Dante Basco Dives into His Career So Far in ‘From Rufio to Zuko’
Actor Dante Basco is a name and face that has been bringing to life memorable characters for over three decades. While there are many to name, most people will probably recognize him as the leader of the Lost Boys, Rufio, in Steven Spielberg’s Hook, and as the voice of Prince Zuko in the Nickelodeon animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now, fans will soon get to read about his experiences in the entertainment industry so far in his upcoming memoir, From Rufio to Zuko.
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‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’ is All About Family and Growing Up
By Esther Kim
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil reunites Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and Aurora (Elle Fanning) as they face their biggest challenge: growing up.
Sure, there are the fey people wanting to come from behind the shadows and a potential battle between them and humans, especially with an evil queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer) pulling the strings from behind the throne. But the main story is really the relationship between Maleficent and Aurora.
“I feel the huge part of the success from the first film is that it had a strong emotional core,” said director Joachim Rønning during the global press conference in Beverly Hills. “I think that was the most important to me to continue telling that story. The story about Maleficent and Aurora. That’s what I can relate with as a parent, myself.”
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‘Occupy Me’ – NOC’s First Science-Fictional Audio Drama Premieres
Here’s the first episode of Occupy Me, a new science-fiction audio drama presented by Melancholyball Media and Hard NOC Media / The Nerds of Color. Season 1 is planned for 9 episodes to be released monthly. We’re the first fictional … Continue reading ‘Occupy Me’ – NOC’s First Science-Fictional Audio Drama Premieres
Hard NOC Life: Why So Cinema?
Hard NOC Life welcomes back Dominic to weigh in on Martin Scorsese and the battle between superhero nerds and film nerds.
How to Create a ‘Frozen’ World: Inside the Production Design for ‘Frozen II’
To countdown to the release of Frozen II, we are providing all of you with an inside look at the making of the movie, as well as interviews with the filmmakers and artists who worked incredibly hard to bring Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and, of course, Olaf to life. Last week we brought you a look at the evolution of the sequel’s story. This week we’re excited to reveal another new sneak peek at the magic to come!
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The Wonderful Mr. Wong: An Interview with ‘Gemini Man’ Star Benedict Wong
Gemini Man, the action-packed latest film by master director, Ang Lee, hits theaters today. One of the biggest highlights of the film is a great welcome comedic performance by one of our favorite sorcerers/assassins/Stark Wedding guests, Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange, Deadly Class, Avengers: Endgame). In the film, Wong plays Baron, Will Smith’s trusty eyes in the sky, and fellow soldier/best friend. Recently, The Nerds of Color were granted the incredible opportunity to sit down for a brief, intimate chat with Mr. Wong, to discuss the making of the film, as well as technological advancements in filmmaking, and the state of Asian actors in Hollywood today. Here’s what he had to say:
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Release the ‘Crisis’ Cut
It goes without saying that we are very excited for this winter’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover on The CW. On the most recent edition of DC TV Classics, I even suggested that Warner Bros. should consider cutting together all five episodes of the crossover into a feature-length format and release a proper Crisis movie on home video.
Final ‘Doctor Sleep’ Poster Pays Homage to Danny’s Childhood
In the final poster for Stephen King’s sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleep, Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) is confronted by his younger self.
The previous poster released paid homage to The Shining’s theatrical posters with the face cutout and vibrant yellow background. In this moody red scheme, which kind of reminds me of the river of blood scene, Danny returns to the Outlook Hotel ready to face his demons.
We’ll find out soon next month.
Doctor Sleep opens in theaters on November 8.
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New Podcast ‘Moonface’ Centers Korean American Queer Experience
James Kim, podcast producer of The Competition, releases his fictional narrative series Moonface on October 9 (tomorrow!). The independent production features Joel Kim Booster (of NBC’s Sunnyside) in the lead role:
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Hard NOC Life: Arune Singh’s Fandom — Then, Now, Forever
Hard NOC Life this week features an extended interview with comic book industry veteran Arune Singh! Keith and Dominic will be back next week for the latest in the world of nerd pop.
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Double Trouble at the ‘Gemini Man’ Press Conference!
Ang Lee. Will Smith. Jerry Bruckheimer. Titans in this industry, who we never thought would ever come together, are finally joining forces to do the one thing Hollywood is not prepared for: Cloning Will Smith. Mind blown, right?
In the new blockbuster, Gemini Man, Smith plays Henry Brogan, an aging assassin — the best in the business — on the verge of retirement. However just before the beat-down covert killer can utter the phrase, “Riggs, I’m too old for this sh–” he’s confronted by his younger, better, sexier self, who has been cloned and sent to kill him. Now, on the run with the only two people he can count on, Henry is on a mission to confront the masterminds responsible for cloning him, as well as the clone who represents the better days that have passed him.
The film has been in development since the late ’90s, and stalled for some time, because Bruckheimer needed the technology to catch up to the premise. And luckily, he found the one man who could do justice to the story: two-time Academy Award winner, Ang Lee. Last week, Paramount invited members of the press to sit down with Lee, Smith, Bruckheimer, co-star, Clive Owen, and the master VFX crew from Weta Digital, VFX supervisor Guy Williams, and VFX supervisor Bill Westenhofer, to talk about the movie, and the challenges of finally bringing Gemini Man to life.
