Captain America: Brave New World

 

After being elected President of the United States, former general Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford, replacing the late William Hurt) pushes for an international treaty that would prevent an arms race and allow for shared extraction of adamantium, an advanced extraterrestrial metal. He also seeks the help of Captain America, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) to re-form the Avengers, a superhero group Ross once opposed. Wilson is skeptical, but when a series of coordinated attacks jeopardize Ross’s plans and threaten to trigger a war, Cap and his protégé Joaquin “Falcon” Torres (Danny Ramirez) vow to get to the bottom of it before someone they care about takes the fall.

 

The standard knock on Marvel movies these days is that they’ve become too insular, too creatively sterile, and too dependent on quippy dialogue and slick CGI to do more than briefly (or, in the case of runtime bloat, not-so-briefly) entertain. Truth be told, Brave New World, the fourth Captain America film (though the first to star Mackie in the role), won’t do much to challenge those perceptions. And yet to call it “bad” wouldn’t really be fair. Even after reshoots and delays, no one should confuse this with a Zack Snyder film butchered by meddling executives or a Fant4stic doomed by directorial incompetence. The worst that can be said about Brave New World is that it is neither brave nor new, playing as a muted version of what Marvel previously did much better in projects like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and even The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

 

The one unblemished bright spot is the addition of Ford, a controversial choice given that other Marvel characters (cough T’Challa cough) were not recast when the actor died. Hurt’s version went from Ahabesque Hulk hunter to obstructive politician, never the worst person the heroes had to face but a consistently unpleasant jerk nevertheless. Ford’s version keeps the character’s rough edges (stubbornness, selfishness, and pride) but adds a layer of melancholic regret. He’s believable as a man who knows he’s caused a lot of damage (alienating his daughter in the process) and is trying to do better.

 

Everyone else is solid even though they aren’t given enough to work with. Mackie is a good fit for the title role, yet he doesn’t have the room to spread his acting wings that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier afforded him. He sometimes seems sidelined in what is nominally his movie. Giancarlo Esposito has made menacing villains his stock and trade as of late, and he appears briefly as terrorist leader Sidewinder here. He supplies a physical threat, but the character isn’t particularly memorable. More distinction was granted to Tim Blake Nelson’s mad scientist Samuel Sterns, last seen getting infected by gamma-radiated blood way back in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Nelson’s creepy calm tilts the character away from garden-variety megalomania, but Sterns comes across petty, and the character design does him no favors. Shira Haas as national security advisor Ruth Bat-Seraph had the potential to bring something interesting to the mix, but instead of the comics’ Israeli superheroine, she’s depicted as an ex-Black Widow: still formidable but a type of character we’ve seen several times before.

 

“We’ve seen this before” applies to the feel of several of the film’s action set pieces as well, be they aerial battles or Captain America going hand-to-hand against a tough mercenary. That said, the pacing is brisk without being rushed. What Julius Onah’s direction lacks in distinction it makes up for in competence. The visual effects, derided by some critics, aren’t really poor.

 

Malcolm Spellman, who created The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, was one of Brave New World’s co-writers though you wouldn’t really know it. Whereas the show was guilty of occasional grandstanding, it wasn’t afraid to engage complex issues. This movie gives a nod to the power of representation before breezily zipping along to the next plot point. It’s enough for some – and too much for racist idiots — but it will leave others wondering what a bolder version of this movie might have been.

Cagney's Kitchen

                                           

Located at 4005 Precision Way in High Point (with other locations in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Kernersville), Cagney’s Kitchen serves American cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is open from 6-9 Monday-Saturday and 7-2 on Sunday. Online ordering is available via Doordash.

 

Even with a few closures in recent years, High Point has no shortage of Greek-influenced Southern diners, and that interchangeability is part of why I never felt a strong compulsion to pay Cagney’s a visit. Faced with a banana French toast craving, it seemed as good an option as any, and it proved to be better than expected.

 

Cagney’s is spacious and seemed even more so as it was largely empty when I stopped by on a Tuesday morning (they likely get considerably busier on the weekends). The menu is big too: breakfast options included plates, omelets, benedicts, pancakes, waffles, and more. Come here later in the day, and you can find everything from salads and sandwiches to Greek to Tex-Mex to pizza.

