After the release of “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, I strongly felt Marvel movies had dwindled in quality. With the exception of the Disney+ shows “WandaVision” and “Moon Knight,” I hadn’t been interested in watching anything Marvel in years.

So when the trailer for “Thunderbolts*” released, I was hesitant to get excited when I had been left disappointed by so many releases in the past few years.

However, it seems like the studio returned to its former heights with it’s newest entry “Thunderbolts*,” released Friday. The film follows a crew of anti-heros from previous marvel installments including Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes “the Winter Soldier” and Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, the new Black Widow.

Pugh shines as the emotional center of the film, struggling with the grief and burnout of an assassin who is unhappy and unfulfilled by her day job of espionage and covert operations.

The cast is rounded out by Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, David Harbour as Alexei “The Red Guardian” Shostaskov, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava “The Ghost” Starr, and Wyatt Russell as John “U.S. Agent” Walker.

The film also introduces Lewis Pullman to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as the amnesiac Robert “Bob” Reynolds.

For some, this movie may not work. Those who are casual fans or haven’t engaged with anything Marvel in the past few years may be left confused by the odd collection of characters or references to an angry red Hulk as the U.S. President.

Or they might have questions as to how a character who was a known hitman for a secret society ended up being a Congressman for the district of Brooklyn.

But for me, the oddness of it worked. These are B-list characters fighting against a force that would have rivaled the likes of the previous Avengers. They’re scrappy, depressed and can’t seem to work together for longer than 20 minutes, but it works.

I have missed the chemistry that once filled the Marvel universe, chemistry that this cast and film delivered.

I left the theater feeling like a kid again, anticipating the next movie and analyzing the references to other future installments and comics. I can only hope I won’t be left disappointed by “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” in July.

But, considering Pedro Pascal is in it, I’m sure I’ll love it.

In the back theater of Bryant Lake Bowl & Theater, the cast of all female, femme-presenting and nonbinary performers celebrate the famous Austenian novels like “Pride and Prejudice” or “Sense and Sensibility” through a 75-minute long-form improv show.

For the past 10 years, the evolving cast of Manners and Misconduct: Improvised Jane Austen has celebrated the stories of Jane Austen through their unique and ever-changing improv shows. Every performance features different characters and themes that all pay homage to the famous romance author. 

Meghan Wolff, a performer in the cast, said the shows are purely based on the cast’s intuition and the three suggestions they take at the top of the show — two family names and an old-fashioned adage, like Friday’s suggestion of “Don’t beat around the bush.” 

“You’re not going to see any of the characters from ‘Emma’ or ‘Sense and Sensibility.’ It’s a completely new world, but it’s just inspired from the works of Jane Austen,” Wolff said. “We use those suggestions to craft our own little cast of characters who make their way through their own stories.” 

Wolff began in improvisation 20 years ago, becoming involved in their college improv group at University of Texas at Austin after participating in theater growing up. When she came to the Twin Cities, Wolff created Manners and Misconduct with her friend Maggie Soros based on their shared love of Austen’s work. 

“There’s so much in it that’s just about the challenges of navigating the world despite balancing the pressures of society and your family,” Wolff said.

The show was created with the intention of involving female and female-presenting performers, a goal important to cast member Sarah Busch. 

Busch began performing in improv shows in middle school and continued on the improv team in high school before pursuing it further at St. Olaf College. She also worked in a group called Fair Play MN, which moved to make improv more accessible and welcoming to women, trans and non-binary performers. 

“We operated for a couple years and helped create some guidelines and boundaries,” Busch said. “It was a pretty scrappy group, and we truly didn’t know what we were doing. We just knew there was a problem, and we were trying to solve it.”

The hour-long performance allows for the cast to develop storylines with characters following complete arcs and even developing romantic relationships. 

Joining in 2017, Sarah Turner Litz found a sense of community in the cast, as well as the opportunity to grow important life skills. 

“You never know what is going to happen on any given day. I think it’s given me the ability to think on my feet more, which is really helpful,” Turner Litz said. 

Turner Litz filled the classic Austenian role of the “doting mother” in Friday’s performance, weaving together the quickly established family unit made up of her fellow performers through improvised dialogue. 

