We interview acclaimed Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir on her latest film, Palestine 36, which debuts in US theaters this weekend.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 78: Interview with ‘Palestine 36’ Director Annemarie Jacir”
This week, Dreamworks Animation and Universal dropped a historic trailer for Filipino film fans everywhere. They revealed the first official look at their latest feature, Forgotten Island; Hollywood’s first Filipino-centric animated feature.
Continue reading “Feeling the Filipino Pride with H.E.R and Liza Soberano from ‘Forgotten Island’”
I am a proud Filipino American nerd. As such, I grew up here in the US searching for, but never quite finding, mainstream Hollywood movies that propelled the voice of the Filipino community strongly.
Continue reading “How Dreamworks’ ‘Forgotten Island’ Fosters Filipino Culture and Folklore”
It was only a matter of time before Walt Disney Animation Studios set its sights on adapting its more recent classics into live-action. Now, a new trailer for Moana offers another glimpse at how the studio is reinterpreting one of its biggest hits, while a new featurette celebrates the live-action reimagining’s artistry.
Continue reading “New Live-Action ‘Moana’ Trailer and Featurette Spotlight Cultural Artistry”
A gated community is supposed to represent safety. Order. Protection from the chaos of the outside world. But The Gates quickly reveals that promise to be something else entirely.
Continue reading “‘The Gates’ is a Tense Study of Race, Power, and Belonging”
Today, Project Hail Mary officially launched in theaters everywhere. All I can say after seeing it is this is hands down one of the best films of the 2020s. The film is a dazzling sci-fi adventure about sacrifice, loneliness, survival, and friendship. We were recently able to speak to stars Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller about these themes during the film’s press junket. However, you simply cannot speak about the idea of friendship in the movie, without talking to Ryland Grace’s buddy on Earth, Carl — played by Emmy nominee Lionel Boyce!
Continue reading “Lionel Boyce Cooks Up Astrophage for ‘Project Hail Mary’”
Believe the hype. Project Hail Mary is a remarkable movie! Helmed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who brought us the Spider-Verse films, the film is hands down one of the best cinematic experiences of the decade, brimming with heart, humor, incredible visuals, and stellar acting. The last of which is courtesy of the film’s incredible stars: Academy Award nominees, Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller. Recently, The Nerds of Color was able to sit down in person with the duo to chat about their incredible new movie.
Continue reading “Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller Believe in ‘Project Hail Mary’”
Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for Dune: Part Three, the highly anticipated next chapter in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic. Packed with striking new footage and a closer look at what lies ahead for Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the trailer sets the stage for another visually stunning and emotionally charged return to Arrakis. To celebrate the release, the studio invited select journalists and influencers to a special event for an early look at the trailer, followed by a Q&A with Villeneuve and stars Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Javier Bardem.
Continue reading “‘Dune: Part Three’ Will Be a Love Story that Explores the Consequences of Power”
When Ready or Not premiered in 2019, it quickly became a surprise hit, cementing Samara Weaving as a rising horror star and establishing Grace Le Domas MacCaullay as one of the genre’s great modern Final Girls. For me, as well, it was an immensely enjoyable surprise, coming out of nowhere to become one of my favorite movies in a year stacked with heavy hitters like Avengers: Endgame and Parasite.
A new animated adventure comedy is heading to Netflix. Swapped, directed by Nathan Greno, will feature the voices of Michael B. Jordan, Juno Temple, Tracy Morgan, and Cedric the Entertainer when it releases later this spring. So the streaming service has released new images from the upcoming release.
Continue reading “Netflix Reveals New Look at Skydance Animation’s ‘Swapped’”
When I joined a select group of journalists to cover Hoppers at the Pixar campus in Emeryville, CA, we did not expect to see Daniel Chong’s film in its entirety. One of the biggest surprises, though, was learning that Grammy Award-winning artist SZA would be performing the film’s end credits song, “Save The Day.”
Continue reading “How SZA’s “Save The Day” Captures a Generation Trying to Change the World”
Yvette Nicole Brown is part of a special group. While some talents have earned EGOT status by winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, Brown has her own pop culture distinction as a DMPL, having appeared in a Disney, Marvel Studios, Pixar, and Lucasfilm project. Now the actor shares her thoughts on the recognition, being in Zootopia 2, as well as an update on the Community movie.
