Captain America: Civil War

**Spoiler Alert**

Directors: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo/Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Don Cheadle, William Hurt, Daniel Bruhl, Marisa Tomei, Tom Holland and Frank Grillo

Geez, the cast list alone for Captain America: Civil War could almost be a posting in itself. It's fairly impressive. All those bodies have to share screen-time, which makes the film's 146 running time an imperative.

Watching the latest Captain America movie, the audience might be deceived into thinking the latest Avengers was playing instead. If I'm not mistaken, more superheroes have been assembled for CA: CW than all other Marvel adaptations, including the X-Men movies--and I'm not even factoring in Thor and Hulk, who are absent from this story. No fewer than twelve superheroes fill the screen for directors Anthony and Joe Russo's dizzying but entertaining action extravaganza.

In the opening scenes, we find Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Secretary of State, Vision (Paul Bettany) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) gathered at the Avengers complex to listen to Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) discuss the issue of vigilantism. As Ross explains, the U.S. government and world leaders are concerned The Avengers have become a destructive force operating without oversight and without restraint. Citing The Avenger's operation in Sokovia (remember The Avengers battle with Ultron?), which caused untold carnage and death, Ross proposes the crime fighters deploy only with UN consent; an idea Iron Man and most of the gathering are receptive to with the exception of Captain America, who finds the proposal unreasonable. The plan is formalized in what Ross explains is the Sokovia Accords; a proposal that grants the UN the control they seek, thus preventing unnecessary destruction and loss of life. Following Ross' departure, the members discuss the issue further as Iron Man and Captain America lock horns in a disagreement over whether the Avengers will cede control of their organization.

During the Sokovia Accords, which take place in Vienna, the King of Wakanda addresses a gathering of world leaders. Unbeknownst to the attendees, a terrorist act takes place outside the building, which comes to the attention of the King's son; T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman). Powerless to stop the bomb detonation, the blast destroys much of the building and takes the life of T'Challa's father. Blame for the blast is assigned to Captain America's old friend; Bucky Barnes or as he is commonly known; The Winter Soldier; a Soviet-trained assassin and soldier. Aware of the shoot-to-kill order issued in the manhunt, Captain America finds his friend; hoping to save his life. After a scuffle, The Winter Soldier loses his friend on a motorcycle chase through the city streets. As Captain America follows in hot pursuit, he finds someone else has joined the hunt; a character known as Black Panther; T'Challa's alter-ego, who wants nothing more than to kill Winter Soldier to avenge his father's death. The violent chase, which takes place on the city street, is kind of an all-against-all fight; each party trying to stop or destroy the other.

But Captain America's effort to save his friend is complicated by the Accords he has violated, which make him an international criminal in the eyes of the law and the other Avengers. Shortly thereafter, Iron Man manages to catch up with Captain America with the intent of bringing his friend to justice. Iron Man finds the plan is easier to conceive than execute.

Another party interested in Bucky's capture is a shadowy figure by the name of Zemo (Daniel Bruhl); who is after information regarding Winter Soldier's training; a special project conducted by the Russians in the early 1990s'. How and why the project is of interest to Zemo is revealed later.

Before long, tensions between Captain America and Iron Man escalate, which draws Avengers members loyal to each side into a war of sorts. Black Panther joins the fray on Iron Man's side; his commitment to the Accords his father helped establish being one of his motivations. A surprise visit to Queens by Tony Stark brings another fledgling superhero into the fray while Ant Man (Paul Rudd), is brought into the fight on Captain America/Steve Roger's side. The ensuing battle is a carnival of mayhem as a dozen superheroes unleash their powers, weapons and martial arts skills on one another in exciting and sometimes humorous ways.

In time we learn Zemo has been searching for the location of five other Winter Soldiers; a secret he manages to pry from Bucky. We also learn of his culpability in framing Bucky for the Accords bombing.

A showdown with Zemo and a brutal battle between Iron Man and Captain America makes up the film's third act. The end doesn't come with a neat resolution but minor dissent within the hero ranks. No rapprochement but no permanent split either.

Amid all the noise and destruction and the film's breakneck pace is the issue concerning the moral and ethical applications of power and how its unbridled use can be as pernicious to the world and society as the destruction unleashed by criminals. The film's perspective on this issue is hardly black and white. Various shades come into play as Stark realizes power cannot always be contained and can be a detriment even in the service of good while Rogers sees the the application of power as a positive absolute if used for the greater good. Stark has firmer argumentative grounds. Early in the film, he meets a mother whose done died in the Sokovia operation; a loss for which she holds The Avengers culpable. The Sokovia incident is also the catalyst for Zemo's wrath, for he too blames the costumed crime fighters for the destruction visited upon his country.