“I love the cast, and I love performing with them, and I look forward to it every single year,” Turner Litz said. 

Turner Litz enjoys the magic of improv, since, unlike traditional theater, actors don’t have to memorize their lines or blocking for scenes. Instead, everything happens for the first time, in real time.

The closing performance of Manners and Misconduct is 7:00 p.m. this Friday and Saturday at Bryant Lake Bowl & Theater. 

For 41 years, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) has celebrated spring with its four-day event, “Art in Bloom,” drawing together florists from across the state to create unique floral displays for the museum’s collection. 

Created by more than 100 florists, visitors can participate in the events and walk through Mia’s permanent collection of artwork to see individual floral designs of some of its most iconic pieces. 

Floral artist Sue Bagge has participated in the event since its very first year. This year she created a piece inspired by Zhang Xiang, “Peach Blossom Spring,” an ink illustration depicting the poet’s life on the mountain. 

“The people up there lived an idyllic life because they’re not mixing cities or different things like that,” Bagge said. “And to celebrate spring, I’m using the pink and greens to add more color.” 

Her display reflected the flow of the mountain, each flower representing a different moment within the original poem that inspired the painting. The flowers in the display were grown in her garden and her garage, and are displayed in a vase made by her son. 

“I think we need beauty, creativity and community, and we all know our community really enjoys Art in Bloom,” Bagge said. 

The event also includes the work of commercial floral artists, each interpreting this year’s signature artwork, “Las Vendedoras de Flores,” by Alfredo Ramos Martínez. The theme was chosen in collaboration with the Friends of the Institute and the Art in Bloom boards.

“I think people who have never been here, they’re just blown away,” event organizer Diane Morrison said. “They come in expecting to see maybe a couple bouquets of flowers, you know, and they don’t understand the vastness of this. There are flowers in almost every gallery throughout the museum.” 

Another florist, Kathryn Andrews Malody, has been participating in the event for 34 years alongside her mother and now, her daughter. 

“My mom started doing floral designs for Art in Bloom at the very first one. And for a while there she was actually in charge,” Malody said. “It’s kind of a family gig. It’s very dear to me. My mom taught me, I taught my daughters. Even my sister-in-law has done it.” 

Malody worked to interpret “Manchu Women’s Unofficial Informal Vest,” an ornate Chinese silk vest with intricate designs of cicada insects on the fabric. 

“It’s just a wonderful thing to work with the art and how it resonates with us,” Malody said. “I love sharing my joy for doing art, and it’s a family connection that spans generations for me.” 

Another mother-daughter pair, Barbarajo Kuzelka and Kate Sobraske, created a display interpreting “Wedding chest (cassone),” an Italian Renaissance design depicting the Cardinal four virtues and a wedding. The pair have participated for a total of eight years. 

“So the first year, I did trick her into signing up,” Sobraske said. “And the next year she said, ‘Well, then you have to do it with me.’”

Sobraske said the event changed the way she looks at art, making her stay with pieces longer and look for hidden meanings. The wedding chest moved her because at the time it was built, it would have belonged to a young girl and been gifted to her as a part of her dowry or wedding party. 

“I think it really allows for a lot of imagination, you can imagine who this person was, but then there’s a lot of empathy,” Sobraske said. 

One of the youngest participants, 19-year-old Heaven Iman, said she chose to participate for the first time last year after years of coming to the event as a visitor. This year, her floral display interprets a Korean “Moon jar.” 

“It’s really a bunch of different emotions,” Iman said. “I’m born and raised here and being a part of a community to showcase in the city just means a lot to me. It really does.” 

The event continues until April 27, with the 150 displays available to the public throughout the weekend as well as floral-based community events for families and visitors. 

“How can you be unhappy or angry when you’re in a museum with gorgeous art and beautiful flowers?” Morrison said.

With the bustle of customers picking through the collection of vinyls and the swarm of people moving between vintage booths in the parking lot, the team at Disco Death Records celebrated Record Store Day differently than their neighbors. 

