Scandinavian Studies 101 (Left) and American History From WWII-Present (Right). Image via Hollywood Reporter

Earlier today, news got out that a new course is being taught at University of Baltimore which centers around Marvel movies. It was hailed as the first of its kind, unless you count the Marvel class taught by my friend (Professor of Comics on the podcast) at Syracuse last year. I get it, once Upstate New York gets a show as good as The Wire made about it, then people will remember it exists.

As somebody who mainly occupied the communications and liberal arts buildings, I have taken some odd college courses. I once took a philosophy class where two people argued whether or not a cat had a tail or not for 45 minutes. For some reason, I never dropped it.

Besides that, I typically liked the classes that some might consider “BS.” I liked to learn about history and even write an essay. One of the best classes I took in college was about horror movies. Now, I’m a horror convert.

Making a class about blockbusters might seem odd, but Marvel has such a big impact on modern movies that it’s about time we got past the spandex and Stan Lee cameos and tried to figure it all out. This inspired me. I decided to think about some other film-related courses I would like colleges to adopt.

So without further adieu, here are some movie themed college courses that should exist:

ENG 404: How Rom-Coms are the Opposite of Romanticism

FIN 201: George Lucas as Toy Salesman

Marijuana 420: Seth Rogen & Post Drug War America

The McConaissance: Matthew McConaughey & America as a Land of Second Chances

Modern Empires: The Walt Disney Company

PSY 101: The Psychology of Shia LaBeouf

POL 102: Refuting Everything Oliver Stone Says

REL 101: Christ Metaphors in Movies (a.k.a. spreading out your arms so you resemble Jesus on the cross)

REL 666.: Refuting Everything Mel Gibson Says

Note: Yes, I know there are only nine on here, when I promised ten. I only took one math class when I was in college. It did not go well. 

Nowadays, the pervasive narrative is that film is dead and television is better. This statement is only half true. While television is better than ever before, cinema isn’t doing too badly, either.

Most of my film experiences this summer were nothing but pleasant. Besides anything Michael Bay had his name on, there were very few complaints to be had about the intelligence of Hollywood blockbusters (in retrospect, I even enjoyed Winter Solider). In the art house world, some directors were doing things with the form that nobody has done before. Well, that happened in the blockbuster world as well.

Film is in a transitional period. This was the summer of On Demand, where a lot of films were available on your TV set the same day they were playing in select theaters. While I still prefer a trip to the theater any chance I get, it was nice to have access to the sort of films that usually don’t expand nationwide. It is too bad this wasn’t around when I was a high schooler yearning for my hometown to be a hip, indie place.

Here are my top six films of summer 2014. I choose six because math is irrelevant to me:

6. Obvious Child

There is nothing like a good summer indie to get away from all of the blockbuster explosions. Obvious Child was the breath of fresh air I needed. While Obvious Child wasn’t the most original romantic comedy ever made, it was never trying to be. In this tale of abortion, the one thing it is striving for is honesty, and that is exactly what it achieves. Plus, Jenny Slate delivers a career-defining performance. She turns all the noises she makes and fart jokes she tells into art.

5. 22 Jump Street

With both The Lego Movie and 22 Jump Street under their belts, Phil Lord and Chris Miller have made two of the best movies of the year. By seamlessly combining action and comedy, 22 Jump Street is the rare sequel that manages to surpass the original. It takes meta to the extreme without crashing and burning. Oh, and it is hilarious. At this point, Lord and Miller could film a pile of dog poop for three hours and everyone in America would pay to see it.

4. The Immigrant

This film about the American Dream does not shy away from the grittiness of history that historical films often try to conceal. The Immigrant contains a great performance from Marion Cotillard and a mesmerizing one from Joaquin Phoenix. It concludes with an ambiguous final shot that will one day be studied in film classes. In terms of stories of dirty, miserable, early 20th century New York, The Immigrant is a fine companion piece with The Knick (which you all should be watching).

