Review: The Avengers

     Joss Whedon used to belong to the nerds. As the creator, director and main writer of the shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Whedon developed a devoted fan base of nerds. I'm not sure why it has taken this long for Hollywood executives to see the large market appeal of this fantastic writer. He handles emotion very well, and his creative plots always contain just the right amount of humor. The Avengers is Whedon's big budget debut, and it shows real promise for his career as a movie director in the future. I think the biggest key to Whedon's success with The Avengers is that he is a director who is passionate about the source material. When Martin Campbell directed Green Lantern in 2011, it flopped because the characters were handled poorly by a director with no appreciation for Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, most of Campbell's films beforehand were sleeker action movies like Casino Royale and The Legend of Zorro, not exactly typical nerdfare. It's a shame that what seems like an obvious principle in choosing a director for a movie is so often overlooked, but Whedon's familiarity with the Avengers Comics and the Marvel Universe make this movie a success.

The 5 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012

By Quinn Levandoski

The movies are getting more expensive all the time. I feel old because (and sad) because I can say “I remember when a large popcorn was only 5 bucks” and have younglings looks at me with magical wonder (and/or scared confusion). Tickets at my theater range from about 7 bucks to 12 or 13 depending on the show and time, and food costs an arm and a leg. Literally, I go to a theater for zombies. With going to the movies turning into less of a fun past-time and more of an investment every day, here are five movies (plus a few honorable mentions) that I think will be well worth your time and cash. The following list is in no particular order, because they’re all going to be awesome.

1. The Hobbit

Truth be told, the trailer released a while back for The Hobbit left me unimpressed. Something about the look of the dwarves rubbed me the wrong way, and the whole thing just didn’t portray the scale and intensity that it probably should have. That being the case, there’s not much doubt in my mind that the final product won’t be a pretty great flick. Peter Jackson, the man behind the three Lord of the Rings movies, is entering back into the realm of Middle Earth, and nothing up until this point gives me reason to believe that he won’t be just as skilled with Bilbo’s tale as he was with Frodo’s. Those that have read The Hobbit (which takes place before The Lord of the Rings) know that while the story may be a bit smaller in scale, it does offer some great moments and a suitably awesome concluding battle.