Agent Palmer

I have a reverence for WarGames. It is one of my favorite movies of all time, and while I hold it in a sort of sacred category among movies, that does not mean that the direct-to-video sequel WarGames 2: The Dead Code is unbearable to me as it evidently has been to others.

I enjoy the film for what it is: a sequel for another time with a respectful honoring of the original. Is it the greatest film? No. Is it an decent popcorn film? Perhaps for some, but for me it is enjoyable; no more and no less.

This is not a review, nor a critique, it’s just a commendation of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for one thing; balance. It was a good and fun film. It’s what we expect from Marvel. They have a standard so high that even if they did fall short, it would still be a good movie.

But what struck me most about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was the attention to balance. It’s not something that I thought about during the first film, but with Groot and Gamora seemingly adding members to the team at will, the balance of screen time and story is amazingly solid.

Bull Durham is one of my favorite sports movies. The dialog is almost as punchy as some of the characters, and it really does grasp the spirit of minor league baseball. There exist three types of players in the minors: talent working towards the majors, veterans just hanging on, and solid baseball guys that just enjoy playing the game but don’t have much hope of getting called up any higher. This game, though it focuses on the first two, really…