NOC Review: ‘Freakier Friday’ is a Fun, Chaotic Nostalgic Charmer

August 7, 2025August 7, 2025 Mike Manalo

From The Parent Trap to Mean Girls, Lindsay Lohan’s dominance in pop culture through the late ‘90s/early ‘00s was inescapable. And with good cause, because some of those films went on to become true classics, with many getting a second life with either musical remakes (Mean Girls) or in the case of Freaky Friday, legacy sequels. Surprisingly, that’s actually a great thing, because with Freakier Friday, the movies aren’t the only things getting a second life. Welcome back, Lohan!

Movies, Video Games

‘Borderlands’ LA Fan Event Takes Over Hollywood

August 9, 2024August 9, 2024 Mike Manalo

Borderlands, the new video game adaptation, is officially hitting theaters today. This week Lionsgate held a special fan event for hardcore gamers, and the stars were out to celebrate with them!

Conventions, Movies, Video Games1 Comment

Exploring the ‘Borderlands’ at Moxxi’s Bar During SDCC 2024

July 30, 2024August 9, 2024 Mike Manalo

This weekend has been an absolute whirlwind of news for genre fans, as San Diego Comic-Con 2024 raged its way through fandom with the latest and greatest news imaginable. We covered some of the Hall H experiences we attended (Marvel Studios and Alien: Romulus), as well as some of the parties (Fandom). However, one of the most fun experiences was the activation for the highly anticipated video game adaptation, Borderlands. Over the weekend, we were able to attend a replica of Moxxi’s Bar from the film and games in real life!

Movies, Video Games

New Trailer for ‘Borderlands’ Explodes onto the Scene

July 24, 2024July 24, 2024 Mike Manalo

Borderlands is almost here folks! And to celebrate the chaos, Lionsgate has dropped a brand new trailer for the highly anticipated video game adaptation! The live action feature adaptation of the popular video game franchise is hitting theaters August 9, and it brings with it an all-star cast including Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon, and Jamie Lee Curtis. And man, if you’ve ever played the games, you know how crazy this is gonna get!

Movies, Trailers, Video Games

Watch the Official Trailer for ‘Borderlands’

February 21, 2024February 21, 2024 Sophia Soto

Welcome to Eli Roth’s Borderlands! That’s right, the best-selling video game franchise is being brought to the big screen by an insanely talented cast, which includes Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Edgar Ramírez, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Horror, Movies, Reviews1 Comment

NOC Review: ‘Haunted Mansion’ is Better than the First but Still Flawed

July 25, 2023July 25, 2023 Mike Manalo

Justin Simien’s Haunted Mansion is hitting theaters this weekend. This is the second attempted to adapt Disney’s beloved attraction The Haunted Mansion into a stellar blockbuster film. The first was the 2003 adaptation that starred Eddie Murphy, which, if I’m being honest, wasn’t great. And thankfully Simien does a little better with the material, but overall, I’m still waiting for a definitive adaptation to materialize.

Horror, Interview, Movies1 Comment

‘Haunted Mansion’ Director Justin Simien Takes Us on a Ride to the Other Side

July 22, 2023July 23, 2023 Mike Manalo

Welcome Foolish Mortals! It’s time to hitch a ride to the other side with the release of Disney’s Haunted Mansion coming on July 28! And to celebrate the transformation of this iconic attraction into a brand new horror family comedy, we managed to speak with the film’s director Justin Simien about what it truly means to be a Nerd of Color, and what his thoughts are on ghosts and the afterlife!

DC Comics, Hard N.O.C. Life

Hard NOC Life 304: ‘Shazam’ Fury of the Pod

March 20, 2023March 20, 2023 Hard NOC Media

On this episode of Hard NOC Life, Keith and Britney say the magic word while breaking down the latest DCEU entry, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and its place in the dysfunctional DC Movie Universe(s). Britney also shares her thoughts on last week’s Academy Awards and the latest episode of The Mandalorian.

Movies, Sci Fi1 Comment

When Something is Nearly ‘Everything’

March 16, 2023November 25, 2024 Bao Phi

There’s no fucking way they’re gonna be able to land this, I thought to myself.

I’m in a movie theater seeing Everything Everywhere All at Once for the first time. I had heard about it long ago, and was cautiously optimistic.

