NOC Review: ‘Presence’ Weaves a Very Familiar Ghost Story

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025 Mike Manalo

The idea of seeing things from the perspective of those who have passed is not a new or innovative concept. From movies like David Lowery’s A Ghost Story to Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lovely Bones, we’ve experienced narratives of tragedy told from the POV of the ghosts acting as protagonists in these stories. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that despite its attempts to liven up the trope, a lot of the notes that director Steven Soderbergh and writer David Koepp hit in Presence are ones that are well trodden.

Interview, Movies1 Comment

Speaking with the Stars of ‘Red One’ from the Top of the Rock

November 20, 2024 Sophia Soto

To celebrate the release of Red One, the cast made history by taking over SKYLIFT at the Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center for a first-of-its-kind photo opportunity in NYC. I was lucky enough to attend and interview Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, J. K. Simmons, Lucy Liu, and Kiernan Shipka!

Interview, Movies3 Comments

Lucy Liu and Kiernan Shipka Discuss Their ‘Red One’ Characters

November 18, 2024 Sophia Soto

Lucy Liu and Kiernan Shipka star as Zoe Harlow and Gryla in Red One. The fun new holiday film is now playing in theaters!

Movies, Trailers

Watch the Official Trailer for ‘Red One’ Starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans

June 25, 2024June 25, 2024 Sophia Soto

Amazon MGM Studios has just shared the official trailer for Red One, which will be released in theaters on November 15. The cast includes Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju, Nick Kroll, Wesley Kimmel, and J.K. Simmons.

Animation, Trailers

‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ Trailer Sees Animals of the Chinese Zodiac Face a Great Evil

January 16, 2024January 17, 2024 Michael Lee

Paramount+ has unleashed a brand-new trailer for The Tiger’s Apprentice, a new animated film based on the popular children’s book series of the same name by Laurence Yep which inserts the mythology of the Chinese Zodiac into a modern-day story about a teenager who discovers that he comes from a long-linage of mystical protectors known as the guardians.

Animation, Movies

Paramount+ Reveals ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ Teaser & Key Art

December 7, 2023December 7, 2023 Laura Sirikul

Paramount+ has announced their next original animated film — The Tiger’s Apprentice. Based on the popular children’s book series of the same name by Laurence Yep, The Tiger’s Apprentice is set to release on the streaming service on February 2 in the U.S.

Animation, Streaming

Netflix’s ‘Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld’ Animated Series to Star Ali Wong

March 29, 2023March 29, 2023 Keith Chow

Netflix has just announced the all-star cast — led by executive producer Ali Wong — for its upcoming supernatural animated series from first time show runner Echo Wu, Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld!

DC Comics, Movies, Reviews3 Comments

NOC Review: ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ Charms a Bit Less than its Predecessor

March 15, 2023March 17, 2023 Mike Manalo

It’s Shazam! Week at The Nerds of Color. And so far, we’ve been incredibly lucky to have been able to chat with stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, and Jack Dylan Grazer about their new film Shazam! Fury of the Gods. And it has been a true honor for us because the first Shazam! film was an absolute delight. However, with Fury of the Gods coming to theaters this Friday, the question becomes — will lightning strike twice? Let’s break down the answer for this right now!

Animation, Movies, Reviews1 Comment

‘Strange World’ Has Tons of Heart Despite its Few Shortcomings

November 21, 2022November 21, 2022 Michael Lee

Many of today’s comics were inspired by the page-turning action-adventure pulp comics of the past. The characters leaped off the page as they ventured into uncharted territory, where all sorts of dangerous creatures awaited them. Some fearlessly took the lead, while others provided a supportive role. And while most were one-dimensional and stereotypical, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Strange World subverts what we know about the genre with its relatable characters, modern themes, and a wholly engaging story about the legacy.

