But Wait, No Character Development?Director Joss Whedon, who combines cerebral humor (“Buffy, the Vampire Slayer”) with a broad sentimental streak (“Toy Story 1”) and even a sense of parody (“Cabin in the Woods”), was not the first to come to mind for “The Avengers.” Yet in a logistical triumph, he has woven together a hectic story from a wide selection of Marvel Comics superheroes. The movie is like a bag of miniature chocolate bars: Your favorites are mingled with ones you don’t like so much, but you buy the bag anyway for the ones you like. For fanboys and comic book geeks, this is a relief. Their anxiety that Whedon might change or destroy the essence of their idols — Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye and ultra-hunky Thor — was needless. Whedon has mixed reverence with the wink of self-referential humor that makes the film watchable and even agreeable for an audience that may otherwise not take a gaggle of grown men (and one woman) dressed in capes, spangles and spandex seriously. Not all superheroes were created equal, of course. Just recall, if you saw them, the differences in excitement and interest between the terrific “Iron Man 1,” and “Captain America” or “Thor.” Whedon’s genius in “The Avengers” — yes, all seven superheroes have been summoned by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, playing, well, Samuel L. Jackson) to join together to save the world from invaders from the planet Asgard — is to make drama out of the tensions between the superheroes, who have been accustomed to operating on their own and in their own movies. Whedon has enlisted a terrific cast to fight his cinematic war, some coming from earlier films, some new. Best, as expected, is Robert Downey Jr. as Stark the Ironman, the rich playboy with the witty, acid tongue that can puncture pieties like so many balloons. His continuing bantering doesn’t sit well with the strait-laced, priggish Captain America of Chris Evans, who seems to find smiling and laughing dangerous. Gwyneth Paltrow is seen briefly at the beginning and end as Stark’s tart assistant, Pepper Potts. Then there is the leering, smug Asgardian villain Loki (Thor’s brother, by the way) of Tom Hiddleston, who gives a villainously charming, if somewhat one-note performance. Newcomer Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”) is a quiet Hawkeye, and Scarlet Johansson is a clever, if underused, spy/assassin as Black Widow. (Whedon frequently comments, but only with his camera, on how well she fills out her clinging bodysuit.) No surprise, perhaps, is the quiet, winning performance of Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner, aka the Incredible Hulk. With his modesty, charming little smile, nerdy glasses and total self-effacement, Ruffalo triumphs where Eric Bana and even Edward Norton failed: His transformation into the uncontrollable rage of Hulk is both believable and shocking. The film’s script is often droll, and Whedon serves up a banquet of spectacle. Giant scaly beasts slithering through Midtown Manhattan accompanied by soldiers flying around in airborne chariots are stunning, even if the ultimate battle lasts too long. An aircraft carrier that can fly — yes, friends, fly — is another dazzler. Overall, the dialogue and pacing are electric, the performances top-notch. Set design and cinematography are very fine, although I saw no added value in the 3-D version with its higher ticket price. Some movies, maybe most, just don’t need it. So what’s not to like? There is little character development, but many will know the characters and their stories from previous movies. Then, too, there is the lack of emotional resonance. Part of the problem is that there are just too many characters demanding attention to focus on any one, as you can in the best Spiderman or Batman films. After delighting in all the slam-bang and the witty dialogue, you may find “The Avengers,” for all its intelligence and spectacle, an empty enterprise. “The Avengers” is playing at The Moviehouse in Millerton, NY, the Triplex Cinema in Great Barringtom, MA, the Cinerom in Torrington and elsewhere. It is rated PG-13 (no swearing or sex in Marvel comics?) and lasts 143 minutes.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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