title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

text:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and the 15th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Written and directed by James Gunn, the film stars an ensemble cast featuring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sylvester Stallone, and Kurt Russell. In the film, the Guardians travel throughout the cosmos as they help Peter Quill learn more about his mysterious parentage.

The film was officially announced at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International before the theatrical release of the first film, along with James Gunn's return from the first film, with the title of the sequel revealed a year later in June 2015. Principal photography began in February 2016 at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia, with many crew changes from the first film due to other commitments. Filming concluded in June 2016. James Gunn chose to set the sequel shortly after the first film to explore the characters' new roles as the Guardians, and to follow the storyline of Quill's father established throughout that previous film. Russell was confirmed as Quill's father in July 2016, portraying Ego, a departure from Quill's comic father.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 premiered in Tokyo on April 10, 2017, and was released in the United States on May 5, 2017, as part of Phase Three of the MCU. It grossed more than $863 million worldwide, making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2017, while also outgrossing its predecessor. The film received praise for its visuals, direction, soundtrack, action sequences, humor, and performances, though some critics deemed it inferior to the original. It received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 90th Academy Awards. A sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, was released on May 5, 2023, preceded by the Disney+ special The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in November 2022.

Plot

In 2014, Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Baby Groot are renowned as the Guardians of the Galaxy. High Priestess Ayesha of the Sovereign race has the Guardians protect valuable batteries from an Abilisk, an inter-dimensional monster, in exchange for Gamora's estranged sister Nebula, who was caught attempting to steal the batteries. After Rocket steals the batteries for himself, the Sovereign attacks the Guardians' ship with a fleet of drones. A mysterious figure destroys the drones and the Guardians crash-land on a nearby planet Berhert. The figure reveals himself as Quill's father, Ego, and he is joined by Mantis, his naïve empath servant. Ego invites Quill, Gamora, and Drax to his home planet, while Rocket and Groot remain behind to repair the ship and watch Nebula.

Ayesha hires Yondu Udonta and his crew, who have been exiled from the greater Ravager community for child trafficking, to recapture the Guardians. They capture Rocket, but Yondu hesitates to turn over Quill, whom he raised. Kraglin Obfonteri, his lieutenant, questions his objectivity, and Taserface, another Ravager, leads a mutiny, aided by Nebula, who shoots off Yondu's yaka arrow controller. Aboard the Eclector, Yondu's flagship, Taserface imprisons Rocket and Yondu and executes the latter's loyalists. Nebula leaves to find and kill Gamora, whom she blames for the torture inflicted on her by Thanos, their adoptive father. Groot, with help from Kraglin, who shows remorse and never signed for a mutiny, bail Rocket and Yondu out of captivity. Rocket repairs Yondu's arrow controller, and the group escape after setting the Eclector to self-destruct. Taserface contacts the Sovereign before being killed by the explosion.

Ego, a god-like Celestial that manipulated the matter around his consciousness to form his "home" planet, explains that he projected a humanoid guise to travel the universe and discover a purpose, eventually falling in love with Meredith, Quill's mother. Ego hired Yondu to collect the young Quill after Meredith's death, but the boy was never delivered, and Ego has been searching for him ever since. He teaches Quill to manipulate his inherited Celestial power, while Mantis grows close to Drax and tries to warn him of Ego's plans. Nebula arrives at Ego's planet and tries to kill Gamora, but the pair reconcile and reach an uneasy alliance, soon discovering a cavern filled with skeletal remains. Ego brainwashes Quill and reveals that in his travels, he planted seedlings on thousands of worlds that can terraform into new extensions of himself, but only the power of two Celestials can activate them. To that end, he impregnated countless women and hired Yondu to collect their offspring, but killed them all when they failed to inherit his Celestial power. Quill fights off Ego's influence and violently attacks Ego when Ego reveals that he gave Meredith the brain tumor that killed her. Ego parasitically draws Quill's energy to activate the seedlings, which begin to consume the worlds they're on.

Rocket, Yondu, Groot, and Kraglin arrive, and together with Mantis, Drax, Nebula, and Gamora, they rescue Quill. The Guardians travel to Ego's brain at the planet's core, where Yondu reveals that he kept Quill to spare him from Ego. As the Sovereign's drones return and attack the Guardians, Rocket makes a bomb using the stolen batteries, which Groot plants on Ego's brain. Quill uses his newfound Celestial powers to fight Ego, distracting him long enough for the other Guardians and Mantis to escape. The bomb explodes, killing Ego and disintegrating the planet, which drains Quill of his Celestial powers. Yondu sacrifices himself to save Quill and dies in the vacuum of space. While the Guardians, with Mantis as a new member, hold a funeral for Yondu, Nebula, despite having reconciled with Gamora, chooses to leave and resume her quest to kill Thanos. Rocket and Kraglin are elated as dozens of Ravager ships arrive, acknowledging Yondu's sacrifice and accepting him as a Ravager again.

In a series of mid- and post-credit scenes, Kraglin takes up Yondu's telekinetic arrow and control-fin; Ravager leader Stakar Ogord reunites with his ex-teammates; Ayesha creates Adam, a new artificial being with whom she plans to destroy the Guardians; and Groot grows into a teenager.

Cast

 Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord:The half-human, half-Celestial leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy who was abducted from Earth as a child and raised by a group of alien thieves and smugglers called the Ravagers. Pratt, who returns as part of a multi-film contract with Marvel, said Quill is now famous throughout "the galaxy for having saved so many people... He feels like he's part of this group, a leader of this group. He's a little more responsible and trying to stay out of trouble, but not necessarily doing the best job." Pratt stated that working on the film forced him to come to terms with the death of his own father. Wyatt Oleff once again portrays a young Quill.
 Zoe Saldaña as Gamora:A member of the Guardians and an orphan from an alien world who seeks redemption for her past crimes. She was trained by Thanos to be his personal assassin. Saldaña described Gamora's role in the team as "the voice of reason", saying, "She's surrounded by all these dudes who are so stupid half the time," and added that she is the "Mom" of the team, saying that she is "just a meticulous, detailed, professional individual." Regarding Gamora's relationship with Nebula, Saldaña described it as "volatile" and added, "we're starting somewhere very crazy but appropriate given where we had ended things off in the first installment".
 Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer:A member of the Guardians and highly skilled warrior. Bautista waited for the final version of the script to not take "away from the magic", which he felt had happened when he read early drafts of the first film. He added that "I wasn't crazy about my part [in Vol. 2, initially]. It went a different direction than what I thought they were going to go with Drax," noting he did not "think Drax was that significant in the film". The part "clicked" for Bautista after the table read with the other cast. Bautista called Drax "more funny, driven" than in the first film, and having "a sense of innocence and heartbreak about him", despite "most people's first perception of Drax [that] he's just a big, muscly brute". Bautista's makeup took only 90 minutes to apply, down from four hours for the first film. He would have to sit in a sauna at the end of the day to get the makeup off, after his makeup test was found to be too "abrasive".
 Vin Diesel as Baby Groot:A member of the Guardians who is a tree-like humanoid and the accomplice of Rocket. The character began growing from a sapling at the end of the first film, with James Gunn intending for him to be fully grown by the sequel. Gunn eventually decided to keep him as "Baby Groot", which was one of the reasons the film is set only a few months after the first. Gunn described Baby Groot as the son of Groot from the first film, with Diesel explaining that "we're going to see this goofy, adorable, baby Groot [just] kinda learning as he goes." Prop master Russell Bobbitt created a 1:1 scale model of the  Baby Groot for filming, to use as a lighting reference and sometimes as a puppet for the actors to interact with. As Groot only communicates with the phrase "I am Groot" in different inflections, Gunn created a "Groot Version" of the script for himself and Diesel, which contains each of Groot's lines in English. Diesel used a higher register of his voice for Baby Groot, which was pitched up by seven to nine semitones depending on the take. He also delivered lines slowly to avoid any time stretching issues. Diesel recorded Groot's voice for sixteen foreign-language releases of the film (up from six in the first film). Sean Gunn provided on-set reference for adolescent Groot in the post-credit sequence.
 Bradley Cooper as Rocket:A member of the Guardians who is a genetically engineered raccoon-based bounty hunter, mercenary, and master of weapons and battle tactics. Sean Gunn once again served as the stand-in for the character during filming, with Cooper's performance also referenced. Sean Gunn said that "Rocket has the same sort of crisis of faith [that he had in the first film] about whether or not he belongs in this family", with James Gunn adding, "this is really about Rocket coming to terms with accepting his place within a group of people, which probably seemed like a good idea" when they were heroes together at the end of the first film, but now "he's just not very comfortable with the idea". Feige stated that the relationship between Rocket and Groot has changed, saying, "Groot was Rocket's protector in the first movie, [and now] Rocket is Groot's protector."
 Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta:A blue-skinned buccaneer of the Ravagers who is a fatherly figure to Quill and member of the Guardians. He is also the former deputy to Ayesha. Yondu has a larger head fin in the film, to look closer to his comic counterpart, and Rooker worked with the prosthetic department to add gaps to his prosthetic teeth, "just like real teeth", to aid him in whistling as the character. Rooker explained that, for the sequel, Gunn "wanted people to experience more in-depth what Yondu was thinking and how he's feeling—a more serious Yondu." Rooker noted the complex relationship between Yondu and Quill where "we don't agree on things...they are constantly at each other's throats [but] Yondu truly cares about this kid." Gunn was reluctant to kill Yondu in the film, but ultimately felt that "this is a story about a father's love for his son, his ultimate love, so much love that he sacrifices himself for that, and that's what Yondu is. He is 100 percent Peter Quill's father" despite Ego being Quill's biological father. Before the release of Vol. 2, Rooker spent time on the set of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) to counteract rumors that the reason his character would not appear in that film was that he would die in this one.
 Karen Gillan as Nebula:An adopted daughter of Thanos who was raised with Gamora as sisters and a former enemy of the Guardians. Gillan stated the film would further explore the sisterly relationship between Nebula and Gamora, including their backstory "and what happened to these two girls growing up and actually how awful it was for them and how it has ruined their relationship", adding "we're [also] going to start to see how much pain [Thanos] actually caused [Nebula]... we really start to see the emotional crack in her character". While Gillan had to shave her head for the first film, she only had to shave half of her head for the sequel, taking away the underneath part and leaving the top. Gillan's makeup took two and a half hours to apply, down from five hours for the first film.
 Pom Klementieff as Mantis:A mantis-like creature and member of the Guardians with empathic powers who lives with Ego. Executive producer Jonathan Schwartz said the character "has never really experienced social interaction", and learns about "social intricacies" from the other Guardians. Klementieff added, "She was really lonely and by herself, so it's a completely new thing to meet these people and to discover new things", comparing this to a child making awkward mistakes in social situations. Mantis and Drax have an "interesting" relationship in the film due to both being "complete odd balls". Steve Englehart, Mantis' co-creator, was disappointed with the character's portrayal, saying, "That character has nothing to do with Mantis ... I really don't know why you would take a character who is as distinctive as Mantis is and do a completely different character and still call her Mantis."
 Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord:A high-ranking Ravager who holds a grudge against Yondu. Stallone likened his character's relationship with Yondu to a father-son relationship, and called the confrontation they have in the film "pretty intense". For Stakar's acceptance of Yondu as a Ravager at the end of the film, Gunn asked Stallone to channel the "That'll do, pig" line from the film Babe. Gunn described Stakar as "very important to the Marvel Universe", and said that "it's our plan to see more of Stallone" in future MCU films, though he was not sure then if that would include Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).
 Kurt Russell as Ego:An ancient Celestial who is Quill's father. Pratt was the first to suggest to Gunn that he consider Russell for the role; he portrays an avatar of Ego who is more traditionally seen in the comics in his "Living Planet" form. Russell appreciated why he was wanted for the role after seeing Pratt's performance in the first film, feeling "That's my kinda guy. I know where that kind of goof comes from." He added, "I bring the right things [from previous roles]...I connected the dots from some of the things I've done in the past." Ego replaces Quill's original comic father of J'son, and was allowed to be used in the film after 20th Century Fox reached a deal with Marvel Studios to return the film rights of Ego for changing the power set of Negasonic Teenage Warhead, whom Fox wanted to use in Deadpool (2016). Gunn originally thought Marvel held the rights to the character, and stated that, had the deal with Fox not been made, there was "no back up plan, and it would [have been] nearly impossible to just drop another character in," given the extensive work done surrounding the character. For the film's opening sequence, set in 1980 Missouri, Aaron Schwartz served as facial reference for the young Ego.