3. Snowpiercer

The best of summer indies combined with the best of summer blockbusters make for the most entertaining allegory in ages. Chris Evans proves that he is an action star for the ages, and Tilda Swinton proves that she can play anything, even if you don’t understand what her character is. Snowpiercer is about rebellion, the class system, and even God. Not to get all current event-y here, but look at some of the recent events happening in Ferguson or the Middle East, and tell me that doesn’t remind you of Snowpiercer at all.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy

Contemporary blockbusters have two settings: they are either grim and gritty, or goofy and self-aware. By being both goofy and sincere, Guardians of the Galaxy is the first comic book adaptation in a long time that manages to be both. Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the funniest movies so far this year, and it gets all of its humor based off of its characters, which you wouldn’t normally see in a giant space opera. I have seen Guardians of the Galaxy twice and purchased a Rocket Raccoon action figure. Guardians reminded me why I love to write about movies in the first place.

1. Boyhood

This coming-of-age epic was twelve years in the making and worth the wait. The way Boyhood was made is an achievement on its own, so the fact that it was actually good is pretty amazing. This is the first film I have seen that I feel like really captured my childhood, though people that grew up in every generation have said the same. Richard Linklater’s ability to hold my attention for nearly three hours with nothing but conversations and small milestones is miraculous. If Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and most of the other people involved don’t get Oscar nominations, then I will be extremely disappointed. There are so many moments in Boyhood that could have turned out to be terribly corny (“we don’t seize the moment…the moment seizes us”), but the overall authenticity truly sells it. Guardians of the Galaxy made me remember why I love movies, while Boyhood made me remember why I love life, even in all of its triumphs and failures.

Honorable Mentions: Life Itself, Edge of Tomorrow, X-Men: Days of Future Past, They Came Together

The comic book movie is alive and well, and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

For a bit of time, I tried to resist it. Maybe I just wasn’t used to living in a world where it was cool to like comics. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. As long as knowing the score to the Giant game isn’t a necessary element of small talk, I can get used to this new world order.

It makes sense why Hollywood would want to adapt graphic novels and comic books onto the big screen. After all, comic books are kind of like storyboards but with a lot more onomatopoeias. Today’s breed of comic book movies go well beyond superheroes. There’s anti-heroes, talking trees, and even Canadians.

Comic book movies have become a genre of their own, albeit one that encompasses many other sub-genres. With Guardians of the Galaxy out this week, shattering box office records and bridging the divide between fan boys and critics, it is as good a time as ever to celebrate comics. I have dabbled in reading comics, but my knowledge of them comes more from film. Here are the rules in order to be qualified for this list:

1. Must be adapted from either a comic book or graphic novel.

2. Either it is the best possible representation of a comic book on the screen, or it does something completely unprecedented with the format.

3. It is just plain f***ing awesome.

4. It does not star Ben Affleck. Sorry, buddy.

Read my complete list below:

10. A History of Violence

This dark meditation on violence in America is about as brutal and explicit as you’d expect any Cronenberg Joint to be. A History of Violence doesn’t look or feel like a comic book movie at all; it’s set in a small town, nobody ever steps in toxic waste and gains super powers, and the hero is more of an anti-hero. A History of Violence is too often overlooked; even I wasn’t a huge fan of it when it first came out. The film boasts career best performances from the likes of Viggo Mortensen (at the time just known as Aragon), Ed Harris, and William Hurt.

9. Snowpiercer

As I wrote last month, Snowpiercer is a cult classic in the making. It is based on a little known French graphic novel that feels like it was meant to be a movie. It employs every genre from martial arts, to dystopian sci-fi, to black comedy. It is one of the most intricately detailed and original sci-fi universes in recent memory, with each section of the train that it takes place on having its own unique story to tell. In ways, Snowpiercer feels like a multimedia adventure: part comic book and part video game, in cinematic form.

8. X2: X-Men United

The original X-Men movies shaped much of my understanding of comic books. In fact, I loved the movies so much (not you, Ratner) that it inspired to buy some of the comics themselves. I almost put the original X-Men on because I watched the shit out of that DVD copy from Blockbuster. Besides some fantastic action set pieces (Magneto’s prison escape is especially noteworthy), X2 stands out by turning its biggest villain into a hero, as all the mutants now must fight for survival. X-Men has always been an allegory for Civil Rights, and X2 is when it worked the absolute best.

