Hooray For Captain Spaulding and Assembling Avengers

Yup, I finally got to The Avengers today. Government agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) brings together six of the greatest superheroes in Marvel comics history - eternally snarking Tony Stark, aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), sweet scientist Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) whose alter-ego is the massively destructive Incredible Hulk (also Ruffalo), fish-out-of-time Captain America (Chris Evans), tough-minded assassin Black Widow (Scarlet Johassen), her partner Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and god of thunder Thor (Chris Helmsworth). Fury wants them all to stop Thor's half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who has stolen the Tessaract, an object that can open a door to space and bring in an army of aliens. It's going to take a lot more than even super heroics to get this disparate group working together as a team, especially when Loki starts getting to them.

Director Joss Whedon is known for writing and directing much-loved sci-fi and horror TV shows like Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as the popular horror film Cabin In the Woods, and his experience in dealing with the world of fantasy comes to the fore in this many-layered action flick. Not only does everyone manage to get screen time, but they all fight and bicker believably - the Captain gets annoyed with Stark's deadpan snarking, Banner just wants to be alone, Thor pretty much thinks he's above everyone, Hawkeye and Black Widow are dealing with their destructive pasts, and Fury tries to keep the entire group from killing each other before they get to Loki.

Naturally, the special effects are amazing. Special kudos to Ruffalo for being the first man to play both the Hulk and Bruce Banner, thanks to current motion capture technology. The final fight in downtown New York is a stunner. Love them aboard their invisible flying fortress, too, which is just cool.

If you're a fan of superhero groups, the stars in question, Whedon's other horror and sci-fi projects, or any of the previous Marvel Universe movies, this is an absolute must-see. While I probably will get around to the Iron Man and Thor sequels that are supposed to come out this summer...I'm more interested in next year's Captain America sequel, The Winter Soldier. I hope they find something for Ruffalo's Incredible Hulk to do on his own soon, too. Evans and Ruffalo were by far my favorites here.

I went for a short walk after The Avengers ended. Once again, it was chilly and gray, but not quite as chilly as it has been, and there was no hint of snow in the air. Though the world is getting warmer, it wasn't warm enough to melt the thick ice on the river. When I arrived at the boat launch on the end of Goff Avenue, I saw several flocks of ducks who were walking on the heavy ice.

When I got back in, I made Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Bars and ran Animal Crackers. The Marx Brothers' second film was adopted from their Broadway vehicle of the same name. (They were appearing in this show while filming their first movie, The Coconuts). Groucho is renown explorer Captain Spaulding, who is visiting the home of wealthy Mrs. Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont) with his secretary Jamesion (Zeppo). Chico and Harpo are musicians who arrive in time to be involved with an art-theft plot and to help Mrs. Rittenhouse's vivacious daughter Arabella (Lillian Roth) get her boyfriend's painting noticed.

One of my favorite Marx Brothers movies has a lot of references you probably won't get unless you're a fan of 20s theater and film (like Groucho's Strange Interlude asides) and is hampered by the limits of early sound technology. (The thunder at one point sounds distinctly like someone rattling aluminum foil.) On the other hand, some of the Brothers' funniest bits are here, including the card game with Dumont and Groucho's entrance to "Hooray For Captain Spaulding," which later became his theme song. Casual fans and newcomers may want to start with some of the later films, but for those familiar with the boys' brand of comedy, this is still a riot.

Work was pretty busy for most of the night. It's the beginning of a month that's jam-packed with events. We were busy until about an hour before I left. I spent a lot of that last hour doing candy. Other than a few annoying customers, there were no major problems, and I was in and out.