Issue #10: Sandy's Reflections on Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

About a year and a half before Guardians of the Galaxy, my mother died. I think it was the most life-altering moment in my life. 
 
You see, my mom had cancer, and although it was blessedly quick, it was an awful, painful, and emotional end. As an only child, I grew up in a pretty happy, carefree, and loving framework. We didn’t have much money, and I lived in a small town, but boy—did I ever have a great childhood, most of which revolved around my family. My mom was central in my life as a stay-at-home mother who did everything. She taught me to read, to write in cursive, to cook, and to be a thinker. We did most everything together, the three of us, and I consider, even now, my mother to be the best friend I ever had. I’m sure you already see where I’m going.
 
So when she left us, I was a bit lost. It was up to me to pull everything together—from the funeral to taking care of the house to making sure my dad knew how to do laundry (that took a while). In short, I didn’t get to grieve much because I lived five hours away and had to make sure my work and house were taken care of while simultaneously helping a man who lost his wife of almost 47 years learn how to manage on his own. 
 
When this film came out, needless to say, I was just barely hanging on. So this film was not on my radar.
 
When it came out on DVD, my friend Courtney brought it over for a movie day. I’ll never forget the moment: Pulling it out of her bag, she gave me a look and said, “If you can make it through the first ten minutes, I think you would love this film.”
 
I did.
 
Not only is this film a happy joy of a movie with great characters (who knew?) and zippy one-liners, I really connected with Peter’s struggle to move on and enjoy life while grappling with the loss of the key person in his life. I get it.
 
In addition, what also resonated with me, besides the obvious connection to a kid losing his mother to cancer, was the idea of how music is like a balm in the film. James Gunn was explicit with the song selections, focusing on how the song connects to the scene’s message or feel. Recently, he released all the unused songs for quarantine listening, stating: “Whatever the case, I never intended on sharing these songs, as I might use them in future movies. But I think the need for all of us to have some joyousness in these difficult times outweighs all that” (https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/guardians-of-the-galaxy-unreleased-songs-playlist/).
 
In the series, it’s Meredith Quill’s music, and it’s her gift to Peter that crafts the soundtrack. The music is not only connected to her memories—but also his memories of her. The songs, so happy or bubbly or emotional, are what ties Peter to his memories of her and the bubble that he has of his time on Earth as a kid. 
 
In an article on BBC.com, a scientist named Cretien van Campen provides insight into this connection between music and memory: “Notably, memories stimulated by music often come from particular times in our lives…Psychologists have called it the ‘reminiscence bump’. It may work this way because this is an especially important and exciting time in our lives, when we are experience things for the first time and when we become independent. Everything is new and meaningful” (https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20140417-why-does-music-evoke-memories).
 
And so it is for Peter. It’s part of why he is stunted in his maturity at the beginning of the film. It’s like his body grew—and his emotions and thoughts are still at his childhood stage when he was snatched from Earth. He keeps listening to the same songs, over and over, and they bring him comfort—and connection with his mother.
 
Maybe that’s why I enjoy this film upon re-watch so much. I find myself thinking about my mom, about how far I’ve come now with healing the hole in my heart. For my family, movies were a major bonding time—from Charles Bronson to Chuck Norris to Clint Eastwood to endless horror movies, we watched them all. My mom made movies special, much like how Meredith makes music special for Peter. I can watch Jaws and be immediately brought back to watching with my mom—and saying all the lines along with her as we made pie in the kitchen. Pop culture brings us joy—and just like “Escape” or “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” in Guardians of the Galaxy—it bridges time to help us heal, soothe, feel inspired, or laugh. Or, in the case of this film, it helps me remember my own mother fondly and with a smile. 
 
Maybe that’s why I’m writing this blog right now. I “fooled around and fell in love” with movies as a child. Music, movies, memories, and mothers are a powerful combination. 
 
Maybe next I’ll listen to the soundtrack again—or pull out my Blu-Ray of Footloose. I watched that with my mom, too!

Issue #10: Alex's Reflections on Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

This was the first film I saw at the AMC Theater in the Monmouth Mall. At its surface, that is a rather innocuous distinction, but it is also the beginning of my career as a professor at Monmouth University. Guardians of the Galaxy is largely lauded for its humor, soundtrack, and gang of misfits mentality. However, whenever I think of this film, I think of Rocket Raccoon and Drax sitting together at the end. After another outrageous Marvel Cinematic Universe CG-Fest conclusion resulting in the demise of the adult Groot, Drax gently pets Rocket’s head. For some reason, that few seconds of screen time is profound for me.
 
