By Dave Montalbano

www.AdventuresofCinemaDave.com

The hype for Marvel’s The Avengers began quietly four years ago after the credits in an empty theater when the crowd departed “Iron Man.”

Sgt. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) surprised Tony Stark, alias Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and asked him to join “the Avenger’s Initiative.”

When The Hulk, Thor and Captain America were introduced, the “Avenger’s Initiative” began to take form, a plan to unite the afore-mentioned superheroes and their sidekicks in defense of planet earth.

Sgt.Fury’s precaution proved to be justified, as Thor’s brother and demi god, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), plots to enslave planet Earth. For the first time in four movies, Sgt. Fury appears worried. Picking up where the previous movies left off, Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Dr. Bruce Banner, alias Hulk, (Mark Ruffalo) are assembled.

With great superpowers, come great egos.

Upon their first meeting, Thor and Iron Man get into a fistfight. Captain America can’t understand his teammate’s narcissistic tendencies, while Dr. Bruce Banner tries to keep his temper in check. Until the Avengers learn how to play well with each other, Loki’s road to world domination seems assured.

From this point, Marvel’s The Avengers crosses the wall from fantasy to reality, especially given the high expectations of this superhero team up and box office potential. The astronomical box office records for a non-holiday weekend are now a given, but the plot, characters and spectacle remain variables. Until you see the movie…

Director and co-writer Joss Whedon managed to give every Avenger and their sidekicks a moment to shine with great visuals and brilliant dialogue about teamwork, sacrifice and individual heroism. This film is so insightful and relevant, Coach Erik Spoelstra should take the Miami Heat to go see this movie to motivate them to sweep the NBA crown.

Beyond the clarity of vision, Marvel’s The Avengers presents simple moments of subtle depth. When Loki makes his first cruel appearance in Germany and demands that people kneel before him, it is the courage of one elderly individual who refuses, based on memory of the Nazi tactics. This little moment teaches a major history lesson about living a life in freedom.

Are heroes an old fashioned notion? Marvel’s The Avengers debates this question with good old-fashion popcorn eating fun. Yep, this film will be on my Top 10 list for 2012.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

This Saturday at 6 p.m., the fastest two minutes in sports commences at the Kentucky Derby. Like the Superbowl and World Series, the

Kentucky Derby is a transcendental sport that gives everybody an excuse to party, even without being a fan. Unless there is Triple Crown contention, the spotlight will fade after this competition.

While The Cup is about the Melbourne Cup Race and NOT the Kentucky Derby, this film explains what goes behind stables leading up to the championship spotlight. Based on a true story, this film focuses on the Olivers, a family with a pedigree as horse jockeys.

As Jason Oliver (Stephen Curry) prepares for the race of his life, the 2002 Melbourne Cup, his only brother dies in a practice run. In cruel irony, The Oliver father died in a similar fashion when Jason and his brother were children. With the big race days away, the ethical question arises, should Jason race or not?

Without too many bells and whistles, The Cup is a straight forward drama. The action scenes raise it to a higher level when the Melbourne Cup begins. While performances are adequate, Brendan Gleeson steals the show as the stoic mentor to the Oliver family.

For those seeking lightweight comedy, the Farrelly brothers entertaining tribute The Three Stooges fills the bill. A victim of 11 years of expectation, this film features Sean Hayes as Larry, Chris Diamantopoulos as Moe and Will Sasso as Curly.

The film strings together three short subjects and presents an original story about why these three guys stay with each other, despite slaps, pokes and harmless eye gouging. While the belly laughs are inconsistent, this film is full of loving details.

Given the recent headlines about testimony given by Jennifer Hudson regarding the true-life murder of her family, her cinematic gospel, backed up by the Stooges, is pure joy. The slapstick is epic, but details like these will warm your heart.

When The Avengers opens tomorrow, Cabin in the Woods will likely be pushed aside. Co-written by Joss Whedon (Ironically, the director of The Avengers), this horror film has developed a cult following through wordof- mouth. Part H.P. Lovecraft, part Jason Voorhees, part Hunger Games, Cabin in the Woods fulfills this monster maven’s expectations and is pure popcorn-eating Saturday matinee fun. Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

With the unseasonable chill in the air and the dawn of the summer blockbuster season, sometimes an odd film is released and the timing is perfect, such is the case for Monsieur Lazhar. Oscar-nominated for best foreign language film, Monsieur Lazhar relates to Florida students and teachers in their final month of the school year.

Set in Montreal, the film opens in a snowy schoolyard with children in recess. As per classroom routine, a little boy brings the snack to the classroom before recess ends. When he opens the classroom door, the little boy finds his teacher hanging from the ceiling in a successful suicide.

