In Prime Video’s Bait, Riz Ahmed plays Shah Latif, a struggling actor who finds himself at the center of media attention for potentially being the next James Bond.
Continue reading “‘Bait’ Stars Riz Ahmed and Guz Khan on Finding Humor in Existential Crises”
Usman Riaz has achieved his lifelong dream of realizing his story, The Glassworker, to the screen. Drawing from his own love and practice of art and music, it is easy to see how both characters are avatars for Riaz, as he uses his own experiences to masterfully craft his anti-war story, serving as the film’s writer, director, and co-composer.
Continue reading “Writer/Director/Composer Usman Riaz Talks about Crafting ‘The Glassworker’”
Writer, director, and co-composer of The Glassworker, Usman Riaz, worked on his inaugural animated film for over a decade. And the results show vividly in the finished feature, giving us a simultaneously intimate and grand story showcasing the beauty of art against the horrors of war.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘The Glassworker’ Masterfully Crafts its Anti-War Message”
Isa joins us once again to review the second season of Nida Manzoor’s masterpiece Peacock series, We Are Lady Parts!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 66: ‘We Are Lady Parts’ Season 2 Review”
At long last (though not quite so long if you’re used to British TV), We Are Lady Parts, Nida Manzoor’s bold and riveting show of a punk rock Muslim women band, named “Lady Parts” has returned to Peacock and Channel 4 in the UK.
Continue reading “‘We Are Lady Parts’ Season 2 Masterfully Displays the Life of the Artist”
Nida Manzoor’s We Are Lady Parts debuts its Season 2 trailer, with the season releasing May 30.
Continue reading “‘We Are Lady Parts’ Season 2 Trailer Shows the Band in Their Villain Era”
Nida Manzoor’s masterpiece of a show starring Muslim women of color makes its long-awaited return. Three years after its debut, We Are Lady Parts will return for a second season on Peacock on May 30.
Continue reading “‘We Are Lady Parts’ Returns to Peacock in May for Season 2”
This is the second part as we continue this spotlight series on some rather amazing SWANASA (South West Asia, North Africa, and South Asia) actors that you should know, whether they are well known or not. What they have in common is that not only are they are all terrific artists but wonderful human beings that have come to my attention recently in their art and advocacy. Here are the eight that you should know:
Continue reading “Spotlight on Spectacular SWANASA Stars, Part 2”
Maryam and Isa once again join us to review the latest installment in Kamala Khan’s journey in the MCU, The Marvels.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 59: ‘The Marvels’ Review”
Shekhar Kapur is an acclaimed Indian filmmaker whose credits range from directing The Bandit Queen to the Elizabeth films starring Cate Blanchett. He is now finally directing a rom-com, What’s Love Got to Do With It, starring Shazad Latif, Lily James, Shabana Azmi, Jeff Mirza, Asim Chaudry, Emma Thompson, and more in a heartwarming funny time that highlights Pakistani and Muslim culture in a refreshing way for western audiences.
Continue reading “Shekhar Kapur on Directing ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’”
In anticipation of What’s Love Got to Do With It releasing in the US this weekend, we spoke with one of the stars, Shazad Latif, on his role as Kaz in the film.
Continue reading “Shazad Latif on the Nuanced Relatability of ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’”
We welcome Rocky back on the podcast to review Nida Manzoor’s Desi martial arts-comedy-epic, Polite Society! We also discuss the harrowing news out of Sudan, a new African animation anthology that includes Egypt and Egyptian creators, give our recommendations for the week, and much more!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 53: ‘Polite Society’ Review with Roxana Hadadi”
We interview THE Emma Thompson, one of the stars of What’s Love Got to Do With It, premiering in the US May 5!
Continue reading “Emma Thompson on the Cross-Cultural Connections in ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’”
In anticipation of Nida Manzoor’s thrilling masterpiece Polite Society, premiering this weekend, we speak with the writer/director herself about her career and the messages she aims to convey with her debut feature film.
Continue reading “Nida Manzoor on ‘Polite Society’ and Breaking Barriers for South Asian and Muslim Women”
In anticipation of Nida Manzoor’s thrilling masterpiece Polite Society premiering in theaters, we spoke with stars of the film Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya on taking the lead roles of the Khan sisters.
Continue reading “Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya on Leading Nida Manzoor’s ‘Polite Society’”
The Pakistani-British Khan sisters, Ria (Priya Kansara) and Lena (Ritu Arya) have dreams that deviate from what their community and family expect from them, namely to work in STEM and marry well to guarantee socioeconomic security. But Ria and Lena have dreams to work in the arts, whether that be stunt choreography for Ria or painting for Lena.
Continue reading “‘Polite Society’ is an Action-Packed and Poignant Masterpiece”
The first trailer for writer-director’s Nida Manzoor’s Polite Society has just dropped, and the Focus Features Film hits theaters April 28, 2023!
Continue reading “Watch the First Trailer for Nida Manzoor’s Desi Martial Arts Epic ‘Polite Society’”
We discuss episodes 3-4 of the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, joined by cosplayer Isa and Maznah of Den of Geek!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 41: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episodes 5-6 and Season Review”
We discuss episodes 1-2 of the new MCU Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, starring Iman Vellani!
Ms. Marvel is here! We discuss the first two episodes of the series, discussing how wonderful Iman Vellani is in the main role, how well the series does at portraying Kamala and her family and friends, how well it does on portraying Islam, the change to her powers, and where it can do better in certain fronts.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 39: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episodes 1-2 Review”
Ms. Marvel is nearly here! How does one go about translating this beloved character and her story to life? We got to speak with head writer Bisha K. Ali and co-creator Sana Amanat on how they went about doing just that for Kamala’s entry into the MCU.
Continue reading “‘Ms. Marvel’ Creators on Bringing Kamala Khan’s World to the MCU”
As Ms. Marvel approaches our Disney+ screens very soon, we got to sit down with the actors playing Kamala Khan’s family (Saagar Shaikh, Zenobia Shroff, and Mohan Kapur) and friends (Rish Shah, Yasmeen Fletcher, and Matt Lintz) on how they helped bring Kamala’s world to life in the newest MCU series!
Continue reading “The ‘Ms. Marvel’ Supporting Cast on Bringing Kamala Khan’s Friends and Family to Life”
Ms. Marvel is nearly here! The beloved Pakistani American Muslim character millions already love is making her debut to the MCU with her own series this Wednesday, June 8! And we got to speak with her newcomer star Iman Vellani, Kamala Khan herself!
Continue reading “Iman Vellani on Playing Kamala Khan, aka ‘Ms. Marvel’”
Ms. Marvel is finally coming to the MCU! And we finally have a trailer! In it, we get to see Kamala Khan as a regular Pakistani American Muslim teen girl fantasize about Captain Marvel and the Avengers, drawing fanart, and dealing with the ins and outs of American high school as a brown girl.
Continue reading “The First ‘Ms. Marvel’ Trailer is Here”