In an April 3 Instagram post, Disco Death Records invited customers to celebrate the annual holiday with their first vintage market of the year with 18 vendors. Customers weaved between shops set up throughout the shop’s parking lot and along the sidewalk. 

Inside, customers could peruse the available records, including new records and deals, as well as hidden easter eggs and mystery packs of vinyl for $8.

“We will NOT have any official RSD records — that corporation is weird, culty, and their selection kinda blows this year,” Disco Death Records said in the Instagram post . “We’ve been saving a bunch of other rare vinyl upstairs to unload.” 

Co-owners Joel Eckerson and Colin Wilkinson opened their store in the wake of the pandemic and the closing of their original store, Dead Media. The store has a selection of vinyl and cassettes available in person and online, shipping directly to customers. 

Kattie White from Jersey Vintage said she has been involved in the world of vintage clothes and antiquing for most of her life and enjoys markets like this. 

“People aren’t necessarily coming for the vintage market. They’re coming to get coffee or look at records, and they come and shop,” White said. “You know, not everyone appreciates this kind of stuff so it’s nice to meet people who like older stuff and the quality behind it.” 

Another vendor, Victoria Zeyen from Mad Woman Vintage, agreed. 

“I think the community that Disco Death brings in already on its own is my favorite part,” Zeyen said. 

Zeyen opened her shop a year ago in the downtown area of Hastings on its riverfront. But popup events like this are worth the trip to the cities. 

“It is a great community to be around,” Zeyen said. “I think it’s just great camaraderie with people with shared interests.”

Self-described “shopaholics” Valeria Flores Santisbón, 23, and Elyssia Nguyen, 24, visited the market after seeing a promotional post on Instagram. 

“It’s a good combination of both Record Store Day and vintage markets,” Nguyen said. “I feel like those who are into records are also into fashion like this.” 

Flores Santisbón agreed and said, “It’s nice to just have a place where you see other people that are around the same age with similar interests.”

A hundred years after its original publication, places across the Twin Cities are celebrating “The Great Gatsby” and its St. Paul-born author F. Scott Fitzgerald. 

In honor of its centennial anniversary, the Minnesota Historical Society partnered with the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library to host a live reading of the original manuscript alongside their display dedicated to its influential author. 

On Thursday, visitors can attend an anniversary reading of “The Great Gatsby” from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. for free. Unlike other reading events, this will be a live reading of the novel in its entirety. 

“‘The Great Gatsby’ continues to capture the consciousness of audiences today, even 100 years after publication,” senior director of programs and services for The Friends, Alayne Hopkins said in a press release. “We look forward to meeting Gatsby fans and people brand new to this work to explore what the book’s and its popularity can tell us about our society and culture.” 

Katie Hujda, the curator of manuscripts at the Minnesota Historical Society, worked in the collections acquisition and obtained the archival pieces featured. 

“I think a lot of people are familiar with ‘The Great Gatsby.’ There’s a common understanding there,” Hujda said. “It has themes that resonate with a lot of people, and I think it’s taken on a life of its own since it was published.” 

The book was not originally popular at its publication, with 1925 critics responding with mixed reviews. Hujda attributed its growth in popularity to the 1940s when it was translated into Armed Services editions, copies of books small enough to fit into a soldier’s pocket. 

Down the hall from the reading is the display “That’s My Middle West: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s St. Paul,” a curated collection of Fitzgerald’s early life in the Twin Cities, including photographs, letters and newspapers. It also includes an array of editions of “The Great Gatsby.” 

“I acquire materials for the museum and library, so they can be used,” Hujda said. “It’s really fun to acquire new and interesting things, but it’s even more fun to make them available to the public so that anybody can come here and access these rare and beautiful things.” 

Local bookstore Magers & Quinn is hosting a “100th Birthday Bash” for the novel at Brother Justus Whiskey Company. The 21+ event will feature themed drinks, activities and copies of The Great Gatsby, with costumes encouraged for visitors. 

The event is a departure from the store’s traditional author reading and signing. 

“I’m looking forward to having an event that is more about just hanging out and mingling,” said Annie Metcalf, the store’s Marketing and Events Manager. “We just wanted to celebrate this book that has a local connection.”

Celebrating the changing of the seasons, Inbound BrewCo hosted the Spring Fling Romance Book Fair on Saturday. The festivities included trivia, crafts and local booksellers from across the state. 

Packed into the open space of the brewery, the Spring Fling Romance Book Fair offered an array of activities, including free coloring sheets, “A Court of Thorns and Roses” themed trivia and Minnesota business owners offering tailored merchandise for the romance fans.

Carlie Lund, 24, visited the fair with her fellow book-loving friend to find out more.

“We just love to read, we love to share books,” Lund said. “It was just the perfect event for a Saturday. It’s really cool to just see everybody who enjoys the same hobbies.” 

Vendors came from across the state to the event, most located outside of the Twin Cities. 

Based two hours outside of the Twin Cities in Austin, Minnesota, the Hey Darling Bookstore offered a collection of popular and contemporary books in the romance genre, as well as hand wrapped books for a “blind date with a book.” 

Next to them was Swoonworthy Romance Booksellers, a bookstore owned by sisters Stephanie and Emily Arcand. The pair recently opened their first mini storefront in White Bear Lake in March after years of running their pop-up romance book store. 

In preparation for the event, the pair selected specific titles that would interest local readers while also balancing representation and diversity. 

“We want to empower groups from the queer community, from groups of marginalized voices, BIPOC authors,” Emily said. “All of those factors combine into curation.” 

The pair worked in public medicine before choosing to pursue their shared passion for books. Prior to opening their storefront, the sisters would travel to different events as a pop-up vendor, where their love for the job grew. 

“It’s like a book fair for grown ups, basically,” Emily said. “Like, we all have these nostalgic memories of the Scholastic Book Fair from elementary school. It’s like ‘Let’s recreate that and actually make it a community-based event.’”

Another vendor, Katie Flynn represented her store The Geek Boutique and provided a quirky collection of romance book themed trinkets, stickers and apparel featuring exclusive art on each item. 

Flynn opened her pop culture pop-up shop after a career in teaching middle school English and drama across the country, along with working as a makeup artist for independent projects and films in New York City. 

“I love that when a customer comes in, they see a bit of their passion in our products,” Flynn said. “They want to be able to share and shine with that passion.”

After five years stuck in film purgatory, Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk’s directorial debut “Hell of a Summer” was released in theaters on Friday, drawing on the classic summer camp horror genre of the 1980s. 

Originally written in 2019 by Wolfhard and Bryk after meeting on the set of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” their slasher-horror movie is at home in genre with the likes of 1983’s “Sleepaway Camp” and 1980’s “Friday the 13th.” 

While the aforementioned movies are nearly impossible to beat, “Hell of a Summer” works as a love letter to the genre with a modern spin.

Before going into a more in-depth discussion about the film, I think it is important to acknowledge two things: I love horror movies, and I am a summer camp counselor. 

On paper this movie was made for me. It was directed by two prominent young actors from my generation, in a genre I love and a setting I am all too familiar with. 

So you can imagine my excitement and bias during my watch. It was not perfect, but it was fun, campy and made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions. 

The plot follows a group of camp counselors preparing for the impending summer season at Pineway Camp for a staff bonding weekend. However, they soon realize a masked killer is on the loose, killing off the counselors one at a time. 

The biggest strength of the film is its ensemble. While small, the cast highlights up-and-coming actors like Fred Hechinger as the mid-20s permanent camp counselor Jason Hochberg and his fellow counselor Claire, played by Abby Quinn, who unexpectedly returns to one more summer at camp after a nasty breakup. 

Jason’s arc is a highlight of the film, as the older counselor struggles to connect with his coworkers who were once his campers. He is constantly reminded that he is too old to be at camp, even though it is the only thing that makes him happy. 

They are joined by their fellow counselors, each filling the role of a stereotype — a love interest, a jock and his beauty queen girlfriend, a film nerd trying to get his manuscript read, a theater nerd, an overbearing environmentalist and a goth girl who packed a Ouiji board, for some reason. 

Wolfhard and Bryk also appear as Chris and Bobby, best friends returning to camp for their first year as counselors. As the film’s writers, directors and lead actors, the two were able to balance the group dynamics of teens, interacting and speaking in a shockingly real way. 

Throughout the film, the group cracks jokes at inappropriate times, yells over one another in times of stress, all while sounding exactly like any other person in my generation. 

The conversations flow naturally as the characters become more panicked and begin to levy accusations at one another, picking Jason as the most obvious suspect due to his age and obsessive devotion to the camp. 

I couldn’t help but laugh as the characters creatively insult the poor man while trying to restrain him as he argues that he’s “only 24.”  

As an audience member, you can tell the movie was made with passion and love for the horror genre, feeling similar to a coming-of-age story where the surviving staff members fight to survive. The film is heartfelt, humorous and a more than welcome addition to the slasher camp genre.

With its biggest turnout yet, University of Minnesota club StudioU hosted their second annual Spring Showcase at Coffman Union’s Coffman Theater for its self-produced student films. 

The event on Monday night had the largest turnout she had ever seen for StudioU. The showcase featured four student films made by members of the club, “Paranormal Studies,” “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over,” “Lively Mind” and “Stevenson Laundromat, 10PM,” said Studio U president Genevieve Gray.

StudioU focuses on providing a learning opportunity for those interested in filmmaking, especially non-majors, with weekly meetings and film equipment open for members to use. Students are encouraged to participate as much as possible, working on shoots throughout the academic year.  

“That’s been a big goal of mine,” Gray said. “To allow a large range of commitment, so that there are more creative ideas in the space.”

Gray joined the club as a freshman before working her way up to leadership positions in the following years. Now a junior studying data science, Gray said the club is an outlet for her creative interests in filmmaking. 

Her short film “Lively Mind” depicts a young woman’s journey with ADHD.

“I’ve always wanted to make a short film about ADHD because I feel like I’ve seen a lot on the internet and I was like ‘I want my own spin on this, I want to try,’” Gray said. 

Treasurer of the club Shreya Rajiv, a math and computer science major, worked with Gray on “Lively Mind” behind the scenes as a camera operator. 

“It’s really great to see such a big turnout,” Rajiv said.

Each film was given a $50 budget and access to the club’s film equipment. 

The showcase included the work of third-year marketing student Isabel Chew, whose comedic horror film “Paranormal Studies” followed a trio of university students as they tried to escape a ghostly attack for a class assignment. 

Chew developed the idea a year before pitching it in the fall and was relieved to finally share it with others. 

“I was very nervous coming into this because I was worried people wouldn’t laugh, so people actually laughing at it made me feel a lot more confident about it,” Chew said. “I’m very proud of it. This has been my baby for a year and a half.” 

Third-year film major Will Maas, the writer, director, producer and lead actor of “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over,” said his film took nearly two years to write and develop.

“I’ve had the story idea for such a long time, and I always wanted to create it,” Maas said. “But actually sitting down and writing it and then after that, having to get on set and film it, and then after that, add it together and portray the idea I have in my mind was way harder than I thought it was going to be.” 

The short film showed a college couple reuniting after a breakup and reconnecting before ultimately going their separate ways. As his first short film, Maas said he was happy with the final product. 

The showcase also included the short film “Stevenson Laundromat, 10PM” by Max Pearson, which depicts a self-proclaimed “nice- guy” Joe attempting to flirt with fellow student Claire at a late-night laundromat as he becomes increasingly aggressive at her rejections. 

As its second-ever showcase, Gray said StudioU has opportunities for anyone on campus to try their hand at filmmaking.

“We’ve got a community where you can try and see ideas come to life,” Gray said.

After three years of playing shows around the University of Minnesota campus, the alternative rock band Squirm is releasing their EP “Sun Pillow” on April 5. 

The band released two singles and an EP, their most recent single “Something” released on Feb. 1. Lead singer Will Matuseski mixed the upcoming EP. 

“It is kind of more of a collection of many different iterations of Squirm,” drummer Ian Peterson said. “It’s many different iterations of what Squirm has been over its entire lifespan, and it’s coming together to form this collage of genres and music that I think has something for everybody.”

