Since we are at the height (well,
probably the downslope) of the summer blockbuster season we inserted a second date
night in the week to accommodate the latest entry into the Marvel universe with
Antman. I really didn’t know what to make of this going in as I’m not inured in
the intricacies of the above mentioned universe but I’ll watch anything Paul Rudd
does.
This movie is a bit of a departure
from the usual huge body blows of entertainment Marvel is justifiably famous
for. It succeeds by raining a relentless series of entertaining rabbit punches
though. Rudd plays a convict who selected to become the next Antman by Michael
Douglas. This allows the movie to reach back into the earlier Avenger timeline
and some really startling CGI to make Douglas appear young. It took me a while
to recognize Evangeline Lily as the female lead but she more than hold her own
in the impressive ensemble. Corey Stoll abandoned his hairpiece and lends some
great texture to the villain but this is Rudd’s movie and he delivers a new kind
of hero who’s a lot more grounded than the usual godlike Avengers. Although he
does let Michael Pena steal every single scene he appears in. Pena remains one
of the most interesting actors currently working. This movie works precisely
because it doesn’t aim for the usual overblown Avenger scenarios. It’s funny, smart,
and a lot of fun while I do mourn the thousands of CGI ants who sacrificed
their lives in the final battle.
I’m going to continue my diatribe
against the descent of national news organizations into complete mediocrity. While
there is a major war going on in the Middle East, Russia trying to reestablish
its empire, Europe teetering on insolvency, and a US presidential election
ramping up (with the caveat of not missing any more Trump coverage) the
following is an unedited list of the actual lead headlines from one of the major
network’s news website yesterday (I’m not kidding):
Teen's
Nosebleed Leads to 3 in Family Diagnosed With Dangerous Illness
Inside
Taylor Swift's Twitter Spat With Nicki Minaj
Prince
George Turns 2! Check Out 17 of His Cutest Photos
This
Photo of Hugging Dogs Inspires Rescue Before Euthanasia
Anthony
Geary Reflects on Playing Luke Spencer on 'General Hospital'
Is
a Lion Roaming the Streets of Milwaukee?
How
Curious Cows Helped Save a Stranded Baby Seal
Bindi
Irwin Opens Up About Dating
New
Horizons Reveals More of Pluto’s Secrets
How
New Dr. Seuss Book Was Discovered in a Box by His Widow
Who's
This Future Game Show Host Extraordinaire?
Julia
Roberts Lists Greenwich Village Apartment for $4.5 Million
I had to delve down two or three sub
menus before I came across any real “news”. I try to be an optimist and believe
in the future of our society but this gives me pause. The true guardians of
democracy are the unfettered press. As freedom’s watchdog private news media promotes
public scrutiny of governmental decision-makers. I am astounded by the sad condition
of Fourth Estate if this is an example of what they consider important. Maybe
we are headed for an idiocracy.
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