Halloween Movies: Friday the 13th (1980)

 Of the classic horror/slasher movies I've watched, this one was my least favorite. 

While more gory than either Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween, the fact that the whole story isn't told till the end made most of it just seem... random, and that made it feel boring. I wonder if they had shown Jason's death at the beginning would have helped. Especially if they'd leaned into it being the ghost of the kid doing the killing. The twist at the end of it being his crazy mother would have been more satisfying. 

Another annoying bit was how dark so much of the movie was. Sure, a lot of it was at night in a rain storm, but come on... I still need to actually see what's going on.

I did like how Jason did show up at the end though, and I've heard part 2 is better. We'll see.

Review: Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

Finally I was able to watch Doctor Strange 2. Due to the pandemic I've been avoiding going to the movies, and sometimes waiting for stuff to come to streaming is... less than fun. Thankfully this was worth the wait. 

 Warning, this post contains spoilers. 

Okay, I'm not going to recap the movie. Either you've seen it, or you've read about it. 

What in the hell was Strange and/or Wong waiting for to go talk to Wanda. Dudes, powerful emotionally unstable witch, and you all just... ignore her? How'd that turn out? 

Raimi's style definitely shines through, especially with the more horrific bits. Probably one of the most visually frightening of the MCU movies, and certainly one with the most named character deaths... Including Strange... twice. 

I was sad at the lack of Loki/Sylvie.

At the end I find myself wondering how dead Wanda/The Scarlet Witch is. With the destruction of the necronomicron, I mean the Darkhold, maybe she can finally move forward? I kinda felt like a good chunk of WandaVision got kinda ignored. And sure, maybe the Darkhold was corrupting her, but... eh. I wanted more of the Other Other Other Stranges, and less of what they settled on for Wanda. 

Still glad I finally got to see it. I give it a 3.5/5. Would have been better to have taken more from What If... and treated Wanda with more understanding.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings

I just got back a little bit ago from seeing Shang-Chi, and I have to say it's a solid introduction of the character into the MCU!

The story isn't anything too original, but it's well done, and the comedy beats, usually provided by Awkwafina are great and had me laughing. I also really appreciate that the friendship between Shang-Chi and Kate (Awkwafina's character) is deep, loving, and platonic. 

The special effects were up to the usual Marvel standard, the choreography looked good (certainly better than Iron Fist), and the cameos and twists toward the end played out well, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this ties in with Spider-Man and Doctor Strange going forward. 

Captain Marvel

On Friday night (International Women's Day) my bride and I went off to see MCU's newest installment, Captain Marvel.



A Mostly Spoiler Free Review

It was good! It definitely fits in well with the rest of the universe, adding new layers to Fury (Mr. Tough Guy who melts for a cute cat) and... Okay, so I'm not sure that Phil Coulson actually got any real character development, but it was nice to see him as a new SHIELD agent. On top of that we get some familiar faces from GotG.

As for the new faces, well, Captain Marvel herself was fantastic. I loved how tough she was, and yet also snarky funny. Where you could pound on Captain America and he'd just say "I could do this all day", Captain Marvel would say "Is that the best you've got?" while smirking.

As for the supporting cast, her best friend Maria Rambeau (and her daughter) were great. I really appreciated how strong these characters were, and how storng their bond was, and how it didn't feel the need to involve a guy.

Jude Law as the Kree Yon-Rogg was a perfect casting decision. And the rest of their Kree squad? Characterful, and visually interesting. It does make me wonder about Kree biology though...

The movie itself took a little bit to pick up steam, but once it did, it was marvelous.

Oh, and my bride (who is not really into comic book movies) liked it more than Wonder Woman.
When I asked her what it was that she like, these were her top thoughts.

• Costume "You're a superhero! Suit up!"
• No love interest
• Best friend
• Best friend's daughter

So if you were on the fence, go see it!

Oh, and the tribute to Stan Lee... I was not prepared for that.

Lastly, stay till the very end. Obviously. Do I even need to say that?

Review: The Road to El Dorado

There are some movies that it seems like you always mean to see, but year go by, and. you just kinda miss them. And when they're popular movies, and you're on the internet, you get a certain level of familiarity with them, without ever having seen them.



The Road to El Dorado was, for me, one of those movies. But, I've now seen it, and I (mostly) enjoyed it! It was a lot of fun seeing those two rogues fumble their way through their adventure. I appreciated that neither the chief nor the high priest really thought (for long) that they were actually gods, but were totally willing to go with it as long as it advanced their own agendas.