The five-man band formed nearly three years ago, when University students Matuseski and Gavin Olson started playing together after knowing each other for years. The two performed informally with a drummer they found on Craigslist before meeting Peterson a year later. 

“We invited him to play, and he just stuck. I can’t imagine Squirm without him,” Matuseski said. 

The three were later joined by Nick Tuel and Nick Andersen, finalizing their lineup. They began playing shows hosted by friends and at local venues in the Como neighborhood, like the former Hell on Hennepin. 

“We would be the entertainment in the basement, and we would just play for like an hour,” Matuseski said. “It felt special because it wasn’t just anybody. We were playing for friends.” 

The group opened for Minneapolis band porch light at a sold-out show in November at the 7th St Entry, a favorite memory for guitarist Tuel. 

“Our live sound is always transforming,” Matuseski said. “We have songs that have been out for almost two years now, and we still find different ways to play them live.” 

The group grew close after a camping trip near the Canadian border, where they wrote music and bonded. When they are not rehearsing music, the group plays sessions of Dungeons and Dragons hosted by Olson, their bassist. 

“It’s crazy thinking about how the highlight of my time in this band isn’t actually anything to do with band things, per se,” Peterson said. “I have a lot of good memories.” 

The band agreed they want to continue pursuing music together and are working towards creating and performing more music they can be proud of a decade from now. 

It is more than clear that Twin Cities band Goon Tribune loves the craft during their live studio recording session at Greenway Recording. 

Originally named Dr. Goon and The Daily Tribune, lead vocalist Ian McCarthy describes their sound as concept rap with jazz influences from McCarthy’s childhood in New Orleans and bassist Nick Benish’s roots in high school jazz bands. 

“I didn’t grow up here, so I was new to the whole basement show thing,” McCarthy said. “They don’t have basements in New Orleans.” 

The band formed nearly a decade ago when McCarthy and Benish met through mutual friends while students at the University of Minnesota before eventually becoming roommates. 

“When we all found ourselves in that big house, we just inevitably started playing music together,” McCarthy said. “We just started hosting parties and throwing live open mics at our basement, and that’s where it all just got on the petri dish and became what it is today.” 

The two discovered they were the tenants of a former house venue called Como Cabana after moving in and kept the legacy going. 

Benish studied computer science but found community in the music scene at college. He said his day job was simply a means to afford more basses. 

“I was good enough at (computer science) that it made sense to have a responsible major, you know, to get a job,” Benish said. “But all of my friends are people I’ve met through bands and the music scene in the creative world.”

On the other side, McCarthy studied acting at the University while exploring his musical influences. 

“At my very core, I’m a storyteller, and that is why I was really into and still am into theater,” McCarthy said. “Playing music has become a different way I have found to express myself. It’s very direct and feels like exercising a different part of me artistically than acting does.” 

This theatrical expression is evident in their live performances and lyricism, as McCarthy wore a traditional lab coat to emulate the character Dr. Goon at the live session on Wednesday. 

“The narrative follows Dr. Goon on his little exploits and adventures, and, you know, it’s silly on the surface but there’s a lot of truth that I think gets across if you look for it,” McCarthy said. “I like to call it concept rap.” 

The character was inspired by the late MF DOOM, a British-American rapper who was known for conversational rhythm and his masked alter ego. The mask was featured in the live session, propped against the wall behind McCarthy. 

The live session was hosted at Greenway Recording, a new recording studio located in Northeast Minneapolis that focuses on building community in music. 

“I think the biggest thing is how important community is,” co-owner Jason Andriano said. “And being able to be a catalyst for a strong community.” 

Co-owners Mason Meyers and Andriano said the studio records audio and video for the artists. 

“With that, we’re able to have events like this, where we can bring in a small studio audience and have a band perform live, and then I can record video and audio at the same time and immediately get that content to the band to then use,” Meyers said. 

As friends of Meyers, Goon Tribune said they were looking forward to their session featuring music from their upcoming album, releasing in the summer. 

“It’s going to be kind of like a Jekyll and Hyde kind of deal,” McCarthy said. “I like to say the only limit is the limit to our creativity.”