So, what’s the verdict of the mash-up of Thor, Hulk, Iron Man and Captain America? Well, the movie is exactly that: four cool superheroes (in addition to Black Widow from Iron Man 2 and Hawkeye, an epic archer) fighting to defeat Thor’s half-brother, Loki. Nick Fury, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. has a difficult time trying to recruit these heroes when the Tesseract, an energy source of unknown potential, is stolen by Loki.

It’s a pretty simple plot, but Joss Whedon adds lots of elements to keep the audience excited. The Avengers is truly an action movie with a lot of story, but lacks some character development. Although the climax of the movie shows a pivotal moment for the heroes, I felt like the movie lacked the emotion that the original Iron Man movie had (which I found to be one of the best movies from the four characters).

The Good

This movie is action packed and generally has awesome cinematics. I fell in love with Hawkeye, and even though he wasn’t a major character or has his own movie, The Avengers utilized this hero with Black Widow. The side-plot with these characters was admittedly the most developed compared to the main four avengers. I guess I can’t blame them really; the heroes’ journey has already been portrayed in their own two-hour film, so fans were treated with witty comments by Tony Stark and a great portrayal of Dr. Bruce Banner by Mark Ruffalo.

The Bad

There wasn’t as much character development as I had hoped; most of it was the group’s cooperation (If I were Tony Stark, I wouldn’t want to work with a guy who wears spandex, either) and a slight insight between Black Widow’s and Hawkeye’s lives. But despite this, I found that if there was too much romance, the action-packed-ness of the movie would have been lost. So I guess Whedon (the director) had to balance it properly.

Epic art

Oh, and some of the visuals were obviously computer generated. That’s just not cool, Marvel!

The Breakdown

I actually watched this movie twice (first time in 2D, then 3D). And I didn’t understand certain parts until I read this article (spoiler alert), so this movie isn’t just 100% action. I think it’s great for Marvel fans (movie or comics) and even non-Marvel fans; I’m pretty sure after this movie people would want to watch the Avengers’ exclusive movies (except for Hulk, because…yeah). Oh, but I want to let you know: the beginning is mostly about Captain America, then it’s mostly about Iron Man…then it’s still mostly about Iron Man.

Was it Better…

in 2D? Yes. The 3D was good at first, but there were a lot of parts that seemed too blurry…and it wasn’t just because of my poor eyesight. My friends witnessed this problem as well; and some of the blurriness wasn’t even because there was action going on!

than X-Men: First Class? That’s debatable. This movie had cooler action scenes, but X-Men had more character development, cameos and politics…So personally (and since I like the series more), I’d pick X-Men though; despite its hideous costume for Beast, and the strange cast of superheroes (really, a girl with butterfly wings?!), The Avengers is still missing something that the X-Men has.

Verdict

Plot – 8.5/10

Characters – 8/10

Visuals – 7.5/10

Music – 8/10

Total – 8/10

The smell of the outdoors

Lacing up your ratty, trusty runners

Pulling on your team singlet

Good old warm up: karaoke and A/C kicks

When the officials call your name

Peeling out and putting on your number sticker

The anticipation a few inches behind the start line, before the gun goes off

When the gun finally goes off, and you take off like a bullet! (or not.)

The wind in your hair

When you break free from the crowd that forms as everyone pushes for the inner lane

Hearing someone breathe down your neck and speeding up and refusing to let anyone pass you

Feeling the track beneath your feet

At last passing someone you’ve been following for ages

Having only one lap left

Recognizing the ragged breathing of your teammates

Hearing someone cheer your name, or shout your school team

When you start sprinting during the last hundred meter stretch of the race (and pass someone!)

Finally – finally! – crossing the finishing line!

Being so parched, so breathless, you couldn’t care less about how you look

Knowing you’ve given it your all, from that almost-puking sensation in your throat

That feeling of utter exhaustion, that you feel half-dead but never more alive, all at the same time

Sweaty hugs and hi-fives, all round

Being reunited with your beloved water bottle

That oh-so-satisfying stretch afterward

And that Are-You-Crazy!? look people give you when you tell them you love long distance running

Are you still there? Run for Youth Central in the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon! (It’s like running and flying and volunteering all in one!)

Personally, I think that it’s more amusing than anything. What do you think?

This past Tuesday, North Carolina passed a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, based on a referendum with a 61-39 vote in favour of banning same-sex marriage. Supporters of the ban cited the need to “protect marriage” and stated that this was done because ”…the whole point – is simply that you don’t rewrite the nature of God’s design for marriage based on the demands of a group of adults.” To that, all I can say is, “Are you kidding me?”

Quite frankly, I find this outrageous and a gross infringement of guaranteed rights under the American constitution. I realize that marriage is a state issue down in the USA, but nevertheless, the government was designed to protect rights, not put them up to a vote of a referendum. In fact, this to me highlights the dangers of a direct democratic system – that the rights of an individual can be put up to a vote is terrifying. It is scenarios such as this one that allow majorities to subjugate minority groups, and lead to the regression of society and of basic rights. I feel that the issue of same-sex marriage shouldn’t be centred around the question of whether or not it is morally right or acceptable; rather, the basis for debate should be whether as a society, we are willing to restrict the choices that people can make with their own lives. It is the duty of the government to protect these rights, and taking the issue to a referendum is not the right way to deal with constitutional issues.

