Once again, audiences will feel the need! The need for speed! So thank god Tom Cruise exists. There’s no stopping the nearly 60-year old supersonic super star. And even after a generation of iconic roles and box office hits, he still keeps on soaring.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is a Fun, Feel-Good Flight”
The road to adulthood is messy, imperfect, and unkind. Media depictions of adolescence tend to rule these realities out, or otherwise forgoes depicting representation of this demographic at all. But the truth is, sanitizing the experience does not hide the mistakes and many questions that will inevitably be made along the way.
Continue reading “‘Inbetween Girl’ Shows How Maturity Sometimes Means Accepting Your Mess”
The “face” of the coming-of-age story has been changing: It is not that teenagers have changed — far from it in fact, when the woes of adolescence remain one of the most universal parts of the human experience — but it is apparent in recent years that the default notions of what a “teenager” should look like has changed to be better reflective of what the viewing world needs today.
Continue reading “The Healing Magic of ‘Marvelous and the Black Hole’”
Ever since audiences were introduced to the multiverse in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, storytellers had to figure out a way to incorporate that into future storylines. With Marvel’s Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home, it made sense to include multiple worlds and versions of our favorite characters, while also providing a little bit of fan service along the way.
Continue reading “‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is Far from Perfect”
It’s hard to believe it’s been over 10 years since the final Harry Potter movie debuted in theaters. And since then, we’ve seen the Wizarding World expand significantly. With sites like Pottermore, upcoming games like the highly anticipated Hogwarts Legacy, and of course the Fantastic Beasts film franchise, we know (for better or worse) the Hogwarts Express is just going to continue chugging along, as the stories continue.
Continue reading “The ‘Secrets’ Revealed at the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Press Conference”
This is the week, Wizarding World fans! This Friday, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore hits theaters, and if you haven’t seen it yet, check out our interview with the amazing Jessica Williams. In addition to our interview, you can also check out the latest trailer for the film that WB just dropped today.
Continue reading “Final Trailer Released for ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’”
The latest chapter in the Wizarding World saga hits theaters this Friday! After a long awaited delay, due to the pandemic, Newt Scamander and all of his Fantastic Beasts will be returning to screens, and they’re unveiling The Secrets of Dumbledore. Chief among the ranks of Dumbledore’s first army is Ilvermorny professor, Eulalie “Lally” Hicks, played by franchise newcomer, the incomparable and wonderful Jessica Williams. We had a chance to sit down with Jessica to discuss all of the secrets of Dumbledore, as well as her work bringing to life this welcome addition to the Wizarding World!
Continue reading “Jessica Williams Dishes on Lally Hicks and ‘The Secrets of Dumbledore’”
Reading the synopsis for the Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All At Once, it already hints at a story that starts off simple enough that immediately takes a left turn: An overwhelmed, middle aged woman is trying to file her taxes when she suddenly finds herself in the position of having to save the world, by borrowing skills from her multiple alternative universes.
Continue reading “‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Explores the Multiverse with Chaotic, Emotional Range”
The Wizarding World is in peril, both from a narrative standpoint, and a real-world one. Indeed, the franchise has had one hell of an uphill battle to conquer. What once stood as the crown jewel of Warner Bros. has been marred with controversy since the previous installment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise debuted in 2018.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Secrets of Dumbledore’ is Not Bad, Not Quite ‘Fantastic’”
Moonshot is the kind of rom-com that leaves you well-fed when it comes to cheesy goodness. It’s not perfect. Let’s clear that up, first and foremost. And I don’t expect perfection when it comes to rom-coms or for things to make sense. (The space fan in me was like, “That doesn’t make sense” every five minutes.)
Continue reading “‘Moonshot’ Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Enjoyable”
Occupation: Rainfall is a confusing enigma. At moments, it feels at home in B-movie schlock delivering campy actor performances that chew on scenery and heavy action sequences drenched in CGI screen filters and explosions. Other moments, there’s a sincerity in its attention to detail in the story it weaves. Crafting interesting cinematography to amplify its thoughts on trauma, war, and moving forward.
