Dying To Work There..."The Belko Experiment"

The Belko Experiment (2017)

Rated R

Starring John Gallagher Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona, John C. McGinley, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn

Directed by Greg McLean

The Story:

An office in Bogota Colombia suddenly transforms into a prison as all the windows and doors are sealed. Then a voice (Henry) calmly instructs the workers that they need to kill a fellow co-worker in the given amount of time...or else.

So begins a twisted corporate version of kill or be killed, brought to you by the guy who gave us the fun and wholesome Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn.

It's a twisted day at the office, to be sure, and as the voice tells us at the very beginning, most of you won't survive the day.

That's an understatement.

While you have an idea of who the lone survivor might be, it's still an occasional jolt as each person meets their untimely demise.

Some pre-meditated, some accidental, some just by chance and happenstance, the movie grabs you and carries you along for the ride until the very end.

No huge stars in it, though I suppose Michael Rooker might take exception to that, but lots of familiar faces abound.

Won't go down as a cinematic classic in the horror or thriller genre, but still worth a peek.  It will likely become a cult classic like Gunn's other works (Slither).

 Final Grade: B-

I Will Be Your Father Figure..."Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2"

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Kurt Russell, Michael Rooker, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff,

Written and Directed by James Gunn

The Story:

The Guardians of the Galaxy are back! In the months that have passed, the group of travelers have started to become a family, or at least that's what you would assume from all the bickering. However with the arrival of Peter's (Pratt) dad, Ego (Russell), everyone is about to learn the secret behind their family heritage. That's assuming the Guardians live long enough to find out, as a bounty is put on their heads that sends Yondu (Rooker) and the Ravagers looking for them.

There, hopefully that doesn't give anything away that you haven't already gleaned from the trailers.

Here's the bottom line:

Did you like the first Guardians of the Galaxy?

Then you're probably going to like this one.

Is it better?

Probably not.

Sequels rarely are.

The first one was simply...wow...they're doing this...they're doing that....

It was this generation's Star Wars.

So now we've seen all the wows, as we've been introduced to Marvel Studios space side.

That said, this is a worthy successor to the franchise, and doesn't have any significant drop off in quality. Like I said, we now know all the characters, so there is a lot less exposition this go round in bringing the team together.

This becomes catching up with old friends who have settled in to be family.

Even if they haven't figured out they are family yet.

The laughs flow freely.

Baby Groot is adorable.

Drax continues to steal every scene he is in.

The soundtrack fits perfectly.

And you might even have an occasion or two to need tissues.

:)

Your mileage may vary.

Final Grade: A

It's A Mystery To Me Why People Hated "Scooby Doo".

Scooby Doo (2002)

Rated PG

Starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, Rowan Atkinson, Isla Fisher,

Directed by Raja Gosnell

The Story:

Mystery Inc. is no more! The gang has gone their separate ways, but the call for them to return to Spooky Island grudgingly reunites the team as they investigate the strange goings on at the request  of Mondavarious (Atkinson). By the time the gang solves the mystery, they will have faced the most evil villain Mystery Inc. has ever encountered!

Of all the attempts to bring Hanna Barbera animated classics to life, this is the best of the bunch.

It gets more than its fair share of ridicule, but really, time has been pretty kind to this one.

I will confess that I do own a copy, but I happened to notice it as a newly added title on Netflix recently and thought, why not.

Hehehe.

It was still pretty darn funny.

As the credits began to roll, here's a main reason why the movie was so good:

Written by James Gunn.

Yep, the same guy that brought Guardians of the Galaxy to life, wrote the screen play and all that was fun about this movie, a giant kudos goes to Gunn.

That said, don't discount the performances by the leads of Mystery Inc.

Prinze and Gellar do admirable with their stints as Freddy and Daphne.

But this movie belongs to Cardellini and Lillard who encapsulate everything we've ever seen with Velma and Shaggy and bring those characters to life straight out of the cartoon. Lillard especially channels the voice and mannerisms and just seems like a perfect cartoon counterpart to Scooby.

When it was all over, I was pleased to have watched it again, probably for the first time in nearly 15 years.

I remember being amused then. I was still amused now.