Elizabeth Debicki appears as Ayesha, the golden High Priestess and the leader of the Sovereign people, a genetically engineered race who are "gold and perfect and wanting to be physically and mentally impeccable". Gunn was "very specific" when writing the character, and after casting director Sarah Finn suggested Debicki, Gunn "knew right away that she was the one". Gunn highlighted the actress' beauty and  height. Debicki wore platform shoes to increase her height to . Chris Sullivan portrays Taserface, the leader of a mutinous group of the Ravagers. Gunn originally posted a photo of the comic book character on his social media after landing Guardians of the Galaxy, calling him "the dumbest character of all time" and saying he would never feature the character in a film. After eventually deciding to use the character in the sequel, Gunn felt the character had given himself the name Taserface and is "a real dumbass". Sullivan's makeup took two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours to apply each day. Sean Gunn appears as Kraglin Obfonteri, Yondu's second-in-command in the Ravagers. Kraglin has an expanded role compared to the previous film—Sean Gunn explained, "In the first film he did a lot of just saying yes and being at Yondu's side, but in this movie things take a little bit of a different turn as Kraglin has a little bit of a crisis of conscience and has to decide whether he's going to stick with Yondu or join forces with the growing faction of mutineers."

Additionally, reprising their roles from the first film are Laura Haddock as Meredith Quill, Gregg Henry as her father, Seth Green as the voice of Howard the Duck, and canine actor Fred as Cosmo. Members of Yondu's Ravager crew appearing in the film include Evan Jones as Retch, Jimmy Urine as Half-Nut, Stephen Blackehart as Brahl, Steve Agee as Gef, Mike Escamilla as Scrote, Joe Fria as Oblo, Terence Rosemore as Narblik, and Tommy Flanagan as Tullk, as well as Charred Walls of the Damned drummer and Howard Stern Show personality Richard Christy in a cameo appearance. The other members of Stakar and Yondu's old team, based on the comic's original incarnation of the Guardians of the Galaxy, include Michael Rosenbaum as Martinex, Ving Rhames as Charlie-27, and Michelle Yeoh as Aleta Ogord. Also included in the team are the CG characters Krugarr and Mainframe, with the latter voiced, in an uncredited cameo, by Miley Cyrus. Rosenbaum had previously auditioned to play Peter Quill in Vol. 1. Gunn cast Yeoh because of his love of 1990s Hong Kong films, and Cyrus after admiring "the tone of her voice" while watching her as a coach on The Voice. He added that the team would return in future MCU films alongside Stallone's Stakar.

Stan Lee appears as an informant to the Watchers, discussing previous adventures that include his cameos in other MCU films; he specifically mentions his time as a FedEx delivery man, which connects to Lee's cameo as a FedEx delivery man in Captain America: Civil War (2016). This acknowledged the fan theory that Lee may be portraying the same character in all his cameos, with Gunn noting that "people thought Stan Lee is a Watcher and that all of these cameos are part of him being a Watcher. So, Stan Lee as a guy who is working for the Watchers was something that I thought was fun for the MCU." Feige added that Lee "clearly exists, you know, above and apart from the reality of all the films. So the notion that he could be sitting there on a cosmic pit stop during the jump gate sequence in Guardians...really says, so wait a minute, he's this same character who's popped up in all these films?" Lee filmed several different versions of the scene, including an alternative where he references his role in Deadpool, which would have been the first acknowledgment of the X-Men film series by an MCU film. Gunn later admitted that the Civil War reference is a continuity error, given Vol. 2 is set before the events of Civil War, saying, "I screwed up; I wasn't thinking. But I'm going to say that probably Stan Lee used the guise of a FedEx guy more than one time."

David Hasselhoff makes a cameo appearance as himself, when Ego shape-shifts to his likeness, while Rob Zombie once again has a Ravager voice cameo. Footage of Jeff Goldblum dancing as the Grandmaster from the set of Thor: Ragnarok (2017) is used briefly during the end credits, with Feige explaining that Marvel "thought it would be fun to put it in there" especially since the comic version of Grandmaster is the brother of the Collector, who appeared in the first Guardians film. Ben Browder, the star of the series Farscape, of which Gunn is an avid fan, cameos as a Sovereign Admiral. Molly Quinn appears as Howard the Duck's date. Jim Gunn Sr. and Leota Gunn, parents of James and Sean Gunn, also make cameo appearances in the film as an elderly couple on Earth. Jimmy Kimmel Live!s Guillermo Rodriguez has an uncredited cameo appearance as a police officer on Earth when the seedling was terraforming.

Production

Development

In May 2014, Disney CEO Bob Iger stated he felt the first Guardians of the Galaxy film (2014) had "strong franchise potential". He added that their goal was to create "another Avengers (2012)". James Gunn, who directed and co-wrote the first film, said that he would like to return for a sequel, and that he was contractually obligated to if asked. The next month, producer Kevin Feige said there are "places we can take [the franchise] and we have ideas of where we'd like to go" based on the wide array of characters, worlds and storylines from the comics. In July 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy co-screenwriter Nicole Perlman confirmed a sequel, saying it was "going to happen" due to the positive internal response to the first film at Disney, and that Gunn would write and direct. At San Diego Comic-Con International soon after, the sequel was given a release date of July 28, 2017.

Gunn had begun work on the film within a month, and said it would include at least one new Guardian from the comics. In October, Gunn confirmed that all five original Guardians would return for the sequel, along with other supporting characters, and the release date was moved up to May 5, 2017. In the following months, Michael Rooker said he would return as Yondu Udonta, and was looking forward to exploring new areas of the character. Chris Pratt, who played Peter Quill/Star-Lord in the first film, confirmed the sequel would be one of his next projects. Bradley Cooper expressed interest and excitement when asked if he would return as Rocket. Vin Diesel also confirmed he would return as Groot. In March 2015, Gunn revealed that filming would take place in Atlanta, Georgia with "major crew changes" from the first film, and that his brother, Sean Gunn, would return as Kraglin Obfonteri alongside Karen Gillan as Nebula. He explained his relationship with Marvel Studios, saying the company "let me go and do my thing, and I truly listen to their notes and ideas. I've never been told to put in any character or plot element at all... When they trust you they give you a wide berth... we just fit".

In May, Gunn said the sequel would feature fewer characters than the first film, and that he had planned to introduce two major new characters in the script—Mantis and Adam Warlock. Talks had begun with an actor Gunn had in mind to portray Mantis, while he had decided to remove Warlock due to the film "getting too busy", explaining, "one of the main things with Guardians of the Galaxy is not to add a bunch of characters, not to make it bigger in that way but to go deeper with the characters... and getting to know them more emotionally... everything is just getting too sprawling and too crazy for me in these superhero comic book movies". Gunn added, "I adored what we had done with him. I think we did something really creative and unique with Adam Warlock. But it was one character too many and I didn't want to lose Mantis and Mantis was more organically part of the movie anyway". He noted that Warlock could appear in future Guardians films, and is considered "a pretty important part" of the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character's future introduction is hinted at in one of the film's mid-credits scenes. Gunn noted that Marvel gave him "some blowback" for including the Warlock teaser because they felt fans would believe the character would be appearing in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), which was not the case. By including the scene, Gunn promised Marvel he would use his social media presence to clarify for fans that the character would not be seen in either of the Avengers films.

