Guardians of the Galaxy - "What a bunch of A-holes"!



Love the line-up...especially how Rocket Raccoon ends up front and center!

 
Ok, I have been burned by so many previews in my lifetime I can't even begin to list them.  Three that stick out immediately are Robocop 2, Superman Returns, and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.  These were the kinds of previews that held so much promise, looked exciting, and delivered exactly what I wanted in a 2-minute reel.  Unfortunately then the movies came out and not only did I hate them all, but as I sat in a dark theatre I found my brain thinking, "How did that great preview turn into this horrible movie?"  Robocop 2...bad story, bad acting, and not faithful to the characters of the original.  But man was that a great preview.  Superman Returns...BORING!  The most boring superhero movie ever...the only good scene was the plane rescue - AND THAT'S WHAT THE PREVIEW SHOWED!  Star Wars: Attack of the Clones...worst love story and acting ever!  Parts of that movie felt like they were written by a child's view of what romance was.  I have read better fan fiction...of course none of those moments were included in the movie's preview (a wise decision).


Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY!

So here we are.  Guardians of the Galaxy.  This is going to be the make-or-break movie for Marvel.  If this thing takes off at the box office then no characters are off limits for the big screen.  I'll be expecting my Moon Knight big screen movie shortly.  However, if Guardians tanks...then Moon Knight may end up on Netflix as a series or (shudder) as a guest star on the horrible Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show (which I pray nightly will be cancelled).


People in America that don't read comics have no clue who the Guardians of the Galaxy are.  Trust me, nobody who isn't a comic book fan can name any of them.  So the first preview is a real introduction on many levels and wisely that is exactly how the studio treats it - as an introduction.  In two minutes we see all the members of the Guardians, get a brief bio of each member with their rap sheet, and then have a fast montage of each character doing some action stuff.  The preview is zippy, it works, and the inclusion of the Blue Suede Hooked on a Feeling classic was a perfect decision.



Great image from the teaser poster!

I am not a huge Guardians of the Galaxy fan.  I have read all of their incarnations in comics and have never really felt compelled to stay with them.  There's nothing bad about them, but I can't muster an affinity towards them as I do to other superhero characters.  That said, this preview clicked with me on many levels...and had me returning for repeat viewings.  I love Chris Pratt's work on Parks and Recreation and I can immediately see that he is going to be funny and comfortable leading a big screen effort.  John C. Reilly as a member of the Nova Corps...come on, what's not to love!  There is a nice tongue-in-cheek feeling of FUN that maybe the Marvel movies need.  The little ode to Raiders of the Lost Ark in the opening seconds of the preview is all you need to see grasp the vibe of this movie.

If you have not seen the preview check it out immediately...or wait to see it on the big screen on 4/4/14 with Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  The early signs for both movies are so impressive that it takes me back to 1990 all over again...umm...oh yeah that was the year of Robocop 2.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTZ2Tp9yXyM 

 

 

And I'm sure some of you are humming that great cover of BJ Thomas' Hooked on a Feeling from 1970's group Blue Swede, so here's the whole version...get your Ooga Chaka on!

 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo-qweh7nbQ

ASSEMBLE! (May 4 will be EPIC!)

The years from 1980-1987 were the pinnacle of my comic book collecting.  I'd first been exposed to comics through the 1960's era Spider-Man cartoons (heavily replayed on Channel 20 as a child) and then my mother would buy me comic books like Marvel Team-Up, The Invaders, and The Avengers as I grew.  I was flipping through comic books before I could even read.  The colors, costumes, and unique heroes and superpowers thoroughly captivated my imagination.

Through middle school and high school I would discuss with other friends the various "goings on" in the titles we read and the large scope of both the Marvel and DC Universes.  From 1980-1987 the only real superhero movies of note that genre enthusiasts could appreciate were Superman the Movie (on VHS) and the release of Superman II (in the theatres).  Any other offerings didn't solidly connect with the world of comic books.  Sure, Superman II came close with a battle between Kryptonians...but let's face it...Richard Lester's ham-handed humor ruined that movie - "Huh, Superman didn't even do nothing!", guy on roller-skates, guy talking on phone during Metropolis fall, ad infinitum.  Two years beyond my key bubble in collecting Tim Burton's Batman would be released (1989) and change things forever between comic books and the cinema.