 

I opted for two pieces of Bananas Foster French Toast with a scrambled egg on the side. Service was fast and friendly, and the kitchen churned out the food quickly. At $8, it was practically a steal and though not the best I’ve had, it was better than it needed to be for that price point. The banana/brown sugar/whipped cream topping on the French toast made for a sweet bite, and the egg wasn’t overcooked.

 

I don’t know how Cagney’s rates as a lunch/dinner option or during busier times, but for a weekday breakfast, it’s well worth your consideration for a good bite at an affordable price.

Oh' Calcutta

 

Located at 310A West Fourth Street in Downtown Winston-Salem, Oh’ Calcutta offers modern Indian cuisine. It is open for dinner (4:30-9) Tuesday-Thursday, lunch and dinner Friday-Sunday, and closed Monday. There is a full-service bar, and food specials change daily. Online reservations and online ordering are available.

 

I really wanted to like this place. Oh’ Calcutta boasted strong reviews and an appealing menu. Unfortunately, it’s a classic case of style over substance as eating here made for an underwhelming experience, more Eh than Oh.

 

Oh’ Calcutta brands itself as modern Indian, which helps it stand out in a few ways. Though a smallish space, it offers a chic, intimate atmosphere that would be quite comfortable if it wasn’t also loud enough to make conversation a struggle. The menu contains both Indian classics and fusionist Badhi plates (think Masala-braised pork belly, lobster shorba, or tandoor surf n turf). There was enough here that looked good to make decisions difficult.

 

My wife and I opted to split a gunpowder chicken starter and a garlic naan with saag paneer and lamb biryani as our mains. While the food offered a few bright spots, there is definite need for improvement. Indian establishments defaulting to mild unless you say otherwise is something I’ve come to expect, but even by those standards, Oh’ Calcutta is pretty bland. The gunpowder chicken (chili, ginger, garlic) actually had a good amount of flavor as did the biryani (which was also distinguished by the welcome additions of potato and a boiled egg). However, neither offered much spiciness, and the meats were overcooked. Both the saag paneer and its accompanying rice definitely needed more seasoning: they were practically flavorless.

 

While not surprising given its Downtown Winston location, Oh’ Calcutta’s pricing added insult to injury. At $19 and $22 respectively, the saag paneer and the lamb biryani were each a couple of bucks more than I’ve found (better) elsewhere.

 

To Oh’ Calcutta’s credit, the service was great. Nicole (?) and her team were prompt, polite, and attentive.

 

It’s possible that Oh’ Calcutta’s fusion/modern dishes are its true strength, and it’s possible that we caught the kitchen on an off-night, but unless the food takes a leap forward, I don’t think I’ll be back.

Little Tokyo

Located at 4045 Premier Drive in High Point, Little Tokyo offers Japanese cuisine for lunch and dinner Monday-Friday and dinner on Saturdays (closed Sundays). Online ordering is available.

 

Sometimes, the best meals are the ones you weren’t expecting to have. My wife and I had hoped to check out a new all you can eat sushi place, but both it and the existing AYCE spot had lines out the door. After placing a call to Little Tokyo to confirm they too weren’t filled to capacity, we headed there for our sushi fix, and it made me regret not having visited sooner.

 

Little Tokyo boasts a pleasant, relaxing ambiance that made it a welcome refuge from the night’s rather intense rain. The menu here is Japanese (sushi, sashimi, hibachi, etc.) albeit with some Korean and Chinese influences. The selection of sushi rolls is extensive, and quite a few of them sounded intriguing. Admittedly, the Italian (a California roll topped with white fish, tomato sauce, and cheese) was a bridge too far even for me.

 

My wife and I came hungry and went with two apps (steamed gyoza and vegetable tempura), four rolls, and two misos. The food was, across the board, quite good. Whereas some miso can blast you with salt, Little Tokyo’s broth benefitted from an underlying richness. Our sushi was beautifully plated and tasted fresh. Of the rolls we tried, the Bulgoki (beef, crab, cucumber, and eel sauce) was my favorite.

 

Prices here are reasonable for the quality of the food (rolls in the low-mid teens, most apps under $10), and severs are polite. The kitchen isn’t lightning fast, but we didn’t find the wait unreasonable.

 

Based on ratings, I expected “good,” and based on hunger levels and a desire to be out of the rain, I would have settled for “OK.” Little Tokyo, however, ended up being surprisingly great.