Don't miss it! This Saturday, April 1st Spring OPEN HOUSE at Gaddis & McLaurin in Bolton (just 8 mins. from Clinton). Live music, refreshments and great deals including buckets of Gin Trash $7 and buy-one-get-one-free on garden plants! 7 am to 2 pm. 104 Madison Street, Bolton.

You’ve lived long enough to have heard a bunch of tired cliches and old sayings, I know. One of Andy’s favorites from an old friend is this; “Better hold your holt.” His meaning? Hold your holt…holding on for dear life to your faith in God. No matter what you are facing. Especially when you’re going through the really bad stuff in life. ‘Cause that faith may be all you have at that point, and it will be the only thing to see you through. In these unsettled and fearful times today, there may not be a more meaningful phrase. Clinging desperately to the knowledge that He is an all-knowing and all-powerful God, who is patiently working His plan. But here are some other things you need to hold onto, while you’re holding your holt on Him. Real love. Don’t settle for a physical experience or emotional feeling that you will ultimately find is just a cheap substitute. It may help you for a little while, but it is guaranteed to leave you lonely and hurting in the end. Do what is right. Stand up, immovable, for what is good and true, and refuse to change. Edmund Burke, a famous British statesman once said, “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Guess we are now seeing living proof. Keep some close relationships. You need to view your family as crucial to you. Embrace and accept any differences between you. (It would a boring world if everyone was just like you or me.) Let them be who they are, even if you don’t understand what in the world they are thinking. Learn how to repair the broken places, as much as possible. Treasure your spouse, your kids, your dear friends. They are what is truly important to you. Everything else you can replace, or do without. Family and friends are not easily replaced, and when you lose them, it costs you dearly. Hold your holt needs to be a set-in-concrete-way-of-life for anyone who is seeking to be grounded and at peace with himself in this world. Don’t give in, don’t give up and don’t give way on your beliefs of what you know to be true and good. “Hold your holt” is a lesson we need to learn in the face of today’s tolerance, compromises and problems. Yeah, it’s gonna get difficult at times. We know that. Just ask your parents, or your grandparents or someone from their generation. They had their share of dark years too. And they would probably tell you that the only way they made it through those gray days was to hang tough, keep loving the people in their life, and keep their faith. I have the feeling that back then there were a lot of people who were smarter than our current tech-age generation – people who learned from experience what was truly important.

CHA is partnering with other MAIS schools to gather supplies for our friends in Rolling Fork (home of Sharkey Issaquena Academy) who were devastated by the recent tornadoes. Pictured is the Central Hinds class of 2035 along with their teacher Brandy Whitten Cannon SIA class of 1993. Supplies can be taken to Jackson Prep during the track meet today and will be distributed to those in need.

By Kara Kimbrough I’ve been dreaming about strawberries lately. It all started when I saw a display table pilled high with “Louisiana strawberries” in the market section of Shady Acres. Located just south of Seminary of U.S. 49 Highway 49, Shady Acres is a sprawling food, restaurant, baked goods, produce and yard and garden compound. It's an interesting place to stop as you’re traveling through the area. I was there to have lunch with friends in the restaurant, but couldn’t resist exiting through the store on my way out. That’s where I spotted the tempting strawberry display. I resisted the urge to purchase the strawberries, but it caused me to search for the date of the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival. Held annually in Ponchatoula, La., the self-proclaimed strawberry capital of the world, attendees can sample and purchase locally grown strawberries just as they reach their peak. This year’s event is scheduled for April 14-16 and while I’ve never been, it’s definitely on my bucket list of places to visit. Closer to home, Mississippi is no stranger to festivals of all shapes and sizes. Food, music and cultural festivals are set to take place in every region of the state from now until the end of the year. This fun, mostly-weekend festivals provide the opportunity to taste flavors from around the state, experience local cultures and