The Avengers ****

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg
Director: Joss Whedon
Running Length: 2:22
MPAA Classification: PG-13

After years of build up, The Avengers delivers what was hinted at a few years ago in the post credit scene of Iron Man.  Of course, since Iron Man, we were treated to Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger; all of which only served to build the excitement and expectations that The Avengers would be forced to deliver upon.

The good news is that The Avengers does deliver, and then some.  The story revolves around Iron Man (Downey), the Hulk (Ruffalo), Thor (Hemsworth), Captain America (Evans), Black Wido (Johansson), Hawkeye (Renner), and Nick Fury (Jackson) banding together to stop Loki (Hiddleston) and his alien army from taking over the world.  Honestly though, the joy is in just seeing all of these heroes together finally.  Director Joss Whedon has crafted a story that is action packed and at times very funny.  He was a great choice for director, as he clearly understands the characters and the Marvel Universe in general.

All of the heroes are given pretty much equal time, so fans of individual heroes won't feel cheated.  What is interesting is that Mark Ruffalo, despite being new to the Avengers movie world, somewhat steals the show, both as Bruce Banner and the Hulk.  The Avengers is the best Hulk movie yet, surpassing both Eric Bana and Edward Norton's efforts.

Marvel has done something pretty impressive here.  Their long range plan has totally paid off, leaving DC in the dust.  Next up is the second phase of their Avengers plan, which will include Iron Man 3, Thor 2, and Captain America 2, and will culminate in Avengers 2 in a few years.  I, for one, cannot wait.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ***

Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo
Director: Michel Gondry

When introverted Joel (Carrey) meets extroverted Clementine (Winslet), sparks fly and romance blooms quickly. But their differences eventually divide them and the relationship ends abruptly in an explosion of meanness. Clementine decides to have Joel removed from her memory, and seeks the assistance of Dr. Mierzqwiak (Wilkinson) and his less than professional assistants (Wood and Ruffalo). When Joel discovers this, he decides to follow suit and remove Clementine from his mind. But Joel's memory is a tangled place, and soon he discovers that he does not want to lose the memories that he has. What follows is a foreword and backward journey through Joel's mind as he tries to hide his memories of Clementine from the "erasers". As usual, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman has produced an offbeat movie. Those looking for a typical Jim Carrey movie will be sorely disappointed. If you are looking for an off the wall romance in which almost anything can happen (after all, a good portion of the movie takes place in Joel's head), you will walk away with a smile on your face and the realization that all memories are a part of who we are and should never be forgotten.