short circuits

New and noteworthy experiences among DVDs, video games, gadgets and the Web.

DVD

Firth is key to drama How fitting that Colin Firth should carry "A Single Man" (Sony, $28-$35), a movie of quiet but potent emotional power, perfectly suited to his singular gifts. Adapted from a Christopher Isherwood novel by Tom Ford, Firth plays George Falconer, a college professor living in Los Angeles in 1962. As the film opens, George is waking to another day, haunted by the memory of a departed lover. With its day-in-the-life structure, it could be accurately described as a relationship drama, with George impassively going through the motions of random encounters with friends, colleagues and strangers. (Julianne Moore delivers a woozy turn as George's best pal, Charlotte, and the stunningly attractive Nicholas Hoult plays one of George's students.) As the film works its subtle magic, the movie takes on the momentum and narrative tension of a thriller, bringing the audience to the edge of its collective seat during its shattering final moments.

WASHINGTON POST

Out Tuesday: "The Bounty Hunter," "Film Noir Classic Collection," (Vol. 5), "The Greatest," "Greenberg," "The Lucy Show" (Season 2), "Middle of Nowhere," "Mystery Science Theater 3000: XVIII," "Our Family Wedding," "Psych" (Season 4), "Saving Grace" (final season), "White Collar" (Season 1).

GAME

Not necessarily the news There's nothing wrong with a game being just a game, but sometimes it's nice to accomplish something with that entertainment. Enter "Guess the News" ($3 for iPhone/iPod Touch; rated 12+), which combines "Wheel of Fortune"-style phrase guessing and whatever's in the news to create a word game that's as enlightening as it is fun. "News" grabs fresh headlines from various news sources and presents them as incomplete phrases, scattering the missing letters among a sea of letter tiles below. Tap or drag the titles to their proper spots -- and do it quickly to maximize score combos and avoid timing out -- and the game hits back with increasingly obscure headlines that have more letters to fill in. An in-app Web browser takes players to the stories behind the headlines they help complete, and if your continued research takes you out of the app entirely, "News" saves your progress for easy resumption later.

MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE

WEB

You'll flip over this site What do you do with the pancakes you make for breakfast? Chances are you don't play Tetris with them or make three-dimensional Ferris wheels. Lucky for you, a guy named Jim does. He shares his pancake creations, recipes and tips on his blog, Jim's Pancakes (www.jimspancakes.com). Jim is just trying to make some cool pancakes for his 3-year-old daughter. His list of pancake creations includes a cheeseburger, sushi and even a model of Minneapolis' Spoonbridge and Cherry. If those don't impress you, send your pancake art idea to Jim and he might make it. Jim isn't the only one making masterpieces out of pancakes. Also check out the Pancake Project (thepancakeproject.blogspot.com).

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