With 2012's The Avengers Joss Whedon's feel for imperfect nobility and the industrious wisecrack elevated the superhero-industrial complex, and he was back in charge for the sequel, which once again capped a raft of individual undercards featuring the likes of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Captain America (Chris Evans), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Most everything Whedon undertakes is handled capably, but Age of Ultron – a slight inflation: it's more like five days – feels overly familiar, especially the extended final act of the assembled crew fighting a vast array of disposable enemies, commanded by the titular artificial intelligence that has quickly decided the planet's safety is best maintained by subjugating its citizens. There is a mess of back story and clue planting for future Marvel movies, and a slew of new characters, the most striking being Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch, but Whedon is often pressed for time and it shows. CM

The House (2017)

stan.com.au (streaming)

The fraying of American suburban life can make for harsh drama or farcical humour, and The House is definitely the latter, even if the circumstances suggest the former. Kate and Scott Johansen (Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell) are middle-class helicopter parents whose dedication to their daughter, Alex (Ryan Simpkins) hasn't included planning for her college education. Facing a six-figure bill and barely able to afford their mortgage, they open an illegal casino in the home of their down and out neighbour, Frank (the cheerfully delirious Jason Mantzoukas), and let their community run wild with gambling, fight clubs and downsized Las Vegas excess. Andrew Cohen's comedy is too episodic, never picking up enough speed to take off, but the leads have fun with the suburban mayhem and Casino send-ups in a story that refuses to condemn its character's crimes. CM

Gino's Italian Escape

Friday, Lifestyle Food, 4.30pm

Italian chef Gino D'Acampo heads to the Tuscan island of Elba, from where Napoleon made his escape in 1815, having spent nearly a year in exile there. D'Acampo explains that Napoleon hadn't just sat around sulking – he busied himself overhauling the island's education and legal systems, and redesigning its flag to reflect the locals' enduring enthusiasm for beekeeping. D'Acampo keeps himself similarly busy. When he's not riding a purple Vespa through pastel-coloured villages he's visiting iron mines or apiaries or diving on the coral reef that surrounds the place. He manages to fit a bit of cooking in too, showing how to spatchcock a whole chicken for char grilling, and providing plenty of other practical tips as he whips up a saffron risotto. It's as scenic as it is mouth-watering, and it'll leave you yearning for an Italian getaway of your own. BN