A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Red Dwarf: "Back To Earth part 3" - Way too meta. Meta beyond meta. This is The Mind Robber. It's nice to know that I exist. Um... I think the ending makes up for the rest, but I'm going to have to think about it longer to be sure.
• Heroes: "1961" - So she had a sister. Depressing episode, and no Hiro. Lots of flashbacks, which is only to be expected with a title like "1961". The pace was a bit too slow and that made the depressing aspects worse. Not the best episode.
• Primeval: "Episode 16" - Helen is a piece of work, isn't she? And... how is this one NOT a season finale? It sure feels like one. And once again we get the cute monsters, which I prefer to the future creatures. I'll note that this episode was up against Doctor Who, which was insane scheduling. Didn't anyone realize they'd have exactly the same audience? And now there's speculation that the show isn't long for the world.
• Food Detectives: "Nightcaps?" - I used to drink warm milk when I couldn't sleep, I never thought it worked, but it was something I could do. Looks like the tea is a good option if you want better sleep. Perhaps I should give it a try. The blood-spotted eggs weren't appetizing, but it's nice to know they are safe. I knew about sugar already, because of the weight loss I've done. The raw foods segment seemed sort of wishy-washy with no real conclusion.
• Heroes: "I Am Sylar" - A bit of Hiro and Ando, but not nearly enough. I think all the current plotlines were touched in this episode. That made it a bit crowded.
• Ghost Hunters: "Crossing Over" - Wait, Ghost Hunters is calling in Ghost Hunters International? Funny. I like Jay and Grant's exit after the briefing. As for the evidence, it wasn't that impressive, but I'm sure the TAPS folks will love hanging out at a haunted inn.
• Dinner Impossible: "Casino Craziness" - No salt, no sugar? And they change the rules on him? The house always wins, but this one is crazy. And, due to the sheer size of the place, Robert is sweating more than he ever has in a challenge. I wanted to try that VIP soup.
• Smallville: "Stiletto" - A bit of a romp with some dark edges, mostly concerning Chloe. It's ok.
• Primeval: "Episode 17" - And we're temporarily caught up with the show, as the crew deals with the aftermath of that non-season-finale season finale in the last episode. Throw in a complication in love life to the grief and confusion, and add a dash of evil civil servant, and we've got a good one. Helen got the wrong person, methinks.

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Here are reviews of the DCBS comic book shipment that arrived this week, of books originally released Apr 8th and 15th:

• Noble Causes #40 - Final Issue. Well, the final issue of this particular run. I live in hope that there will be more. Especially after that ending.
• Green Lantern Corps #35 - At ECCC Patrick Gleason asked me what he could do to make me like this book. So I paid extra attention to the artwork this time. My conclusion? The art isn't the problem. It's just that I don't really like cosmic type adventures, and this book is one big cosmic soap opera. Ok, the son of Daxam plot isn't bad. And I like Soranik although I don't like what is being done to her now. But the whole red/yellow/green lantern battles? Not my thing. The story is well-told, both through the art and words, it's just not a story I'm very interested in. (If I were to be goofy, I'd say the book needs more Aquaman, but according to the previews, that's what I'm going to get so I wish I'd never thought it.)
• Green Lantern #39 - Orange and Blue, Blue and Green, Green and Orange. I'm still waiting to see the Indigo lanterns.
• Northlanders #16 - !!!
• Captain Britain and MI 13 #12 - Vampires bore me. Even Marvel Atlantean Vampires. Ok, that's a neat twist, but still. I just want the vampires to go away so we can have an interesting story.
• Sub-Mariner Comics 70th Anniversary Special - I've never found Sub-Mariner to be quite as compelling as Aquaman, which is slightly odd as Namor has a more interesting history and is older by a couple of years, but he just didn't catch my imagination like Aquaman. Possibly because he looks different, whereas Aquaman could be a normal person walking among us. I don't know. But my childhood imagination took to Aquaman, not Namor. Still, I like Namor, and I like seeing his history, so I couldn't resist a reprint of his first tale. This collection has three stories, all set early in Namor's career, but all very different. The reprint of Namor's first tale is nicely done, and a good addition to any collection.
• Supergirl #5 - It's part of a mini-series, but I'm not sure I want to forgive all the references to the previous issues. That's mostly because I just don't like this series much, not due to its actual quality.
• Super Friends #14 - Second page squee! Aquaman is in the UN representing Atlantis! SQUEE! And Topo! Double-Squee! More Topo action, please! (squee!)
• Tiny Titans #15 - After the Aqua-Ohs in the last issue, this one was bound to be a slight disappointment. Aqualad wasn't even at Pet Club! Oh well, it's still a very fun book.
• Wonderful Wizard of Oz #5 - The wolves and the bees! It's nice to see the whole story told for once, even if it's a little... vicious. And the emphasis on the fact that the monkeys can be only called three times made me happy as well. Flying Monkeys aren't evil!
• DMZ #41 - Wow, are we up to issue 41 already? This is something of a standalone that looks as Zee and what she's up to now that Matty is out of her life. Nobody's got it easy in the DMZ, but a healer like Zee has it worse than most.
• Northlanders #16 - Ok, maybe that wasn't enough. I'm just not sure how to react to this one. A bit confused, and yet... it makes perfect sense.

I've learned that I will be getting five of the Free Comic Book Day comics from DCBS. This is probably a good thing, as it has been difficult to get through the stack of all the comics in recent years and I know I never got around to even writing my one-liner reviews for most of them. I'm not sure when I'll get them, I presume it won't be in the next shipment, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

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This week's movie was Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End. Yeah, it was only a matter of time before we finally sat down to watch this one. I have to say, my first reaction, before even seeing the movie, was that it was WAY too long. It clocks in at 167 minutes, which is about 40 minutes more than I want to spend watching pirates in one sitting. Still, despite that, it wasn't a bad movie. Too many plot threads, too much arcane knowledge to keep track of from previous movies, but mostly internally consistent. A few good fights, of course, and I'm sure it looked marvelous on the big screen. The first movie was definitely the best, and this one doesn't come close I'm afraid. And this is one movie that you have to watch until the credits end. Right, verdict? It was ok, nothing special.

