Karen Gillan

Well, that’s one way to promote your upcoming home video releases! A few months ago, fans who sat all the way through to the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 were treated to more than a handful of bonus scenes: they were also treated to “Guardians Inferno” by The Sneepers, a fictitious disco band that also included a guest appearance by noted German pop star David Hasselhoff. No bonus footage could hold a candle to the infectious disco pop of the song, and plenty of people - myself included - immediately went home and listened to the track on repeat. It’s everything we want the delightfully weird Marvel universe to be.

Those of us who have dutifully followed Dwayne Johnson’s social-media updates from the set of the Jumanji reboot (fully titled Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, a series of words I will never say out loud) have been hotly anticipating the first official trailer for months now. And after all the online teasing from the Rock about how much excitement audiences can expect from his new revival of the ’90s kids’ classic, he’s finally putting his money where his bulging, oiled-up biceps are. Welcome to the jungle, director Jake Kasdan has fun and games, if by “fun” we mean “a massive FX budget” and if by “games” we mean “body-switching humor.“

When it comes to cinematic influences, James Gunn is a bit of a sponge. His original Guardians of the Galaxy film not only drew on other films in the Marvel universe, but also from a slew of movies  —  both big and small  —  in Hollywood’s action and science-fiction history. It’s always fun to listen to Gunn talk about his film influences, which is what makes this New York Times commentary track of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 such a kick. Who else but James Gunn would drop references to Alfred Hitchcock and MAD Magazine in the same sentence?

The original Guardians of the Galaxy had a scene featuring David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream.” But did you know that Guardians director James Gunn wanted the Starman himself, David Bowie, to make a cameo appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2? Sadly, Bowie’s health declined, and he passed away before he could film a role for the film. That’s just one of the marvelous facts featured in the latest episode of You Think You Know Movies!

One of the best parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, of telling stories on an epic, cross-film and even cross-franchise scale, are watching characters we think we know surprise us as they reveal hidden depths over the course of many years. A perfect example is Nebula, the daughter of the mad baddie Thanos, who is played in the MCU by Karen Gillan. Introduced in the original Guardians of the Galaxy as a ferocious underling of the alien conquerer Ronan the Accuser, Nebula upends all our expectations about her in Vol. 2, which reveals more of her tragic backstory and complicates her relationship with her sister, Gamora.

In the final scene of Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord asked Zoe Saldana’s Gamora what they should do next. “Something good, something bad?” he wonders, before settling on “a bit of both.”

The only people who still regularly play board games are adults: 30-somethings who drink craft beer, elderly people who get bored and raid the nursing home activity closet, my mom’s overly-competitive boyfriend. Some kids play them, sure — but it’s usually begrudgingly during forced “family night,” or if they come from one of those homes without TVs and where the only magazines are Highlights. There’s a reason why you can play Monopoly and Scrabble on your iPhone now, which is why it’s not surprising that the new Jumanji movie doesn’t center around a tangible board game, but a video game.

Marvel’s breakout hit Guardians of the Galaxy is all about teamwork, and putting aside a group’s differences in order to achieve something great. It would appear that the cast has taken this same philosophy to heart when promoting the film, as the latest push for viral buzz has embodied the one-for-all, all-for-one camaraderie that made the original film such a likable presence at cineplexes. Much like the assorted aliens converging from far-flung planets to battle the force of evil, the assorted stars of the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have converged from far-flung social media platforms to battle the forces of underexposure.

FYI dudes, a new Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 trailer is premiering tomorrow night on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (that guy sure is having a good week), and even though it’s only a day and some change away, Marvel has generously offered up a short teaser for James Gunn’s highly-anticipated sequel. In addition to showing off what appears to be the space-equivalent of a campfire, the new sneak peek reveals our first look at the return of Nebula, played by Karen Gillan.

It’s a new year, which means it’s time to get hyped for the latest batch of Marvel superhero movies hitting the multiplex in the next few months. In 2017 we’re getting the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel, which will introduce us to, among others, Kurt Russell’s Ego the Living Planet, aka Star-Lord’s long-lost dad. You might know him best as a really really big glowing head in the comics, but in the movie he’ll also have a human form. Probably a little easier on the budget.