Putting the ‘Bebop’ in ‘Cowboy Bebop’ with Steve Aoki and John Cho

November 19, 2021November 19, 2021 Mike Manalo

It’s time to jam Bebop fans! Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop debuts today! And while it isn’t perfect, it’s still pretty fun in a pretty campy way. However, the one thing the show gets right is the music! And heavily inspired by the terrific music of the original anime, the music in the new adaptation pays homage, while managing to carve out its own identity for itself (much like the show as a whole). And someone who knows all about that is iconic DJ Steve Aoki!

Anime, Reviews, Streaming1 Comment

NOC Review: ‘Cowboy Bebop’ is a Mixed Bag That Will Test the Purists

November 15, 2021November 18, 2021 Mike Manalo

So much like my review for Snake Eyes, I will set a disclaimer about the fact that I’m by no means a hardcore Cowboy Bebop fan. I’ve seen the full series once through in my life, and I do like it. And I’ve rewatched some of my favorite episodes numerous times, particularly in preparation for the release of this series. But I’m not as emotionally attached or invested in the series as many out there are.

Anime, Streaming

‘Cowboy Bebop’ Official Trailer and New Poster Drop

October 26, 2021October 26, 2021 Mike Manalo

We are almost to November 19 everyone! Which means we’re that much closer to the premiere of Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop!

DC Comics, Streaming

Yoshi Sudarso is Finally Nightwing in Live Action ‘Batman: Wayne Family Adventures’

October 6, 2021October 8, 2021 Keith Chow

Well, it finally happened! Long time friend of the NOC, Yoshi Sudarso, has been cast as Nightwing in an upcoming live-action adaptation of Webtoon’s popular Batman: Wayne Family Adventures webcomic.

Anime, Streaming, Television

Netflix Unleashes ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Opening Credits

September 25, 2021September 25, 2021 Mike Manalo

Our first footage of Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop is finally here! As predicted, right on the heels of the poster drop yesterday, the streaming service teamed up with the show’s cast during today’s TUDUM event to unveil the first look to all the rabid fans who have been patiently waiting to see it! And it didn’t disappoint! It’s an almost perfect recreation of the classic anime’s intro!

Anime, Streaming, Television1 Comment

New Poster Revealed for Netflix’s ’Cowboy Bebop’

September 24, 2021September 24, 2021 Mike Manalo

This morning Netflix dropped a sweet poster ahead of Netflix’s #TUDUM event tomorrow. Check it out here!

Anime, Streaming

Netflix’s ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Drops a Release Date and Awesome First-Look Images

August 23, 2021August 23, 2021 Mike Manalo

Count it down, folks! Because Cowboy Bebop is finally coming to Netflix on November 19!

The eagerly awaited live-action adaptation of one of the most beloved animes of all time is coming after many years of delays caused by the pandemic and star John Cho sustaining a set injury during filming.

Movies, Streaming

Take a Look at the Official Poster for Netflix’s ‘The Kissing Booth 3’

July 1, 2021July 6, 2021 Sophia Soto

Netflix has just shared the poster for The Kissing Booth 3, which stars Joey King, Jacob Elordi, and Joel Courtney. It reads, “The end of an era. The beginning of everything else.” Are you ready to see how the beloved Netflix trilogy ends? Mark your calendars for August 11.

Anime, Streaming, Television

Netflix’s ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Adaptation Release Date Confirmed

June 10, 2021June 10, 2021 Mike Manalo

Earlier this week, Netflix released a very tiny featurette about its Cowboy Bebop adaptation revealing a number of awesome bits of news:

John Cho’s hair as Spike
John Cho’s hair as Spike
John Cho’s hair as Spike
The original composer of the original anime series will be returning for the Live-Action Series
The show will finally debut on Netflix this Fall!
John Cho’s hair as Spike

Fantasy, Streaming

Netflix’s ‘Shadow and Bone’ Renewed for a Second Season

June 7, 2021June 7, 2021 Laura Sirikul

Netflix has finally announced the renewal of its second season of the hit series Shadow and Bone. The cast surprised fans with their own announcement of the renewal. Based on Leigh Bardugo’s worldwide bestselling Grishaverse novels, Shadow and Bone had more than 55 million member households watching the fantasy series in its first 28 Days. The series made the Top 10 list in 93 countries around the world and hit #1 in 79 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Germany, Russia, Spain, South Africa, and the U.S.