Enter Monsieur Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag), an Algerian refugee who offers his services as a substitute school teacher. While the principal expresses concern over teaching credentials and the children find the Algerian’s teaching methods disruptive, Lazhar instinctively begins the healing process for the community.

For classroom authenticity, Monsieur Lazhar is a truthful motion picture. The emotional pain is real. However, youth has a way of distracting it with humor. The poker-faced Lazhar accepts this childlike behavior, yet his pain in private life is just as comparable.

With Sun Fest coming next weekend, May 2-6, to the north of us, and the welcome return of the Ft. Lauderdale Air Show this weekend, a quiet film like Monsieur Lazhar should not be lost in roar of the engines and the high decibels of a Fender Amplifier. It opens tomorrow at the Living Room Theater on the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) campus.

If you go Friday night, the Living Room Theater will host a red carpet Meet & Mingle Networking Drive event for the Palm Beach County Filmmakers. This event will raise funds for Caught in the Middle, which was written by students for students.

And in the spirit of shameless self promotion, autographed copies of The Adventures of Cinema Dave in the Florida Motion Picture World will be sold for $25. Each sale will include an artifact from the “Cave of Cinema Dave”, something Monsieur Lazhar would be proud to own.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

The 17th Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) wraps up tonight in Palm Beach Gardens.

Most of the films, especially the documentaries, proved to be serious fare. After viewing Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story and Free China: The Courage to Believe, one leaves the theater feeling annoyed by trivial topics like parking meters, bad customer service and chasing the brass ring of social circles.

Besides attending the world premier screening of Zombie Hamlet, Actress June Lockhart accepted her lifetime achievement award at the beautiful Lake Pavilion on the Waterfront in West Palm Beach. In her 15-minute acceptance speech, Lockhart talked about citizenship. She is actively involved in Los Angeles charities like International Hearing Dog and helps raise funds for Santa Monica Police Department Mounted Patrol and Big Band of Barristers. Though she was the fictional matriarch in Lost in Space, in reality, Lockhart has been an advocate for the N.A.S.A space program.

When asked about the future of N.A.S.A, June answered, “There is a great necessity for private companies to get involved. They have always been involved. There is so much science that comes out of research and it pays dividends.”

Being third generation thespian, Lockhart is very grounded in her approach to show business.

She said, “It is not a matter of survival, regarding work. Dad (Gene Lockhart) told me to audition for its own sake, meet the people, but don’t sweat an audition. Therefore, there is not pressure to get the job. It is only a means to an end.”

There is life after PBIFF.

Tomorrow night, at the Movies of Delray (7421 W. Atlantic Ave.), producer Zack Norman will attend the 7 p.m. screening of his ensemble comedy, Overnight, which will also be playing at the Muvico Pompano (2315 N. Federal Hwy).

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

In the past five years, The Avengers has easily become the most hyped comic book movie since the end credits of Iron Man. At the 2008 Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF), Iron Man’s costar Sayed Badreya walked the red carpet promoting his short subject Prisoners.

(This weekend, Badreya will be seen as an orderly in The Three Stooges).

Standing by my side on the red carpet was a Deerfield Beach High School student and photographer, Jeremy Emmerman. Look for Jeremy’s name at the end credits of The Avengers; he was one of the photographers.

Jeremy’s story is just one example of how PBIFF impacts our community on a local level. Two years ago, the festival was rumored to be going extinct, but last year’s fest revealed its resiliency; it has outlasted two competing festivals. This year, the staff, board and volunteers took additional steps to be more inclusive with the community.

The fact that PBIFF returns to Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center is a major bonus to our local community.

Formerly the Cartoon Museum, the screening room on the second floor will feature two fine documentaries about Jewish culture and Israel on Sunday afternoon – Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story and Violins in Wartime.

Set against the backdrop of the second Lebanon war of 2006, Violins in Wartime features master violinists teaching a music class to young prodigies who have gathered in Israel. Through the horrors of war, music provides solace for dark times.

This 50-minute documentary provides the intimate carpentry of Amnon Weinstein the Violin maker, the film’s central character. Master Soloist Ida Haendel, one of the master soloists in the film, will be at the 4 p.m. screening.

For those who feel like venturing to Palm Beach Gardens or Lake Worth venues, visit http://pbiff.festival genius.com/2012/schedule/ week for more details about screenings and events.

Who knows? One might see a local celebrity … like the return of Eric the Doorman this year!

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Exciting news for locals – The 17th Annual Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) will have many events right here in Boca Raton at the Mizner Cultural Arts Centre.

