Guardians of the Galaxy | Nerdologists

Top 5 Movies of 2023

Peder — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 15:16:27 +0000

This is a tricky list to do this year. Normally I watch 10-12 movies in the year, new ones to me. This year, I’m not sure that I made it to that number. In fact, my new to movies for 2023 might only have been six. But all of them were 2023 movies, so there is that at least. One of them, is a kids movie. And oddly, most of them I watched in the theater. But out of the six movies I remember watching for sure in 2023, for the first time, let’s see which one I liked best.

Top 5 Movies of 2023

5. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

I know that a lot of people thought it was a very down year for Marvel. I tend to disagree as I really enjoyed Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Is it a perfect film? No, it is definitely not one of those, but it’s a fun film with a lot of fun visuals. And I thought that they handled everything in a way consistent with how Ant-Man and the Wasp films have worked before.

I really enjoyed the quantum realm in this movie, which is good because it’s mainly in there. But they got to explore and have some fun with it and the inhabitants of it. And Kang the Conqueror (or at least the person who called himself that) was terrifying at times and powerful at times. Then, yes, the finale is a bit goofy, but I like a lot of what it does.

I think Quantumania works well if you go into it and think it’s on the lighter end of the Star Wars movies. I know that isn’t for everyone, as well, but it feels like some elements from those films. And not just the prequel pod racing goofiness or the celebration retread feeling of the finale of the Skywalker saga. But like the original trilogy where there are places and locations with just a bit of everything going on in them.

4. Across the Spider-verse

This one might surprise some people with how low it is. I got one main critique of this film in that it’s not a complete story. In fact it’s barely a story, it’s more of a bridge between stories. I’m going to say something that sounds very negative, but this is more about how trilogies are made, it has a bit of the feel of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3. I think it is better than those, but those two movies are one movie split into two. Across the Spider-verse is that as well.

Now with that negative out of the way, it is an amazingly gorgeous film to watch. And the characters are engaging in it. I think especially the older Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy really make the movie work. Miles Morales is solid as well, but Gwen in particular is kind of the lead and focus of the story, at least from how her character comes across and how she grows throughout the movie.

And I am very excited for the finale of this story. I’m not going to say end of the trilogy, they might do more. But the next Spider-verse movie should work together with Across the Spider-verse to make a great two part movie to show one whole story. And that is something that not all movies do, especially in trilogies. Often times I’m interested to finish it, but because the second movie isn’t it’s own whole story, I lose steam on it.

3. The Marvels

Image Source: Marvel

The Marvels might be one of the better surprises for me for the year. It’s really close between these bottom three of my Top 5 movies of 2023. But all of them are fun, and I think because I went into The Marvels with lower expectations I appreciate what it does even more.

The Marvels is just a fun movie. The characters are fun and work together and especially Iman Vellani who steals the show with basically every scene that she is in. But the other main characters do well, as well. And I think they leaned into Brie Larson’s wooden acting for Carol Danvers and made that more part of the story. Which I think is a smart move. She’s not the best superhero actor, so build around what is working.

Now, not all of the movie works perfectly. There are some rough patches. The singing planet is fine at best, and they really don’t spend enough time there to make it worth it. They also spend too much time there, so it’s a bit annoying. The planet didn’t fully know what it wanted or needed to be for the movie. But with good character development and a bunch of fun nods and good post credit type of scenes, this is just a fun movie to watch.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

Now the last Marvel movie on the list, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is a fun movie but also not a fun movie to watch. It is a heavy movie with digging into Rocket’s backstory, but it is so good. And it is heartfelt too, I think that the High Evolutionary is one of the better bad bad guys. He isn’t trying to redeem anything really, he is just power hungry and wants to play god.

This is a great end to the trilogy of Guardians of the Galaxy films. At least as the Guardians as we know it. They gave a lot of the characters a good amount of time on the screen and left some in areas where they can continue in the MCU. I fully expect to see some of them back.

I think why this one is higher is that this one feels like there weren’t any missteps. The story works and you feel for the characters. And there is more character growth that happens as well for a lot of the characters figuring out what they want to do. It’s where Marvel is the best, when it’s about the characters and their arcs and growth across the movies.

1. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Finally, it’s a non-Marvel film. Everything else was Marvel and the other one from 2023 I know I watched, Paw Patrol movie, was still super pups so superheroes as well. But let’s talk about what makes the Dungeons and Dragons movie the top on my list.

This is the type of movie that I like a lot as well in terms of a light action adventure movie. And it is set in a setting that I really like. I enjoy Dungeons and Dragons a ton. I play it a ton. But it’s not just that, it’s also one that has heart to it.

The characters all have fun development of building confidence, trust, balancing out ego, and letting go of the past. The themes are good. When coming out of the movie the best way to describe it is that it’s a fun movie with Dungeons and Dragons stuff in it, but it was a movie and story first, and that was put into Dungeons and Dragons perfectly.

I just watched it again about a week ago and I’ve seen it three times. And it is just as fun every time. It’s like The Marvels in that I would always watch it if I stumbled across it. But I think with Honor Among Thieves I would still want to watch it once a year anyways. And I hope, fingers crossed, that there is a second movie because I think people were hesitant to start. But now that people are seeing it, they like it. It just didn’t do as well as in theaters as it could have been.

Final Thoughts

I really don’t watch too many movies anymore. There are a few reasons, the big one being that with a kid, a lot of my evenings are shorter. But when I do, it’s almost always going to be Marvel. I’ll do a Top 5 anticipated movies for 2024 coming out.

What have you watched from 2023 that you like? Let me know if you think there are some I should checkout.

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10 Minute Marvel S3E20: What’s Next For The Guardians of the Galaxy?

Peder — Tue, 16 May 2023 11:48:01 +0000

It’s a big week this week for 10 Minute Marvel, though the episode is a bit shorter and less edited than sometimes. We had to record late for various sick kid reasons. But we’re asking a question, we saw where characters were left in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. Some of them still on the team, and a lot of them off doing their own thing. So what will they be up to next. The different groups, where are they going to go on their next adventures?

Plus we hit 10,000 downloads. So that means the giveaway for Marvel Unlimited is live. Directions to win down below and in the beginning of the episode.

Thanks for Listening to 10 Minute Marvel

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We also run a Patreon and that is another way you can help support. The Patreon, found here, goes to help improve the quality of the 10 Minute Marvel Podcast, pay for advertising and more. It also helps improve the Malts and Meeples YouTube Channel and Nerdologists.com website. Thank you for considering supporting us financially.

10,000 Download Giveaway

And thank you so much to everyone who has downloaded the podcast. We hit 10,000 downloads and are still going strong with downloads this week. But what you probably are most curious about is how to win a year long subscription to Marvel Unlimited.

The directions are very simple. Email us at 10minmarvel@gmail.com with “Marvel Unlimited” in the subject line. And the name, if you win that you want your win to be announced as.

The winner will be announced the first episode in June, so 6th episode. And the window for entry goes through May 31st. So get your entry in the next two weeks.

Comments or Questions – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

What is next for the Guardians of the Galaxy? Where do you think the Guardians team will go and when will we see Rocket, Kraglin, Groot, Cosmo, Adam Warlock and Phyla-Vell next? And the same with the other characters, Peter Quill and Mantis? And do we even see Gamora, Drax, or Nebula again in the MCU?

You can let us know all of those things down in the comment section below. Or tweet them to me @TheScando or by using #10MinMarvel.

Thank you again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.

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10 Minute Marvel S3E19: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 Review

Peder — Tue, 09 May 2023 11:20:28 +0000

We saw Vol 3 of Guardians of the Galaxy over the weekend. What stood out to us about the movie and where does it fall in with the other Marvel movies or trilogies. Those are some of the early questions that we look to answer or at least explore on this weeks podcast. Plus some news about delays, castings, and dates when shows will be coming out.

And here is the video of fan casting that we talk about when it comes to Margot Robbie potentially being Sue Storm.

Thanks for Listening to 10 Minute Marvel

Comments or Questions – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

Let us know your thoughts on the movie. What were some of the highlights, what were some things you wish had been done differently? Did you enjoy the movie overall? And where does it rank for you when it comes to Marvel projects?

You can let us know all of those things down in the comment section below. Or tweet them to me @TheScando or by using #10MinMarvel.

Thank you again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.

