"The Avengers" (2012): I took my son to see this the other weekend, and we had a great time with it--classic entertainment, good Joss Whedon script, super special effects, plenty of action and humorous banter between the characters. Okay, maybe the character development was somewhat lacking, but the movie more than made up for that in everything else it offered.
   This movie even had a plausible story: Thor's brother Loki is on another power trip, and has found a way to open a door into our world so that alien invaders known as the Chitauri can come through and take over Earth. Loki's prize is the powerful energy source called the Tesseract, but he first takes over the minds of several key characters (including Dr. Selvig) and puts them to work on his plans. Samuel L. Jackson's character Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. escapes Loki and his henchmen, and begins gathering the heroes together to fight the invasion as a team. Unfortunately, the Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, the Black Widow, and Thor have to figure out how to work together first. Once that is accomplished, the fun begins, as they battle the invading aliens and their warships over Manhattan. Effects were superbly done, and the actors were really into their parts. Chris Evans and Robert Downey, Jr. did well set against each other and I enjoyed their banter, and Scarlett Johansson was interesting as Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow. Chris Hemsworth makes a great Thor, and Mark Ruffalo did very well as Bruce Banner, "who's always angry." There were great scenes between Iron Man and Thor fighting each other in the woods, with Loki looking on; Black Widow defeating her captors after she's called to work early in the picture; the Hulk annihilating Loki--"puny god," he mutters to himself; the battle over Manhattan with the mechanical lizard like warships slithering around and through the skyscrapers. Lots of action, explosions, chases, fighting--a wonderful feast for the eyes. Excellent entertainment on a Friday afternoon. My son and I both enjoyed it. Joss Whedon did a wonderful job with this movie, and my hope is that he will continue to do more of them.

ANNE OF CLEVES: Henry VIII's Discarded Bride by Elizabeth Norton, 2009.

When I was shelving bios the other day I found this title, shocked that I did not even know a recent biography of Anne of Cleves had been published. She has always been my favorite of Henry's multiple wives--not sure why--Because she was German? Not so pretty as the others? Somewhat socially awkward? She kept her head? I don't really know the reason, but I've always admired her in that she managed to survive her marriage to Henry and to outlive him and all the other wives as well, living long enough to ride along in her stepdaughter Mary Tudor's triumphant procession into London as Queen.
   Evidently, according to a promo in the back of this volume, Elizabeth Norton is writing a biography of each of Henry VIII's wives. If this account is any example, they should be fine for popular reading. In writing this biography of Anne of Cleves, Norton has used a number of primary sources, especially published state papers, and her secondary sources include works by scholars Retha Warnicke, Antonia Fraser, David Loades, and Alison Weir.
   How Anne became Queen of England is well known: Henry VIII, after Jane Seymour's death, began casting about Europe for a fourth wife, and after much looking around and due to political expediency, settled on Anne, a daughter of the Duke of Cleves. Unfortunately, the marriage was not a success for various reasons, almost all on Henry's side. Anne, for her part, realizing her frightening situation as the wife of such a king, agreed to a divorce and was able to live out her days as the "King's sister," receiving the largest divorce settlement in English history. I found the author's section concerning Anne's genealogical connections (especially to Henry VIII--they were distant cousins through the Plantagenets) and Anne's early family life interesting, but I was even more intrigued by what her life was actually like after Henry VIII died. Norton includes accurate details of Anne's relationships with her stepchildren, with Henry's last two wives, Catherine Howard and Katharine Parr, and her somewhat troubled financial situation (especially during Edward VI's brief reign). The idea that she might possibly remarry or move back to her native Cleves made for interesting reading, especially since I had always read that she wanted to remain in England and had no desire to return to Cleves. A helpful genealogical chart, notes, and index are included, and the insert of photographs added tremendously to the text. Agreeably written and fairly brief, I would recommend this as a good introduction to Anne's life. Anne of Cleves deserves a serious and extensive biography, but until that appears, this work is certainly adequate for most readers.