By Michael S. Goldberger

Special to the Observer

Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers,” a superhero answer to Kellogg’s Variety Pak featuring Captain America, The Black Widow, Iron Man, The Hulk, Hawkeye and Thor, is like a 4th of July celebration, except that its fireworks finale lasts about sixty minutes. This is mostly dessert with little main course, a cacophonous sugar rush of special effects.

Any more of a plot than its simple, villain-from-outer space-come-to-dominate-us scenario would more than likely get crushed in the relentless whirligig, if not suffocated by the unremitting phantasmagoria. All of which makes it perfect for viewers who, since toddlerhood, have imbibed little else but total sensory onslaught for their entertainment.

Technologically speaking, we are formidably informed that cinema has finally caught up with, and is at long last capable of depicting, the full breadth and width of the genius comic book pioneer Stan Lee first unleashed when he penned Captain America in 1941. The icon serves as one of the executive producers. The filmic realization is authentic.

Pity is, as if beset with a juggernaut of a demon from another world he’d’ like to harness for the good of mankind, director Whedon faces a tragic dilemma. Forsake some of the lore and legend attending The Avengers in the cause of a more concise film, or just let it all out for everyone to mull? He compromises. That’s good in politics, not so good in art.

Thus, along the path of colorful, sometimes even beautiful rubble he strews across his motion picture landscape for a full two hours and twenty-two minutes, the more patient viewers will be able to pick and choose among the often un-cohesive parts. A glibness, provided mostly by Robert Downey, Jr.’s Tony Stark, helps to keep matters buoyant.

But the real challenge to this convocation of superheroes is in adapting the accepted style to more than one champion. Traditional form dictates some back story for each hero, including origin and idiosyncrasies. Now you have to add the gossip and group dynamics, the stuff inherited from their literary templates, the gods of Greek myth.

This all takes time. But hopefully not too much, because if ever there were a moment we needed these great forces of good to stop quarreling and congeal, it is now. For hark, a villain worthy of their strengths has reared his head and informed that he plans to conquer the Earth. Loki, played by the classically trained Tom Hiddleston, is one bad rat fink.

Channeling the Führer, whose master race ranting surely inspired Lee’s original impetus to create a world-saving superhero, the fiend contends humankind begs to be subjugated. Oooh, we just hate the vacant-eyed…oh, I don’t even want to say what he is. Possessing not an iota of good, he’s eviler than even that unfair H.S. teacher you’ve never forgiven.

This is a job for Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. The proverbial brains behind the world-saving operation, S.H.I.EL.D., he’ll have to make like the NBA coach who must redirect his players’ egoistic dysfunctions if they’re to be a winning unit. It also means staving off the hindrances of a myopic government council. Yep, even world-saving has its red tape.

Patch over one eye, holding court at the control center in near floor-length black leather coat, he helps facilitate the film’s character exposition, apprising of his charges’ strengths and weaknesses, and in the process weaving his own web of power. No one is entirely exempt from scrutiny, which is probably the appeal of the Marvel Comics franchise.

There is always a suggested dark side. Late at night, under our covers with flashlight, we enthralled in these adventures of great import, and yes we found saviors. But they came with baggage, foibles that an adolescent reader in search of identity and meaning could find heartening. This translates to the screen, albeit arduously and with much obfuscation.

But individual portrayals are entertaining and almost save the day. Robert Downey, Jr. is a whip as Iron Man, a.k.a. billionaire genius-industrialist Tony Stark; handsome Chris Evans exudes perhaps the movie’s only undeniable font of virtue as Steve Rogers/Captain America; and Mark Ruffalo as both Bruce Banner and The Hulk is tons of contradiction.

Providing feminine charm, mystique and notorious deceptiveness is sexy Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, the Russian operative known in climes of skullduggery as the Black Widow. Rounding out the crew are Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye and muscular Chris Hemsworth as Thor, part god, part apologist for his half-brother Loki.

You see, each is a metaphor possessing a unique attribute, affirming that we are all special. I.e. – Mr. Stark is a techno-wiz; Captain America is brave beyond doubt; Hawkeye has unrivaled vision. And I, in my role as CriticMan, have the super chutzpah to think I can convince you to save money and wait until “The Avengers” plays Netflix.

