#classic gamora

[gutmicrobiom]

The deadliest woman in the galaxy

[ninebaalart]

Classic Gamora [2024]

getting good reference for "Classic Gamora" is hard because she used to just wear fishnets and a loincloth and then between then and now theres this specific look thats also classified as "Classic Gamora" but even then it still is subject to alterations. The MvCI look adds a bunch of elements to cover more skin obviously but it muddies the water more

anyway i need to find a proper name for this look cuz its so barbic. i dig it

[edithdraws]

A little Gam for @dilfdoctordoom

[dilfdoctordoom]

this is actually a fucking amazing introduction story for gamora like it doesn’t fuck around her with from the START she’s terrifying she’s threatening she’s a lil mean she’s hot she’s got skulls... oh, how i miss her

[tilyoureninetyhughy]

You know what? I get where Rocket is coming from.

He spent five years with only Nebula while the rest of his family was Blipped. Five long years. Then, finally, he gets them all back (except for his Gamora) and not long after that, the Guardians disband?

Hearing his voice crack when he comes to that realization broke my heart.

The guy who could've cared less at the beginning ended up caring the most. It's a classic. But damn. It was a bittersweet ending.

[ingydar-phan]

Honestly feeling bittersweet about hoodie string being the top theory. It’s so classically on phannie brand but also disappointing. A theory about them kissing? Really? We’re not past the fact that they kiss? Also that it’s not even based on actual kissing, it’s based around the idea that Phil touched Dan without him noticing lol. Not only a reach, but so silly and old school for them to be addressing at this point. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the pivotal and integral nature of silly things like this. But I felt like those are what are and were for us, for the silly giggling of the phannies. Do we actually want DNP to think that in the year of our lord 2024 phannies are still theorizing that they kissed? That’s it? But maybe that’s actually the novelty of it. They asked for unhinged theories after all, and this is certainly silly and unserious. Which is cute. And sweet. And terrifying. Idk I totally get people’s fear of DNP becoming one with private detailed phannie thoughts. But also I don’t know if I want Dan and Phil to see us (or twitter in specific) as so tame that *this* is our biggest theory. Is it silly and worth reminiscing? Absolutely. But it’s not the craziest nor the thing I most want to hear!! Just a thought. @gamora-borealis is doing gods work of submissions frfr

[kings-paintbrush]

❗️Avengers Mission Ideas for you to use to your hearts content❗️

My all time favorite, an absolute classic in my opinion is the Deep Cover Mission! But my specific favorite is having to play house in deep cover! there’s so many different combinations, Sam being the Dad, Natasha being so short that Fury thinks she can pass as a child, it can just be so funny. Like in my DR, The Young Avengers have this mission (Kamala, Kate Bishop, Yelena, RiRi Williams, Wasp, America. Theres more but they’re added later) and, Kate and Kamala had been fighting for months over who’s team leader. So they’re naturally arguing over who’s gonna be the dad 😭 (it escalates to the point they’re trying to decide who looks better in a tie)

POWER SWAP!! Ok technically it’s not a mission but there are so many marvel comics villains it’s had to have happened ONCE. It could happen before or during a battle, some crazy guy swaps your powers around! Same thing with Body Swap which is basically the same thing. I just think it’d be funny if Tony swapped with Natasha (but Natasha had Thor’s body or something) And you’d all have to stop fumbling over yourselves and train to master your powers!!

also for your Marvel DR- GIVE YOURSELF YOUR OWN TEAM OF VILLAINS!! ITS ICONIC!! Spider-Man and the Sinister Six… uh… nobody else but like Spider-Man is iconic

on this note: you have your own Vigilante/Anti-Hero Ally! That is if you aren’t a vigilante already.

this one’s a lot more specific but there’s this Fourth Wall Breaking Villain (that I initially saw in X-Men 97) called Mojo! (Look him up his design is… something) and he’s obsessed with TV and ratings. Basically he sends you all through a bunch of different show and Movie Genres, trying to get you all to fight eachother or kill monsters! (And drama, that’s good for ratings, he’ll try to get under your skin) until you all, of course, eventually defeat him! If any of u are confused the X-men 90’s show episode he’s in is: Season 2 episode 11, MojoVision

another one stolen from the X-Men show: you and the avengers (also these apply to any team, I’ll add some space-y ones for the uhh Guardians shifters and more neighborhood ones too!) You all decide to go on a nice, normal vacation! Fun in the sun or a nice winter cabin! Even better, everyone is so friendly!… that would be it if they weren’t trying to kill you, a battle ensues, you reign victorious but uh- those swimsuits or skis sure did go to a waste :[

another semi deep cover but I listened to “Sway” by uh Micheal Buble I think and “Masquerade” by siouxxe sixxta. You’re like the key to the mission, playing as a preformor of some kind, you’re all at a party amongst criminals, and it’s all your cue. (Points if you keep singing or whatever while fighting like dance fight!!!)

A spacey one!!! You have to make a pitstop at a notoriously violent planet, known for its scary inhabitants. And… they’re literally the cutest guys ever. Like… those guys from Star Wars, The Ewoks!!! But they’re being hurt/hunted by a big scary alien thing so you defeat that and also earn a new ally!!

my personal favorite (I could write like 2 pages of headcanons off of this) as a team building exorcise/community support booster, you all have to babysit a class of kids for the day!! I hav SO MANY IDEAS FOR THIS. Like Peter Parker just getting trampled and bullied by a bunch of 6 year olds, Natasha would definitely get along with all the kids, if the Guardians were there… Drax would be so good with them like I’d Cry. Quill would get kicked in the balls (it’s inevitable) Gamora would be disgusted at the tiny things at first but warm up to a kid that reminds her of herself, Groot would be a playground and Rocket WILL be put into a dress. I feel like Thor would do something really dangerous for “fun” 😭 (IM A HUNDRED PERCENT WRITING A FIC ON THIS)

another idea!! A Carmen Sandiego type mission! Stealing from a museum and returning the artifacts back to their cultures! And just interfering heists and going against the government sometimes.

some Villains I think would be cool to fight: Modok, Big Wheel, MasterMind, Rat King and Beyonder (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur), Morlun, she’s not a villain but imagine getting your ass beat by the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl… even avengers have to be humbled sometimes.