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My library book this week was Powers by Ursula K Le Guin. This is the third book in the Annuals of the Western Shore series, and takes place before and at roughly the same time as the second book, Voices. The main character, Gavir, was captured as a toddler and became a slave. He's never known any other life, and is loyal to his masters. But he's being trained as a teacher to the Masters' children and knowledge brings disturbing discontent. I think this is the best one yet, although all three books in the series have made me think hard on different issues. Gavir's journeys, literally and figurative, make for good, thoughtful reading. I confess, I want more of this series. I want more of Orrec, Gry, Memer and Gavir.

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Agatha Christie this week was Murder in the Mews, a collection of four stories first published in 1937:

• Murder in the Mews - A suicide on Guy Fawkes night doesn't seem quite right. I got this one shortly before the reveal, but not enough before for me to say I actually solved a Poirot mystery.
• The Incredible Theft - Dangerous papers are stolen, possibly by a spy, and Poirot is called in. I didn't even come close to solving this one. I had the whole thing figured out, but was utterly wrong.
• Dead Man's Mirror - Poirot is summoned to a house only to find the man who summoned him has committed suicide. And no, I didn't figure this one out, either. I should have, all the clues were there. They fairly jumped out at me once the reveal was made. It's even a method Christie has used before.
• Triangle at Rhodes - On vacation, Poirot watches in dismay as a love triangle that will end in a death develops. I didn't get this one either, but it made good sense once it was revealed.

Taken as a whole, this is a great collection with four strong stories in it. And hey, Mr Satterthwaite makes an appearance, so I'm even more happy with it.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Battlestar Galactica: "Home: Part 1" - I'm to the point that if an episode has Baltar in it, I kind of wish it would end immediately. The character makes me squirm. Fortunately, he's only in one scene. I wonder if the new Boomer will survive very long in that crowd of hostile humans? Then again, if Apollo wasn't a main character I'd worry about his survival with the original Apollo plotting against him.
• Numb3rs: "Cover Me" - One of the crew goes undercover to test Charlie's theory on how to stop a new drug from taking over the market. This was an uncomfortable episode, as the drug trade is an uncomfortable and nasty sort of business anyway. And Charlie's bright-eyed enthusiasm for his formulas was a vivid contrast to the nitty-gritty of what happened on the streets.
• Heroes: "Exposed" - Singing, "Three plots for the Heroes, which one will the fangirl like?" I'm not liking the Nathan plotline, and the Aquaman plotline is fun to see. Claire's mom is really coming into her own. Sylar's history is just disturbing.
• Ghost Hunters International: "Karosta Prison" - A former Soviet prison in Latvia? Wow. I like how Joe had to jump to turn off the lights. Watching them run around chasing shadows in that building made me feel cold. They looked like they were freezing. I liked how Barry nearly had a heart attack when Rob called to end the investigation. The bobsled fun was great, I even called in hubby-Eric to enjoy it with me. But the evidence was shaky at best. Ah well.
• Battlestar Galactica: "Home: Part 2" - The Baltar bits were amusing. Finally he checks to see if he's got a chip! I like the new Sharon. And I like how she reacts and confronts her problem. I also like "the map". Is it enough to find Earth?

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Here are reviews of the DCBS comic book shipment that arrived this week, of books originally released Feb 18th and 25th:

• Green Lantern #38 - I've been sick of Blackest Night for awhile, this is just making me more bored with it. The bleedin' black from the eyes Oan is really grating.
• Justice League of America #30 - A threatening Shadow Thief? Nah, couldn't be. What's the deal with Green Arrow and Hawkgirl? TMI. More annoying "origin" back-up story, but it has a panel of Aquaman so I almost forgive it.
• Justice Society of America #24 - Marvel Family story. The backup had Ma Hunkel in it, which rescued it from being complete crap. But it was a close thing.
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold #2 - Well, Batman does Tron. This was ok, but nothing too special.
• Tiny Titans #13 - Aqualad likes soap a little too much.
• Noble Causes #39 - Explanations, flashbacks, fun. Too bad there's only one issue left.
• Land of Oz The Manga: Return to the Emerald City #3 - I don't remember these scenes from the book... but then it's been years since I read the book. Looking at the original, this seems about as faithful an adaptation as you can get.
• Doctor Who: The Whispering Gallery - What a depressing planet. Good thing the Doctor showed up, eh?
• Usagi Yojimbo #118 - Have I mentioned before how much I like this book? DANG, I like this book. This is the middle part of a multi-part story, but it's still compelling, well-drawn, and has some historical info in the letter column that is fascinating. If you haven't ever read Usagi, you should find a volume (preferably the first) and start.

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This week's movie was Mamma Mia. You know, watching this, I almost wish I knew ABBA songs a little better. Hubby-Eric's giggles every time he recognized what song was coming up were a delight to hear. Meryl Streep is FANTASTIC as Donna, but they really should have dubbed Pierce Brosnan's singing. I suddenly want to go buy ABBA albums. This is pure FUN movie. If you don't like fun, don't watch this one. If you want plot, high concept, or adventure, this one isn't for you either. But if you just want to sing along, get this one. I loved the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun action of the Dancing Queen number. Lovely!

