Hard NOC Life: Welcome to the Cassandra Cain-aissance
With Birds of Prey ready to break box office records, and a brand new YA graphic novel from DC Comics, the shadow of Cassandra Cain descends upon a brand new episode of Hard NOC Life!
Continue reading “Hard NOC Life: Welcome to the Cassandra Cain-aissance”
Ella Jay Basco is Ready to be Batgirl
When Ella Jay Basco got the call to play Cassandra Cain, aka Batgirl, in DC’s Birds of Prey, the first thing she did was cry tears of joy.
“I didn’t think it was real,” said Basco over the phone. “I broke down into tears. I never really expected that it would be like this because it’s just so crazy. I really broke down into tears. I couldn’t believe it. It was super emotional, but I was so happy.”
Still reveling from the Birds of Prey premiere in London the night before, Basco was enjoying her first full press junket. “It’s a lot of fun,” said Basco as she prepares for a full weekend of questions.
Disney is Bringing ‘Hamilton’ to the Big Screen
In the Walt Disney Company’s quest to own everything we at the NOC love — including Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar to name a few — it only makes sense that the Mouse House will be the home for the film distribution rights to the Broadway sensation Hamilton!
Continue reading “Disney is Bringing ‘Hamilton’ to the Big Screen”
Talking with the Cast of ‘Timmy Failure’
This week, the world will meet Timmy Failure. The Disney+ Original movie, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made directed by Academy Award-Winning director, Tom McCarthy, will debut on Friday, February 7, on the streaming platform, but it’s already making waves with a whopping 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a well received premiere at Sundance earlier this year. And last week, The Nerds of Color was lucky enough to meet with the film’s stars, Winslow Fegley (Timmy Failure) and Chloe Coleman (Molly Moskins) to discuss the film, as well as the future of movies and TV.
DC TV Classics 57 – Finale
Like all good things, even DC TV Classics must come to an end!
Keith and Britney bid adieu to DC TV Classics and the DC TV Podcast network by looking back on their favorite moments from the previous 56 episodes.
Thank you to all of our listeners and to Andy and the DC TV Podcast community for the support over the years. Don’t worry. We’ll be back. Always hold on to Classics!
‘Fast & Furious’ Dawn of Justice For Han
If there was ever any doubt that the Fast & Furious franchise was the most important movie saga in cinematic history, the trailer for its ninth and latest episode (tenth, I guess, if you count Hobbs & Shaw) basically solidifies that The Fast Saga has surpassed Avengers and Star Wars. I mean, just look at this:
A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘Gifted’
Co-written with Edward Hong
What do you do when you’re born with a superpower but it’s really not that super? Especially if it’s a power that can accurately pinpoint the success or failure of any romantic relationship? Gifted, which is currently playing at the Sacred Fools till February 29, explores this question in a world not at all too different from our own. Written by Bob DeRosa and directed by Rebecca Larsen, the play takes a somewhat absurd premise into a truly in-depth and touching story that is a feast for the eyes, ears, and the heart.
The Middle Geeks Episode 9: ‘For Sama’ and the Human Cost of War
This month on The Middle Geeks, we discuss Waad Al-Kateab’s stunning documentary For Sama, which provides visceral insight into the Syrian Civil War and the experiences of citizens under siege. The film has been nominated for numerous accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. In much lighter topics, we discuss the upcoming return of Zari (Tala Ashe) on Legends of Tomorrow, and the news that Iranian and other people of color will be leads in Middle Earth on Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings series!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 9: ‘For Sama’ and the Human Cost of War”
February 2020: Black Wizard History Month
Our mission at Black Girls Create has always been highlighting Black female creators and being a place for discussions of critical fandom, and one way we’ve decided to converge the two themes is with the Critical Companion series.
Inspired by Doctor Who’s plucky sidekicks (most notably, season 10’s Bill Potts), formal literary Critical Companions discussing an author’s breadth of work, as well as our mission to provide a platform for marginalized creators, the Critical Companion series will feature blog posts written by Black writers. We hope those writers are some of you!
In 2018 we had a monthly topic where we accepted two pitches (paid) that represent two aspects of the idea. Now, we are opening up submissions to be a bit less restrictive, but we are still largely looking for pieces that delve into the idea of critical fandom — how do we as fans analyze our favorite things with care and consider the wider world that the fandom either represents or ignores? We always love personal essays about growing up nerdy, early fandom experiences, and pivotal moments in your own nerdy lives.
Pitches are taken on a rolling basis. Posting will typically occur on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month.
Word Count: approx. 700 words
Price: $50 per post
Email: pitches@blackgirlscreate.org
Continue reading “February 2020: Black Wizard History Month”
Make a Plan to Get ‘Parasite’ on Blu-ray
Bong Joon Ho’s latest cinema classic, Parasite, has been dominating Awards season — starting last summer when it won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Now in time for its potential historic showing at the Academy Awards, Parasite is now available to own on blu-ray and DVD via Universal Pictures and NEON. And don’t forget we’re giving away copies of the blu-ray!
Hard NOC Life: Engaging with ‘Picard’
Changing “Harleywood” with the ‘Birds of Prey’
Change is in the air, ladies and gentleman! And this weekend, Los Angeles got a taste of that, when Margot Robbie, director Cathy Yan, and the full cast and crew of Birds of Prey took over Hollywood, in a gloriously chaotic stunt that turned the city into “Harleywood” for four-straight mayhem-fueled days. The massive Hollywood and Highland Center was home to the outfits, vehicles, and props of the film, as well as special photo activations and makeup demonstrations.