Can't really ask more than that from a movie, can we?

Now streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade:  C+ / B- range

Simply Put...THE Best Movie of 2014! "Guardians Of The Galaxy"

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

PG-13

Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper,

Written and Directed by James Gunn

The Story:

Marvel Studios heads into space with a tale of a band of ne'er do-wells led by Star-Lord (Pratt) who teams with Gamora (Saldana) Drax (Bautista) Groot (Diesel) and Rocket (Cooper) in an attempt to save the very universe that considers them to be outlaws.  But heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and these Guardians of the Galaxy are about to prove to be every bit as worthy as The Avengers.

Borrowed from my synopsis that I wrote for the movie review when I saw it in theaters.

It was impressive then.

It was a trip into space for Marvel that basically brought the thrill of Star Wars to a generation that grew up on it when it first came out, and it made us kids again.

The acting was superb.

James Gunn is fantastic (and if you want a lot of fun, follow him on Facebook!) and as enthusiastic of an ambassador to the Marvel Universe as you're going to get.

If you don't like science fiction...
If you don't like comic book movies...

I ask that you give this one a try.

Your opinion might change on both fronts.

I've yet to meet anyone out there that saw it and didn't like it.

I'm sure they exist, but I'm not sure I want to know that person.

They are probably dead on the inside.

:)

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: One of the only things I wanted for Christmas, it will be enjoyed often over the next few years. 

A Star-Lord Is Born... "Guardians Of The Galaxy"

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace

Written and Directed by James Gunn

The Story:

Marvel Studios heads into space with a tale of a band of ne'er do-wells led by Star-Lord (Pratt) who teams with Gamora (Saldana) Drax (Bautista) Groot (Diesel) and Rocket (Cooper) in an attempt to save the very universe that considers them to be outlaws.  But heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and these Guardians of the Galaxy are about to prove to be every bit as worthy as The Avengers.

Mostly.

What to say about this film without completely echoing every other critic out there, and without revealing any spoilers?

Let's try...

This is THE Star Wars experience for the 7-12 year olds that we got to experience back in the 70s.
Not those terrible prequels that came a generation later... ick.
:)

Chris Pratt cements his claim to leading man/action hero/everyman action guy.  In other words, if he so chooses, he could be the next big thing.  His Star-Lord is equal parts Indiana Jones and John McClane, and everyman hero who can take a beating but keeps coming back for more.

Vin Diesel steals the movie out from under his co-stars with but three words...and one of the most expressive facial and body language you'll ever enjoy in a film.

You think he nailed it in Iron Giant?  Wait until you catch his Groot!

Cooper instills Rocket with equal parts cockiness, snarky, charm, agression with a hint of heart.  You want the mascot duo?  Look no further.

These guys are the C-3P0/R2D2 combo, except, they're a lot more relevant.

:)

Dave Bautista is given some great dialogue which he delivers perfectly.  He got the role of a lifetime, and I'm very happy to see him up on the screen.

Zoe Saldana proves that she's not a one-trick pony, put her in any franchise and she will deliver.

Lee Pace almost unrecognizable from Ned in Pushing Daisies, and he played Ronan the Accuser without mercy, a total change from what I was used to.  Well done.

James Gunn, he wrote it, he directed it, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is all the better for it.

I rolled my eyes and wondered what Marvel was thinking when this movie was announced.

I humbly apologize.

This is what they were thinking, and I cannot wait to see how they follow it up in 2017, or perhaps a cameo elsewhere before then.

Bravo everyone.

I'm not sure if I will give this the edge over Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

But so far, it's Marvel running 1-2 for movie of the year.

That's impressive, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

I've got until December to make that decision.


A word of warning from some of my kids:  You might want to bring a tissue along, just in case.


There's some moments in the film that will touch you beyond what you're expecting from a comic book movie.


That's James Gunn and his cast bringing an awful lot of heart to a film that is going to make you feel like a kid again before the credits roll.


They put the tagline "You're Welcome" on the poster months ago.

It wasn't cocky, it was a response to everyone who is now saying "Thank You" for making such a great movie.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'll be buying it, I hope it's out just in time for the holidays.  Loved it.