traditions, and enjoy being outdoors with family and friends. If you’re looking for ways to fill your spring weekends with food and fun, here’s a short list of upcoming festivals: * If driving down tree-lined streets surrounded by stately antebellum homes is right up your alley, you’ll want to visit the city of Columbus March 31-April 23 during the annual Spring Pilgrimage: Jubilee of Homes. Speaking of alleys, you don’t want to miss Columbus’ Catfish in the Alley festival set for April 5-7. The story behind the name is an interesting one. During the 1800’s, African American fisherman caught and then fried fish to sell on Fourth Street, creating a delicious aroma that drew residents and visitors to the area. It became known as a hub for thriving African American business, blues music and fried catfish. The modem-day festival features lots of fried catfish, music and artisans. * Vicksburg’s Arts and Music Festival on April 14-15 will feature live music, art demonstrations and plenty of food. That same weekend, Clarksdale’s Juke Joint Festival kicks off one day earlier to allow attendees additional time to enjoy blues music and food at the self-billed “small town fair.” * Crawfish will be the main attraction at Laurel’s April 15 Downtown Crawfish Festival as well as on April 21 at Starkville’s King Cotton Crawfish Boil. Both festivals will allow cooking teams to compete for top boiling honors. * The following weekend, Cleveland’s Crosstie Arts and Jazz Festival will offer a juried arts s, jazz and food on April 21. * Rounding out the month on April 28-29 are two of the state’s most popular festivals. Greenwood’s Que on the Yazoo features a highly-competitive barbecue cooking competition, along with plenty of “que” and music for attendees. And, Oxford’s Double Decker Arts Festival boasts over 200 arts and food vendors, along with live music of all genres. This is just a sample of the festivals to come during the warm spring months. I’ll add a few more as summer brings even more around the state. But back to those strawberries. After passing up the chance to purchase Shady Acres’ berries, I picked up a carton at the supermarket. They weren’t from Louisiana but combined with vanilla bean ice cream and Peabody Hotel’s vanilla muffins, they were almost as good. And yes, I said "muffins." A television chef provided a good tip on making strawberry shortcake. Instead of using slices of pound cake, shortbread or biscuits, vertically slice vanilla muffins as the base for toppings. You can use cake mix, but making these delicious muffins is almost as quick and easy as the ones from the box. And like Louisiana strawberries, they never disappoint. Peabody Hotel’s Famous Vanilla Muffins 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 4 cups all-purpose flour 4 eggs 1 stick of butter, room temperature 2 cups whole milk In an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until well blended. Add flour, baking powder, butter and vanilla. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly, but don’t over beat. Pour into well-greased muffin tins and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Tip: To easily remove muffins from pan, let cool slightly and place a sheet pan over the top. Invert pan and tap gently on countertop until muffins are released from tin. Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act prevented state Medicaid agencies from disenrolling people during the pandemic. However, that provision ends on March 31, 2023, and those who no longer qualify for Medicaid based on their income will begin to be removed from the plan by their State governments and will lose coverage. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates 8.2 million people will no longer be covered by Medicaid’s continuous enrollment requirement. However, those who do not qualify for Medicaid can get insurance coverage through marketplace plans. A Special Enrollment Period will run from March 31 through July 31. Five health insurance companies offer plans in Mississippi. They are: Ambetter from Magnolia Health, Molina Healthcare, Vantage Health Plan of Mississippi, UnitedHealthcare, and Cigna. “Individual insurance that you buy on the marketplace is different from the Medicaid coverage you are used to,” Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said. “Make sure that the plan you are considering provides the coverage that you need. While low monthly costs are attractive, you also need to consider copays and deductibles that you may have to pay later. Check with the provider to see which facilities are in-network.” Mississippians can see plan options, monthly premiums and more by visiting www.healthcare.gov.