And let's not forget Chel (Rosie Perez), whose sass and spunk not only saved those two, but allowed her to take life on, on her own terms. She was FANTASTIC.

The music though. Sir Elton was really phoning it in on this one. The songs weren't good to begin with, and they felt shoehorned in in a way that was completely unnecessary, to the detriment of the movie. Given the impressive cast, it's a shame that it wasn't better. I mean, seriously; Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Armand Assante, Edward James Olmos, Jim Cummings... the talent here deserved better.

The story itself was okay.

All in all I'm glad I've seen it, but I doubt I'll be re-watching it anytime soon.

Though there is this one lasting bit of the movie that has stuck in my brain...



I haven't been able to get it out of my head. So, I did what had to be done, and started carving up some pink foam... But more on that later.

Solo: A Star Wars Story

I wish I could say I was blown away by Solo, but after Infinity War, Black Panther, and The Last Jedi… I wasn’t.



Don’t get me wrong, this was a solid movie and a hell of a lot of fun. Getting to see Han in his younger days, seeing him get off of Correlia, rescue Chewie, and meet Lando and get the Falcon? Wonderful. Add in a little bit of early rebellion, The Crimson Dawn (spin off of the Black Sun?), and the Kessel Run? Delightful.

Spoilers Below!!

What it never really managed to do for me was make me curious. We know he’s going to make it, get the falcon, lose the girl, and best Lando, etc., so there wasn’t a whole lot of suspense. It was more like revisiting a movie I hadn’t seen in a long time. It felt familiar, comfortable, and in some ways more like a Traveller adventure than a Star Wars one. Not that that’s a bad thing per se, but a “may the force be with you” wouldn’t have been out of place.

Oh, and speaking of Lando? Donald Glover totally nailed the part. I want a Lando movie. I also want to know more about L3-37 and how she came to be so… woke. Seeing Lando and her flirt was a lot of fun. I’m disappointed that she didn’t survive, but love how she was integrated into the Falcon.

As far as the “disappointing” opening weekend? Don’t believe it. I think this is a movie that’s got some legs. And with a few weeks before Incredibles 2, Jurassic World 2, and more than a month till Ant Man and Wasp, I think Solo is going to solidly bring people to the theater. It certainly doesn’t spell the end of Star Wars.

If there’s another Solo film, or better, a Lando film, I’ll be in the theater again, ready to blast off into a galaxy far far away.

Countdown to Infinity War: Final Thoughts

Well, I did it… I rewatched all the MCU movies in anticipation of Infinity War! And uh… I’m glad I’m done*, and that I don’t have to think** about another*** superhero movie for a while****.

Overall it’s been an enjoyable trip through the MCU. The movies hold up remarkably well both individually and as a continuing arc of storylines, and from Best (Iron Man? Winter Soldier? Black Panther?) to Worst (probably Hulk), they’re all still fun movies.

While I hate to pick a favorite, the movie I’ve enjoyed the most has to be Guardians of the Galaxy. It isn’t the best, but it’s the one I like the most, and the one I’m most likely to just randomly put on.

And because no wrap up would be complete without it, I’m going to rank them. Well, categorize them, since actually ranking them is a little too arbitrary. They are listed by release order within each category.


Best MCU
Iron Man
Captain America
Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy
Ant Man
Black Panther


Middling MCU
Thor
Avengers
Iron Man 3
Age of Ultron
Civil War
Doctor Strange
Guardians vol. 2
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Thor 3 (this may move up in the rankings...)


Dust Collectors
Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor 2

I expect that Infinity War will likely fall into the Middling category... and with this, I'm off tomorrow to the movies for a noon showing! Wish I'd gotten an earlier ticket...


*Except for Infinity War itself….
**Not counting Deadpool 2 in June…
***Or Ant-Man and Wasp in July…
****But aside from those 3 upcoming movies in the next 3 months, I don’t have to think about comic book movies at all now that I’ve finished my rewatch!

Countdown to Infinity War: Black Panther

So because I got a free movie ticket for my birthday, I went and caught Black Panther again in the theater Sunday morning, since it doesn't come out on DVD till after Infinity War comes out. Amazingly, the theater, even at 9:45am on a Sunday was still around 1/3 full. Granted, it's a smaller theater overall, but I was still surprised. On top of that, the 2 and 6 showings were sold out. Guess I wasn't the only one trying to get my Countdown done...