It is interesting when the non-human characters provide the most human feelings, and maybe that is for a reason. Star Lord (Chris Pratt) serves as the garish, arrogant, and charismatic leader of the Guardians, but his bombastic nature, while humorous, is difficult to resolve in my mind. We get a decent amount of information on Star Lord’s background in the film as well, and his life is wrought with tragedy and loneliness. The opening scene of the film is heart-wrenching, and my colleague Sandy does a thoughtful and beautiful reflection on that scene. Rocket and Drax are more mysterious, though.
 
Throughout the film, there are not a lot of specifics about Rocket and Drax’s backgrounds. Drax is looking to avenge the death of his family at the hands of Ronan (Lee Pace), and recognizing that obsession leads Drax to accept and embrace that he has a new family in the form of the Guardians. Rocket, on the other hand, is very mysterious. From what I gathered in the film, the only backstory we get is that Rocket was the result of a genetic experiment gone wrong. Suppressing the horror of that experience seems to be what drives Rocket throughout the film because he has one mental breakdown where he shares, “I didn’t ask to get made! I didn’t ask to be torn apart and put back together over and over again and turned into some little monster!” Every other scene, aside from the aforementioned scene with Drax at the end, Rocket Raccoon is a cruel, brutal, and darkly humorous character.
 
This all makes the scene between Drax and Rocket profound. It is unclear how much each knows about the other, but I assume they do not know much. While Rocket holds the remains of his best friend Groot, Drax gently pets Rocket’s head. No dialogue is needed, and the silent language spoken between the two is understood. Both characters are broken and have extreme flaws, but they silently understand each other. The concept of loss is universal, and both Drax and Rocket understand it completely.

Issue #10: Gian's Reflections on Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Do you remember when we were happy? Before COVID and the election and all the job cuts? We used to just be happy.
What happened to us? I was having a hard time writing about Guardians of the Galaxy (directed by James Gunn), and then I finally realized why. It’s such a happy movie it almost feels wrong watching it in our pandemic-ridden time. 
 
We’ve been robbed of some of our joy and happiness. And blaming someone won’t do any good. That doesn’t bring the happiness back. The blame game never does. No, our pre-virus life has been taken from us and although we’ve learned how to live with it, as best we can, we still feel the loss.
 
It’s like that excitement you used to feel as a kid. Do you remember that? The way the smallest thing could get you really excited: A new toy, a piece of candy, even, well, just the idea of going to the movies. I can remember that excitement. I hope you can too. But, here’s the thing, I can’t feel it. Not the way I did as a kid. That pure joy of childhood excitement leaves us as we grow up and learn to find other kinds of excitement.
 
And I think, really, that’s what makes Guardians such a great movie. When Star-Lord, a.k.a. Peter Quill, a.k.a. the fabulous Chris Pratt, comes dancing along in the opening scene of Guardians you realize you are seeing the pure joy of an adult acting like a child. Quill dances around to “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone on a dark alien world like he’s having the time of his life. He’s a big kid, and channeling Tom Hanks and Adam Sandler before him, he captures that sense of childhood fun and innocence just perfectly.

In fact, he goes those actors one better by adding in just the right touch of sadness that makes the childish fun bittersweet. After all, Quill is dancing to a cassette tape that his dying mother gave to him. Pratt knows exactly how to make us love his big kid role, something he had already played to perfection on Parks and Rec as Andy Dwyer: Be foolish and the butt of the joke and silly, but know what to say at the right moment to make the girl fall for you.
 
And, in this case, that girl is Gamora (played to devasting perfection by Zoe Saldana), who comes in kicking Quill’s butt as a green whirlwind. Gamora is no timid love interest. She doesn’t need Quill or anybody else. Until she gets caught with the rest of the Guardians and sent to the interstellar prison Kyln.
 
And that is where the best scene in Guardians comes. Gamora is the “adopted” (because she was kidnapped) daughter of Thanos. Since Thanos has killed thousands of people on countless worlds, the other prisoners on Kyln want to make Gamora pay for Thanos’ atrocities. When she walks ahead of an angry mob to her cell, one prisoner shouts, “No cell is going to protect you for long.” Gamora ignores them all, strides into her cell, and seats herself down primly. She looks steely and clam, ignoring the threats. But a moment later a prisoner with bared teeth bangs on the glass of her cell and shouts, “You’re dead,” and we hear Gamora gasp and then watch as she lets out one small, shaky breath.
 
It’s a small scene, just a moment, but in that scene we feel all of Gamora’s fear. She is alone, hated, and in danger of being killed. And so Gamora is afraid. She’s afraid of dying. And so are we.
 
