The Determined Dilettante

Well that is pretty much what I said in my review!...

2013-05-10T13:24:44.960-04:00

Well that is pretty much what I said in my review!

Unfortunately it is mediocre play, too ambitious f...

2013-05-10T12:49:40.949-04:00

Unfortunately it is mediocre play, too ambitious for presenting some historical facts while others are twisted and inaccurate. The historical drama without real drama, chit chat, too often boring and, most likely incomprehensible for younger generation. Good acting but too long and cuts should be absolutely necessary

Scott C. Embler’s production of “7th Monarch,” pla...

2013-02-09T13:33:42.843-05:00

Scott C. Embler’s production of “7th Monarch,” playing at the Acorn Theater, is directed with skill and capably acted by a smart if not always ideally cast ensemble. But while the story is absorbing, this odd mystery by Jim Henry has a whiff of stale psychodrama that overloads on sorrowful revelations with inadequate foreshadowing. retail supplies

Nice review, Elisabeth. I'm going to see this ...

2013-01-22T13:58:49.233-05:00

Nice review, Elisabeth. I'm going to see this play!

Nice article, thanks for the information.

2012-11-15T11:56:57.170-05:00

Nice article, thanks for the information.

I think we all know by now that you don't need...

2012-10-08T11:46:37.366-04:00

I think we all know by now that you don't need to read a book to blurb it!

Ellroy's a great writer. He's also a grea...

2012-10-08T02:05:19.283-04:00

Ellroy's a great writer. He's also a great bullshit artist. Such as saying he never reads others' work. These days, it's near impossible to peruse a crime novel rack without seeing Ellroy's blurbs on the backs of other novels. John Burdett's "Bangkok 8" for example. Or the new book by Marcia Clark.

As for only writing about the past, it's easier in one other important way: Dead people can't sue you.

What you write is interesting, because I actually ...

2012-09-19T13:39:43.395-04:00

What you write is interesting, because I actually admire the show. My point was that some reviewers tried to find shreds of positivity in a show that has none -- because contrary to what you write in the comment, audiences do want to hang on to a sliver of hope. They do not want this utter bleakness! So saying there's a light at the end of Sarah Kane's tunnel is misleading.

I really like your reviews in the NY Post. I neve...

2012-09-18T14:17:22.929-04:00

I really like your reviews in the NY Post. I never saw BLASTED. I attended a talk by the director of Blasted Sarah Benson, last night and she spoke often about that production. I was curious. She mentioned that Lincoln center had a tape of it. From what I could tell about Sarah Benson, she seems to have lots of integrity and passion and is very smart. I found her very likable and I admire her ethics. That said, after reading what you wrote about Blasted, I am so very glad not to have seen it. I won't be traipsing up to Lincoln Center to see for my very own self what the fuss was about. I hardly like "Waiting For Godot. It is so funny to me how people will praise something that makes them want to throw up. I think sometimes audiences think it is good for themselves to be revolted and made to feel just awful. As if it is some kind of purification or testament to their ability to withstand such horror. I am so grateful to you for saying the Emperor has no clothes and has been making people eat excrement as well.

Just read the full review, that was ridiculous. I ...

2012-09-13T14:53:01.437-04:00

Just read the full review, that was ridiculous. I loved the article.

-Solomon Berkovitch

Cool site! Looking forward to checking it out more...

2012-09-03T10:47:22.891-04:00

Cool site! Looking forward to checking it out more!

I didn't know that one. Thanks for the tip!

2012-08-29T15:38:35.583-04:00

I didn't know that one. Thanks for the tip!

Thanks for the article, Loved your comment about h...

2012-08-21T23:37:15.457-04:00

Thanks for the article, Loved your comment about his forte being "decadent strings that suggested vaguely illicit pleasures and veiled menace." But you didn't mention, what for me is his most debauched/glorious/decadent moment, Ann Sorel's L'Amour À Plusieurs, is just sheer brilliance. Another absolute gem he was involved with was the single ophelia which featured an incredible young singer called Edwige, who was, and still is in possession of a voice that can break the even the stoniest of hearts.

Just finishing Hitchins' book and found your p...

2012-08-17T08:41:43.802-04:00

Just finishing Hitchins' book and found your post by searching for the French slogan. I lost my faith a couple years ago, but I have to say that implying that Christians are incapable of reason makes it hard on those of us who still maintain friends from our past. I was a sincere, thoughtful Christian because of my upbringing, and reason led me into more and more dedicated Christianity, then out the other side. It's hard enough getting them to trust those of us who lack faith and religion, so I urge you to be more diligent with the things you say. Reason is good and it does work.

Good day! Would you mind if I share your blog with...

2012-06-19T15:57:26.551-04:00

Good day! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Many thanks

The Silverman Manifesto (2012) By Silverman Every...

2012-05-23T23:23:16.672-04:00

The Silverman Manifesto (2012)

By Silverman Everyman

Enough of this self loathing and self hating! Enough of Jews
themselves denigrating themselves in public shows
of comedy or books! Enough of dysfunctional families
and ghetto Jews from the past! We are now living in 2012
and we are no longer dysfunctional people nor do we live
in dysfunctional families anymore and Jewish mother jokes
and Jewish Princess jokes and distasteful Joan Rivers' Anne
Frank jokes should be thrown out the window. The Bronx and Brooklyn
ghettoes are things of the past. Wake up, fellow Jews and cast
off your self loathing and self hatred with these terrible jokes
about dysfunctional mothers and weak fathers and antisemitic tropes
that are sometimes even worse than Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice
schtick! Wake up, people!

