The Wife (2017)

Glenn Close is divine in a role that will finally win her an Oscar. Her quiet composure is so powerful. The story is simple yet brilliant and the execution is excellent. The narcissistic novelist Joe Castleman has won the Nobel Prize in Literature and he brings his son and wife Joan to Stockholm. Close's performance manages to capture decades of marriage in her performance. Glenn Close's daughter plays younger Joan allowing us to see how their relationship developed.  The allegation is that Joe's novels were actually written by Joan. How dramatic is that?

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Unlike Marvel's other offerings,  this movie runs like one long joke.   Lucky for Marvel, it's very funny.  In the theater that I went to,  there was no pity laughter; it was all genuine riotous laughter.   Being unfamiliar with the comics,  I'm not sure how seriously it is supposed to be taken. This proves that action movies can be more than just special effect.   The writing can still shine (talking to you,  Transformers).  The out of place 70s/80s music in an outer space saga adds to the joke feeling.   It really shouldn't work, but it does.  It is mixed into the film well in the form of a mix tape taken from Earth.

The casting of Chris Pratt was perfect,  not too serious at all and so funny.   Probably best known for playing dim witted Andy in Parks and Recreation, who knew he could pull off the hero type (albeit not your conventional hero)? Personally,  my favorite character is Bradley Cooper as Rocket the genetically modified racoon.  The scenes in which I laughed the hardest were funny because of Rocket.