“The Avengers,” rated PG-13, is a Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release directed by Joss Whedon and stars Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Tom Hiddleston. Running time: 142 minutes

Williston Central School’s May 12 performance of ‘Honk’ kept the audience enthralled with music, dancing and colorful costumes.

On May 9, CVU International students celebrated the school’s 2011-2012 EF Foundation Global Education Excellence Award.

Lund’s 4th Annual Mother’s Day Bike Ride drew a total of 450 participants. The event has raised $61,500 to date and fundraising continues until June 30.

More than 300 runners, walkers and volunteers came out on a warm, sunny Saturday for the 21st annual Vermont Respite House 5K Fun Run and Jiggety Jog on May 12 in Williston. The event raised $44,000 for the Vermont Respite House.

Thursday: SOUTH BURLINGTON HIGH, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday: at Milton High, 11 a.m.

Tuesday: BELLOWS FREE ACADEMY (St. Albans), 4:30 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse

Saturday: BELLOWS FREE ACADEMY, 1a.m.

Tuesday: at South Burlington High, 7 p.m.

Girls lacrosse

Friday: ESSEX HIGH, 4:30 p.m.

Monday: MONTPELIER HIGH, 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday: at Mount Mansfield Union, 4:30 p.m.

Golf

Thursday: at Newport Invitational, 8 a.m.

Friday: at Basin Harbor Club, 3 p.m.

Tuesday: at Cedar Knoll, 3 p.m.

Boys Tennis

Thursday: at Essex High, 3:30 p.m.

Saturday: COLCHESTER HIGH, 10 a.m.

Monday: MOUNT MANSFIELD UNION, 3:30 p.m.

Girls Tennis

Thursday: ESSEX HIGH, 3:30 p.m.

Saturday: At Colchester High, 10 a.m.

Monday: At Mount Mansfield Union, 3:30 p.m.

Track and Field

Friday and Saturday: Girls Decathlon at Essex High 3 p.m. and 10 a.m.

Saturday: at Hanover N.H. Invitational, time TBA

Wednesday: ESSEX HIGH, RICE MEMORIAL, 3:30 p.m.

HOME EVENTS IN CAPS

Schedules subject to change

A local resident called Williston Police on May 3 to report a “sick or injured rabbit” was in her driveway, according to police reports. Police investigated and discovered the woman’s neighbor had let five domesticated rabbits loose from their hutch “so they could get some exercise,” according to the report. The owner was located and told she had to keep the rabbits caged.

False pretenses

Noah Duncan, 21, of Bristol was cited on three counts of false pretenses as well as retail theft from Wal-Mart on May1, according to police reports. No other information was released.

Driving under the influence

• John S. Parenteau, Jr. 50, of Jericho was cited on a charge of driving under the influence on May 11, according to police reports. His blood alcohol concentration was .127, the report notes. The legal limit for driving in Vermont is .08. He was cited to appear in court.

On May12, Parenteau was again cited on a charge of driving under the influence, according to police reports. His blood alcohol concentration was .141, the report notes. He was cited to appear in court.

• Daniel Cotter, 30, of Williston was cited on a charge of driving under the influence on May 12, according to police reports. His blood alcohol concentration was .103, the report notes. He was cited to appear in court.

Multiple charges

Williston Police responded to a call from Best Buy on May 9 for a report of “unlawful trespass,” according to police reports. Police subsequently arrested Christopher Sanders, 26, of Winooski when he was coming out of Best Buy—he had been suspected of stealing video games and DVDs from Best Buy and Toys ‘R’ Us, according to police reports. Police recovered 42 video games, DVDs and electronics valued at $1,000 from the vehicle Sanders was in, the report notes. He was previously trespassed from Best Buy on Feb. 22 after stealing $300 worth of video games, according to the report. He was cited on three counts of unlawful trespass and one count of retail theft, according to police.  He was cited to appear in court on June 4.

Driving with suspended license

• Damian Gilderubie, 33, of Burlington was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license-criminal on May1, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court on June 4.
• David Raymond, 51, of Burlington was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license-criminal on May 3, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court on June 4.
• Ty Cobb, 50, of Georgia was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license on May 4, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.
• Samir Pasic, 30, of Essex Junction was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license on May 4, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.
• Steven D. LeClair, 44, of Williston was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license-criminal on May 11, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.

