Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/290775
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 APRIL 2014 THIS WEEK 34 St James Cavalier Valletta Tel. 21 223200 Pietà (18) 20:45 Philomena (12A) 18:30 Met Opera Matinee - Werther – Massenet 15:00 Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Captain America: Winter Solider 3D (12A) 10:10, 13:00, 15:45, 18:30, 21:15 Need for Speed (12A) 14:30, 18:00, 20:50 Qlub Imwegggha (12A) 10:15 Rio 2 (U) 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15 Noah (12A) 10:30, 14:00, 17:45, 20:45 The Monuments Men (12A) 16:00, 18:25, 20:50 Non-Stop (12A) 13:45, 18:20, 20:55 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 300: Rise of an Empire (15) 14:20, 16:30, 18:30, 21:10, 23:15 Tinkerbell and the Pirate Fairy 3D (U) 14:20, 16:15, 18:20 Endless Love (12A) 21:05, 23:25 Mr. Peabody & Sherman (U) 14:15, 16:20, 18:40, 20:45 22:50 Need For Speed (12A) 14:20, 18:10, 21:00, 23:50 The Book Thief (12A) 14:25, 18:10, 20:50, 23:30 Captain America: The Winter Soldier 3D (12A) 14:30, 18:00, 20:55, 23:45 Rio 2 3D (U) 14:20, 16:25, 18:50, 20:50, 23:00 Blue Jasmine (12A) 14:15, 16:20, 18:40, 20:55, 23:05 Out Of The Furnace (15) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15, 23:40 The LEGO Movie (U) 14:00, 16:15, 18:30, 20:45, 22:55 That Awkward Moment (15) 14:25, 16:35, 18:45, 21:10, 23:15 Noah (12A) 14:30, 18:00, 21:00, 23:50 Non-Stop (12A) 14:15, 16:30, 18:50, 21:15, 23:40 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 300: Rise of an Empire (15) 10:45, 13:30, 15:50, 18:15, 20:55, 23:10 Need for Speed 3D (12A) 10:30, 13:55, 18:00, 20:50, 23:30 Non-Stop (12A) 10:35, 13:35, 15:55, 18:10, 21:00, 23:15 Captain America: The Winter Soldier 3D (12A) 10:40, 13:45, 18:05, 21:10 The Book Thief (12A) 10:30, 13:50, 18:00, 20:45, 23:20 Philomena (12A) 10:45, 13:45, 16:10, 18:20, 20:50, 23:00 August: Osage County (15) 10:50, 13:35, 16:05, 18:35, 21:05, 23:30 THE Marvel Studios movie ma- chine is one of the great success stories of 21st century enter- tainment. After spending years sub-contracting their trademark comic book properties – such as Spider-Man and the X-Men – to big Holly wood studios, with Iron Man (2008) they boldly decided to go their own way. If it was a risk, it's definitely one that has paid off. They had a master plan, of course, and it came in the form of Avengers Assemble (2012), the superhero-super team action bo- nanza which brought together a fistful of Marvel's heav y-hitters – most of which had already been introduced to worldwide audienc- es via previous, standalone films. It's a move that mimics the source material: back in the 60s, Marvel pioneered the concept of all their characters living in the same interconnected universe. It makes for a more immersive experience – there's something appealing to the idea of various superheroes being 'friends' and sharing the same space – but it's also, essentially, a killer market- ing move: you have to read/watch nearly everything Marvel puts out to keep abreast of the ongo- ing story. But more than anything, the film adaptations worked because Marvel understood just how jad- ed contemporary moviegoers are, and saw it fit to inject a wry sense of humour into their action- packed blockbusters. And Iron Man was the perfect prototype: starring Robert Downey Jr as the cynical industrialist-turned- superhero Tony Stark, it was a swaggering, often tongue-in- cheek summer film that managed to charm even an older audience that wouldn't go for superhero films by default. Captain America, on the other hand, was always going to be harder sell. Originally a propa- ganda-fuelled superhero (first ap- pearing in print in 1941, he fought Hitler in the original comics), the patriotic super-soldier belongs to a generation where unironic jin- goism was perfectly okay. Still, 'Cap's first post-Marvel Studios cinematic outing (2011's The First Avenger), with Chris Evans in the title role (civilian alter-ego: Steve Rogers) managed to be a fun-enough WWII period romp, whose potentially retro- grade trappings were justified by the fact that it remained, at the end of the day, a vacuum-sealed period piece (albeit one with a present-day coda). Its sequel, The Winter Soldier – competently directed by the unlikely team of Anthony and Joe Russo, the siblings behind the cult TV comedy Community – perhaps necessarily takes a darker turn. Having been cryogenically fro- zen and resurrected in the present day, World War II super-soldier Steve Rodgers/Captain America has become the erstwhile leader of The Avengers – a team of su- perheroes mobilised by defence agency SHIELD with the help of its leader, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Struggling to adapt to the morally compromised times, Rodgers becomes the victim of a conspiracy mushrooming within SHIELD itself. After their only ally within SHIELD is murdered, Rogers and fellow agent Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) are forced to go on the run. Determined to get to the bottom of the conspiracy, the duo have no choice but to charge into it head- on, with no helping hand in sight. But can they survive what ap- pears to be their enemies' secret weapon: a ruthless, apparently indestructible fighting machine going by the name of The Winter Soldier? The best thing about this sequel is that it's a superhero blockbust- er masquerading as an espionage thriller. (It's actually tempting to f lip that comparison over, but the – persistent, and expected – barrage of trademark Marvel one-liners and mega-explosions would render it slightly ridicu- lous.) It's an expert move that gives us a different kind of Marvel adventure while also sliding in some topical elements: bit of NSA here, bit of Wikileaks there. And although SHIELD collapsing in on itself like an inexpertly baked sponge-cake so quickly and sud- denly may be slightly hard to swallow, the development raises the stakes very, very high – up- ping the tension and keeping our heroes busy. The Russo brothers also turn out to be highly efficient action directors, a skill they show off with panache during the Winter Soldier sequences in particular. The titular antagonist is framed as a bona-fide threat in each shot he occupies: strutting over (in- evitably) battle-ravaged highways with a bionic arm, he's accompa- nied by unnerving music at every turn, and every punch he throws feels heav y and calculated. Though he felt like a piece of well-chosen stunt casting, Robert Redford may just be the weak link here. Taking on the role of senior SHIELD leader Alexander Pierce, he was clearly cast to further rein- force the link to vintage espionage thrillers such as Three Days of the Condor (1975), and judging by his stilted, sluggish performance, he didn't feel particularly motivated to actually instil his character with the necessary gravitas. But of course, you won't care. 'If it ain't broke don't fix it' is a cliché that may as well be tailor- made for Marvel Studios produce. The machine is well oiled as ever here, so may well just sit back and enjoy the ride… while waiting for the inevitable Avengers sequel all the while, of course. FILM IN CINEMAS TODAY By Teodor Reljic Against the day ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ SOLDIER ★ ★ ★ ★ BOLSTER ★ ★ ★ COMPOSURE ★ ★ FORECLOSURE ★ MOULDER CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (12) ★ ★ ★ Conflicting loyalties: Chris Evans returns as Captain America… but it's a darker world this time around YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt