April 2020 was a dark time. COVID spread across the world, lives and jobs were lost, and people adapted to a “new normal” of mask-wearing and staying home. Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn thought people could use something uplifting, so he gave us Meredith Quill’s Complete Awesome Mix.

Brock: "I remember enjoying the FOX television show from the early 90s based on the movie Alien Nation (1988), however the source material is a surprisingly generic action cop flick. They squandered a great premise, with little to no character development or social commentary; This movie really could have used some of both. Strong bet M. Night Shyamalan has seen this movie. Then, Andra Day is as good as you have heard in The United States vs. Billie Holliday (2020), however the scattershot narrative, two-dimensional…

To finish off our series of In Focus articles looking at soundtracks to Guardians of the Galaxy, director James Gunn has given us a couple more gifts on Spotify.

Arnie: "With Black Widow delayed yet again I decided to finally watch Red Sparrow (2018). I always thought the story of a Russian girl brought into a secret spy school and sent on her first mission was very Black Widow-esque. It even follows the naming pattern with <color> <animal>. The problem with the Sparrow school, though, is that it seems to teach spies that their best tools are between their legs. I can't decide if this is an action film or misogyny passing itself off as female empowerment. 'But other than that,…

Jakob: "Happily (2021) stars Kerry Bishé and Joel McHale as a couple still so happy after 14 years of marriage that the 2.5 times they have sex on the average every day has turned their unhappily married friends against them. Things get even stranger when Stephen Root shows up offering to reprogram them to be a 'normal' disgruntled couple. The film is a surreal, dark comedy that doesn’t give an explanation for all its weirdness. So if that’s a deal…

With the huge success of Guardians of the Galaxy, both as a movie and as a soundtrack, Marvel tried to keep fan excitement (and spending) high while waiting for the second Guardians film. In 2015 that manifested in a Guardians of the Galaxy animated series on Disney XD, as well as the Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Mix Vol. 1.  Perhaps Disney execs hoped shoppers would confuse the Awesome Mix and the Cosmic Mix, with similar cover art and choice…

Now Playing Podcast enters April 2021 with one goal in mind: to tire your ears out. The month will feature nine all-new episodes, including four 2021 debuts, a long-requested classic retrospective for donors, and a review of the former all-time box office champion. 

Jakob: "Since seeing giant robots battle each other in its 1990 trailer, I have always wanted to check out Robot Jox. That day finally came. I’m tempted to give it more praise than it probably deserves because its darkly humorous, cynical future has aspirations to reach the satirical heights of Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop. However, I’m glad I didn’t see it as a young teen because I would not have appreciated its camp value. Playing more like a parody of Rocky IV with Rock ‘Em…

► Much has been written about the passing of the great Yaphet Kotto this week at the age of 81. Many accolades have been shared -- Sigourney Weaver's tribute, in particular, is very sweet -- and many words have been used to describe the actor.