Writing
After the film's announcement, Gunn said he knew "a lot of where I want to go [in the sequel]", having written the backstory of Peter Quill, his father and his history with Yondu during the making of the first film with the intention of exploring them in a future film. Gunn's earliest idea for a Guardians sequel involved Rocket and Groot starring as the main characters in a story fleshing out the former's origin story, but Gunn felt that he had to flesh out Peter Quill's origins first. Gunn wanted to give the sequel a different structure from the first film, since "one of the reasons people like Guardians is because it's fresh and different, so the second one will be fresh and different from the first one". Before starting on the script, Gunn hoped to further explore Drax, Nebula, Kraglin and the Collector and expand on Xandarian, Kree, Krylorian and Ravager culture. He also hoped to introduce more female characters in the sequel, though wanted to avoid including "earthlings" such as Carol Danvers, as well as Novas Richard Rider or Sam Alexander, saying, "I think Quill being the only earthling is important. That serves the entire movie-going audience and not just the handful of Nova [and Carol Danvers] fans". The character Darkhawk had also been considered for the film.

Feige said exploring Quill's father "would certainly be part of a next Guardians adventure", adding "I think there's a reason we seeded it at the very end of the [first] film like that". Gunn also stated that he wanted to make sure "Yondu's place in everything made sense" in regards to his relationship to Quill and his father, and also revealed Quill's father would not be J'son as in the comics. Gunn "was less confident [Marvel] was going to buy in on Baby Groot than" including Ego, since "adult Groot was the most popular character from the first film and I didn't think they'd want to risk a good thing". However, by changing Groot, Gunn felt it "opened the film up" creatively, allowing Gunn to bring out "new aspects of our other characters". Gunn said Thanos would only appear in the sequel "if he helps our story and he will not show up at all if not. Thanos is not the most important thing in Guardians 2, that's for damn sure. There's the Guardians themselves and other threats the Guardians are going to be facing that are not Thanos". Feige later confirmed that Thanos would not appear in the sequel, as he was being saved for a "grander" return. When asked about how the film would connect with the other Phase Three films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Gunn said, "I don't feel beholden to that stuff at all. I think it's really about the Guardians and what they are doing".

Gunn set the film two to three months after the first film "because he felt the group are just such fragile egos and he didn't think this story could start years later". Major planets visited in the film include Sovereign, Berhart and Contraxia. Feige also stated two or three other worlds would be seen, as well as "a little bit of Earth in this film, but it's not these characters going to Earth". In December 2014, Gunn revealed the story for the film was written, saying, "It's [still] constantly shifting, but I feel like it's pretty strong. I'm excited about it". By early February 2015, Gunn was "a few short weeks" away from submitting a full story treatment to Marvel, and said that when he first presented his idea for the sequel to the company they thought it was "risky". He described it as "not really based on anything" from the comics, being mainly an original story. Gunn later referred to the full treatment as a "scriptment", "a 70-page combination of a script and a treatment and it goes through every beat of the movie". By April, he was preparing to write the screenplay, and in May he was hoping to complete the script before he began work on The Belko Experiment (2016) in June 2015.

As he developed the story, Gunn considered to have Gamora killed off due to Zoe Saldaña's original expectations to only play the role in the first film. As he knew that Saldaña didn't wish to play Gamora for a few years, Gunn considered to have Gamora sacrifice herself at the end of the film to save Peter so he could learn about himself, but Feige and Louis D'Esposito talked Gunn out from taking that decision because it didn't work well with the story, in addition to their plans to have Gamora die in Infinity War instead as the Russo brothers informed Gunn during months of planning Vol. 2. After discussing it with Marvel and realizing that it would be better for Gamora to die in the third Avengers film, Gunn ultimately concluded that the story naturally progressed in a way that insisted that Yondu Udonta should be the one to die at the end to rescue Quill despite Gunn's initial reluctance in killing off Michael Rooker's character due to their friendship, but in retrospective, Gunn felt that the story worked out in a perfect way to set up Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).

Pre-production

On June 2, 2015, Gunn announced on social media that he had completed the first draft of the screenplay, and that the film's title would not simply be Guardians of the Galaxy 2. The same week, he confirmed the return of Saldaña, Dave Bautista and Cooper as Gamora, Drax and Rocket, respectively. At the end of the month, Gunn announced the film would be titled Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, saying he "came up with a LOT of titles for Vol. 2. But because 'Guardians of the Galaxy' is already so wordy, it seemed strange to add another bunch of words after it. I liked Vol. 2 the best, so that's what I stuck on the cover of the screenplay—and, fortunately, [Marvel] liked it".

In September 2015, Gunn said in a Facebook post that he wanted to use Sneepers, an alien race that first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1964, as background characters in the film, but was advised against it by Marvel's legal department because the name was too similar to snípur, the Icelandic word for clitoris. The Marvel legal department later cleared the use of Sneepers in the film, in part because of all the media coverage Gunn's initial post received. At the end of the month, Feige stated casting announcements would be made before the end of 2015, and by the end of October, Pom Klementieff was cast as Mantis. Also, it was reported that Matthew McConaughey had recently turned down the role of "the villain" in the film, in favor of The Dark Tower (2017). McConaughey felt he would have been "an amendment" in Vol. 2 in "a colorful part [made] for another big-name actor". In December, Gunn said that he was corresponding with John C. Reilly about him reprising his role as Nova Corpsman Rhomann Dey, while Kurt Russell entered early talks to play Quill's father. After the death of David Bowie in January 2016, Gunn said that there had been discussions for Bowie to appear in the film as a member of Yondu's original crew. Gunn also stated that he had completed the final draft of the script. Benicio del Toro, who portrayed the Collector in the first film, expressed interest in portraying the character again, despite Marvel not contacting him about the sequel; Gunn explained that the Collector "just didn't fit" into Vol. 2. In early February, comedian Steve Agee was revealed to be in the film.

Prop master Russell Bobbitt had difficulty finding the cassette decks that had been used in the first film, and all of the Sony Walkman headsets they sourced for the sequel were broken. Sony also did not have any headsets available for filming, while three pairs Bobbitt found on eBay cost around $1,800 and were not the exact model. Bobbitt eventually created six from scratch for Vol. 2. Other props he created for the film included two sets of blasters for Quill, with removable blaster cartridges, and "steampunk-looking weapons and belts" for the Ravagers; Bobbitt explained that four different weapons were designed for the latter group, and then 15–20 versions of those were produced to be used by the various Ravager actors (there could be up to 85–95 Ravagers per scene). For their belts, the props team cut the leather themselves rather than buying existing belts, and then parts from different electronic devices such as radios and cell phones were glued together to make each belt "a unique piece of art". The prop department also made edible props for certain scenes: a prop of a stinkbug-inspired insect was made from chocolate and injected with black honey so it could be eaten on screen and "when he bit down the honey poured out of his mouth"; similarly, a "yarrow root" was designed based on enlarged images of pollen, and then created with non-dairy white chocolate to be eaten onscreen.

Filming
Pre-shooting began on February 11, 2016, at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia, under the working title Level Up, with Henry Braham serving as cinematographer and Scott Chambliss as production designer. Gunn noted that many of the crew from the first film, such as cinematographer Ben Davis and production designer Charles Wood, signed on to work on Doctor Strange (2016), and due to a late change in production schedule for that film, were unable to work on Vol. 2.

Principal photography began on February 17, with Marvel confirming that Russell had joined the cast, and revealing that Elizabeth Debicki and Chris Sullivan had also been cast, all in undisclosed roles. The production used all 18 stages at Pinewood Atlanta Studios, an increase in stage space from what was used for the first film. Gunn said the sequel required more sets than the first and "our sets are very large, even though a lot of the film is CGI. I like to have as many practical sets as we can and make the environments as real as possible so it balances out the CGI elements". Despite this, Gunn noted that there were less locations featured in the sequel, with the focus instead on being more specific and detailed with fewer places shown. Sets constructed for the film included several for the Sovereign planet, for which Chambliss used a "1950s pulp fiction variation on 1930s art deco design aesthetic"; the Ravager's main ship in the film, the Eclector, which was constructed in sections to provide a complete 360-degree view of the ship as well as the ability to move sections around and portray different areas of the ship; and the Iron Lotus establishment on the "pleasure planet" of Contraxia, which Chambliss wanted to feel like it had been put together from "a whole yard of repurposed junk where old spaceships are cast away and industrial materials that aren't of use anymore are just left to rot", creating a "kind of neon jungle in its own way and covered in ice and snow". Interiors for other ships were also constructed, to limit the amount of blue screen the actors had to interact with; this includes the cockpit of Quill's ship that had been built for the first film before being stored in London which was transported to Atlanta for the sequel. Originally shot was a scene featuring Star-Lord and Gamora kissing, establishing themselves as a couple, but Gunn ultimately cut the scene due to feeling that the kiss happened in a "weird time". He would later beg the Infinity War filmmakers to include the kiss there.

Vol. 2 was the first film to be shot with an 8K resolution camera, the Red Weapon 8K. Braham had wanted to use a different camera than the Alexa 65 that had been used for several other Marvel films, because he found it to be a "very big and heavy camera". He wanted a camera that could deliver equivalent image quality to the Alexa 65, and tested multiple options. He eventually met with Red employees, whom he had a positive experience with working on The Legend of Tarzan (2016), and they introduced him to an early prototype for the Weapon 8K. He, Gunn, and Marvel decided to use the camera in September 2015, when only that single prototype existed, and spent three months working with Red to get the camera ready for filming. For the sequence where Rocket and Yondu escape from the Ravagers, a Phantom Camera was used to film scenes up to 2,000 frames per second, with the footage able to be moved from slow-motion to high-speed within a single shot. Each shot using the camera had to be carefully set up and choreographed. Additional scenes were also shot in IMAX and its aspect ratio. Braham filmed almost 85 percent of the film using a stabilizing technology he had contributed to called Stabileye, which he called "a handheld dolly" which allowed "a spontaneity to the way the camera moves that is different and that felt appropriate for this movie". For filming the cockpits of spaceships, Braham surrounded the practical sets with video panels and other light sources that he could use to create realistic lighting no matter the environment outside the ship. Exteriors of the ships were filmed with the camera on a technocrane, but any shots inside the cockpits again used the Stabileye which is "so small that you can get it in there next to the actors".