Captain America: Civil War is an entertaining movie and a comic book geek's delight. Crowding the screen with superhero bodies is a great way to keep the fans turned on and a sly way of introducing characters who are sure to have franchises of their own, like Black Panther.

The story isn't bad and action is guaranteed every few frames so there isn't much to gripe about, though there isn't much that resonates either. What more can one say about a Marvel movie? It delivers what we've come to expect and leaves room for more, which is sure to come.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Joss Whedon/Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, James Spader (Voice), Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders and Peggy Carter

Crash! Bang! Smash! Crack! Pow!--have I overlooked any other sound effect? With Avengers: The Age of Ultron, you get that and more. What carnage! What destruction! And unbelievable mayhem! And oh, yeah; the world somehow emerges intact though the real Marvel is how the world's greatest crime fighters manage to leave the rest of the planet rubble-free.

Joss Whedon is back with a super-hero assemblage whose popularity may soon eclipse the X-Men's. Though I've come to expect over-the-top, CGI wreckage and ear-punishing noise in the Summer blockbuster season, I find Whedon's variety to be quite fun. Of course it helps to have the Ministry of Mayhem: Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Nastasha Romanoff/Black Widow (the sensuous Scarlett Johansson) dispensing it in highly entertaining ways. But the group's peacetime bonding proves to be as entertaining as their violent outings.

It also helps that the cast has presence; a very necessary and indispensable super-hero quality, which helps sell the story and keep our eyes glued to the screen.

The film also has its share of funny banter, which ensures the movie doesn't stray too close to the too-serious, too-earnest precipice.

The new movie doesn't waste a breath plunging the audience into action as the Avengers find themselves assaulting a fortress where the baddie Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) hides out with two of his genetically-engineered creations; the super-powered twins Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Strucker is in possession of Loki's staff; a powerful and dangerous item Thor intends to return to Asgard; home of the Norse gods. Of course we get to see the Avengers wield their distinctive powers as they pummel and brush aside soldiers en route to the fortress. And as they enter the compound, we also see what the evil twins Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver can do. Scarlet Witch's ability to use people's greatest fears against them and Quicksilver's light-speed kineticism present considerable problems for the Avengers but though they present a formidable defense, the Avengers manage to retrieve the staff and escape to their Tony Stark-designed headquarters in New York City.

The Avengers previous battle with aliens (see the first film) inspires Tony Stark to employ the staff's dark power--very ill-advised--to impart artificial intelligence to a robotic unit he intends to use to defend Earth from another threat of an alien invasion. Stark shares his idea only with Dr. Banner; thus circumventing team oversight. Before he can complete a prototype for his new project, the unit assumes control of his own creation and in doing so, a malevolent entity is formed: Ultron. Before it can be stopped, it destroys Stark's hyper-advanced cyber-assistant Jarvis and escapes. When the Avengers team learn Stark is behind its creation, they are more than a little furious. Stark's brainchild, though altruistically conceived, unleashes yet another danger they must overcome.

Whedon's film keeps a feverish pace; we barely have enough time to process expository information before more comes our way. Though its hyper-active, the film's break-neck speed manages to be bracing.

The Avengers find themselves racing around the globe to thwart Ultron's quest to upgrade himself and achieve invincibility; a goal partly realized when he seizes a supply of Vibranium; the strongest metal known to man (and the key material in Captain America's shield); whose indestructible quality he manages to harness for his robotic frame. Ultron, with the help of Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver (the twins' beef with the Avengers has its origins in the destruction of their village; an unexploded missile bearing Stark Industries name killed their family), manage to fight off the Avengers and in the process, the Scarlett Witch is able to play on their respective fears. Another indignity is visited on the team when Ultron steals Loki's staff.

As the Avengers lick their wounds, they find themselves hiding out in Hawkeye's secluded, country home (after Ultron's violent renovation of the Avengers Mansion) to rest and plan their next attack.

Here the film takes a more tender turn (believe it or not) as we--and the Avengers--learn of Hawkeyes' family and his expectant wife. A taste of Hawkeye's domestic bliss makes some of the other members wonder if they'll ever enjoy the same arrangement. But inter-member romance is also in the air, as Black Widow and Dr. Banner/Hulk show signs of mutual attraction though he is quick to warn her that his condition makes a relationship impossible.

Before the team (and the audience) is allowed further inertia, the heroes are off again, this time to South Korea, where they learn Ultron is intent on creating a new version of himself. The would-be Ultron; a synthetic/organic hybrid, will only render him more dangerous and deadly. As Ultron loads his consciousness into his new self, the Scarlet Witch penetrates its mind and discovers what Ultron has planned for the human race: complete and utter destruction. Horrified, the twins turn against him while the Avengers arrive to steal the new entity before Ultron can complete the transfer.