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Fortean Times #246 (April 2009). The cover story is a dual tribute to Darwin and Monty Python. Strangedays starts out the mag with a fairly detailed article showing how a normal event got interpreted as a UFO attack on a windmill. The main articles of the issue focus on Darwinism and the flaws in the theory of evolution. While there are flaws, I found the concepts of the articles a little difficult to swallow. I was more interested in the article on the Almasty, a Russian Sasquatch that is a bit less shy than the American version. The reviews were good as usual. There's a review/interview of The New Annotated Dracula, which I have on my shelf but haven't gotten through yet, that describes the goal of the book and how the annotations put the story into context for modern readers. Suddenly I have the desire to read it. There's a slightly amusing Dalek cartoon on the letters pages. All in all, another pretty good issue.

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My book this week was Dreamweaver's Dilemma by Lois McMaster Bujold. This book features the earliest tale set in the Vorkosigan universe, so I just had to get a copy. The library system failed me, so I used the tiny bit of Amazon credit I get when people buy stuff through my links and got it that way. And I'm pleased. It's a solid little package. True, I have some of the material in other books, but the Sherlock Holmes pastiche is surprisingly excellent and the title story was pretty darn good too. The highlight of the book is probably the essays by Bujold. I was struck by a paragraph in "The Unsung Collaborator" that was about the deficiencies in the original Star Trek but could just as easily apply to the original Doctor Who:

"They thought that what they were seeing on the screen, the plot and effects and dialog, was all there was. They had no conception of how much work our willing brains were doing on the initial stimulus after our senses took it all in. We took the show in and fixed it, and it was to this fixed-up version that we gave our passioinate response."

The point of the essay is that any work is a collaboration between the author/creator of the work and the audience. Something that sometimes I wonder if modern creators forget. But I digress a bit... this is a good collection of materials for Bujold fans. Snag it if you have a chance.

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Agatha Christie this week was Parker Pyne Investigates, a collection from 1934 featuring a new character. Parker Pyne has a newspaper ad that simply asks "Are you happy?" His clients are unhappy people that just need a little something in their lives. Pyne supplies that something, often with great panache. This collection has twelve stories in it:

• The Case of the Middle-aged Wife - A husband is messing around... how can the faithful wife be happy? Pyne comes up with a somewhat predictable solution, but still fun to read.
• The Case of the Discontented Soldier - An old soldier longs for the days of excitement he used to have. I like how Pyne gets two birds with one stone in this one.
• The Case of the Distressed Lady - A woman wants to redeem a crime. Ah, this is more like Agatha's clever mysteries.
• The Case of the Discontented Husband - His wife wants a divorce, but he's still desperately in love with her. Pure comedy, especially the end.
• The Case of the City Clerk - A man is just getting by in life, but wants a little adventure. I like how the dramatics are faked but the man truly gets the adventure he desires.
• The Case of the Rich Woman - She's rich, widowed, and bored. Pyne's solution is a tad extreme, but you have to admit it worked really well for her.
• Have You Got Everything You Want? - A woman on a train has formless fears, and runs into Pyne by coincidence. This was much more like a Christie mystery, with only the solution requiring Pyne's unique way of looking at the world.
• The Gate of Baghdad - Pyne lives up to the name of detective during a trip in the desert. Twisted as usual. I had some difficulty with all the characters in such a short tale, but otherwise a good little mystery.
• The House at Shiraz - A woman living alone after her servant dies draws Pyne's attention. The detail that caught Pyne's attention was a nice touch in the study of genetics.
• The Pearl of Price - A lost earring has a lot more than money riding on it. Pyne again becomes a detective in this one, and certainly helps people out with that happiness thing.
• Death on the Nile - A nasty woman who snaps at everything requests Pyne's help. Another pure mystery with a solution that Pyne gets at through his study of human nature, and that I didn't guess at all.
• The Oracle at Delphi - When a kidnapping takes place, the victim's mother is relieved to find Pyne is nearby to help. I have to admit, this is a story that you could never do on TV, the written word is the soul of this one.

The stories in this book can be divided into two sections. The first six are Parker Pyne in his role of spider at the center of the web, pulling strings to make people happy whenever possible. The last six are Parker Pyne on vacation, being pulled into other people's stories by accident or coincidence.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Supernanny: "Sachs Family" - This one was very normal for Supernanny, except for the New York city background. Again, I really want to see follow-ups to these families in a few years.
• The Oscars - WAY too long as usual. Good bits: Hugh Jackman. Yum. Man on Wire balances Oscar on his chin. Combining the song from Wall-E with a song from Slumdog Millionaire... neat! Spirit of Tigger! I want an Oscar Shampoo bottle. I could trim this down to three minutes (including all winners) and lose nothing of interest to most people.
• History Detectives: "Slave Songbook; Josh White Guitar; Birthplace of Hip Hop" - This was an amazing episode. Wonderful information and stories that I'd never heard. And hearing was the operative word with this one, featuring three very musical stories. Another good episode of a great show.
• Food Detectives: "Moldy Cheese" - The mold comparisons that started this one made me quickly lose my appetite. Even with the obvious reminders of foods we eat that are made of mold, it still was pretty gross. The dirty water hot dog piece was also gross, and predictable. The burnt tongue piece was informative and possibly useful.
• Heroes: "Cold Wars" - Good news in this one! Otherwise... we see the only way torture ever could work. If you have a mind-reader. Even then, I'm not sure that Noah didn't manage to manipulate those sessions.
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "Deep Cover for Batman!" - Evil Aquaman! YAY! Oh, and Batman was ok too. Not really enough of evil Aquaman. No speech from him or good Manta.
• Ghost Hunters International: "Ghosts in the City of Lights" - Neat Chateau in France's wine country. I wasn't convinced by any of the evidence they presented, though. As for the second investigation... are they seriously being allowed into the catacombs of Paris? No, just a part of the Paris Underground, the Capuchins Quarries. Still cool. Ok, I wouldn't go down there, but still interesting. I like the explanation they came up with for the green mist of death.
• Battlestar Galactica: "The Farm" - Well, more of the plan is revealed. And another Cylon for that matter. And Starbuck proves again she's got brains and skills. As is often the case, the deleted scenes added a new dimension to the story.