In April 2016, Gunn revealed that Reilly would not be part of the film, and stated that there were many other characters he could not include in the film due to rights issues, saying that 20th Century Fox "owns so many awesome cosmic villains and minor characters that I'd love to play around with" such as Annihilus and Kang the Conqueror. Gunn also planned on filming scenes with Glenn Close, reprising her role as Nova Prime Irani Rael from the first film. When filming Stan Lee's cameo, Gunn also filmed two other cameo appearances with Lee including one for Doctor Strange, to limit the amount of travel Lee had to do. Additional filming for Vol. 2 took place in Cartersville, Georgia, a state park north of Portland, Oregon, and in St. Charles, Missouri. The Georgia International Convention Center served as additional soundstage space after pre-production on Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) began at several Pinewood Atlanta Studios soundstages. Principal photography wrapped on June 16, 2016.

Post-production
At San Diego Comic-Con 2016, Russell and Debicki were revealed to be playing Ego, Quill's father, and Ayesha, respectively. Sylvester Stallone was also revealed to be in the film, with his role later revealed as Stakar Ogord. Gunn also introduced multiple actors who were playing Ravager characters, since the Ravagers have a larger presence in the film. On the decision to reveal Russell as Ego and Quill's father when he did, Gunn felt that since "people were going to figure it out eventually [...] it was better that we took the reins in our own hands" and make the reveal. Gunn also felt that this would move the focus of audiences from wanting to discover who Quill's father is to "the story and the relationship that these characters have". In August 2016, Gunn confirmed the film would feature a post-credits scene, later stating there would be five in total, with four mid-credits scenes and one post-credits. Gunn also planned a sixth scene, where the Ravager Gef is found "mortally wounded" on the ship, but "it ended up being a little confusing".

In November, Gillan revealed that the film was undergoing reshoots. That February, it was reported that the film had scored a perfect 100 in test screenings, the highest for any Marvel Studios film. The Hollywood Reporter noted this score could not necessarily be compared to any non-Marvel movies due to Marvel's specific testing process that selects its audience "from a more select pool of recruits, what it terms 'friends and families screenings'". In March 2017, Gunn revealed that Michael Rosenbaum would appear in the film, and that Gunn would provide reference for Baby Groot's dancing "in a much bigger way [than the first film]. I actually had to do like a full day's worth of dancing to get Groot's dance down this time. Last time it was me in front of an iPhone, and this time it's me dancing on a huge soundstage and shooting it from five different angles". Fred Raskin and Craig Wood returned from the first film to serve as editors. On scenes that were cut from the film, Gunn said Nathan Fillion, who had had a voice cameo in the first film, was going to appear as Simon Williams in a sequence that would have shown several movie posters for films starring Williams, including films in which he portrays Arkon and Tony Stark. Gunn chose Williams for Fillion's cameo because he wanted Fillion to have a bigger role in the MCU at some point and so did not want to give him a role that could prevent him from taking a more substantial one later. Gunn still considered Fillion's cameo canon to the MCU, despite it being cut. He also confirmed that Close's scenes had been cut from the film, because it felt like he "was trying to cram Nova Prime into the second movie as opposed to having it happen organically".

Visual effects

Visual effects for the film were created by Framestore, Weta Digital, Trixter, Method Studios, Animal Logic, Scanline VFX, Lola VFX, Luma, and Cantina Creative. Previsualization was done by The Third Floor. Framestore created 620 shots for the film, Weta Digital created 530, Method Studios more than 500, and Animal Logic created 147. Framestore once again created Rocket and Groot, with Method Studios, Weta Digital and Trixter also working on Rocket. Framestore rebuilt Rocket "from the ground up" for Vol. 2, giving him an updated fur simulation, new facial shapes and phonemes, as well as a new eye rig, which came from a rig used for the character Gnarlack from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016). Trixter's work on Rocket included when he sets off a trap for the Ravagers, additionally working on the sequence when Rocket, Yondu and Kraglin jump across space. Other work from Framestore included creatures, spaceships, Ayesha's lair, the space chase, the Eclector scenes, and the adolescent Groot post-credit scene.

Framestore also created the film's opening sequence. Despite appearing as a single shot, it ultimately was composed of 11 different visual effect shots. Gunn provided reference video for Baby Groot's dancing in the sequence. Framestore animation supervisor Arslan Elver noted that the majority of the opening sequence includes CGI and digital doubles, with three moments (Quill falling on the ground near Baby Groot, Gamora talking to Baby Groot, and Drax rolling behind Baby Groot) consisting of actual photography. As with the first film, Sarofsky created the typography for the opening, using the same style from Guardians of the Galaxy for consistency, "this time in rusty gold and glowing blue neon". Executive Creative Director Erin Sarofsky noted the challenge of placing the credits while the sequence was being refined by Framestore. Sarofsky proposed several different options for the credits, including having "a little hovering character that projected a hologram up on the screen", but Gunn did not want another character in the sequence to deal with. A simpler 2D option was used instead. Sarofsky also worked on the end credits, the first time for the company, integrating the actual credits from company Exceptional Minds with designs inspired by old music album art, taking albums and scanning them for their old textures and scratches.

The destruction of the Ravager ship the Eclector was handled by Weta Digital. Weta Digital also handled Ego during his fight with Quill, utilizing a digital double of Russell for many of their shots. Weta also needed to create a digital double for David Hasselhoff for the moment when Ego shifts into Hasselhoff's guise. Guy Williams, Weta's visual effects supervisor, said, "We tried morphing to a live-action Hoff—but it did not hold up as well. The Kurt version looked better than the Hoff version ... and while we had built a very detailed Kurt digi-double ... we didn't want to go to the same level on the Hoff for just two shots. But in the end we did have to do a partial build digi-double of the Hoff. The reason we did the Kurt digi-double in the first place was to make sure all the effects stuck correctly to the body ... so we went with the approach of a full digi-double, the hair, the side of the face everything on Kurt. For the Hoff, we got pretty close, but it is not quite as detailed as for Kurt". Additional work by Weta included the inside of Ego's planet, known as the Planet Hollow, which was inspired by the fractal art of Hal Tenny, who Gunn hired to help design Ego's environment. Gunn added that there are "over a trillion polygons on Ego's planet," calling it "the biggest visual effect of all time. There's nothing even close to it".

Animal Logic and Method Studios also worked on the various parts of Ego's planet, with Animal Logic focusing on Ego's cathedral, and Method on the arrival sequence and Baby Groot's "not that button" sequence in the Planet Hollow. Animal Logic's work for Ego's cathedral was also based on fractal art. The team at Animal Logic were initially brought on to the film to work on the story vignettes that were used to explain the backstory, which started as oil paintings before evolving to falling sand, and eventually the final plastic sculptures that were used. Method also created the film's final sequence for Yondu's funeral. To make Rocket shedding a tear convincing, Method used in-house footage of Animation Supervisor Keith Roberts "performing the scene for reference, studying the macro facial movements like minor eye darts or blinks, in addition to what was filmed on set and in the sound booth by" Cooper. Additional work included the scenes on the planet Berhart. Lola VFX worked on de-aging Russell, having previously done similar work in other MCU films; they also added to various characters, including Nebula. To achieve the younger Ego, Lola referenced Russell's performance in Used Cars (1980), as "he had a lot of the [facial] action" the visual effects artists were looking for. They also used a younger stand in, Aaron Schwartz, since he had "big broad jaw, chin, and most importantly the way the laugh lines move[d] and crease[d] as he talk[ed]", similar to Russell's. Laura Haddock, reprising her role from the first film of Meredith Quill in the sequence, was also slightly de-aged to play the younger version of that character. Luma worked on the Sovereign people and their world, and Adam Warlock's cocoon.

Music

By August 2014, Gunn had "some ideas listed, but nothing for sure" in terms of songs to include in Quill's Awesome Mix Vol. 2 mixtape, for which he felt "a little pressure" due to the positive response to the first film's soundtrack. Gunn added, "But I feel like the soundtrack in the second one is better." By June 2015, Gunn had chosen all of the songs and built them into the script, calling Awesome Mix Vol. 2 "more diverse" than the first one, with "some really incredibly famous songs and then some songs that people have never heard." Tyler Bates was confirmed to score the film by August 2015, returning from the first film. As with Guardians of the Galaxy, Bates wrote some of the score first so Gunn could film to the music, as opposed to Bates scoring to the film. Recording for the score occurred in January 2017 at Abbey Road Studios. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Volume 2, along with the film score album composed by Bates, were released on April 21, 2017. A cassette version of Awesome Mix Volume 2 was released on June 23, 2017, while a deluxe-edition vinyl LP featuring both Awesome Mix Volume 2 and Bates' score was released on August 11, 2017.

Marketing
In June 2016, Marvel announced plans for an expanded merchandising program for the sequel, with Groot playing a central role. Gunn ensured the film's female characters received more representation in the merchandise than in the first. Paul Gitter, senior vice president of licensing at Disney Consumer Products, said they intended to build Guardians of the Galaxy into a tentpole franchise. Partners in the campaign included Hasbro, Lego, Funko, LB Kids, GEICO, Ford Motor Company, Go-Gurt, Hanes, Synchrony Bank, Dairy Queen, M&M's, Screenvision, Sprint Corporation, and Wrigley Company. Additionally, Marvel partnered with Doritos for their Rock Out Loud campaign to create a custom "limited-edition series of Doritos bags featuring a built-in cassette tape deck-inspired player that plays" Awesome Mix Vol. 2 and can be recharged. The custom bags were available to purchase on Amazon.com, with Doritos also hosting Rock Out Loud pop-up recording booths in New York and Los Angeles where fans could sing the songs from Awesome Mix Vol. 2 and have the opportunity to win various prizes, including the custom bags, concert tickets, and free bags of Doritos."

In July 2016, Gunn, Pratt and other members of the cast attended San Diego Comic-Con to promote the film, showing footage and revealing additional character information. On October 19, a "sneak peek" teaser was released ahead of the first full teaser trailer. Ethan Anderton of /Film felt the teaser was strong, despite not showing any of the new characters or relying on Baby Groot, while The A.V. Clubs Esther Zuckerman called it "an immediate crowd-pleaser". According to media-measurement firm Comscore and its PreAct service, the teaser was the top trailer for the week it released, generating 108,000 new social media conversations. In early December, before Gunn revealed the first teaser trailer at Comic Con Experience 2016, he said that finding scenes and moments to showcase in the trailer without revealing too much of the film resulted in hard choices, since "people really go through every single little shot and try to figure out what the movie's about. And there's a lot of mysteries in Guardians 2." Describing the teaser trailer, Jacob Hall of /Film noted that the trailer was able to succeed without giving too much away as it focused on character interactions rather than plot. The teaser trailer received 81 million views in 24 hours, becoming the second-most viewed teaser behind Beauty and the Beast and largest Marvel Studios teaser ever. Additionally, Sweet's "Fox on the Run" reached number one on the iTunes Rock Chart after featuring in the teaser.