A Halloween Special! With everyone dressed up, it’s hard to tell who’s the villain! But when a big crime goes down, it’s Trick or Beat (that wasn’t funny I’m sorry 😞)

Some Quickfire ideas: You all get turned into Animals! You get sent to the ✨future✨ (or the past) and make allies and have to find your way back. Having to be a bodyguard for a celebrity. Fighting a villain who can clone themselves. Getting over your fear in a mission (fighting clowns or something like that).

ok ok… Istg I’ll stop with the deep cover missions BUT two more: You and your Comfort Character getting set up together and having to pretend to be a couple for a mission. (Bet it was Maria Hill who set you two up I love her sm)

Going deep cover into a cult, a few of you. And the weakest link starts falling for the cult’s tactics 😭😭 (Plot taken straight from MLP season 5 but I kinda love it tbh) I feel like uhh Peter or Kate bishop would be like “I dunno guys, it’s so sweet and everyone is sooo sweet!” @oliver-shifts @shiftingwithhale @florashifting @achilleslefttoe @romanoffshifting

I have so many more like character specific ones!! One I forgot was a Scooby-Doo type mystery on a boat with Bucky and Sam, they both get super scared and paranoid abt the local legends of a ghost pirate or lighthouse ghost, something like that, but you’re all heroes and have to brave thru it.

[lily1718]

GOTG3 HIGHLIGHTS......INSANE SPOILERTOWN AHEAD BUCKLE UP MORONS (NON- DEROGATORY LOVING WAY)

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1. "Creep" as the opening song? SLAYED.

2. Rocket memorising all of Peter's songs? ATE

3. Nebula and her character development>>>>>>

4. Mantis and Drax playing the amiable annoying siblings.

5. Nebula is the older sister.

6. Peter is the tired dad going through a divorce.

7. GAMORA THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE GALAXY.

8. GAMORA. MOTHER.

9. Adam warlock is a babygirl. And I LOVE HIM FOR IT.

10. THIS MOVIE IS ABOUT ROCKET RACOON THE RACOON.

11. YONDU'S CAMEO MADE ME SCREAM.

12. ALL THE DEATH SCARES 😭

13. Drax losing one daughter to get 10 more and be a dad that he deserves.

14. Drax a fashion icon king

15. Lyllah, Teefh and Floor, take my heart. JUST TAKE IT.

16. Groot SAYING I LOVE YOU

17. Nebula being an all rounder badass.

18. COSMO MY FAVOURITE GOOD DOG.

19. Found family trope for the win❤️

20. Playing come and get your love at the end? CHERRY ON TOP OF A SKYSCRAPER TALL SUNDAY ICE CREAM.

+1 the cinematography, the camera work was INSANE

ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE. CLASSIC GOTG. JAMES GUNN THE MAN YOU FUCKING ARE.❤️

[can-of-pringles]

Ego is such a classic manipulator. I noticed when he came to check on Peter, he says "I saw your girl stomp off a little earlier in quite a huff." instead of something probably more common(?) Like 'Did you and her have a fight?' etc. Like he's automatically focusing on Gamora's reaction, almost alluding to that it's all her fault. Despite seemingly not knowing what actually happened (I can't remember if he could already hear them fight since he's the literal planet or not) by already subtly placing the blame on Gamora, he further isolates Peter into thinking he can't trust her, or that she's a problem causer.

[kitcat992]

Identity Within︱Chapter 9 - Bachelor Party

Tony purposefully cleared his throat, breaking the lull as gently as he could.

“You know, not to turn the fun times into shoptalk…” he started to say, leaning forward to dispose of his near-empty beer bottle. “But the last time we saw you—”

“The stones, yes,” Thor easily interrupted, long before Tony had even gotten his bottle on the table.

Tony arched an eyebrow and Thor nodded his head some more, turning contemplative as the seconds passed.

“The infinity stones have proven themselves to be a mighty foe.” Thor frowned, deeply. “I’ve been seeking answers I cannot find…about many things.”

The energy that once played in the music seemed to have vanished, replacing the mood with something noticeably heavier.

Clint, already listening in with one ear, slowly but surely left the kitchen island once his curiosity couldn’t be contained.

“Thor?” Clint stopped where the couches began, leaning his hip casually against the armrest of the sofa where Tony sat. He gestured his beer bottle forward. “You okay there, big fella?”

Before anyone could open their mouths to speak, a crass shout sounded from the kitchen.

“Don’t get him started!” Rocket raised his voice so loud, it cracked at the edges — practically sounding desperate. “You get this blubbering mess started and—!”

“It all started with my father!” Thor boldly interrupted, followed by a groan from Rocket that was so loud, it echoed through the kitchen. That didn’t stop Thor from continuing on, leaning forward on the sofa as if the weight that burdened his shoulders was too heavy for even him to carry. “I found him to be missing. And it was in my search for him that I discovered my brother, Loki, had been well and alive all along.”

Tony leaned forward much quicker than Thor, absolutely no burden of weight keeping him from doing so.

“You wanna pass that by us again?” he quickly fired out.

“Loki’s alive, Thor?” Steve was hand-in-hand with Tony’s concern. They went so far to share a look — both saying different things, but somehow still communicating the same message.

No sooner after that, Steve looked back at Thor. “I thought you said he died, shortly before everything with Ultron.”

The mere mention of that name spoken was enough to bring Natasha to the lounge, her arms tightly crossed against her chest as she found a stance next to Clint. The music may have been lively and loud, but it wasn’t loud enough to overtake Thor’s voice — even if she hadn’t been discreetly listening in, she still would’ve heard him talking.

Unlike Thor, Natasha stayed quiet, waiting like the others to hear his answer.

“Yes, so I assumed,” Thor finally managed to say, his gaze caught on the rim of his metal cup, with eyes that seemed far away from the liquid that swirled inside. “That betrayal, it was…”

No different than the hours that had passed, Quill’s music kept the silence at bay. Vocal’s flew down from the ceiling with a raspy, warm, rugged tone, keeping his sentence hanging in the air as the classic rock song played on.

“It does not matter now,” Thor broke through the silence with a voice far weaker than any tone he’d used so far. Natasha went so far as to arch an eyebrow — suddenly put off by the display of emotion. “He has gone his way, and so have I.”

As Steve leaned further forward on his sofa, he shared another glance with Tony — who had since peeled off his glasses, busy tucking them into the opening of his polo placket where they could hang freely. He kept his eyes on Thor, no different than Clint and Natasha.

“Yep, off you’ve gone, all the way to space—” The crass voice called out from the kitchen, reminding them they weren’t the only five who occupied the lounge. “Time moves on, we get over things, we stop talking about things—!”

“Rocket!” Quill was the one to admonish him this time, giving Gamora a much needed break.

Rocket didn’t care. “You know damn well if we don’t stop him now, he’ll—!”

“—ever since the mechanical beast you named Ultron, I’d been plagued by a reoccurring dream,” Thor steamrolled right over him. “One of Asgard falling to ruins—”

“ —what’d I tell you!”

[scrompsmilanodiaries]

Coming out to Peter and Gamora, your older sibling figures, as aroace headcannons?