Showrunner, writer, and executive producer Eric Heisserer said in a press statement, “I’m honored and thrilled to return to the Grishaverse and continue the stories of these endearing characters, particularly Milo.”

Movies, Theatre

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Film Adaptation’s Emotional Trailer Will Be Found Here

May 18, 2021June 11, 2021 Laura Sirikul

Universal Pictures has finally released the trailer to the anticipated film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen. Ben Platt returns to reprise his Broadway role as the troubled teen, Evan Hansen.

Hard N.O.C. Life, Literature, Streaming, Television

Barry Jenkins and the Cast of ‘The Underground Railroad’ Discuss the Powerful Limited Series

May 13, 2021November 5, 2021 Jamal Michel

Colson Whitehead’s novel The Underground Railroad is a necessary reading for the ways it transcends a violent history and navigates the magic of self determination and Black personhood. The novel, published in 2016 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book awards for fiction, follows the life of Cora and Caesar, two slaves in 19th century Georgia who take on the treacherous journey that is their freedom. The novel is bold, loving, and powerful, and with its serving as the basis for director Barry Jenkins’ (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk) Amazon series by the same name, it has become necessary viewing.

Streaming, Television

See the Thrilling New Trailer for Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Panic’

May 12, 2021May 15, 2021 Sophia Soto

Get ready for Amazon Prime Video’s newest original series, Panic! The show, which was written and created by Lauren Oliver and based on her bestselling novel, will premiere on Friday, May 28. The cast includes Olivia Welch, Mike Faist, Jessica Sula, Camron Jones, Ray Nicholson, and Enrique Murciano. All 10 episodes will hit the streaming service at the same time, making it perfect to be your next binge-worthy show.

Reviews, Streaming, Video Games2 Comments

NOC Review: ‘Mortal Kombat’ is Not a Flawless Victory

April 22, 2021August 17, 2021 Mike Manalo

It’s ironic that this would be a review I’m covering following Godzilla Vs. Kong because it actually has the opposite problem. It’s great from a POC standpoint. But it’s just not a very good movie, I’m afraid. Yes, it’s my unfortunate responsibility to tell you that Mortal Kombat is a dud. It’s a bland entry to the list of barely passable video game adaptations that would ultimately leave Shang Tsung starving, because it has no real soul to suck from it anyway. While not completely atrocious, it is about as forgettable and lifeless as, say, 2018’s Tomb Raider reboot.

Movies, Video Games1 Comment

Get Over Here… and Watch the Opening of ‘Mortal Kombat’

April 20, 2021April 20, 2021 Keith Chow

In anticipation of the film’s theatrical and streaming release on Friday, April 23, Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have released the opening seven minutes of Mortal Kombat, the reboot of the famed 1995 adaptation of the legendary fighting game. Watch it below in all its gory glory:

Books, Movies, Streaming

Amy Adams Stars in Netflix’s New Psychological Thriller, ‘The Woman in the Window’

April 9, 2021May 15, 2021 Sophia Soto

The Woman in the Window premieres on May 14, and Netflix just dropped a trailer that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Along with Amy Adams, the film stars Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie, Fred Hechinger, Wyatt Russell, Brian Tyree Henry, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Julianne Moore. The Woman in the Window is based on the best-selling novel and adapted by Tracy Letts.

Fantasy, Streaming, Television

‘Shadow and Bone’ Official Trailer Expands the Grishaverse and Crow Storylines

March 31, 2021May 15, 2021 Laura Sirikul

Adapted from the successful award-winning fantasy novels by Leigh Bardugo, fans have been wondering just how Netflix was going to mesh the Grishaverse trilogy with the Six of Crows duology for Shadow and Bone. With the release of the official trailer, we get a glimpse of how the beloved Crows play into Alina Starkov’s story.