Now, it's been only 2 months since I last watched it (and reviewed it here) and I'm not sure I have a whole lot else to say about it.

I do want to talk about seeing the movie though. This time, in a half empty theater, was a radically different experience than my first viewing in a fully packed theater. For one thing there was significantly less talking, laughing, and audible reacting to the movie. I'm usually one who enjoys seeing a movie without the peanut gallery making it hard to focus on what's going on on the screen. But it felt so right the first time I saw BP that the lack of it this time felt... wrong.

Aside from that, I still loved the movie, and can't wait to see it again when it finally comes out on DVD.

Next Up: Avengers: Infinity War!

Countdown to Infinity War: Thor Ragnarok

If there's one thing I want out of a movie from the MCU, it's fun. I want to enjoy myself. I want someone to root for, someone to root against, I want to laugh and to gasp. I want to see something in each film that I haven't seen before. Thor Ragnarok delivers this in a technicolor spectacular, which I wrote about before, not so long ago.




I mean, look at this poster! Those colors!!

But beyond that, there's 2 interesting stories going on here. Hela is taking over Asgard, in anticipation of a war of terror across the realms. She easily destroys Thor's hammer (once her own), kicks Loki's ass, and knocks both her brothers off the rainbow bridge onto a literal cosmic trash heap. Then she slaughters the Asgardian army, kills Thor's supporting cast with barely a backward glance, and spars with Idris Elba until the climactic fight at the end.

Meanwhile there's the buddy movie with Thor, Loki, Hulk, and Valkyrie playing around on Sakaar. I love all of the interactions, especially the growth in the relationship between Thor and Loki. Looking forward though... What's going to happen when Thanos shows up? Will Loki try to betray Thor again, or will the fact that he failed Thanos once already forstall that? We'll find out soon...

Then, when it all comes together, we have Thor deciding to end it all... and Asgard is destroyed in fire... and then there's Thanos.

Next up: Black Panther! 

Countdown to Infinity War: Spider-Man Homecoming

I liked Toby McGuire as Spider-Man. I thought he did a good job, and at a time when superhero movies weren't anything to write home about. Actually it wasn't even that the superhero movies were bad, it's that there weren't any. In 2002 the other superhero movie that came out was Blade 2. The excellent X-Men movie was 2 years before... and aside from that, the abomination that was Batman and Robin was back in '97. Looking forward, there's the Aflac Daredevil... clearly not the golden age of superhero movies.

And then a decade later Andrew Garfield slipped on the PJs. And that was... well, repetitive, and not as good.



And when it was announced that Sony and Disney had made a deal for a new Spider-Man? And that we'd be shown Uncle Ben, and "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" yet again... I winced. I felt my faith in the MCU being tested again. We got an initial tease with Civil War... and... it was good! A wise-cracking kid trying to do the right thing, not actually wanting to hurt anyone. And yet... for the first time... I didn't see Homecoming in the theater. I didn't need to see Peter get bitten by the spider, I didn't need his origin story AGAIN.

Things we never need to see redone in a movie ever again:
Bruce Wayne watching her parents get shot
Baby superman landing in Kansas
Uncle Ben getting shot/Peter getting bitten by a spider

sigh

The shame will stay with me forever.

Because Homecoming was a blast. Once again Marvel took something that could have been awful and turned it into something great. Peter Parker is an honest to god KID, in high school, and it isn't a damned origin story!

What we got is a young Peter, being mentored (remotely) by Tony Stark, testing limits, wanting to do good, to join the Avengers, while Tony wants this 15 year old kid to just... be a friendly neighborhood Spider-man. And like any teen, Peter pushing things too far, and gets caught up in something bigger than he's really ready to handle.

He makes mistakes. He goofs up. He talks too much. He's a little insecure. He has fun with his abilities. Basically, he's everything a young Peter Parker should be.

And let's talk about Vulture. If ever there was a relatable everyman villain for Spider-Man to confront, this is the guy. A different take from the comic books, but one that fits in really well with the MCU. He's utterly believable, and you even want to root for him. Plus, there's the whole Michael Keaton is also Batman and Birdman.

Post Credit Scenes: Cap's PSAs are WONDERFUL!!! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!! Aunt May (Yowza!!) catching Peter in his suit? "What the f-" was great...

