I am a secular Jew who can’t but welcome Zealot‘s conclusion that Christianity pulled a role reversal on Jesus, and made this failed revolutionary Jew into someone who eschewed his people and its traditions in favor of Roman power.
Review
Theater Review: “Valentine Trilogy” Has a Lot of Passion but Could Use More Smarts
So what’s a hero to do but throw punches and kicks in the name of love and forgiveness?
CD Review: Julia Holter’s “Loud City Song” — Stark Urban Beauty
The third and latest LP from indie singer-songwriter and composer Julia Holter proffers a vision of urban ecstasy.
Fuse Theater Review: Barrington Stage Company Serves up a Lavish “Much Ado”
From the first clearly projected lines to the last, it’s obvious that director Julianne Boyd set out to direct a production of Much Ado where language rules supreme.
Jazz CD Reviews: John Scofield’s “Überjam Deux” and Dave Holland’s “Prism”
Dave Holland’s Prism tells stories, several of which are very effective. Scofield’s, like his earlier Überjam releases, extends the jam-band esthetic into jazz without completely giving in to it. And neither of them would be as they are without the great looming shadow of Miles Davis.
Film Review: “Blue Jasmine” — Woody Allen’s Evocative Triumph
What carries Blue Jasmine over the moon is the breathtaking, Oscar-worthy performance of Cate Blanchett, whose tortured Park Avenue socialite on the skids is among the most stunning performances by an actress in years.
Film Review: “Lovelace” — A Provocatively Written, Well-Acted Biopic
Amanda Seyfried gives a sensitive performance as Linda Lovelace; Peter Sarsgaard is chilling as Chuck Traynor, the abusive husband who saw her as sex-object and potential money-making machine.
Film Review: “Elysium” — The Sound and Fury of CGI Signifying … Not Much
Overall, Elysium is an entertaining distraction posing as a meaningful global allegory.
Film Review: “Le Pont du Nord” — An Entertaining Exercise in Playful Dis-Ease
This entertaining and provocative work, made in 1981 by the now 85-year-old director, fits into his oeuvre as a complement to his best known movie among American art-film fans, 1974’s Céline and Julie Go Boating.
Theater Review: “Laughing Stock” Redux
The current revival of Laughing Stock, directed again by the playwright, has softer edges than I remember in the earlier one, played with fluidity rather than crackle.