NOC Review: ‘Love Hurts’ is a Sweet But Messy Valentine

February 6, 2025February 6, 2025 Mike Manalo

Last year I reviewed an action movie that I had incredibly high hopes for based on its cast and action-proficient filmmakers, called Argylle. While the movie had its moments, ultimately, it was a pretty big mess. A little over a year to the date at which that film premiered, I found myself about 70 minutes into Love Hurts thinking, “This is 2025’s Argylle; just only slightly better.” That is not really a great thing.

Interview, Martial Arts, Movies1 Comment

‘Love Hurts’ Star Daniel Wu on Asian Representation in Cinema

February 4, 2025 Mike Manalo

Love Hurts starring Ke Huy Quan is hitting theaters this Friday. In the film, Quan’s Marvin Gable finds the ultimate villain in Daniel Wu’s Alvin “Knuckles” Gable, Marvin’s brother. After all, you can’t have an epic series of stunts and fights from the team behind John Wick, without two incredible forces of action leading the charge. Recently we were given the tremendous opportunity to chat with Wu about his role in the movie, as well as Asian representation in cinema.

Martial Arts, Movies

Ke Huy Quan to be Immortalized at TCL Chinese Theater

January 31, 2025February 1, 2025 Mike Manalo

Despite its historic and ironic namesake, the TCL Chinese Theater has seen only a handful of hand and foot print ceremonies for Asian and Asian American actors. Naturally, this can be attributed to the lack of Asian and Asian American representation in cinematic history overall. However, with that now changing gradually, it fills us with joy to learn that on February 3rd, a new legend will join the ranks of Jackie Chan, James Hong, John Woo, and Justin Lin in this tremendous honor: Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan!

Movies, Trailers

The Trailer for ‘Love Hurts’ Packs a Punch

October 22, 2024October 23, 2024 Mike Manalo

We previously reported that a new action movie, starring Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose, was officially in the works from 87 North (John Wick, Nobody, The Fall Guy). Well happy to say that today we got our first trailer for the film, formerly known as With Love, now titled Love Hurts.

Movies

Production Officially Starts on Ke Huy Quan Action Vehicle ‘With Love’

April 3, 2024 Mike Manalo

We know Ke Huy Quan can kick ass. We’ve seen it in Everything Everywhere All at Once. So it’s only logical to give the man his own action role! And it’s exciting to hear that production has officially started on that action film, With Love!

Streaming, Television1 Comment

‘American Born Chinese’ Teaser Announces Full List of Guest Stars

February 10, 2023March 12, 2023 Michael Lee

The cast of Disney’s live-action adaptation of American Born Chinese was already stacked with the likes of Academy Award-Nominees and Golden Globe winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) joining Ben Wang (Chang Can Dunk), and two-time International Emmy Award nominee Yeo Yann Yann (Wet Season), Chin Han (Mortal Kombat), Daniel Wu (Reminiscence), former Taekwondo champion Jimmy Liu, and Sydney Taylor (Just Add Magic).

Conventions, Streaming

D23Expo: ‘American Born Chinese’ Stars Ben Wang and Daniel Wu Talk Representation

September 11, 2022September 11, 2022 Michael Lee

The D23 Expo may be near its end, but that doesn’t mean the news cycle has stopped. While ot the press line, The Nerds of Color had the chance to talk to Ben Wang and Daniel Wu, the stars of the upcoming Disney+ original series, American Born Chinese.

Comics, Streaming

Disney+’s ‘American Born Chinese’ Series Finds its Cast

February 7, 2022February 7, 2022 Michael Lee

Shortly after Disney released Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, director Destin Daniel Cretton signed on to helm a series adaptation of Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese. The genre-hopping action-comedy series is described as “a great universal story that moves between worlds and explores the impact of culture, identity, and acceptance through the lens of adolescence.” And now, the series has found its cast.

Interview, Movies, Sci Fi

‘Reminiscence’ Star Daniel Wu is a Saint

August 18, 2021August 18, 2021 Keith Chow

Recently, I had the pleasure to talk to the icon Daniel Wu about his role in the new Warner Bros. film, Reminiscence. In it, Wu plays the villainous Saint Joe, but does so in a way that upends the stereotype of the “Asian villain.” Of course, The NOC is no stranger to Wu’s body of work, having championed every season of AMC’s Into the Badlands.