Movies, Streaming, Video Games1 Comment

Prepare for ‘Mortal Kombat’ with the New Trailer

February 18, 2021May 15, 2021 Mike Manalo

It’s finally here! Warner Bros and New Line unleashed the first official trailer for Mortal Kombat! And with every blood-soaking, bone-snapping moment, they’ve made it clear that this is the uber-violent gore fest that we never got in the original campy (yet classic) 1995 film! This is the R-rated brutality initially promised to us when we first picked up the controllers to our Sega Genesis and selected our fighters! And I guarantee, that’s something so many of us have been waiting so long to finally see! And at long last it is finally here. So prepare yourself… for Mortal Kombat!

Movies, Streaming, Video Games

Get Over Here, Character Posters from ‘Mortal Kombat’

February 17, 2021May 15, 2021 Mike Manalo

T-Minus 18 hours until the trailer drops for the Mortal Kombat reboot, and WB has revealed more character posters than Shang Tsung has souls! The character posters are our first glimpse at characters like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Kung Lao, Kano, Sonya Blade, Mileena, and more! The motion posters are all on Twitter and look really epic, like this one of Scorpion:

Fantasy, Streaming, Television

Netflix Releases First Look and Character Posters of ‘Shadow and Bone’

January 27, 2021May 15, 2021 Laura Sirikul

Netflix has just released the first look images and character posters for their new anticipated series Shadow and Bone.

Based on Leigh Bardugo’s best-selling Grishaverse novels, Shadow and Bone is set in a war-torn world where lowly soldier and orphan Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) has just unleashed an extraordinary power that could be the key to setting her country free. With the monstrous threat of the Shadow Fold looming, Alina is torn from everything she knows to train as part of an elite army of magical soldiers known as Grisha. But as she struggles to hone her power, she finds that allies and enemies can be one and the same and that nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. There are dangerous forces at play, including a crew of charismatic criminals, and it will take more than magic to survive.

Fantasy, Literature, Movies, Streaming

New Trailer for ‘Roald Dahl’s The Witches’ Magically Appears

October 2, 2020May 15, 2021 Mike Manalo

For any Roald Dahl fan who grew up in the ’90s, the original The Witches starring the incomparable Anjelica Huston, was a staple of cinematic Halloween entertainment, serving as one of the best (if not the best) Dahl adaptations ever, as well as a traumatic nightmare of kid-friendly terror that was as horrifying as it was wonderful!

Fantasy, Movies, Sci Fi3 Comments

The New ‘Dune’ Trailer has The Spice! Plus Q&A from the Cast and Director

September 9, 2020September 9, 2020 Mike Manalo

This morning, Warner Bros. unveiled the first trailer for the most anticipated movie event of the year — the long awaited, big budget adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. Directed by visionary master, Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, Sicario), and starring literally every big name in Hollywood — Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem — the trailer gave us our first glimpse of the members of House Atreides, Arrakis (the planet commonly referred to as Dune), and of course, giant motherf**king sandworms! Given Villeneuve’s work visually and thematically, as well as the charismatic, strong leads anchoring his vision, I think it’s safe to say WB has a utter game changer on their hands! See for yourselves:

Interview, Sci Fi, Television3 Comments

Surviving the ‘Snowpiercer’ with Jaylin Fletcher

May 14, 2020May 14, 2020 Mike Manalo

On Sunday, May 17, the Snowpiercer will ride again! Snowpiercer, the new TV-adaptation of the amazing 2013 Bong Joon-Ho film, and the graphic novel the movie was based on, will be premiering this weekend. And to celebrate the premiere of the show, The Nerds of Color was able to sit down with one of its stars, Jaylin Fletcher, who plays Miles on the show, to get the skinny on the show, working with Daveed Diggs, Marvel-movie dreams, and his hopes for what audiences take away from this ambitious show:

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