We are family

Oh my goodness !! of course anon 😍

Peter and Gamora were like brother and sister to you, You could always come to them whenever something was bothering you.

They were a strong team when it came to comforting you, even if they had different styles.

But there was one issue where you were super hesitant to talk about it, not knowing how'd they react.

Your sexuality, It was important to you and you'd always struggled with your feelings... or lack thereof really.

You didn't like people romantically, but you still loved people... just Platonically.

But you felt that some people would take that as if it was completely outlandish, It was scary... so so scary.

And Gamora knew something was on your mind cause classic Gamora, But you also have been quiet for the last couple of days.

So one night before you all headed off to bed, She gently as she could pulled you aside and sat you down on the couch.

"Is everything alright y/n ??" She asked as she took your hand.

"I... I'm alright Gams... really" You tried to brush it off but she gave you a stern concerned look.

It wasn't long after until Peter joined in and saw your face. "You alright kiddo ??" He sat down.

Your knee started to bounce, and the anxiety was rising in your chest. "I feel... different."

They both stayed quiet, letting you explain what you were saying at your own pace.

"I don't.... feel... feelings... like how you two feel for each other... Like I still love people... but not in that way..."

It was a tense silence for you until Peter started to rub your back.

"I understand what you're saying, and it's completely normal if you don't feel that way" He smiled softly.

"You are y/n l/n at the end of the day, You are your own person" Gamora gently squeezed your hand.

You gave a wobbly smile as the weight of the galaxy was lifted off your shoulders, they accepted you for who you were. "Thank you guys..."

"Thank you for bringing it up y/n" Peter said.

You were happy to call them brother and sister.

[somewhere-on-knowhere]

More Random Starbula Headcanons

Nebula has a lot of trouble sleeping due to nightmares, and because nighttime is when her thoughts are the loudest. It gets a little easier once Peter starts spending the night with her, but it doesn't go away, of course. His presence is comforting though and it's nice to have someone there to keep her company and talk to when she can't sleep, because Peter sometimes has trouble sleeping, too.

Most of the time, Nebula is the little spoon, but when Peter's having a bad day, they switch. She likes that she can bring comfort to him, and Peter loves being snuggled.

After moving back to Earth, Peter got into baking. Sometimes he'll surprise Nebula by baking cupcakes or muffins for them to share when she comes to visit him.

Peter ends up checking out a lot of 80's movies that he missed out on when he was younger, and watches some of them with Nebula. One of those movies is Dirty Dancing, and Peter really wants to practice the classic lift that Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey do at the end with Nebs. Unfortunately, being made of a lot of metal, Nebula is too heavy for Peter to lift her over his head like that, but she's more than capable of lifting Peter, so she humors him and does the dance move with their roles reversed (it takes a few attempts and they knock over some furniture in the process).

Peter's grandparents love playing board games and like it when Peter and Nebula join in. At first Nebula is worried because she still gets crazy competetive and angry when she's losing (like Leslie in this one scene in Parks and Rec but even worse xD) but playing with Peter and his family helps her get over this problem for the most part. Nebula joining in with the Quill family fun times makes me so happy!

Nebula LOVES playing with Peter's hair!!

Around the anniversary of Gamora's death every year, Peter falls into a depression that lasts several weeks. Nebula makes sure she takes some time off to spend with him when this happens, since the grief hits her hard as well. They do their best to help and distract each other through the sadness and reminisce about good times with Gamora until they're feeling better.

Knowhere gets good signal (according to the Holiday Special), and so Peter and Nebula are able to FaceTime whenever they want (Peter gifts Nebula her own phone for this purpose). They typically chat every day after Nebula returns home in the evening, because on Earth that's around the time Peter goes to bed at night. Peter likes that he gets to see Nebula's face before he goes to sleep, and Nebula sees chatting with her boyfriend as her reward for a stressful day's work.

Peter takes a LOT of selfies and so Nebula receives a lot of pics of him throughout her day. She'll be working and her phone will go off and people ask her wtf she's looking at on that outdated looking little machine she's holding. And Nebs will look at a dumb picture Peter sent her of him posing with a cat he just met while on a jog or something and she'll just be like "...it's nothing," while trying not to smile.

[marveloustimestwo]

hiiii! can i request scary movies with the guardians? reader is afraid to watched them but the guardians convince her + peter takes the opportunity to hug her/get closer to her

Warnings: Yandere themes

This would very likely be Peter's idea first. Halloween, after all, is an Earth custom, along with many of the things that come with it.

The other Guardians would not be familiar with horror movies. Sure, many other planets have movies, but typical horror movies like Halloween, Terrifier, and A Nightmare on Elm Street can really only be found on Earth

Peter, being a big movie classics fan, would immediatly want to watch all of the stuff he saw as a kid. Realistically, considering his age at the time, he probably shouldn't have been watching those kinds of movies, but that's really the whole reason they stuck with him so much.

He'll have a big list of all the classics he saw as a kid, such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th. He'll also add things that he considers new (but really just came out after he was abducted), such as Scream, Candyman, and The Silence of the Lambs.

Drax and Rocket are all for it. Drax never really feels any fear, and Rocket is particularly excited for all of the deaths he's promised to see. However, Rocket will complain if the props or deaths seem corny.

Gamora will participate solely because she's tired of Peter speaking to her about it. She knows she's not going to get scared, but she likes the idea of you seeking comfort from her, especially if that takes you away from Peter. It's makes her laugh a bit to see how much he pouts.

Nebula will flat out refuse to participate unless it's you that's begging her. Especially if you say that you're scared, because that means you trust her to protect you, rather than Peter. The shot to his ego boosts hers.

Mantis, Kraglin, and Groot are all the type to be just as scared as you are.

Mantis hates the jumpscares, especially if the movies is about some cosmic or supernatural horror. Movies like Paranormal Activity or A Nightmare on Elm Street do not sit well with her.

Kraglin also isn't a big fan of the jumpscares. Movies with excessive blood and scares end up making him squeamish, and he taps out halfway through movie two.

And Groot, bless his heart, also really hates jumpscares and the idea of people being hurt. He has too much hyper empathy. Continuously seeing people murdered, despite being told it's not real, has him leaving after the first movie. He tried, but it's safe to say he does not like horror movies.

Peter specifically is a big fan of classic movies in general because they were such a big part of his childhood, much like music. Horror movies in particular were mostly introduced by his uncle when Peter was in his care. Again, maybe not something a child should be watching, but it kept his mind off his mom during the Halloween month.

So any movies that came out during the seventies and eighties are close to Peter's heart. There are a few movies that he accepts after that time, but otherwise he's a staunch supporter that most horror movies after that aren't all that great.

