Its release has been perfectly built up through nearly half a dozen other Marvel titles and well-kept information. When it was announced that Joss Whedon would be directing, fans veritably freaked out, and justifiably so. His penchant for character development and snappy, pitch-perfect dialogue made him an excellent choice for bringing together these distinct and distinguished personalities. If you can’t tell already, I’m letting you know that the movie is good. More than, good, in fact; it’s incredible.

The film follows the eponymous Avengers, who, before this point, were mostly separate from each other. Each one was in a previous Marvel film (though Black Widow and Hawkeye were simply minor characters in the adaptations they were in), so it’s incredibly useful to have seen those movies before going into this new superhero-fest (oh, and there’ll be some spoilers for those movies if you haven’t seen them).

Anyway, the film starts in a SHIELD base, where Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) are studying the Tesseract, a powerful Norse artifact that Captain America retrieved at the end of the film he starred in. Subsequently, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) shows up and pretty much ruins everyone’s day by stealing the Tesseract and allowing a massive intergalactic portal to suck the SHIELD base underground.

It’s a flashy start and there’s even something I have to leave out of that description that the previews have been wonderful about not spoiling.

Also, you may have noticed this already, but this movie has a pretty phenomenal ensemble cast; I bet that you recognize two or three of the last six names I threw out there, and that’s without any official Avenger. That’s part of the fun of the movie; seeing each member of this substantial cast interact with one another and geeking out over even the smallest inclusions.

For any fans of NBC’s “Community” there is literally a 20 second long scene in which Lucca (played by Enver Gjokaj, who is probably better known as Victor from Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse, but I’m too big of a Community fan to recognize him from anything else) is a police officer who has exactly one line, and I just freaked out.

Arguably, the greatest thing about this film is its dialogue, and the way that it deftly solves the challenge of bringing all these dissimilar heroes together for the very first time. More than half of the movie is the Avengers (which, by the way, consists of Captain America, played by Chris Evans, Iron Man, played by Robert Downey, Jr., Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo, Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson and Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner) being split apart or not getting along in the slightest.

In fact, some of the best fights in the film are simply Avenger on Avenger, but more on the action scenes later. Whedon’s trademark ability to brilliantly and subtly characterize his characters is at work here, and this makes every single line of dialogue memorable and profound in some way.

Thor and Loki’s relationship is sold so well that people who missed “Thor” should be able to pass on it (I wouldn’t recommend that course of action as I think it’s the best Marvel/Avengers lead-in film), which isn’t even taking into account how menacing and downright creepy Loki can be around any other character. This is probably the best incarnation of Bruce Banner/The Hulk in a film both due to the genuinely emotional impetus Bruce has to control the beast within him and due to the fact that his action scenes are the bomb.

Captain America and Tony Stark are the most frequent foils to each other, however, and it’s pretty clear from their general demeanors why this might occur. It makes it all the more satisfying in the final battle when each of these characters truly has to depend on one another as well as help each other out. It’s a wordless way of showing that the conflicts that once plagued the group have been overcome, and it’s a delightful thing to see unfold.

Now for the action. In regular conversation, I might just keep telling someone, “It’s so good. It’s so good. It’s so good,” all while giggling because I’m remembering all the scenes where Hulk smashes. The first time I saw the film, I was too shocked by all the crazy awesome stuff on screen to really pay attention to the truly excellent choreography in the two major action set pieces, but on the second viewing, it stood out exactly how well every single bit of action flowed.

There was an unbelievably cool one-camera shot during the final battle (which, I should mention, is the one you see in the previews with the alien monsters in Manhattan) which panned one-by-one to each Avenger as they were fighting aliens throughout the entire city.

As I already said, Hulk is probably the standout action-wise, but I was also pretty impressed by Hawkeye and Black Widow, mostly due to the fact that they seem a little underpowered when compared to their teammates, which include a scientifically enhanced super-soldier, a guy with a ridiculously-powerful robot suit, a giant green thing with indestructible underpants, and a demigod, but through the magic of Joss Whedon, even they feel important and entirely crucial in the grand scheme of things.

Most of the time, I can’t tell this early in the year if something is going to be an absolute favorite of mine, but for the time being, nothing is going to beat “The Avengers” in terms of sheer entertainment value and undeniably skillful execution.

I don’t have any problem with saying that this movie is as close to perfect as I imagine it can be. “Prometheus,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” and “The Hobbit” have their work cut out for them, and with a team like this, I wouldn’t be surprised if I dub this my Movie of the Year.

