Editorials
532 results
Page 34
Opera Philadelphia’s ‘Nabucco’ (3rd review)
Here come the Assyrians (and, worse, here come the supertitles)
Some operas are enhanced by supertitles. Others, like Verdi's Nabuuco, stand exposed as convoluted messes. Thank God for the mesmerizing distraction of Csilla Boross.
Editorials
4 minute read
How to make the news more exciting
Now for something completely different: Six news stories I’d like to see
When you read or watch the news, do you ever get the feeling that you already know what they’re going to say? Wouldn’t it be nice if, once in a while, a news story surprised you? Something like this”¦
Editorials
7 minute read
Woody Allen’s ‘Blue Jasmine’ (3rd review)
The world of the introvert: On taking Woody Allen seriously
Has Woody Allen’s worldview changed with Blue Jasmine? Not at all, I would argue. Woody Allen never had a worldview to begin with. This is one director who’s been hiding behind the camera much too long.
Editorials
8 minute read
God Almighty speaks, at last
An offer I couldn't refuse (from a columnist you can't argue with)
God Almighty has finally spoken, and boy, is he pissed— especially at two recent BSR contributors.
Editorials
5 minute read
In defense of football
Woody Allen's mantra, plus a few kind words for football
Today it's widely accepted that football at all levels is out of control. But with each passing year I'm struck by the critical role that the game played in my education.
Editorials
5 minute read
Eichmann and the future
Eichmann and radical evil: Where do we go from here?
Three thoughtful responses to my recent criticism of Adolf Eichmann's death sentence share a common characteristic: a failure to perceive that the future will inevitably differ from the past and the present.
Editorials
6 minute read
Grading New York Times columnists
The day of the pundit: My favorite Times columnists
Which New York Times op-ed columnists command my attention these days? My idiosyncratic ratings are based on a single criterion: How do I react when I see the columnist's byline? The envelope, please.
Editorials
5 minute read
When Jews cross themselves
You don't have to be Christian to make the Sign of the Cross
The Sign of the Cross is an effective Christian religious symbol as well as a dandy marketing tool. It also serves other ueful functions, as Mel Brooks and yours truly can attest.
Editorials
4 minute read
Sociopaths on stage: Bernard Madoff
The tragedy of Bernard Madoff? No, it doesn't work for me, either
Most of us can empathize with a tragic hero who falls from grace. But what can you feel about a swindler like Bernard Madoff, who's just plain manipulative from the get-go? And in that case, why write a play about him?
Editorials
6 minute read
The Eichmann verdict: Arendt's vs. mine
Hannah Arendt's verdict vs. mine: What Eichmann's judges should have said
The final paragraph of Hannah Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem— in which she suggests what the judges should have told a Nazi war criminal— is widely acclaimed as brilliant but always struck me as intellectually flimsy. So what should the judges have said? I thought you'd never ask.
Editorials
7 minute read