During this movie marathon, Peter insists that you sit next to him. He knows that you're scared of horror movies, and that's one of the bigger reasons he decided to do this. He loves horror movies, yes, but adding onto that with you clutching onto him from fear makes this all the better.

He will argue (rather childishly) with Gamora, Nebula, and Rocket if they try to take his spot next to you. For once, you're seeking him out for comfort, willingly holding onto him, even if fear is the main motivator. He may not be the strongest on the team, but he takes this chance to be your biggest protector.

It's even better if you come to him later talking about nightmares. Peter's more than happy to hold you for a little while longer, or stay up with you for a few hours, listening to music in silence or talking things out.

He would not mind if this becomes a yearly tradition, and might even suggest watching horror movies more often to "help you get over your fears."

[mrwolfhare]

Did you get to choose the new team or was it the studio? Yes, no.

Have you had conversations with Marvel about their plans for the guardians now that you’re done? Yes

Are there any deleted scenes with Llyla, Rocket, Floor, and Teef? No.

Did you ever consider inserting any other Marvel characters to cross over into this picture? No

Is there a reason Quill didn't have his helmet in Guardians 3? It’s in his desk drawer in Knowhere. He had to get out of there fast as you know!

Is there an in-universe explanation as to why Quill’s ditched his helmet and rocket boots? They have jet packs. The rocket boots comparatively suck. That's like cheap shit you get in the intergalactic version of Radio Shack. And Chris could never have done those amazing hallway moves with a helmet on.

Was there a plan for a new helmet design for Star-Lord (the classic design would’ve been cool)? No.

In the scene where Rocket and Groot are dancing, was that you and your brother on set? Yes

I was VERY curious on how Drax knew the JOOB JOOB but Mantis didn’t being Ego’s translator? Drax knew the language from his childhood. It's not in anyone's translators.

Why did no one understand, or acknowledge the language on Counter-Earth not being recognized by their translators? It's a cloistered culture. It would be normal not to have their Humanimal language in the translators.

Was the line always going to be “I love you guys” or did you have other options? No

Was there any consideration given towards giving the one spoken “F***” in the movie to Groot? Consideration? Sure.

Was redesigning Howard The Duck your idea? Yes. I've redesigned him on every movie because I've never been satisfied and we were rushed the first couple times. I'm happier now.

Did you ever think about giving Howard the Duck a bigger role in these movies (just asking because he’s my favorite Marvel Character)? Yes.

Does your average MCU earthling know that the Guardians of the Galaxy exist? No

Was Miley Cyrus not able to reprise her role from Guardians 2? Was that the same character? Yes. Yes.

James is Adam Warlock single? Yes

Has Grandpa Quill heard about Peter’s world-saving adventures already? No.

Does Peter Quill’s grandfather know about Ego? No

Was there an actual dog playing Cosmo or was that CGI? No, yes.

Was the Eagle in the cage an Eagly reference? Or just an Eagle? That was actually the real Eagly.

Can Groot grow a new body very quickly now? Yes.

Will there be Vol 4? No.

Will there ever be a director’s cut of the trilogy? Yes (the trilogy as is is the Director's Cut)

Do you want to do an extended version? No.

Does Guardians 3 have an alternate ending planned? No.

Will there be a longer cut of the film that has more Michael Rosenbaum in it? No

Will there be a commentary version of this film? Yes

As early as when you were making GOTG 1, did you already have ideas on where Vol 2 and 3 would go that eventually made it in the final films? Or were your initial ideas totally overhauled along the way? Yes, no.

Did you have to fight/negotiate hard with Disney to have all of those dark scenes? Or were the pretty open to your final vision? No. Yes.

Was it difficult writing Gamora’s arc in Vol 3, knowing Infinity War was going to kill her off? No.

Nebula's arm is the Bucky's arm from Holiday Special?? No. It's way better.

I saw you mentioned Annihilus as a possible villain for Vol 3. Was he also going to be a candidate for Rockets creator? Yes.

Does Rocket keep in contact with Thor? No.

Is there a super big, deeply-hidden Easter egg like the first one? Yes.

Did Bradley do all the young Rocket voice work too? No (Noa Raskin is baby Rocket, Sean Gunn is Young Rocket)

Since Halfworld isn't a thing in the MCU (I guess this is what you retconned out from the 1st movie) does that mean Rocket isn't a halfworlder in the MCU, right? You could consider Halfworld a more intergalactic name for Counter-Earth.

[starmunchandthefunkybunch]

Some thoughts about vol 2 (Roquill focused):

There's a tension between Peter and Rocket throughout the entire Vol 2. It's not that palpable (or really even developed too much, yet) during the sound system set up (and although Peter wasn't entirely for the music, it not being the most important thing right now, he wasn't MAD). It does start to develop later. I have a theory as to why/when it actually started to develop which may be briefly discussed.

Anyhows, moving on.

Gamora, Rocket, and Peter all check in on baby Groot multiple times.

Drax and Groot have more of a brotherly bond. He doesn't warn Groot to be careful, he 'warns him' or 'intimidates him' about his dancing during the fight but not out of worry, out of genuine annoyance, like a sibling would. Whenever Drax crashes into the music, Groot kicks and hits him. Brothers, that's brotherhood.

Later on, Drax takes all of his belongings with him on the trip to Ego because he doesn't want Groot messing with his stuff. Classic big brother, little brother dynamic.

It's either, extremely immature/impulsive uncle and mischievous nephew or brothers. Drax is NOT a Father figure to Groot, no matter what.

Back to the fight.

Peter shouts, 'Rocket! Get it to look up!' and with NO HESITATION, Rocket knows exactly what Peter means (which is a recurring part of their dynamic and goes to show they are married) and then Peter flies up to join him.

During the fight, Rocket and Peter mirror each other exactly.

(and I noticed that Rocket gets real loud when he fights. It brings him exultation and he's ecstatic.)

But Peter and Rocket are side by side during the fight, mirroring. Rocket checks in on Peter frequently and Peter looks worriedly over at Rocket too (though not as much). During the fight, they get caught up in flames, and although it's Rocket whose gun catches fire, Rocket still shouts 'Quill!' and worriedly scans him. The look on Rocket's face is terrified. His eyes wide, mouth open. The only reason why his gun catches fire is because he was distracted and looking out for Quill.

Bam! That's when the tension started. I think. Rocket wasn't looking out for himself and was too caught up in what Quill was doing. He realized how deeply and truly in love he was. He couldn't afford to go through the pain of loss he didn't choose again. Rocket felt that, which is why he steals the batteries. To put distance between them, but also because he doesn't know how to cope with this.