Movies, Sci Fi

Inside the Music of ‘Reminiscence’

August 18, 2021August 18, 2021 Mike Manalo

This week, Warner Bros. releases Reminiscence, from the terrific Lisa Joy (co-creator of Westworld), in theaters and on HBO Max. And to celebrate, The Nerds of Color was recently invited to a virtual roundtable with Joy, Grammy-nominated music producer Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman, musical artist Lonr, and legendary composer Ramin Djawadi (Iron Man, Pacific Rim, Game of Thrones, Westworld). Together they discussed the process of writing and composing the moody tones featured in the film, as well as Lonr’s original song for the film, “Save My Love.”

Interview, Movies, Sci Fi1 Comment

On a Journey with Lisa Joy, Director of ‘Reminiscence’ + a Clip From the Movie

August 17, 2021August 17, 2021 Keith Chow

This Friday, Warner Bros. will be releasing Reminiscence, an original high-concept, sci-fi film noir, in theaters and on HBO Max. In a world where IP reigns supreme, to have a non-franchise, non-sequel get such a wide release is almost unheard of nowadays. The only person in recent memory who has been able to open an original blockbuster is Christopher Nolan. But, as Reminiscence points out, we can’t always rely on memory. What matters is the here and now, and right now is Lisa Joy’s time. If anyone can successfully tell a high concept sci-fi story, I’ll put my money on the co-creator of Westworld — who just so happens to be Nolan’s sister-in-law.

Movies, Sci Fi

First Trailer for Lisa Joy’s ‘Reminiscence’ is Finally Here

June 3, 2021June 3, 2021 Keith Chow

The Greatest Showman stars Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson genre-swap the technicolor movie musical for sun-kissed film noir as they reunite for the mind-bending action thriller, Reminiscence. Lisa Joy takes her Westworld sensibilities to the big screen, making her directorial debut — and re-teaming with Thandiwe Newton — with another project that has characters navigating between reality and reverie.

Check out the first trailer for the noir-ish thriller below!

Hard N.O.C. Life, Martial Arts, Podcasts

Lewis Tan Shatters Through The Badlands

May 11, 2018May 8, 2020 Hard NOC Media

It’s been a hell of a year for Lewis Tan. And for the next seven days, it’s going to be one hell of a week! An O.G. and official Friend of the NOC, Lewis Tan is back on Hard NOC Life.

Continue reading “Lewis Tan Shatters Through The Badlands”

Martial Arts, Television4 Comments

Three Reasons Why I’m Giving ‘Into the Badlands’ Another Shot

March 29, 2018August 17, 2021 Monique

Originally posted at Just Add Color

The last time I wrote about Into the Badlands on this site, I was… distressed. Veil died in the Season 2 finale, after being tortured for basically the entire season.

Hard N.O.C. Life, Movies, Television1 Comment

Daniel Wu Unlocks the Secrets of ‘Tomb Raider’ and ‘Into the Badlands’

March 9, 2018May 8, 2020 Hard NOC Media

On Hard NOC Life, Keith is joined by one of the stars of Warner Brothers’ upcoming Tomb Raider movie, Daniel Wu!

Continue reading “Daniel Wu Unlocks the Secrets of ‘Tomb Raider’ and ‘Into the Badlands’”

Martial Arts, Recaps10 Comments

NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?

May 22, 2017May 22, 2017 Keith Chow

So that happened.

We’ve been singing the praises of Into the Badlands all season, but man, that death was disappointing. I’ll keep the spoiler about which character(s) met their ultimate demise until after the jump. Just know that it has made me reevaluate how I feel about this show.

Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?”

