‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Announced with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy Returning!

May 20, 2021May 20, 2021 Laura Sirikul

It has been almost 28 years since we were first introduced to the wicked Sanderson Sisters in the 1993 live-action Halloween cult classic Hocus Pocus, which became everyone’s go to family Halloween movie since then. Now, Disney has just announced Hocus Pocus 2 is coming to Disney+ in 2022 — most likely for Halloween season… and Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are reprising their roles from the original!!!

MY INNER CHILD IS SCREAMING.

Interview, Television

NOC Interview: Nathaniel Ashton Talks Being Ben on ‘Cruel Summer’

May 20, 2021May 20, 2021 Sophia Soto

Nathaniel Ashton portrays Ben on Freeform’s newest hit drama. I got to speak with the actor about all things Cruel Summer, including episode 6, “An Ocean Inside Me,” so beware: we will be getting into spoilers. New episodes of the psychological thriller air Tuesdays at 10 PM EDT/PDT on Freeform and are available the next day on Hulu.

Recaps, Streaming, Television

NOC Recap: ‘Cruel Summer’ Episode 5 is a Tangled Web of Twisted Games

May 11, 2021May 15, 2021 Sophia Soto

“As The Carny Gods Intended” shows events from (approximately) July 29th, 1993, 1994, and 1995. For the remainder of this recap, we will be getting into heavy spoilers; so only continue reading if you’ve seen episode 1×05 of Cruel Summer.

Interview, Streaming, Television

NOC Interview: Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut on Everything ‘Cruel Summer’

May 11, 2021May 15, 2021 Sophia Soto

Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut plays Ashley Wallis in Freeform’s highly anticipated new drama, Cruel Summer. Ashley Wallis is Kate’s stepsister and Rod’s daughter. I got to speak with the actress all about the series and episode 4, “You Don’t Hunt, You Don’t Eat,” so beware: we will be getting into spoilers. New episodes of the series air Tuesdays at 10 PM EDT/PDT on Freeform and are available the next day on Hulu.

Music, Streaming, Television

First Look: Lily James is Unrecognizable as Pamela Anderson for Hulu’s ‘Pam & Tommy’

May 7, 2021May 15, 2021 Laura Sirikul

Having a Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee film surrounding their infamous sex tape from the ‘90s was not on my 2021 Bingo card, but here we are.

Podcasts, Television3 Comments

Bonus Hard NOC: Chiara Aurelia Discusses Episode 4 of ‘Cruel Summer’

May 5, 2021May 5, 2021 Sophia Soto

Chiara Aurelia portrays Jeanette Turner, a nerdy and sweet high schooler who wants more from life, in Freeform’s highly anticipated new drama Cruel Summer. I got to speak with the actress all about the series and episode 4, “You Don’t Hunt, You Don’t Eat,” before it aired so beware: we will be getting into spoilers. New episodes of the series air Tuesdays at 10 PM EDT/PDT on Freeform and are available the next day on Hulu.

Recaps, Streaming, Television2 Comments

NOC Recap: ‘Cruel Summer’ Episode 4 Leaves Us With the Biggest Cliffhanger So Far

May 4, 2021May 15, 2021 Sophia Soto

“You Don’t Hunt, You Don’t Eat” shows events from (approximately) July 15th, 1993, 1994, and 1995. For the remainder of this recap, we will be getting into heavy spoilers; so only continue reading if you’ve seen episode 1×04 of Cruel Summer.

Interview, Streaming, Television1 Comment

Allius Barnes Discusses the Most Recent Episode of ‘Cruel Summer’

April 28, 2021May 15, 2021 Sophia Soto

Allius Barnes takes on the role of the loyal and loveable Vince Fuller — Jeannette and Mallory’s best friend in Freeform’s newest psychological thriller. I got to speak with the actor all about episode 3 of the series, “Off With a Bang,” before it aired so beware: we will be getting into spoilers. New episodes of Cruel Summer air Tuesdays at 10 PM EDT/PDT on FreeForm and are available the next day on Hulu.

Recaps, Streaming, Television

NOC Recap: ‘Cruel Summer’ Will Have You Hooked With its Captivating Premiere

April 20, 2021May 15, 2021 Sophia Soto

Cruel Summer just premiered with two back-to-back episodes — “Happy Birthday, Jeanette Turner” and “A Smashing Good Time.” While many can just chalk this two-hour introduction to the series as a way to truly get fans hooked, it seems to almost be done in a way to really drive all of the storytelling aspects that the series is doing home, basically dedicating one episode each to introducing the two main characters, which you will find yourself torn between as you are forced to pick a side.

Interview, Sports, Television

Executive Producer Shelly Leslie Talks James Jordan Docuseries ‘Moment of Truth’

April 2, 2021April 2, 2021 Jamal Michel

Moment of Truth tells the never-before-seen story behind the murder of James Jordan, NBA star Michael Jordan’s father, and captures the history of the social injustice in Robeson County, North Carolina, where two teenagers, Larry Demery and Daniel Green, were charged and convicted of the crime. IMDb TV announced the April 2 premiere date for the original true-crime docuseries, directed by Matthew Perniciaro and Clay Johnson. The five-part series analyzes and presents new compelling information on the 1993 murder of James Jordan, the crime that shocked the nation, creating a media frenzy and countless speculations and baseless conspiracy theories.