Rocket's smart. He knew they would've been found out for stealing the batteries. He did not do it, 'on a whim'. Yeah, they're cool, and yeah, he could do some awesome shit with them, but he also loves his family. He wasn't surprised when they were found. He was like, 'ah damn.' but not surprised. His expression when looking at the batteries was contemplative, and then, when they insulted Peter, which he hated, it cemented his decision for him. Screw those bastards, sorta thing. It was a combination of realizing he was in love with Quill and creating distance to protect himself (which is why he FIRST steals the batteries) and then the Sovereign were stuck up bitches that insulted Quill which really made him settled in his decision.

He was already gonna steal the batteries (gotta create distance) but now it was mixed in with a good heaping of 'screw these conceited dicks'

I also think he wasn't fully aware of how destructive and zealous the Sovereign could be.

That's my headcanon.

Back to what I noticed.

Drax is everyone's best friend. In this movie Rocket limits his interaction with Quill, and he has a lot more interactions with Gamora, Groot, and Drax. Something that made me laugh, is after Rocket insults the Gold™️ People, because he truly hated how they insulted Peter, his baby boo...friend, Drax picks Rocket up by his vest/jumpsuit and turns him around as they walk away. Drax is smiling and Rocket is laughing.

They're just....they're just best friends. I love them. Then Rocket is like, 'you wanna buy some batteries?' and Drax guffaws. They're best friends. Drax is best friends with literally everyone in the team.

This is why Drax and Rocket are best friends and Peter and Rocket are...more. The dynamics are completely different. There is SO MUCH tension between Peter and Rocket. Just like Drax and Peter are best friends. Look at the difference in dynamics and that'll tell ya a lot. Just like Nebula and Rocket are best friends and Nebula and Peter are friends and, yeah, I could go on, but there is extreme tension between Rocket and Peter. Rocket and Gamora are friends.

I noticed a similarity between Gamora and Peter and Rocket and Peter and that is that they both bicker-flirt. Both ships bicker-flirt. Anyways.

Then whenever the Sovereign catch up to them and they're going through the astro-field, they're hit by one, there is the same terror-stricken expression on Rocket's face. And he's not looking at Groot, or Gamora, or Drax. He looks right at Peter. His mouth open, like he wants to say something. They could very well die, and he looks at Peter with terror, and worry, and love, and he opens his mouth to say something.

It's over too soon for him to though, cuz they're crashing, and there's a tiny man killing all the Sovereign, and they've survived, and Rocket's defenses are back up.

I didn't really notice anything in the next few scenes. Rocket just playfully chasing after Peter (he's launched himself at a person from a longer distance away and incapacitated them with no problem, if he was truly upset, he'd have actually hurt Peter) swiping his hands at him and Peter blocking. They're cute.

During the campfire scene, which I believe has been noticed before, Rocket is listening throughout the entire thing. He sits directly across from Peter, mirroring him and angled towards him, and his ears flick in interest with anything having to do with Peter. His head is slightly cocked to the side in intrigue.

Rocket, in the comics, I believe, can smell emotions, and so he would've been able to smell Drax's amusement or, being as observant as he is, noticed it. He absolutely knew what Drax was gonna do. He lightly snapped at Mantis because of it.

They're best friends. They're family. Rocket was absolutely in on the joke.

'Never break the chain' has been noticed/discussed before. Peter is upset with Rocket and Rocket is pushing Peter away (because he loves him). I honestly don't think Peter views it as him leaving Rocket. I think Peter views it as Rocket leaving him . After all, Rocket is the one who has been putting distance between them.

They leave. Peter is upset so it's not much of a sting to him to go with Ego and leave everything unresolved (and, throughout it all, he still trusts Rocket) but to Rocket it's a gaping wound he's ignoring cuz he placed it there.

Whenever Gamora and Peter are on the balcony, Peter tries to distract her from contacting Rocket, several times, implying it's obviously on his mind and he doesn't want to think about it.

Rocket's urgency, his need to get to Peter as fast as he can. He's so urgent he doesn't even know they're gonna fight a planet.

Yondu helping/forcing him to realize/face his shit and his love for Peter.

Gamora and Rocket interacting. Her correcting Nebula when she calls Rocket a fox. Really, just Gamora defending Rocket's technology, correcting people when they call him a raccoon or a fox. Just Gamora being respectful towards Rocket. That's solidarity right there. I love their friendship. Rocket trusting Gamora's skills, too.

Despite Peter feeling whatever he felt about Rocket, he's still so relieved to see him. He cranes his neck to look at Rocket, making his posture awful, and probably uncomfortable, just to look at him.

Two seconds after seeing each other, reading each other's minds. Rocket is jubilant, he's so damn happy to see Peter again. He's talking super fast, and grinning so wide. In this scene, all Peter had to do is say, 'Rocket' and Rocket got the lasers ready to cut into the planet That's some mind-reading, married couple, soulmate shit.

And, again, Rocket immediately understands what Quill means when he says, 'well...' whenever they're discussing the way to get the bomb to Egos core. He doesn't even need to elaborate for Rocket to understand that Groot is the only one who could attach the bomb to Egos core. Then the teasing griping that Rocket does. They're just...two married people griping and having to go through the strains of marriage throughout the entire movie.

And as soon as Rocket is around Peter again, Peter's eyes are locked on Rocket quite often. It's like he doesn't notice anyone else. When they're getting ready to go out of the aircraft to investigate the core, he looks intently at him, and even then, whenever Rocket is telling Groot what he should do, Peter stays within ear shot. He just likes being near Rocket. It's shown again right after the superhero shot, with them all standing together, when Peter goes up to Rocket right when shit hits the fan, and the first person Peter looks to when Ego starts grabbing things with his energy tentacles? The very first? Is Rocket.

He only looks back to Gamora when she gets pulled to the damn beyond.

He looks at Yondu whenever he shouts at him.

He looks at Rocket throughout the entire fight.

The tension is gone after the fight, after losing the father he'd had his entire life and only realized just then he had him, after killing the father that was never there. The tension is gone and Peter has probably already forgiven Rocket, the sting that never really was or at least wasn't as acknowledged or noticed, dissipated, and yet Rocket's wound was still aching, and so Rocket apologizes in his own way, and Peter understands.

Then, only then, do Gamora and Peter get together.

I also like how the Guardians just adopt anyone. 'You have a complex relationship with your creator? Wonderful. You'll fit right in.' They just fuckin adopted Mantis because she was kind...kinda fucked up.

Basically, this movie is about Rocket and Peter. It's hidden story line is Rocket and Peter's relationship, and it is tucked underneath the overall story of Peter meeting his father and all the other themes. It's about overcoming. It's about realizing all that you've ever wanted is in front of you. It's about being content with what you have.

