Disney+ and Marvel Studios have just released an official teaser trailer and poster for Hawkeye. The new series stars Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. The cast also includes Vera Farmiga, Florence Pugh, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d’Arcy James, and Alaqua Cox.
Continue reading “Watch the New Trailer for Marvel Studios’ ‘Hawkeye’”
Recently and on their own initiative, my 11-year old child became interested in Greek mythology. As a single co-parent father continually desperate for reasons to relate to and bond with my child, this delighted me, because by coincidence I became infatuated with Greek myths when I was young. As a broke Vietnamese refugee nerd kid, I’d go to the Franklin library and read up about the messed up Gods, the flawed heroes, the fantastic creatures.
Continue reading “Why Asian Americans Feel Compelled to Defend ‘Shang-Chi’”
As Bruce Lee might say, we must start with dispelling what is not useful and replace it with what is useful. I will not rehash any arguments comparing Shang-Chi to Black Panther which are based in speculation, impulse-tweeted, or otherwise made in bad faith. The phrase “Asian American Black Panther” has been tossed around (including by me), in various contexts, since Black Panther came out in 2018.
Continue reading “‘Shang-Chi’ Is Not NOT Like ‘Black Panther’”
Keith and Dominic tap into their Chinese American backgrounds to provide YouTube’s definitive explainer on how to pronounce “Shang-Chi,” a name that the entire world will want to know now that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the biggest movie in the world!
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Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens in theaters tonight! Be safe, be curious!
Continue reading “‘Shang-Chi’ and the Ten Asian American Things (To Be Aware Of)”
Marvel’s Shang-Chi premieres this week. As the first Asian-led Marvel film, there’s a lot of pressure to get this character and story right, given the comic book’s problematic history being rooted in stereotypical Asian tropes. Director Destin Daniel Cretton and screenwriter Dave Callaham did a lot of research on Shang-Chi’s comic book origins and knew what they wanted to do with him.
Continue reading “‘Shang-Chi’ Screenwriter Dave Callaham on Keeping it Authentically Asian American”
In just one week, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is set to premiere in theaters everywhere. As the first Asian-led Marvel film, with a predominantly Asian cast, Shang-Chi is about to get its very own #GoldOpen.
Continue reading “‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ is Getting a #GoldOpen”
In the Marvel comics, Spider-Man’s final-boss-level foe is the Sinister Six. Not the Fatal Five, not the Frightful Four, not the Seven Samurai, although those are also all things. In the Internet-breaking first trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home, there are distinct teases and reveals for at least five villains: Electro, Sandman, Lizard, Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus. Who will be the sixth adversary in the much-anticipated Spider-Man film, to be released this December from Marvel and Sony Pictures?
Continue reading “Who Is the Sinister Sixth Villain in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home?’”
The new trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home broke both the 24-hour global record for the most watched and talked about trailer ever! The film stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jon Favreau, Jacob Batalon, and Marisa Tomei. It will premiere exclusively in movie theaters on December 17.
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Ferdosa joins us to discuss the Netflix documentary Lift Like a Girl! How well did this documentary do at showcasing the weightlifting journey of Asmaa and her team, and the depiction of everyday Egyptians? What could it have done better? We also discuss the exciting news that Black Palestinian writer and actor Yassir Lester will be the head writer of the upcoming MCU series Armor Wars, and speculate on what that might mean for the MCU’s penchant for military propaganda. Enjoy listening!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 29: ‘Lift Like a Girl’ and an MCU Assessment”
Spider-Man: No Way Home stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jon Favreau, Jacob Batalon, and Marisa Tomei. Based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the film will be directed by Jon Watts as well as written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal serve as producers.
Continue reading “Here’s All the Latest Details on ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’”
After much anticipation, the time has finally come… Sony just dropped the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer and it is INSANE! Spider-Man: Far from Home ended on a major cliffhanger, so it’s no surprise that fans have been eagerly waiting on the edge of their seats for any news regarding the third film. This first trailer definitely seems to prove that the wait will be 100% worth it (as expected).