7. Spider-Man

Spider-Man holds a very special place in my heart. In fifth grade, I wore my DVD copy out. My love of the movie then led me to find my brother’s giant box of comics in the attic, and then me reading them. So, I also thank him for being much cooler than me. Spider-Man is not perfect, and it deviates from the source material in many ways. For instance, Spidey couldn’t actually blast webs out of his arms. Nit-picking aside, this is exactly what a Spider-Man movie should be, and it showed how Peter Parker, the vaguely Jewish* outsider, was one of the most relatable heroes out there. Raimi’s first Spider-Man would lead to an even better sequel (more on that later).

6. Iron Man

Iron Man was the hero that a country going through two wars needed. Tony Stark might be the coolest, most confident super hero alter ego out there. He is perfectly portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., who made his giant career comeback here. Iron Man mixes action and comedy perfectly, making it one of the more fun Marvel adaptations. Plus, it has a great twist ending, and it represents a time right before Marvel started using its own movies to promote movies that hadn’t even been made yet.

5. Sin City

Besides Planet Terror, Sin City is the best thing that Robert Rodriguez has ever done. This is one Tarantino ripoff that deserves to be mentioned in the same class as Tarantino, and that’s not just because Tarantino was somewhat involved in this project. Sin City is an interlocking crime story set in the grimiest city imaginable, the kind of place that makes even Gotham look tame. It’s shot in gorgeous black and white with splashes of red. A Dame to Kill For needs to come out already.

4. The Dark Knight

The movie that changed the game, for better or worse. The Dark Knight transcends the comic book movie into something between allegory and tragedy. Heath Ledger scored a well-deserved Oscar for his performance as The Joker. With all of his weird facial ticks and unpredictable impulses, Ledger’s performance is still as terrifying today as it was back in 2008. The Dark Knight ushered in an era of the gritty blockbuster, where every action movie thought that being dark would make them good. But The Dark Knight wasn’t good just because it was dark; it had a powerful story. It was about something. And most of all, it was still a blast to watch.

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

Speaking of which, Guardians is the first official film of the post-gritty era. In fact, it feels less like a comic book movie and more like a throwback to Raiders of the Lost Ark. It contains five protagonists who are all fully fleshed out. Maybe the best part about is that it is the rare super hero movie in which all of the heroes are true outcasts. They wear their flaws on their sleeves, and that it what makes this space opera so relatable. It is still in theaters. You have no excuses. Go see it right now.

2. Spider-Man 2

I do not hesitate to call Spider-Man 2 a masterpiece. Not only is it one of the best comic book movies of all time, it is also by far one of the best sequels. Like any good sequel, it expands upon the original and doesn’t just repeat all of the best parts of it. With Spider-Man 2, Sam Raimi proved that he was the perfect choice to direct a super hero movie, as he strikes the perfect balance between the silly and the sincere. Here is a super hero movie that asks the deep, dark existential questions behind being a super hero, and at the same time it is as fun as any summer blockbuster should be. It is a good thing that this was the last Spider-Man movie ever made, and that there were no future Spider-Man movies that might possibly have ruined the franchise’s reputation.

1. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Upon its initial release, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was a box office flop. Today, it’s the kind of movie that you will see on cable and then watch it until the end because you have no choice. Scott Pilgrim is not about a hero, but rather its about somebody who is selfish and sometimes a little insufferable. Scott Pilgrim might be the only movie based on a comic book I have seen where it literally looks like a comic book come to life. It is a visually arresting spin on everything from nostalgia to video games (the Pee Bar is one of the film’s funniest moments) to romantic comedy. It is clever when it could have so easily been snarky. Scott Pilgrim is a perfect display of Edgar Wright’s genius, and it makes me all the more sad that we will never get to see his version of Ant-Man.

Guardians of the Galaxy marks the first time in a long time in which I was actively rooting for the arrival of another Marvel feature. That might have just been from the odd sight of a raccoon and a tree interacting with one another. Guardians of the Galaxy is the latest film to come out of the Marvel Universe, and it almost feels like they hit the restart button with this one, and got nearly perfect results.

I had an inkling, which turned out to be very wrong, that Guardians of the Galaxy might completely reinvent both superhero and action movies. I was wrong. Guardians of the Galaxy doesn’t reinvent any genre, and it doesn’t even try to do so. Guardians of the Galaxy is a product of Marvel, yet it also bears director James Gunn’s incredibly original voice. James Gunn worked the system: he made a fun summer blockbuster that also happens to be an auteur piece.

