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Movie Review: 'Captain America' takes on the bad guys

"Captain America," subtitled "the First Avenger," currently showing at the Fandango Galaxy cineplex in Carson City, is the fourth in the series of related comic book heroes brought to the screen.

And while it does live up to its pulp ancestry with lots of action and fantasy, it reportedly is a 124-minute promotional effort for a film to come, "The Avengers," all four heroes joining to save the world or do other good deeds.

But forget that, this Captain is a pretty tough guy, although with much less in the super-strength stuff than his predecessors. He starts out as a scrawny teen trying to enlist in the Army (It's post Pearl Harbor days, to set the time frame) as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). He's 4F-ed because of a medical history.

He's observed by Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) who decides he's the perfect candidate for his biological enhancement program and puts him in the lab after he has gone through basic training as a wimp, but he has a kind of angel in the person of busty Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) who is a sort of special agent in some spy outfit headed by Col. Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones who seems to walk through the role but does get off some good one liners).

Rogers gets dolled up in a Captain America outfit, complete with shield, and does some USO-type shows for the troops and is roundly booed. (The dancers who accompany him are a nice page from the comic book past).
Rogers gets fed up with his role and decides to take out some of the factories making weapons for the Hydra sub-Nazi group headed by Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving, in makeup which reduces his nose to a couple of nostrils, apparently the hottest villain fad in Hollywood these days).

The Captain frees a couple of hundred POWs and is now a hero and he goes after Red Skull who has enough weapons to do in many American cities. He is joined by Peggy Carter is a battle in a forest where she fires a pretty mean carbine. She later gives him a quite chaste kiss as he in off on the prowl. The Captain is joined by five of the POWs he rescued in the final battle scene (nobody from Brooklyn in defiance of Hollywood tradition for melting-pot Army).

If you're still with me you have an idea of what's going on here. As a promo exercise, this is a pretty good action film. Enough explosions to keep the kids amused, enough sci-fi stuff to keep adults awake, enough scenery to keep tourists reaching for cameras. Not enough sense in the plot to keep critics rapt, however.

But never mind. Director Joe Johnston keeps things moving along, the cast is adequate (Chris Evans may not be a super actor but he's got fine pecs and abs) and Hayley Atwell makes one wish to see her in something other than Army khaki.
--- Sam Bauman

Directed by Joe Johnston; written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely; director of photography, Shelly Johnson; edited by Jeffrey Ford and Robert Dalva; music by Alan Silvestri; production design by Rick Heinrichs; costumes by Anna B. Sheppard; produced by Kevin Feige; released by Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment. Running time: 2 hours 4 minutes.

WITH: Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Tommy Lee Jones (Col. Chester Phillips), Hugo Weaving (Johann Schmidt/the Red Skull), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Dominic Cooper (Howard Stark), Toby Jones (Arnim Zola), Neal McDonough (Dum Dum Dugan), Derek Luke (Gabe Jones), Ken Choi (Morita) and Stanley Tucci (Abraham Erskine).

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An 18-year-old Carson City man was arrested at a local diner after allegedly stealing a car from a used car lot two days prior to test drive it.

The Carson City Symphony Association will present a concert, "Pleasures of Music," on Friday, May 10, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at Shepherd of the Sierra Lutheran Church, 3680 N. Hwy. 395, south of Best Buy, Carson City. The concert is a Mark Twain Days event. Admission is free, donations welcome,

Organized by Carol Park, the Elks held an open to the public, two-day indoor garage sale at the lodge in March as a fundraiser for Holiday with a Hero. Lodge members donated all items sold and assisted at the event which received excellent support from the community.

Members of the Rotary Club of Carson City will learn how its annual Educational Grant has helped local students at the club’s next meeting. Carson School District K-12 Curriculum & Assessment Coordinator Brittany Witter received the club’s Carson City School District’s Professional Development Center Grant last year with the goal of funding the “Literacy and Love of Reading through Social Studies” project.

Western Nevada College hosted a ceremony to celebrate students succeeding in training to reestablish themselves in the workforce on Thursday.

Perfection in a fur coat is the best way to describe Cher, our cat of the week. Just 7 months old, she is a pretty little short-haired girl with a sweet and social personality.

Carson High School's Senior in the Spotlight this week is Parker Schmid, a remarkable young man whose sparkle radiates in every aspect of his life. From academics to extracurriculars, Parker's journey embodies excellence and compassion, traits that set him apart from his peers.

UPDATE 6 p.m.: Courtesy of the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office: On May 3, 2024 at approximately 1430 hours, Lyon County Sheriff’s Deputies responded along with Central Lyon County, Carson City and Storey County Fire personnel to the area of 34 Newman Ln. for a report of motorhome on fire. Upon arrival, it was discovered that the fire had spread and multiple other abandoned vehicles caught fire as well. No one was hurt or injured during the incident. The incident is currently under investigation, which is being conducted by the Nevada State Fire Marshall’s Division.

UPDATE 2:38 p.m.: Firefighters from Storey are also now responding.

UPDATE 2:33 p.m.: Multiple vehicles on the property are engulfed in flame.

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Around 2:15 p.m. a fire was reported at 34 Newman Lane in Mound House.