Continue reading “Yvette Nicole Brown on ‘Zootopia 2’ and the Status of the ‘Community’ Movie”
The Bride! is an electrifying tale that leaves you clawing for more. Jessie Buckley delivers a phenomenal performance as the troubled Bride brought to life, with Christian Bale delivering a moving portrayal as Frankenstein‘s monster. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s script and direction are an absolute masterclass in storytelling and proves that women should be in charge of Hollywood with this retelling. “People love a monster,” and Gyllenhaal certainly serves up all of the good and bad monstrosities one could hope for in this film.
Continue reading “‘The Bride!’ Proves That Women Should Be Running Hollywood”
When it comes to animated originals, few studios do it like Pixar. Their best films keep raising the bar. So when something like Hoppers comes along, you do not just hope it is good. You hope it delivers the kind of craft and storytelling that reminds you why Pixar is still the gold standard. And Hoppers does exactly that. It pairs humorous chaos with emotionally resonant storytelling, memorable characters, and astonishing visuals, while exploring timely ideas about anger, powerlessness, and empathy without ever losing its heart.
Continue reading “Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ is a Hilarious Avatar Riff That Gets Surprisingly Real”
In Disney and Pixar’s Hoppers, Piper Curda voices Mabel, a passionate animal lover who ferociously follows her heart. She cares deeply for creatures both big and small, though her patience for humankind occasionally wears thin. For Curda, the key was figuring out what kept Mabel consistent, even when the story’s chaos kept escalating.
Continue reading “‘Hoppers’ Star Piper Curda Talks Heart, Humor, and Mabel’s Playlist”
Those familiar with Daniel Chong’s We Bare Bears know that his storytelling and visual style thrive on emotional sincerity wrapped in playful absurdity. Hoppers, his feature directorial debut, is an expansion of those principles. During our visit to Pixar’s campus, we learned more about his jump from 2D to 3D and what it took to bring SZA on board for the film’s end credits song.
Continue reading “‘Hoppers’ Director Daniel Chong on 3D Animation and Landing SZA”
Disney and Pixar have released the newest trailer for Toy Story 5, and it feels like the franchise is stepping into something very real. Not another collector’s item. Not a daycare disaster. This time, the toys are up against technology in the form of a cute green frog tablet named Lilypad (Greta Lee)
Continue reading “‘Toy Story 5’ Trailer Reveals How Woody Returns to Save the Day”
At its core Star Wars has always been about rebels and underdogs standing up to dictators using their own private armies to take over the galaxy. Since its debut in 2019, The Mandalorian strengthened those themes, centering on a ragtag duo of outcasts fighting the good fight against villains still trying their hardest to hold on to authoritarianism. Now the battle continues on the big screen as Din Djarin and Grogu return in The Mandalorian and Grogu!
Continue reading “Breaking Down the Trailer for ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’”
This past year director Dan Trachtenberg, who brought us Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers introduced us to the franchise’s first Yautja protagonist, Dek, in Predator: Badlands! Portrayed by breakout star, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, both Trachtenberg and Koloamatangi infused pathos and complexity into Dek, bringing us something completely different; a sympathetic and richer side to Yautja culture.
Continue reading “Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi Brings ‘Predator: Badlands’ Home”
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and so is another YA rom-com from Tubi. Directed by Fawzia Mirza, Kissing is the Easy Part follows straight-A student Sean (Asher Angel), who agrees to tutor the rebellious Flora (Paris Berelc) in exchange for a recommendation letter to MIT. Opposites attract, so naturally, it doesn’t take long for sparks to fly between the study buddies — but with great chemistry also comes great complications.
Continue reading “Feeling the Love with ‘Kissing is the Easy Part’ Stars Asher Angel and Paris Berelc”
The whimsy-goth fever dream from the mind of Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) gives its classic heroine more romantic agency than any other version of the story put to screen.
Continue reading “Luc Besson and the Cast of ‘Dracula: A Love Tale’ on its Take on Romance”
Wuthering Heights immediately whisks you away into a dark reimagined telling of Emily Brontë‘s novel. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi give us a searing portrayal of the tortured lovebirds Catherine and Heathcliff in a story filled with passion, depicted by two deeply troubled individuals. The film is cinematically stunning, and the costumes lean beautifully into a whimsically modern twist on period pieces.
Continue reading “‘Wuthering Heights’ is a Visually Stunning Retelling of a Cautionary Affair”
Why are so many drawn to toxic love? Like an addiction, many cling to the idea that only a single person can complete their soul and possess their very being, holding on to the feeling of euphoria that exists when that person is by your side. However for any and all purity that might seemingly be derived from love, sometimes it can be utterly poisonous if the obsession consumes you.
Continue reading “NOC Review: Toxic Love Entices and Torments in ‘Wuthering Heights’”