A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’

September 9, 2024September 9, 2024 Edward Hong

It’s not often I encounter a play that clocks in at over three hours and when I do, it better be gosh darn worth it with the play’s writing, acting, and directing at the top of its game. Fortunately, the new Pasadena Playhouse production of Cyrano de Bergerac (by Edmond Rostand and freely adapted by Martin Crimp) directed by Mike Donahue earns its long stay by imbuing you with such crackling energy and wit that burns all the way through, never leaving you bored or restless.

Marvel, Movies

Building a Universe with the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ VFX Crew

December 8, 2023 Mike Manalo

Crafting any studio blockbuster is a challenging endeavor. Worlds and galaxies begin with the ideas of a gifted writer or director (or both in the case of James Gunn), but have to become reality. And that’s really where so much time, energy, and effort from hard working individuals, such as the VFX team from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 come into the picture.

Marvel, Movies

Lessons in High Evolution with the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Hair and Makeup Team

December 7, 2023 Mike Manalo

Gamora. Nebula. The High Evolutionary. Humanimals. Believe it or not, these specific larger than life characters aren’t made using VFX. They’ve been meticulously brought to life by some of the most unsung heroes in the entire entertainment industry: the incredible hair and makeup crew of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3!

Hard N.O.C. Life, Marvel

Hard NOC Life 311: Gunn’s Goodbye to the ‘Guardians’

May 8, 2023 Hard NOC Media

Keith and Britney welcome Mike Manalo back to Hard NOC Life to discuss his review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and reflect on his conversations with the film’s lead hero and villain, Chris Pratt and Chukwudi Iwuji.

Marvel, Movies, Sci Fi

An Intergalactic Look Back at the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’

May 5, 2023May 8, 2023 Mike Manalo

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now officially in theaters. And while we have had a tremendous week celebrating the release of the new film with our review and interviews, we wanted to call out that the timing of the film’s debut coincides with National Space Day!

Interview, Marvel, Movies1 Comment

How ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Star Chukwudi Iwuji Evolves the MCU Villain

May 4, 2023 Mike Manalo

It’s Guardians Vol. 3 Week here at The Nerds of Color. We dropped our review here on Monday! On Tuesday we brought you our fun conversation with Star Lord, himself, Chris Pratt. And today we are proud to present our terrific interview with the film’s big bad, Chukwudi Iwuji, who plays The High Evolutionary!

Marvel, Movies

Playing the Final Track at the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Press Conference

May 3, 2023May 3, 2023 Mike Manalo

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters this Friday! And to celebrate the release of one of the biggest movies of the year, we at The Nerds of Color were invited to attend the press conference for the final installment in James Gunn’s space opera trilogy! Keep reading to see what Gunn, as well as the cast, and producer Kevin Feige, had to say about the final chapter in perhaps the best superhero trilogy of all time!

Interview, Marvel, Movies1 Comment

Rocking Out with the Legendary Star-Lord: Chris Pratt from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

May 2, 2023May 3, 2023 Mike Manalo

It has been an emotional journey guardians! But sadly, it’s time to face the music. This week Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters, bringing one of the greatest superhero trilogies of all time to a close with one final track.

Marvel, Movies, Reviews4 Comments

NOC Review: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ is James Gunn’s Marvel Magnum Opus

May 1, 2023June 13, 2023 Mike Manalo

What an incredible journey it has been for the galaxy’s favorite a-holes! But all good things must come to an end, be it an Infinity Saga or a cosmic journey about a dysfunctional family of losers who band together to win each other (and the audience) over.

Marvel, Movies

New Featurette for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Debuts with Feeling

April 6, 2023April 7, 2023 Mike Manalo

All good things must come to an end. And the journey director James Gunn and the cast of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise (as well as the entire MCU) has been an interstellar one of epic proportions. But sadly, we have one final ride with these misfits when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 debuts in the beginning of May. To celebrate, Marvel Studios has dropped a new featurette for the film. Take a look here!

Marvel, Movies

New Poster and Soundtrack Details Revealed for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 Mike Manalo

Everyone! This is not a drill! Tickets have officially dropped for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3! But that’s not all. Today, to celebrate tickets going on sale, Marvel Studios has revealed several new posters for the film, and (most importantly) the full list of songs from Awesome Mix Vol. 3!

Marvel, Movies

The Super Bowl Trailer for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Has Arrived

February 12, 2023February 12, 2023 Mike Manalo

As we get ready for the big game, we also prepare for our first glimpses of the year’s biggest movies! And they don’t come any bigger than everyone’s favorite galaxy-trotting A-Holes.

Marvel, Movies

Marvel Studios Drops ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Trailer

December 1, 2022December 1, 2022 Mike Manalo

Wow. CCXP has been an absolute treasure trove of goodies. We already got a new trailer and official title for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. And you’d think that’d be enough to top the day. But nope! James Gunn and Marvel Studios just had to bring more goodies! We now have an official trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3!