Firefighters from Carson City and Lyon County are enroute to the scene.

UPDATE 1:20 p.m.: According to Sheriff Ken Furlong, a student reported they saw a weapon. The incident was investigated and there was no weapon found. The lockdown has now been lifted and students are leaving the school.

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.: Update 05-03-24 at 1:15 p.m.
One student has reported an alleged weapon sighting. It has not been corroborated, but school officials and the sheriff’s office are investigating out an abundance of caution.

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UPDATE 12:50 p.m.: The following update was provided by the district:

Carson High School was put on lockdown this afternoon around 12:15 p.m. No person was injured. There is an active situation being investigated in cooperation with the Carson City Sheriff’s Office. We will provide more information as it becomes known. The school is secure. Do not go to the school. No entrances will be permitted at time. The district will provide updates every 30 minutes. Expect the next update at 1:15 p.m.

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Carson High School is currently on a lockdown as of 12:40 p.m. Friday, but there has been no incident reported according to Sheriff Ken Furlong.

Two School Resource Officers are on scene investigating why the alarm went off.

The Lyon County Board of County Commissioners heard a presentation from the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) on the current status of the Highway 50 Preservation Project in Dayton.

Kids ages 8-14: Join Skiing is Believing at Western Nevada college for our multidiscplinary sport & fitness camp! Every day of every week, Skiing is Believing staff will help provide a variety of sports for kids to develop their physical skills and promote emotional development through exercise and community service.

After months of thorough community engagement and meticulous deliberation, Douglas County has announced the completion of its new Strategic Plan. This document, which will guide the County's decisions and resource allocation for the next five years, is the result of extensive input from both internal and external stakeholders.

The unpredictability of spring this first weekend of May continues with the threat of snow showers in the Sierra on Saturday, along with gusty winds and rain down to the valley floors for Carson City and surrounding areas. The storm system should moved out by Sunday morning.

Carson High School Culinary Arts and Early Childhood Education students competed at the three-day state conference last month for Nevada Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. This was the first time the school’s programs participated in the conference. A total of 25 students competed in eight events.

Family fun, lively bands and historical characters return to Dangberg Historic Park in Minden beginning in May. Favorite presenters, bands and Chautauquans will be joined by new ones as well.

Carson City’s former Board of Supervisor and business owner Stan Jones was posthumously awarded Thursday the Historic Preservation Award for his long time work for downtown Carson City.

Each year, a Historic Preservation Award is awarded by the Historic Resources Commission to Carson City residents or organizations who have gone above and beyond in their dedication to historic preservation.

The Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is today, Thursday, May 2 at the Nevada State Capitol in Carson City. The memorial brings hundreds to the capitol grounds. The ceremony begins at 1 p.m.

Douglas County Sheriff's Office arrested three for their alleged involvement in business thefts last month on Topsy Lane south of Carson City.

The national issue of suicide — particularly among veterans — touched many people who attended the Walk for Hope on Wednesday morning at Western Nevada College in Carson City.

The new renovations at the Carson City Senior Center opened the opportunity to host art shows to extend enrichment to the senior community. Carson City Senior Center presents “Geographical Divides: Finding Common Ground,” featuring 16 artists who were asked to explore the geographical and cultural differences in Nevada, if such differences truly exist.

Meet Nash, Nevada Humane Society, Carson City branch Pet of the Week Nash. He's a striking 2-year-old German Shepherd who entered our shelter a couple of weeks ago due to his previous owner's moving. With Nash's handsome appearance and endearing personality, this young man captures the hearts of all who meet him.

Time to dust off those ten-speeds Carson City, because May is Bike Month in the capital city!

Carson City’s Muscle Powered hosts bike month each year in addition to their year-round volunteerism.

More than 48 Carson High School Future Business Leaders of America students attended the state conference in Sparks, Nev. this past week. In total, 38 of those students earned 74 “Top-10” placements in 30 separate events. Additionally, three CHS FBLA students took state with first-place finishes and 15 of them qualified for the National Business Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla. this coming June.

Carson Animal Services Initiative (CASI) would like to thank everyone who attended or contributed to our annual Bark Whine & Dine, held on April 27. What a wonderful event it was!

The inaugural Carson City Cinco de Mayo 2024 festival this Friday through Sunday will be a 3-day celebration of Mexican culture for all the Northern Nevada region to enjoy.

In recognition of Historic Preservation and Archeological Awareness Month, the City’s Historic Resources Commission has organized the 2024 Scavenger Hunt.

We’re back, bigger and better than ever! Please welcome the second annual Mark Twain Days, May 10-12. For a listing of events take a gander at the website here.

You will find something of interest or my name’s not Mark Twain, or used to be anyways. And this year Virginia City is joining in on the fun along with Carson City. Wow!

Marilyn "Mert" Paoli Lewis retired on April 30 after 42 years as a State Farm Agent. She started her career as a Scratch Agency in 1982, meaning she had no customers initially.

Food Bank of Northern Nevada made a stop to the Carson City Senior Center on Wednesday morning, with another stop at the Dayton Senior Center from 11 to noon.

The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles has announced the implementation of a new appointment system, WaitWell, in all metropolitan and rural offices throughout the state.