Guardians of the Mumbo Jumbo

As an avid comic book collector in the '80s and '90s I remember and enjoyed the Guardians of the Galaxy.  I even own a Rocket Raccoon #1.  Yet I was still very surprised that Marvel chose this series as their next big budget extravaganza.  It's a bold move, and they deserve credit for launching a film with a tree and a raccoon as central characters.  The movie, however fun, is still an oddity with an unknown world, and incoherent plot, and a cast of random villains that never seem to matter much.

The story begins on Earth in 1988 as young Peter Quill is abducted by aliens and taken to a far-off galaxy.  Years later, the adult Peter (Chris Pratt) still listens to the same Sony Walkman with the same "Awesome Mix" - only now he's a space scavenger known as the self-anointed Star-Lord.  When he finds a mysterious orb, he becomes the target of the evil Ronan who desires the supreme power that the orb will bring.  An evasive fighter with a price on his head, Quill soon attracts a renegade bunch of space outlaws who want what he's got.  This includes Rocket, the genetically modified Raccoon who resembles Han Solo, and Groot, the strong silent tree who resembles Chewbacca.  Rocket and Groot are voiced respectively by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, and their banter and humor is one of the movie's highpoints.

Quill is also chased by green-skinned Gamora (Zoe Saldana, of blue-skinned "Avatar" fame), who has betrayed the evil Ronan and now is also hunted across the stars.  Once these space avengers assemble, they set out on a complex mission to first sell the orb for it's extreme value, but then later to prevent Ronan from getting it in order to control the universe.  Or something similar as this convoluted plot becomes one of the movie's lowpoints.  

Unfortunately, "Guardians of the Galaxy" is saddled with ridiculous space dialogue about odd-named aliens from the planet something, who are fighting with some other species who may or may not be from the original "Star Trek."  It eventually all sounds the same, which is too bad because the movie does have a lot of originality.  I really don't know what the conflict is about, except that the orb creates some really cool explosions and the bad guys wear black.

The filmmakers would have been better off making the whole movie a comedy.  Rather than being SO influenced by the original "Star Wars" they should have learned more lessons from "Spaceballs."  When the characters lighten up, the movie works best.  When they get bogged down with serious saving the universe talk, the movie becomes an unbearable load of clichés ripped from the mouths of comic-con teenagers.  

Original Rocket Raccoon #1

Don't get me wrong, "Guardians of the Galaxy" is an enjoyable summer adventure due in part to the sheer oddness of its existence.  The cast coheres well, bringing a fun likeability to each misfit character.  As the voice of Rocket Raccoon, Bradley Cooper has never been better - no really:  he's the most complex character in the movie.  It's refreshing to see Marvel make a movie outside their comfort zone of Avengers.  Maybe next time out they can have a bit more fun, and tone down the gibberish.

The Great American Con: "American Hustle"

It's not a black and white world; it's all grey.  So says Irving Rosenfeld, the somewhat real-life character played by Christian Bale in the 1970s era "American Hustle."  It's a movie full of colorful suits, long Cadillacs, glitzy disco balls, and a soundtrack you've heard a million times.  Did I mention this takes place in the 70s?  I wasn't as impressed as apparently I should be.  Maybe because I've already seen countless versions of the same movie, and this one offers no new surprises.  For a movie about con-artists, you'd expect the trickery to be more grand - it's not.

Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jenifer Lawrence

Sure, it's a slick film filled with great actors, clearly having a blast.  I'm sure it was fun to make, but like some of the more famous music of the era, it left me a bit empty.  The story is based on the real Abscam Scandal, where FBI agents worked with a notorious con artist to trap corrupt politicians.  The movie focuses on the triangle between the top con artist (Bale's Rosenfeld), his lover/partner (Amy Adams), and the eager-beaver FBI agent (Bradley Cooper).  The movie tries to blur the lines between who's playing who, but to me it was never in doubt.  Along the way we meet Rosenfeld's wife (Jennifer Lawrence overdoing it with a shifting accent), and the good guy politician (Jeremy Renner, at his earnest New Jersey Italian best). 

After a fast-paced introductory 30 minutes where it creatively introduces Bale, Adams and the glory days of 1970s con-artistry, the movie gets severely bogged down with a hefty middle where the plot grows complicated, yet never too complex.  The set-ups are numerous, but the payoffs never really land.  I kept waiting for bigger reveals that never came, and as a result the movie simply glides along - one long steadicam set to Donna Summer.

As I've said, audiences have seen it all before - and better.  Here's a good holiday party game:  name all the 1970s era movies where marginalized outsiders fight/cheat/bend-the-rules to achieve their version of the American dream.  Then rent those flicks and have a much better time.

"American Hustle" is, however, a bit more realistic than the other similar movies.  It's not about mob killings, pornstars, or drug kingpins - it's about characters who are everyday dreamers that we all know.  The problem is that the realism doesn't make it more cinematically enjoyable.  Aside from the always excellent Christian Bale and Amy Adams, the rest of the cast struggle to animate these thin characters.  

The movie is hurt by the attempts to be more psychological than it's predecessors.  It touches on so many characters' lives that it never probes deep enough into any single one of them.  By trying to maintain a certain level of con, the filmmakers withhold information that would otherwise prove more insightful.  It all, therefore, feels a bit slight.


And who's the real villain here?  The FBI?  The politicians who barely appear?  The movie never really takes a stand.  A subplot revolves around the revitalization of Atlantic City, which is an intriguing prospect.  Think "Casino" or "Bugsy" on the east coast, or even a more contemporary "Boardwalk Empire."  But yet again this point is not further developed.  Audiences are left wondering what happened to those casinos at that time.  I realize that's not precisely what this movie is about, but why spend so much time with Jeremy Renner's crusading mayor and his dream?

Costume Display from Arclight Theater, Hollywood

Ultimately, it's the characters' inner demons that may (or may not) bring them down, yet those themes make better novels than movies.  Apparently the temptations of Elton John and aviator sunglasses are too great to not render it all once again into a feature film.  A great one?  No, but it sure made a great trailer.