A second trailer aired during Super Bowl LI. Germain Lussier for io9 called it "hilarious", while Anderton said it was "one hell of a" Super Bowl spot, "one that probably overshadows the game itself for people like me... There's plenty of badass cosmic action, the humor we all love, a stellar soundtrack, and some great new footage from the sequel." The spot generated the most Twitter conversation volume during the game with 47,800 conversations, according to Comscore, who measured the volume of trailers that aired during the game from the time it aired through the end of the game. The film also topped a Fandango survey of fans' favorite film trailer during the Super Bowl. An additional trailer debuted on February 28, 2017, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Haleigh Foutch at Collider felt the trailer added "hype" to the film, and was "just an all-around wonderful trailer, lit up with the wacky humor and irreverent charm that made the first film such a hit, with an extra dose of visual splendor." Pratt and Saldaña appeared at the 2017 Kids' Choice Awards, where they debuted an exclusive clip. In mid-July, Marvel created a 1980s-inspired infomercial and an 800 number to promote the film's home media release.

Release

Theatrical

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 made its world premiere in Tokyo on April 10, 2017, and its Hollywood, Los Angeles, premiere on April 19 at the Dolby Theatre. The film began its international release on April 25, in Australia, New Zealand, and Italy, alongside a total of 37 markets in its first weekend, with 176 IMAX screens in 35 of those markets. Its North American release on May 5 took place in 4,347 theaters, of which over 3,800 were in 3D, 388 in IMAX and IMAX 3D, 588 premium large-format, and 194 D-Box locations. The film's opening in China was in 400 IMAX theaters, the largest ever for the country. On May 4, 2017, 550 theaters in the United States had a special RealD Guardians of the Galaxy double feature event before preview screenings of Vol. 2. Guests who attended received an exclusive mini poster and a set of souvenir collectible buttons. Vol. 2 was originally intended to be released on July 28, 2017. The film is part of Phase Three of the MCU.

Home media
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released on digital download by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on August 8, 2017, and on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, Ultra HD Blu-ray, and DVD on August 22. The Ultra HD Blu-ray version is the first Disney home media release in 4K resolution. The digital and Blu-ray releases include behind-the-scenes featurettes, audio commentary, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and a music video for the song "Guardians Inferno". The digital release also exclusively features the breakdown of three scenes, from their initial ideas to their completed versions, and a behind-the-scenes look at the Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!, an accelerated drop tower dark ride attraction at Disney California Adventure. The 1970s-style music video for "Guardians Inferno" was directed by David Yarovesky and features Hasselhoff alongside James Gunn, Pratt, Saldaña, Bautista, Klementieff, Gillan, Rooker, and Sean Gunn. Stan Lee and Guillermo Rodriguez also make cameo appearances in the video.

The digital release of the film had the most digital downloads and largest opening week of any Marvel Studios film. The physical releases in its first week of sale were the top home media release, selling "nearly three times as many discs as the rest of the top 10 sellers combined", according to NPD VideoScan data. The Blu-ray version accounted for 83% of the sales, with 10% of total sales coming from the Ultra HD Blu-ray version. In its second week, the film was once again the top home media release. As well, total sales of Vol. 2 in the United Kingdom were more than the other films in the top 40 combined; it was also the top film in the country. The IMAX Enhanced version of the film was made available on Disney+ beginning on November 12, 2021.

Reception

Box office
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 grossed over $389.8 million in the United States and Canada, and over $473.9 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $863.8 million. The film had earlier surpassed the first film's gross ($773 million) by Memorial Day weekend, three weeks after release, with $783.3 million worldwide, and became the fifth-highest-grossing MCU film a week later. Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $157  million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it ninth on their list of 2017's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".

Since tickets went on sale on April 24, 2017, the film was the number one seller on Fandango, and surpassed the advance sales of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) in the similar time frame. Over 80% of sales on MovieTickets.com were for the film ahead of its release. Vol. 2 earned $146.5 million in its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, with IMAX contributing $13 million. The $17 million that came from Thursday night previews was the highest preview amount of 2017. The film had previously been projected to earn upwards of $160 million in its opening weekend, with Deadline Hollywood predicting it could reach the $179 million debut of Captain America: Civil War. It remained at number one in its second weekend, and fell to second in its third, behind Alien: Covenant. Vol. 2 remained at number two in its fourth weekend, this time behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and crossed $337.6 million, surpassing the domestic gross of the first film. By its fifth weekend, the film fell to fourth, and in its next, fell to fifth. Vol. 2 continued to remain in the top 10 for two more weeks, placing ninth in its seventh weekend, and tenth in its eighth weekend.

Outside of the United States and Canada, the film earned $106 million in its first weekend from 37 markets, becoming the top film in them all except Portugal, Turkey, and Vietnam. IMAX contributed $5 million to the opening-weekend gross. The film also outperformed the original's opening weekend in all markets except Belgium. In its second weekend, the sequel opened as the top film in South Korea, China, and Russia. It had the highest opening for an MCU film in Austria, the second-highest in Australia ($11.8 million), the Netherlands ($500,000), Germany ($9.3 million), and the United Kingdom ($16.9 million), and the third-highest in New Zealand ($400,000), Italy ($1.4 million), and Russia ($11.6 million). The New Zealand and Netherlands openings were also the highest of 2017 for the countries, while Germany and the United Kingdom's were the second-highest. In South Korea, it had the biggest opening day ($3.3 million) and second-best opening weekend ($13.3 million) of 2017, the latter surpassing the original's entire earnings in the country. It also had the biggest May opening day and the third-highest opening day for an MCU film there. Ukraine had the second-largest opening ever, while in Puerto Rico, the film had the largest IMAX opening. More markets saw their gross for Vol. 2 surpass the total gross from the first film in its third weekend, with China following in its fourth. The next weekend saw Vol. 2s gross outside the United States and Canada ($451.1 million) surpass the international gross of the first film ($440 million). Vol. 2s three biggest markets in total earnings were: China ($99.3 million), the United Kingdom ($51.3 million), and Germany ($28 million).

Critical response
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of , with an average score of , based on  reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 action-packed plot, dazzling visuals, and irreverent humor add up to a sequel that's almost as fun—if not quite as thrillingly fresh—as its predecessor." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it a 93% overall positive score and a 77% "definite recommend".

Owen Gleiberman of Variety called the film "an extravagant and witty follow-up, made with the same friendly virtuosic dazzle... and just obligatory enough to be too much of a good thing." He cautioned that "this time you can sense just how hard [Gunn] is working to entertain you. Maybe a little too hard." Writing for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers described the film as a "blast" and gave it three stars out of four, praising the film for its tone and fun, soundtrack, and characters. He noted that "Vol. 2 can't match the sneak-attack surprise of its predecessor...[but] the followup, while taking on some CGI bloat and sequel slickness, hasn't lost its love for inspired lunacy. Chicago Sun-Times Richard Roeper also gave the film three stars, calling it not "quite as much fun, not quite as clever, not quite as fresh as the original—but it still packs a bright and shiny and sweet punch." Roeper continued that "even with all the silliness and all the snarkiness, the Guardians can put a lump in your throat", and praised the cast, especially Rooker, with "one of the best roles in the movie". In his review for RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico gave the film three stars out of four, describing it as "a thoroughly enjoyable summer blockbuster" that does not take itself seriously, avoiding "many of the flaws of the first movie, and [doing] several things notably better. It's fun, clever and a great kick-off to the summer movie season."

Also giving the film three out of four stars, Sara Stewart at the New York Post felt the film was overstuffed, but that Gunn's "lighthearted approach makes this matter surprisingly little" and "at least it's stuffed with good cheer". Praising the tone and 1980s references that gave the film a sense of fun, Stewart called Vol. 2 an "antidote to somber superheroes". At The Washington Post, Michael O'Sullivan gave the film four stars, praising it as being "funnier, nuttier, and more touching" than the first film. O'Sullivan felt it avoided usual sequel problems by building on the original film rather than repeating it, and also noted the use of music as well as "dazzling" visuals throughout, describing the film as "a toe-tapping, eye-popping indication that summer is here, and that it might not be so bad after all." Brian Lowry, writing for CNN.com, criticized the middle portion of the film and its villain, but felt the film fared better than other Marvel sequels with its strong beginning and end, and "good-natured energy", saying it "ultimately shares just enough with its central quintet—rather heroically getting the job done, even if the trip from here to there can be a bit disjointed and messy." For The Atlantic, Christopher Orr felt the film did not live up to the original, particularly due to its heavier themes and feeling that Russell was "badly miscast", but the rest of the cast, soundtrack, and humor were enough for him to give an overall positive review.

At The Hollywood Reporter, Todd McCarthy said "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 plays like a second ride on a roller-coaster that was a real kick the first time around but feels very been-there/done-that now." Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times was positive of the film's soundtrack and cast, especially Russell, but felt Gunn was trying too hard to re-capture the magic of the first film, and the increased scope of effects and action becomes weary. Turan concluded, "There are enough reminders of the first Guardians to make the sequel an acceptable experience, [but it's] less like itself and more like a standard Marvel production." Manohla Dargis at The New York Times said the film "certainly has its attractions, but most of them are visual rather than narrative." She also felt Gunn was trying too hard, and found many elements of the sequel to be too serious even with Russell balancing that with a much-needed "unforced looseness". Anthony Lane in his review for The New Yorker felt once Ego was introduced, the film began to suffer from "the curse of the backstory" and that the "point that the movie, which has been motoring along nicely, fuelled by silliness and pep, begins to splutter" was when Ego's desire for larger meaning is revealed. Lane concluded, "Let's hope that Vol. 3 recaptures the fizz of the original, instead of slumping into the most expensive group-therapy session in the universe."