Hard N.O.C. Life, Martial Arts, Television3 Comments

Waiting for the Into the Badlands Finale

May 19, 2017May 19, 2017 The Nerds of Color

The second season of AMC’s Into the Badlands concludes on Sunday, so our intrepid live tweeter Laura Sirikul joins Keith to look back on one of our favorite shows! Of course, they can’t help juxtaposing Ballands and Iron Fist, but they also explain Daniel Wu’s previous comments about whitewashing and why Oliver Stark needs to be a guest on a future episode. They also share their predictions about the finale and how Keith decided to mashup Badlands and Hamilton for #IntoTheHamLands.

Continue reading “Waiting for the Into the Badlands Finale”

Martial Arts, Recaps1 Comment

NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: Disciplined Dissidents

May 16, 2017May 16, 2017 Keith Chow

In a fateful example of perfect timing, the airing of Into the Badlands episode nine, titled “Nightingale Sings No More,” coincided with Mother’s Day. So how does the Badlands writing crew celebrate mothers? By ripping their babies away from them, locking them in solitary confinement, and having them duel their daughters in deadly sword-to-sword combat, of course! More on that in a minute…

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Martial Arts, Recaps3 Comments

NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: Equal, Opposite Reactions

May 8, 2017May 8, 2017 Keith Chow

There are few nerdy pursuits that bring me a lot of pure joy anymore. Hamilton, of course, is one, and Into the Badlands is the other. And like what the homie Shawn Taylor said, sometimes it just feels better to big up a thing you love than to tear down something you don’t. That’s why I love giving these HamLands recaps to you, the people. One, unwarranted Hamilton references is kinda my thing — just ask my poor family. And two, the hashtag Into the HamLands — which was initially designed to house Badlands-specific Hamilton puns, IS BEING USED BY THE CAST AND WRITERS OF THE SHOW! (Badlands, that is. Still waiting for Lin to chime in.)

So when Veil herself tweeted this gem below, I knew it had to be the title of this week’s ‘cap!

Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: Equal, Opposite Reactions”

Martial Arts, Recaps4 Comments

NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: What is a Legacy?

May 3, 2017May 4, 2017 Keith Chow

Apologies for the delay in getting this weeks Badlands recap out¹. I know how much you anticipate my weekly Hamilton references! It was probably a good thing that I didn’t watch this episode live though. Not sure I would’ve been able to sleep had I seen Artemis haunt my television right before going to bed!

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Martial Arts, Recaps5 Comments

NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: A Winter’s Brawl

April 26, 2017April 26, 2017 Keith Chow

Despite my better judgement, I went with a Hamilton pun this week rather than straight up lyrics from the show. Couldn’t help it. The fight scene between the Abbots and Sunny’s old and new sidekicks — juxtaposed against a Christmas-y backdrop, no less — was a highlight! Before settling on “A Winter’s Ball” wordplay, the other obvious number to reference was Jasmine Cephas-Jones’ showstopper “Say No to This,” thanks to twitter user @Bespectacled_Cy!

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Martial Arts, Recaps2 Comments

NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: A Glimpse of the Other Side

April 17, 2017April 17, 2017 Keith Chow

Another week, another Into the Badlands recap that takes its cue from a Hamilton song. While it’s pretty obvious that I’m quoting Lin-Manuel’s soliloquy from the end of “The World Was Wide Enough” — fittingly about the lead-up and aftermath of a duel not unlike what Quinn and Ryder did last week — this week’s subtitle has as much to do with #GhostRyder as it does with the return of Sunny and Bajie who are just on the other side of the Badlands as well. And speaking of “other sides,” we see some characters aligning with other sides too. But really, it’s all about Quinn’s son on the other side.

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Martial Arts, Recaps5 Comments

NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: You Don’t Have the Votes

April 10, 2017April 17, 2017 Keith Chow

Once again, we’re venturing back Into the Badlands as we finally get to see the much anticipated Baron Conclave. Last week, if you recall, we saw Minerva and Waldo arrive at Ryder’s estate to take part in the gathering. Basically, this is when all of the barons in the Badlands come together to sign agreements and hash out differences — without swords. Mostly. This particular conclave has been convened to vote on whether the Widow is allowed to even be a baron. Debates ensue, and all I can think of are the lyrics for both “Cabinet Battle” tracks from Hamilton.

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