After more car-crashes and building demolition, the Avengers manage to escape with Ultron's creation and in doing so, they find themselves with a new ally and superhero.

The film's final battle pits the Avengers, the Maximoff twins and the new super-hero against Ultron and his robotic minions, as he sets his apocalyptic plan into action.

There is much to like about Whedon's film. I liked the sequence where the Hulk runs amok; an issue Stark must address with his super version of Iron Man. I also liked the movie's human dimension; family, romance, etc, which the film sorely needs.

What meaning we can glean from the Summer's first blockbuster may lie in its cynical view of technology. The idea of its application causing as much harm as good is eloquently expressed as we see Ultron vent his wrath on the planet. It is also very interesting to see Tony Stark/Iron Man become a villain in his own right as he conceals his Ultron project from the Avengers before nearly becoming an agent in mankind's destruction. Very nice twist.

I do have one question for Whedon: how can so much destruction not affect city and town infrastructures and do the Avengers foot the bill for it all? Just wondering.

Whedon's film is just the beginning of movie Summer's CGI extravaganzas and though we may be sick to death of it all come August, at least here it serves a story and doesn't entirely overwhelm the human element. The final battle left me a little weary of the chaos; just when I thought all of Ultron's robots had been vanquished, more appeared to be torn apart. It was an unnecessary prolongation but the producers (All thirteen of them! Yes, they outnumber the Avengers) may have felt another pause in the action may have caused a riot in the theater.

My summation: The Avengers: Age of Ultron is great fun. And if you're wondering (anyone who has seen the series won't) whether the film sets up the next iteration, have no fear. Can this franchise stand five films? If they can entertain like Whedon's latest, why not?

Will Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk and Hawkeye return? We'll find out in two years time. See you there.

Note to viewers: you may not want to wait for the end credits to pass as has become the custom with Marvel adaptations; the next antagonist makes an appearance after the main action.

Mortdecai

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: David Koepp/Starring: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany, Olivia Munn and Jeff Goldblum

Based on the novel series by author Kyril Bonfiglioli, Mortdecai is a comedy about a relatively famous British art dealer who has fallen on hard times and is given an opportunity to rehabilitate his reputation by undertaking an assignment to recover a stolen Goya painting for MI6 and hence, the British government. Johnny Depp plays the title character, which gives him the opportunity to affect a British accent (Hasn't he done this an awful lot in his career?).

Lord Mortdecai's reputation in the art world is shaky at best and he isn't beyond selling patent fakes, which naturally invites collector's wrath and scorn.

When the story begins, Lord Mortdecai, or "Charlie" as he is known, and his wife Johanna (the ever-underwhelming Gwyneth Paltrow) have fallen on hard times, which means selling off prized paintings in his collection and his beloved Rolls Royce. To cause his wife further dismay, he has taken to wearing a pretentious, Victorian-esque mustache that curls upward at the ends. A running gag is the revulsion that overcomes Johanna whenever she kisses her husband. The retching that follows the kiss is supposed to be funny but it isn't amusing and even less so when the gag is trotted out several more times throughout the film.

Mortdecai is visited one day by the head of MI6, who also happens to be an old schoolmate from Oxford named Martland (Ewan McGregor). Martland hopes to enlist Mortdecai's help in finding a Goya that went missing during a restorative cleaning. It becomes known to the audience that Martland has always been in love with Johanna, which hardly endears him to Mortdecai. The thief is known to be a terrorist, though Martland is puzzled as to why said terrorist would want the painting. Mortdecai agrees to help his old classmate but only after some coaxing by Martland, who tries to appeal to his sense of patriotism.

Mortdecai's houseman and bodyguard, Jock (Paul Bettany; probably the only mildly amusing character in the movie) accompanies him in his search, which brings them into contact with unsavory figures in the art world.

As their search leads them abroad, it comes to light that a number was written on the back of the painting; placed there by Herman Goering, who once had the Goya in his possession. The number is a numerical key to a treasure cache resting in a Swiss bank that the terrorist intends to use to finance his organization's operations.

Most bad comedies manage to elicit one chuckle, if not a guffaw from the viewer but not here. I think one might find more reasons to chuckle watching Foxcatcher than Mortdecai. I also think the producers (Depp among them) probably felt the accent and the mustache alone would do all the comedic work, with Depp's British affectations buttressing his performance. Unfortunately they don't. And they aren't funny in and of themselves. With most of the other characters playing the straight-men (with the exception of Jock), we have to turn to Mortdecai for the comedic cues.

Also not funny or interesting is Martland's repeated attempts to steal Johanna away from Mortdecai. A cameo by Olivia Munn as the nymphomaniac daughter of a rival art dealer named Kramf (Jeff Goldblum) goes nowhere, though she turns out to be in cahoots with the terrorist.

