Martial Arts, Movies, ReviewsLeave a comment

‘The Furious’ Proves Pure Action Spectacle Speaks Louder Than Words

June 10, 2026June 10, 2026 Michael Lee

Kenji Tanigaki’s The Furious is the kind of action film that demands to be experienced in a theater, where the fight choreography explodes on the screen. After earning strong festival buzz at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness section and playing Beyond Fest as a sold-out U.S. premiere, Tanigaki’s latest makes good on its reputation as a bruising, crowd-pleasing showcase for practical martial arts filmmaking.

Movies, Reviews, Star WarsLeave a comment

NOC Review: ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Satisfies with Simplicity

May 19, 2026May 19, 2026 Mike Manalo

The Disney-era of Star Wars films has been fraught with controversy. The sequel trilogy proved incredibly divisive and, in some ways, directionless. Solo was met with production troubles, mixed reception, and ended up heavily underperforming at the box office. The only film that die hard Star Wars fans seem to fully unite around is Rogue One, and its legacy. Now, after a seven year hiatus, the pressure is on for The Mandalorian and Grogu to be more positively received than most of its five predecessors. And thankfully, it rises to the occasion.

Movies, Reviews, Video Games

‘Mortal Kombat II’ Finally Gives Fans the Tournament They’ve Been Waiting For

May 6, 2026May 6, 2026 Michael Lee

For a Mortal Kombat movie to truly feel like Mortal Kombat, there needs to be a tournament. Simon McQuoid’s 2021 reboot of the popular video game franchise noticeably lacked one, but it also gave the series the springboard it needed to finally enter the arena. And Mortal Kombat II certainly delivers as it is an upgrade where fights hit harder, the fatalities are more fun, the tournament stakes finally feel tangible, and the character dynamics give the carnage more momentum than its predecessor ever had.

Horror, Movies, Reviews

‘Mārama’ is a Māori Horror Thriller That Will Chill You to the Bone

May 3, 2026May 16, 2026 Valerie Complex

I’ve seen many movies over the last two years. Nothing I saw inspired me with enough words to express how I felt about what I was seeing… until I saw Taratoa Stappard’s Maori gothic horror film Mārama. A stunning feature film debut that examines female rage, ancestral bonds, and reclaimed indigeneity in post-colonial England.

Movies, Reviews

NOC Review: ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Goes from Prada to Blah-da

April 29, 2026May 1, 2026 Mike Manalo

Sharp. Biting. Insightful. These are the words we think of when we reference 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada. So does The Devil Wears Prada 2, the long-awaited reunion between stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci follow in the high-end stilettoed footsteps of its well-regarded predecessor? Let’s just say, this time around, the sequel had me pursing my lips.

Horror, Movies, Reviews

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

April 16, 2026April 16, 2026 Michael Lee

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.

Animation, Reviews, Star Wars

‘Maul — Shadow Lord’ is a Strong Yet Perplexing ‘Star Wars’ Animated Series

April 6, 2026April 21, 2026 Lauren Lola

It’s common knowledge that the Star Wars fandom is an extremely divisive one. However, if there’s one aspect of the nearly 50-year-old franchise that most are on the same page about is that the animated series succeed at doing what several of the live-action series don’t always nail: impeccable storytelling, effortless world building, and the bravery to go deep on spiritual and morality-related subject matter.

Animation, Movies, Reviews

‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ is Non-Stop Cinematic Confetti

April 1, 2026April 21, 2026 Sabina Graves

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is out this week, already poised to keep making bank by turning more game nostalgia into a pumped-up franchise for Nintendo and Universal Pictures. Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) reprise their roles as the Mushroom Kingdom’s go-to plumbers to fix and fight well… anything you’ve seen in the games you grew up playing.

Documentary, Reviews, Tech

‘The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist’ is a Rousing Call for Humanity to Take Action

March 26, 2026March 26, 2026 Swara Salih

Artificial Intelligence, or “AI,” is an intentionally misrepresented term. A vast collection of machine learning algorithms using vast quantities of human-made data for predictive analytics, it is ultimately more simple than we’re led to believe. Mainly this is the design of the capitalist tech CEOs who insist that towering and complicated AI simply must be part of our daily lives when in most ways we have no practical use for it and we can get by.

Movies, Reviews

‘The Gates’ is a Tense Study of Race, Power, and Belonging

March 22, 2026 Ainsley 'LadyL' Landry

A gated community is supposed to represent safety. Order. Protection from the chaos of the outside world. But The Gates quickly reveals that promise to be something else entirely.

Literature, Movies, Reviews3 Comments

NOC Review: Toxic Love Entices and Torments in ‘Wuthering Heights’

February 9, 2026February 9, 2026 Mike Manalo

Why are so many drawn to toxic love? Like an addiction, many cling to the idea that only a single person can complete their soul and possess their very being, holding on to the feeling of euphoria that exists when that person is by your side. However for any and all purity that might seemingly be derived from love, sometimes it can be utterly poisonous if the obsession consumes you.

Movies, Music, Reviews

Hope’s Still Alive in Eddie Vedder’s ‘Matter of Time’ Concert Film

February 6, 2026February 12, 2026 Keith Chow

There’s a particular gravity to watching Eddie Vedder perform on his own. Without the band, without the familiar roar of a Pearl Jam crowd, what’s left isn’t catharsis — it’s intention. Matter of Time understands that, and it’s why the film works. This isn’t just a concert movie, it’s a document about responsibility.

