BOOJUM!: Dearth From Above

No! That's Not A Typo
Come on, you should know me better than that. I may not make the English language sing, but I can make it caterwaul a fair bit, and if I type "Dearth" then that's what I mean.
Here an aside. Yes, already! "Death From Above" is the motto, if rendered in Latin ("Mors Ab Alto"), for the South Canadian 7th Bomb Wing, who operate out of Dyess (probably not pronounced "Dies") Air Force Base in Texas. The boys who make lots of very loud noise.

Image result for Colonel kilgore's helicopter

Also present on Colonel Kilgore's chopper in "Apocalypse Now"

Where was I? The party going on in my head makes it hard to concentrate on occasion.
Oh yes - Dearth from above. "Dearth" in this case refers to the unseasonably hot, dry summer we have had here in the Allotment of Eden (the UK if we're being formal), where there has been a singularly unusual absence of rain. Thus, a shortage of rain.
This has been a boon to aeroarchaeologists - probably not a word you expected to read today - because this dryness has been rendering grasses and plants sere and brown, meaning that underlying architectural features now stand out. This is because there is a difference between undisturbed soil and that which has artefacts beneath it, and we can cattle-prod Art to illustrate this. Art?

Ignore the big fat guy in the reflection

That above shows an Iron Age farm, of which there was absolutely no trace at ground level, a bit like the Krell civilisation in "Forbidden Planet". Aeroarchaeologists flying above and taking pictures now have a location to potentially dig at, which they never previously knew about.
Make hay whilst the sun shines, chaps, because this kind of weather is not likely to be repeated for decades.
Time to put the motley on an 18 yard bungee cord over a 19 yard drop!*

Possibly a motley

Mark Kermode's Bottom 10 Films Of The Year So Far
I'm sure you're all familiar with MK, who is a proper film critic (and big fan of The Comsat Angels, whom I will not cease to promote whilst there is a breath left in my horrid mis-shapen body), and who releases a set of videos about his Top 10 and - more interestingly - Bottom 10 films half-way through the year and at the end.
So I offer you some details, that you may be forewarned and forearmed.
Number 5 - "Death Wish": This is a remake of the original, by one Eli Roth, whose collected oeuvre Mark dismisses as "Nasty". This one, it appears, is not nasty enough, since it was cut to get a "15" rating; presumably in order to reach a larger audience.

Close enough

Number 4 - "How To Talk To Girls At Parties": A great cast wasted, apparently, as well as original source material by Neil Gaiman. Overall described as "Meh" (South Canadian argot) or "Naff" (Allotment of Eden version).

A girl at a party, not being talked to. Someone needs to see a film ...

Number 3 - "Peter Rabbit": Mark did not like this one AT ALL, and nor did any fans of Beatrix (a very strange name when you come to think about it) Potter (much more prosaic, thankfully). It has absolutely nothing in common with her creation, and MK's interesting suggestion is that it ought to be titled "Irritating Rabbit". I concur.

The whimsical original
(BUT WHY IS HE NOT WEARING ANY PANTS!)

Number 2 - "Supertroopers 2": MK found this to be a rather unfunny comedy, and dismissed it with the thought - "Who on earth would want a sequel to an equally unfunny original?"
Well, quiver in fear, film lovers, because this particular turkey was funded by - crowdsourcing. In other words, enough people wanted a sequel that they ponied up the cash for it.
Easily the most horrifying discovery of 2018. Expect more of this.

Supertroopers!

Number 1 - "Show Dogs": I haven't seen this, have no intention of seeing this, and yet agree wholeheartedly with MK about his assessment as the worst film of the year so far, based solely on the poster art I've seen. Ol' Mar hoped this one stayed at Number 1 at year's end, because if it doesn't then there's going to be some appalling cinematic drivel out there.

I'm not going to Show Dogs, so instead I shall -

This Will All Make Sense After You Read Facebook -
The sensible will be investing in these after this very dry summer, in order to be prepared for the next one. I know, I know, it'll be 10 years off, but being prepared is half the battle.