Jan.'18, 2013 — For moviegoers, January is either seen as an opportunity to catch up on non-widely released gems that are finally making it to town (such as last summer’s “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” playing at NCG Cinemas in Eastwood Towne Center) or a dumping ground for meh flicks (“The Last Stand,” anyone?).

Two new food stations popped up inside Lansing City Market last week. Ofilia's El Burrito, the satellite location for Ofilia Diaz' popular south Lansing taqueria, serves both ready-to-eat and frozen Mexican food, including wet burritos, enchiladas and tamales.

If it weren't a true story, it would seem like a cliché: The dead city handling its own cremation, one abandoned building at a time. For decades, Detroit has been slipping from obsolescence into an all-out hell on Earth. But according to the Detroit firefighter documentary "Burn," not everyone has given up on the decaying metropolis just yet.

"Slavery to Freedom: An American Odyssey" is an annual lecture series featuring icons of the African-American struggle for civil rights. Rev. James Lawson, 84, is the final speaker in the series. Time Magazine listed him as one of seven icons of the civil rights movement. He served 14 months in prison in his protest of the Vietnam War.

In its first two months, experimental film theater Studio C! in Okemos has already transformed the concept of a night at the movies for mid-Michigan filmgoers. It has food several notches above your typical megaplex fare (think appetizers, pizzas and sandwiches) as well as a liquor license and, for a modest upgrade price, lush reclining seats. Oh, and for the last month it’s shown a slew of award-winning films that were largely unavailable in Lansing.

Old Town's Thelma Joyce Osteen Comfort Station — or, colloquially, simply "the Comfort Station" — turns 98 this year. The building has varied in utility over the years from a public restroom (its original use, hence that unassuming moniker and its location next to the now-defunct train tracks) to the headquarters for the North Lansing Community Association.

Life, obviously, doesn't come with an owner's manual, but if it did, the film "Amour" would certainly make for a good final chapter — call it "What to Expect when You’re Expiring." Unflinchingly frank in its discussion of mortality, dignity and, well, love, "Amour" should be required viewing for the human race.

After months of speculation, at least one part of a local rumor is true: Lansing bar and grill Bonnie's Place, 415 E. Saginaw St., will close on Saturday. Owner/operator Scott Feltenberger, who bought the restaurant from his mother, Bonnie Weiss, 12 years ago, confirmed on Monday that Saturday will be the last day Bonnie’s is open for business.

This week, a fascinating three-year-long game of restaurant switcheroo comes to an end when Portable Feast and Friends returns to its former Old Town digs. After closing in 2009 and embarking on a different food service venture the next year, owner/operator Sharon Hind has settled back in at 1216 Turner St. with the re-opening of her breakfast and lunch café.

This was the first time I can remember the curtain falling down at the end of Act I and thinking, "That's it?" As in, "Are we already halfway thr— oh yeah, I guess we did get a lot done there. Wow, that was fast!"