Tag: Benedict Cumberbatch

Marvel, Movies

Doctor Strange: Another Rich, White Asshole Courtesy of Marvel

Doctor Strange, directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister), tells the story of Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a gifted neurosurgeon who is wrapped up in his own vanity. After karma executes Stephen’s fate he suffers irreversible damage to his hands, destroying his valued medical career. His desperate search for physical healing takes him to the Far East to a place called Kamar-Taj. There he meets the “Ancient One,” (Tilda Swinton) a mystical witch with undisputed power, and Baron Mordor (Chewitel Ejiofor) one of the chief masters of the Kamar-Taj temple. Strange believes the Ancient One is the key to healing his hands and returning back to the medical field. Little does he know he is smack in the middle of a war between good and evil. His visit to Kamar-Taj will be a turning point for Stephen Strange. He chooses to learn the ways of the arts but isn’t sure if this magical war is a good fit for him.

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Marvel, Movies

Reviewing the Reviews of Marvel’s Doctor Strange

Six months and change after the release of its first trailer — and therefore about the same amount of time since co-writer C. Robert Cargill’s infamous “[t]he social justice warriors were going to get mad at us for something this week” rebuttal to Asian American critics of the film’s whitewashing — the initial reviews are in for Doctor Strange, and they’re not encouraging.

Oh, the movie? Actually, the critics seem to like it just fine. Being The Nerds of Color, however, we’re interested in looking at a different metric. Doctor Strange’s whitewashing of primary character The Ancient One was, after all, one of the driving forces behind the hashtag and rallying cry #whitewashedOUT in May.

So no, this isn’t a review of Doctor Strange the film, but a review of the reviews of the film, using a simple standard: how accurately and humanely did each review portray Asian American dissent over the whitewashing of The Ancient One?

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Guest Post, Marvel, Movies

Tilda Swinton Teaches Doctor Strange the Mystical Asian Stuff

by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

Marvel just dropped the first teaser trailer for Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, who journeys to mystical Asia to learn Mystical Asian Stuff. The trailer also gives us our first glimpse of Tilda Swinton as the Sorcerer Supreme’s mystical mentor, The Ancient One.

Racebent! In typical Hollywood fashion. Many of us were wondering how the movie would handle whitest actress Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, who has been traditionally depicted in the comic books as an old-ass mystical Asian man. Now we have our answer: she is bald.

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Television

Why Elementary is Far Superior to Sherlock

[Ed. note: In most geek circles, the BBC’s modern interpretation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories — starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman — gets most of the praise and attention from fans. In 2012, CBS put its own Sherlock Holmes adaptation on the air in the form of Elementary with Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as the iconic Holmes and Watson. Needless to say, we at the NOC prefer the latter. Here are ten reasons why. — KC]

Oh yes, I go there.

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Comics & Graphic Novels, DC Comics, Movies

Top 15 DC Characters Jason Momoa Could Play in Man of Steel 2

by J. Lamb and Jenn

Earlier today, Keith posted a strong plea for Jason Momoa — who is currently in negotiations to join the cast of Man of Steel 2 — to play the role of Lobo. Keith’s not alone; the internet rumour mill has been spinning full-force since yesterday’s announcement, with plenty of speculation about whom Momoa might play from Doomsday to, well… Doomsday.

After the jump, here are 15 other DC superheroes Jason Momoa could bring to life in Man of Steel 2.

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Hard N.O.C. Life, Roundtable, Star Trek

Star Trek Week: Boldly Going There

What better way to close out Star Trek Week then with a special episode of “Hard N.O.C. Life?”

Joining Keith on the broadcast are newest NOCs writer/professor Shawn Taylor (@reallovepunk) and actress Junko Goda (@GoJunko) as well as returning panelists Jason Sperber (@dad_strangeland), N’Jaila Rhee (@BlasianBytch) and Raymond Chow.

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Movies, Star Trek

I’m a Trekkie and I Loved Into Darkness

STID001I’m an unabashed Trekkie. I grew up on Star Trek: The Next Generation, watching it at my piano teacher’s house between lessons. I watched Deep Space Nine and Voyager religiously when I was home from college. I crushed on the usual suspects — Wesley Crusher, Tom Paris, Harry Kim, and Julian Bashir — and consumed my fair share of Star Trek paperback novels in the lull between new episodes.

I saw every TNG full-length movie at midnight openings in theatres. I own the Star Trek Encyclopedia and even made a point to visit the Las Vegas Star Trek Experience exhibit, when it was still touring.

And, I loved Star Trek Into Darkness (which is being released on DVD and Blu-ray this week).

This didn’t seem particularly unusual to me until I read last month that thousands of Trek fans at the official convention in Vegas had voted Into Darkness the single worst Star Trek film in canon history. They voted it worst behind Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Behind Star Trek: Generations! Behind Star Trek: Insurrection! Behind Star Trek V: I Found God at the Edge of the Freakin’ Universe!!!

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