Now, my friend Alex will tell you, nobody ever dies in comics. And he’s right. But that doesn’t matter. It’s not Gamora who’s going to die. It’s us. We don’t think about it most of the time. But we know it.
 
I do want to acknowledge that many people suffer with depression and anxiety or just feel more keenly the weight of mortality than others of us. But we all know that the end is coming sooner or later. Mostly, we keep hoping it will be later.
 
And that’s where the virus comes in. We used to feel safe. We could go anywhere we wanted, shake hands, hug a friend, even put our arms around a stranger’s shoulders and sway together to the music of a concert. Now if someone in a store coughs, do you hold your breath? Do you shrink back if a stranger comes too close to you? Or, even if you think that the virus is just a political gambit and will be gone by November, do you still have that little sense of doubt in the back of your mind? Do you worry if you’re the one who coughs?
 
Superheroes don’t die. But we can. And so, when we see Gamora afraid, we know we are not alone. We don’t have super strength or ninja-like fighting powers. But we can have courage. And you only can feel courage when you are afraid. That’s what courage is, moving past the fear. Thor and Captain America are so powerful they don’t ever seem to be afraid. Cap can jump out of a plane without a parachute.
 
But not Gamora. She can be killed, and so she knows fear. Just like us. Still,  Gamora charges into battle anyway. And we can be brave too. We might not have to fight with our hands, but over our lifetimes we will be called on to fight injustice and racism and sheer cruelty. We know we don’t have forever, and that means we have to do what we can to make this world a better place while we’re here.

And if you read my friend Sandy' blog post about Guardians of the Galaxy too, you'll find that she wrote about her mother's passing which is connected to this film for her. I bet her mom was pretty brave, too, because she taught her daughter to be brave enough to share that important story with us. So I hope you will be brave, too, when you need to be.

Issue #9: Sandy's Reflections on Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

I’ve often said that I find Peggy Carter’s arc an amazing one, despite the fact that she really is a major character in only one MCU movie. However, we do get to see glimpses of Peggy at various stages of her life, glimpsing what she longs for, and fights for, after Steve has been lost to her. Her life and accomplishments, then, have reverberations throughout the MCU.

In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we get two different snippets of Peggy, and both are important. I’m going to discuss them now, looking back, so here’s your spoiler warning if you haven’t seen Avengers: Endgame.

 

Steve Rogers is having trouble building a life and moving forward. He feels alone, stating that socializing seems unimaginable when Natasha asks him if he did anything exciting for his Saturday night, “Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so…no, not really.”

 

This feeling of loneliness is further emphasized in a subsequent scene where he, incognito, visits the Smithsonian Museum to tour the exhibit dedicated to his adventures back in the day, complete with artifacts, information about his childhood, and videos recorded by those with stories about Steve—such as Peggy. Here is our first glimpse of an older Peggy, in 1958, reminiscing about Steve: 

 

“That was a difficult winter. A blizzard had trapped half our battalion behind the German line. Steve…Captain Rogers…he fought his way through a HYDRA blockage that had pinned our allies down for months. He saved over a thousand men, including the man who would…who would become my husband as it turned out. Even after he died, Steve was still changing my life.”

 

These words seem straightforward at this point in the MCU, and much press and fan commenting focused on who the man was who would be worthy of stepping into the very big shoes of Steve Rogers.

 

There is one other scene with Peggy in the film, this time with her in the present timeline, bed-ridden and sick. Steve, still feeling alone, goes to visit her. We see framed photos of her life by her bed, and while we can see one frame with her children, we don’t really see her husband. Seeing Steve look at her photos, she says, “I have lived a life. My only regret is that you didn’t get to live yours.” She gives him other advice, too, during this moment of lucidity: “The world has changed and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best, and sometimes, the best we can do is to start over.”

 

Looking back, these words are actually cryptic and can be read with even more depth and foreshadowing.

 

The writers for Winter Soldier and Endgame are the same, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley, and they assert that they have “had the idea of Steve returning to live with Peggy in mind for a while. But if this is true, then that means Peggy is lying to Steve in The Winter Soldier”

(https://screenrant.com/captain-america-winter-soldier-peggy-carter-old-lie/). In this article, “Oh Peggy was Lying to Steve in Captain America: The Winter Soldier?” the writer, Cooper Hood, argues that Peggy had chosen her words wisely here, and the lie is actually the line about him not getting to live his life. I don’t think this is a lie, though. The writers argue that it’s a loop (which, side note, contradicts what the Russo brothers say about this issue since they claim it’s an alternate reality), and Peggy’s husband is Mr. Steve Rogers, a man who supports his wife’s work in S.H.I.E.L.D. when he “starts over” by returning to her. Peggy's words about changing her life take on new meaning with this twist, as we think about coming back from being MIA as a definite life-altering event. But, if they had decided to keep this a secret to avoid altering the timeline in unknown ways, then everything does fit together like an intricate puzzle.