Conventions, Marvel

SDCC 2022: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Will Honor Rocket’s Origins

July 26, 2022July 26, 2022 Laura Sirikul

The third and final Guardians movie in the James Gunn-saga will come to an end in May 2023. Fans at San Diego Comic-Con were treated with a teaser trailer — giving us a glimpse of what the story will be about.

DC Comics, Streaming

It’s Official: ‘Peacemaker’ Coming Back for Second Season

February 16, 2022February 16, 2022 Mike Manalo

Do you really wanna, do you really wanna taste it? Hell yeah we really do! Peacemaker has proven to be a breakout critical and commercial hit for HBO Max! And we are officially getting more of him!

DC Comics, Interview, Streaming

Stealing the Show with ‘Peacemaker’ Star Alison Araya

January 17, 2022January 17, 2022 Mike Manalo

Hey nerds! Just when you thought we were done with Peacemaker… surprise! We have one more interview to share with you all. Hopefully, everyone has seen the first three episodes that premiered on Thursday. If not, you need to get on that immediately so you can check out Alison Araya’s scene stealing performance in Episode 2.

DC Comics, Streaming

Gunn-ing for Peace: James Gunn on ‘Peacemaker’

January 14, 2022January 14, 2022 Mike Manalo

Genius. Gonzo. Hilarious. Surreal. All four adjectives typically go hand-in-hand when speaking about the work of Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad mastermind, James Gunn. Indeed, the master filmmaker has been putting his unique, identifiable stamp on every project he’s shepherded since the first film he wrote — 1997’s Tromeo and Juliet. And from there, Gunn’s star has only grown brighter, serving as a testament to how sometimes, Hollywood gets it right, and rightfully rewards the talented.

DC Comics, Streaming

Do You Want to Taste the Glorious ‘Peacemaker’ Opening Credits?

January 14, 2022February 16, 2022 Mike Manalo

I said it in my review already. Peacemaker has THE MOST GLORIOUS opening credits sequence ever in the history of television! That’s not an exaggeration! Now HBO Max has officially released the sequence in full, in all of its amazingness for you and everyone to now create TikTok homages to! But enough talk! Shut up and dance!

DC Comics, Interview, Television

Cherishing Peace with ‘Peacemaker’ Stars John Cena and Jennifer Holland

January 13, 2022January 13, 2022 Mike Manalo

Today is the day! DC’s Peacemaker is finally here, streaming now on HBO Max! All this week we’ve had the pleasure of bringing you some ridiculously fun interviews with the stars and producers of of the series. But today, in celebration of Peacemaker Premiere Day, we are proud to present to you our interview with Peacemaker and Harcourt themselves: John Cena and Jennifer Holland!

DC Comics, Interview, Television1 Comment

Chatting All Things ‘Peacemaker’ with Robert Patrick, Steve Agee, and Peter Safran

January 12, 2022January 12, 2022 Mike Manalo

It’s Day 3 of our Countdown to HBO Max’s Peacemaker! So far this week we’ve had the opportunity to share interviews with stars Chukwudi Iwuji, Freddie Stroma, and executive producer Matt Miller. And today we are unveiling our interview with two of the best character actors out there, and one stellar producer: Robert Patrick, Steve Agee, and Peter Safran!

DC Comics, Interview, Television1 Comment

Getting Nuts with ‘Peacemaker’ Star Freddie Stroma and Executive Producer Matt Miller

January 11, 2022January 11, 2022 Mike Manalo

We’re continuing on with our countdown to the premiere of HBO Max’s Peacemaker here at The Nerds of Color! And for Day 2, we have a real doozy! If you all thought John Cena was nuts as the uber-violent, yet utterly hilarious Christopher Smith (aka Peacemaker), wait until you get a load of the completely insane and uproariously funny Adrian Chase (aka Vigilante) played by the amazing scene stealer, Freddie Stroma!

DC Comics, Interview, Television1 Comment

‘Peacemaker’ Star Chukwudi Iwuji on Leading Project: Butterfly

January 10, 2022January 10, 2022 Mike Manalo

It’s day one of our countdown to the premiere of DC’s Peacemaker on HBO Max! And today we’re debuting the first interview in our upcoming series of features celebrating the return of John Cena’s outlandish vigilante from The Suicide Squad! We were lucky enough to get a personal 1:1 with one of the series’ breakout stars, Chukwudi Iwuji!

DC Comics, Television3 Comments

Countdown to ‘Peacemaker’ on The Nerds of Color This Week

January 9, 2022March 1, 2022 Mike Manalo

Hey Nerds! Mike here! As many of you who’ve read my reviews for Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad know, I’m something of a sucker for James Gunn’s bizarre band of DC misfits. And this week, you’ll get to enjoy the insanity yourself, as Gunn and John Cena unleash the further adventures of Christopher Smith (aka Peacemaker), when Peacemaker officially debuts on HBO Max, this Thursday, January 13!