The Middle Geeks Episode 23: ‘I Still Hide to Smoke’ and a Plethora of MENA News

We’re joined by Mae’s sister Sonia to discuss the inaugural film of Algerian director Rayhana Obermeyer, I Still Hide to Smoke. How well does this film convey the experiences of living as a woman in Algeria in the mid-1990s? How are the themes explored applicable to women’s issues worldwide? How amazing is Hiam Abbas in the lead role (answer: incredibly amazing as she is in everything.)

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Hard NOC Life 202: Wakanda Vision

Shawn, Dominic, Keith, and Jamal return for an all-new episode of Hard NOC Life. This week, the fellas discuss the latest episode of WandaVision, news of a Wakanda series for Disney+, and what the latest DC Comics event reboot means for The Rock.

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Hard NOC Life 201: GameStop the Presses

When fans mobilize, they can upend the stock market or convince a multi-billion dollar corporation to release a director’s cut of a box office bomb. This week on Hard NOC Life, Shawn, Dominic, Keith, and Jamal look at how the nerds took over the news cycle.

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FDI Cast 97: The Wonder of Movies

We recorded this on Tuesday, before the fuckery of Wednesday sooooooooooooo kinda fuck everything. We talk about what it would take to get us to go back in to theaters when we’re all immune to the ‘rona.

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The Middle Geeks Episode 21: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ and its MENA Issues

We are joined by the wonderful Hanna Flint to discuss Wonder Woman 1984 in this special bonus episode! We discuss the various ups and downs of the film, how well we thought the actors did with the script and story they had, and whether this movie did Diana Prince/Wonder Woman justice. We also discuss the many racist and Orientalist aspects of its depiction of Egypt and Egyptian people, and how detrimental it is for MENA representation. There’s a LOT to discuss, and we go through it all. Enjoy listening!

Spoilers for Wonder Woman 1984 begin around 11:26.

TW for discussion of rape and sexual assault 11:44 -12:57

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NOC Review: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Wish Granted

So real talk time: I’m sure this won’t make me very popular, but I’m not a fan of 2017’s Wonder Woman. I think it’s a movie with a lot of really good ideas, some really terrible villains, a lot of bad acting (the terrible, cartoony “Boris and Natasha Show” that is Danny Huston and Dr. Poison, along with Mortal Kombat Lupin at the end), and a terrible final act that invalidates some of the best themes introduced in the first two-thirds of the movie (Steve explains to Diana that wars don’t just end because one person dies, then 20 minutes later she kills Ares and the war ends). So for me to go into Wonder Woman 1984 expecting more of the same, but coming out, not just surprised, but actually quite happy should be a testament to how much I think the film improves on its predecessor. As a film, I think it’s not only going to make the millions of fans of the first happy, but also make believers out of the skeptical, like myself. And that, I think, all comes from the incredible storyteller that is Patty Jenkins (with a great assist from Geoff Johns).

**Please note, it’s a bit difficult to get into the intricacies of what I liked about the movie without diving into some spoilers, so please be warned, and feel free to skip ahead to the final verdict if you don’t want details spoiled for you! (Then come back and read this after you see it.)**

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Bringing the ‘Wonder’ Back with Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot of ‘Wonder Woman 1984’

You may be looking at the title of this article and saying to yourself, “yeah… but what does that really mean?” Truth be told part of it was my self-indulgent way of pretending to be clever by using the double entendre about the long-awaited screen return of Diana Prince, courtesy of the amazing duo of director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot.

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Arabian Sights

The Middle Geeks Episode 18: DC’s Arabian Sights Festival and DC’s MENA Heroes

This month we’re discussing films we watched as part of Washington DC’s Arabian Sights Film festival. With films from Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia, and more, this festival conveys the array of work being done by MENA filmmakers and we are so excited to share our thoughts with all of you! But before that, we discuss the exciting news of DC/Warner Brothers casting Iranian-American actress Sarah Shahi for Black Adam, the not-so-exciting news of Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins teaming up for a Cleopatra film, and a continuation of our discussion of “cancel culture” regarding a certain Chris (he’s a rich white cis-het man, he’ll be fine y’all). Enjoy listening!

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DC FanDome: Get Ready to Explore the Multiverse

Upon its announcement the DC FanDome experience was going to showcase four separate rooms to explore and a full schedule of DC fan experiences that users could choose from to create a customized itinerary. However, as you can see from the incredible Hall of Heroes event itself two weeks ago, there was just too much awesome to contain to one day.

So on September 12, for 24 hours, get ready to return to the FanDome, to explore the multiverse!

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DC FanDome: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Dazzles!

By Contributing Writer, Stephanie Wu

Wonder Woman 1984’s second trailer debuted at DC FanDome, kicking off DC Comic’s first virtual fan event. With a generous sprinkle of sweet moments shared by Diana and a much more wondrous Steve after their reunion, the film’s second trailer featured several fight sequences and gives a solid glimpse at Cheetah, Diana’s colleague-turned-villain played by Kristen Wiig.

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DC FanDome: ‘Shazam 2’ Has a Title

Hands down, my favorite movie in the DCEU, and probably the biggest surprise of 2019, was Shazam! Directed by David F. Sandberg, and starring the brilliant Zachary Levi and Asher Angel, along with the charismatic Jack Dylan Grazer, the film really brought a wonderfully charming superhero-spin on Big, while remaining completely faithful to the New 52 run of the characters. It was funny, different, and most of all, unexpectedly full of heart. Today at the DC FanDome, the cast was reunited once more to talk about  not talk about insights for the upcoming sequel!

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DC FanDome: Dwayne Johnson Stakes His Claim as ‘Black Adam’

Watching wrestling as a kid both fascinated and horrified me. To have to step into a ring, in front of tens of thousands of cheering and jeering audience members, was no simple feat in my eyes.