Reviews, Streaming, Television

‘The Muppets Special’ Sparks a Revival Rocket That Needs More Gonzo Fun to Take Off

February 5, 2026February 8, 2026 Sabina Graves

The Muppets are back with a special that aims to reintroduce the beloved Jim Henson icons to a new generation, paying homage to their original variety show roots. Kermit leads the rest of the Muppets ensemble, including planned showstoppers from the one and only Miss Piggy with special guests Sabrina Carpenter and Seth Rogen, who serves as executive producer for the Disney+ revival.

Marvel, Streaming, Television5 Comments

The Relevance of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 in the Era of ICE

January 27, 2026January 27, 2026 Mike Manalo

Let’s make no mistake about this. This first month of 2026 has proven to be a disgusting era in US history, with the president’s ICE patrols continuing to kidnap and murder people on the streets of Minneapolis and all around the country. The irony of all of the horrors here is that it makes a Marvel Studios show, like Daredevil: Born Again — set in a fantastical universe — feel so tragically close to home. However, in many ways, that’s why we need Matt Murdock now way more than ever before.

Movies, Reviews, Sci Fi

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ is a Technical Marvel Trapped in a Familiar Story

December 16, 2025December 16, 2025 Michael Lee

Every trip to Pandora brings in a visually stunning new adventure and family drama with Jake Sully and Neytiri. The new Avatar: Fire and Ash doubles down on both, throwing the family into a firestorm of grief, resilience, and jaw-dropping world-building that keeps expanding Pandora in bold, unexpected directions. Unfortunately, despite being epic in scale and scope, the film’s lack of a compelling story frustrates, and its many setups lead to surprisingly few satisfying payoff.

Animation, Movies, Reviews

‘Zootopia 2’ Twists the Buddy-Cop Formula Without Losing Social Commentary

November 25, 2025November 25, 2025 Michael Lee

To say that Disney’s Zootopia is just another animated feature with anthropomorphized animals would be completely reductive. It’s a buddy cop comedy full of laughs and pop culture references, threaded with themes of tolerance, bias, and who gets to feel safe in a city that prides itself on being for “anyone” and “anything.” Asking Zootopia 2 to match, let alone surpass, that mix of vibrant visuals, sharp humor, and pointed social commentary feels like a tall order, yet somehow the sequel rises to it and then some.

Movies, Reviews, Sci Fi

‘The Running Man’ Delivers Sharp Truths Even When it’s a Bit Overhyped

November 12, 2025 Michael Lee

In a world where entertainment thrives on dehumanization, Stephen King’s The Running Man remains one of the most unsettlingly relevant dystopias. The book made for a memorable 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and now Edgar Wright’s adaptation pays clear homage to the source while recalibrating it for an era of algorithms, streaming spectacle, and disposable labor. The premise still excites, but the film’s frantic energy sometimes scatters its sharpest ideas.

Movies, Reviews, Sci Fi

NOC Review: ‘Predator: Badlands’ is an Enjoyable Sci-Fi Romp

November 11, 2025November 11, 2025 Mike Manalo

Redefining a classic franchise is a difficult thing to do. Countless remakes and reboots of beloved classics from Poltergeist to Child’s Play have withered and died at the cinema. The Predator franchise, specifically, has even seen its share of wasted potential (see Shane Black’s failed attempt from 2018).

Animation, Movies, Reviews

‘In Your Dreams’ Balances Candy-Colored Chaos with Real Heart

November 7, 2025November 7, 2025 Michael Lee

Dreaming is one of the most powerful ways kids make sense of chaos or imagine what comes next. Whether it is school pressure, first crushes, or home shifting under their feet, dreams turn fear into something they can face.

Movies, Reviews

NOC Review: ‘Palestine 36’ is an Epic Historical Film of Resounding Importance

November 5, 2025November 5, 2025 Edward Hong

Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36 is an epic historical film that takes the audience back to 1936 when Palestine began to make a great push resisting British colonial rule. It is not only an astoundingly well made film with incredible performances, it is a film that is a much needed history lesson that needs to be shown in every school and university in western nations and around the world. At its core, the film shows the Palestinian resistance for what it really is: a fight for freedom and independence which has been going on for many, many decades.

Gaming, TableTop1 Comment

Pokémon’s Mega Evolution — Phantasmal Flames May Finally Shake Up the Meta

November 3, 2025November 3, 2025 Jamal Michel

As you’d expect from the Pokémon TCG, collectors have plenty of chase cards to look forward to, but the real strength of the set comes from the potential of its meta-shifting cards. The Nerds of Color received a review sample courtesy of The Pokémon Company International.

Horror, Interview, Movies

‘Black Phone 2’ Star Madeleine McGraw Answers the Call

October 20, 2025October 20, 2025 Mike Manalo

Black Phone 2 is terrifying audiences everywhere now! While the first film was all about Mason Thames’ character, Finney, the amazing Madeleine McGraw takes center stage this time as Gwen. What does The Grabber have in store for this clairvoyant badass? We had a chance to chat with McGraw about the answer to that, plus much more!

Horror, Movies, Reviews

NOC Review: Blumhouse Phones It In with ‘Black Phone 2’

October 17, 2025October 30, 2025 Mike Manalo

Traveling back to 2022, I remember leaving my screening of The Black Phone, touched, thrilled, and genuinely surprised having seen what became one of my favorites of that year.