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We finally visited our old comic shop and picked up a couple of books leftover from orders made before we moved. There is only one I wanted to review:

• Noble Causes #38 - This issue has a pretty good Rusty story with a bunch of other bits. The time jump still annoys me, even after all these issues. Ah well, it'll be interesting to see how this series wraps up, and if there will be minis after the end.

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This week's movie was Coraline in 3D. I read the book a few years ago and really enjoyed it. After hearing a lot about how great the movie was, particularly in 3D, hubby-Eric and I went out to see it Thursday night. We decided to spend the money after seeing numerous reviews that raved about the quality of the 3D and realized that there was no way Netflix and our old TV would match the theater experience.

And, you know, it was really worth it. It's a fantastic movie, dark and engaging with just enough changes from the book to give someone familiar with the story a few surprises (including a new character). The voice acting is great, particularly Keith David as the Cat and Teri Hatcher and Mel Jones and the Other Mother. French and Saunders as Spink and Forcible is just genius casting, and Hodgman is also good as Charlie Jones and the Other Father. The pace of the movie is somewhat slow, but it moves quickly in just the right spots. It never really comes to a climax, but it maintains a solid atmosphere of creepiness to make up for the lack of edge-of-the-seat moments.

As for the 3D... well now. When I think of 3D movies, I think of the pictures of people in the 1950s sitting with those ugly glasses on. I won't say the glasses for this weren't ugly, but they weren't flimsy paper glasses either. The 3D started in the previews with a preview of Monsters vs Aliens, which looked fun but not so much fun I would go out of my way to see it. (We also saw the Star Trek preview - which made me think Sylar is a Trekkie, and the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince preview - which looked ok, and the Race to Witch Mountain preview - which I giggled through, and a 3D Ice Age preview - which was just odd). However, once we got into the movie itself, the 3D experience definitely worked to draw me into the world of the movie completely. It was almost breathtaking at times. I have not engaged with a movie as deeply as I did with this one in years. If you can see it in 3D, do. The only problem I had with the 3D was during the closing credits, when the dogs flying around the text made me very dizzy. And yes, the final two words of the movie, after the credits and dancing mice, have meaning.

This is not a movie for everyone, but it's certainly a great movie for Neil Gaiman fans, fans of spooky movies, and kids who can handle a little scare or two. To be honest, I thought the opening sequence was just about the spookiest in the movie, and its significance didn't become clear to me until I sat down to write this review. I actually think I'd like to see this one again. Probably not in 3D next time. Movies are far too expensive for us to go to them except as a special treat.

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My library book this week was The Sharing Knife: Horizon by Lois McMaster Bujold. The fourth and last volume of this series. This follows the concept of thinking of the worst things you can do to a character then doing it to them. Every time life seems to finally be shaping up for them, another disaster happens. I love the family that gathers around our main characters. Bujold's books are all about community building, not just character building. And the best thing about this one is how it pulls together at the end. I was satisfied and yet still wanted more. Overall, a really good series. Nothing like the Vorkosigan books, and yet just as strong. The series starts out slow, but the last two books make up for the groundwork laid in the first two.

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I've managed to get one of the two remaining Agatha Christie books from 1934. Both are collections... and all the stories in the collection I didn't find via inter-library loan are reprinted in later collections. So I've decided to skip The Listerdale Mystery and review those stories when I get to the later collections. But that means I'm going to want to change the way I review collections... and do a little more coverage of the actual stories in them instead of just looking at the whole. You'll see if I succeed when I review the 1934 collection I got through IL next weekend.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Ghost Hunters: "Iron Island" - Wow. That's one grumpy ghost. And after what Tango said to him, I wouldn't blame him for being even grumpier. As always, the sound was overproduced, and the investigation way too short.
• Destination Truth: "Yowie; Haunted Mosque" - Two very inconclusive expeditions, but I love the way the team works together, and I love Josh's continued snarkiness. I'd love to see the Ghost Hunters tackle that Mosque.
• Dinner: Impossible: "No Pork, No Pressure" - Ok, Symon comes into his own on this one. Kosher meal is bad enough, but Kosher for Passover is even harder for a guy who really likes his pigmeat.
• Iron Chef America: "Flay vs Cardoz" - I can honestly say there is no way I would eat those dishes. Yes, nature's little protein bars, but not something I want to try.
• Food Detectives: "Poppy Seeds" - I always heard it as 15 minutes after eating before swimming. And I knew about poppy seeds and positive drug test results, I just didn't know the test had been changed to allow for it. I wonder if the food techs do not talk because they would get paid if they did? I don't like Saltines, so I definitely would fail that last challenge. And I liked the info on eggs. Useful.
• Destination Truth: "Orang Pendek; Worm Monster" - I think they need to pack a GPS in the future. My biggest issue with this show is that the expeditions are so short. I wish they'd spend a little more time on each case.
• Ghost Hunters: "So She Married an Axe Murderer" - I love the tours at the beginning. And the meter they were using to get yes/no answers was very cool, but like Grant I'm not sure I believe it. "If it walks like a duct..." Huh, you don't expect a phone booth stuffing in a ghost hunt. That second place seemed very tame, especially with the spectacular legend surrounding it.
• Dinner: Impossible: "Mother's Day Madness" - Maybe they should've gone to a closer store.
• Big Daddy's House: "Mentor Madness" - Man, I wanna try that Sweet Potato pie!
• Ace of Cakes: "Gone to the Dogs" - Cotton is really cute. I think Geof likes freaking people out, though. The Enterprise cake was cool, but I wouldn't eat the hot dog cake.
• History Detectives: "Shipwreck Cannons; Connecticut Farmhouse; Kahlil Gibran Painting" - I remember hearing about those cannons when they were first discovered. I was even tempted to drive down and check them out myself. The other two stories were ok, but the local interest of the first story overshadowed them.
• Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: "A Taste of Everywhere" - While I wouldn't avoid any of those places, none of them stood out as places I would go out of my way to visit.
• Food Detectives: "Hangover Cures" - This episode just reinforced my inclination to never drink. It was rather nasty to the poor food techs. Also, I don't think I ever want lemons in my drink again.
• Dinner: Impossible: "Block Party Blowout" - I wanna live on that block. Oh, Yum! But that bit at the end was just uncalled for.