Hard N.O.C. Life, Movies1 Comment

Hard NOC Life 303: Winning Every Oscar Everywhere All At Once with Jeff Yang

March 13, 2023March 13, 2023 Hard NOC Media

Keith is joined by his friend, writer and critic Jeff Yang — author of the forthcoming book, The Golden Screen: The Movies That Made Asian America — to reflect on a historic Oscars ceremony that saw Everything Everywhere All at Once become the most awarded film in Academy history.

Movies, Trailers

Here’s the Teaser Trailer for Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion’

March 2, 2023March 6, 2023 Sophia Soto

It’s finally here: check out the teaser trailer and poster for Disney’s comically creepy adventure, Haunted Mansion! Directed by award-winning filmmaker Justin Simien, the movie will be released in theaters on July 28.

Hard N.O.C. Life, Movies

Hard NOC Life 301: Award Tour

February 27, 2023February 27, 2023 Hard NOC Media

On Hard NOC Life, Keith and Britney take a look at how Everything Everywhere All at Once is doing during the current awards season on its way to the Oscars ceremony in March.

Horror, Interview, Movies

Kyle Richards and Director David Gordon Green Discuss the End of ‘Halloween’

October 14, 2022October 14, 2022 Mike Manalo

The end is here! Today, in theaters and on Peacock, Halloween Ends will conclude the saga of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, that began in 1978. And after an epic week of interviews with the great Jamie Lee Curtis, and rising icons Andi Matichak and Rohan Campbell, we are concluding opening week with a stellar interview with franchise mainstay Kyle Richards and director David Gordon Green!

Horror, Interview, Movies

Andi Matichak and Rohan Campbell on Darkness and Chemistry in ‘Halloween Ends’

October 13, 2022October 13, 2022 Mike Manalo

We are counting down to the end of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode in Halloween Ends, coming this Friday in theaters and on Peacock. Yesterday we were fortunate enough to debut our interview with the great Jamie Lee Curtis. And today, we are pleased to present our spooktacular interview with two of the film’s stars; franchise icon Andi Matichak, who returns as Allyson Nelson and rising icon Rohan Campbell, who plays Corey Cunningham in this latest installment.

Horror, Interview, Movies2 Comments

NOC Interview: Jamie Lee Curtis on Surviving ‘Halloween’

October 12, 2022October 12, 2022 Mike Manalo

In 1978, the face of horror films was changed forever, thanks to the work of master filmmaker, John Carpenter, and the original final girl-turned-legend, Jamie Lee Curtis. Now in 2022, the saga of Laurie Strode and the force of evil that is Michael Myers ends this Friday, when Halloween Ends hits theaters and Peacock. And to celebrate, The Nerds of Color is counting down to the film’s release. And to kick things off, we’re starting with a bang!

Conventions, Movies

D23Expo: ‘Haunted Mansion’ Brings New Scares and Happy Haunts

September 10, 2022April 4, 2023 Michael Lee

It’s the D23Expo, so of course we are going to get to see some exclusive new footage from all kinds of films from their animation and live-action slate. While the studio’s film adaptations of their rides have been more or less a mixed bag, director Justin Simeon, who used to work at Disneyland, seems to embrace the true spirit of the Haunted Mansion.

Movies, Sci Fi

Exclusive Deleted Scene from ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ on Blu-Ray

June 28, 2022July 8, 2022 Keith Chow

In less than one week, the year’s best multiversal adventure will be released on home video. To celebrate, we have an exclusive, never-before-seen clip from the release’s loaded special features!

Horror, Movies

Evil Dies Tonight: ‘Halloween Kills’ Shares New ‘Look Inside’

October 7, 2021October 8, 2021 Jamal Michel

Jamie Lee Curtis assures us that Halloween Kills, the upcoming installment to the iconic Michael Myers and Laurie Strode saga, is a very different movie. In the new featurette from Universal Pictures, director David Gordon Green (Halloween, 2018) talks about raising the stakes with the franchise’s newest film, promising a “bigger, badder, nastier” version of the story we’ve known the last four decades.

Horror, Movies, Streaming

Catch Jamie Lee Curtis in the Final Trailer for ‘Halloween Kills’

September 21, 2021September 23, 2021 Jamal Michel

September is almost over, which means October is here, which means it’s officially spooky season. And what better way to ring in said season than with one of the icons of Halloween? Enter Jamie Lee Curtis in the final trailer for Halloween Kills, coming to theaters and streaming only on Peacock, October 15. The franchise’s latest installment is the 12th in a series that has come to encapsulate the true spirit of the night it’s named after.