Now that that’s out of the way, we can talk about Disney’s adaptation of it all. It’s been marketed to nearly no end, and it almost feels out of place in early March, this very much being a blockbuster kind of film, but it’s good to see that we can actually get these kinds of films any time of year.

The thing about these kinds of films, as usual, is that they often feel just a little vapid or mindless, but that’s kind of the reason we go to them: we just want to melt into the theater’s seat and watch a civil war of epic proportions go down on Mars (I mean Barsoom).

Thankfully, this is both a great action flick with some tense and awesome battle scenes, but it also feels rich with lore and has a sort of poetic beauty to it all. All told, these two elements combine to make Disney’s latest live-action movie a pretty interesting film indeed.

The film primarily follows John Carter, a 19^th century Civil War veteran played by “Friday Night Lights” star Taylor Kitsch, who, through a somewhat comical string of events, finds himself stranded in the middle of a red desert surrounded by skinny, 6-limbed green creatures known as the Green Martians.

It’s a romantic plot at its core, and does seem to be pretty cheesy at times, but it lends itself to some epic fight scenes and a wonderful pair of villains played by Dominic West and Mark Strong.

The visuals in this film are fantastic and wonderful to behold. It’s an excellent adaptation of Burroughs’ original work and captures the grandeur of the landscape of Barsoom effortlessly (well, aside from that massive budget of $250 million) and the fight scenes are all very well-choreographed, especially the one featured in the trailers with the Green Martian arena.

The Green Martians feel believable and they inhabit the world as if they were truly alive, making for oddly humane aliens. All of the Martian cities that John travels through during his adventure also feel very grandiose and epic.

Despite the best efforts of translating the nearly century old story to the big screen, the performance of the actors in this film just falls flat.

Taylor Kitsch does a fine job of playing the action hero except for those parts when he, talks. A lot of the time, his voice doesn’t fit the leaping killing machine that he was just minutes earlier.

 Bryan Cranston is in the movie for a total of ten minutes, and it really just goes to show that his acting chops are so unbelievable that they nearly steal the film in this regard.

I mentioned earlier that Mark Strong and Dominic West made for very good villains, but this is more a result of their actions and less how they’re portrayed.

Strong plays a pretty decent bad guy in nearly every movie he’s, and it’s really no different here; he just doesn’t stand out.

I loved Dominic West in “The Wire” and thought he was perfect for the part; it fits his antagonistic persona well. But if we want to talk about who takes the cake for the worst performance in the film, it has to be Lynn Collins as Dejah.

The relatively poor dialogue she’s given is delivered pretty badly overall, and I feel like I have no reason to believe she’s a great warrior when she appears on screen. Perhaps it was necessary to translate her character to film, but it was just too distracting to overlook.

If not for the pretty subpar acting in the film, I’d believe “John Carter” to be a pretty solid adaptation of the seminal sci-fi novel. As it stands, however, the performances bring down an otherwise beautiful (and far over budget) film that will likely not become Disney’s next cash cow like they clearly expect it to be.

I am unmoved because I was addicted to The Hunger Games before it hit the silver screen—which explains my “numbness”, for lack of a better word. I expected to leave the theater itching for the sequel, unable to wait for Catching Fire’s arrival.

Instead, I feel robbed. Most likely, I entered the theater with too high of expectations; of course parts of the book wouldn’t make the movie—especially the gory details Collins doesn’t shy away from. However, what I think disappointed readers like myself was the steady, rushed pulse of the film.

Had I had been unfamiliar with The Hunger Games upon viewing the movie, I have a feeling I would be extremely confused right now. Besides Madge, one of District 12’s government official’s daughter and friend of Katniss (the main character sent to fight in the seventy-third Hunger Games), being the largest part cut from the film, other details left behind bothered me. Such as no explanation of the Avox’s, departure of bodies by hovercraft, or especially Glimmer’s eyes in the Capital mutts that we never see as an audience.

For instance, in the novel, all twenty-four tributes ride in a parade through the capital. This part of the book has several details that explain Peeta (District Twelve’s male tribute) and Katniss’ star-crossed-lovers-strategy for when they will enter the arena.

This scene lasts about twenty seconds in the movie. It was things like this—like the rushed unveiling of “The Girl On Fire,” which seem so vital to the novel’s meaning that made me feel robbed.

Throughout the movie, other scenes are cut down or replaced with new ones in order for the movie to flow. To me, this stole something very important away from The Hunger Games.