We are a normal people now, successful, middle-class, no longer in the
New York City ghettoes where much of the old sick humor came from.
Sure, in the 1930s, those jokes had a purpose. Sure, in the 1950s,
after the war, maybe some of those jokes still had a purpose. But now,
in 2012, they have no purpose! Those jokes should be retired and you
know exactly what jokes I am talking about!

We don't live in dysfunctional families anymore and we have success
stories all around, in an entirely new and loving way. It's time for Jews
in America to wake up and smell the new air of happiness and life.
It's time to stop the self loathing and self hating Catskills and Borscht
Belt jokes of the 1950s and celebrate the joyful reality of 2012.
Stand up and create
a new kind of warm, life enhancing and positive humor that goes beyond
the old stereotypes of yore. Rise up and rejoice, O Jews of America,
you have nothing to lose but your long-suffering neuroses. We are no longer a
neurotic people. Stop the Jewish mother jokes, stop the JAP jokes, stop
the sick Anne Frank jokes (and books!), stop the dysfunctional family jokes,
stop the victimization. We are no longer victims. We have made it. Wake up
and celebrate success, joy, happiness, normalness.

Enough already. We are normal. We have arrived. Leave the past alone. Where
it belongs. Stop the Jews are cheap jokes; some of the most philanthropic
people on Earth are American Jews: they build hospitals, museums, fund
scientific research, professorships,
educational initiatives. Focus on the good and the positive; leave the
past where it belongs: in the past!

Wake up and smell the sunshine. We don't all live in the Bronx or
Brooklyn anymore, or Queens
or Beverly Hills. American Jews must evolve. Be nice, all ye who are
comedians and humor
writers. Respect yourselves. Respect what we have become now in 2012.
Stop the old, out-dated
stereotypes. We can write a new chapter in American Jewish history in
the creative arts
of comedy and film and literature and it does not have to be Portnoy's
Complaint anymore.
Nor does it have to be Old Jews Telling Jokes off-Broadway anymore.
Mirror the present,
stop mirroring the dysfunctional ghetto past. Get past the past!
Embrace the now!

i agree, the website rocks, the show exhausts...an...

2012-05-22T01:06:10.699-04:00

i agree, the website rocks, the show exhausts...and does not work.....and ....Most of the jokes are funny and LOL humorous. But some of the jokes
are part of Jewish selfhatred and stereotyping even by Jews themselves
and these off-color selfhating jokes should be, IMHO, taken out of the
other funny play. These bad jokes are mostly New York City Jewish
selfloathing jokes and do not speak to Jews or non-Jews in the rest of
the world. Be careful what you put out there, the Neo Nazis are
watching and posting on their sites. Example - Another one: “Why don’t
Jewish mothers drink? They don’t want to dull the pain.” Many will
recognize these jokes (the drink joke sometimes ends with the inferior
“Alcohol interferes with their suffering”), NOT ALL JEWISH MOTHERS
SUFFER LIKE THE OLD STEREOTYPE AND THIS IS MERELY NYC HUMOR. GET RID
OF THAT JOKE. it's anti woman and antisemitic in fact. Jewish mothers
are wonderful and the suffering stereotype is from LONG AGo. not now.
and this joke -- The section “Business and Money” includes some shtick
about an ill-advised marketing campaign featuring Jesus on the cross
with the slogan, “They used Levenson’s nails.” And “Assimilation”
features an excellent gag in which two Jews pass a Roman Catholic
church advertising to pay converts $50. One man goes in and when he
exits after 20 minutes, his friend asks if he got his money. “Is that
all you people think about?” he responds. THIS IS ALSO SELF LOATHING
AND ANTISEMITIC. why put it in the show?

Very interesting review, thanks for posting. It w...

2011-12-28T13:38:24.503-05:00

Very interesting review, thanks for posting. It was extremely informative.

I agree with Ajlounyinjurylaw.

2011-12-16T19:32:18.166-05:00

I agree with Ajlounyinjurylaw.

His baritone is crystalline surprising power and d...

2011-11-30T01:40:33.146-05:00

His baritone is crystalline surprising power and depth, but it is his casual yet commanding charisma that sets it apart.

Thanks for the review.

2011-11-30T00:43:59.622-05:00

Thanks for the review.

I'm on the fence on this one. It could bring o...

2011-11-22T08:54:04.682-05:00

I'm on the fence on this one. It could bring out the worst in him in terms of stupid violence. I thought that The Departed, his remake of Infernal Affairs, was vastly inferior to the original.

Scorsese to adapt Nesbo's The Snowman ... good...

2011-11-22T00:01:23.410-05:00

Scorsese to adapt Nesbo's The Snowman ... good, meh? (Also, Chuck Eddy lives in Austin now, just met him at his reading yesterday.)

Whoa, gotta check it out! I'm reading a non-Wa...

2011-11-06T20:09:01.673-05:00

Whoa, gotta check it out! I'm reading a non-Wallander Mankell right now, The Man from Beijing.

off topic: Arnaldur Indridason wrote a non-Erlendu...

2011-11-06T14:49:36.848-05:00

off topic: Arnaldur Indridason wrote a non-Erlendur.