Next Up: Thor Ragnarok!

Countdown to Infinity War: Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2

I haven’t watched this installment of GotG nearly as often as I’ve seen the original… In fact I think this was only my 3rd viewing of it. My thoughts haven’t significantly changed much from my first review. The Guardians have clearly been working pretty well together, taking on a variety of jobs, but the togetherness is starting to rub everyone the wrong way. 

One thing I didn’t really touch on in my last review was the Ravagers. These freedom loving pirates get a lot more fleshed out here, and we get to see how they’re loosely organized under a code… a code that Yondo broke, and the consequences he’s faced because of it. And when Yondo lets his guilt over that, and his love for Peter get in the way of his crew and their making a profit... well, he pays an even bigger price. Kraglin, who loves his captain, and wants nothing more than to support him, finds himself pushed too far, and that is enough for the rest of the crew to mutiny. Sadly for Kraglin this ends up causing the death of his friends, as the mutinying crew quickly purges itself of those most loyal to Yondu.

This viewing I found myself really focusing on the action around the main crew. The Ravagers especially, but the Sovereign also. It's amusing to think that a species so hyper engineered ends up acting like a bunch of high school assholes.

Post Credit Scenes - There's a bunch. First, you have Kraglin practicing with the arrow, and accidentally hitting Drax. Then you get the Ravager tribes coming together. I'd love to see a spinoff series or movie about that... teenage Groot in his moody angst-ridden stage, and then Ayesha of the Sovereign having created Adam... Hints at Vol 3? Finally, the Watchers abandoning Stan Lee.

Next Up: Spider-Man: Homecoming

Countdown to Infinity War: Doctor Strange

This is the story of how Tony Stark, sorry, Doctor Stephen Strange, mechanical medical genius became Iron Man The Sorcerer Supreme.

It’s just so easy to get the two of them confused. Both are insanely intelligent, egotistical, self-centered assholes who think everyone is beneath them. Both are victims of their own arrogance. Neither ever actually reaches “humble” in spite of their setbacks.



Visually, this movie is a treat. From the cosmic colors to the kaleidoscoping landscapes to the rich textures of the fabrics used. There’s a lot to see, and every time I’ve watched it, I’ve appreciated the visuals more and more.

The storyline is… Okay. It didn’t really do anything new or exciting, and felt very much like what we’ve seen before. I wish it had pushed things further.

Kaecilius, the antagonist has a fairly clear motivation, if twisted. I kinda feel like this would have been a far more interesting conflict if the focus would have been better placed on the relationship between Kaecilius and Mordo, especially since Strange mostly was… just kind of there. Strange didn’t even want to be involved in the conflict, in protecting the world… He just wanted to heal his hands.

In that way, it kind of reminded me of Big Trouble in Little China. Jack Burton was clearly the bumbling sidekick of the movie, but as the camera was on him, it almost seems like he’s the hero. It’s the same with Strange… he’s just there, in the way, along for the ride, defending himself as needed, while Mordo fights to actually stop Kaecilius.

I did really enjoy a lot of the dialogue in the movie. When The Ancient One banishes Strange to the top of Everest, and Mordo says “Oh, no, not again.” Lines like that can tell you an awful lot about a character.

The back and forth between Kaecilius and Strange makes the movie, regardless of any other flaws.



End Credit Scene: Thor and Strange have a beer! Mordo decides there's too many sorcerers in the world... for... some reason... Not sure I follow that logic.

Next up: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Blade Runner 2049

First, thank gods it wasn’t a reboot.

It was an interesting sequel, and I liked seeing how they advanced the world. In tone, it was less Noir, and more… dystopian sci-fi. The impression that the world has changed a lot in the 30-ish years since the original, beyond just the changes due to a EMP that did a fairly through wipe of data around the world, and the various dirty bombs… and a world where the entire ecosystem has collapsed and a simple wooden toy is worth a fortune. Actually, those last 2 aren’t really any different from the first movie, but most explicit. Climate change, nuclear war, and who know what genetic-bio-warfare have all but destroyed the planet for human habitation. The colonization of other planets, and the mass exodus isn’t just for commercial gain, but, it seems, a necessity.



And I think it’s the mass exodus that I noticed most strongly. In the original movie it was crowded in the streets. Busy and alive with everyone pressed in together, even as there were massive buildings empty, or nearly so. In 2049, there wasn’t the same feeling, even in the busy apartment building.