By Bob Garver There’s something about a fourth movie in a series that tends to be dangerous for a franchise’s legacy. “Batman and Robin” led to the Caped Crusader being taken off the big screen for eight years. “Terminator: Salvation” is better remembered for its miserable production than anything in the finished film. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was widely seen as a severe disservice to the iconic character. Even the Oscar-winning “Toy Story 4” was criticized for not leaving a perfectly good trilogy alone. Yes, “Mad Max: Fury Road” was a rousing success, though fans seemed to care very little about the “continuation” aspects of the movie. “John Wick: Chapter 4” didn’t have a 30-year gap to make sure things were just right. It only had, fittingly, four years, and they were affected by the pandemic. What I’m saying is that it’s no surprise that the new movie is the worst of the series. Now that’s only a relative “worst,” I still recommend the movie overall. But I can’t help but see this movie as a misstep in a franchise that hadn’t made many mistakes up to this point. The film sees the revered title assassin (Keanu Reeves) at war with the mysterious overlords known as the High Table. He killed an off-limits enemy way back in Chapter 2, and the High Table wants him killed as a consequence, but he’s not having it, and tensions and body counts have only escalated since. A high-ranking Table member known as the Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) is tasked with handling the situation, and he starts by handing down consequences to Wick’s allies Winston (Ian McShane) and Charon (the late Lance Reddick). I would have been unhappy with Charon’s fate even if Reddick hadn’t recently died, and now it frankly seems downright disrespectful. Wick knows that the High Table will kill anyone that helps him, so naturally he goes to Osaka and endangers old friend Koji (Hiroyuki Sanada). A shootout ensues, in which Wick finds out that another old friend, a blind assassin named Caine (Donnie Yen) is working for the High Table, but only because they’ll kill his daughter if he doesn’t. He also meets an anonymous “tracker” (Shamier Anderson) who is so greedy that he’s willing to help keep Wick alive until the Marquis raises the bounty on his head to a more lucrative amount, then he’ll kill him. The Marquis is right to be nervous. High Table rules state that Wick can win his freedom if he can kill the Marquis in a one-on-one duel. There’s a whole side-trip where Wick has to be accepted into a family of assassins and get revenge on sleazy crime boss Killa Harkan (Scott Adkins) in order to qualify, but the duel in Paris is destined to happen. There’s just the matter of Wick needing to live until the appointed dueling time of sunrise. To make it, he’ll have to survive a citywide shootout against anyone that wants to collect the bounty. Cue a seemingly hour-long sequence of Wick in shootouts in the middle of traffic at the Arc de Triomphe, at an abandoned building with wondrous overhead camerawork, and on a steep staircase outside Sacré-Cœur. And all John has is a bulletproof suit and a gun provided by his friend The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) that also serves as a flamethrower. The third act saves “John Wick: Chapter 4” by the skin of its teeth. Until then, the film is plagued by baffling character decisions, insufficient exposition (like, why does the High Table use extortion on Caine when they’re otherwise happy to pay people for their services?), and poor pacing. But once those gun-kata action scenes start up, I just can’t stay mad at this movie. If this marks the end of the “John Wick” series, then I can say the franchise never had a “bad” installment. I just have to put a nervous emphasis on “bad” so as not to give “Chapter 4” undue praise. Grade: B- “John Wick: Chapter 4” is rated R for pervasive strong language and some violence. Its running time is 169 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

The Mississippi Egg Marketing Board is hosting its annual Easter at the Ag Museum event in Small Town at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum on Saturday, April 8, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. “I am looking forward to seeing hundreds of families head out to the Ag Museum to celebrate at our annual Easter event,” said Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson. “I invite everyone from across the state to come enjoy a wonderful day.” Experience the family fun as children ages 0-17 follow the tracks through the museum’s “Bunny Trail” to collect candy and toy filled eggs in their baskets. Families will have the opportunity to dye and paint eggs; take a wagon, train or carousel ride; have their faces painted; visit with Mississippi Miss Hospitality Hannah Grace Crain; and get their picture with the Easter Bunny throughout the day. The Mississippi Beef Council will serve complimentary hotdogs to visitors, while supplies last. Additional sponsors include Cal-Maine Foods. Admission is $8 per person for ages 2 and up and includes carousel rides and train rides and wagon rides. For your family Easter Celebration, enjoy the “Tasty Side of Agriculture” with smoked meats and holiday treats, including smoked hams and a variety of casseroles from the General Store. Those items, as well as pulled pork sandwiches and snacks, will be available for purchase the day of the event, and holiday meals can be pre-ordered for pick up. The Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum is a division of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce. It is located at 1150 Lakeland Drive in Jackson and open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information about the museum, call 601-432-4500 or 1-800-844-8687, visit www.msagmuseum.org, or “like” the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum on Facebook.