Accolades

Future

Sequel

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was released on May 5, 2023, with Gunn returning to write and direct. Pratt, Saldaña, Bautista, Diesel, Cooper, Gillan, Klementieff, and Sean Gunn reprise their roles in the film, and are joined by Will Poulter as Adam Warlock.

I Am Groot

In December 2020, I Am Groot, a series of animated short films focused on Baby Groot, was announced for Disney+. Diesel reprises his role, with all five shorts released on August 10, 2022.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is a Marvel Studios Special Presentation that was released on Disney+ on November 25, 2022, with Gunn writing and directing. Pratt, Bautista, Diesel, Cooper, Gillan, Klementieff, Rooker, and Sean Gunn reprise their roles in the special, which is set before the events of Vol. 3.

See also
 "What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath?", an episode of the MCU television series What If...? that reimagines some events of this film

Notes

References

External links

 Script

2010s American films
2010s English-language films
2010s science fiction comedy films
2010s superhero comedy films
2017 3D films
2017 action comedy films
2017 science fiction action films
American action comedy films
American adventure comedy films
American science fiction action films
American science fiction comedy films
American space opera films
American sequel films
American space adventure films
American superhero films
Fiction about intergalactic travel
Films about extraterrestrial life
Films about father–son relationships
Films directed by James Gunn
Films scored by Tyler Bates
Films set in 1980
Films set in 2014
Films set in Missouri
Films set on fictional planets
Films shot at Pinewood Atlanta Studios
Films shot in Atlanta
Films using motion capture
Films with screenplays by James Gunn
Guardians of the Galaxy (film series)
Guardians of the Galaxy films
IMAX films
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Three films
Patricide in fiction


title: Beenzino

text:
Lim Sung-bin (; born September 12, 1987), better known by the stage name Beenzino (Hangul: 빈지노), is a South Korean rapper. His stage name is a play on that of Boston rapper Benzino, combined with "빈" (pronounced "been") from his birth name. Beenzino first gained popularity through the duo Jazzyfact, which he formed with Shimmy Twice in 2008. And he made his first official public appearance at Dok2's Hustle Real Hard Concert on June 5, 2011, and has since released three solo albums, as well as other works in collaboration with hip hop producers Primary and Shimmy Twice, and as the duo Hot Clip with South Korean rapper Beatbox DG. He is noted for his melodic style of rapping.

After establishing his reputation within the Korean rap scene, he became well known through singles such as "Dali, Van, Picasso", which was a mainstream hit. Beenzino toured as a solo artist in the U.S. in 2015.

History

Early life and career beginnings
For a few years as a young child, Beenzino lived in Christchurch, New Zealand, eventually moving back to Korea before middle school, which he attended in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi province. He enrolled at Seoul National University to study sculpture, and graduated in 2014.

He first gained recognition by posting recordings to the DC Tribe website, through which he was first recruited by established rapper Simon Dominic. He went on to feature on albums by well-known artists including Dok2, Epik High, Supreme Team, and Verbal Jint, and released albums as part of the rap duos Jazzyfact (with producer Shimmy Twice) and Hotclip (with Beatbox DG).

Debut as a solo artist
Beenzino made his debut as a solo MC on hip hop producer Primary's collaborative album P’Skool’s Daily Apartment, released July 28, 2009. By 2011, he was a respected solo artist, although still a rookie by industry standards. In October, he featured on Primary's 2011 album Primary and the Messengers.

In 2012, Beenzino released his first solo album, 24:26, and performed with Illionaire Records during their nationwide Korean tour that summer. In November, he collaborated with label-mates The Quiett and Dok2 in the free digital single "Illionaire Gang", which was released to coincide with their November 11 Illionaire Day Concert.

In 2013, the pre-release of his single "Dali, Van, Picasso" from his 2014 album Up All Night was downloaded almost 600,000 times without a music video, and propelled him to mainstream success. He went on to perform at MU:Con 2013 and featured on albums by K.Will (The Third Album Part 2: Love Blossom) and Lee Hyori (Monochrome).

In April 2014, he featured on the Junggigo song "Want U", which was a number one hit in Korea and sold over a million copies. He also performed at the 2014 Asian Music Festival on May 25 in New York City and the One Hip Hop Festival at Hongik University, and as a featured guest during Verbal Jint's international concert tour.

In 2016, he released his third album, 12, including the prior releases "Dali, Van, Picasso", "We Are Going To", and "Break".

In 2020, Beenzino left Illionaire Records and joined fellow rapper and friend E Sens after signing with Beasts and Natives Alike in 2021.

Personal life
In August 2022, Beenzino registered his marriage to model Stefanie Michova, and the wedding has yet to be decided.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other charted songs

Awards

References

External links

1987 births
Living people
South Korean male rappers
South Korean hip hop singers
21st-century South Korean  male singers
South Korean male singer-songwriters


title: Corazón de dos ciudades

text:
Corazón de dos ciudades (English: Heart of Two Cities) is a Mexican telenovela produced by Televisa and originally transmitted by Telesistema Mexicano.

Cast
Herbert Wallace
Julián Bravo
Enrique Ramsey
Guillermo Orea

References

External links

Televisa telenovelas
Spanish-language telenovelas
1969 telenovelas
1969 Mexican television series debuts
1969 Mexican television series endings


title: Jacob Barron

text:
Jacob L. Barron (born April 18, 1991) is an American soccer player who last played as a midfielder for Orange County Blues FC in USL Pro.

Career

College and amateur
Barron played two years of college soccer at University of California, Davis and two years at Penn State between 2009 and 2012.

Barron also used to teach at Brea Olinda High School, Algebra 2

Currently, Barron teaches Physical Education and Kinesiology at Sato Academy of Math and Science. Here, he coaches the Soccer Team known as "Sato FC", alongside Coach Luna.

While at college, Barron appeared for USL PDL club Reading United AC in 2012.

Professional career
Barron went undrafted in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft and 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft. He signed with USL PDL club Ottawa Fury for their 2013 season, where he made 13 appearances and scored 1 goal.

Barron trialed with MLS team Chivas USA in 2014 and made several appearances for Chivas USA's reserve team but never signed an MLS contract with the club.

Barron signed with USL Pro club Orange County Blues on July 17, 2014. Barron was released following the 2015 season having played 4 games in 2014 and 10 games in 2015.
Jacob now coaches for Whittier College.

References

1991 births
Living people
American men's soccer players
 Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer players
Reading United AC players
Ottawa Fury SC players
Orange County SC players
Men's association football midfielders
USL League Two players
USL Championship players
Sportspeople from Orange, California
Soccer players from Orange County, California
University of California, Davis alumni


title: Encadenados (1969 TV series)

text:
Encadenados, (English: Notorious) is a 1969 Mexican telenovela produced by Televisa and originally transmitted by Telesistema Mexicano.

Cast
Ofelia Montesco
Raúl Farell
Dacia González
Tito Junco

References

External links

Televisa telenovelas
Spanish-language telenovelas
1969 telenovelas
1969 Mexican television series debuts
1969 Mexican television series endings


title: The Vel-Tones

text:
The Vel-Tones was a 1950s American band whose members included Tommy McLain and country singer Clint West. The band recorded as Bob Shurley & The Vel-Tones, Red Smiley & the Veltones and Bob and the Veltones.

The group is no relation to the soul group The Veltones.

References

Living people
American musical groups
Year of birth missing (living people)


title: Early Art

text:
Early Art is an album by trumpeter Art Farmer featuring two sessions recorded in 1954 which was originally released on LP on the New Jazz label in the early 1960s.

Reception

In his review for Allmusic, Scott Yanow said "the music is quite enjoyable and a must for 1950s bop collectors".

Track listing
The programming differs from what is listed, with "Soft Shoe" (which should have been the opener) actually appearing fifth and the songs listed as appearing second through fifth moving up to first through fourth.
All compositions by Art Farmer except as indicated
 "Confab in Tempo" - 3:54
 "I'll Take Romance" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Ben Oakland) - 4:57
 "Wisteria" - 4:32
 "Autumn Nocturne" (Kim Gannon, Josef Myrow) - 4:05
 "Soft Shoe" - 4:59
 "I've Never Been in Love Before" (Frank Loesser) - 3:49
 "I'll Walk Alone" (Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn) - 3:55
 "Gone With the Wind" (Herbert Magidson, Allie Wrubel) - 4:07
 "Alone Together" (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz) - 3:59
 "Pre Amp" - 3:35
Recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey on January 20 (tracks 1-3, 5) and November 9 (tracks 4, 6-10), 1954

Personnel
Art Farmer – trumpet
Sonny Rollins - tenor saxophone (tracks 1-2, 5)
Horace Silver (tracks 1-3, 5), Wynton Kelly (tracks 4, 6-10)  - piano
Percy Heath (tracks 1-3, 5), Addison Farmer (tracks 4, 6-10)  – bass
Kenny Clarke (tracks 1-3, 5), Herbie Lovelle (tracks 4, 6-10)  – drums

References

Prestige Records albums
Art Farmer albums
1962 albums
Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio
Albums produced by Bob Weinstock
Albums recorded in a home studio


title: El ojo de vidrio (TV series)

text:
El ojo de vidrio, (English: The glass eye) is a Mexican telenovela produced by Televisa and originally transmitted by Telesistema Mexicano.

Cast
David Reynoso
Carmelita González
Jaime Fernández
Carlos Martínez Baena

References

External links

Televisa telenovelas
Spanish-language telenovelas
1969 telenovelas
1969 Mexican television series debuts
1969 Mexican television series endings


title: Renée Martel

text:
Renée Martel (26 June 1947 – 18 December 2021) was a French Canadian country singer. Her father was country singer Marcel Martel.

She died from pneumonia on 18 December 2021, at the age of 74.

References

External links

 Entry at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca

1947 births
2021 deaths
Canadian women country singers
French-language singers of Canada
People from Drummondville
French Quebecers
Singers from Quebec


title: Alex Abbad

text:
Alex Abdullah Abbad (born June 18, 1978), sometimes known as Alex Abbad, is an Indonesian actor, poet, host, musician, visual artist, and music producer, with two decades of experience in the Creative and Entertainment Industry.

Career

He started off his career as MTV Asia VJ in the 90's and rose to become Indonesia's leading actor. He is very well regarded as a character actor who takes exceptionally challenging roles.

