Lee Cronin’s ‘The Mummy’ is a Viscerally Unsettling Reinvention of a Horror Icon

The Mummy remains one of the most iconic figures of the classic movie monster era. For nearly 95 years, the character has been reimagined through horror, romance, and action-adventure, evolving with each generation without ever fully losing its mythic power. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy recognizes that any new take must do more than reinvent the monster. It also has to leave room to engage with the story’s cultural roots in a way that feels thoughtful, grounded, and free of the outdated stereotypes that have often shaped past depictions.

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Five panelists at Awesome Con

The Middle Geeks Episode 77: LIVE at Awesome Con 2026 in Washington D.C.!

We’re live once again at Awesome Con in Washington D.C. discussing SWANA representation in Fantasy & Sci-Fi!

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At First Glance, Universal’s ‘Mummy’ Sequel is Orientalist Regression

This past week, Egypt unveiled its new Grand Museum with a resounding announcement of their new magnificent structure spotlighting their country’s antiquities. After decades and decades of the West’s cultural theft of their relics, stories, and monopolizing of scholarship on Egypt, the museum’s opening highlights Egypt’s ownership and sovereignty over their rich history, archaeology, and scholarship, serving as a signal forward past the extreme Orientalist narratives the West thrust on it.

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An image of the father and son from the Amazon Prime series "#1 Happy Family USA"

The Middle Geeks Episode 73: ‘#1 Happy Family USA’ Review

Nadia Osman joins us once again to review Ramy Youssef and Pam Brady’s new raunchy animated series on Amazon Prime, #1 Happy Family USA.

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The Middle Geeks Episode 64: Live at Awesome Con in Washington D.C.

The Middle Geeks are LIVE at Awesome Con, discussing all things SWANA/MENA Representation!

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The Middle Geeks Episode 43: ‘Ramy’ Season 3 Review

Tariq Raouf joins us once again to review the third season of Ramy, out on Hulu now!

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The Cast of ‘Ramy’ on What’s in Store for the Hassan Family in Season 3

When we find the Hassan family at the start of Ramy Season 3, the son of the family has brought not only shame, but severe consequences for his family that threaten the life they’ve built in the States. Where do they go from here, and will they ever be able to pay back their debts? How will the Hassan family change through their experiences this season?

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‘Ramy’ Season 3 is As Funny and Engaging As Ever

Ramy is never an easy show to watch. It’s compelling and funny, but it never shies away from showing the (many) faults of its title character, and occasionally those of his family and friends.

Slight setup spoilers for Ramy Season 3 follow:

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‘Ramy’ Season 3 Teases a Spiritual Crisis for the Hassan Family

Ramy Hassan’s stated journey has been finding moral clarity on his life and what it means to be a good Muslim. Only problem is, he’s a constantly selfish screw-up. When we left him at the end of last season, he was at his lowest and most morally depraved, having completely humiliated his new (and immediately former) wife Zainab (MaameYaa Boafo), and rightfully enraging her father Sheikh Ali Malek (Mahershala Ali). Where does he go from here, and how will this inform his apparent crisis of faith in Islam?

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Mo Amer Brings the Palestinian Experience to the Screen with Netflix’s ‘Mo’

When Hulu’s Ramy premiered in 2019 on Hulu, it was heralded as a landmark for Egyptian, Arab, and Muslim representation in Western media. Representation for Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) people remains scant, even with the small gains made, but it’s been especially rare for Palestinians, who must constantly endure attempted erasure in their homeland in Palestine and abroad.

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The Middle Geeks Episode 38: ‘Moon Knight’ Episodes 5-6

We discuss episodes 5-6 of the new MCU Disney+ series Moon Knight starring Oscar Isaac, May Calamawy, and Ethan Hawke, joined once again by our friend Hanna Flint!

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Hard NOC Life 265: ‘Doctor Strange’ in the Multiverse and ‘Moon Knight’

Keith and Britney dive deep into the Multiverse after a brief detour to the Field of Reeds to break down the Moon Knight finale and review Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. They also share thoughts on the latest Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer and mourn the passing of iconic comic book artist, George Perez.

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Hard NOC Life 264: ‘Moon Knight’ Before and Afterlife

Keith, Dominic, and Britney is join the goddess Taweret on a journey into the afterlife as they break down the penultimate episode of Moon Knight while mourning the passing of comics icon Neal Adams and the cancellation of most of The CW’s DC shows.

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Hard NOC Life 263: ‘Moon Knight’ Gets Weird

Britney is joined by her Naomi Podcast co-host Nate Milton to break down episode 4 of Moon Knight and rank the Oscar Isaac series against other Marvel shows on Disney+.

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The Middle Geeks Episode 37: ‘Moon Knight’ Episodes 3-4

We discuss episodes 3-4 of the new MCU Disney+ series Moon Knight starring Oscar Isaac, May Calamawy, and Ethan Hawke, joined by Egyptian writer and podcaster, Nadia Osman!

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Hard NOC Life 262: Moon and Thunder

Keith and Britney were going to discuss the most recent episode of Moon Knight, but Marvel just dropped the first teaser for Thor: Love and Thunder! After breaking that down, they turn back the skies to discuss Moon Knight and speculate what Discovery’s takeover of Warner Bros. means for the future of DC Films.

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Hard NOC Life 261: SWANASA Excellence (Feat. Swara Salih and Simone Ashley)

Dominic and Britney are joined by our very own Swara to break down episode two of Disney+’s Moon Knight and continue the debate over Kamala Khan’s power set in the latest Ms. Marvel promo. Then, newest NOC Lyra interviews Bridgerton star Simone Ashley about representing on the popular Netflix series before the crew speculates about what Ezra Miller’s predicament means for the future of The Flash in the DCEU.

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The Middle Geeks Episode 36: ‘Moon Knight’ Episodes 1-2

We discuss episodes 1-2 of the new MCU Disney+ series Moon Knight starring Oscar Isaac, May Calamawy, and Ethan Hawke.

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NOC Review: ‘Moon Knight’ Raises the Bar for What the MCU Can Be

Many new viewers may ask themselves “Who the hell are Moon Knight and Marc Spector?” The protagonist of the titular Disney+ series, Steven Grant, grapples with the same question as he’s swept on a psychological and mythological ride across the globe.

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The ‘Moon Knight’ Team on the Making of the Series

Moon Knight meets the hype as one of the most standout Marvel Studios productions. Combing elements of psychology, horror, Egyptology (that for once doesn’t feel Orientalist), and action-adventure, it’s sure to make a distinct impression on audiences so used to the Marvel formula. But what exactly went into the creative process of this series?

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‘Moon Knight’ Featurette Gives New Look at the Upcoming Series

We’re only weeks away from the hotly anticipated new MCU series Moon Knight, and Marvel has given us a new look at the series with a new featurette. We see sweeping landscapes of the Egyptian desert, Egyptian tombs, and new looks at Moon Knight and his master Khonshu, God of the Moon. It promises an epic and psychological adventure

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Breaking Down the ‘Moon Knight’ Super Bowl Spot

After debuting their first official trailer for Moon Knight last month, Marvel Studios has given us another look at the trippy series at the Super Bowl last night, making it clearer that Moon Knight will be unlike anything we’ve seen before from Marvel.

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