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Whether it’s an overall sense of fatigue from mainstream audiences who aren’t into comic book films, or perhaps a general sense of pandemic malaise from folks unsatisfied with the state of entertainment these days, it seems like the momentum and good will the MCU has cultivated the past 12 years has turned to mixed sentiment for most of this year.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Shang-Chi’ is Spectacular”
Like nearly all viewers tuning in to this week’s episode of Disney’s animated reimagining What If…?, I was excited, anxious, and sad about seeing and hearing Chadwick Boseman on screen in his last project. The second episode, directed by Bryan Andrews and written by Matthew Chauncey, was a bittersweet exploration of a possible reality where T’Challa takes the role of Star-Lord instead of its original figure Peter Quill. While heartwarming and hilarious, the episode felt like a rush through a journey that could have potentially been explored further but was unfortunately cut short.
Continue reading “Black Panther, Star-Lord, and the Great Chadwick Boseman”
During the global press conference for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings this morning, director Destin Daniel Cretton revealed that Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) say they are strictly platonic.
Continue reading “Shang-Chi and Katy are Just Strictly Friends”
Marvel Studios dropped the latest trailer for Eternals. And I didn’t post it immediately because I spent the last 40 minutes watching it over and over and over. In fact, in the past 40 minutes the trailer has amassed 332K views on YouTube alone (probably all from me). But the fact of the matter is, THIS LOOKS SO FREAKING INCREDIBLE!
Continue reading “The New ‘Eternals’ Trailer Emerges”
Chris Sullivan plays Taserface in Marvel Studios’ first-ever animated series, What If…?, as well as Toby in the hit NBC series, This Is Us. New episodes of What If…? premiere Wednesdays on Disney+. This Is Us is about to head into its sixth and final season, returning midseason 2021-22 with new episodes airing on Tuesdays.
Continue reading “Chris Sullivan Talks Marvel Studios’ ‘What If…?’ and the Final Season of ‘This Is Us’”
The “Chi” part is easy. “Chee.” Rhymes with “Kree.” Technically the “Ch” is not precisely the same as in English “Chad” or “Chocolate,” but it’s close enough for conversation amongst non-fluent Chinese speakers.
The “Shang” is said the same way as the “Shang” in Shanghai, the city in China. But here’s the thing, if you’ve been saying “Shanghai” as if it rhymes with “Fang Sky” all your life, that’s not really how you say “Shanghai.” And that’s okay.
Continue reading “How to Pronounce ‘Shang-Chi’ Because it’s Super-Important for the Marvel Universe”
I’m going to do something a bit different for this one. You see, unlike the past three MCU shows we’ve been treated to (wow, I can’t believe we live in a world where I get to say something like that that!), What If takes more of an anthology approach ala Black Mirror and Twilight Zone. And that, essentially, was the spirit of the original comic book series.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘What If’ Recontextualizes the MCU”
Marvel Studios just released Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings character posters. The posters features Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Katy (Awkwafina), Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), Jiang Nan, and Wenwu (played by legends Michelle Yeoh and Tony Leung, respectively). It also includes the Death Dealer, who we have no idea who plays them.
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Marvel Studios released an all-new featurette titled “Destiny” for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In the two-minute clip, producer Kevin Feige, stars Simu Liu and Awkwafina, and director Destin Daniel Cretton talk about Shang-Chi’s backstory and his connection to the Ten Rings and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole.
Continue reading “New Featurette & Poster Offer More Details on Shang-Chi’s Backstory”
We finally have a first look and release date for the highly anticipated Hawkeye series. The new Marvel Studios’ original will begin streaming Wednesday, November 24 on Disney+. New episodes will continue to drop on Wednesdays. Hawkeye will star Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld. Steinfeld tweeted the new photo with the caption, “Barton & Bishop.”
Continue reading “Your First Look at Kate Bishop in ‘Hawkeye’ is Here”
Marvel Studios is really kicking up the promotion for the September release of the anticipated film, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings.
In the new promo called Need, after going into hiding from his past, Shang-Chi (played by a very ripped Simu Liu) is found by his father, Wenwu (Tony Leung), the leader of the Ten Rings, who wants his son to be his right-hand man and eventually take his place. Shang-Chi doesn’t want to follow that path. In a voiceover, Wenwu tells his son, ‘You can’t outrun your destiny.’
Continue reading “New ‘Shang-Chi’ Promo Teases Family Drama and Shirtless Simu”