Just like Rocket's acceptance of his (presumed) unreturned feelings and realization that he has them.

Just like Peter appreciating the Guardians as his family and repairing his relationship with Rocket, instead of running away or ignoring it.

These are my thoughts. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the notes and I'll respond to them! Thank you.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael in the Mainstream: Top 100 Movies #25 - #1

100 - 76

75 - 51

50 - 26

So this right here is what I really wanted to talk about. These are the 25 movies that I hold nearest and dearest to my heart, the ones that mean the most to me, the ones that have influenced my tastes and the sort of things I like to see more than any other. Some are older films, some are pretty recent, but all of them represent what I think is the very best of their kind.

And yes, I could have just talked about these in the first place without doing all those other movies... But I'm the movie guy around here, so I felt like it would be more fun to give you a window into my taste in film. Anyway, here are the final movies:

25. Hercules

What happens when you throw Greek mythology, gospel music, the animator from The Wall, and Superman into a blender? You have Disney’s most bizarre and ambitious musical. It was a bold move taking Greek myths and sanitizing them to a mild degree(there’s no incest, rape, and infidelity but there is death and attempted infanticide!), a move that pissed off Greece for disrespecting their mythology, but come on. Lighten the fuck up. The whole point of myths and legends is to allow storytellers to embellish and alter details as they see fit for their vision. This take is no more or less valid than any other, though considering it has James Woods portraying Hades like a sleazy used car salesman trying to screw you out of your life savings, I’d say it has the edge over everything save the game Hades.

24. Clash of the Titans

As a child, this is the movie that got me into Greek mythology. It’s also the movie that got me into stop motion animation, which to this day remains one of my favorite forms of animation. And then it’s also the movie that gave me horrible nightmares, because that Medusa sequence is fucking terrifying. Ray Harryhausen delivers some of the best animation of his entire career here, and he singlehandedly propelled Medusa into the limelight; she wasn’t a household name prior to this film, but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn’t at least heard her name now. It also helped greatly alter the public perception of what a kraken is, and may have convinced people it’s a Greek creation. For a cheesy cult classic of a film, the impact this has is impressive, but even if it was just me and five other people who knew this movie existed I’d still love it all the same.

23. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

This is essentially a Shakesperean play, but with apes. The sheer amount of drama is incredible, and the stunning work at bringing the apes to life shows that human ingenuity will achieve the best results when it comes to rendering monkeys. Caesar is a fantastic and compelling lead of course, played perfectly by Andy Serkis, the man who somehow doesn’t have an Oscar, but I think the real star of the show is the villainous Koba. Never has a chimp been so horrifically and unrepentantly evil while also being heartbreakingly tragic. He also rides a horse while dual wielding guns and then hijacks a tank. That is literally one of the most badass visuals ever put to film.

22. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

A lot of people view this movie as the weakest of the trilogy, and while I obviously don’t agree I can kind of see it. The first act has its moments, but I think it’s a bit too slow and repeats a few too many jokes from the first film. But as soon as Ego hits the scene, the film goes into maximum overdrive and delivers a far better and funnier experience than the first film. Ego is one of the most heinous and captivating villains in all of comic book cinema thanks to Kurt Russell, but frankly it’s former side characters turned major players Yondu and Nebula who steal the show, as both are given a lot more to do and thus a lot more depth. The latter’s relationship with Gamora is explored quite a bit more and they’re even given a reconciliation, while the former gets a strong emotional arc and redemption while also pushing the development of the trilogy’s true main character Rocket to the next level. He also gets to massacre an entire ship full of goons in one of the MCU’s most epic sequences. And as if all this isn’t enough, this movie has the single best soundtrack of the Guardians trilogy; hard not to when you have Fleetwood Mac and George Harrison on it. The only thing that’s missing is “Come and Get Your Love.”

21. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

I like most of the other Star Wars films; there’s maybe only two I consider outright bad, and even then one of them is more “messy and mediocre” than “awful.” But there is no way in Hell I’d ever even consider an argument that Star Wars ever got better than this. It has the battle of Hoth, the Wampa, Han hiding in the asteroid, Lando, Yoda, Han being frozen in carbonite, Boba Fett… And then capping everything off is one of the single greatest plot twists in cinematic history and a pretty dark ending for this sort of series, though one tempered by hope that the day can be saved. This is what Star Wars is all about right here, and the series has yet to ever produce anything that quite matches this in terms of sheer quality.

20. Dune: Part Two

Ok, that’s enough about the sci-fi for kids; it’s a real man’s sci-fi movie now! The first film was good and all, but I felt like it was slowly paced and a bit too heavy on exposition and worldbuilding without much excitement. This film fixes that; it keeps all of the exposition and worldbuilding, but it intersperses a lot more exciting setpieces and brings in Feyd-Rautha, who steals every scene he’s in even if he isn’t wearing those crazy space panties like when Sting played him. Of course, the real draw of the film is watching the well-meaning but vengeful Paul buy into his own hype as a means of survival and slowly descend from a decent guy in a bad situation to a villainous terrorist messiah with a god complex. The fact this movie ends on a triumph that would be the end of any other series but paints the victory with the blackest brush really has me excited for where the third chapter will go. What can I say? I’m a sucker for movies with big worms.

19. The Incredibles

Pixar had made plenty of compelling narratives about things like toys, bugs, monsters, and fish before this one, so it was only a matter of time before they tackled humans. I think there was probably a worry there, considering the humans in the original Toy Story looked really ugly and while the second one showed improvement it wasn’t all the way there yet. But making the novel decision to stylize the characters a la Team Fortress 2 proved the way to go to tell this story that’s a blend between James Bond, Watchmen, and the Fantastic Four. The characters and their struggles are relatable and grounded in reality despite their superpowers, and the movie is absolutely not afraid to get dark in ways you wouldn’t expect from an early Pixar movie, mostly courtesy of one of cinema’s greatest villains, Syndrome. Throw on top of it a Michael Giacchino score that helped launch his composing career into the sky and a hilarious minor role for director Brad Bird as the super suit designer Edna Mode, and you have what is inarguably Pixar’s best movie.

18. Pulp Fiction

I go back and forth a lot over whether this or Kill Bill are my favorite of Tarantino’s work, but I inevitably always land back on this one. Sure, the latter film is fun, violent, and action-packed, but this movie here is more quintessentially Tarantino. It has non-linear storytelling, with chapters bouncing around time to deliver a fascinating tale of criminals trying to outwit each other. It has an all-star cast of actors giving it their all, with defining performances for Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, and Ving Rhames among many others (plus a demented Christopher Walken cameo). It has an awesome soundtrack, it has black comedy, it has meandering conversations that reveal a lot about the personality of the speaker, it has copious use of the N-word (sometimes even straight from Tarantino’s own mouth), and of course it has plenty of shots of women’s feet. This is Tarantino in his purest form, and it still holds up as one of the greatest masterpieces of the 90s.

17. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

I didn’t know if I’d be thrown into the same sort of blissful ecstasy that Hideo Kojima was while watching this, but let me tell you that this was such a fucking amazing movie I just had to rewatch Fury Road right after. As far as origin stories go, it is genuinely hard to get better than this, which not only showcases Furiosa’s backstory and her rise to her position as seen in Fury Road, it also showcases a younger Immortan Joe and the depths of his evil as we see he once had a son named Scrotus. Who the fuck names their kid that besides the most depraved villain imaginable? But quite frankly the real star of this show is Chris Hemsworth as Dementus, a villain who is as stupid and pitiful as he is depraved and cunning. It is absolutely astounding seeing him act his balls off after watching him sleepwalk through mediocre Thor and Ghostbuster movies. If you ever thought he might not actually be that good of an actor, you need to sit your ass down and watch this movie.

16. Deadpool & Wolverine

I think it is extremely easy to pick this apart when you take this film at face value, because on the surface the narrative is kind of flimsy and the emotional core just isn’t there. Like, why should we give a shit about this brand new Wolverine’s plight, moping over the deaths of a version of the X-Men we’ve never seen? But this isn’t a movie we should be taking literally; this movie is a metaphor for a lot of things, from the very nature of the Fox Marvel films and their messy and convoluted timelines to the literal idea of Wolverine as a cash cow box office draw. But most importantly, this is a superhero movie that is a love letter to unloved superhero films, a heartfelt sendoff telling them that even if they weren’t great, they had maximum effort put into them. Think of all the crossover characters and how they’re from failed franchises or unmade projects; no one was clamoring to see Elektra, and hardly anyone would know Channing Tatum was ever meant to play Gambit. But these characters are implemented in such a way where it’s clear that whatever audiences thought, Reynolds certainly saw some value in them. As someone who loves watching dogshit movies and seeing if they’re really that bad, this plot definitely speaks to me. As a straight Deadpool film this doesn’t work, but as a fond farewell to Fox’s time making Marvel movies and an entry point for Deadpool to join the MCU, this is one hell of a great film. You will come out of it wanting Cassandra Nova to stick her fingers in your brain, though. Fair warning.

15. Poor Things

If Barbie is the film equivalent of an “intro to feminism” course, this is the advanced placement course. This is an impressive allegory about the objectification of women and how they seek agency in a society that so desperately wants to force them to be something whether they like it or not. Emma Stone gives an absolutely insane performance, and it’s genuinely hard to deny she actually deserved the Oscar after seeing how mind-bogglingly demanding this role must have been. Mark Ruffalo, too, shows off his long-dormant acting chops, flexing his comedic muscles after being stuck as a supporting CGI giant in Avengers movies with zero hope of a solo film. The colors, the dialogue, the score, it all comes together to make one of the most striking films in recent memory.

14. The Thing

John Carpenter made one of the few movies I have ever had to look away from on my first viewing, sitting alongside Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and Cannibal Holocaust in that illustrious category. The effects here are beautifully gruesome, with some of the most delightfully monstrous bits of body horror you could ever hope to see. The plot is fantastic, with the paranoia and fear that breaks down even these toughest of men being something that leads to a lot of applicability (it’s easy to read this movie as a metaphor for the AIDS crisis, for instance). And best of all this film features amazing performances from Kurt Russell and Keith David, some of the best of careers that are stacked high with amazing roles. Carpenter had a pretty flawless run of films in the 80s, but this right here is his magnum opus.

13. A Clockwork Orange

I love films that are character studies of horribly repugnant individuals, and there are few better films of that sort than Kubrick’s crowning achievement. Malcolm McDowell makes Alex DeLarge into one of the most captivating monsters ever put to screen, a villain who at times exudes an almost human warmness before committing a depraved crime and slipping back into psychotic coldness, sometimes complete with a chilling Kubrick stare. I think my only real issue with this film is that it just sort of ends without any clear resolution, something the novel actually gave, but considering I found that book unreadable I can live with it.

12. American Psycho

A Clockwork Orange is fantastic, but Alex can be a bit too charismatic for his own good. I like a character study of an awful person who is just a complete void of personality, a wretched, miserable, evil person who is also utterly vapid and hollow by design… and boy howdy is Patrick Bateman the guy to scratch that itch! Christian Bale gives easily the best performance of his career, and keep in mind this is a guy who refuses to not act his pussy off in every film he stars in. His Bateman has that surface level sheen of charm and charisma that only barely masks the fact he is nothing but a soulless husk of a human being who revels in killing/fantasizing about killing to fill the empty void of his life since he’s an overly-privileged yuppie piece of shit, The fact that they even managed to take an astoundingly unfilmable novel and translate it so well to screen is astounding, and they even kept in all of Patrick’s rambling music monologues! And if nothing else, this film does do one of my absolute favorite things a movie can do: Show Jared Leto getting brutalized.

11. The Suicide Squad

DC’s movies generally sucked, and Suicide Squad is generally seen as a failure. With these two facts in mind, it was easy to be apprehensive about the at-the-time disgraced former Marvel director James Gunn’s try at taking a bunch of D-list villains and sending them on a suicide mission. But unlike Ayer, Gunn understood the assignment, and delivered his trademark superhero found family goodness with all the cathartic freedom an R-rating could give a Troma alumni. There’s blood, gore, and swearing, but there’s also a ton of heart (and not just the one Peacemaker stabs). John Cena gives the best performance of his career and one who would continue to improve upon in his spin-off, and for once Sylvester Stallone nails comedy as the dopey juggernaut King Shark. It’s a movie wholly unafraid to embrace the silliest aspects of comics (giant alien starfish, villains who control rats, Polka Dot Man) while also engaging with mature and serious themes while using said aspects. And after her previous ensemble outing with the Birds of Prey, it’s nice to see Harley truly back in her groove and getting to live out a Lollipop Chainsaw level.

10. Drive

Ryan Gosling cemented himself as a star in my mind with this movie. A pitch perfect neo-noir with a godly soundtrack, excellent atmosphere, and gripping plot, this might be my favorite movie that I just can’t bring myself to ramble about; like Ryan Gosling in the movie, I just have so little to say. I guess maybe he is literally me after all!

9. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

It’s kind of impressive how this movie pulls the rug out from under you and reveals this whole time, the trilogy has been about Rocket. It all makes sense in hindsight, of course; he has one of the clearest arcs of any of the Guardians and probably the most bombastic personality of the group after all. But the places this movie goes to show why he is the way he is… man. This one has some of the most crushingly sad scenes in any superhero movie even if you know they’re coming, and also one of the few cool action scenes in any Marvel movie. It also has the most nasty villain imaginable in the High Evolutionary, who despite being wholly evil with motives that aren’t too complex manages to be entertaining and engaging. The soundtrack is good (not as good as the last one, though) and the comedy is solid, and the way this movie ends leaves it so that even if we never see any of these characters again, we know they all got a satisfying sendoff. Isn’t it nice, when things end and we get some level of closure?

8. The Nightmare Before Christmas

Henry Selick worked miracles translating Tim Burton’s macabre holiday mashup fairy tale into glorious stop motion animation. It’s a film that really is greater than the sum of its parts; the story is relatively simple, the message is pretty heavy-handed, and the villain is in two or three scenes and barely effects the plot. But it’s all so visually interesting, all the performances are stellar, and all the songs are so damn good that it’s incredibly easy not to care and just get sucked into the weird and spooky world of Halloweentown. Every Halloween and every Christmas I would get my parents to rent this from Blockbuster, and I would watch it over and over… I loved it from the first time I watched it. And imagine my joy when, the first time I sat my daughter down to watch it so she’d quiet down and relax, she had her eyes glued to the screen in awe. Like father, like daughter. Love of this film is hereditary.

7. The Silence of the Lambs

This is the greatest thriller ever made in my eyes; as far as murder mystery stories go, nothing even comes close. The plot, the setup, the mystery, the killer are all so well done, and Jodie Foster really sells her role as a young woman struggling to be taken seriously in her field while also having a steely resolve that keeps her from coming off as a helpless damsel. But it is Sir Anthony Hopkins with his limited screentime as Hannibal Lecter who truly steals the show, portraying a villain who is cunning, classy, and creepy all at once. His nightmarish jail break is something else entirely. Of course, everyone heaps lavish praise on Hopkins, so I’m going to highlight Ted Levine as the deranged Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb. While his depiction may come across as a bit problematic in some areas due to omission of a lot of context from the novels, he still manages to be incredibly eerie and fascinating. Hard to hate the guy who introduced me to “Goodbye Horses.”

6. Evil Dead II

The first film was a straight-up horror movie, and Army of Darkness was a wacky fantasy action comedy. In between those two came this, a perfect blend of both horror and comedy and a true showcase of Sam Raimi’s directing skills. Impressively, it manages to outdo its predecessor in horror and its successor in terms of laughs, truly managing to be the best of both worlds with its surreal black comedy that hearkens back to movies like House. Bruce Campbell is truly at the top of his game here as well, with the iconic Ash we saw in Army of Darkness fully formed after his experience in this film. Truly a film that earns the right to call itself… Groovy.

5. The Princess Bride

This is my mom’s favorite movie, so I got to watch it a lot growing up; it should come as no surprise it also ended up as one of my favorites. It’s hard to think of a single film with a better script than this one; almost every line of dialogue is iconic, and all of them are delivered perfectly by one of the most impressive casts imaginable. Before we had Bautista and Cena, we had Andre the Giant in a wrestler-turned-actor role giving his all and making Fezzik one of the most lovable characters in fiction. But it’s hard to really single him out when literally everyone is great—there’s not a single weak link in the whole cast. Even the framing device, the easiest part to fuck up for a film like this, has motherfucking Peter Falk as the narrator. This is one of the few films I can honestly say is about as close to perfect as a film can get.

4. The Lighthouse

Robert Eggers is probably my favorite name in modern horror, and it’s almost entirely thanks to this film right here. It combines the surreal, black-and-white dreamy horror of stuff like Eraserhead with delightfully batshit performances from Robbert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe and brings us an intimate, claustrophobic picture of two men going mad from isolation… maybe. There’s so much beautiful ambiguity here, so much to ponder even after the film is over. Is the ending meant t be taken at face value? Which of these men is actually lying? Is everything happening just mundane sea issues or is it an oceanic curse? There’s a lot of ways to think about and interpret this movie, and that’s what I love about it. Each viewing gives me more to chew on, and more for me to consider when I try and make sense of some of the bewildering things shown.

3. Mad Max: Fury Road

I don’t think there are really any action movies that are quite as thrilling as this one. Like, okay, the movie right after this one is also a thrilling action movie, but I love it for different reasons than this one. This has some of the most insane stunts and pyrotechnics around. There’s a dude with a flamethrower guitar, for crying out loud! But even that aside, there’s a pretty solid plot with a feminist slant to it, featuring a villainous character turning good and redeeming himself through viewing women as human. Tom Hardy’s take on Max is a fierce reclamation of the character from the grubby hands of the vile Mel Gibson, and he is a deeply important character even if he doesn’t talk much. That’s another great thing about this—These characters don’t always need words to communicate their ideas, sometimes their looks, their actions, and their grunts are enough to tell us all we need to know. If I have any criticism at all it’s that this film only rarely slows down—but even when it does it’s still fantastic.

2. John Wick

The sequels got bigger and crazier with their action setpieces and choreography, veering into almost fantasy levels of gun-fu and violence. And I love the second and fourth films a lot (the third is okay, but it feels like spinning the wheels a bit too much), but I still think the first film is entirely unmatched. It has a much darker atmosphere, between the lower stakes plot and the more ambiguous and mysterious nature of the world. Keanu Reeves finally shook off decades of being called a wooden actor with this, channeling his talent into either simple yet effective replies or the most snarling affirmations of bloody vengeance; his “I’m thinking I’m back” speech is short, sweet, and effective at not only establishing Wick isn’t fucking around (something we know full well but it’s nice to hear) but at showing us that Reeves himself is back in the limelight as well. This is so close to being my favorite film of all time, but there’s one movie I like more… and when you see what it is I’m sure you’ll get why this only takes home the silver.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

For the longest time, this was the installment in Peter Jackson’s fantasy epic that I was the least impressed with, preferring the more epic The Two Towers and especially The Return of the King. But upon rewatching them all after the birth of my daughter, I had the same sort of realization I did with the John Wick movies: The first movie just can’t be beat precisely because it isn’t so overbearingly epic in every regard. Oh, don’t misunderstand me, though—this movie is still epic when it needs to be. How can it not be when it has Gandalf fighting the Balrog? But it has moments where we get to see Middle Earth without constant wars and fighting. Hell, a big chunk of the first act is the hobbits chilling in the Shire before Gandalf drags them off on the mission. Literally my only issue with this movie is that there isn’t any Gollum in it aside from a cameo, but that is the most minor of nitpicks for what is easily the greatest fantasy film ever made and one that does Tolkien’s work justice.