Relationships flourish so well in the novel, in my opinion, but seem so awkwardly developed in the movie. I wanted to see more interaction between Katniss and Peeta—especially when towards the end of the novel Peeta appears to be heart broken over Gale’s appeal to Katniss. But again, there was no time for that.

Aside from the negative, there are always positives. The characters fit their actors very well—Jennifer Lawrence plays the perfect Katniss. The controversial choice of Peeta, Josh Hutcherson, captures the very essence of the character; while Hutcherson might not be 6’1” and perfectly dreamy, is does have Peeta’s genuine persona. Plus, the people of Panem’s Capital are everything I’d hopped for—scary weird.

Spoiler alert.

Another element that will please readers is the death scene of Rue. It is executed exactly like the novel—right down to the lullaby.

The longer I reflect, the more I want to see The Hunger Games again in order to gain a better perspective of the movie: the details, the glazed over tributes, the annoying camera angles, the randomly placed scenes from Catching Fire to set up the second movie.

While I was pleased with the film, I cannot say I was excited about it. Because of the rushed pace, for a devoted reader of the series, it just left me wanting to re-read the books.

Which isn’t so bad, if you aren’t counting on just watching to fully understand the meaning of The Hunger Games.

Fascinated by the novel, I like many others, was amped up for the release of the first movie in the trilogy. Waiting on the edge of my seat for hours, I couldn’t wait for the movie to finally begin. Yet from the beginning, the movie seemed flat and rushed.

I understand there was a lot of novel to fit into a two hour film, but I felt if someone watching the movie, that didn’t read the book, would be very confused. Things that should have been played up were just skimmed over and barely touched on. There were many miss opportunities that if taken, would have made the movie spectacular.

The unclear story line makes the film fall short. Shaky from the beginning, the viewer is almost forced to piece clues together to find out more and more about each character, their relationship with others and each district . If more time were spent in developing the characters, then the film would have been much more cohesive.

Jennifer Lawrence is the star of the movie playing te heroine Katniss Everdeen and does a wonderful job portraying her role. She shows all the right emotions and makes you feel her pain, joy and triumph right along with her.

However you only saw one side of many of the other characters, and it would have been nice to see a bit more from Peeta Mellark played by Josh Hutcherson. Peeta holds a lot more power than was portrayed on screen and if added in would have made his character much more developed.

Despite the negativity, I found The Hunger Games to still be good entertainment. I was never bored or wishing  for the movie to end, I just simply was expecting more of a wow factor from the film.

It held mostly true to the novel, which will be very satisfying to all the readers out there.

Another plus is that the movie packed in a variety of emotions for the audience to grasp. More than once my theater laughed, cried and grew angry with the characters on the screen. That was very pleasing and definitely added to the enjoyment of the film.

With all that said, I think it is obvious I was left with mixed emotions about the movie as a whole. I would not say the movie was a bust, but I also wouldn’t say it was a smash hit. It is worth checking out for yourself and making your own opinion for sure.

I will anticipate the next film, Catching Fire, with hopes that the studio can take the story line and characters deeper and add the missing wow factor to the film.

To say I was disappointed was an understatement.

The Woman in Black follows Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps, a widowed lawyer with a young son and whose job depends on his going to Marsh House to take care of final affairs for a recently deceased crazy woman.

Kipps leaves his son with his nanny and travels out to Marsh House, which lies on the outskirts of a small English town. A series of mildly creepy events occur at the stereotypical “scary old house”, many of which could have been solved if Kipps would just light some candles.

Kipps’ first night culminates in him noticing the mysterious and “feared by the backwards-thinking locals” Woman in Black, who may as well have been called the Pied Piper in Black

I won’t spoil the story for you, but the movie continues for another hour or so, killing more children and having Kipps walk around silently in a creepy house some more.

The movie had so much more potential than it used. I was promised to be scared and some decent nightmares, instead I jumped a few times and laughed at a well-timed yell of “Ron!” from an audience member when a little ginger boy came on screen.

Overall, The Woman in Black isn’t a movie worth the obscene price of a movie ticket. If you’re really that intent on getting your Daniel Radcliffe fix, wait for Netflix or pop in a Harry Potter DVD. It’ll be a better use of your 2 hours.

The movie begins fast paced, and its pace accelerates as the movie progresses. The audience quickly learns that Cassidy spent his year as a fugitive planning how to steal the monarch diamond—for the first time, to prove his innocence. His apparent suicide serves as a distraction as the crowds accumulate while his brother and his brother’s girlfriend work across the street in Harris’ building to find the monarch diamond.