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10 Minute Marvel S3E18: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 Preview

Peder — Tue, 02 May 2023 11:25:32 +0000

This week it’s all about the upcoming movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. As we get ready to go see it on Friday, what are the questions and theories we have, and what do we hope for it? We dive into all of that this week. Plus a light news week with Blade, Kraven, and Across the Spiderverse news.

Thanks for Listening to 10 Minute Marvel

Comments or Questions – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

What are you hoping for from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3? Do you have plans to see it opening weekend? Let us know your hopes, theories, and ideal end credit scenes.

You can let us know all of those things down in the comment section below. Or tweet them to me @TheScando or by using #10MinMarvel.

Thank you again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.

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10 Minute Marvel S3E15: Villains We Want in Upcoming MCU Projects

Peder — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 11:26:26 +0000

There’s news to talk about this week from James Gunn releasing his Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 playlist to DC and Marvel Crossovers. Then also Across the Spider-Verse had their first trailer drop as well. But for the main topic we talk about villains that we want to see in Phase 5 and 6 of the MCU. Who would we like to see up in the properties that are already announced?

Thanks for Listening to 10 Minute Marvel

Comments or Questions – Marvel Villains

With all the projects coming up, who do you want to see show up as a villain and in what movie or show? And what did you think of the Across the Spiderverse trailer. Or maybe the biggest question, if Marvel and DC did a crossover, who would you want to face off or work together?

You can let us know all of those things down in the comment section below. Or tweet them to me @TheScando or by using #10MinMarvel.

Thank you again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.

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10 Minute Marvel S3E7: Guardians of the Galaxy Super Bowl Trailer

Peder — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 12:30:41 +0000

That’s a long name of the episode to say that this week on 10 Minute Marvel we talk about the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer. I’ll have that embedded below. Plus there is news to talk about from Captain America: New World Order, to casting around Sentry and Blue Marvel, and the Fantastic Four.

Please note that this episode was recorded on Monday night. That means that there was no editing done to it. The time constraint was that we wanted to cover the trailer, we thought maybe trailers, coming out of the Super Bowl. And next week it would be too late because we’re going to be talking Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer:

Thanks for Listening to 10 Minute Marvel

Comments or Questions

What did you think of the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer? And really, with this movie, how do you think it will end for the Guardians team? Will some of them continue on and who might it be?

Also, let us know when you’re going to be going to see Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania? Will you be going opening weekend?

You can let us know all of those things down in the comment section below. Or tweet them to me @TheScando or by using #10MinMarvel.

Thank you again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.

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The post 10 Minute Marvel S3E7: Guardians of the Galaxy Super Bowl Trailer first appeared on Nerdologists.

10 Minute Marvel – Mutants into the MCU: Our Theories

Peder — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 12:45:05 +0000

There is some news on this weeks 10 Minute Marvel. Two castings and one rumor. Plus the first acting Oscar nomination for Marvel has happened. And a book coming out to help explain how the whole Marvel timeline fits together in the MCU.

And for the main topic, we dive into Mutants and the X-Men. How do we want them introduced into the MCU, what makes the most sense or what is easiest. And what story do we want told first when we do get mutants. Plus, even more with what villain would work the best for a mutant focused big bad.

All that and our normal what comics are we reading, so an update on that. And Greg’s patented Challenge Question of the week. If you were to restart the MCU right now, who would you start it with and why?

Thanks for Listening to 10 Minute Marvel

Comments or Questions

Give us your fan castings. Who is on your list to play different characters or upcoming characters, like Sue Storm and Reed Richards in the MCU? And who that we have cast would you think would be the best?

You can let us know all of those things down in the comment section below. Or tweet them to me @TheScando or by using #10MinMarvel.

Thank you again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.

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10 Minute Marvel S2E95: Phase 5 Hype

Peder — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 12:22:59 +0000

We’re talking Phase 5 this week as we run down the projects and talk about which ones we are most excited for. There are a lot of projects out there for Phase 5 and Marvel, I think, has room to fit in another Disney+ show or special still to that time frame. Plus what leads into that, the new Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 trailer which we talk about some of the highlights or some emotional beats that might be coming.

