Marvel's The Astonishing Guardians Of The Galaxy

I caught a midnight screening of Guardians of the Galaxy last night, and I've gotta admit, I'm still flabbergasted.

This is the lesser known story of a team of superheroes that no one ever really thought of as major players. They're the misfits... the B team with A team powers. And they're a strange kind of comic relief in the Marvel Universe... because they actually can fight and win and their quirk is just a part of what makes them lovable. But the idea of putting these guys on screen in their own major motion picture event... well that would have seemed unbelievable only two years ago. Yet Marvel dug deep and decided, at some point they'd have to start using their lesser known characters. Well they had already established that Thanos was gonna be a major part of the Avengers story line... come the third Avengers movie. So at some point they would have to start dealing with areas beyond Earth... and Asgard. So logically, Guardians of the Galaxy was that next step.

What James Gunn (Super, Slither) has accomplished here is nothing short of a miracle. He's taken a team that no one had ever heard of and turned them into a legitimate franchise in their own right. Even greater, he's given people an almost new property (this current Guardians lineup is only six years old in the comics) to sink their teeth into and get invested in. Suddenly the Marvel Universe feels so much bigger... and anything and everything is possible. Because this film has proven that they CAN introduce fifty new characters and twelve new worlds without the audience ever having to skip a beat. Like I said, I'm flabbergasted.

Chris Pratt is so likable as Star Lord. He's quirky and charming and just plain gets the job done. It's so exciting to watch this guy succeed because that's all he's been doing for the last fifteen years is proving he's the guy... and finally here he is leading a superhero squad on a most amazing adventure. Zoe Saldana likewise fits her role, Gamora, perfectly and has been building on a young but impressive career. To include Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon is just perfect casting and I'd venture so far as to say I think I'd rather see Vin Diesel as Groot than any other Marvel superhero. Dave Batista's Drax is sadistic and wonderful... and that's the whole team. They all rock.

Then you get the other guys, Lee Pace is just entertaining as Ronan and Michael Rooker's Yondu feels like exactly what that character should always be. Karen Gillan does a great job as Nebula, and while Djimon Hounsou didn't get nearly enough screen time as Korath, he was still damn cool. John C. Reilly is fun and down to Earth here as well. He fully understands what this movie is supposed to be. And let's not forget about Glen Close, Benicio Del Toro, and Peter Serafinowicz all of whom admirably fill their roles with quality. It's impressive to see the lengths Marvel was willing to go to in casting this film. Every other character is played by a star. And that's gotta be a piece of their formula for success here... or maybe it's just that everybody wanted to be involved because they all believe in what Marvel's doing.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Guardians of the Galaxy is the biggest movie Marvel's ever made. Yes. It's bigger than The Avengers. It spans a galaxy and the stakes are high. The cast is so massive and well rounded that it almost makes the Avengers team look small... almost. Just saying, I can't wait to see these guys show up again both in their own movies and likely in Avengers 3.

Her Is The Best Film Of 2013

As I walked out of that theater I knew it without a doubt.

In 2013, nothing else compared. No other motion picture was more timely, impressive in scope, or well fleshed out than Spike Jonze's Her. Honestly, when I first caught the trailer, I knew I was gonna like this movie. But I had no idea I was going to LOVE it.

The most impressive element... the thing that took me most by surprise... was Spike's ability not to fall into the obvious writing traps this concept could have afforded. Scarlett Johansson's Samantha is just so utterly believable and intriguing to the point that I believe everyone in that screening wished they had her as their own OS.

It never ceases to amaze me how, with every passing year, a new element of sci-fi becomes almost happenstance. This time it was utterly believable that our Operating Systems could one day be given sentience. And therefor become much more effective in helping us maneuver through our everyday lives. When Samantha first appears, she immediately cleans up Theodore's (Joaquin Phoenix) mess. In a matter of seconds, his life becomes infinitely easier. I don't think this idea is very far off. And Spike Jonze goes out of his way (without taking any extra steps mind you) to show us how society has already evolved to allow for this technology. Theodore's job is a very simple and effective means to explaining where humanity is at this time. He writes "beautiful" heartfelt letters for people... so that they don't have to themselves. The evolution of society was already leaning in Samantha's favor. So getting to that point feels pretty much effortless.

