avengers assemble and mash-up

The kid and I went to see the latest Avengers movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron, last weekend. It was ... O.K. I am starting to wonder if Joss Whedon can't help but pastiche his own work, no matter what he does.

I was a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and an even bigger fan of Angel, so when I hear the name Joss Whedon I tend to have positive associations. But I am not a super fan girl. There are also plenty of things he has done that leave me cold (Dollhouse, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), or that I just could never connect with (Firefly). I found the first Avengers movie a little on the ho-hum side. I love the casting and the banter of the main super heroes, but when you've seen one CGI robot blow up and a major city explode, you've seen them all, right?

The Avengers — and lots and lots of robots ...

Apparently not. Because the second time around with Ultron the Avengers were up against tons and tons of CGI robots and tried to save more than one city on the brink of destruction. Iron Man and his pals plowed through city streets and buildings, leaving broken glass and devastation in their wake, all in the name of saving the world. Again. And sadly, there was no witty, bratty villain like Tom Hiddleston's Loki, but another CGI super robot, Ultron, who wanted to destroy the world because ... I really don't know. It was in the script?

As I watched all of this computer-generated mayhem, which seemed to go on forever at its two and a half hour-plus running time, I couldn't help think of another Whedon project, Cabin in the Woods. The movie references in The Avengers may not have been as blatant or funny as the horror tropes that Cabin in the Woods served up, but movie buffs may still have had a déjà vu feeling in certain scenes:

A bunch of robots streaming up the side of a building — hey, that is reminiscent of I, Robot.  

Black Widow and the Hulk have a Beauty and the Beast thing going.  

Naughty Ultron isn't your friendly neighborhood artificial intelligence — from 2001 to A.I. and beyond.  

All that morphing metal was also very Terminator-y.  

Robert Downey Jr.'s sassy Tony Stark/Iron Man is suddenly a bit of a Victor Frankenstein in his desire to use Ultron to save the world.

The best scene in the movie is a moment of relative quiet near the start of the film. The Avengers have all been hanging out at a party, celebrating their latest victory. They start teasing Thor about his hammer, and he declares that only he is worthy to wield such a weapon. Each Avenger, except the wise Black Widow, takes a turn trying to lift it, unsuccessfully, a la The Sword in the Stone.

Hawkeye [after quite a few drinks], "'Whosoever, be he worthy, shall have the power'" — Whatever man! It's a trick!"

Thor, "It is more than that, my friend!" 

Captain America, "But if you put the hammer in an elevator?" 

Iron Man, "It'll still go up." 

Captain America, "Elevator's not worthy."

It's fun, and silly, and showcases each character's and actor's strengths. There are other fun moments of clever dialog, which can be attributed to the Whedon touch, but unfortunately they are few and far between too many long, long battle scenes with robots. Sorry, Joss, but as far as these Marvel movies go, Guardians of the Galaxy is still the most entertaining, and knows how to perfectly balance fun and adventure.

p.s. And one more not-so-minor beef: With all the mega-merchandising that goes on with a film of this kind, why is it only the male characters that get action figures? Where is Black Widow?

favorite films this year

It's December, so it's a good time for some summing up and list-making, right? I watch a fair share of movies, but the very best that I've seen this year were not necessarily first-run in theaters. I also caught up with some titles on cable, streaming, or Blu-rays from the library.

Here is my list of the movies I liked the best, would love to see again (and again). There are links to longer reviews. The list is in the order that I saw them. Looking at it I see that there are a few trends. There are quite a few two-person movies. The fantasy films all feature a central, larger-than-life character, with a sense of humor. The comedies are all pretty quirky, and on the quiet side, as opposed to the current gross-out trend. Three of my favorite actors, who are no longer with us, all turn up on the list - Robin Williams, James Gandolfini, Philip Seymour Hoffman. They will be missed.


The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - Ben Stiller takes a thoughtful, beautifully filmed journey to find himself.

Pirate Radio - Philip Seymour Hoffman is wonderful as a renegade DJ on a floating radio station in the '60s.

Philip Seymour Hoffman in Pirate Radio

James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss in Enough Said

Enough Said - James Gandolfini and Julia-Louis Dreyfuss are a wonderful pair of would-be lovers in this clever, quiet film about second chances.

The Way Way Back - Sam Rockwell is an irreverent but kind boss and quasi spirit guide to young Duncan (Liam James) during a summer on the Cape.

The Lego Movie - Everything is awesome, really, in this wonderfully clever animated adventure.

Rear Window - Hitchcock's classic about love and what really happens behind our neighbors drawn curtains.

Annie Hall - Diane Keaton is the subject of this comic love story, both a tribute and a spoof, from Woody Allen.

Lovers Madame D. (Tilda Swinton) and Monsieur Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) in The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Another stylish (and hilarious) film from Wes Anderson, starring Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton.

The Humphrey Bogart Film Festival - I was lucky enough to attend this annual festival, where I was treated to screenings of Bogie classics like Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep and Key Largo.

Maleficent - Angelina Jolie, her beauty chiseled and CGI-ed to perfection, has a blast with her role as Sleeping Beauty's nemesis.

The Birdcage - One of my all-time favorite films. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane are adorable and funny as hell, and just manage to stop Hank Azaria from stealing the picture from them.

Hercules - Dwayne Johnson leads a merry crew in this fun, raucous take on the Hercules legend. Ian McShane steals every scene he's in and then some.