While there were more shows I watched this week, since I'm covering the last THREE weeks of TV, I think I'll just move on to comic books now.

Comics this week:

• Noble Causes #36: "End Game" - Bring back Liz.
• Green Lantern #34: "Secret Origin Part 6" - Um. Ok. Have I mentioned that I'm not really that interested in the retcon of the Green Lanterns? I guess this all leads into Blackest Night.
• Green Lantern Corps #28: "Eye of the Beholder Part Two" - Ok, not too bad. But if I were a rookie GL I would still be a bit disturbed by the situation.
• Super Friends #7: "Just My Luck" - Aquaman in skateboard gear. SQUEE!
• Doctor Who Classics #10 - Two complete stories, one very short but still good. Ok, the Doctor cheats, but still... And I had remembered Sharon's fate, so I wasn't surprised. These stories have never looked so good. I'm enjoying this series.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria - The gal who did such a bad job on Over the Rainbow last week sang horribly again, and was praised for it. Either the folks in the live audience aren't hearing the same sound feed as me, or their ears are broken.
• Ace of Cakes: "Food Network Friends" - Big cakes this time. I enjoyed the hamburger cake, but the skyscraper cake bored me.
• Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: "In the Family" - I wanna go to Baltimore and get a cake at Duff's and then go to that pit beef place he recommends. The Utah place didn't look too bad, except the serving sizes were WAY too large.
• The Next Food Network Star: "Enticing and Easy with Bonn Appetit" - They picked the right person to go, I'm afraid. I'm getting more interested in the kid, as he seems to be the one producing the best food.
• History Detectives - Season Six, Episode 1 - Very interesting stories in this one. I love this show, because they show the frustrations of research (although they cut it down a lot for TV) as well as the rewards. And they demonstrate how to look at a problem from different angles.
• Dinner: Impossible: "Disney Dinner Dash" - Heh heh. Robert running around Disneyworld looking for clues before being allowed to even start dinner. Nice.
• Doctor Who: "Journey's End" - Special extra length (63 minutes) episode with fear of cosmic reset button running through my head. So, he didn't entirely avoid the reset button, but... it was good. Solid, scary, fun, good.

Comics this week:

• Trinity #5 - I want to like this book, but it just seems like more of the same so far. The tarot angle is fine, but not compelling.
• Batman #678 - I don't think I understood a page of this.
• Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam #1 - I hoped I'd like this, but I'm not really impressed. I'll stick with Super Friends.
• Jonah Hex #33 - Brutal, as usual.
• Rogue Angel #5 - This book tries, but something, some little piece, is missing. Like it needed one more rewrite. It's good, I like the heroine, but ... there's just something not quite right.
• Northlanders #7 - The end of the beginning. Lots of potential in this one. Glad I'm picking it up.
• Noble Causes #35 - I like this one better than the last few issues, which really isn't saying much. I don't like the whole time jump storyline at all.
• Doctor Who #5 - I really want to like this book, but so far I'm unimpressed.
• Doctor Who Classics #8 - Ah, we're getting into the stories I don't remember well! Good stuff here.

Agatha Christie this week was The Mystery of the Blue Train, and it'll be my last book for awhile until we're settled into the new place, where ever that may end up being. It was about average, not great, but still interesting. Another good read, but I hope the next one is more exciting.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Iron Chef America: "Batali vs Bartolotta" - Yay! Batali! And a very interesting ingredient as well. Not to mention a challenger who is nearly as fun to watch as Batali himself. This was a good one.
• Classic Doctor Who: "Invasion of Time" Parts 5 & 6 - Enter the potato-heads! Didn't like these two episodes as much as the previous two. Yeah, fun inside the TARDIS, but it was mostly running around and not much else. Par for the course for classic Doctor Who, I guess. No Classic Who on PBS for awhile, it's pledge month.
• The Next Food Network Star: "Star Quality" - Here we go again! I don't expect that my favorite will ever make it to the final, but I sure had hopes that the one I like least is knocked out in the first round. Unfortunately, fashion lady stays in while unfunny comic leaves. Not an auspicious start for the show.
• Ghost Hunters: "Widow's Watch" - Sometimes I think I learn more about human psychology from this show than anything else. I'm fascinated by the way people fool themselves, but more delighted when they figure something out. The experiment with the broken fan was a great way to show how external noises/malfunctioning electronics can seem like the supernatural. The less said about the second place, the better. Total losers.
• Have I Got News For You: "Alexander Armstrong, Michael McIntyre, and Clare Balding" - Ah, I enjoyed this one. I guess I've recovered from the Brian Blessed episode. Lots of laughing during this one, and I liked Clare a lot.
• Doctor Who: "Forest of the Dead" Originally listed as "River's Run" - Thanks to the original title, and a bit of foreshadowing in the first episode, I actually managed to figure this one out. Well, most of it. Well, part of it. Well, enough to make me happy. There were still a lot of surprises, and I was literally on the edge of my seat for most of the episode. As for what she whispered to him.... WHOA. I hope we see more of River in the future...or the past.

