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Over the weekend, I caught two separate films: one with The Wife and one I’ve wanted to see for some time. Both turned out to be treatises on relationships. Imagine that�

Anton Yelchin and Addison Timlin in Odd Thomas

First up was the new Marvel film, . Now, this film is an almost totally different “feel� from the other Marvel blockbusters we’ve seen over the past 5-7 years. The characters, the attitudes, the world itself are all of a different slant than, say Thor or Captain America or Ironman. And, from the Avengers, which did contain its share of snarky dialogue and humor, GotG took it all a step farther…into the out reaches of the universe.

What I Liked:

The humor. Even the dark-historied assassin, , had a snarky line here and there that perfectly suited the situation. And, don’t get me started on Rocket Raccoon, because he nearly stole every scene he was in. Kudos to Bradley Cooper for bringing that tragic character to life with emotion and wit.

The relationships. This is the very heart and soul of the film. What happens when you bring together five extremely disparate personalities, all loners of a sort, and force them to live up to their own potential? In the end, it all comes down to trust and relationships built. Friendship. A word that is barely in the vocabulary of a couple of these miscreants.

The Bad Guys. Wow. Bad appears to be a relative term here, because Lee Pace, as , lends an entirely new meaning to the term. Gamora’s adopted sister, —who is portrayed by the ever-growing-talent of —is continually on the cusp of killing someone if she isn’t already in the process. Needless to say, I certainly look forward to seeing more of (the girls� adoptive father) in the next Avengers film, Age of Ultron.

What I Did Not Like:

The moments of over-the-top BS. Drifting in open, outer space for more than 4-5 seconds, I’m sorry…you’re done for. Period.

The lack of explanation as to why Ronan was so very pissed at the Xandarians. Maybe I missed it. I’m not altogether certain.

SUMMARY:

Yes, this one gets 5 of 5 Pens of Approval from me. It was easily one of the most fun and adventure-filled Marvel films to date and I walked out wanting desperately to see it again.Ìý Well-done, team! Well done!

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Next up was the film I had wanted to see: , based on San Diego dweller .

I have to say: this film surprised the heck out of me. I was expecting…well, I’m not certain what I was expecting, but what I got was resolutely better than anything I could have been expecting.

I believe this film/story classifies as a mystery-thriller with paranormal elements. Yet, I think Amazon classifies it as Supernatural Thriller. Regardless, it has stuck with me.

What I Liked:

The honesty of the characters. Odd continually notes how odd he is. Perhaps too much. But, he is honest with himself about who he is and the gifts he’s been given. His girl, Stormy, is pretty much my favorite character if only due to the fact that she loves Odd for all he is, the good, the bad, the dangerous, the goofy and, yes, the odd. Then again, she is a bit of an odd one herself, perhaps in part because of her closeness with Odd. Even the police captain (Willem Dafoe) is a real person. Even if he has learned to trust that Odd sees and knows things that are outside the realm of normal human perception, he has his own life and the relationship between he and his own wife is enviable at times.

The relationships. Even through some less than stellar writing, the thing that stood out to me was how well the relationships were written in this film. I’ve already mentioned the Captain’s and his wife’s. Yet, the bond between Odd and Stormy truly lifts this film above where it would normally reside in the pantheon of supernatural thrillers. Their loving and snarky banter rings true and the fact that she calls him at inopportune times to check in on him just seals the deal for me (I write this from experience, yes). I found myself drawn into their relationship, seeing that there could be a raucous and fun-filled future for these two oddly cool kids.

What I Did Not Like:

The moments of WTH. There were a couple of points where I wondered why the heck Odd didn’t pick up on certain clues, certain personality points that screamed out to me (the viewer). There was a minor explanation mentioned in the film, but I take objection to it for some reason. Not certain why.

Summary:

This one gets 4 of 5 Pens of Approval from me. I will definitely watch this one again, if only to bathe in the warm and fuzzy of such a truthful relationship as portrayed by Odd and Stormy. The film is powerful in ways I did not expect and I love it for that very fact. I recommend it.

P.S. � I think I may have a new screen crush on .