L’éthique du Travail: Midwest United States

This midwestern farmer is hard at work, cutting tree limbs down to size in order to suit his purposes. The photograph was altered to appear to match the desired tone – one of a subdued, tranquil nature.

The Avengers (2012): Movie Review

Marvel’s The Avengers is a box office hit, topping The Dark Knight’s midnight premier

The Avengers (2012 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

records and emerging as #1 opening weekend at $207,438,708 [1] in the United States and Canada alone. However, is this highly acclaimed film worth the hype? Or is it simply another blockbuster blown out of proportion? Even many of the staunchest critics agree – The Avengers is a superhero masterpiece.

Incorporating elements from the previous films, The Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man II, Thor, and Captain America, The Avengers embodies a fantastic medley of the Marvel Universe’s greatest heroes and villains, all the while, paving the way for the next installments. It is highly comedic and intensely action-packed, superior to the Transformers series which attempts a similar plot-line in Dark of the Moon.

The Avengers opens up with a most ominous, alien voice, rambling on about some plot which entails the power-hungry Loki, banished of Asgard, like something produced by Garage Band’s “deeper vocals” voice modifier. Following this singular introduction, we find SHIELD agents and scientists (some from Thor) working diligently at unlocking the secrets of the divine Tesseract, a source of seemingly ultimate and limitless power. Albeit, as one might expect of the suspenseful setting, their experimentation goes terribly wrong. The Asgardian device suddenly reacts with a violent burst of light and generates a portal, which may be likened to the destructive force which presumably annihilated the Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger, sending forth the vengeful Loki who is bent on conquering Earth with an army given him in return for the Tesseract. The available SHIELD agents surround the self-proclaimed “god,” albeit are disposed of by a few blasts of Loki’s newly acquired staff. Nick Fury arrives on the scene, shooting a few rounds in vain, whilst Loki uses his staff to mind-control the mercenary Hawkeye and Dr. Erik Selvig to aid in his escape. The next few moments are without respite – the SHIELD complex sinks underground, collapsing inward as a maelstrom, due to the effects of the Tesseract. Fury and company give chase, although lose their quarry and are forced to flee.

On less dramatic grounds, fan-favorite Tony Stark and his girlfriend Pepper Pots, are debating who deserves the most credit for Stark Tower – a top of the line, self-sufficient complex inspired by the reactor core. Amusing quarrel aside, SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson -promptly arrives with a briefing for Iron Man, in preparation for the “Avengers Initiative” – it would appear the world is once again in peril and only the aforementioned team of heroes can save it.

In another part of the world, Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), after dispatching with a Russian general, is sent to extract Dr. Bruce Banner (The Hulk), and Director Fury introduces Steve Rogers (Captain America) to the Initiative. The team slowly comes together as the peril grows greater, and there is much dissonance among the members, as they fight to recapture Loki, and then amongst themselves (Thor vs. Captain America & Iron Man) to retain him. All the while, the preparations for Loki’s army is nearly complete… will the team be able to come together and save the world, or will the alien apocalypse fall upon them?

The Avengers is a barrel of fun, with enough intrigue to keep the audience guessing until the end and a good portion of comedy to provide the necessary balance. It introduces [to the series] the developmental process of a team, rather than a single protagonist. The villain is likewise in control of a massive army and it is evident another power is pulling the strings at the start, adding depth. In this way, it separates itself from its superhero predecessors outside of the animated realm, attaining the claim by some that it is “the best superhero movie ever.”

Family Perspective

This time around, the violence gets a little bloody, with the death of a great number of characters (as opposed to those scenes which are given little reflection), some more evident than others which are merely suggested.

Language is fairly minimal, albeit a few curse words are used in the course of the film.

Natasha Romanoff, portrayed by Scarlett Johansson, remains a source of eye-candy, albeit not as overt in as in the Iron Man films and much more of an independent protagonist. Her top, during the Russian interrogation, is low cut and gratuitous during fighting scenes, yet the “buck stops there” so to speak, in that the female form is not exploited for the vast remainder of the film (note: at the beginning, Pepper Pots wears “short-shorts,” she, however, plays a minor role in the film and takes up only a small fraction of screen time), aside from the skin tight suits.

The Avengers is better suited to teen and adult audiences, especially on account of much more mature conceptions and visuals.

Notable Quotations

“Earth’s mightiest heroes type-thing. / Yeah. Takes us awhile to get any traction, I’ll give you that one. But let’s do a headcount here. Your brother the demigod, the super soldier living legend who kind of lives up to the legend, a man with breathtaking anger management issues, a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, have managed to [anger] every single one of them.” -Tony Stark to Loki

“You miss the point, there’s no throne. No version of this where you come on top.” -Tony Stark to Loki

“I’m in the middle of an interrogation, this moron is giving me everything.” -Black Widow

“I’m bringing the party to you. | I don’t see how that’s a party.” Iron Man | Black Widow

“How desperate are you? You call on such lost creatures to defend you. / It burns you to have come so close. To have the tesseract, to have power – unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded of what real power is.” -Loki

“Well, let me know if real power wants a magazine or something.” -Nick Fury

Christian Perspective

The Avengers delves deep into what it means to be a hero, as clashing egos and selfish motives are put aside for teamwork and integrity.