Comics this week:

• Trinity #1 - Hrm. It's a start. Not horrible, but not really engaging to me, either.
• Detective Comics #845 - Another done-in-one, and a good one at that. Gotham is not a place I'd want to live.
• Justice Society of America #16 - Not enough Ma Hunkel. But this is promising. Who wants to bet it all ends with a nasty fight, though? A power like that just won't fit into the DC Universe.
• Justice League Unlimited #46 - Hrm. A Green Lantern story. I've never been a fan of the cosmic tales, so this wasn't a good send-off for the book in my opinion.
• Jonah Hex #32 - I knew who was going to end up dead at the end of the story. Still, it worked. Not my favorite book, but it's Hex.
• Invincible Iron Man #2 - Nice cliffhanger.
• Noble Causes #34 - Want to go back to the days of Liz and Race. I feel like that plot never finished, and I'm just not confident that this will lead back to that.
• Witchblade #118 - Yikes. Conclusion to one tale, but lots of plot threads for future ones. This book isn't half bad.
• Red Sonja #34 - Oooh, that's a twist I wasn't really expecting. That actually would explain a lot about Sonja.
• Doctor Who Classics #7 - Better than I remembered it. And it's never looked so good.

This week's library movie was Superman - Doomsday. I hate the voices. Hate them. Worst voice casting ever. Ok, maybe not... the problem is that I liked the voices from the old series. Even after all these years, I would have preferred them to reprise their roles. It took a full half hour into the movie before I started to accept the new voices. As for the movie itself, I prefer the comic book version of the story. This was weak on plot and substance, and felt like it could have been done in half the time without losing anything of value. The fights were long, dramatic, and boring (which is a neat trick). I don't really recommend this one.

My library book this week was Fugitives of Chaos by John C Wright. Five children, five different ways of looking at the world, and all of them are right. The true genius of this series is the way it takes those opposing viewpoints and makes them work together. The whole sex and Grendel thing is more than a little disturbing, but it doesn't overpower the rest of the story. This book ends on a more dramatic cliffhanger than the first book, but I knew it was a trilogy going into reading it. So far, a pretty good read.

This week's Agatha Christie book was Murder on the Links (aka The Girl with the Anxious Eyes) from 1923. This is her third book, and the second Poirot novel. I'm really liking Poirot more and more. I can see why these books took off so well. They are written in an easygoing style, fun to read, and you always find yourself guessing along with the characters. Once again I didn't figure it out, so I'm 0-3 on Agatha Christie mysteries (although I was really close with the last book). I'm still trying to pull together a list of complete Christie works, and it's not nearly as easy as I hoped thanks to the odd publishing history of her stories (lots of alternate titles!). But I'm getting closer. Now the only problem is getting the books from the library in good time. Luckily, I have a library system that is likely to have most, if not all, her books.

Fortean Times #237 arrived on the 5th, and I already devoured it *burp*. This is the only magazine that I read cover to cover every time I get one, skipping only the ads (though I tend to giggle at them). This month the cover article was on Crystal Skulls (gee, I wonder why?). I really enjoyed the article on haunted lighthouses. I want to move into one someday. A lighthouse. The "haunted" bit isn't required. Moving on, I really enjoyed Rupert Sheldrake's letter about skepticism, and I think it successfully sums up my own opinion on the subject. The full page comic was missing, and the issue seemed to end abruptly, but it was a good issue that yielded three more books from the reviews that I put on hold at the library. And I've still got two books from the last Fortean Times on hold to read!

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Have I Got News For You: "Julian Clary, Ed Byrne and Andrew Neil" - I really, really like Julian. He's frickin' hilarious. I love when he deadpans full speed ahead despite the awful jokes.
• Classic Doctor Who: "Sunmakers" Parts 3 & 4 - This one was fun to watch with blooper reels in mind. It's a remarkably silly story.
• Numb3rs: "End Game" - The return of a sympathetic murderer was a bit of an unexpected twist, but I thought it was a powerful story.
• Dinner: Impossible: "Culture Clash Wedding" - Robert comes to Seattle, and shops at a couple of places I've shopped. Not his best showing, though. He forgot the dessert.
• Supernanny: "Clause Family" - Looks like the family took to the new routine like ducks to water. I think the boy really needs a haircut, and I'm usually not too picky about such things.
• Ace of Cakes: "Wedding Week" - The hockey cake was cool, but my heart was with the Baltimore skyline cake. I would want Seattle instead, but that was an awesome cake.
• Doctor Who: "The Poison Sky" - Sontar-HA! Goofy, somewhat predictable, but what a great ending! "Are you my Mommy?" heh heh.
• Smallville: "Apocalypse" - It's a Wonderful Life, Clark Kent. Someone please give this show a mercy killing.

