another mother's breaking heart is taking over
Argh! I woke up out of sorts today and work has just sucked all the way through. Let me put it behind me with good thoughts.

Such as! Your weekly media blow:

World War Z: An awfully intense but remarkably well constructed read. Max Brooks records interviews with survivors of the world's first Zombie War, a la Studs Terkel's Working. He documents the first outbreaks in rural China, the gradual contagious spread, the first panicked responses, dealing with containment and the eventual fight back. Brooks clearly did his research here: he litters every interview with off-hand details that indicate a broad knowledge of political, military and cultural history of every country he visits. The stories themselves tend to melodrama and the dialogue occasionally clanks on the ear, but these are minor sins.

Juno: Hilarious and poignant. Juno's about more than just a teenage pregnancy. It's about changing perceptions. Juno excels at setting up scenes that you think you recognize - the protestor at the abortion clinic; the parents struggling to have a child; the high school boy put off by his girlfriend's pregnancy - and then twists them, just a bit at a time, into something completely different.

It helps all of this that the cast is a joy to watch. Newcomer Ellen Page is perfect as Juno - the flip but sensitive girl that every (cool) woman wishes she were at age 16. Allison Janney and J.K. Simmons give hilarious but real reactions to their daughter's unplanned pregnancy - no weeping, no gnashing of teeth, just a good bit of confusion. And I never expected Jennifer Garner to impress me as much as she did.

I laughed for about ninety straight minutes when I wasn't holding my breath during the tense emotional moments. See it and enjoy it.