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Breaking the Ice: Evolving the Story of ‘Frozen II’
To countdown to the release of Frozen II, we are providing all of you with an inside look at the making of the movie, as well as interviews with the filmmakers and artists who worked incredibly hard to bring Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and, of course, Olaf to life. Last week we brought you just a sampling of what’s to come with a first look and panel discussion with directors Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, and producer Peter Del Vecho. This week we’re excited to reveal another new sneak peek at the magic to come!
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‘Occupy Me’ Premieres Next Week, Exclusively on Earth!
Here’s the new story trailer for Occupy Me, the first fictional narrative audio drama from The Nerds of Color’s family of podcasts. Episode 1 will premiere on October 14. (Give or take a day to accommodate another highly-anticipated science-fiction adventure thing which MIGHT drop a new trailer next week.) Continue reading “‘Occupy Me’ Premieres Next Week, Exclusively on Earth!”
Rachel Maddow in ‘Batwoman’ Heralds Birth of DC/MSNBC Universe
Holy Fancasts, Batwoman! MSNBC news host Rachel Maddow confirmed on-air that she will voice Vesper Fairchild in CW’s Batwoman TV show!
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The Fate of Black Women in ‘Joker’
Be warned, this is a spoiler-heavy article.
When I saw Joker at the Toronto International Film Festival, the main question I wanted answered was: Do the Black people die in this movie? Spoiler alert: they don’t. At least not on screen. Clearly, the director, Todd Phillips, knew what it would look like if they were to die by the Joker’s hand (even if he doesn’t seem to quite know how to do a press tour). But that doesn’t mean all is well for positive representation in the widely divisive movie.
Batman R.I.P.: Mattel’s Last Line of DC Multiverse Figures
When it was announced late last year that Mattel would be losing the master license to make DC Comics-related action figures, I wasn’t sure how to react. On the one hand, I had pretty much stopped buying Mattel’s offerings when they ended their DC Universe Classics line around 2012. On the other, I’ve been an avid collector of these figures ever since popular action figure sculptors the Four Horsemen gave us Zipline Batman in 2003. Of course, in the years since, I moved on — preferring more premium toymakers like SH Figuarts for my DC fix. But I couldn’t help coming back to Mattel one last time for an all-Batman wave to close out their 16-year run on the character.
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The ‘Birds of Prey’ Trailer Officially Lands!
In anticipation of New York Comic Con coming this week, WB and DC have dropped the first trailer for the highly anticipated return of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, and the introduction of the Birds of Prey. The trailer gives us an awesome, surreal first look at the mayhem to come, including our introductions to the DCEU’s Huntress, Black Canary, Renee Montoya, and Cassandra Cain, as well as Ewan McGregor as the nefarious Black Mask.
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Hard NOC Life: The Force is Not Far From Feige
Hard NOC Life is switching up the schedule! On the first Monday episode of the pod, Keith and Dominic do their best to keep up with all the news in nerd pop.
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The Middle Geeks Episode 5: ‘Wajib’ and When We Get to Tell Our Stories
In the latest installment of The Middle Geeks, we review Wajib by Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir. Mae and Swara talk about what we enjoyed about the film, and how we thought it offered a realistic portrayal of families dealing with generational oppression and how meaningful it is for Annemarie Jacir to tell an intimate story of her people. We also discuss the great news that the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+ will have an Iranian-British writer with Hossein Amini, how we’re looking forward to the Arrow spinoff starring the Canaries, and give our recommendations of what to watch.
(We start our Wajib discussion at the 21:12 mark.)
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Into The Unkown: A First-Look at ‘Frozen II’
For the first time in forever (or at least 6 years), audiences will be returning to the kingdom of Arendelle, when Frozen II finally hits theaters everywhere this November. The Nerds of Color was recently invited to Walt Disney Animation Studios to take part in a special day (no, not Coronation Day) of festivities and panels to get a glimpse behind the icy scenes, and see what it took to bring this highly anticipated movie to life. And so, to countdown to this Fall’s biggest movie event, every month until November we’ll be presenting special inside looks at the movie, as well as interviews with the filmmakers and artists who worked incredibly hard to reunite us with Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and, of course, Olaf.
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Hard NOC Life: Crisis of Infinite Supermen
On a new episode of Hard NOC Life — which was recorded before the reveal of Brandon Routh as Superman! — Keith and Dominic get excited about all of the Superman, especially the inclusion of Smallville in this fall’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover on The CW.
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On Mirrors, Doorways, and ‘Abominable’ Snowmen
As a multiracial Asian American parent raising multiracial Asian American daughters in a media landscape much different from the one in which I grew up, I often think about how the images and role models, both fictional and real, to which they have access may shape their imaginations, aspirations, and ideas of what is possible. The decades-long discourse around diversity, and the lack thereof, in children’s literature and media, often starts with the idea of the importance of mirrors in which children can see themselves, their worlds, and their life experiences reflected back to them, especially in the form of textual and multimedia representations both performed and created by people like them. But more and more, as my children get older and become able to both converse with texts as fans and critics and become creators and producers of texts in their own right, I find myself thinking about the need to go beyond reflective mirrors or even windows through which different possibilities may be glimpsed. We need doorways through which we can step to create new realities. This may seem a slight distinction, but it’s one whose importance I’m learning from my children day by day.
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Triple Force Friday is Coming… Are You Ready?
Star Wars has just revealed their new products via their global livestream with the cast and creatives of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars: The Mandalorian, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
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