Observer correspondent

With eyes on the top seed in the Division 1 playoffs, coach Tim Albertson and his Champlain Valley Union High baseball team headed into the final 10 days of the regular season on Thursday with a home contest against South Burlington High.

Tuesday’s rained out affair with Missisquoi Valley Union will be made up at the Redhawks’ ball yard on Friday. Saturday brings a morning (11a.m.) coffee time appearance at Milton High.

Scheduled next week are a home game on Tuesday against Bellows Free Academy of St. Albans, a trip to Colchester High on Thursday and the make-up of a previously postponed contest at Middlebury Union High.

The Redhawks, despite getting their feathers ruffled in tight contests on Saturday and Monday at Vergennes Union and North Country Union, nevertheless scored 4-3 and 6-4 victories to hike their season mark to 9-1.

Senior Ryan Fleming moved from third base to the mound in late game situations in both contests to earn the wins, on Monday hurling two and one-third innings of two-hit ball as the Hawks were forced into the eighth inning before gaining the victory.

In the top of the extra frame, Albertson went to small ball, ordering a squeeze bunt that brought home two runs and the triumph over the stubborn 1-10 Falcons.

Curt Echo slugged three doubles, Drew Nick a homer and Tucker Kohlasch two hits for CVU. The Hawks tied the game at 4 in the top of the seventh after North Country took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to a two-run circuit clout.

Larry Halvorson mashed a double and drove in the winning run at Vergennes.

Nick unloaded a pair of hits while Tim Jones and Kirk Fontana joined Halvorson in the doubles club.

The busy schedule began Friday with a 5-1 victory at Rice Memorial, the only regular season meeting of the season for the Div. 1 semifinalists of last spring.

Fleming also finished the mound work, taking over for Nick in the bottom of the seventh after the senior righty brought heat for six innings, allowing but five hits and striking out nine.

CVU snapped a 1-1 tie in the top of the fourth on doubles by Halvorson and Echo, and Brendan Davitt’s two-run single.

Kohlasch boomed a triple to deep right leading off the top of the seventh, followed by Jeff Badger’s blue darter single to right, scoring Kohlasch.

Williston resident Tim Rensch, a righthander, pitched the distance for Rice and allowed eight hits.

“They (CVU) are a good team,” Rensch said after the game, adding that “Rice is young, but improving.”

“I am amazed at this spring, this conflagration 

Of green fires lit on the soil of the earth, this blaze

Of growing, these sparks that puff in wild gyration,

Faces of people streaming across my gaze.” 

— D.H. Lawrence from The Enkindled Spring

May, a riot of newly minted leaves, plants and herbs startles our appetites awake.  After a sleepy winter of predictable produce this is prime time to go wild and green savoring foods that are strictly seasonal. Watercress, mint, spring peas, asparagus and new potatoes are lovely ingredients to pair in a meal. Any potato that is harvested early is a new potato. New potatoes are crisp and waxy and high in moisture because they are picked before their sugars have converted to starch.

Wild Gyrations Salad

Scrub 3 pounds of new potatoes and place in a large skillet. Add enough water half fill the pan. Cover and simmer potatoes until slightly soft in center, about 20 minutes. Drain. Cover and reserve in pan.

Meanwhile clean and dry 2 bunches of watercress. Prep one pound of asparagus by snapping off bases; slice remaining stalks into 1-inch sticks. Heat a sauté pan medium-high with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté the asparagus until it begins to char a bit, about 5 minutes, turning often. Shell one pound of baby peas (or use one-half pound of baby snap peas, cut in half).

Walnut Dressing

In a jar with a cap combine one-half cup rough chopped walnuts, 1 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons Dijon vinegar, one-half cup lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper, and 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Shake vigorously. Taste to adjust seasoning.

Add potatoes to a large prep bowl. Use a fork to press lightly on the spuds, cracking them open a bit. Add asparagus and peas. Toss with desired amount of dressing and season with additional sea salt and fresh pepper.  On a large serving platter, arrange the watercress. Pour the vegetables over the watercress. Top with freshly chopped mint. Serves 6-8.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France.  She lives in Williston with her husband, Jeff; they have three twenty-something daughters who come and go. For archived Everyday Gourmet columns go to kimdannies.com.