For this reason, Guardians is the perfect comic book film for the casual comic book fan. In it, I saw the influence of The Avengers as much as I saw the influence of Steven Spielberg’s entire filmography. In particular, Guardians felt like a throwback to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Like Raiders, Guardians has a fun and silly feel while still committing to its story. Guardians is about a group of people who shouldn’t be heroes, and many people tend to forget that Indiana Jones was terrible at his job. Besides losing the Ark and the Holy Grail, he also gave birth to Shia LaBeouf.

But I digress. While most action movies are about “The One,” or a person who was destined for something or is just the best at their craft, Guardians is about a group of criminals who are forced to be heroes. Hell, they aren’t even good at that. The nickname “Guardians of the Galaxy” is at first bestowed upon them in jest. Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill a human abducted from Earth as a child. With a nickname like Star-Lord, he fancies himself the most notorious criminal in the galaxy. Yet, nobody knows who the hell Star-Lord is. Quill reluctantly teams up with Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel) to steal back a very powerful orb before it ends up in the hands of the very evil Ronan (Lee Pace). Their mission is one that is both selfish and altruistic.

With The Lego Movie earlier this year, it was apparent that Chris Pratt was ready to be a household name. With Guardians, Pratt is ready to be a movie star. Back to the Indiana Jones comparison, Pratt is great at being both a smart ass and a badass all at once. Yet, unlike Harrison Ford, Pratt has this very sweet, golden retriever quality to him. He has mastered the lovable idiot character, which he first began developing as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation. Like any good movie or TV show, any of the main characters can qualify as the best character. But for now, I will just settle on Rocket Raccoon, who’s identity insecurity sums up the way all the characters actually feel about their place in the universe. For Bradley Cooper, it is the sign of a true movie star when you appear as charismatic as ever when it’s just your voice in a raccoon’s body. Guardians sets up a huge cast of characters in a really efficient way. It didn’t need to resort on being an origin story to do so; it was as subtle as a fart on a first date.

Guardians is truly astounding in scope. This is perhaps the first time I regret not seeing a movie in 3D. James Gunn clearly has Star Wars-type ambitions, as that was all I could think of throughout most of the film’s run. The action sequences manage to dwarf the pretty awesome ones from this year’s Winter Soldier. Oh, I should probably mention this: Guardians of the Galaxy is hilarious. It might not be the funniest movie this year (it is still hard to compete with They Came Together), but it is the most consistently funny. Jokes come out of nowhere and then come back later and land just as well the second time around.

Guardians works as both an action comedy and an action movie with comedic elements. In fact, it nails every emotional note. With a soundtrack ranging from Marvin Gaye to The Runaways, Guardians sounds like nothing I have seen in a long time. The story and the tropes are familiar in a way that is comforting rather than tiresome. Gunn has found a way to mix the best parts of 80s movie nostalgia with modern day cinema. Here is a film that manages to strike a balance between the gritty realism of The Dark Knight and the “ice to meet you” level stupidity of Batman & Robin. Walking out of the theater with a smile on your face, you will just feel every ounce of cynicism in your body wash away.

Brain Farts From The Edge

• I had a bad feeling months ago that Guardians would flop, only to be rediscovered years later. Based on the reaction from tonight’s audience, I think it is going to do quite well.
• I just get a sense that a cultural phenomenon is brewing. I hope that “Hooked On A Feeling” makes a comeback and ends up in the Billboard Top 100.
• This is the first Marvel Studios film in a long time that doesn’t feel like it is trying to sell another future film/product to me. And yet, this is the first Marvel movie I’ve walked out of and thought, “I could really use a Rocket Raccoon action figure.” You see, consumerism works when you don’t shove it in our faces.
• New Sci-Fi Trope: The silver haired, eccentric hoarder/scientist. Examples: The Collector in Guardians of the Galaxy; Hannibal Chau in Pacific Rim
• Other films this reminded me of: Mystery Men, Spaceballs, E.T.
• So Guardians wasn’t completely perfect. I had some small problems with the villains, mainly that they were a little broad. However, that may have been the point. Also, could have used more John C. Reilly. But then again, I say that about every movie.
• It’s hard for a movie to be quotable after just one viewing, but I feel like I already know certain parts of Guardians by heart. Good.
• Something that happened at my screening: as the “Turn Your Phones Off” warning popped up on screen, somebody in the audience shouted, “don’t tell me what to do!” Okay, so I guess I should still be really cynical about things.