Captain America, Steve Rogers, stands for traditionalist, Christian America, when, after a remark is made about Loki and Thor’s “godhood,” retorts “I mean no disrespect ma’am, but there’s only one God, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that!” All the while calling for team to unite and realize their duty.

References are made to the macro-evolutionary theory, as Loki jokingly states he had thought “humans were more evolved” than they were behaving. Loki, furthermore, observes the depravity of man and the hopeless nature therein (without a remedy).

Birthday Celebrations Make For Much Business!

I was born shortly after daybreak, this day many years ago, on a snowy April’s night.

Today was filled with much hustle-and-bustle, with volunteer work in the morning and birthday celebrations for the remainder of the day, spending time with family and friends, until night brought such festivities to an end.

This beautifully designed birthday cake portrays a typewriter with birthday congratulations produced upon its blanc and brown product.

The Parisian Experience

A few days ago I published a photography sampler eBook entitled, The Parisian Experience,

(Copyright © 2012) For the cover, I used one of my favorite photographs, which was well liked in its original posting on this blog. The composition depicts a Normandy harbor beautifully covered in a blanket of sunlight.

as a precursor to the full-length book I am developing.

This free edition features some of my most well-received photographs which have appeared on the Adventure Writer’s Blog, including Louis XVI, Omaha Beach, Notre Dame de Paris, and multiple others.

The book is currently being reviewed by B&N and Apple’s respective quality assurance teams.

On a different note – tomorrow I hope to post my comprehensive Hunger Games review, as well as an audio edition for the AW Blog YouTube channel.

Un Parc à Paris: The Enchantingly Tranquil Tower

Depicted within this photograph is a beautiful tower situated in a prime corner of Paris, occupying a tranquil aclove filled with trees and various shrubberies. Within stands a stoic scholarly figure, unchanged but for some mere wear which comes with time, observing all who pass through his domain.

The video I mentioned last week is finally complete, which eliminates a portion of my work load, and provides me with extra time to blog (and finally post my review of the Hunger Games series as a whole).

The Bedrock of Many Colors

As a young child, I was fascinated with rocks and minerals (a peculiar inclination to be sure, albeit intellectually inducing) and enjoyed studying the various methods of testing elements (such as scraping gold against a plate of metal and comparing the particles with those of pyrite) and, not so odd, collecting specimens. It would seem a measure of that intrigue transcended boyhood into maturity, as I found myself riveted with the various structures and their respective colors which had a dream-like quality against the pure blue sky.

Pétales Blancs: Monet’s Garden

Outreaching anthers accumulated around petals of unmitigated white and robust stalk. Anon, another intricate, unknown beauty of Giverny, reminiscent of "La Fleur Inconnue Rose."

In less contrived terms, this photograph depicts a fantastic white flower which I have little knowledge of – limited to the fact that it is grown in Monet’s garden, which is located in Giverny, France. It’s about time I searched for an expert on botany…

The Lion, The Pigeon, and The Fantastical Manor (witch and wardrobe not included)

In a previous post entitled, "The Lion and the Pigeon House (no wardrobe this time)" I shared a cropped version of this photograph in a romanticized format. This time, however, c'est vrais (it's true - no alterations). "While travelling in Europe I had the pleasure of staying in a pigeon house, which was much more hospitable than would sound. It was remodeled by a British couple, and the only indication of what it once was were the shoe-box sized holes dotting the curved walls. (The pigeon house in this photograph is the cone shaped building)." The manor (center) is for guests who are willing to pay extra for luxury and meal accommodations - we, however, did fine at our quaint (and superbly comfortable) pigeon house, crafting our own scrumptious repas with local ingredients.

A Walk Through Rouen

Rouen is a city of great historical significance and extraordinary beauty. One may walk along its streets, observing modern stores which are seemingly out of place within these quaint edifices. Beyond, the fair lady of Rouen is ever in sight, in much the manner as her sister in Paris, yet of a significantly unique construction.

La Fleur Inconnue Rose: Of Monet’s Garden

While in Giverny, Monet's garden was of our principal interest and thus, we spent most of our time there, engaging ourselves in developing photographic compositions and simply enjoying the sweet aromas and stunning floral arrangements which were in abundance.. In observing this flower, I was taken by its complexity, as opposed to the general simplicity of its surrounding kin. It stood prominently in the midst of the garden... and yet, I knew not its appellation.