A heavy weekend schedule for the Champlain Valley Union High track and field team begins on Friday with a freshman meet at Essex High starting at 3 p.m.

At the same time, the girls will open a two-day decathlon at Essex with Saturday’s continuation starting at 10 a.m.

Also on Saturday, boys and girls will be in Hanover, N.H. for an invitational event.

The Redhawks return home on Wednesday to play host to Essex High and Rice Memorial in a three-way meet.

Last Saturday, the girls earned victories in five events at the Iverson Relays at South Burlington High. The wins came in the triple jump, distance medley, 4 x 100, freshman sprint medley and freshman 4 x 100.

On Friday, the boys won the long jump and took four runner-up slots in the Bobwhite Relays at Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans.

Tough foes await CVU boys LAX team

The Champlain Valley Union High boys lacrosse team took a solid 9-3 record into Wednesday evening’s contest at Burlington High, a team the Redhawks handled 18-5 early in the season in Hinesburg.

But the final three games on the regular season schedule will be a challenge. An improving Bellows Free Academy of St. Albans will invade CVU’s Happy Hilltop on Saturday for an 11 a.m. encounter.

Then the Hawks take to the road and difficult assignments, both nocturnal. On Tuesday, they go to South Burlington High for a 7 p.m. start followed by a Friday night session at Essex, also at 7 p.m.

Last week was a good one for coach Dave Trevithick’s defending Division 1 champs. They rumbled past Mount Mansfield Union 11-5 on Wednesday on home turf. Last Friday, they scored a 13-6 triumph at Middlebury Union High.

At Middlebury, it was another Bulla Day as Chris knocked in five goals and Alex chalked up four. Chandler Jacobson tallied twice while Christian Goulette and Griffin Brady had one each.

Goulette had a trio of goals plus two assists in the Mount Mansfield victory. Alex Bulla fired three goals and Chris got two, as did Quinn Kropf. Steele Dubrul notched a singleton.

Home games Thursday, Friday for softballers

As a result of Tuesday’s rain, the Champlain Valley Union High softball team will have a three-day splurge starting on Thursday when South Burlington High comes to Hinesburg. Missisquoi Valley Union High rolls in on Friday after being postponed Tuesday.

The Redhawks will then travel to Milton High for a Saturday morning encounter.

A high point last week for 1-10 CVU came Thursday, a come-from-behind 7-6 victory at Rice Memorial High.

The game’s big swat came from Alannah Roy whose third hit of the game, a three-bagger, came in the top of the seventh and drove in Laurel Hubbert-Severance with the winning run. Hubbert-Severance had reached base on her third single.

Kenzie Roberts opened the two-run rally with a double before scoring the deadlocking run.

Freshman Bronwen Hopwood was the winning pitcher.

Essex next up for CVU boys tennis team

The Champlain Valley Union High boys tennis team will take a 5-6 record into its match at Essex High on Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

CVU lost by a narrow 4-3 margin to the Hornets earlier in the season at Shelburne. Essex, 8-2, is led by defending Vermont individual champion David Ro and his younger brother Daniel, both Williston residents.

Coach Frank Babbott’s Redhawks are coming off a 4-3 loss to Burlington High on Monday. Liam Kelly won an individual match for CVU while the doubles duos of Tyler-Murphy-Asa Cloutier and Tristan Arthaud-Josh Huber were victorious for the second time in three days.

At home to St. Johnsbury Academy on Saturday, Kelley, Joey O’Brien and David Keyes won singles matches to join the winning doubles teams in beating the Hilltoppers 5-2.

Late Tuesday sports results

In Tuesday competitions, the Champlain Valley Union High girls track and field team scored a triumph in a three-way meet at Burlington High while the boys finished third. The girls lacrosse team bowed under the lights at South Burlington High by a 14-7 count.

Dominating running events, the CVU girls tracksters wound up with 63 points to 51 for runner-up BHS and 42 for St. Johnsbury Academy.

The third place CVU boys got victories from Jared Keyes in the 800-meter run and Jerome White-Tyson in the long jump.

Brenna Gorman fired three goals as the Redhawks  lacrosse unit bowed to the strong 8-1 Rebels on their South Burlington turf.

— Mal Boright