During those eight years I remember debating if and when an Avengers movie would ever be made?  Frankly, it seemed more likely that I would stumble upon Thor's Uru Hammer than actually see the comic book versions of Marvel's top tier heroes on the big screen.  And yet, in 2012 that is exactly what will happen.  As a fan three books really have always cried out to be turned into movies.

1. X-Men...I've never been a fan (although First Class was a solid apology for the first three lackluster efforts)
2. Watchmen...the greatets superhero work ever created and a perfect movie!  I know it has haters, but for me, this is always going to be #1 from comic-to-film
3.  Avengers...dare to dream...

I'm an adult and I will admit that I have watched, rewatched, and analysed the preview for Avengers far too much (at times frame-by-frame).  It seems clear that the majority of the movie will borrow much of the material from Mark Millar's Ultimates Volume II (which is an awesome read).  That storyline focused on Loki and the Skrulls (both of whom seem to appear in the new movie).  From my dissection of the preview I see the envitable Iron-Man, Captain America, Thor confrontation...no doubt perpetrated by Loki.  I see a city battle which will most likely be the first half of the movies climax (I believe the actual climax is being hidden).  There's some sort of battle between Black Widow and Hawkeye (look for the shot of her kicking...it's clearly the archer on the receiving end) which means one of them will be a Skrull for a time.  Plenty of drama with Loki and a nice verbal retort from Nick Fury "You have made me VERY desperate." And the Hulk gets to kick ass and save the team...more than once.  At the end we see some enormous spaceship (or as some fans have speculated the Midgard Dragon)...whatever it is...it looks cool.  Then there's the money shot of arguably the 7 greatest heroes to ever work as Avengers encircled and preparing to do what they do best...save the Earth!  Somewhere my childhood self is jumping for joy at the true "marvel" that is happening.  The Avengers will be on the big screen!

So basically 25 years after the peak of my collecting life, what may be viewed as the ultimate comic book movie is on the horizon.  I'm excited!  Most likely I'll be sharing some of my favorite Avengers moments in coming blogs to build up to this event.  But until then go read Ultimates Vol 1 and 2, watch the preview on my blog, and be prepared for an explosion of coolness. 

And then I'll see you at the theatres on May 4th!  AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!!

The Origin Story

The origin story...every fanboy hates to hear those three words. So, let's cut through that, for the purposes of this blog you won't need any form of origin. We're cutting right to ALIENS! I'm gonna get all WRATH OF KHAN on your ass! This is all EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (complete with some refreshments courtesy of Lando).

I wanted to write a blog. I created a blog site. Origin complete! Bring on Dr. Octopus!!

Oh who am i kidding, there's more to the story than that. Not much more mind you. See, I spend alot of time on the computer. Now, I could be focusing on my job or on numerous writing projects that are perpetually "in the works"...but instead I'm on Facebook, Fantasy Football Sites, and playing Donkey Kong on MAME.

When I do focus enough to write I stray over to Amazon and pen some reviews. The process seems therapeutic enough since it allows me to externalize the thoughts on items I have read and to take a second look at it to decide if I enjoyed the experience. I just finished John Sandford's BROKEN PREY (decent book but not 100% sure if I liked it...so the forthcoming review I write will help me ascertain what's what).

The bottom line is that sometimes my brain tends to go off on tangents and I feel a bit like a raving lunatic. Not one of those "ate his liver with some fava beans" lunatics but more along the lines of Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade. He may wake you up from a sound sleep in the middle of the night holding a hammer...but he just wants some taters and to regale you with a story about bridge urination. No worries.

So as Styx sang, I do indeed have too much time on my hands. So let's have a fun reading-writing experience so at least something productive comes out of it.

-Barrel