As far as the story goes, I like that they made the Replicants easy to spot. I kind of thought that was a dumb thing to do on the part of the Tyrell Corp. Why make a slave class that can blend in to the non-slave population? This time, the hunt is for one who can breed. Apparently making genetically viable Replicants is hard, but the now defunct Tyrell Corp managed it? Also seems like a stupid thing to do to make a slave class self-replicating, especially when they’re stronger than baseline humans.

A worthy sequel, but I think not one that will join the original as a classic of Sci-Fi Cinema.

Countdown to Infinity War: Captain America Civil War

At the end of Ant-Man, we got to see Cap and Falcon with Bucky trapped in a giant industrial vice... that scene doesn't show up until about an hour into this 2 and a half hour long movie.

Heroes fighting each other is as common in comic books as variant covers, and it's happened multiple times in the movies already. In the first Avengers movie when Cap, Thor, and Iron Man went at it over who got to deal with Loki? In Ant-Man, when he robbed the Avengers compound and had to fight Falcon? Here we have the Avengers dealing with the fallout of having vaporized an entire city. The UN have voted to... institutionalize the Avengers. Tony feels guilty, and wants to shift any future blame. Cap... can't do it.

And let's take a second to look at that... the maverick playboy billionare is all about joining the system, while the soldier isn't. It's an odd reversal when you think about it, and while it works for the story, and based on the events of all the previous films... but it's still... odd.

Complicating everything is Bucky, who's back as the Winter Soldier, and has killed the King of Wakanda. Cap of course wants to save him, while Tony, Black Panther, and the world at large want to see him either locked up or 6' under. On top of that, you've got Wanda feeling guilty for the people she's killed, Vision trying to figure out what exactly he is, what he's meant to be, and his developing feelings for Wanda, Black Widow is... well, honestly she's as inscrutable as usual, and playing both sides.

Bring in some side trips to loop in Spider-Man (and Aunt May), Ant-Man, and Agent 13 (Falcon and Bucky in the car looking on was my favorite part of the movie).

The big set piece conflict at the airport was really nicely done. Both because it was a well put together fight, but also because you could tell that no one really wanted to be fighting each other. Everyone was pulling their punches, at least a little. It wasn't a fight to put the other guy down for good. On top of that, there was never a point watching that fight that I didn't know who was who or what was going on. Too often movies make combat as noisy and chaotic as it really is, or even worse, just a visual and auditory cacophony (i.e. Transformers).

Overall this installment of The Avengers Captain America is beyond solid. It takes the characters seriously while allowing the humor and silliness of everything to keep it from being an unentertaining allegory of American intervention and it's consequences.

Oh, and the post credit scenes? More Spider-Man and Aunt May!

Next Up: Doctor Strange

Countdown to Infinity War: Ant-Man

So way back when I started this countdown, I talked about how different movies brought other genres into the traditional comic book action grouping?

This is the heist movie.



Let’s just ignore the training montage this time, shall we? I get that they need to learn their powers, but I really do prefer when we get to meet the heroes after they’ve at least started learning about their powers. I get that it’s a way to show the audience what they can do, but… Is it really necessary at this point?

I love… LOVE how Hank Pym hates the Stark family. And how Scott’s first thought at the dangers of what the Yellow-Jacket could do was to call in the Avengers. This is a film that knows it’s part of the greater MCU, but in some ways is a little closer to the street level heroics of Dare Devil or Jessica Jones than the literally out of this world adventures of Doctor Strange, Thor, or the Guardians of the Galaxy. And it’s perfectly okay with that, and embraces it totally, as seen by the big fight between Ant-Man and Yellow-Jacket on the train board.

And I want Luis to narrate everything from now on.

I’m really looking forward to seeing Ant-Man and Wasp. I get why, story-wise, it made sense to keep Hope out of the suit, but it did feel wrong.

Oh, and the post credit scene? Falcon and Cap have Bucky captured… So glad Civil war is next!

Blade Runner

It's odd that I'm only just now getting around to watching Blade Runner, as it's such a classic sci-fi movie, yet here I am, having just finished it, and feeling the need to get some thoughts down about it. At some point I should probably also read the novel it's based on...

Spoilers below on the off chance that like me you haven't gotten around to this classic yet.