He starred in an HBO Original Series Halfworlds (2015) directed by Joko Anwar In addition, Alex also starred in The Raid 2 (2014) and in Merantau (2009), both directed by Gareth Evans.

As for accolades and recognition Alex also won the Festival Film Indonesia (FFI) for Best Supporting Actor in My Stupid Boss (2016) and also nominated for the same category the next year for Night Bus (2017).

Filmography

Film

Television series

Awards and nominations

References

External links

 Berita

1978 births
Living people
Indonesian people of Yemeni descent
Indonesian actors
Male actors from Jakarta
Indonesian television presenters
VJs (media personalities)


title: Parapoynx affinialis

text:
Parapoynx affinialis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Achille Guenée in 1854. It is found in Egypt and from the Middle East to India. It has also been recorded from Australia.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1854


title: Parapoynx azialis

text:
Parapoynx azialis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Herbert Druce in 1896. It is found in Panama.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1896


title: Parapoynx bilinealis

text:
Parapoynx bilinealis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Snellen in 1876. It is found in India and Japan. It has also been recorded from Europe, where it was accidentally introduced.

The wingspan is 12–16 mm.

The larvae feed on aquatic plants.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1876


title: Parapoynx bipunctalis

text:
Parapoynx bipunctalis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by George Hampson in 1906. It is found in Sudan, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Niger, Benin, Ivory Coast, the Gambia and Senegal.

The wingspan is 13–19 mm. The forewings are white with dark fuscous spots beneath the subcostal vein. There is an oblique yellow postmedian fascia and a yellow subterminal fascia. The hindwings are white with a dark fuscous discal spot. Adults have been recorded on wing in February and from June to November.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1906


title: Parapoynx candida

text:
Parapoynx candida is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Ping You and Hou-Hun Li in 2005. It is found in China.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 2005


title: Central District (Avaj County)

text:
The Central District of Avaj County () is in Qazvin province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Avaj.

At the National Census in 2016, the district had 25,532 inhabitants in 7,984 households.

References

Avaj County

Districts of Qazvin Province

Populated places in Avaj County


title: Parapoynx curviferalis

text:
Parapoynx curviferalis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1866. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from New Brunswick to Florida and from Illinois to Alabama.

The wingspan is about 17 mm. Adults are nearly identical to Parapoynx badiusalis. Adults have been recorded on wing from June to August.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1866


title: Parapoynx dentizonalis

text:
Parapoynx dentizonalis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by George Hampson in 1897. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1897


title: Parapoynx discoloralis

text:
Parapoynx discoloralis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1866. It is found in Australia.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1866


title: Parapoynx distinctalis

text:
Parapoynx distinctalis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Snellen in 1875. It is found in Colombia.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1875


title: Parapoynx effrenatalis

text:
Parapoynx effrenatalis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Carlos Berg in 1876 and is found in Uruguay.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1876


title: Secreto para tres

text:
Secreto para tres, (English: Secret three) is a Mexican telenovela produced by Televisa and originally transmitted in 1969 by Telesistema Mexicano.

Cast
Rita Macedo
Antonio Medellín - Le Four
Carlos Ancira
Tere Vale
Mauricio Herrera
Eduardo MacGregor
Jorge Mondragón
Mario Cid
Yolanda Ciani
Jose Peña Pepet
Enrique Pontón
Gustavo Bernal

References

External links

Televisa telenovelas
Spanish-language telenovelas
1969 telenovelas
1969 Mexican television series debuts
1969 Mexican television series endings


title: Kazhugumalai Kallan

text:
Kazhugumalai Kallan ( ) is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Rajasekhar. The film stars Charan Raj and Rekha. It was released on 23 March 1988.

Plot

Cast
 Charan Raj
 Rekha
 Disco Shanti
 Radha Ravi
 Marthandan as Amavasa

Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by Chandrabose, with lyrics by Vaali. This is the feature film debut for Prabhakar, a devotional singer.

Reception
Jayamanmadhan of Kalki appreciated the film for being a return to form for director Rajasekhar after a long time. The Indian Express wrote, "The idea that was latent in the plot [...] is not exploited well by the director", adding, It's only Rekha [...] who puts some effort and feeling and some expression into her role.

References

External links

1980s Tamil-language films
1988 action films
1988 films
Films directed by Rajasekhar (director)
Films scored by Chandrabose (composer)
Indian action films


title: Hector Burton

text:
Hector Tjupuru Burton (1937 - 27 February 2017) was an Australian Aboriginal artist. He is a leading artist from Amaṯa, in north-western South Australia. His work has been shown in exhibitions since 2003, in several cities in Australia and other countries. His first solo exhibition was held in 2004 in Melbourne. Examples of his paintings are held in the National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Flinders University.

Early life
Burton was born in 1937. He was born near what is now Pipalyatjara, in north-west South Australia. A member of the Pitjantjatjara people, his childhood was spent living a traditional lifestyle in the bush. When he was still a child, Burton and his parents came out of the desert and settled at Ernabella. As a young man, Burton worked as a ringer at the large cattle station called Curtin Springs. He later moved to Amaṯa where he worked building dams, fences and cattle yards outside the town. He also later worked on a building project in Ernabella.

Burton was a senior custodian of traditional Pitjantjatjara law ( or Dreaming). His father's homeland, to the west of Irrunytju, is closely associated with the  (Caterpillar Dreaming) and the  (Red Kangaroo Dreaming). His mother is from Lake Wilson, about 170 km South-west from Yulara. These legends are the subjects of many of his paintings.

Painting
Burton started painting in 2002. He paints for Tjala Arts, Amaṯa's community-based art company. When he started, the company was called Minymaku Arts. Painting among Pitjantjatjara was originally done by women only (minymaku means "women's"). Men did not join the women until several years later, because they were afraid of revealing too much spiritual knowledge (which in Western Desert cultures is meant to be kept secret). Burton was one of the first men at Amaṯa to begin painting; the company changed its name to Tjala Arts in 2004, after several other men joined him.

The art community at Amaṯa is still strongly conservative. Only the basics of traditional beliefs are described in their works. To keep the meanings of his paintings hidden, Burton uses dotting and other techniques to disguise sacred figures and ancient symbols. He is a strong supporter of maintaining strict forms of secrecy when it comes to art produced in his community. He is now a board member of Tjala Arts, and often coordinates projects and exhibitions with the other artists.

Burton's early paintings represent legends from his family's Dreaming. They also show strong Christian influences. Burton was taught by Presbyterian missionaries when he was growing up at Ernabella, and he mixed these beliefs with his family's Dreaming. When he was older, he was ordained as a minister, and is now a senior member of the Church on the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands.

Since the later part of 2011, Burton and several other men from Amaṯa have led a project to change the subject of their artists' work. Instead of depicting sacred Dreaming knowledge, he and the other board members of Tjala Arts have encouraged their artists to paint about other things (such as the landscape or wildlife). Burton and the other leaders decided that the popularity of Western Desert art had resulted in people asking too many questions about their traditional designs and too much secret knowledge being revealed. The centre's first exhibition under this project was held in March 2012, in Alice Springs. The exhibition was called Punu-Nguru (From the Trees) and its paintings depicted traditional designs of trees from the artists' home countries.

Burton died on 27 February 2017 in Ernabella aged 80.

Awards

Burton had paintings chosen as finalists for the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards in 2011 and 2012.

Australia Council for the Arts
The Australia Council for the Arts arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. Since 1993, it has awarded a Red Ochre Award. It is presented to an outstanding Indigenous Australian (Aboriginal Australian or Torres Strait Islander) artist for lifetime achievement.

|-
| 2014
| himself
| Red Ochre Award
|
|-

References

Indigenous Australian artists
Artists from South Australia
Australian painters
Pitjantjatjara people
2017 deaths
1937 births


title: Parapoynx epimochla

text:
Parapoynx epimochla is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Turner in 1908. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from New South Wales.

The wingspan is about 18 mm. The forewings pale ochreous-fuscous, mixed with whitish. There is a fine white subterminal line. The hindwings are white with a narrow median and broad postmedian fuscous fascia, as well as an ochreous-fuscous terminal fascia
edged anteriorly with fuscous.

Etymology
The species name is derived from epimochlos (meaning marked with a bar).

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1908


title: Parapoynx euryscia

text:
Parapoynx euryscia is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1885. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Tasmania and Victoria.

The wingspan is about 23 mm. The forewings are white with the veins indistinctly indicated with pale fuscous. The costal edge is fuscous and the upper and lower medians and submedian fold are marked by strong cloudy dark fuscous streaks from the base to the middle of the disc. The hindwings are white with a cloudy fuscous spot towards the middle of the disc and an indistinct fuscous streak.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1885


title: Parapoynx fregonalis

text:
Parapoynx fregonalis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Snellen in 1880. It is found on Sulawesi.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1880


title: Parapoynx fulguralis

text:
Parapoynx fulguralis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Aristide Caradja and Edward Meyrick in 1934. It is found in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Yunnan and Sichuan.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1934


title: Parapoynx fusalis

text:
Parapoynx fusalis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by George Hampson in 1896. It is found in India.

References

Acentropinae
Moths described in 1896


title: Dimitris Kokolakis

text:
Dimitris Kokolakis (alternate spelling: Dimitrios) (Greek: Δημήτρης Κοκολάκης; born November 11, 1949) is a retired Greek professional basketball player. He was born in Rethymno, Greece. At a height of 2.15 m (7 ft.  in.), he played at the center position.

Professional career
Kokolakis joined the Greek League club Panathinaikos in 1969. With Panathinaikos, he won 9 Greek League championships (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982), and 3 Greek Cups (1979, 1982, 1983). He then moved to the Greek club Aris in 1983. With Aris, he won 3 more Greek League championships (1985, 1986, 1987), and two more Greek Cups (1985 and 1987).

