart move: casting relatively unknown Hispanic actors and filming completely in Spanish. The story is so real we can taste it, along with the dust and grime that rolls off the tracks of the train traveling through Mexico to “El Norte” — the United States — with hundreds of immigrants clinging to its back. 

Originally penned by Ian Fleming, the creator of Bond, James Bond, it’s no wonder that the best part of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is its foreign spies.
One tall and thin (Dirk Lumbard), one short and round (Scott Cote), these two Eastern European undercover men from the made-up country of “Vulgaria” keep Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from descending into the too-precious conceit of precocious children and flying cars with adult cracks and humorous capers. Read more.

The Philadelphia Orchestra has a reputation for being rather cold-hearted toward maestros with whom they are not impressed, but under the rather limpid baton of conductor André Previn, they were receptive, and if not extraordinarily exciting, certainly amiable. That’s not to detract from the great Mr. Previn’s extensive legacy on the podium — as a composer, pianist and maestro, he has helmed numerous prestigious musical posts. But turning 80 years old today, he is a less dynamic presence onstage than in years previous — still impressive, just less formidable.
Under his direction, the orchestra played a dignified program of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 and Strauss’ Symphonia domestica this weekend, taking cues from Mr. Previn’s refined conducting and performing graciously, if not vigorously. Read more.

At this time one year ago, the only testament to Eastern State Penitentiary’s original Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue was a room filled with the detritus of fallen plaster, flanked by the rotting benches used by a religious community long gone.
Abandoned when the rest of the historic prison closed in 1971, the synagogue sat untouched for years, and, situated as it was between several taller structures, the area behind Cellblock 7 received years’ worth of rainwater runoff, advancing the state of decay slowly creeping across the entire penitentiary.
When Andrew Fearon, lead conservator for Milner + Carr Conservation company was contracted to survey the synagogue in 2005, rain was dripping through the broken skylights, further contributing to the mess inside.
But just one year after Milner + Carr’s extensive restoration project, overseen by Sally Elk, executive director of Eastern State, and Cindy Wanerman, president of the board of trustees of the penitentiary, the synagogue has been restored to its original glory, with a combination of restoration and re-creation work. Read more.

Diminutive in size but extravagant in their rich detail and careful execution, portrait miniatures are under the magnifying glass at this year’s Philadelphia Antiques Show, running April 18 to 21 at Pier One in The Navy Yard.
“Patriots and Presidents: Philadelphia Portrait Miniatures, 1660 - 1860,” a collection of small-scale portraits, chronicles more than a century of antique personal momentos, showcasing 75 portrait miniatures from collections across the region. Read more.