First thoughts? The design from sets to costume to lighting and makeup are all absolutely phenomenal! And had they set the movie in 2119 as opposed to 2019, I'd have found it far more believable. In fact, in my head, I just made that headcanon. The effort to make everything seem so advanced from 1982, yet at the same time dingy, run down, used up. Everything in the movie looks a little worn, weary, and a little sad. Faded glory... very noir, but an interesting blend of 40's noir plus 80's all pushed forward into a dystopian future.

I loved the costumes that you see for mere moments in the crowded street scenes. There's a lot of personality in every character, and the heavy Chinese and Japanese influences from the hats and umbrellas (due to the ever present rain) to the various street vendors helps add a layer of cultural blending that reminded me of the heavy mix of American and Chinese cultures in Firefly, though of course the influence ran in the other direction. I also really enjoyed... appreciated all the advertisements.

The next time I get around to running an adventure or even campaign that's city based, I'm going to rewatch this just for the visual inspiration.

The golden pyramid of the Tyrell Corp, and it's temple-like interior made the encounter between the replicant Roy and Tyrell himself a not so subtle allegory of the creation destroying the creator... killing your gods.

The genetic tech of Blade Runner is fascinating, and it hints at a word that has environmentally collapsed. None of the animals shown are "real" but are all genetically modified/created constructs... just like the Replicants. Genetic toys... be they toy soldiers, laborers, or sex toys... identical to humans, but with 4 year life spans they are ultimately disposable. It's interesting that the euphemism used to describe killing them it to "retire" them.



After sleeping on it, the other thing it reminds me of is Cowboy Bebop, which is interesting, as the Blade Runner Blackout 2044 animated short was done by the director of Cowboy Bebop, so clearly not a random connection...

And in answer to the question "Do androids dream of electric sheep?" they apparently dream of unicorns.

Countdown to Infinity War: Avengers Age of Ultron

As much as getting the Avengers together to showcase really big fun fight scenes is, and it is, what really works is the time spent between those explosions. And much like GotG v.2, the fault lines in their friendships are exposed, and then widened by the Scarlet Witch.

While you don’t have Loki kicking around giving sly smiles, you instead get James Spader hamming it up as Ultron, the evil robot created by Tony and Bruce as they tapped into Loki’s scepter. I really enjoyed him and Paul Bettany going back and forth.



But while Ultron was the bad guy in the movie, the conflict really stems from Tony Stark’s willingness to push buttons and just act without checking in with the rest of the team, while Steve has a moral streak a mile wide, and as the team leader expects to be checked in with before anyone does anything crazy… like let a homicidal AI loose on the world. Or abduct the homicidal AI’s next generation creation, and upload your personal AI assistant into it… Little things like that.

Fun twists and turns!
Natasha (aka Black Widow) has her turn with Bruce in this movie. It’s interesting how she, the consummate spy, morphs the most depending on who she’s with in any given movie, and while Banner might not trust himself with her, I’m not sure that of the two he’s trusting the right person. And I have to admit, I kind of hate that fact. It’s right for the character, but…

Hawkeye, though, he gets to pull the biggest shocker. He’s married… with kids! And brings the team to his farmhouse after they fumble in dealing with Ultron. Seeing the team deal with this surprise was a whole lot of fun. Thor pushing the broken Legos under the chair, Cap chopping wood (cause he needs to be useful), Tony fixing the tractor, and then Fury showing up to rally the troops.

And while Fury is the dad/coach figure of the movie, Hawkeye gets to be the older brother for the new members of the team… and point out the insanity of it all "The city is flying ... we're fighting an army of robots ... and I have a bow and arrow," he says. "None of this makes sense."

And for the end credit scene? Thanos, who we’ll be seeing more of soon…

Next Up: Ant-Man

Countdown to Infinity War: Guardians of the Galaxy

Hands down, this is one of my absolute favorite movies. No, not just MCU or even comic book movies, but out of all movies I’ve ever seen, this one is at the top of the list. It’s one of very few movies I’ve ever seen in the theater more than twice, and one I’ve watched… probably close to 20 times in the 4 years since it was released. Not only that, but it’s also one of the MCU movies my bride really loves too! (she thinks most of them are boring)



I was going to link to my original review, but it looks like… I didn’t write one. 2014 was a rough year, so that’s not entirely a surprise.

So, who is this group? A rag tag bunch of assholes. Seriously, these are not nice people. They’re not heroes. There’s the earthling pirate, the raccoon mercenary bounty hunter, his walking talking (sort of) tree bodyguard, the assassin, and the vengeful muscle.