Music, Podcasts

FDI Cast 81: Pearl Jam “Black” Reaction Video

July 16, 2020January 1, 2021 Jamie

Big Boss Keith Chow joins us for an extra special 81st episode of the F’n Do It Cast!

We do not break our cold open time record.

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Interview, Television8 Comments

Elaine Miles Reflects on Native Representation and ‘Northern Exposure’

July 10, 2020February 22, 2023 Lauren Lola

On July 12, 1990, the Emmy Award-winning comedy-drama, Northern Exposure, began its run on CBS. Created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, a neurotic Jewish physician (Rob Morrow) from New York is forced to work as a general practitioner in the small, fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, in order to pay the state of Alaska for underwriting his medical school education. Over the course of the series’ six seasons, not only did audiences watch Morrow’s Dr. Joel Fleischman slowly adjust to his surroundings, but they also got to know the quirky residents of the small community and follow their day-to-day lives as well.

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Hard N.O.C. Life, Sports

Hard NOC Life: We Love The ’90s

April 27, 2020July 9, 2020 Hard NOC Media

This week on Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith take a time machine to the 1990s and discuss new jack swing, and the Chicago Bulls documentary, The Last Dance.

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Hard N.O.C. Life, Movies1 Comment

Hard NOC Life: Once Upon a Racist Hollywood

August 2, 2019May 8, 2020 Hard NOC Media

Before news broke about Shannon Lee’s issues with the way Quentin Tarantino depicts her father in his latest film, Dominic and Keith recorded this episode in which they reexamine the auteur’s less than ideal treatment of race in his films.

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Marvel, Movies, Reviews2 Comments

‘Captain Marvel’ Goes Higher Further and Faster For the MCU

March 5, 2019September 8, 2019 Laura Sirikul

Sorry to burst your bubble, haters, but Captain Marvel is really good.

With all the controversy surrounding Captain Marvel, created by internet trolls, it was refreshing to watch the film and see how wrong they were about it. Captain Marvel has been labeled a feminist film, and it is, but it does so without dragging men down. Instead, the film focuses on women empowerment, sisterhood, and friendships.

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Marvel, Music, Nerd Nostalgia1 Comment

Here’s The ‘Captain Marvel’ Cast’s Karaoke Go-To Playlist, In Case You Were Wondering

March 4, 2019October 15, 2023 Dominic Mah

According to today’s live Q&A event hosted by Marvel Studios at a re-created Tower Records in West Hollywood, which also featured live sets by Bush and L7.

Continue reading “Here’s The ‘Captain Marvel’ Cast’s Karaoke Go-To Playlist, In Case You Were Wondering”

Marvel, Movies

‘Captain Marvel’ Set Visit: Everything We’ve Learned About the MCU’s Newest Hero

January 8, 2019January 8, 2019 Laura Sirikul

Back in May of 2018, a group of reporters visited the set of Captain Marvel on the Sony lot in Los Angeles to experience Marvel’s newest superhero in person. Although we have not been officially introduced to the feminist hero yet in the MCU, we were given signs of her arrival at the end of Avengers: Infinity War.

As we have seen in the trailers and released photos, we are introduced to Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers (Brie Lawson), in the 1990s. This isn’t an origin story. From her first introduction, she already has her powers and is part of the elite military force on the Kree planet Hala. Her Starforce teammates include Korath (Djimon Hounsou) and Minn-Erva (Gemma Chan). There are flashbacks to Danvers’ life as she embarks on her adventure on Earth and meets a young S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Together, they must work to stop the Skrulls, led by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), from completing an evil plot.

Want to know more?

Be warned. Below are spoilers.

Continue reading “‘Captain Marvel’ Set Visit: Everything We’ve Learned About the MCU’s Newest Hero”

Movies, Music, Nerd Nostalgia4 Comments

Nostalgia vs. the Present: What to Keep and What to Throw Away?

August 11, 2015August 12, 2015 Shawn Taylor

Over the weekend, I was going through all of the media that I own. Granted, nowadays it is a very small amount because everything is on tablets or a hard drive. I used to be that dude who collected everything from magazines, to comics, to laserdiscs, to CDs, VHS tapes, Blu-rays/DVDs — yeah, moving sucked. As I perused my stash, I noticed that most of the physical things I held on to were from the ’80s-’90s. They were talismans of nostalgia, reminding me of when I was fully immersed in the pop-culturescape. Do you remember that feeling?

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Movies, Nerd Nostalgia, Reviews4 Comments

My Thoughts on Dope

June 28, 2015September 8, 2019 Shawn Taylor

[I wanted to write this reflection the weekend of its release. I decided that I needed a little more time because the film hit home in too many ways and I needed some space from it to get a better handle on how I wanted to approach it. This will not be a typical review, nor will it be an endorsement — despite my endorsing the film whole-heartedly. I have no idea what this is, but I needed to get it out.]

Hip-hop is fandom. While it may not be explicitly geek/nerd culture, it is fandom of the highest order. If anyone chooses to refute this, they aren’t being intellectually or culturally honest. Never has this connection been so blatantly displayed than in Rick Famuyiwa’s 2015 gem of a film, Dope. [I have a lot more to say about this. Watch this space in the next month or two]

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