Round up the usual suspects! Image via Paste Magazine

Just like March, summer goes in like a lion (whatever giant franchise offering Disney has to offer in June) and out like a very wimpy lamb (whatever Paranormal Activity spin-off is lated for release in the last week of August).

It would be unfair to immediately dismiss this summer’s entire lineup just because it doesn’t contain many original ideas. For now, originality is dead in Hollywood. That is a well researched fact, just like the how dogs are better than cats and Jaden Smith is terrible at grammar. Instead of rejecting it, it is better for a cinephile’s psyche to find the silver linings.

While there will still be plenty of sequels, prequels, remakes, and adaptations this summer, some of the worst qualities of modern Hollywood are starting to go the way of the dinosaurs and M. Night Shyamalan. For instance, this summer will give us a few major blockbusters that don’t hit the three hour mark, as well as a worldview that is more fun than gritty. Gritty is for Oscar season. Summer is for fun. Smart fun, if that is in anyway possible.

Here are the five movies coming out in the summer of 2014 that I look forward to the most:

5. 22 Jump Street (June 13)

22 Jump Street seems like an unnecessary sequel. Then again, 21 Jump Street seemed like an unnecessary movie. This is Chris Miller and Phil Lord’s second outing in 2014 following the huge success of The Lego Movie. As both 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie proved, they are masters at taking bad ideas and spinning them into gold. 22 Jump Street could also be another great bad idea, even if it neglected to find another role for Brie Larson, who is, in fact, America’s sweetheart. Anyway, 22 Jump Street should be great, so long as it turns sequels that rehash their predecessors into a meta joke. Also, less scenes of college parties and more scenes of Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on drugs, please.

4. Neighbors (May 9)

This is the only movie on the list that is not adapted from previous source material. I have high hopes for Neighbors, as Seth Rogen can do no wrong in my eyes (although he didn’t write or direct this). Neighbors has a simple concept of class versus classless reminiscent of comedies from another era such as Animal House and Caddyshack, and it even promises Dave Franco doing an impression of Robert De Niro in Meet the Parents. The only issue is that the trailers may be giving away too much. I have a theory that bad comedies have good trailers, because all of their best material can fit into a two minute video. The best comedies save all of their gold for the theaters, which is partly why I liked last summer’s The Heat so much. Neighbors will be a great summer comedy, as long as the people who made it stop giving away all of its best f***ing jokes for free.

3. Godzilla (May 16)

I might be the only person on the planet who didn’t like last summer’s Pacific Rim, so I am in need of a movie where a giant dinosaur-type monster destroys an entire city. I think that Godzilla is that movie. The footage that has been shown to the world so far is nothing short of mesmerizing, and the entire film clocks in at just around the two hour mark. Finally, Hollywood is starting to trim down on its bloated spectacles.

2. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (August 22)

It has been almost a decade since the last Sin City came out, yet time has not weakened my excitement for another installment. A Dame to Kill For looks like it will provide all of the red blood against a black and white backdrop that I need for the year. The last film left most of the characters in a state that you wouldn’t necessarily call alive, so A Dame to Kill For will have plenty of room for new characters (though Mickey Rourke and Bruce Willis are coming back), situations, and decapitated clergymen.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1)

I don’t know a thing about Guardians of the Galaxy. I have no idea why Vin Diesel is playing a tree or why Bradley Cooper is playing a raccoon with a gun and I don’t care because I am into it. Guardians of the Galaxy looks like a refreshing break from most of today’s self-serious comic book blockbusters. It embraces a funny and silly spirit that will hopefully make this summer less cynical. The Guardians of the Galaxy trailer itself is a master class in how to make a good trailer: it tells you exactly what you need to know about the plot (a rag-tag team must save the galaxy) without revealing anything major (who are they fighting against?). Plus, between this and The Lego Movie, it looks like Chris Pratt is about to become a household name. Burt Macklin would be proud.