The Proton Displacement

  • Title: The Big Bang Theory – The Proton Displacement
  • wiki: link

The Proton Displacement

Sheldon (Jim Parsons) becomes miffed when his childhood idol Professor Proton (Bob Newhart) enlists the help of Leonard (Johnny Galecki) to look over a scientific paper he was writing. Neither his conversation with Amy (Mayim Bialik), who points out how some people might consider him annoying, nor his attempt to make the former television scientist jealous by publicly hanging out with Bill Nye make the scientist feel any better about the situation.

The Proton Displacement Read More »

Damian: Son of Batman #1

Damian: Son of Batman #1No matter how you look at it, Damian: Son of Batman #1 is an odd comic. Written and drawn by Andy Kubert, the first issue of the four-issue mini-series is set in a parallel world that seems to have more in common with the pre-New 52 version of the DCU than the current state of things. In this reality it’s Batman, not Damian, who is killed in action, forcing his partner to go on without him.

Kubert makes several interesting choices including choosing to clad Damian in his original Robin costume from Grant Morrison’s run that introduced the character rather than the version he wore as Dick Grayson‘s, and later Bruce Wayne’s, partner. Kubert also takes the opportunity to chip away a bit at Morrison’s clone origin (and embracing Mike Barr’s original story) by suggesting Damian was more of a test-tube baby than a true scientific experiment.

With Batman vanquished, and Ra’s al Ghul and Talia washing their hands of Batman’s son, and no other member of the Bat-Family in sight, Damian is left to his own devices which leads the young man to brutally work his way through his father’s rogues gallery (mostly off-panel).

Damian: Son of Batman #1 Read More »

Thor: The Dark World

  • Title: Thor: The Dark World
  • IMDb: link

Thor: The Dark World

Trading in directors and screenwriters (only one of the six credited here for story and screenplay were involved in the first film), Thor: The Dark World proves to be a solid follow-up to director Kenneth Branagh‘s 2001 origin story for Marvel Studios’ version of Thor. With nearly the entire cast of characters already introduced in the first film director Alan Taylor and his half-dozen writers can take the time to delve a little deeper in the supporting cast and give several characters from the previous film stand-out moments in the sequel.

I keep mention the number of writers on Thor: The Dark World because the script itself does feel like an odd mix of concepts and mashed-up designs that don’t always quite work. There is plenty to question in both film’s villain (Christopher Eccleston), an odd amalgam of Star Trek and Lord of the Rings, which to be fair so is much of Thor’s lore which jumbles sci-fi and fantasy with relish, and His quest to destroy all of creation with magic floaty water (that is shown mostly as smoke because apparently the CGI folks couldn’t decides what the “Aether” should actually be).

Thor: The Dark World Read More »

In a World…

  • Title: In a World…
  • IMDb: link

In a World...

Premiering at Sundance earlier this year first-time writer/director Lake Bell‘s In a World… quickly became a critical darling taking home the festival’s award for screenwriting. I’ve been largely unimpressed with Bell and her forgettable career which includes one of the worst comedies I ever had the misfortune to sit through, so I can definitely understand her reasoning for wanting to but together the kind of role no one else was offering her.

As the film of a first time director In a World… shows promise and centering the story around the largely untapped world of voice-over artists gives the otherwise by-the-numbers romantic comedy something of an unique feel. Bell’s time in the industry also allows her to put together a pretty strong indie cast of familiar faces.

But despite the intriguing set-up and good performances, most of the promise of In a World… is unfulfilled. Bell’s creativity in one part of the story is balanced by laziness in another as she fails to do much other than offer up what amounts to a slightly better than average romcom.

In a World… Read More »