Image Source: Marvel Studios

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Comments or Questions

What did you think of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 trailer? Did it look like fun, did you want to see more? And who might die, if anyone does, in this movie?

Plus, looking ahead towards Phase 5, which doesn’t start too long from now, which project excites you most? Or maybe which one do you have the lowest expectations for right now?

You can let us know all of those things down in the comment section below. Or tweet them to me @TheScando or by using #10MinMarvel.

Thank you again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.

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10 Minute Marvel S2E76: San Diego Comic Con

Peder — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 13:02:00 +0000

It is a huge week for Marvel news. Not only some dates for stuff we knew was coming, but also a number of new announcements from San Diego Comic Con. And two new trailers, one for She Hulk and one for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As well as footage that likely will be released at a later date for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, Secret Invasion, and one more I’m forgetting. But there is a ton of news, so I just look at the upcoming schedule as how we know it.

Thanks For Listening

Comments or Questions

What did you think of Ms Marvel? Where does it fall in your rankings of the MCU Disney+ shows? And what do you hope is announced at SDCC?

You can let me know all of those things down in the comment section below. Or tweet them to me @TheScando or by using #10MinMarvel.

Thank you again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.

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Top 10 Campaign Games I Want To Play

Peder — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 14:41:58 +0000

There are two ways that I could do this list. It is possible that I could just put down any campaign game. A game like Kingdom Death Monster (KDM) is likely making the list then. Or it is games that I own already. And I am picking campaign games that I own that I want to play. I am doing that second list, I might come back, even today, and do that other list. But these are my Top 10 Campaign Games on my shelf that I really want to get played.

Top 10 Campaign Games

10 – Marvel Champions: The Mad Titan’s Shadow

I had to put one of the campaign boxes onto this list for Marvel Champions. There are a number of them, a Spider-Man one, a Red Skull one, Guardians of the Galaxy, soon to be Mutants as well. But I went with The Mad Titan’s Shadow just because that box feels the most epic. And I can take anyone into that one and it makes sense thematically.

I’ve heard that these are lighter campaigns which is not a bad thing. It means that I could and maybe will, set it up sometime and just play it over a few evenings. And you know I’m going to be running Thor up against them, or maybe Doctor Strange. There are enough characters know that it might actually be a tricky decision.

9 – Massive Darkness 2

I picked this one up because it did have a campaign. And I want to get it to the table, at least for scenarios fairly soon. I like that you level up a lot in this game, and the minis are cool, the classes are cool, the weapons are cool.

Plus, this is also a lighter game. You don’t need to know nearly as much how to play it as some of the other games on the list. That means that even if I don’t play it as a campaign soon, it’s probably one I can sit down and knock out a scenario with some friends easily in an evening.

Image Source: Mythic Games

8 – Reichbusters: Projekt Vril

One that I also need to sort some more, which is why I haven’t played it yet. Reichbusters came out with an errata pack for improved card wording and rules. But because that was coming, I waited on playing it. Now I own it and, well, I need to sort the cards in.

This is going to be a game of sneaking into enemy base and trying to stop their experiments. Think kind of Howling Commandos vs Hydra, if I were to take it over to Marvel. There are crazy experiments going on, and monsters you need to fight. But every mission has an objective and if you’re too noisy, well, things are going to go sideways for you fast and you’ll get swarmed. So it’s not a guns blazing game, which I think sounds interesting.

7 – Betrayal Legacy

I did put a few legacy games on the list. Legacy games are campaign games too, and it surprised me a little bit, but the one at the bottom of that is Betrayal Legacy. I love Betrayal at House on the Hill, even with it’s wonky scenarios and problems with sometimes the traitor being too strong, sometimes the other characters. And I want to see what the legacy one has to offer.

I am really curious about the legacy aspect of it. You play as a family versus a character coming back generation after generation. I want to know how that plays out in the game. I think it could offer some cool game options and ways to progress and tell a bit story.

6 – Descent: Legends of the Dark

Moving back to just a campaign game, we have Descent: Legends of the Dark from Fantasy Flight Games. This is going to be their Descent, but not third edition, game, of exploring tiles, fighting monsters, and interacting on the map.