Comics this week:

• DC Universe Zero - Except for the spoiled ending, this was ok. The problem was that, instead of wondering who was narrating, I was steaming about already knowing. Oh well, I guess it was DC's choice to screw the fans in the hopes of getting more regular folks to read the book.
• Action Comics #864 - Starman is really creepy now. I thought he was still in the JSA brownstone.
• Green Lantern #30 - Another Hal Jordan origin retcon. I'm trying not to yawn. Oops. Too late.
• JSA Classified #37 - Ted and Selina make a pretty good team, really. I wouldn't mind seeing them pair up again.
• Teen Titans: Year One #4 - I still can't stand Garth's awful design in this book. He's ugly as sin. I want the real Aqualad.
• Blue Beetle #26 - ok, I confess. I bought it because it was in Spanish. And I liked it, darn it. So there.
• Local #11 - What a crappy thing to do to someone. And yet... this is what Brian Wood is doing to Megan as well. Metatextual. Dang, this is one intense book.
• Noble Causes #33 - Slightly better than the last issue, but only because Frost is the focus. I want Liz and Race back.
• Star Wars: Rebellion #13 - I'm actually really enjoying this story. And I don't really know how it'll end, which is nice.
• Usagi Yojimbo #111 - Usagi is so noble, rushing to the rescue. And Gen is a real twit to not warn Usagi.
• Wonderland #6 - I really ought to read the original books one of these days. I've read bits and pieces, but never the whole books through.
• Wildguard: Insider #1 - Black Rover? Oh, I'm looking forward to more issues of this one.
• The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles: Jack & Cat Special - If there was a trade collection of these books, it would probably... hopefully... make more sense. As it is, I've lost the thread of the story and can't figure out what's happening, despite knowing the characters.

This week's library movie was Spider-Man 3. While the movie as a whole wasn't too bad, the scenes of 'evil Peter' acting like a moron sleezebag from the 70's were almost impossible to watch. If I'd been in a theater I would have wanted to leave. As it was, if I had been in control of the remote and not hubby-Eric, I might have turned it off. Good fight scenes, but too many cringe moments to be a great movie.

My library book this week was A Fire in My Heart: Kurdish Tales. The book starts out with a summary of who the Kurdish people are, including their current situation and the irony that the Iraq war has protected them in Iraq. The book describes the culture, and then gives a few recipes and games that are popular in Kurdistan. Then we get the tales. Classic, simple, and unfamiliar in many ways. They describe the way people think in terms that no psychologist can match. I finished the book with a new appreciation for the Kurds, and, for the first time, a reason to want US troops to stay in Iraq. Or, at least, part of Iraq. I highly recommend this book. Check it out, if you can find a copy at your library.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Doctor Who Confidential: "The Italian Job" - I usually watch these and don't comment, because they are good but not so much that I feel I need to make a fuss. This one, however, showing the trip to Italy for the Pompeii episode, is really worth seeking out.
• Star Trek New Voyages/Phase II: "In Harm's Way" - I was surprised at just how good this one was, despite some eye-rolling fanstuff early on.
• Star Trek New Voyages/Phase II: "Center Seat" - very short Sulu story that follows directly on from In Harm's Way. Amusing.
• Numb3rs: "Checkmate" - this one felt slightly disjointed to me, thanks to Charles being off for training.
• Chefography: "The Food Network" - I missed the early years of the network, so it was fun to see the non-food-creation stuff that originally aired.
• Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: "Something Different" - I spent too much time in school buses in my youth to want to eat in one, even if the food is good.
• Classic Doctor Who: "Image of the Fendahl" Parts 3 & 4 - I want a pet Fendahline-y thing.
• Ghost Hunters: "Ghostly Conversation" - not as bad as the last few, but I'm going to miss the comparatively grounded Destination Truth now that its season is over.
• Smallville: "Descent" - I no longer care when a character appears to die, since all the characters on this show have died a few times each already.
• Doctor Who: "Planet of the Ood" - oodles of scary fun. The Circle must be broken!

Comics this week:

• DMZ #30 went in an unexpected direction in multiple ways, and now I really can hardly wait to see what happens next.
• Powers Annual 2008 is quite a book, with 13 pages of letter column. Which I didn't read. Because reading the Powers letter column feels like wading into a pool of slime.
• Noble Causes #32 annoyed me. Seriously. Bring back Liz and Race.
• Doctor Who #3 has cats. I like cats, but this is getting ridiculous.
• Lone Ranger #11 was nearly incomprehensible because it's been so long since I read the last issue.
• Darkness #3 explained the whole series so far and twisted the end. Not really my thing, but at least it's vaguely interesting.
• Red Sonja #32 had an alternate Red Sonja, and since I'm a sucker for alternates/what ifs/elseworld-type stories, I enjoyed this.
• Countdown 2 made the entire series sort of make sense. I'm sure it would totally make sense if I'd read the entire thing. Maybe.
• Superman #675 was heartbreaking and yet hopeful. Hrm.

No library books worth mentioning this week. Nor did we get a chance to watch a library movie. Last Sunday we went out to a play (The Wizard of Oz, oddly enough) which was a fun little production with an unexpected rocketship at the end (hubby-Eric knew about it, but I didn't). The cast was a mix of professional and non, with a live orchestra and a backdrop partially designed by my friend D (the one I buy comics for). So it was worth the trip.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews

Really Rapid Reviews

Rather than risk the drive in the snow to my weekly swim, I stayed home last night and read comic books. For the first time in ages, I have the reviews written the same week the books came out.

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

28 February 2007

52 Week Forty-Three: "Family Matters": Figures. I actually like Osiris, and was getting used to Sobek. Very mildly recommended.

Action Comics #846: "Last Son Part Three": Um. Ok. Haven't I seen a plot like this already? Neutral.

Green Lantern #17: "Wanted: Hal Jordan" Chapter Four: Batman being chosen first was interesting. The rest was not much to me. Mildly recommended.

JLA Classified #35: "Torrential Reign": Another reality, another mistake. I want to like this story, but it just seems ok. Mildly recommended.

JSA Classified #23: "Nightfall" part 1 of 2: I'm not a big Doctor Mid-Nite fan, but this story was ok. Mildly recommended.

Justice #10: My head is spinning. WHAT IS BRAINIAC DOING TO POOR ARTIE JR?!?? Ahem. Recommended.

Noble Causes #27: I like how I can pick this book up and figure out what's been happening, thanks to both the summary in the front and just how well written it is. Recommended.

