Sunday, January 27, 2013

A Sunday Review

TV this week (I'm working on catching up with Young Justice, finally):

  • Young Justice: "Misplaced" - Ah, world without grownups! I despise Klarion, but I still find him oddly funny. Billy Batson was a kick in this one, as well. The Zatanna bit was appropriately heartbreaking, as well.
  • Young Justice: "Coldhearted" - Wally has the perfect birthday. I liked this episode for the tiny bits of Aquaman I got to see, as well as for it being a decent Kid Flash story.
  • Young Justice: "Image" - Miss Martian's secret is revealed. Whoa, some of the stuff in the comics suddenly makes much more sense now. I almost wish I hadn't read the comics until I'd caught up with the show, but at least I get it now.



This week's movie was New In Town from 2009, starring Renee Zellweger as a Miami executive who heads to Minnesota to restructure a failing factory, only to find more than she was looking for. This movie was utterly predictable, totally silly and really really fun. If you want deep thought and critical thinking, don't see this one. If you want some serious weather humor mixed with a bit of predictable romance, this is for you. I enjoyed it from the point of view of a popcorn movie. Light and fluffy, not too much substance. Zellweger puts in a great performance and is surrounded by a strong cast. If the plot wasn't so simple, it would have been an excellent movie. As it is, it's fun.



No comics this week. I actually caught up and am waiting for the next shipment!



Fortean Times #282
Fortean Times #282 (January 2012). An unusual cover, but very cool. The cover story about Don the Talking Dog doesn't disappoint, either. The ability of animals to mimick sounds they hear a lot is nothing really unusual, but Don's accomplishments certainly stand out.

Strangedays is strangely standard. The 2011 Ig Nobel Awards are featured, always amusing. There's a good bit in the Science section about physicists who may have broken the speed of light with neutrinos, and rather than trumpet the result they published and asked for help finding any possible mistakes. That's science!

Ghostwatch is about a case of timeslip, one that has some possible explanations now, but at the time it was reported seemed genuinely spooky. Archaeology has bits on a bluestone being knocked down, ancient cave art and changes in when scientists believe the Americas were first populated. Alien Zoo has a cheetah with no markings and a Janus (two-faced) cat that managed to make it to 12 years old. Blasts from the Past is about early printed reports of Sasquatch and how they differ from modern reports.

There's a very strange article about frogs on bicycles. No, really... it's just very strange. There's also an article about "alien big cats", which refers to the appearance of panthers, lions or other big felines in Great Britain where they don't have such creatures natively. Another article covers odd things in lakes and waterways in Denmark.

The Forum has an article on the cult of Steve Jobs. Random Dictionary is about earth mysteries. Good reviews, some books I almost put on my list but I wasn't quite interested enough in the subject matter. Good letters, including a nice theory of why cats purr. Another solid issue.



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