Animation, Movies

‘Strange World’ Featurette Has Cast Promising an Exciting Adventure

November 3, 2022November 3, 2022 Michael Lee

Walt Disney Animation Studios has released the newest featurette for their upcoming feature Strange World. From directors Don Hall (Oscar®-winning Big Hero 6, Raya and the Last Dragon) and co-director/writer Qui Nguyen (co-writer Raya and the Last Dragon), the film is a take on the classic pulp comics of the past and centers on a family exploring a strange world that is just as crazy and bizarre just as it is mysterious, thrilling and mind-blowing.

Animation, Movies

‘Strange World’ Trailer Brings Classic Sci-Fi Adventure with a Bit of Disney Magic

September 21, 2022September 22, 2022 Michael Lee

Walt Disney Animation Studios has released the newest trailer for their latest feature film, Strange World. Directed by Don Hall and Qui Nguyen, both of whom worked together on Raya and the Last Dragon, Strange World follows Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal), a simple farmer who comes from a long line of explorers.

Animation, Movies1 Comment

D23Expo: The Future Classics of Disney Animation

September 10, 2022September 10, 2022 Mike Manalo

Disney is a household name. From the moment we learn to walk or talk, we are exposed to the most legendary stories and cinematic classics that the company has produced over the past 100 years; from Snow White to Encanto.

Conventions, DC Comics, Movies1 Comment

SDCC 2022: DC Shares First Looks at ‘Black Adam’ and ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’

July 27, 2022July 28, 2022 Mike Manalo

With all of the excitement Marvel Studios brought to Hall H on Saturday, it was easy to forget that there was another huge comic book studio bringing upcoming releases to theaters this year: DC. And while they didn’t bring a multi-year plan of tentpoles building up to two major crossover events, they still bought something pretty epic: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson!

DC Comics, Movies

‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ Has Fantasy, Monsters, and Magic

October 16, 2021October 16, 2021 Adonis Gonzalez

During DC’s FanDome 2021 event, Shazam actor’s Asher Angel and Zachary Levi took viewers on a behind-the-scenes look of Shazam: Fury of the Gods. The upcoming superhero sequel sees Angel and Levi teaming up once more to play the role of Billy Batson/Shazam. The hero joins forces with his Shazam family — powered up at the end of the first film — against a newer, tougher threat.

Television22 Comments

Why ‘Elementary’ is Far Superior to ‘Sherlock’

March 11, 2015April 15, 2020 Dennis R. Upkins

[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.

Continue reading “Why ‘Elementary’ is Far Superior to ‘Sherlock’”

Movies12 Comments

Asian Americans Should be Movie Stars: an Update

December 18, 2014June 23, 2020 Keith Chow

So a few days ago, I wrote a thing. Maybe you’ve seen it. Ever since that post has been passed around, I’ve been taken to task about the stars I included (or didn’t include) on the list and whether or not I was basically proving Sorkin’s point by coming up with only three names.

On the first point, the names I included were not meant to be my casting suggestions for the role of Brad Katsuyama in a hypothetical Flash Boys movie. Instead, I was more concerned with Sorkin’s assertion that Asian movie stars didn’t exist. So I went to Box Office Mojo, and scanned their list of actors’ all-time domestic grosses and looked for the ones who were (North) American of Asian descent — whether or not you think hapas or Pacific Islanders should’ve been appropriately considered criteria is another matter¹.

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Movies98 Comments

There are No Asian American Movie Stars

December 15, 2014June 23, 2020 Keith Chow

Last week, North Korean hackers allegedly broke into the personal files of Sony Pictures execs as retaliation for the studio producing the James Franco and Seth Rogen comedy The Interview, which is about a CIA plot to assassinate Kim Jong Un. Normally, we’d be all over the nerd-friendly news about, say, Spider-Man coming home to Marvel Studios, but that’s been covered plenty of times on the web. Besides, we already told the world the best way to mashup Spidey and the MCU.

The thing to emerge out of the Sony leak that really bugged me was the assertion by Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin that “there aren’t any Asian movie stars.”

Continue reading “There are No Asian American Movie Stars”