While the movie provides a small anxiety rush, I had a hard time fully convincing myself that any part of the movie was realistic—although the same could be said of any Hollywood product. 

I did appreciate the many moments of humor in the movie, as it gave the film another dimension besides “edge of your seat.”

While the movie was good, and the ending pleasant, it all seemed a little too expected. I would never vote for the bad guy, but sometimes you need a little compromise to really connect and have closure with a film.

Spoiler alert—after successfully winning the trust and help of his suicide negotiator (Elizabeth Banks) in order for his plan to run smoothly, Cassidy’s brother successfully steals the diamond, Cassidy loses it back to Harris and paid-off cops, and escapes a tactical “fire at will” kill mission. After jumping off the top of the building (not just the ledge), Cassidy lands perfectly on the suicide inflatable and makes his way through crowds of cops (as a fugitive) to tackle Harris and show New York City the diamond—proving his innocence.

In true Hollywood fashion, the movie ends with more movie magic.

That very day, Cassidy is released from all charges and takes his negotiator out for dinner along with his brother, who proposes to his girlfriend with the enormous diamond ring he stole while in Harris’ vault that afternoon.

Even with its impossible plot scenarios, I enjoyed Man on a Ledge for its clever use of storytelling and its action-packed pace—much more than The Grey.

Man on a Ledge is worth seeing if you’re looking for a decent thriller on a Friday night.

While the plot is nothing new (plane crashes, a few survive, they’re goal afterwards is to survive, blah blah blah), I still decided to see the movie. After all, seeing Liam Neeson go one-on-one with a wolf like the trailer leads you to believe was going to be entertaining no matter what the rest of the movie was like.

I’ve been wrong before, and this was one of those times. If you don’t want me to spoil it for you stop reading now.

That epic battle between man and wolf? It doesn’t happen. That’s where the screen goes dark. I haven’t been more disappointed in a movie’s ending since I realized the aliens were killed by water, but somehow decided it would be a good idea to invade the only planet that had any in Signs. Unfortunately, The Grey doesn’t have the excuse of being directed by M. Night Shyamalan to explain its downfall.

After two hours of watching Neeson and six others brave Alaskan wilderness and fight off an obscene amount of vengeful timberwolves, I expected some kind of closure. Instead I get a rip-off of the ending of The Sopranos.

I’m being harsh though. The characters in the film were well developed and interesting, and the acting was excellent. After a while you begin to feel for the characters, even if you are trying guess which one will go next. I was honestly surprised by how much I liked the majority of the movie, it’s upsetting  that it was ruined by the ending.

If you go in without expectations, this movie could be great; but if, like me, you want what the trailers promised, you’ll only be disappointed.

The story follows former Jeopardy! champion Thomas Horn as Oskar Schell, an intelligent, albeit odd, nine-year old on his quest for answers after his father’s death on 9/11.

After a year of grief and growing disconnection from his mother, played by Sandra Bullock, Oskar reenters his father’s room for the first time and finds a key in an envelope labeled “Black”.

From there the audience accompanies Oskar all over New York City in search of the right Black, sometimes joined by the mysterious and silent “Renter”, played by Max von Sydow. Sydow’s performance, while silent, is easily one of the best of the film. His silence is intriguing and his expressiveness more than makes up for his lack of words.

Between the subject matter, the people he meets, and the ending (I won’t spoil it for you), Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is most definitely a tear-jerker. However, the movie doesn’t just play on the audience’s emotions; it is legitimately moving.

What I witnessed at the end of the film is a testament to that. As the movie ended and the screen went to black, the theater remained completely silent. Throughout about 5 minutes of credits, not a single person moved. I sat there grasping everything I had just seen, thinking on the movie’s messages and drying tears, and I can only assume everyone else was doing the same.

Overall, I would definately recommend going to see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It’s good acting paired with a good story and absolutely worth a watch; just don’t forget tissues.

1) The Weeknd, House of Balloons

The Weeknd released a series of three mix tapes this year including House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence. From Abel Tesfaye’s (the Weeknd’s) Michael Jackson cover on Echoes of Silence which eerily recalls Jackson’s voice, to the despondent and pessimistic, yet captivating lyrics, Tesfaye’s mix tapes are the best thing I’ve listened to all year.

House of Balloons is by far the best of the three. While Echoes of Silence builds on lyrics and melodies from the previous two, House of Balloons is an entirely unique work. In it Tesfaye’s character struggles with his lustful desires, releasing all of his socially unacceptable thoughts and vengeful, self-satisfying behaviors.

