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.

He’s Just Not That Into You **1/2

Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson, Drew Barrymore, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Justin Long, Kevin Connolly, Kris Kristofferson
Director: Ken Kwapis
Running Length: 2:05
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Gigi (Goodwin) is getting dating advice from Alex (Long). Beth (Aniston) has been living with her boyfriend Neil (Affleck) for years, but he shows no signs of proposing marriage. Janine (Connelly) and Ben (Cooper) are married and have just bought a new house; but Ben is cheating on her with Anna (Johansson). Anna is currently seeing Connor (Connolly), but it isn’t that serious.

Like “Love, Actually” before it, “He’s Just Not That Into You” weaves multiple, related storylines together dealing with love and relationships. Unfortunately, it does not do so as well, and runs about fifteen minutes too long. There is a lot of star power here, and they do the best they can with what they are given, but only about half of the story lines work in any real way. Still, there is enough here to entertain many. This is best left for DVD if it must be seen.

Girl With a Pearl Earring ***

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Judy Parfitt, Cillian Murphy, Essie Davis
Director: Peter Webber

Girl with a Pearl Earring is a fictionalized account of what lead the artist Vermeer to paint the painting of the same name. The real events around the painting are unknown, so the movie is all conjecture. That being said, it is a plausible story. Griet, as a teenager, goes to work for Vermeer's family as a maid. Her parents cannot support her and this is how she is to take care of herself. Vermeer himself is the only member of the family that actually likes her, and she often helps him prepare his painting supplies as well as cleans his studio. Van Rujiven, Vermeer's patron develops an overly strong liking to Griet, and eventually commissions a painting of her which leads to a very tense household. Fine acting all around fills this interesting story of what could have been behind the creation of this painting.