Wisdom #3: "Enter With Drag On": Ok, I didn't much like the first two issues of this book, mostly because I had a hard time following the action, I think. This issue was so much better for me it's not even funny. I actually enjoyed this issue. Not like I enjoy lots of books, but the whole Welsh Dragon thing hit some happy spot for me. Mildly recommended.

Fallen Angel #13: Just what are the players in this book? Archetypes, clearly, but of what? This book annoys me because I can't stop being interested in it. Recommended.

Dorothy #7: HA! The entire famous foursome are finally together, kicking butt and taking names! And we get to see more behind the scenes action from the other side of the story. Highly recommended.

True Story, Swear to God #4: This one hurts. No, I mean literally. A few years back I was similarly stupid and got a very bad sunburn. I know EXACTLY what it feels like. I could not have done what he did. Strongly recommended.

Action Philosophers #8: "Senseless Violence Spectacular": The earliest issues of this series were the most effective, but it's still a really good book. Recommended.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

17 January 2007

52 Week Thirty-Seven: "Secret Identities": Way to spoil the story on the cover. Sheesh. And the "Secret of 52" as revealed in the code is the back is hardly a secret at all (Both JSA and Ion have made that clear already). But it's got a great little cliffhanger or two, and just what is Skeets?!?? Recommended.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #48: "Here Be Monsters": I've been waiting for this story since Kurt told me about it in that phone call over a year ago. And it completely lives up to my expectations. Highly recommended.

Green Lantern #16: "Wanted: Hal Jordan" chapter three: Not entirely bad. Very mildly recommended.

JLA Classified #32: "The 4th Parallel Point of Origin": A new villain, and most of the book is taken up with his origin. Mildly recommended.

Birds of Prey #102: "Freedom of Motion": Oooh, I like Lois versus Barbara face-off. Very fun. Recommended.

Shadowpact #9: "Three Laws Safe": Nice statement of the laws of superheroics. Recommended.

Spirit #2: "The Maneater": Wow, second issue and we're already getting some background on P'Gell. Cool. Recommended.

Wisdom #2: "The Village That Walked Like A Woman": Sorry Paul, you know I love ya and all, but I just can't get into this book. Pete Wisdom doesn't interest me, and the writing style that works so well for prose seems jumpy in this comic. I hate to do this to you: Not recommended.

Conan #36: "Silent to the Sea": Nice finish to the Pict story. I still wish Kurt was on the book. Mildly recommended.

Stardust Kid #5: "An Endless Ending": I wanted to like this book. But I didn't. Not recommended.

Phantom #14: "Walker's Line" part one: Nice flashback tale tying into other stories. Mildly recommended.

Castle Waiting vol II #4: OOOOH! OOOOH! More about Lady Jain's lover, Pindar's father. Lots of neat stuff spilled in this one. Highly Recommended.

24 January 2007

52 Week Thirty-Eight: "Breathless": This one had very little of interest for me in it. Very mildly recommended.

Checkmate #10: "The End in Sight": Well, that explains why no one can infiltrate Kobra. Mildly recommended.

DMZ #15: "Public Works 3/5": I didn't think Matty would go through with it, but I'm not entirely sure just what he did. Recommended.

Noble Causes #26: Too much going on that I don't understand. I'll probably enjoy this one more once I've seen where it's going. Mildly recommended.

Fallen Angel #12: Asia Minor actually comes across as creepy in this one. Mildly recommended.

Mouse Guard #6: "A Return to Honor": Very soon I'm going to sit down with all six issues and read this one through from the beginning. And I bet it'll get even better when I do. Recommended.

True Story, Swear to God #3: Lots of good bits in here, from Tom dealing with a neighbor's barking dog to Lily's act of shaving her head being an inspiration. Highly recommended.

Yay! I'm caught up again! Well, except for that review copy I just got from Larry and the Previews review. But hey, I'm closer than I've been for many weeks.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

22 November 2006

52 Week Twenty-Nine: "Name Calling": Nice appearance by the JSA, and interesting more stuff from Steel. Recommended.

Action Comics #845: "Last Son Part Two": Um. Ok. Mildly recommended.

Wonder Woman #3: "Who Is Wonder Woman? Part Three": It's a bad sign when I'm more excited about a Wicked poster showing up on the splash page than I am about the issue in general. Very mildly recommended.

JSA Classified #19: "Skin Trade Part One: Spare Parts": I want to like this, but I just didn't. Neutral.

Usagi Yojimbo #98: "The Return of the Black Soul": Jei is the scariest villain in Usagi's world... and it is back. Recommended.

Conan #34: "The Sons of Bel": I'm losing interest in this book again. Too bad, I wish Busiek were back on it. Mildly recommended.

Noble Causes #25: Ok, that was the way to wrap up that particular part of the tale. Excellent! Recommended.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: one sentence per book (unless I feel like writing a bit more) with whether or not I recommend the book.

18 October 2006

52 Week Twenty-Four: "Just Imagine": Ambush Bug? Mildly Recommended.

Birds of Prey #99: "Headhunt Part Four: Class Dismissed": The Batgirl is annoying, but worse is that the Birds are breakin' up. Neutral.

Checkmate #7: "Rogue Squad, Part Two": Amanda Waller is quite the witch, isn't she? Mildly Recommended.

Conan #33: "Dogs of the Hills": There is definitely something lacking in this book since Busiek left it. I'm slowly (very slowly) losing interest in it. Mildly Recommended.

Noble Causes #24: My only nit with this book is that I really dislike the way Race is drawn. Except for that, it's Recommended.

Shadowpact #6: "The Wild Hunt": It's a fun one, with a balanced level of explanation and action. Recommended.

Catching up again.