Alan Rapp

The Colonization Application

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: The Big Bang Theory – The Colonization Application
  • wiki: link

The Colonization Application

The joy of Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Amy (Mayim Bialik) deciding to share a pet turtle is lessened when Dr. Cooper casually mentions he’s applied for the upcoming Mars mission without first informing his girlfriend. The episode includes Sheldon’s Mars video audition and a rather sweet make-up moment between Cooper and his girlfriend. Meanwhile, in an attempt to jump start their sex life, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) do a little full-body naked sex painting that doesn’t turn out as planned.

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Morning Glories #43

/ / Comics

Morning Glories #43Although the story will eventually tie back into the larger arc of Casey‘s bid to be the next Student Council President, the focus of Morning Glories #43 is predominantly on Ike who makes some disturbing discoveries on his trip to the school’s library.

The Librarian hands the young man a series of books causing visions from his past (a ceremony performed shortly after his birth by Abraham and Gribbs and what follows in the offices of Wow-Mo! Enterprises), present (those spying on the his “friends” in the school), and future (in which he sits down with a far older version of himself).

Despite his usual banter with Casey early on, it’s obvious that the fate of Jade is weighing heavy on Ike which makes the revelation of his eyes being opened (an important phrase we’ve seen before concerning the kids reaching an important milestone of their potential) all the more interesting. Such an experience doesn’t leave the cocky young man unscathed as he chooses to join the fight and put together a team to help Casey win the upcoming election. Has a new organized rebellion finally begun? Worth a look.

[Image, $3.50]

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The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
  • IMDb: link

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel2011’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel boasted a cast that was able to elevate its source material to create a likable, if lightweight, film about a group of elderly travelers finding a second home in India by choosing to stay in “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the the Elderly and Beautiful.”

The sequel returns most of the cast, and director John Madden, but almost none of the charm of the first film. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel wastes it cast and beautiful backdrop with enough romcom cliches, misunderstandings, overreactions, and poor judgement to fill half-a-dozen Three’s Company‘s episodes or three Kate Hudson movies.

The drama surrounding the hotel this time around centers around Sonny Kapoor’s (Dev Patel) impending marriage to Sunaina (Tina Desai) and plans to grow his brand with the acquisition of a second hotel. Neither is going as smoothly as Sonny would like leading to the script slowly turning the charming young man into an intensely dislikable character and his bride into a woman too dense to understand the basic nature of the man she’s about to marry.

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Forever – Social Engineering

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Forever – Social Engineering
  • wiki: link

Forever - Social Engineering

While looking into the murder of a member of an Anonymous-like organization of hacktavists Henry (Ioan Gruffudd) is forced to answer the question of how far he’s willing to go to keep his secret when one of the suspects (Erin Darke) discovers nothing about Mr. Morgan’s past is real. Despite the tension of solving a murder, and having the lead character blackmailed by one of the leading suspects in that murder, “Social Engineering” wraps everything up a bit too neatly for my tastes (with everyone who learns Henry’s secret dead or in his debt) allowing the show to continue on with the status quo.

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Uncanny X-Men #31

/ / Comics

Uncanny X-Men #31Uncanny X-Men wraps up the Matthew Malloy storyline with a bit of a cheat and in a way that teaches Tempus a horrible lesson about how messing with the past to remove someone from all existence is a good thing for a hero to do. First, I don’t buy Professor Xavier taking such a stance. And second, Tempus’ threat to do the same to Cyclops is not only out of line but also empty as any erasing of the existence of Scott Summers (who matters far more in Marvel history than Mally) would lead to any number of dire futures completely destroyed by the Phoenix or ruled over by Apocalypse or Magneto.

The other problem with the arc’s wrap-up is that removes the intriguing character of Malloy in a way that admits he doesn’t really matter (an argument at odds with everything the X-Men have stood for over the last half-century) as the character was never designed to be anyhing more than a plot device from the beginning. The fallout also leaves several questions about the future direction of this title with Scott closing his school and (apparently) choosing to roam the Earth like Caine in Kung Fu. Hit-and-Miss.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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