Highlights of the festival include June Lockhart, an actress since the 1930s, receiving a Lifetime Achievement award in West Palm Beach.

In 1938, Lockhart made her screen debut in A Christmas Carol, playing one of the Cratchit children. Her real parents, Gene and Kathleen Lockhart, played Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit.

In the 1950s, she was Lassie’s mommy and, in the 1960s, she was the matriarch in “Lost in Space.”

In the 1970s, she smashed sexual stereotypes by portraying a medical doctor on Petticoat Junction. Still active on the independent film circuit, she will be screening her latest film at PBIFF, Zombie Hamlet, which co-stars Shelley (Cheers) Long.

Speaking of Hamlet, Alex Hyde-White directs and stars in Three Days (of Hamlet), a documentary about a stage production of Hamlet. In three days, he confronts actors and the ghost of his own father, British Character actor Wilfrid Hyde-White.

This year, PBIFF will present some good documentaries. Be on the lookout for the following films:

• 7 Years Underground: A 60s Tale, which pre-dates Woodstock, is a documentary about Café Au Go Go and features unseen footage of stars like Lenny Bruce and Cass Elliot as a waitress in Greenwich Village.

• In Cartoon College, young people go to cartoon college in New Hampshire to become the next Walt Disney or Robert Crumb. This documentary features endearing students, some with learning disabilities, and caring teachers who love their craft.

• Los Dioses De Verdad Tienen Huesos (True Gods Have Bones) shows young doctors trying to move people from Guinea Bissau, an impoverished environment, to Europe, only to have their mercy mission bogged down by bureaucratic red tape.

• The Lost Bird Project features the wood sculptures of birds that have become extinct, created by Todd McGrain. These sculptures can be found all over the United States, including one statue in Florida.

• Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story (from Israel) is a documentary about the older brother of the Israel Prime Minister. As the squad leader, Yoni contributed to the raid on Entebbe, circa 1976.

• Totem & Taboo (from Canada) makes its world premier.

• eMANNzipation is a German dark comedy about domestic abuse against men.

Schedule: http://pbiff. festivalgenius.com/2012/schedule/week.

Enjoy your seder or have a Happy Easter!

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

For all of the marketing hype surrounding The Hunger Games, it is hard to believe that this young adult novel by Suzanne Collins was published less than four years ago.

This book has definitely struck a nerve with popular culture that is multi-generational. At the screening I attended, the theater was filled with senior citizens seemingly enthralled with the film.

Set in the not-too-distant future, the film takes place in the United States of America, which has fallen and been rebuilt into the 12 Districts of Panem. To recall the rebel uprising that caused the fall of the U.S.A., the totalitarian government selects 24 teenagers (two from each district) to be sacrificed in the nationally television sports/reality television show The Hunger Games. These young people (called Tributes) are chosen by lottery to forge for food and outlast their 23 competitors.

Meet Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who has had experience hunting for food with a bow-and-arrow since her father died in a mining accident. She becomes a 12 District Tribute with her neighbor Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), the son of a baker who had a long, unrequited crush on Katniss. The pair enter the Hunger Games as rivals and allies.

Part one of a trilogy, The Hunger Games is science fiction myth more in common with Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and George Orwell’s 1984 than Star Wars and John Carter.  The message is important, but a satirical sense of humor keeps the story from being mundane. Other than two poorly-edited fight scenes, the film lives up to the hype of the novel.

Stanley Tucci and Toby Jones portray two foppish commentators who narrate The Hunger Games. Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson also  portray broad characters, though with far more depth than the characters played by Tucci and Jones.

As the leading lady, Lawrence deserves kudos. Given her persona in Winter Bone and X-Men First Class, Lawrence enhances her image as the central character. Hutcherson offers strong support without upstaging. Silent scenes between these two are just as interesting as brutal action sequences.

• For those seeking live entertainment and a show, Cinema Paradiso will be presenting Invisible Bands, a documentary about South Florida’s punk rock scene circa 1979 – 1985.  If you recognize bands like The Eat, The Reactions, The Front, The Cichlids and Charlie Pickett & The Eggs, you may want to check out Cinema Paradiso Saturday night! www.fliff.com.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

This week’s column will review three distinctly different motion pictures. Each one of these films will satisfy their respective ticket buyer.

The box office has not been too kind to John Carter and some mainstream critics have denounced the film as clichéd. What these critics overlook  is that author Edgar Rice Burroughs is the father of all science fiction cliché novels that spawned  films like Star  Wars, Star Trek and Indiana Jones.

From beginning to end, John Carter provides two hours of visual candy featuring water, air, fire and a showdown between  the armies of good and bad guys.

