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And again, correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't remember seeing any abilities or use of the force in the prequels that we didn't see in the originals - it's like they took everything we see jedis do in the originals, and made that into a bland template/skillset. Such a lack of imagination.

You're not wrong, unless maybe you count the symbols-on-cards test thing from TPM.  What's most disappointing about this is that each of the OT episodes introduced new abilities:

ANH - mind control or suggestlon, choking, audible illusions, some sort of ESP/empathy on a galactic scale, maybe some mild healing, life after death;
TESB - non-choking telekenesis, superspeed, physical prowess, visions of past/present/future;
RoTJ - deflecting blaster bolts, force lightning. 
The three PT films: nothing new, apart from some unreliable-narrator waffle about preventing death/creating life.

I'd say deflecting blaster bolts is equivalent to deflecting the stings from the training remote but that's just nitpicking!
Is the Jabba scene the first evidence we have of non-Jedi/sith resisting the mind powers?

Thinking about it, the early use of Force powers are pretty closely linked to the way characters behave anyway. Kenobi is a deceiver - he pretends to be a Krait Dragon, lies to Luke about his father and then uses the Force to cloud a Storm Trooper's mind.
The first act of violence we see from Vader is when he physically throttles the guard - he then does it to someone else using the Force.

The way the Jedi were handled was my biggest disappointment with the prequel films.

I cant help but feel the Jedi have been pretty much ruined by the way there were portrayed. Luke Skywalker is at his coolest in ROTJ. This was our first image of a Jedi in his prime and he was great. I'd never assumed that Old Ben was supposed to be a representation of how the Jedi were in their heyday. I'd even half assumed Yoda was actually a shriveled, bent over and senile version of the Jedi he'd once been (and he could still lift an X-Wing out of a swamp!).
I don't know why the Jedi need robes anyway. Their presence should be powerful enough to identify them. When Kenobi cuts off that guys arm in the Cantina nobody wants to mess!

In the prequels, the Jedi are represented as dull, predictable, fuddy-duddies. Not at all how I'd imagined them.

Personally I'm far more interested in what happens to the Imperials after ROTJ than the rebels.
Now the Emperor's dead I wonder if some of the Storm Troopers, bred for battle, decided to give up and try a peaceful life (maybe they go and learn moisture farming from Luke Skywalker!).
Perhaps there are power battles among the Imperial Elite. Maybe some Imperial war criminals take on false identities, but have vast bounties put on their heads.
Whatever the story, i'd definitely go for an ex-Imperial as one of the main characters. 

I once had a rude dream in which I was eating some cereal while watching a chat show featuring a lady that kept a small dog up her dress. It was one of those big bustle dress things and whenever she lifted the dress up to take the dog out you could see her fanny.

I want to know what the 'in universe' explanation is for Magnusson's death/disappearance. I don't think they touched on that did they?

'Let me flick your face' is going to be an internet meme, I just know it.
There'll be trolls putting animated gifs up left, right and centre!

Wait for for the comic adaptation where it's lettered in caps.

I wouldn't assume that Magnusson is definitely dead. Sherlock did make a comment that he had specifically asked Watson to bring his gun - and it's possible it was loaded with some sort of special round or something.
It could well be that Magnusson has been taken away by Mycroft. Now that he's legally dead MI5 can put his brain to good use.

'Let me flick your face' is going to be an internet meme, I just know it.
There'll be trolls putting animated gifs up left, right and centre!

Spec Ops: The Line
it was all like "hey I'm just a generic run and gun shooter" and then it got all    shit just got real

One of my favourite games of the last few years.

I've been playing Assassin's Creed 4 for the last month or so. I'm at about 43% completion but I still feel as though I've only scratched the surface - its a huge and fantastic game. There's DLC once I've completed the main game too!

New York is better but I really like the ending to LA - probably Snake's most badass moment.

[Summer Magic]

Summer Magic

One of those old live action Disney films starring Hayley Mills.
It was a drama about a wholesome family fixing up an old farm house with a few songs thrown on for good measure (The Ugly Bug Ball!) It's all incredibly dated but also really funny and charming as these old films tend to be.

I thought the acting seemed okay - it was very downbeat but I thought that was intentional.
Do you mean why were they transporting the alien on the spaceship? I think they were taking it to a training ground so that new 'ghosts' could get close to it in a semi controllable environment. Seems fairly sensible to me.

Forgive me, James, but are you high?

No although I haven't actually read any of the reviews for this film so maybe I'm missing something that upset everybody else!

[After Earth]

After Earth

I think this got a bit of a slagging off on its release but I'm not entirely sure why. I quite enjoyed it myself - it certainly didn't offend as a Friday night flick with a couple of beers. It has a very simple plot which I think works in its favour (basically a straight forward rites of passage story) and some nice design work. I always find Will Smith to be a likeable screen presence (although he was a bit dour in this) and his son did a solid job as far as I could see.
Definitely worth a watch.

It actually plays superbly well on the 3DS

I'm sure it does, but it is a very old game, and I'm worried I might find my patience running a bit thin with it.

I really, really wish Nintendo would get off their arse and make the SNES and Game Boy Advance back catalogues available on the 3DS eshop. It seems like we're inching slightly closer, what with Mario Bros. 3 and some Mega Drive titles becoming available. And yeah, I'm aware of emulators and PSP etc, but I'd really love to be able to play them on my 3DS. I've bought a couple of NES games, but - whisper it - I find NES games a bit rough to play nowadays, as most of them are spitefully hard, and quite ugly.

I had Ocarina on the 3DS and, while it's a really good conversion, I got a bit fed up with it. It's probably (sacrilege) my least favourite Zelda - I just find it slow and fiddly. 3d cameras have come a long way since the N64 and I found the fight with the Octopus needlessly difficult because Link and the enemy are constantly being obscured by the scenery.
I believe Link's Awakening DX is available on the eShop and that's a great game - one of my faves.

Comics fans and journalists can be an odd bunch. I can't see why Moore should be supporting up and coming writers any more than Mick Jagger should be supporting up and coming rock bands. I mean, if he wants to, then fair enough but it shouldn't be expected.

Also, "Under My Thumb" has misogynistic lyrics!