 

What’s interesting is that the writers set up Emily VanCamp’s nurse-next-door (who turns out to be a Fury-sent spy to watch over Steve) as a potential love interest in the same film. (Which, at the time of writing this blog, seems to be an abandoned storyline.) While her character is likeable, it’s still hard to compete with Peggy—even if she only has two small scenes. 

 

It’s especially enjoyable to trace all these pieces of Peggy’s timeline in the MCU now that we know the “endgame” the writers had in mind (pun intended). I’m really looking forward to the Disney+ series What If… which will have an episode that features an alternative reality where Peggy takes the serum instead of Steve. I think that her popularity is a testament to how beloved the character is. I really would have liked to see the series Agent Carter have a few more seasons, but then again, filling in these gaps and connecting the dots as a viewer is half the fun. As Steve says to her, “You should be proud of yourself, Peggy.” 

 

Issue #9: Alex's Reflections on Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

This movie is excellent…for one hour and thirty minutes. The Russo Brothers’ first foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a crazy action movie with well-choreographed one-on-one fight sequences, a seamless car chase sequence, and suspenseful storytelling that truly has repercussions for the remainder of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s run…for one hour and thirty minutes.

The ending sequence sees Captain America fighting The Winter Soldier who used to be his best friend, Bucky Barnes, who Captain America thought was long dead. Throughout the film, Steve Rogers battles with the moral dilemma of having to confront his former friend and ultimately decides to not harm him. All of that makes for great storytelling and creates investment on the part of the viewer; as a consumer, I care what happens to the characters in this film. What complicates my viewing is the chaos surrounding the third act, and this will become a theme with the Marvel films as we move through the series. 
 
It is not enough that Captain America and Bucky Barnes are fighting to the death. It is not enough that Hydra has completely infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. It is not enough that the Secretary of Internal Security for S.H.I.E.L.D. (Alexander Pierce, played by Robert Redford) was the ultimate mastermind behind all of the insanity. No, that’s not enough chaos and intrigue. There also needs to be three (THREE!) helicarriers falling from the sky into the Potomac. Captain America needs to be fighting the Winter Soldier on one of those helicarriers, and those hellicarriers need to be firing at each other incessantly for 20 minutes. This is putting a hat on a hat.
 
I know from past viewings of all these films that this is only the first of many overindulgent ending sequences in Marvel Movies that do not need them. I’ll make a confession right here, right now. During the entire ending sequence in this film, I was on my phone looking up sports news. I would occasionally look up and see Captain America hanging sideways from a perilously bent metal beam, but it was too much. The film would have been better served having Captain America fight the Winter Soldier in a more intimate setting. The movie did not need all this bull#$% to entertain the audience. All of the stories the movie built up over the first hour and a half were enough.

And Marvel is not the only series guilty of overindulgence. An egregious example of this is the recent Wonder Woman movie. That film was nearly one of the best superhero films ever made, but they had to have Wonder Woman fight Ares (who looked like Shao Khan from Mortal Kombat) in a videogame cut-sequence. Why filmmakers feel they have to put these insane CGI finales in superhero movies is beyond me. They are appropriate at points, and when we review Avengers: Endgame, I realize it is a final battle that was built up over nearly one decade. The rationale and necessity for that level of CGI is clear. But Captain America: The Winter Soldier did not need it.

Issue #9: Gian's Reflections on Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

I love the opening to Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). Dawn is breaking and the sky is a rich blue purple tinted with rose as the sun begins to rise. A lone figure jogs beside a small lake and in the background we see the dark pinnacle of the Washington Monument and then the round dome of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Quiet music plays, and there is a peace and calm to the scene that will stand in stark contrast to the battles and turmoil that lie ahead.

It’s a reminder that Washington, D.C. is a beautiful place, something that has become easy to forget as the political divisions in America have grown ever uglier. How did we end up at war with each other? We are supposed to be the United States of America, not red and blue states, not hating each other.

