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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book 10 things to know for Friday Orthodox Church raising funds to build new home 10 things to know for Thursday What does Uncle Foods weekly dinner mean to you? Education Ashland Middle School students put their Spanish-speaking skills to the test Grizzlies claim speech championship Levy backers eye final push Neal Simon: This is a test Grade-school philanthropist Environment Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Stopping fire in its tracks Some trails, roads remain closed due to controlled burn Earth Day: Hope for our 'pale blue dot' Business Ride & Drive: 2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupe Ashland Safeway closes Thursday, to reopen as Haggen on Sunday Cars We Remember: Car enthusiast wishes new model designs were ‘more different’ Ride & Drive: 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Silvio Calabi: Taxis and traffic in the olde worlde Politics and elections Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Gray's death Arthur I. 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Our View: Waging peace after war Our View: Rail car roulette Our View: Reading the tea leaves Letters Letters to the Editor, May 8 Letters to the Editor, May 6 Letters to the Editor, May 5 Letters to the Editor, May1 Letters to the Editor, April 30 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Restoring the Plaza's sense of place Guest Opinion: Making conservation a game Guest Opinion: A good day to act Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Guest Opinion: Fremont cottonwood is not a hazard Columns Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s important election – in royal political context Matthew T. Mangino: Aging prisoners: An American crisis Jeffrey Gillespie: Is there a right to offend? Editor's Notes: This, that and the other Mochas, Midrash and Mysteries: Balancing the gift and the task Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest Movie listings: May 8-14 Dancing People Company presents 'Salon Series' 5 picks for live entertainment Prepare for lots of dialogue in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability 'Arsenic and Old Lace' has killer charm Some OSF crew members seek to unionize Music The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Interview: Country singer Suzy Bogguss enjoying life on the road The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour The Farr Side: Slow disappearance of physical music Visual Art Movies Movie review: ‘Hot Pursuit’ is a hot mess George Miller returns to his ‘Mad Max’ roots Tom Hardy adapts to life as Mad Max Movie listings: May 8-14 Prepare for lots of dialogue in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' Food and Drink Taqueria Picaro takes over Tabu space Owner of Mix and Amuse to bring Flip burger joint to Ashland Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Looking Up: Once in a while a star blows up Health Watch: Easy tips to drink more water throughout the day Orthodox Church raising funds to build new home Antionette Kerr: Mother’s Day founder challenged commercialism Breathe easier with whole-house air purification Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Mocha Musings Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book ... Our View: Forest work is a bargain ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, May 8 ... Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book ... Our View: Forest work is a bargain ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, May 8 ... Movie review: 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' knows how to party By Christopher Lawrence The Las Vegas Review-Journal DailyTidings.com By Christopher Lawrence The Las Vegas Review-Journal Posted May. 1, 2015 @ 12:01 am By Christopher Lawrence The Las Vegas Review-Journal Posted May. 1, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> We already know, since Marvel announced its schedule for the next decade or two, that the third “Avengers” installment will be subtitled “Infinity War — Part One.” But it would be just as crowd-pleasing — not to mention $200 million or so cheaper — if the studio instead went with “The Avengers: After Dark,” “The Avengers: House Party” or even “The Avengers: Pajama Jammy Jam.” That’s because, despite the many, many (perhaps too many) action scenes, there’s simply nothing as entertaining anywhere in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” as seeing these characters we’ve gotten to know over the course of nine blockbusters as they take time to relax and unwind. For a party at Avengers Tower, no one’s in costume. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) might as well be wearing a smoking jacket. It’s just this dysfunctional work family, including Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), and their friends — ranging from War Machine (Don Cheadle) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) to random World War II veterans befriended by Captain America (Chris Evans) — drinking, flirting and goofing on each other. And it’s terrific. Although because this isn’t every other episode of “Entourage,” returning writer-director Joss Whedon decided there needed to be a plot. “Age of Ultron” wastes about 10 seconds before the first full-on battle, with all six Avengers taking on HYDRA agents in the woods of the Eastern European nation of Sokovia. Their teamwork has improved quite a bit since we last saw them. Most noticeably, Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) has become more comfortable Hulking out, and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) has developed a way to soothe the savage beast. It’s our first glance at their developing romance. (While he’s Banner, that is. The alternative would be, well, ouch.) That battle is also our first look at the Maximoff twins, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen), aka Scarlet Witch, and Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), aka Quicksilver, whose parents were killed when Stark Industries bombs destroyed their village. They’ve both been “enhanced,” in keeping with Marvel’s inability to utter the word “mutant,” which is wrapped up in Fox’s “X-Men” rights. Although, because of a loophole, both franchises were able to use the speedy Quicksilver. He was cooler in “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” but more integral here. Scarlet Witch, meanwhile, is able to get inside people’s minds and make them hallucinate their worst fears. Take away her telekinesis and she just as easily could have been code-named Brown Acid. By capturing the HYDRA research facility, the Avengers regain possession of Loki’s scepter, which Stark and Banner secretly use to jump-start the peacekeeping plan known as Ultron. “I see a suit of armor around the world,” Stark says of his program that would protect the planet from further alien invasions. Things do not go well. The artificial intelligence “escapes” almost instantaneously, builds himself a body out of spare robot parts and, through the smug vocal stylings of James Spader, declares war on the Avengers. The only way to protect Earth, Ultron reasons, is to rid it of superheroes. From Stark’s Hulkbuster suit to a Wakanda shout-out, there’s plenty in “Age of Ultron” for die-hards to geek out over. After a rash of movies where entire cities were devastated with zero regard for the human toll, it’s refreshing to see the Avengers focus on saving people one or two at a time while the fate of the world is once again at stake. But the overstuffed finished product feels like the result of too many plot threads left on the cutting room floor. (Some reports claimed Whedon’s first cut was more than an hour longer.) And, with the exception of one brief slow-motion scene, in which eleventy-something heroes take on four times that many robots, the big action set pieces are too jumbled to work. They’re technically proficient, but I couldn’t recall much about them on the ride home. Thankfully, though, there are more than enough character moments to compensate. As usual, Downey’s Stark saves the day with his flurries of asides and bons mots. But everyone involved in “Age of Ultron” earns a couple of solid laughs. Captain America’s earnest squareness continues to make him the butt of jokes. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is more down to Earth, literally and figuratively. And Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is finally fleshed out, even earning the chance to acknowledge the ridiculousness of his trying to save the planet — alongside a man in a flying metal suit, an alien god and a giant, green monster — armed with only a bow and arrow. The Avengers, we’re told, are greater than the sum of their parts. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is not. But it still boasts some pretty incredible parts. And one heck of a party. Review: “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” 141 minutes. PG-13; intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence and destruction, and for some suggestive comments. Grade: B-. By Christopher Lawrence The Las Vegas Review-Journal DailyTidings.com By Christopher Lawrence The Las Vegas Review-Journal Posted May. 1, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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