January 24, 2009 by David Baer
In the face of the mixed tones, hues, and points of view that show themselves in the ‘five books of Moses’, students of this material have often had recourse to complex theories of composition. Surely, the logic goes, such divergent perspectives require us to conjecture a broad mix of oral and literary traditions that by some mechanism became integrated into the document(s) that lie(s) before us.
It is a reasonable conjecture. In the nature of the case, scholars with their attention fixed on the minutiae of the data will sometimes take a good idea to a less than plausible extreme. Yet this does not discount the probability that complex layers of tradition have made their distinct and varied contributions to our Pentateuch, our Torah, our first five books of the Bible. Continue Reading »
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January 23, 2009 by David Baer
The chemistry between Franka Potente’s ‘Marie’ and Matt Damon’s ‘Jason Bourne’ sizzles on top the European scenery where it’s left to rest in this film adaptation of Robert Ludlum’s novel. The result is a splendid kickoff to a strong trilogy treating a CIA black op gone bad and, to boot, amnesiac.
My son got me into these flicks. Now there’s no getting out.
A great night’s entertainment here. And the fun has barely begun.
Posted in reseña | Tagged film, Franka Potente, Jason Bourne, Matt Damon, reseña | Leave a Comment »
January 21, 2009 by David Baer
This breathtaking classic of American film-making frames Francis Ford Coppola as one of the all-time great cinematic craftsmen.
Having inexplicablyl missed out on this piece of Americana at the time of its popularity, this reviewer bought the three-film set in time to finish it just after his fiftieth birthday. It was worth the wait.
This epic saga of a mob family that cannot escape the burden of honor no matter how hard it tries (or, at times, fails to try) does not glorify gangsters or their ways. To the contrary, we grow to pity Michael Corleone for the centuries-old Sicilian trap into which he has unwittingly fallen. Continue Reading »
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January 20, 2009 by David Baer
Positions of large responsibility rarely allow one to follow his feelings. Like Michael Corleone in the Godfather movies—though hopefully with more redemptive outcomes—stewardship over the lives and fate of others requires us to become reasonable men or reasonable women.
Elevated to improbably sovereignty over the famine-time life of Egypt, the biblical Joseph is in many ways a model of self-control. The wife of Potiphar, for examples, finds her charms useless to her attempts to seduce Joseph. His discernment of dreams and the courage to articulate their meaning to people whose lives will be enriched or cut short in consequence show Joseph to be a man who knows who he is, what truth is, and how to reconcile the competing demands of each. Continue Reading »
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January 19, 2009 by David Baer
Jesus’ parable of the sower stands out from similar stories transmitted to us in the four gospels. It is unusually allegorical. Elements of the story point to real-world referents in an almost one-for-one fashion that is extraordinary when compared to the body of Jesus’ signature teaching style.
There is tragedy in this tale of seeds, soil, and a sower. For multiple reasons, seed is wasted. The promise of life and harvest turns out to have been betrayed. Rocks, hard-packed earth, and thorns are for the most part the unattractive victors in this story of long odds. Continue Reading »
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January 18, 2009 by David Baer
The compilers of the mid-1980’s Sunday Times Music Collection had the good sense to corral representative works of jazz legends Erroll Garner, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, and Sonny Rollins on to this short-length CD.
All eight tracks shine, but the preternaturally talented Gillespie and the cool-plodding Monk take honors.
It is amazing to consider the down-and-out venues where music of this caliber was being made in this way at a time in American history when most of the artists recorded here were barred from the posh joints for reasons of color. Two days from the date of this short review, we inaugurate a Black president …
Cool.
Posted in reseña | Tagged Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Erroll Garner, jazz, music, reseña, Sonny Rollins, Sunday Times Music Collection, Thelonius Monk | Leave a Comment »
January 18, 2009 by David Baer
Joaquín Sabina, his band, and his audience shine on this 2001 double-CD live performance. The first disk is labeled acústico, the second eléctrico. Both display Sabina’s captivating stage presence and his knack for telling the story of regular people caught up by irregular forces like that of love itself. This balladesque touch puts one in mind of Juan Luís Guerra, a very different musician but a close cousin when it comes to musical narrative touched with glimmers of Latin America’s signature realismo fantástico.
‘Yo me bajo en Atocha’ is a stunningly beautiful tribute to the enigma that is Madrid. ‘Princesa’ is as bitter and biting as ‘Atocha’ is fluid with exquisite nostalgia. Continue Reading »
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January 17, 2009 by David Baer
The focus of the gospels on presenting Jesus within his real-world Palestinian millieu does not allow for a nuanced portrayal of the Pharisees. It is all too easy to fall into caricature.
Yet even when the proper interpretive precautions have been taken and caveats installed in all the right places, the Pharisee movement appears to have got some things quite wrong. At least when viewed from the perspective of Jesus and his chroniclers, a well-intentioned commitment to fostering holiness across the breadth of their ‘Israel’ had engendered some ugly myopia. Continue Reading »
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January 13, 2009 by David Baer
How great would it be if maturity could take its shape without us first walking the painful mile? Or if love did not insist upon the improvement of its object?
That would be the life! Or at the least it would seem to be so for a season before the mildewed scent of its mediocrity filled the room. Continue Reading »
Posted in textures | Tagged biblical reflection, Proverbs, textures | 1 Comment »
January 13, 2009 by David Baer
SJO as she is called was my home airport for many years, so this review of its single, well-hidden VIP lounge may be nudged from stark objectivity by a certain affection for the place.
In spite of the wide spectrum of airlines that now services Costa Rica’s capital city, none of the major North American airlines has a dedicated VIP lounge. You’ll need credentials with a Latin American airline, like Panama’s COPA, or a bolt-on agreement like Priority Pass, my favorite for international airport lounge access. Continue Reading »
Posted in two hippos make an island | Tagged air travel, airports, travel | 5 Comments »
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