Sunday, February 27, 2011

Life as I know it

I realized after looking at some of my postings that many of you may think that there is more than one person writing this blog.  Let's face it, how can one person write about Point Break, Lucite Grapes, and Sho-Nuff: the Shogun of Harlem, and then translate the Didache from Greek and delight in a biography of Jonathan Edwards (I don't think Jonathan Edwards would have enjoyed "Weekend at Bernies").
Do I struggle with split personalities?  Possibly.  Am I a complicated man? Absolutely.
This blog is about life as I know it.  And life is full of ambiguity and complexity.
I was raised in a trailer park, but I love impressionist and expressionist art (especially Van Gogh).  I love Ratt and Motley Crue, but I also love to translate Greek and Hebrew (often at the same time). 
Life is never simple, and there is always more than meets the eye.
So let's revel in our weirdness.  And if you enjoy George Jones and Alic Cooper, you are in good company!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Jonathan Edwards

I've been reading a wonderful biography of Jonathan Edwards by George Marsden, and I wanted to recommend this if you're looking for some nice rainy day reading.  Marsden is one of the world's leading Edwards scholars, but his writing is surprisingly readable.  The portrait Marsden paints is not heavy handed in any way.  He doesn't seek to malign or glorify Edwards; instead, he offers a balanced account of his struggles to follow God and lead in a time of change.
Marsden won awards for an in-depth study (which means long), but he wrote a short biography for those looking to get a glimpse at this great theologian's life.  It's only 150 pages or so and immensely readable.  If you interested in the Great Awakening, US history, or the relationship of religion and politics, you'll be rewarded by reading this biography.
It's also inspired me to read "The Religious Affections", a book I've been meaning to read for a decade or so.  I'll be collecting my thoughts about this work on the blog as well.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Freaky Friday- Ninja 3: the Domination

Back from a hiatus with a spectacular Freaky Friday offering--The 1984 Golan-Globus martial arts/horror spectacular.  First, let's start with the title.  You might expect there would be a Ninja 1 and 2 living somewhere in the ether, but you'd be wrong.  Israeli cousins Golan and Globus bought the Cannon Group and started churning out action flicks.  They picked up on the martial arts craze of the 80's and made "Enter the Ninja" (an utterly forgettable film) followed closely by "Revenge of the Ninja" (the best Ninja film of the 80's--seriously watch it!).  When they decided to make "the Domination" it was the 3rd in the series so they called it Ninja 3.  Not very inspiring, but hey it was the 80's.

This film is truly amazing--a time capsule of all that was great (and awful) about the mid 80's.  If you're homesick for the cheese of the 80's (and who isn't?) then you're in luck.
The plot is actually cool.  A Japanese assassin, or Ninja, has been tracked down and shot a gazillion times but manages to escape just long enough to put his soul into an unsuspecting telephone repair woman/aerobics instructor (sounds awesome...I know).  His soul uses this attractive vessel to avenge his death.  Enter Yamada (Sho Kosugi- master of all martial arts) who must exorcise the spirit and do some Kung Fu on his imortal soul.  It's Kung Fu meets the Exorcist and it's TOTALLY AWESOME!
Sorry this movie is no longer in print, but you can see it on Video on Demand on Amazon.  Check it out...you won't be disappointed.  Well, actually you might be disappointed, but it's only a movie.