Most people have a bad habit. Nah, I don’t want to hear about your overeating- cigarette smoking- drug taking- lying- stealing- cheating, or tantrum throwing lifestyle. Moronic as those things are, everyone has another even more idiotic talent that we indulge. Yep, most of us do stupid, and unfortunately we do it a lot. We take a perfectly fine day, whether it is sunny and bright, or raining cats and dogs, and we knowingly attempt to destroy it. Or even better, we wait until bedtime, when we need to close down our brain and get some sleep. Then we open the door in our head that’s marked “Past Mistakes.” We deliberately step backward into yesterdays, where we slog our way through a pain-filled memory. Over and over again. And for some reason, we never try to stop ourself. Just like in childhood, when a tooth was loose. Knowing it’s going to make it hurt, but invariably a kid will keep wiggling and pushing on that tooth with his tongue. Everyone of us did it. But what good is beating yourself up for something that is gone forever? It’s vanished in the thin vapor called the past. And continually visiting that garbage heap of regrets is bad for you. Trying to hurt yourself, so that you ‘learn your lesson?’ Repeated pain-bathing cannot make you behave better – in fact, it makes things worse. Revisiting a hurtful past experience only accomplishes one thing really well. It causes shame and guilt, with a large shot of self-disgust and anger mixed in. Not exactly a self-worth builder. “Oh yeah! Me, myself and I are always warring. “Me and myself” use memories and thoughts to beat up and tear down, while at the same time “I” is trying to live a life of peace and happiness.” Want to take a good guess as to who is going to win that unfair struggle? Instead, try doing this. Deliberately live in the ‘now,’ doing the best you can to do it right. And when you step in it – as you definitely will – own it. Apologize to yourself and to whoever else got hurt. Fix it the best you can. THEN LEAVE IT WHERE IT BELONGS…in the garbage heap of yesterdays. When daytime memories intrude…turn on a podcast or music, get busy, or call a friend. Nighttime memories surface…. pray to your Creator to help you change the channel. Then do it. Read, write, think about plans for tomorrow, or relive a great memory. Anything to give your brain and your emotions a break from that unproductive pain. I heard this said recently and it stuck. “Seems to me the past isn’t a great place to live, just a place to visit once, to learn from it.” Don’t waste your life in regrets of what you’ve done wrong. Visit there just once, long enough to learn differently. And then use your gray matter to live life better and happier.

JACKSON—The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks’ Museum of Natural Science invites you to unleash your wild side at "NatureFEST!” on Saturday, April 1, 2023 from 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. “We are excited to welcome the Hattiesburg’s Zoo animal stage show and Freedom Ranch’s live birds of prey to this year’s festival!” says Charles Knight, Museum Director. The event is a festival, a nature outing, and a fascinating museum trip, all wrapped into one exciting day! Food will be available for purchase from area food trucks. “NatureFEST!” offers a day of fun for the whole family, including:  Hattiesburg Zoo’s “Ed-Zoo-cation” animal stage show  Live birds of prey with Freedom Ranch Expert guided behind-the-scenes tours of aquariums, research, and museum collections Bubble –Pop FOAM party! SCUBA diver fish feeding in giant aquariums Hands-on activities with Conservation Educators and area artists Outdoor inflatable obstacle course Archery Nature games, and guided or self-directed hikes on beautiful springtime trails. For event details, visit www.mdwfp.com/museum. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/msnaturalscience or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MSScienceMuseum. Visit NatureFEST video here.