Continue reading “Changing “Harleywood” with the ‘Birds of Prey’”
The ‘Birds of Prey’ Wish You a Happy Lunar New Year
This weekend marks the beginning of the Year of the Rat. To celebrate, one of the stars of the upcoming Birds of Prey movie — Cassandra Cain herself, Ella Jay Basco! — recorded a special Lunar New greeting exclusively for The Nerds of Color in front of the latest trailer. Check it out!
Continue reading “The ‘Birds of Prey’ Wish You a Happy Lunar New Year”
Glory to the Holy ‘Parasite’ Blu-ray Giveaway
In the midst of a historic run through Award Season — including a win for best ensemble cast at the Screen Actors Guild Awards — Parasite finally comes to home video via Universal Pictures and NEON. And we’ve got copies of the blu-ray that we’re giving away!
Continue reading “Glory to the Holy ‘Parasite’ Blu-ray Giveaway”
Mega Ran on The Soul Man
My relationship with professional wrestling is very complicated at best. I watched my first wrestling match sometime around 1983, and the larger than life characters were literal comic books that had exploded in front of me. Like most other kids in the ’80s, I wanted more. I begged my mom to buy me wrestling magazines, toys, and watched every Saturday morning.
I loved guys like Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage, but I remember my eyes widening every time there was a Black or Brown face on my screen. So naturally I had an affinity for characters like The Junkyard Dog, Koko B Ware. But what really turned me on to wrestling was a tag team called The Soul Patrol.
Hard NOC Life: Podcast on Infinite Earths
It’s a Post-Crisis Hard NOC Life this week as Dominic and Keith break down the epic, five-episode crossover on The CW.
Continue reading “Hard NOC Life: Podcast on Infinite Earths”
William Jackson Harper is Taking ‘The Good Place’ With Him
At some point within the Jeremy Bearimy, I eventually lost count of how many people I told about The Good Place after the first season aired. I caught it over the hiatus before season two and couldn’t stop telling people about it. That season one twist and (subsequent) cliffhanger were my bread and butter. Just three years later, one of the best shows on TV is coming to a speedy end (reveling in brevity like Deirdre and Margaret but with fewer years and far more episodes).
Continue reading “William Jackson Harper is Taking ‘The Good Place’ With Him”
Hard NOC Life: Oscar Snubs and Super Villains
On Hard NOC Life this week, Dominic and Keith share their thoughts on the Academy Award nominations and break down the latest superhero movie trailers.
Continue reading “Hard NOC Life: Oscar Snubs and Super Villains”
Moving ‘Onward’: The Personal Story Behind The Upcoming Disney/Pixar Feature
“We’ve all lost someone, and if we could spend one more day with them,” Dan Scanlon, Writer/Director of Onward wonders aloud, “what an exciting opportunity that would be.” Disney and Pixar’s upcoming feature, Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers who embark on an extraordinary quest after receiving their late father’s letter along with a mysterious spell that will give them one day with him. The story is inspired by Writer/Director, Dan Scanlon’s relationship with his brother and their connection with their dad who passed away when he was about a year old.
Continue reading “Moving ‘Onward’: The Personal Story Behind The Upcoming Disney/Pixar Feature”
Disappointment For Người Tôi In HBO’s ‘Watchmen’
by Adam Chau
Since the finale of HBO’s Watchmen, I’ve been trying to reconcile my initial and absolute love for the show along with the eventual (and building) disappointment that I felt by the final episode for the Vietnamese characters and lịch sử brought into the show — but also keeping in mind that at its heart it’s a story about a Black Female Protagonist, the impetus for PTSD the Tulsa Race Riots, aka Massacre (which people still don’t know about), and the trauma and rising of a Black American lineage — không gia đình Việt Nam.
In that way it’s not a straight line from one thought to one conclusion — it’s the questions and the feelings they’ve brought up, their validity in a fictional world clearly designed to take on racism by POC, where there is inclusivity, but where I also can’t help but feel some of the underlying tones are still a recycle of already recycled stories, fictional and beleaguered, where Vietnamese and Asian Americans are still not fully embraced.
Continue reading “Disappointment For Người Tôi In HBO’s ‘Watchmen’”
‘Snake Eyes’ Production Heads to Japan
On January 10, 2020, production on the G.I. Joe spin-off Snake Eyes officially moved to Japan. To celebrate, the cast and crew assembled at Hie-Jinja Shrine to receive a traditional blessing ahead of the beginning of shooting in Tokyo.
‘Just Mercy’ Effectively Calls for Justice with Emotional Impact
It’s no secret that the justice system in the United States is a mess like no other. However, the odds of navigating it and coming out unscathed — if at all — are worse for the Black community. Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and founder/executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, witnessed just how brutal it is, as he worked tirelessly to free Walter McMillian from death row, after being arrested for a murder he did not commit. Just Mercy tells that story.
Continue reading “‘Just Mercy’ Effectively Calls for Justice with Emotional Impact”
New ‘Birds of Prey’ Trailer is Not So Quiet
We are less than a month away from the premiere of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) so it seems like the right time to drop a new trailer. Fortunately, our friends at Warner Bros. agrees.
Continue reading “New ‘Birds of Prey’ Trailer is Not So Quiet”