…Barbie held a sorcerous sway over my attention, and I was affected to realize the emotional impact it was making. After all, with a tagline like “If you love Barbie, this film is for you - if you hate Barbie, this film is for you,” I wondered if I would exit the cinema feeling anything more than placated; however, it’s the savvy storyteller that will coax the investment out of us - the concern for the characters and their trials - and Greta Gerwig’s skill in this is subtle but immense…
It’s with this unpredictable shift in narrative for Guardians Vol. 3 that it seems natural to start uncovering the why beneath the obligatory onscreen who, what, when and where. By delving into Rocket’s excruciating backstory - a terrestrial mammal tortured and manipulated into speech and advanced cognition via Chukwudi Iwuji’s biologically militant High Evolutionary - the film peels back layers of thematic inquiry previously absent from the MCU’s backlog.
So, here we are: my first attempt to “blog” as what passes for a responsible, matured adult. Whether either of those descriptors is accurate of me remains to be seen, but one thing I do know to be true is that my return to the written word has been a long time coming.
Some of you may recall that I did, at one point, maintain a book review blog, but the plug has long since been pulled on that project. It was eventually replaced by a podcast that I enjoyed immensely, but I woke one day to find there was almost no joy left in the endeavor. I did learn quite a bit about production during the process, though, and I even made a few friends whom I treasure to this day - one of those friends, in point of fact, served as a prime source of encouragement to abandon The Sleeping Giant altogether, and create something new. Now, I’ve not abandoned The Sleeping Giant completely - it is still the name of my collectibles shop, though it has been relegated to a store on eBay. More on that to come.
In the meantime, there is this: the Center of Knowhere. As the front page suggests, this will serve as a repository for my thoughts and reflections, as well as more intentional works - poetry, essays, and both film and comic book reviews. Initially, it seemed like I may once again be running the risk of spreading myself too thin within a project, however; one thing that I’ve observed is that, like journaling or maintaining a diary, a deepened reflection on the art that I enjoy (or in some cases, find abhorrent) does serve to improve my understanding of myself and the world around me, and - if I can entertain myself and a few other people along the way - more’s the better.
I’ve chosen to make available the ability to leave feedback and commentary on these entries, so I encourage you to leave your thoughts and opinions on the work that I post. Be as open with your praise as you like, or as abrasive in your criticism as you choose - know, however, that I do reserve the right to remove anything hateful.
If you’ve taken the time to read this first post, especially all the way to the end, I’m grateful to you. I hope that you have a good time here, and that we can all learn from one another.
Regards,
GPM
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