Like a lot of bigger Fantasy Flight games in recent history, Mansions of Madness, Journeys in Middle-Earth, and Star Wars: Imperial Assault, there is an app piece. I like it for this game, it was a bit much in Journeys in Middle-Earth, but in Descent it offers some fog of war. It is in that category of games like Massive Darkness 2 for me. It looks like a blast to play as a fun dice chucking game.

Image Source: Greenbrier Games

5 – Folklore: The Affliction

Now moving into another bigger game, and I think the top 5, with the exception of the legacy ones, are the heaviest of the campaign games that I own, at least right now. Of course there are more coming in. But Folklore: The Affliction is going to be a game that borrows a lot from pen and paper RPG’s. You roll more than a standard six sided die. And that is intriguing to me.

Plus, I like that it’s a darker setting. I don’t need all my fantasy to be grim and dark, but sometimes that is what I want. And since I always am the Dungeon Master for D&D, I believe that it’ll give me that RPG feel without me needing to be in charge of everything. Though, if I paly it solo, I will be, but I’ll be doing the same thing as the players.

4 – Aeon’s End: Legacy of Gravehold

Another Legacy game and this one just came in from Indie Boards & Cards. I played through the first Aeon’s End Legacy on stream. And I had a blast with that game. Plus, just in general I really like Aeon’s End, so much so that I keep on backing and tracking down everything for it.

Legacy of Gravehold is going to be another legacy campaign. Where I knew a little bit of the campaign for the original Aeon’s End Legacy, I know nothing about the story this time. I just know that the box is bigger and heavier. That probably means more cards, but I’m hoping for more story as well.

3 – Clank! Legacy

And the other legacy game is Clank! Legacy. This one is higher for me just because I want to play it with some friends. I love the Acquisitions Inc theme on it as their game play is hilarious. And I suspect that the humor in the game will be great as well. Plus, I like the system that it is built upon. I prefer Clank! In! Space! to Clank I think, but the legacy version with the fantasy theme, I’m still there for it.

This is a deck building push your luck game. You are going into it trying to complete missions and get treasures. And it’s competitive in that you are trying to be the best so that you can end up with the franchise within Acquisitions Inc. I have to imagine that the whole of the story is going to be goofy, and it sounds like there is a lot to unlock so that is exciting as well.

2 -Middara: Unintentional Malum

A huge box with two more huge boxes on the way. I give that as my excuse for not getting it to the table sooner, I want Acts II and III to show up as well. But really, it’s just such a table hog and such a big game, I am not sure that I want to play it solo, but I really do want to play it.

Middara has more of an anime style to it’s game look. The artwork, and from what I can tell, the world building and story look fairly anime. It is going to be a leveling up, dice chunking, monster fighting, dungeon crawling game. And I think it’s going to be one that I find to be a lot of fun to get to the table and play. But like I said, I suspect the game would work best with four players, or two players controlling two characters each.

Image Source: OOMM Board Games

1 – Stars of Akarios

Call me cult of the new if you want, and it’d be fair in this case. But I am excited to plays Stars of Akarios. This is a big space exploration and adventure game. What really intrigues me is how it is split into two parts. There is that space exploration and then you can be down on an planet as well. That is intriguing.

It also looks like it uses a combination of cards for modifying your attacks and things but also uses dice. And just the production quality on the game is great. While it is a big game, compared to some of the others, it looks like it should be easier to play solo. And I want to get it to the table and play it on Malts and Meeples.

Final Thoughts

I say this almost any time I talk about a campaign game. And I feel like I can redo this list in different ways pretty often. But I have a lot of them coming in. 15 more campaign games in fact, which is a lot. Now some can be played as more of a one off situation such as Primal: The Awakening. Otherwise might be smaller sit down and play a campaign of it in a sitting, Spire’s End: Hildegard. But most of them are going to be much much bigger than that.

Just to show everything that is coming, and there is a lot, in alphabetical order, we have:

The 7th Citadel
Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread
Chronicles of Drunagor
Divinus
Ehterfields
Frosthaven
HEL: The Last Saga
ISS Vanguard
Mythwind
Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood
Primal: The Awakening
Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies
Spire’s End: Hildegard
Valor & Villainy: Lludwik’s Labyrinth
Vampire: The Masquerade – Chapters

What campaign games do you own, if any, that you want to get played?

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