This is just one simple detail that I am pulling to try and explain how perfect this film actually is. Wait until you meet the alien (you'll know what I'm talking about).

I didn't believe it before, but now I do... Joaquin Phoenix is back. He gave an exceptional performance. I felt for him the whole movie and felt almost disgusted with myself for how onboard I was in his choice to be with Samantha. Scarlett Johansson deserves an Oscar. I know there's no voice category, but she lived that part and as an audience we somehow understood her... not an easy task when you're trying to convey a sentience that can communicate with pretty much the entire world all at once. Amy Adams was great. Chris Pratt was great. Rooney Mara was great. Olivia Wilde too. Man! What an awesome group of people. And just look at who plays the voices on the other ends of phone calls in this thing. Just All Star all the way.

Spike Jonze has been leading toward this for quite some time now. And I'm very pleased to be recommending this new film of his so ardently. It left me utterly exhausted emotionally. I love the concept, I love the colors, I love the music. Don't ask any questions. Just see Her.

Does Delivery Man Deliver?

Ummmm...

Delivery Man is a somewhat annoying movie. In some scenes it wowed me with legitimately authentic human moments while in others it just went for cheap laughs and somehow managed to fail at those. It's a schizophrenic, middle-of-the-pack movie with an excellent heart and concept. It's just too bad the team couldn't figure out that they weren't really making a comedy.

Vince Vaughn was fine. He didn't do too much of the Vince Vaughn thing, though whenever he brought it out I did want to call foul. What was most surprisingly disappointing was the performance by Chris Pratt. I've come to really enjoy his choices over the years. So to see him come off so fake was difficult for me. But then I honestly believe he was poorly cast in that role. At no point did I agree that he could have four kids and be a lawyer (albeit a second-rate one).

Essentially, the meat and potatoes of Delivery Man get lost in weird and unnecessary ad-lib type scenes. And in the end this constant flaw blocks it from being a good movie. I guess I need to watch Starbuck now to see if it's any better.

Parks & Rec May Be Following The Office Into Questionable Territory

You know, I've come to enjoy NBC's Parks and Recreation far more than I ever enjoyed The Office. It managed to escape the initial first season's awkward Pam-and-Jim-like relationship and build on it's own cast and concept.

So now, it's with a certain pain that I come to recognize that it is beginning to fall into the same traps that ultimately destroyed The Office for me. I never really cared about the politics of that show, but week after week, the writers always found a new way to shove that down my throat. I could care less that the paper company was going out of business... or that a printer company was taking over... or the whole plot about which branch was going to survive. After all, that storyline only wielded one true mainstay character. Events like that always feel like a cop out to me. The genre of The Office didn't call for it. And once the leads began to get other gigs and slowly depart the show, the quality clearly sagged into oblivion.

I'm about to watch the most recent hour-long episode of Parks and Rec... and I'm trying to hope. But I'm very much aware of the potential blow that's coming.

Within the next few episodes, Rob Lowe and Rashida Jones will be leaving the show. Couple that with Chris Pratt's consistent absence due to bigger jobs (Guardians of the Galaxy), and you have an incomplete show. Parks and Rec is at its best when it feels like a complete ensemble piece. So losing three of its biggest players feels like a heavy blow.

Potential Spoiler if you are a couple seasons behind...
Then the new subplot kicks in... Pawnee and its neighboring town are merging which is supposed to add new character depth and continuing plot motion. Okay... this sounds familiar (see paragraph two, line five). While I thoroughly enjoyed Leslie Knope running for political office... and was impressed by the fact that they actually let her win (a sign that the format of the show would be changing)... I can't help but feel that this new plot line is a massive step backwards.
End Spoiler

While it's hard to imagine Parks and Rec ever getting as bad as The Office did in its final seasons, the future is looking somewhat bleak. If I'm right about this (and believe me, I hope I'm not) I guess I have to just be glad that there were about three seasons of just plain excellent tv.