By Kara Kimbrough The mental preparation has already begun. I'm steeling myself for the inevitable email that appears in my email inbox every time I write about one of our state's most beautiful areas. A column about Vicksburg is sure to incite anger or at the very least, disbelief from a transplanted Northerner who can't believe I'd mention an area known for an infamous Civil War battle. My answer is always the same. "The War" happened...we lost.. and yet, lessons learned in that horrific five-year battle shaped who we are as a nation and changed Mississippi and specifically, Vicksburg, forever. War debates aside, Vicksburg is an amazing, intriguing place; after all, it's still drawing tourists over 150 years after the last cannon (many of which are located in Vicksburg) was shot. And since spring has officially arrived, there's no better time to visit an area filled with architectural wonders, natural beauty courtesy of blooming plants and foliage and a world-famous river view. One of Mississippi's oldest cities, Vicksburg dates back to 1719 when, after fending off native Natchez Indians, French colonists put down roots. Today, the city is filled with historic sites. A chance to stand on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi River highlighted by the scenic Old Vicksburg Bridge and the new modern one that carries I-20 over the rushing waters is almost reason enough to visit. However, nothing is as awe-inspiring as the 1,800-acre Vicksburg National Military Park. America’s most monumented national military park contains more than 1,400 memorials to soldiers who served on both sides of the War Between the States. There’s also a Civil War gunboat, museum, visitor’s center, the largest National Military Cemetery of Union dead and a separate cemetery where 5,000 Confederates were laid to rest. Even if "The War" doesn't hold any interest for you, simply bypass the museum altogether and walk, hike or bike through the park filled with, to borrow a phrase from the National Park Service, "lushly forested landscape emanating with birdsong." At last count, over 60 varieties of flowering trees, shrubs and flowers are found in the park. Expect to see dogwood and Japanese magnolia trees intermingled with a multitude of bloom and lush green foliage. But don't get the impression that the landscape is devoid of anything but greenery. History and architectural buffs will be interested to view impressive monuments, markers and tablets memorializing soldiers from both the Grey and the Blue. After the park opened in 1899, architects and sculptors from 32 states set to work to create fitting monuments to honor its soldiers and sailors involved in the Vicksburg Campaign. The first monument was dedicated in 1903, with the remainder erected within 14 years. Mississippi's monument to our state's soldiers is impressive, but nothing compares to the one from Illinois. Modeled after the Roman Pantheon, the impressive structure is composed of marble and granite, contains 60 bronze tablets listing the name of over 36,000 Illinois soldiers involved in the Vicksburg campaign and is topped with a bronze bald eagle. It's definitely a site to behold. If you're into selfies, this is a can't-miss stop. Speaking of history, no trip to Vicksburg is complete without a stop by downtown's Biedenharn Coca-Cola® Museum. It was there that the first bottle of Coca-Cola® was bottled in 1894. Before heading out of town, drop by the Mississippi River Overlook for an up-close and personal view of the Mighty Mississippi and plenty of photo opportunities. A plethora of wonderful restaurants, ranging from Southern-style buffets to fine dining options, can be found in Vicksburg. When you begin planning a trip, drop me an email and I'll send you a list of my favorite places. In the meantime, experience and enjoy all that Mississippi has to offer during this beautiful season of the year. Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

The Nature Conservancy in Mississippi is launching a pilot oyster shell recycling program called SAVE OUR SHELLS. TNC will be on hand Saturday March 25th at the 7th Annual Gulf Coast Oyster Cook-off Festival to kick off the SOS program. The SAVE OUR SHELLS program gives the community an opportunity to give back to the environment while protecting a valuable natural resource. It is estimated that the SOS program could collect hundreds of thousands of recycled oysters in the first two years that could be put back into the Mississippi Sound. Recycling used oyster shells is an effective use of natural material that can be placed in the water for oyster larvae to grow on and produce new oysters. This effort will also support the local fishing community, and local restaurants. Shells collected by local coastal restaurants will be set aside and later collected for the SAVE OUR SHELLS recycling program. The key to the success of the SOS program is getting many local coastal restaurants to participate. “The main reason that we're interested in participating in SAVE OUR SHELLS recycling program is sustainability. It's important to us, especially in the Gulf, we want to support the ecosystem that supports us. So, if there's some small way that we can put something back that we're taking out, then we know we're going to have a little more longevity in our seafood,” said Austin Sumrall, Owner-Executive Chef of White Pillars Restaurant in Biloxi. The White Pillars restaurant the Beau Rivage, Keg and Barrell in Ocean Springs along with the MS coast Shrimp Basket locations are on board to recycle oysters in support of this program. “Back in the day it was the oyster industry that put Biloxi on the map and so for the longevity of our city, and our region, it's imperative that we continue to promote our oyster legacy.” said Kristian Wade, Beau Rivage Executive Chef. “It’s very straightforward - take the actual oyster shell and reuse it to help restore the very resource it’s providing. We are learning from the other successful programs like this in other states, to make this a viable long-term program for Mississippi," said Alex Littlejohn, State Director of TNC-Mississippi. “Oyster shells are one of the best places for new oysters to grow. That is how they do it naturally, and with this program eating and enjoying oysters can be an act of conservation,” said Tom Mohrman, TNC’s director of marine programs. The Nature Conservancy and project partners aim to begin collection of oyster shells from coast restaurants starting in the spring of 2023. Collected shells are planned to be delivered to the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources where they will be processed, cured, and integrated into restoration activities. We anticipate this initial pilot phase to continue collection for up to 2 years. The SAVE OUR SHELLS pilot program has two phases. The first part of the project completed an analysis of the oyster shell recycling program’s economic and operational sustainability to determine how an oyster recycling program can be sustainably implemented in Mississippi. Based on consideration of various factors including supply, long term collection, storage, and deployment of oyster shell used to maintain the State’s oyster resources, this phase resulted in an economic sustainability plan to guide the second phase of this program. The second phase of the project is to begin implementation of shell collection. This includes working with restaurants to collect oyster shells, calculating how many shells are collected over time, and beginning the process of curing that material and preparation for restoration. Please email us at saveourshells@tnc.org if you know of a restaurant owner who would like to participate in SAVE OUR SHELLS. The SAVE OUR SHELLS project is paid for with federal funding from the RESTORE Council and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality under the Resource and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act).