On the flip side, they’ve managed to grab the attention of Ronan the Accuser, a religious fanatic who wants the infinity stone that Peter… sorry, Starlord stole. And while they’re all assholes, they aren’t 100% dicks, so, with the power of friendship, they decide to try to stop Ronan from killing everyone.

Things I love about this movie: It’s goofy, and doesn’t try to hide it. Peter Quill, the abducted human kid raised in space, allows us to see the vibrant wild universe with both a bit of wonder, and also some solid tongue in cheek snippy comments. It doesn’t take itself seriously, even when the situation is serious. It’s fun, and the visuals, dialogue, and music all combine to make it the joyride that it is.

Let’s talk about the music… this 70’s soundtrack is not exactly what I’d call “quality music”! Yet they’re all songs that got a LOT of radio play, and they managed to fit them into the movie in such a perfect way that I can’t imagine it with any other music. And I’ve probably listened to the soundtrack at least twice as many times as I’ve seen the movie.



Things I don’t like: Ronan the Accuser. Like Thanos, I find him childish and boring. But weak 2D villains has been an issue in the MCU, with a few exceptions.

Next Up: Avengers: Age of Ultron

The Punisher

I just finished watching the Netflix show The Punisher, and oh boy... It should come as no surprise to anyone reading this that I'm a fan of the MCU, both on the big screen and on streaming. My love lessens as we get to TV bits of the MCU. With that in mind, when they announced a standalone Punisher show, I was intrigued. Everything else that Netflix has done has all been a part of the Defenders storyline, and this would be taking things off on its own direction.

And it did... and it did NOT pull any punches.



And there are LOTS of punches... as well as bullet wounds, stabbing, smashing, kneecapping, and sledge hammering, just to name a few. Plus blood by the bucket full.

All to tell a story of revenge, of... justice? Honestly, it's hard to say. After 13 brutal episodes that took me until this week to get though... It's not a show I'll be revisiting. I am glad that I finished it before Jessica Jones season 2 hit Netflix (today actually), if only by a couple of days.

However, as it is only tangentially related to anything else that's happening in the Netflix-MCU, unless you're a big fan of violence, I'd skip this one.

Countdown to Infinity War: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Programing Note: They've moved up the date of Infinity War by a week!!
Gonna have to squeeze in some extra viewing time!

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This is one of the movies I've been really looking forward to watching since starting the Countdown. The Winter Soldier is not just a good Marvel movie, but it's a really good spy movie in the same vein as one of those Tom Clancy techo-thrillers, only with super-soldiers!



Seeing Captain Rodgers deal with the world he's in, trying to be a good soldier in an organization like SHIELD... it's not a natural fit. Captain America can be counted on to do one thing in any situation: whatever it is he thinks the right thing is. Working with spies, and running up against that fact over and over... it takes a toll, and inevitably he pushes back against it.

At his side is the ultimate spy, Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow. For the longest time, this was the closest I thought we'd get to a Black Widow movie. According to recent reports, Black Widow will actually get her own movie... finally... But until then, this gives a lot of screen time to Natasha, which she uses to help Cap avoid the agents of a corrupted SHIELD that is being controlled by HYDRA! Not to mention all the asskicking...



Also joining the cast of characters is Falcon, aka Sam Wilson, a retired soldier who helps Black Widow and Cap hide out, and then helps them take out the Project Insight Helicarriers.

And then there's the Soviet asset, the Winter Soldier himself... By now everyone knows it's Bucky, but that moment, when the mask is ripped away, and Steve gets a good look at him? Great moment! Having them have to fight it out? Steve having to try to stop HYDRA while his best friend stands in the way? Wonderful bit of conflict there.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of SHIELD, let's circle back around to Agent Phil Coulson, last seen dead on the floor, stabbed through by Loki... Turns out after he went to visit Tahiti.

Agents of SHIELD came to the air a couple of months before Winter Soldier was released, and there was a weird feeling in the show, knowing that there was something big that was going to happen in the movie, but not being able to tip their hand. Once the movie came out though? Things got really interesting for a while there!

Back to the movie - the scenes with Steve and Bucky visiting the Captain America exhibit in the Smithsonian? Another great touch. All in all, this is one of my favorite movies in the series.

Next Up: Guardians of the Galaxy!!