Guardians of the Galaxy - I am Groot. We all are Groot. And Guardians of the Galaxy is the best comic book movie of them all.

Our Idiot Brother - The movie is as laid back as its main character, played by Paul Rudd, and that is a good, and very funny, thing.

Gone Girl - Rosamund Pike is picture-perfect as Amy, in this cold-as-ice chiller-thriller.

Big Hero 6 - A very sweet animated film, with a layer of sadness that never quite goes away. Beautifully animated, too.

Philippe (François Cluzet) and Driss (Omar Sy) go to the opera

The Intouchables - A twist on the buddy picture, this French hit features the beautiful friendship of odd couple Philippe (François Cluzet) and Driss (Omar Sy).

Only Lovers Left Alive - A mesmerizing, beautiful love story from director Jim Jarmusch. About vampires. With Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston. And John Hurt. I could just watch this over and over and over ...

favorite song friday: awesome mix vol. 1

The runaway film hit of the summer, Guardians of The Galaxy, didn't just introduce the coolest talking tree ever and make comic book movies cool again, but it also spawned a hit soundtrack of decades-old jukebox hits, "Awesome Mix Vol. 1":

1. Blue Swede – "Hooked on a Feeling"
2. Raspberries – "Go All the Way"
3. Norman Greenbaum – "Spirit in the Sky"
4. David Bowie – "Moonage Daydream"
5. Elvin Bishop – "Fooled Around and Fell in Love"
6. 10Cc – "I’m Not in Love"
7. Jackson 5 – "I Want You Back"
8. Redbone – "Come and Get Your Love"
9. The Runaways – "Cherry Bomb"
10. Rupert Holmes – "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)"
11. The Five Stairsteps – "O-O-H Child"
12. Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell – "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough"

The movie starts off with a bang with "Come and Get Your Love," by Redbone and doesn't ever really quit.


The songs are not just a fun blast from the past, but are integral to the story and carefree, fun mood of the film.

"One of the main story points in the movie is that [hero Peter] Quill [played by Chris Pratt] has this compilation tape that he got from his mother before she died that she made for him. It was of songs that she loved, all songs from the 1970s, and that's the only thing he has left of his mother and that's the only thing he has left of his home on Earth. He uses that as a connection to his past and to the sadness that he feels of having left all that and lost all that." — Empty Lighthouse Magazine

The soundtrack is not unsurprisingly, already a bestseller on iTunes and other outlets and there's already a wish list circulating of what songs might turn up on "Awesome Mix Vol. 2."

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guardians of the galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy is the feel-good film of this summer. It is colorful, funny, and not afraid to be silly. The kid and I saw it twice while we were on vacation. It wasn't that there weren't any other movies that piqued our interest, it was just that we had so much fun the first time around we figured what the heck, let's see it again. That sort of devil-may-care, in search of a good time attitude  permeated the film. It was infectious.

There were so many things that I liked about the movie. It captured my fancy, much like the original Star Wars film did when I first saw it (more on that tomorrow). It has a bitchin' soundtrack (check back here for details on that on Friday), and some truly memorable, lovable characters (I'm looking at you, Groot). I am not particularly invested in the Marvel universe or superhero movies in general, but I am definitely on board to see more adventures featuring Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot. And the film had Benicio Del Toro, so win-win.

Here they come, L-R: Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Drax (Dave Bautista)

"Groot's the only one of you who has a clue."

The movie doesn't just reference a seventies movie vibe, but also shares its quirky sensibility with other sci-fi/fantasy fan favorites like Buckaroo Banzai and The Fifth Element. There's even a touch of The Wizard of Oz to the motley crew that joins Peter Quill, AKA Star Lord, on his galactic adventures.

We saw the movie in New Jersey, at a Bow Tie Cinema, which added to the whole nostalgia appeal of the experience. No IMAX, no 3D, no "big" movie-going experience. Just popcorn, drinks, a decent-sized screen, and a cool movie. Now don't get me wrong, I love the IMAX screen at our local multiplex (although I loathe 3D). But I also really love this more laid-back, cheaper ticket, local theater approach. It would make me want to start going to the movies more often, like I used to, seeing whatever sounded interesting, instead of weighing the pros and cons and the cost. So far no Bow Tie Cinemas in Florida. Hopefully that will change soon.

One of the other interesting things about this mega-movie that I have noticed is that it isn't (so far) over-merchandised, like so many other aimed-at-kids films seem to be. Wandering around Target with the kid recently we noticed there were a couple of LEGO themed sets,  few action figures (but no Gamora) and some school notebooks featuring the characters, but not much else. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys and paraphernalia, on the other hand, are omnipresent.

I think I can probably hold off watching it again until it hits Blu-ray, but the internet offers some fun links in the meantime to feed my Guardians fix.

the love of trees in movies — we are groot!

Groot was such a terrific character in Guardians of the Galaxy. Even with his many variations on his one line of dialogue, "I am Groot!", he was able to become lovable and memorable. How did a walking, talking tree capture viewers hearts?

The wonderful Groot got me thinking about some other fun talking trees in movies through the years. Kids and adults alike love to climb trees and sit under them and dream — when they come to life on screen maybe we can't help but love them.

An Ent from Lord of the Rings

Disney's Pocahontas 

Dorothy runs across a rude tree in The Wizard of Oz