3.5 Razors

The Extract Obliteration

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: The Big Bang Theory – The Extract Obliteration
  • tv.com: link

“What does Sheldon Cooper and a black hole have in common?”

big-bang-theroy-the-extract-obliteration

Sheldon’s (Jim Parsons) excitement over Stephen Hawking accepting his invitation for a friendly game of Words With Friends soon becomes an obsession when Hawking suddenly stops playing. Based on Howard’s (Simon Helberg) experience with the scientist, Sheldon believes the he was beating him so soundly that Hawking decided to move on to other pursuits. However, when given the change to throw the game to cement his friendship Sheldon has a crisis of faith.

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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

/ / Home Video
  • Title: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
  • IMDB: link

best-marigold-hotel-dvdDirected by John Madden, and adapted from Deborah Moggach‘s bestselling novel by Ol Parker, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel offers a rich cast of English actors in an ensemble piece about a group of elderly pensioners who all move into the same retirement community in India.

The cast is better than the material, but The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel sports some noteworthy performances (particularly that of Judi Dench as a recent widow) and boasts the kind of feel-good story most should enjoy without becoming sappy or overly sentimental.

Our group of travelers include a penniless widow (Dench), a gay man (Tom Wilkinson) returning to India looking to reconnect with the love of his life, a henpecked husband (Bill Nighy) and his demanding wife (Penelope Wilton), a kindly but somewhat racist housekeeper (Maggie Smith) in need of a hip replacement, an aging ladies man (Ronald Pickup), and a woman (Celia Imrie) in the market for a new husband.

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Person of Interest – Triggerman

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Person of Interest – Triggerman
  • tv.com: link

person-of-interest-triggerman

Reese (Jim Caviezel) and Finch (Michael Emerson) discover the latest number delivered by The Machine is for an enforcer (Jonathan Tucker) for the Irish Mob whose boss (Kevin Conway) has targeted him for death after discovering his secret relationship with the disrespectful widow (Liza J. Bennett) of one of his other former lieutenants. Their hitman is forced to kill the mob boss’ son (Matt McTighe) to save the life of the woman he loves putting them both in grave danger.

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Chasing Mavericks

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Chasing Mavericks
  • IMDB: link

chasing-mavericks-posterEven though the film was directed by the combination of Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys) and Michael Apted (Gorillas in the Mist, Coal Miner’s Daughter), I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed Chasing Mavericks. The film is based on the real life of surfer Jay Moriarty (Jonny Weston, who reminds me more than a little of Christopher Atkins in The Pirate Movie) who grew up chasing giant waves most believed were myths in a small cove in Northern California in the mid-1990’s.

Although the surfing footage is some of the best ever captured for a feature film, the screenplay is just as focused on Jay’s life outside the water when he’s not obsessed with his dream of surfing Mavericks. The fatherless young man whose alcoholic mother (Elisabeth Shue) is less than dependable latches on at a young age to a surfing neighbor (Gerard Butler) who, despite having enough trouble figuring out how to be a father to his own daughter (Maya Raines), finds himself cast into the role of a surrogate father to the talented young surfer whether he likes it or not.

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Avengers Assemble #8

/ / Comics

avengers-assemble-8-coverIn deep space the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy come across Thanos who has control of a Cosmic Cube (okay, it’s not a real Cosmic Cube). Turns out the power in Thanos’ hands was made by the United States Government and could very well mean the end of everything as the Mad Titan expels Thor and the rest of the two teams into the Cancerverse before making his way to Earth.

On Earth the Fanatastic Four and renaming Avengers including Ms. Marvel, War Machine, the Vision, and Captain Britain prepare for a final stand. Inside the Cancerverse the heroes meet with the Elders of the Universe who Thanos trapped in the alternate dimension as well. With the Elders help, and a little Stark know-how, the teams return to Earth to help stop Thanos.

The end of the arc works well, and gives us two full pages of the two teams beating the crap out of a de-powered Thanos. There is still the matter of the Badoon armada on their way to Earth, but it looks like we’ll have to wait a few months to see how that plays out when the Guardians return in their new monthly comic in February. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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