Day: July 26, 2023

Oppenheimer and Barbie are kindred spirits?

So it turns out that Barbie (the doll) and Oppenheimer (the physicist) have something in common.
Neither one liked math. Nor did Einstein.
Barbie was famous for once saying “Math class is tough.” That drew controversy and was soon eliminated from the talking doll’s repertoire.
But now the terrific “Oppenheimer” movie (shown here) – which arrived on the same day as the “Barbie” one – offers a key scene: J. Robert Oppenheimer has been given fresh computations, saying an atomic bomb would be far more destructive than first imagined. He shows them to Albert Einstein, who has no opinion; both men are theoretical physicists, not math men. Read more…

Best-bets for July 28: light drama, tough reality

1) “Family Law,” 8 p.m., CW. This is the sort of hour “Law” does well – blending courtroom tales with personal stories of the family, while jugging heavy and light. Abby (Jewel Staite) and her brother Daniel handle a complex “mail-order bride” case, at the same time that she’s breaking the divorce news to her kids and he’s trying online dating. Another story involving her dad (Victor Garber, shown here with Staite) is quite goofy and some of the “solutions” are iffy. Overall, however, this is a solidly involving hour. Read more…