The album lacks the discretion that many artists have when creating an album, and that’s one of the qualities that makes this mix tape so exceptionally good. Through the heavy bass patterns reminiscent of early R&B and his smooth, seductive vocals, Tesfaye creates this miserable, brooding, dispiriting sound that somehow always leaves me wanting more. *Listener discretion is advised.*

2) Thursday, No Devolucion

When I first listened to Thursday, I was hardly a fan. Their past albums were just too serious and full of screaming. However, No Devolucion seems to get it right. The perfect combination of  harsh and smooth vocals, lyrical content and instrumentation make this their best work.

The lyrics themselves are the key ingredient that enticed me to repeatedly listen to the record. There’s this tranquillity and serenity in the way singer Geoff Rickly sings and in the layered, smooth guitar lines, despite the poetic and complex ideas presented in the lyrics.

Standout track, A Darker Forest, takes on qualities of existentialism, questioning whether life’s choices matter, and reflect the lost and let-down theme of most of this album. The use of echo and repetition, and even the minor key it’s in, work together  to even further the idea of life being a lost cause, and never being satisfied with the mediocrity of our lives.

This was a great step for them. Sadly, Thursday won’t be releasing anything further because they announced their break-up mid-November.

3) Real Estate, Days

Easy, the first track off the album, sets the mood for the rest of the record. It falls somewhere under the category of beach-folk-indie music. Every time I listen, I lose myself in the nonchalant, laid-back, summer-esque tracks. The group seems to take delight in simple things from the surrounding world.

In, It’s Real, singer and guitarist Martin Courtney sings, “skated across the frozen sea.” Interestingly enough, he talks of things that aren’t even feasible, but in this dream world that Real Estate has created, anything is possible.

Given the description of the style, it would be easy to assume that Days is bland, but that is far from the case. There are so many layers of melodic, acoustic, upbeat guitar that it’s hard to determine how many parts are actually going on at any given time.

The rolling, cheery rhythm pulses through each song and it’s just a magnificent blend of harmonizing, lulling vocals and intertwined, crisp, clear guitar.

4)Gotye, Making Mirrors

It seems that some of the most creative and inspired albums are made during periods of desperation and depression. Wouter De Backer, who performs under the stage name Gotye, delivers a multifarious collection of songs that seem about as bipolar as the albums on this list.

The album begins on a more solemn note with tracks like, Somebody That I Used to Know, the first single off the track (and by far the best), evoking hidden but indelible memories, recalling the strange emptiness of a broken relationship. Backer’s own battle with depression shaped the more passionate songs on the album. But then, as Backer overcomes this, he shifts gears and writes songs like, I Feel Better, which could easily be disguised as a mo-town song from 50 years ago.

With a drumming background from his previous band, Backer made the album interesting, making the beats, rhythm and percussion (many of which were sampled) very diverse and atypical from song to song. The album sounds like a mix between Beck’s albums Odelay and Sea Change but with more powerful vocals than Beck could ever muster up.

Because Backer’s introspection was the idea behind most of this album, it’s very easy to empathize with because we all experience these emotions. It’s something many artists attempt to achieve but never really master.

As the host of Peabody Energy’s Christmas Party, my family and many other employers’ close ones gathered to celebrate the holidays at the Opera House. The venue had multiple ball rooms, two including smaller stages, where attendees were treated to a buffet h’orderves styled dinner. Alongside the dinner food were dessert stands with a variety of cupcakes, cake balls and hot chocolate.

Other than the food, I was pleased at how visually striking the Opera House was. Even after restoring many elements of the theater, every room remained in its original, ornate state from the 30s. My favorite detail was the ceilings, which were extremely rich in color and design.

My first complaint is the seating. Inside the theater, which I find gorgeous, the seats did not appear to be new. I was sure of that after sitting in them for the first 30 minutes of the show; my legs went numb. It was also very stuffy and close-knit.

Even though the seating was uncomfortable, the show made the numbness worth my while. The show included several special effects, which surprised me as I assumed the show wouldn’t be especially spectacular.

Stefan Karl, star of Nickelodeon’s LazyTown, plays the Grinch. In my opinion, he did an outstanding job with the character. What made his acting come across so well was his improve; the show had a personal element as Karl interacted with audience members throughout the play.

Like most non-regular play goers, I would assume the repetitive music becomes obnoxious during the play. While the “Whos” squeaky voices did get to be a little much for my taste, I enjoyed the production and its amusing sense of humor.

Attending Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas put me in the holiday mood for December and makes me excited to go back to the Peabody Opera House. I am looking forward to attending future productions.