If The Rock wasn’t your favorite in the late ’90s and early 2000s, we probably didn’t talk much. It’s no wonder he was the go-to pick to portray Black Adam on the big screen, and during Saturday’s DC FanDome panel, he made it clear to other heroes and heroines in the DC universe he wasn’t to be trifled with.

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DC FanDome: Zack Snyder Brings the Hype with Surprise Guests and #SnyderCut Teaser

I am a Marvel fanboy. I always have been. DC has been kind to my youth, don’t get me wrong, but as the last several years have attested, it’s been difficult holding our collective breath for a superhero movie from DC that didn’t get immense flack. I won’t lie to you — I’ve goaded friends, some more than others, for rallying behind something like #TheSnyderCut back in 2017.

Fast forward a handful of years and a whole lot of headlines to Saturday’s Snyder Cut panel at DC FanDome and… I’m sold.

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DC FanDome: ‘Flashpoint’ Teased in DCEU’s ‘The Flash’

DC FanDome’s DCEU Flash panel was a short one. Or rather, it went by in a flash.

Bad pun aside, the panel was a little disappointing content-wise, especially when put up against Wonder Woman 1984. No plot or title was revealed. No new casting announcements. But what little we did get with respect to the film’s concept is sure to keep DC fandom occupied with speculation.

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DC FanDome: Enter ‘The Suicide Squad’

Oh man, the anticipation is killing me! Today during DC FanDome, James Gunn and the full cast of The Suicide Squad, including Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, Alice Braga, John Cena, Viola Davis, and more took to the internet to share some awesome announcements and fun for fans across the world, who have been waiting on pins and needles for the eagerly awaited follow-up. And my god. I think they may have just won the whole DC FanDome experience!

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DC FanDome Now Two Separate Events + New Trailer

For the past few weeks we’ve been hard at work covering the hotly anticipated DC Fandome, and today we got some new developments! Given how jam-packed with amazing content the event was going to be, the good folks at DC and Warner have decided to split the event into two days!

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HBO Max to Release the Snyder Cut of ‘Justice League’ After All

What will DC stans tweet at Warner Bros., now that Zack Snyder’s Justice League has officially been announced as part of the HBO Max lineup in 2021?

In other news, HBO Max will be available to more cable subscribers — including Cox and Verizon — which means if you already have HBO, then you’ll also have it to the Max.

See the official Snyder Cut press release after the jump.

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‘Birds of Prey’ is An Asian American Aesthetic Superhero Movie I’ve Always Wanted

Holy batshit, batpeople, Birds of Prey is powerful. It is an action-comedy escapade about a squad of DC Comics’ most beloved women characters, including Harley Quinn, Huntress, Black Canary, Renee Montoya, and Cassandra Cain. The film also does a thing which may befittingly fly under the radar: it displays a distinctly Asian American artistic aesthetic in the context of a modern superhero movie. I’ll belabor the question of “WTF is an Asian American artistic aesthetic?” only upon request, because it is so arguable and amorphous and also other a-words, I would never get to blabbing about the movie. To paraphrase the dude in Gladiator, “anything more than a whisper and it would vanish.” To brutally essentialize it, some artworks are more Asian American** than they are Asian or American, although they still may be both, and neither. I’ll attempt to argue for why Birds of Prey is exactly this.

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Fantabulous ‘Birds of Prey’ Really Takes Off

Separated from the Suicide Squad and dumped by the Joker, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), wants to move on but is not sure how. She’s kept the breakup a secret but wants to reveal it’s over.  She comes up with the bright idea to blow up the location where they confessed their love for one another. Harley Quinn gets away with just about anything around Gotham because people are scared of the Joker’s wrath. Once that relationship is gone, though, all hell breaks loose for her as this sends a message that she’s no longer under the Clown Prince’s protection. Oops.

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The ‘Birds of Prey’ Egg Sandwich Explained

With the release of DC’s Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of the One Harley Quinn), many have been wondering about one particular scene when Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) describes in detail about obtaining the perfect egg sandwich for her breakfast. The way Harley describes the egg sandwich could almost be told from a sexual point of view or just how we, and many people, describe food. Unfortunately for Harley, she does not get to enjoy the egg sandwich due to the fact she ends up being chased by Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) and it drops to the floor.

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Ella Jay Basco is Ready to be Batgirl

When Ella Jay Basco got the call to play Cassandra Cain, aka Batgirl, in DC’s Birds of Prey, the first thing she did was cry tears of joy.

“I didn’t think it was real,” said Basco over the phone. “I broke down into tears. I never really expected that it would be like this because it’s just so crazy. I really broke down into tears. I couldn’t believe it. It was super emotional, but I was so happy.”

Still reveling from the Birds of Prey premiere in London the night before, Basco was enjoying her first full press junket. “It’s a lot of fun,” said Basco as she prepares for a full weekend of questions.

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Changing “Harleywood” with the ‘Birds of Prey’

Change is in the air, ladies and gentleman! And this weekend, Los Angeles got a taste of that, when Margot Robbie, director Cathy Yan, and the full cast and crew of Birds of Prey took over Hollywood, in a gloriously chaotic stunt that turned the city into “Harleywood” for four-straight mayhem-fueled days. The massive Hollywood and Highland Center was home to the outfits, vehicles, and props of the film, as well as special photo activations and makeup demonstrations.

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The ‘Birds of Prey’ Wish You a Happy Lunar New Year

This weekend marks the beginning of the Year of the Rat. To celebrate, one of the stars of the upcoming Birds of Prey movie — Cassandra Cain herself, Ella Jay Basco! — recorded a special Lunar New greeting exclusively for The Nerds of Color in front of the latest trailer. Check it out!

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