National team career
Kokolakis was also a member of the senior men's Greek national basketball team. In 178 caps played with Greece's senior men's team, he scored 1,280 points, for an average of 7.2 points per game. He played at the FIBA EuroBasket 1975, the FIBA EuroBasket 1979, the FIBA EuroBasket 1981, and the FIBA EuroBasket 1983. He also played at the 1980 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Awards and accomplishments

Pro career
12× Greek League Champion: (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987)
5× Greek Cup Winner: (1979, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987)

Greek national team
1979 Mediterranean Games:

References

External links
FIBA Profile
FIBA Europe Profile
Green Legends Dimitris Kokolakis (1969-1983)
Hellenic Basketball Federation Profile

1949 births
Living people
Aris B.C. players
Centers (basketball)
Greek men's basketball players
Ilysiakos B.C. players
Panathinaikos B.C. players
Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Greece
Mediterranean Games medalists in basketball
Competitors at the 1979 Mediterranean Games
Sportspeople from Rethymno


title: Palimbang massacre

text:
The Malisbong Masjid or H. Hamsa Tacbil Mosque  massacre, also called the Palimbang massacre, was the mass murder of Muslim Moros by units of the Philippine military on September 24, 1974, in the coastal village of Malisbong in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao. Accounts compiled by the Moro Women's Center in General Santos state that 1,500 male Moros aged 11–70 were killed inside a mosque, 3,000 women and children aged 9–60 were detained – with the women being raped – and that 300 houses were razed by the government forces. The massacre occurred two years after Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in September 1972.

The massacre started after the first four days on the fast of Ramadan when members of the Philippine Army arrived and captured barangay officials along with 1,000 other Muslims. For more than a month, the military murdered residents of the area. Testimonies show that victims were made to strip and dig their own graves before being killed by gunshot.

Remuneration for victims
In 2011, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front sought compensation for the Moro victims of martial law violence in the wake of the distribution of $7.5 million in compensation for more than 1,000 individuals who filed a class action suit against the Marcoses. The MILF claimed that thousands of Moros were killed in massacres such as what took place in Malisbong, perpetrated by soldiers and state-sponsored paramilitary forces during martial law. These included the Manili massacre, Tacub massacre, Patikul massacre, and Pata Island massacre.

In 2014, the Philippine government finally recognized 1,500 Moro residents of Malisbong village killed in the massacre as martial law victims. Representatives of the Commission on Human Rights helped facilitate the claims of the survivors and the families of the massacre victims to the Php10 billion fund set by the government for the indemnification of human rights victims during the martial law regime of Ferdinand Marcos, in keeping with the provisions of Republic Act No. 10368, or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013.

In popular culture
Forbidden Memory is a 2016 film based on the Malisbong massacre, directed by Davao-based Maguindanao filmmaker Gutierrez Mangansakan. It won Best Documentary from the three finalists in the 12th Cinema One Originals, the annual film festival sponsored by Cinema One.

Denial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Juan Ponce Enrile have denied that the massacre had ever happened.

References

1974 in the Philippines
September 1974 events in Asia
Massacres in the Philippines
Massacres of men
Attacks on mosques
Mass murder in 1974
Massacres in 1974
Presidency of Ferdinand Marcos
History of Sultan Kudarat
Violence against men in Asia
Violence against women in the Philippines
Violence against Muslims
Massacres under the Marcos dictatorship
Massacres of Muslims


title: The Ray-O-Vacs

text:
The Ray-O-Vacs  were a New Jersey R&B vocal group of the 1940s and 50s which recorded for Jubilee Records and Decca, among others.  The name was after a battery brand.

Group members included Lester Harris (vocals) later replaced by Herb Milliner, Jackson "Flap" McQueen (bass, leader), Joe Crump (piano) and saxophonist Leoparte "Chink" Kinney, whose typical style highly contributed to the group's sound.  In their song Party Time vocal is done by Bill Walker.

Their first four releases were for the Coleman label in 1949, and in 1950 the still unknown group signed with Decca where they got some releases on their 48000 Rhythm & Blues series.  Of these, their version of the originally Mexican pop standard Besame mucho is most remembered, not in the least due to a 1989 re-issue album on the Danish Official label with the same title.

Despite their contract with a major record label their records didn't sell, and in the end of 1952 Decca dropped the group. They moved to Jubilee records. Their failure to sell records contrasted with a readers poll in the Pittsburg Courier, a  respected African American newspaper,  in May 1953, where the Ray-O-Vacs were picked out as best small combo, beating out competition of Paul Gayten and Louis Jordan.

Their last releases were in 1957 with the Kaiser label.

References

American rhythm and blues musical groups
Musical groups from New Jersey


title: Fort Fairfield–Andover Border Crossing

text:
The Fort Fairfield–Andover Border Crossing is an international border crossing between the towns of Fort Fairfield, Maine, United States, and Southern Victoria, Canada on the Canada–US border, joining Maine State Route 161 (Boundary Line Road) and New Brunswick Route 190 (Fort Road).  The United States border station was built in 1933, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.  The Canada border station was built in 2007, replacing the previous facility that was built in 1954.  This crossing was a historical flashpoint during the bloodless Aroostook War of the 1830s, in which the US and Great Britain disputed the border's location.  That dispute was ended with the Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842.

United States station
Open 24 hours a day, the United States border station is located about  west of the international border, on the north side of Boundary Line Road.  It consists of a single Colonial Revival brick building, with flanking garage sections (for performing vehicle inspections), and a projecting two-lane porte-cochere.  The building is  stories in height, five bays wide, and topped by a gable roof.  On either side are banks of four garage bays, some of which have been repurposed as office space and no longer serve their historic function.  The main entrance to the building is now through a lobby area in one of the former garage bays on the west side.  The interior of the building is divided into sections for customs and immigration processing respectively.

Prior to the construction of this station, customs and immigration formalities took place at offices in the town of Fort Fairfield.  With the advent of increased automobile traffic in the 1920s, as well as the need to interdict the movement of contraband liquor due to Prohibition, the federal government realized the need for border stations where immigration formalities and vehicle inspections could be performed close to the border, and consequently planned the construction of a series of such stations.  The Fort Fairfield station is a "Type 1" rural station that was probably designed by Louis A. Simon, head of the Office of the Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury Department, and was built in 1933 with funding from the Public Works Administration.  It is the only surviving station of this type to retain the original height of its porte-cochere.  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 for its architecture and historical associations.

Canada Border Inspection station

The Canada border station is one of the few on the border that is larger than the US station. It includes two buildings.  The current border station was built in 2007.  Prior to that, Canada used a 1950s-era brick facade template similar to that still in use at the Piegan–Carway Border Crossing.

See also
 List of Canada–United States border crossings
 National Register of Historic Places listings in Aroostook County, Maine

References

Canada–United States border crossings
Transportation buildings and structures in Aroostook County, Maine
Fort Fairfield, Maine
Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
Transport in Victoria County, New Brunswick
Buildings and structures in Victoria County, New Brunswick
National Register of Historic Places in Aroostook County, Maine
1873 establishments in Maine
1873 establishments in New Brunswick


title: Poacher (band)

text:
Poacher was a 1970s English country music band from Warrington, England. Poacher won the British TV talent show New Faces in 1977. Poacher are best known for having preceded blues-rocker Frankie Miller's version of the song "Darlin'", by sax player Oscar Stewart Blandamer, which was a trans-Atlantic hit for Miller in 1978. The band backed Sarah Jory's first album.

References

English country music groups


title: Nazar (band)

text:
Nilüfer - Grup Nazar was a Turkish band that entered the Eurovision Song Contest 1978. The band included Olcayto Ahmet Tuğsuz who went on to compose Turkey's Eurovision entries in 1982 and 1987 and San Marino's entries in 2016 and 2019. Their song "Sevince", written by Dağhan Baydur and Hulki Aktunç came a clear first at the Turkish TV contest, finished at 18th of 20 with only 2 points. The B-side was "Darling", also written by Baydur. Dağhan Baydur would later (1999) produce the Turkish-language Beatles cover album Beatles Alaturca with Fuat Güner of MFÖ and Erdal Kızılçay.

The group were consisted of Olcayto Ahmet Tuğsuz, Zeynep Tuğsuz and Dağhan Baydur along with Nilüfer Yumlu.

References

Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Turkey
Turkish musical groups


title: Diana Rouvas

text:
Diana Rouvas (born 29 January 1984) is an Australian singer-songwriter previously signed to Universal Music Australia. In 2019, she won The Voice Australia, against Daniel Shaw. She was born in Sydney to a Greek father and Australian mother.

Career and background
Rouvas started vocal training at age four, and writing at age eight. She was on stage at an early age performing, and relocated to the United States of America at 16 to pursue her music career as a singer-songwriter. In 2001, at 17 she toured with Australian artist Tina Arena as a backing vocalist, visiting France and China. In 2006 Diana represented Australia in G'day LA celebrations in Los Angeles. In 2006 she recorded and released an original Extended Play titled Never Said Hello.

2012–2018: The Voice 2012
In 2012, Rouvas auditioned for the first season of The Voice, performing "Work It Out" and was selected on Team Keith Urban. She made it to the final top eight. Two of the songs she performed on the show reached the top 30 on the ARIA Charts.

In October 2012, Rouvas released "Run" with Damien Leith. The song was the second single from Leith's fifth studio album, Now & Then.

Rouvas was signed to Universal Music Australia, and in April 2014, released the single "Heart of Goodbye" which she co-wrote with producer and songwriter Louis Schoorl. An EP was planned but never released. Upon her request, in 2015 Diana was released from her Universal Music Australia contract.

2019: The Voice 2019 and Eurovision – Australia Decides
In 2019, Rouvas returned and auditioned for The Voice (Australian season 8) and chose Team Boy George. On 7 July 2019, Rouvas was announced as the winner.

 denotes winner.

Her debut single "Wait For No One" was released immediately after the finale on 7 July. The track failed to break into the ARIA top 500, shifting less than 800 units during its release week. Remixes were released in August 2019.

In December 2019, Rouvas was announced as a participant in Eurovision - Australia Decides, in an attempt to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. Her song "Can We Make Heaven" finished 7th in a field of 10.

Discography

EPs

Singles

Other charted songs

References

External links

1984 births
Living people
Singers from Sydney
Australian people of Greek descent
21st-century Australian singers
21st-century Australian women singers
The Voice (Australian TV series) contestants
The Voice (franchise) winners
Australian women singer-songwriters
Australian singer-songwriters