May
8
2015
In the time of Victorian England Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) finds herself as the head of the household. Family fortune and farm at her disposal Bathsheba rules with a moderately tolerant hand, all the while met with suitors of varying degrees of wealth and social grace, but, separating the wheat from the chaff will mean hard times for Mr. Oak, Sergeant Troy, and Mr. Bolwood (Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge, Michael Sheen). Staying true to herself and keeping the farm afloat will be no easy task, how to make it happen? 
Based on the Thomas Hardy novel, this exercise in abbreviated British literature comes across with solid acting force all round; meanwhile, the faithful and honest directing of Thomas Vinterberg is straightforward and honest with the air of Masterpiece Theatre yet not so totally astringent as to rob the story of it’s driving parts. Furthermore, an interesting feminist angle for Mulligan proves to make for a character well beyond her years historically speaking and a refreshing take on what could otherwise be seen as a stale period in time. Strong for literary buffs and worthy, Far from the Madding Crowd is rated PG-13.
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May
1
2015
Accessing the power and technology of Loki’s scepter, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) combine their creative and scientific brains to create an artificial intelligence called Ultron (voiced by James Spader), a system capable of bringing peace on earth in our time. But, like a genie with poor comprehension, Ultron’s interpretation of peace on earth could be the end of humanity; additionally, how to stop newcomers, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson), from wreaking havoc? It will take all of the Avengers as a team to save the planet. 
Partially Written by and Directed by Joss Whedon, this latest installment in the Marvel universe manages to maintain the fun we’ve come to expect, shed a lot more light on the back stories of the Avengers themselves, and, still advance the overall plot line and arc of each character’s story. And, while the end of each Marvel film always seems to come to the same exciting peak (relatively speaking), with the same semi-exciting conclusion, there isn’t much question as to what will happen in this episode, but rather how are we going to get there? The answer in this case may be a bit convoluted and drawn out for the sake of cinema, none the less, fans will still appreciate seeing their favorite heroes in action once again. Acting from the ensemble all still fits the part, an almost Heath Ledger/Joker homage doesn’t slip the radar with Ultron’s first appearance, and extra love to Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) doesn’t go unnoticed. In many ways this could be the closest Hawkeye will get to his own breakout film, meanwhile deeper/larger characters such as Thor and Captain America (Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans) have multiple stand alone films in the franchise, enjoy the spotlight while it lasts Hawkeye. Overall, we’ve got ourselves a popcorn chomper that does exactly what it’s supposed to do, is that so wrong? Worthy of your dollar (but maybe not in 3D), Avengers: Age of Ultron is rated PG-13.
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Based on the Thomas Hardy novel, this exercise in abbreviated British literature comes across with solid acting force all round; meanwhile, the faithful and honest directing of Thomas Vinterberg is straightforward and honest with the air of Masterpiece Theatre yet not so totally astringent as to rob the story of it’s driving parts. Furthermore, an interesting feminist angle for Mulligan proves to make for a character well beyond her years historically speaking and a refreshing take on what could otherwise be seen as a stale period in time. Strong for literary buffs and worthy, Far from the Madding Crowd is rated PG-13.