The United States prides itself as being the “Land of the free,” and yet, basic rights as the choice of who one marries are being restricted based on the beliefs of what can be simplified to special interest groups – albeit large special interest groups. The leader of the group behind the vote, Tami Fitzgerald, defended her group by saying “We are not anti-gay, we are pro-marriage.” My question then becomes, why is it that the definition of marriage is limited to that found in biblical accounts? Moreover, following the definition of “marriage” as the union between man and woman, does being “pro-marriage” not in turn make the group anti-gay? Finally, if these groups are trying to protect the sanctity of marriage, why not target something like divorce, which ACTUALLY breaks people apart, rather than unifying them…?

This is clearly a controversial issue, though I don’t see why that is the case. People see same-sex marriage as wrong from a religious standpoint. If that’s part of the values and beliefs that they were raised with, so be it. That should not, however, give them free rein to try and limit others from making decisions that affect nobody’s lives but their own. It is my sincere hope that the Supreme Court of the United States – recognizing that this is an infringement of basic rights – repeals this amendment, and those like it, and sooner rather than later.

Wish these men luck as they are trying to raise $1.5 million dollars, and are sitting at an amazing $700,000 at the moment. Visit their website for more info!

Here are some of his incredible designs!

Lana first gained popularity with a hypnotic homemade video for her first single “Video Games” last fall, and has rapidly become famous with the January release of her debut album Born to Die. To sum up Lana’s sound in a few words, I would have to say that it is chilling, seductive, tragic and completely addictive. Born to Die soars as it weighs on your heart, and I can’t help but be completely in love with it. The album takes its time through slow and beautiful tracks that are eerily dreamlike with the duo of smooth melodies and Lana Del Rey’s half-gritty, half-angelic vocals. Tracks “Born to Die” and “Blue Jeans” are haunting, melancholy confections that you never want to end; they are highlights in the tragic love story that is the album, and set the mood for the following songs. “Diet Mountain Dew,” “National Anthem” and “This Is What Makes Us Girls” have a flowy, hip-hop feel that offer some relief from the innate sadness of the rest of the album and, if I could compare, are a little reminiscent of Lady Gaga. “Radio” and “Without You” are probably my favourites for their stunningly beautiful softness; “Radio” is like listening to the 1950s in the heart of Americana, if you can imagine it. In fact, Del Rey’s entire album could be the soundtrack to the pastel period. Lana Del Rey herself could have walked straight out of the mid-20th century, which perhaps is what makes her so refreshing and chic; she embodies a lost beauty to today’s music.

While Born to Die takes my breath away, debut albums are never without faults. Despite the almost overwhelmingly smooth production of the tracks, Del Rey’s voice is at times underdeveloped, or worse, false. I will be the first to uphold the fact that she is extremely talented as both a singer and songwriter, but the occasional unrefined vocal detracts from a theoretically flawless album. However, it’s pretty common for debuts to be raw or sometimes downright awful, and I have no doubt that Del Rey will only get better. Some say that Born to Die is tiresome or boring, but I disagree wholeheartedly. You have to give it a chance, like anything else, but when you allow yourself to sit back, eyes closed, and just listen, the album comes alive into this full-fledged work of audio art.

Overall, Born to Die is pure art. From the gleaming lyrics to the swaying beats to Del Rey’s darkly enchanting voice, the album is very stunning. Lana Del Rey’s take on music is completely different from what I’ve seen before, and there is indeed something irresistible about her aloof, bad-girl attitude. There are tiny rings of familiarity that I can’t quite seem to place, but the best I can do is describe Del Rey as an elegant Ke$ha and a reserved Taylor Momsen from The Pretty Reckless. However, her sound is completely her own, and perhaps it’s the alluring gloom, or the dark paradise, or just the concept of simple beauty in music  that draws me to it so completely; perhaps I’ll never know what exactly it is. All I know is that Lana Del Rey has officially changed my perspective on what good music is, and it is very likely that I will never go another day without the auditory gold of Born to Die.

You should all go to the zoo and visit the penguins, before it’s too late!

Take it Slow

Junior Achievement of Southern Alberta is hosting an event called the World of Choices. If you are a young woman in Grade 10 or 11, you are invited to join local female career ambassadors as they share exciting aspects of their work. You will be exposed to a variety of career possibilities and will have the opportunity to learn about the education and qualifications necessary to fulfill your chosen career path. You will leave this forum excited about your future and better equipped to meet the challenges of today’s work world.

If you’re wondering how it works, then here’s a description from the registration form:

Get set for an exciting, fast-paced morning where you get the chance to talk with some amazing women in your community. The day will start with registration where you will find out who you will speak with throughout the day. Throughout the morning, you will circulate through 5 sessions to meet and interact with women from 5 different career backgrounds. As part of the application package, you will choose your top 5 career interests. We will then match you up with at least 2 of these choices. The other 3 will be strategically selected for you. After all, this event is geared toward exposing you to your ‘World of Choices’, which means that we not only want you to find out more about what you think you want to do, but also show you about some of the other exciting possibilities out there.

I’m too old for this event, but it sounds super exciting and awesome! Here are some more details for you:

Date: Friday, May 25, 2012
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch will be provided.
Location: The University of Calgary, MacEwan Hall A
Cost: FREE: Local businesses and individuals will be sponsoring participants for this event by providing a $100 bursary to cover your registration fee.

Send inquiries to:

Akash Bir, Manager- High School Programs
Junior Achievement of Southern Alberta
abir@jasouthalberta.org
P: 403-781-2583
F: 403-261-6988