Once this film leaves the Museum of Discovery IMAX Theater to make room for Wrath of the Titans, expect John Carter to crash land at the Box Office.

What it lacks in special effects, Musical Chairs makes up for with pure drama. E.J. Bonila portrays Armando, the son of a Spanish restaurant owner in New York City. Armando is a good provincial son, but he longs to dance (ballroom) in a competitive field.

He meets the beautiful Mia (Leah Pipes) who is in training for a big competition. After Mia and Armando have a quick dance in the studio, she steps out into the street and becomes a paraplegic.

From this tragedy, Armando displays true courage and compassion as he helps Mia overcome her handicaps, some physical but mostly with self esteem. Directed by Susan Seidelman, Musical Chairs is full of warmth and humor.

Last, but not least, is The Matchmaker, an Israeli film with English subtitles about a teen and his unforgettable mentor. In 2006, Arik learns that he is the beneficiary of Yankele Bride, the local “matchmaker” from Arik’s teen years.

This film is a memory piece, especially for people older than 40. We remember a world in which new music could be found listening to a friend’s reel-to-reel tape recorder. The posters on the wall did not celebrate marijuana, but John Wayne. The Matchmaker is the best new movie opening this weekend.

Join director Susan Seidel-man (Desperately Seeking Susan) for Q&As after screenings of her new movie Musical Chairs this weekend on Sunday, March 25, 1:30 p.m., Regal Delray 18, and 5:10 p.m. at Boynton Cinema.

By Dave Montalbano

Between the loud openings of The Lorax, John Carter and The Hunger Games  will be a quiet little French film starring Audrey Tautou titled Delicacy. Compared to the cinematic high-volume energy drinks aforementioned, this classy film is a sip of fine wine.

Best known for her work on Amelie and The DaVinci Code, Tautou portrays Nathalie, a newlywed with a successful job. For three years, Nathalie and her husband keep their puppy love alive. One day, the husband goes for his morning jog and gets run over by a car.

Grieving, Nathalie buries her emotions in her work. On her first date in romantic  Paris, she rejects the sexual advances of her boss. During  a routine office visit by  the shrubby Markus Lundl (Francois Damiens), the absent-minded Nathalie rises from her desk and kisses him.

The kiss proves to be the tipping point for Markus and Nathalie, as office politics and individual desires are mashed together. The tone becomes broader with many American cultural influences inserted into the narrative. Delicacy is such a sweet movie that one can expect an American remake in the not too distant future.

Yet, an American producer will unlikely be able to cast another Audrey Tautou. The film is in French with English subtitles, but Tautou’s performance translates beyond language. Whether depressed from grief or born again in love, Tautou reveals so much with a subtle glance.

As the goofy Swede Lundl, Damiens is given an international spotlight. At first, Damiens’ character is used for broad comic situations. It is in the final moments of Delicacy that he reveals a hidden strength that lets the audience know that Nathalie will be all right.

Don’t get me wrong, I am looking forward to seeing John Carter, The Hunger Games and The Three Stooges, but Delicacy is something special for a mature audience who enjoys romance.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

When Rango was announced as best animated feature at the Oscars, I came to a revelation. This was the first year I did not review any nominated animated motion pictures.

With the $70.5 million box office take over the weekend, I knew Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax would be the film for me to review this week.

Published 41 years ago, this 72-page easy reader was considered a serious children’s book that became required reading for Earth Day.

The Lorax told the story of a hermit named Once–ler, who was responsible for destroying all the trees in this particular neighborhood of Dr. Seuss.

After causing the departure of the Lorax, the guardian of the trees, the Once-ler tells his tale of woe to a child. With trademark Dr. Seuss wit and rhyme, The Lorax is a poignant fable about man-caused disasters.

If only the producers of Dr.Seuss’ The Lorax had the courage to be understated.

Instead, the audience is given a romantic subplot between characters voiced by Zac Efron and Taylor Swift, whose grandmother (Betty White) makes non sequitur statements that ultimately become profound pearls of wisdom.

As The Lorax, Danny De Vito sounds miscast as a nature god. We are given two chase sequences that are used to sell 3-D. The musical numbers are toe-tappers, but the tunes are not memorable.

Despite these flaws, there is no denying the entertainment value of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax for young children.

In particular, the early sequences in which young Once-ler moves into the forest and encounters singing bears and goldfish. With less frenetic actions, these are sweet moments.

Children will not forget the sad eyes of the animals when they are forced to leave the forest. It is a subtle moment that best presents the theme of conservation.

In a world where people don’t drink water from the tap, but purchase it in plastic bottles, Dr, Seuss’ The Lorax provides pointed criticism to consumer behavior.