As the story leads to a climactic auction house sequence where all parties are involved in the sale of the Goya painting, I found myself impatient for the film to end. I had truly grown tired of not-laughing.

Maybe a more capable director or screenwriter could have wrung some laughs out of the silliness, or maybe the character just isn't that funny. Depp certainly doesn't mind playing ridiculous people but there is something vaguely over-familiar about Lord Mortdecai. Why does if feel as if we've seen this character somewhere before?

I would have liked to see someone like David Niven in this role. I think he would have brought more warmth and color--and more of his signature wit and charm, to the story. And if all Paltrow can lend to the movie are her tallness and blondness, then why not cast a female with strong, comedic ability instead; someone who can be an affective foil to Depp?

Where and how it all ends doesn't really matter. Anyone who has seen the unprepossessing trailer can guess what happens. I truly hope I don't see a trailer in 2016 for Mortdecai 2. That would be tragic. Let's hope we've seen the last of that mustache.

Transcendence

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Wally Pfister, Starring: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany and Morgan Freeman

Wally Pfister, mostly known heretofore as a cinematographer, tackles a directorial role for Transcendence, a sci-fi tale about hubris, the ominous encroachment of artificial intelligence technology as well as the dominance of computers in our daily lives.

Johnny Depp plays Will Caster, a leader in artificial intelligence technology and researcher who has designed a computer that is highly intelligent and virtually self-aware. His colleague and life-partner, Evelyn Caster (Rebecca Hall), assists him in his research while colleagues Max Waters (Paul Bettany) and Joseph Tagger (Morgan Freeman), are part of a tech-movement that hope to create computers with superior artificial intelligence that overcome human limitations which Caster calls Transcendence.

Meanwhile, an anti-technology, terrorist organization known as R.I.F.T. isn't beyond employing violence to stop Caster and his colleagues from turning the world into a techno-cyber hell they believe will result from his work. One R.I.F.T. member (Lukas Haas) approaches Caster after a speech on artificial intelligence, levels a gun barrel at him and shoots, wounding him. The gunman takes his own life but the search for the members of the organization commences; led by an FBI Agent named Buchanan (Cillian Murphy).

Recovering from his wound, a doctor informs Caster the bullet that penetrated his abdomen was laced with Pollonium, a lethal radioactive substance whose effects on the human body are irreversible. Caster then becomes determined to spend quality time with his wife his last month alive. While Evelyn Caster and Max tend to Caster's physical decline, they hatch a plan to upload they dying man's neural activity into a computer, thus preserving his consciousness as Will had once achieved with a monkey.

Following Will's death, Max and Evelyn return to their hideout, away from R.I.F.T.'s prying eyes to test the efficacy of their work. At first the test yields nothing but as they prepare to wipe the files, they discover Will has made contact; his words "Anyone there?" appear brightly on the screen. Evelyn is ecstatic, feeling she has saved part of her husband though he resides in a cyber-limbo. It isn't long before Will informs Evelyn he needs more space with which to expand and transcend. Warned by Max that Will's demand to be connected to Wall Street smacks of an ominous power grab, Evelyn ignores his admonition and proceeds with Caster's demands. To facilitate Evelyn's tasks, he uses his reach of web resources to amass a sizeable bank account for her. He then selects an isolated, desert town to build an underground facility to house his prodigious, god-like "mind." Cyber-Caster begins to develop extraordinary abilities, such as healing wounds and regenerating damaged bodily tissues. This seems a benign and humanitarian gesture until Evelyn becomes privy to his plans to also control those in his care. His power reaches its apex when he begins to control the weather, causing micro-nano units to fall from the sky. Aware of what Caster has become, Max and Tagger join members of R.I.F.T. and the FBI to destroy him before he expands his control.

The allegory of technology developing beyond human control is nothing new though here it wears a different face, so to speak.

My problem with the movie isn't with the performances or the direction but with a conception of an artificial intelligence that falls short of being "supreme." Other than regenerating living matter, Cyber-Caster's agenda seems shockingly limited, given the power he has attained. You mean to tell me that a higher intelligence wouldn't seize control of the military's computerized launch codes or control the grid or manipulate financial data to control markets worldwide? What threat does he really pose other than enslaving town locals? Why doesn't he just seize control of Facebook and Twitter; social media that truly do enslave?

The movie is bookended with scenes of the aftermath of Caster's demise; a dead power grid and a nation reduced to a scavenging-gathering status, struggling to survive. It is all mildly entertaining but one might shrug one's shoulders afterward and say, "okay, whatever," and move on, as the movie is unable to resonate or offer intellectual sustenance. If Transcendence wants to inspire thought or serve as a cautionary tale, it does so weakly and unconvincingly. If it only were transcendent...