Continue reading “‘Occupation: Rainfall’ is a Fun Sci-Fi Opera Hindered By its Own Weight”
It’s hard to not fall in love with Broadway-inspired films, especially ones that focus on growing up and trying to fit in someplace. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Billy Elliott are coming-of-age musicals of kids who are different, but still found a way to follow their dreams. Followed by fantastic music and fun dance sequences, these musicals tell a story for the ages and allow some kids to feel seen. Disney+’s upcoming original film Better Nate Than Ever does just that with a sweet story with some good songs.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Better Nate Than Ever’ is a Small Scale Success”
We love Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck. They’re terrific actors. And they elevate every project they’re in. No matter how repetitive and pointless it might be. And those are the two adjectives that come to mind when I think about Deep Water.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Deep Water’ Feels a Bit Shallow”
The journey through grief, loss, and depression can often be a solitary one. A moment in time where a world full of the diversity of life, people, animals, and color, is swept to the sea and you are left with an isolating void of muted memories and half remembered thoughts. The Midnight Swim — a 2015 film recently made available on home video and streaming — written and directed by Sarah Adina Smith, dives deep into the nuance of these feelings through poetic and graceful filmmaking.
Continue reading “‘The Midnight Swim’ Dives Deep into Grief and Depression”
Coming-of-age films are defined by what it means for their young characters to grow up. And, like the experience itself, no one story about growing up is the same as the next. It takes a special kind of film to capture the growing pains of a young person as they transition into adulthood. Turning Red, Pixar’s heartfelt and hilarious film, examines that journey through the lens of a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl who finds out that growing up may be a smelly beast — literally.
Continue reading “‘Turning Red’ Finds Heart and Humor in the Messiness of Growing Up”
It’s been five years since audiences were swept away by director Kogonada’s emotionally-driven debut, Columbus. Now, he returns to up the ante with the driving of emotions in his science fiction drama, After Yang; an adaptation of Alexander Weinstein’s short story, Saying Goodbye to Yang.
Continue reading “Depths of Unexpected Emotions Unravel in Kogonada’s ‘After Yang’”
There aren’t many folks in Hollywood that can do everything from crime, to comedy, to comic book films! But among the names of those select few individuals is one that truly stands out: legendary actor, John Turturro! He plays crime boss Carmine Falcone in The Batman! What does Falcone have to do with The Bat, The Cat, and The Riddler? We sat down with him to find out!
Continue reading “Falcone on Film with ‘The Batman’ Star John Turturro”
The Batman is here! After many long months of waiting and speculating, the first reviews for Matt Reeves’ take on the Dark Knight Detective dropped yesterday to a stellar 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. We at The Nerds of Color also dropped our review of the film, which you can read right here. However, what does it take to bring a Batman story to life? We were recently given the opportunity to discuss this topic and many others with some of the cast of The Batman!
Continue reading “‘The Batman’ Cast on Becoming the Riddler, Gordon, and Alfred”
What does it mean to truly capture the essence of Batman? In the past 33 years, we’ve had three big budget, big screen franchises starring The Caped Crusader. And each time, at one point or another, we’ve more than likely heard the phrase “the definitive version of Batman” uttered among colleagues, friends, and fanboys. However, in these 33 incredible years, which have seen their shares of highs and lows with adaptations of the mythology, there surprisingly has never been a truly detective-oriented Batman story put to live action film. Until now.
Continue reading “NOC Review: Behold ‘The Batman’”
Director Roland Emmerich knows his way around a disaster. After Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012 — to name a few, many audiences can expect grandiose special effects and top-tier actors trying to save the world. In his latest disaster film Moonfall, the moon is literally falling towards the Earth — causing chaos as gravity is affected.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Moonfall’ is a Fun, Absurd Blockbuster”
Cosplay is an enigma to me. The act of dressing up as one’s favorite character to an almost identical degree shows a mastery of craft-making, make-up, and acting that is rarely discussed in other mediums. Being a fan of a show or a character is no longer a passive experience when you cosplay, it becomes an active response to the work that inspires you.
Continue reading “‘Shades of Cosplay’ Makes Me Want to Cosplay”
For anyone following my reviews, you’ve most likely read my thoughts on Eternals this past November. To summarize, overall, I think this is a perfectly lovely, and bold film that challenges the traditional convention for the Marvel Cinematic Universe template, taking more from Alan Moore’s Watchmen than Avengers. I realize it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s fine. But for me, Chloé Zhao brought something incredibly unique into this 27-film franchise that I find severely underrated and quite special in its own right.
Continue reading “Exploring the Extras of ‘Eternals’ on Digital”
Radio Silence (Ready or Not) delivers an earnest homage to Wes Craven with Scream while reinventing its meta core for a new generation. The story from writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick reconnects the past with the present seamlessly, creating real reasons for the legacy cast members to return to shepherd a new core group of friends living a requel of the Woodsboro tragedy. Yes, a requel (reboot+sequel) which the film pokes fun at itself with true to the franchise’s signature smarts and proving that it’s smarter than ever.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Scream’ is a Worthy Return to Woodsboro”