By Bob Garver Whether because of the pandemic, the constant comings-and-goings of the DC Extended Universe, or the first movie from 2019 simply not being that memorable, “Shazam!” seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle. I’m going to be pointing out a number of similarities between this character and Ant-Man from the rival Marvel Cinematic Universe, but a key difference is that fans noticed that Ant-Man was absent from “Avengers: Infinity War” in 2018. They wanted to know where he was and how he was going to tie into the larger story. Has any DCEU fan seen any of the franchise’s output since 2019 and thought, “I wonder where Shazam is in all this”? Sure, the new movie won the weekend box office because of its genre, affiliations, and advertising, but did people go to see it because they actually care about it? Or did they feel that it’s their job to see new tentpole releases, no matter how little they care? I went because I had a “job” of sorts to see it for this column – and sitting through this by-the-numbers superhero dreck turned out to be a “job” unto itself. A quick recap: teenager Billy Batson (Asher Angel) has been imbued with superpowers by the wizard also named Shazam (Djimon Hounsou). All he has to do is say magic word “Shazam!” and he turns into an adult (Zachary Levi) with powers including super speed and strength. Following the first movie, all the other kids in his foster family are similarly-powered: Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer/Adam Brody), Eugene (Ross Butler/Ian Chen), Pedro (Jovan Armond/D.J. Cotrona), Darla (Faithe Herman/Meagan Good), and Mary (Grace Caroline Currey in both forms, as the character is now an adult). All the character development the others get is that Mary passed up an opportunity to go to college, Pedro is… pretending to like baseball (handled very clumsily), and smart-aleck Freddy has a girlfriend (Rachel Zegler, making me think that the promise she showed in the “West Side Story” remake was a fluke). The family is up against the Daughters of Atlas: Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and a third member whose identity is secret, but I thought was fairly easy to guess. The Daughters want the staff that gives Shazam and company their powers, though they’re divided on what to do with the staff once they get it. Hespera wants to fix their own world and leave Earth alone, while Kalypso wants to devastate Earth like their own world has been devastated. Seems like an issue they should have hammered out in the past few centuries, but they choose to squabble in the moment. Much of the film’s appeal lies in its humor. All the main characters are essentially children, so there’s supposedly a playful childishness to the proceedings. Zachary Levi has all the effortless charm of a Paul Rudd, so the idea is that the movie has a fun, bouncy tone with a few moments of serious coolness. Instead what we get is an overload of unfunny jokes about the characters’ awkwardness, a style of humor that has sunk the last several MCU movies. I laughed at Mirren reading an un-proofread letter, but that was about it. And the action and serious scenes certainly can’t carry the movie, not even with the deus ex machina (with “deus” taken literally) at the end. “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is yet another blah superhero movie in an era where it seems like all we get is blah superhero movies. I don’t see it bringing in many new fans to the DCEU, nor do I even see fans of the original liking it very much. Like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” its destiny is to do well for a weekend or two and then be discarded, because people aren’t going to look back on it with fond memories. Too bad the filmmakers can’t “Shazam!” themselves into funnier people. Grade: C- “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” is rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, and language. Its running time is 130 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.