Winter Soldier resonates with post 9/11 themes. Who are our friends, who are our enemies? And the film is as timely as ever. Captain America (played ironically as ever by Chris Evans) leads a rescue mission to save crew members on ship that has been seized by pirates, but then the Black Widow (played in butt kicking form again by Scarlett Johansson) jeopardizes the whole operation when she takes time to download secret data off a hard drive. Natasha tells Steve that S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury (played to perfection by Samuel L. Jackson) gave her a separate mission from Cap’s rescue mission. Steve yells at the Widow, then returns to S.H.I.E.L.D. to confront Fury:

Steve Rogers: “You just can’t stop yourself from lying, can you?”

Nick Fury: “I didn’t lie. Agent Romanoff had a different mission than yours.”

Steve Rogers: “Which you didn’t feel obliged to share.”

Nick Fury: “I’m not obliged to do anything.”

Steve Rogers: “Those hostages could’ve died, Nick.”

Nick Fury: “I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn’t happen.”

Steve Rogers: “Soldiers trust each other, that’s what makes it an army. Not a bunch of guys running around and shooting guns.”

Nick Fury: “The last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye. Look, I didn’t want you doing anything you weren’t comfortable with. Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything.”

Steve Rogers: “I can’t lead a mission when the people I’m leading have missions of their owns.”

Nick Fury: “It’s called compartmentalization. Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all.”

Steve Rogers: “Except you.”

Secrecy. Missions within missions. Competing agendas. This is Marvel doing a spy film that captures all the paranoia of the Cold War all over again. There is a shadow group, Hydra, manipulating the government. The people who are supposed to be protecting the citizens instead are planning to kill them. And as trust in the government fail, people begin to turn on each other. Eventually, no one trusts anyone and then we turn on each other.

We know the history of the MCU, Captain America: Civil War is coming. But look at America. Distrust of government. Fear of the police. Suspicion about the pandemic. Democrats against Republicans. We’re on a path to tearing each other apart.

And that’s why we need Captain America. When a brainwashed Bucky Barnes shows up as the murderous super villain Winter Soldier, Cap never loses faith in his friend. As they prepare for a final battle to stop Hydra’s plot, Steve and Sam Wilson (played with everyman flair by Anthony Mackie) discuss what to do about the Winter Soldier:

Sam Wilson: “He’s going to be there, you know?”

Steve Rogers: “I know.”

Sam Wilson: “Look, whoever he used to be, the guy he is now, I don’t think he’s the kind you save. He’s the kind you stop.”

Steve Rogers: “I don’t know if I could do that.”

Sam Wilson: “Well, he might not give you a choice. He doesn’t know you.”

Steve Rogers: “He will. Gear up, it’s time.”

[Steve turns and starts to walk off]

Sam Wilson: “You going to wear that?”

Steve Rogers: “No. If you’re going to fight a war, you got to wear a uniform.”

Steve had been wearing the dark blue version of his costume with the white star, but that had been confiscated by S.H.I.E.L.D. In preparation for the final battle, he borrows his World War II-era red, white, and blue costume from a museum exhibit. Donning his original costume reminds viewers of all the grand ideals America stands for: Honor, duty, compassion, helping those who can’t help themselves.

And friendship. United we stand, divided we fall. America is supposed to be united. Cap stays loyal to his friend Bucky, risking his own life in the process. And, in the end, Bucky saves Cap. Steve’s faith in him is rewarded. And it is Steve’s belief in Bucky that opens a path, albeit a very difficult one, for Bucky to find the way back to his own life.

Some people want us divided. They don’t have to be members of Hydra, although maybe they are? But we don’t have to give in to that. We can be better. And we don’t have to limit this to Americans, either. We only have one world, and we all need to live in it. We have to find a way forward to live in peace and, hopefully, in friendship.

Don’t believe me? Try this. Get up early tomorrow and watch the sun rise. It will be just as beautiful as in that opening scene. And when you see that beauty, I hope it will inspire you to do one more important thing. I hope you’ll decide to make the world even more beautiful that day by smiling, by saying something nice to someone, by lending a hand, even by doing a good deed. It’s really not that hard. We can all make the world more beautiful for those around us. That’s what acts of kindness are, beautiful acts worthy of a beautiful world.

The Comics and Composition Blog Returns!

Hello Loyal Readers,

As summer ended and the academic year began, I (Gian) fell behind on posting the MCU reflections of Sandy, Alex, and myself. But never fear, the Comics, Coronavirus, & Composition...and Popcorn! blog has returned!!!

We have lots of reflections to offer as we continue our journey chronologically through the MCU. We hope you enjoy them and that you tell all your friends. Feel free to post your comments and responses as well. We'll be back to posting each week as we go forward on this fabulous superhero adventure!