The Movies of 2014

How many have you seen?  I reviewed a selection, and you can find all my raves and rants under the movie reviews tag!

Friday Fun Video: Honest Trailer for "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Guardians of the Galaxy, the best movie of Summer 2014, has just come out on Blu-ray and DVD this week, so here's a brand-new Honest Trailer to mark the occasion:

Art, Life, and Cosplay

Hanging out with the people whom you're cosplaying is pretty darn awesome. Nathan Fillion meeting mini-Captain Reynolds is too cute.

Friday Fun Video: Dancing Baby Groot

It's the Guardians of the Galaxy video clip that's sweeping the nation!  OK, time to see this hilarious space adventure again.

Movie Review: "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Everything is Awesome!

It's only fair to quote Chris Pratt's first triumphant movie of 2014 to describe his second.  Besides being a bit of meta-review, it has the benefit of being absolutely true.  I have run out of superlatives to describe Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel's thrilling confection of a comic book space opera that seems completely improbable on paper but blooms into a giddy display of unmistakable movie magic on screen (plus $94 million on opening weekend ain't bad!).  

Guardians is not just two hours of action-comedy with a ragtag band of lovable misfits, an engaging retro-pop soundtrack, stunningly beautiful special effect spacescapes, and two of the best scene-stealing CGI characters ever created.  It's also a movie that recaptures the childlike, heart-pounding delight of seeing flicks like Star Wars or the even-numbered Star Treks or Raiders of the Lost Ark - movies that set your imagination on fire, filled your head with landscapes you'd never dreamed of before, and had you strutting out of the theatre thinking you were no longer plain old you, but Han Solo or Captain Kirk or Indiana Jones himself.  Guardians of the Galaxy is exactly that kind of movie.  I spent the entire time in the theatre sitting with a big silly grin on my face and feeling about 10 years old, and I can't wait to see this flick again ... and again ... and again.  

Public Service Announcement: The "Guardians of the Galaxy" Soundtrack Is Available

AND IT IS FREAKING AWESOME.  

Come on, it begins with "Hooked On A Feeling" and ends with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."  Peter Quill wasn't kidding around when he called the collection "Awesome Mix, Vol. 1."

I'm using Spotify.  You can find it via other services too.

As for the Guardians movie, I've been looking forward to this for months.  It opens tonight, so I will be pretty much useless until then.

Friday Fun Video: "What a Bunch of A-holes."

Yes, yes, I know the trailer's been out for a few weeks.  I've been watching it for that long because it is hilarious!  It never fails to make me smile, and - let's face it - with yet another wave of frigid temps and sleet/snow hitting the East Coast, we could all use a smile.  Anyone up for a crazy space adventure starring a quintet of desperadoes with a 1970s Swedish rock band on the soundtrack?  Oh, Marvel, you had me at "space raccoon with an automatic weapon."