At the beginning of this movie there’s a disclaimer briefly explaining that this was the movie Andy saw, loved, and became obsessed with when he got his first Buzz Lightyear action figure. Andy really needs to see more movies.
Continue reading “NOC Review: Decent ‘Lightyear’ Doesn’t Quite Reach Infinity and Beyond for Pixar”
What even is a “diehard” Star Wars fan? Back in the early days of the franchise, when it wasn’t a franchise, a “hardcore” fan would be the ones camping out at their local theater the night before — a tent and sleeping bag to fight back the cold. All was worth it to be among the first to see Luke’s adventure come to a triumphant conclusion (for now).
Continue reading “‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ is a Great Entry Point and an Even Greater Legacy Series”
You would be hard pressed to find me wanting to watch a Shakespeare production willingly. While I am painfully aware his works are considered the echelon of fine performance arts training, my distaste for it only grew as a vast majority of Shakespeare productions only utilize white actors for the meaningful parts.
Until now.
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’”
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.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Moon Knight’ Raises the Bar for What the MCU Can Be”
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”
Solar Ash on the surface feels ethereal yet familiar. The premise of trying to stop a world ending event has never looked so beautiful, and in conjunction with smooth controls and a haunting soundtrack, Solar Ash solidifies itself as a serviceable gaming experience on a console that has been in desperate need of unique games since its launch.
Continue reading “‘Solar Ash’ is Introspective and Beautiful”
After playing well over 300 matches of Halo Infinite’s multiplayer through my Christmas break, a Covid scare followed by an actual Covid infection, and a 10 day isolation period has left me with a feeling of nostalgia. Halo is back in its most traditional form with some modern sensibilities and missteps.
Continue reading “‘Halo Infinite Multiplayer’ is a Breath of Fresh Air”
Mister Miracle: The Great Escape is a bit of enigma. Like the titular character himself, the book is an incredible romp of humor and excitement with a genuine heart at the center.
Continue reading “The Best Magic Trick of ‘Mister Miracle: The Great Escape’ is its Heart”
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”
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”
Naomi McDuffie (Kaci Walfall) is a normal Oregonian 16-year-old who has a fascination with superheroes, particularly her favorite, Superman. So much so that she has a whole Superman fan website (we can relate to something like that here at The Nerds of Color). A key reason she relates to him is the fact that they’re both adoptees. However, in her new story starting in her titular series Naomi, she finds she may have more in common with the legendary figure than she ever expected.
Continue reading “‘Naomi’ Establishes an Intriguing Story for a New Hero”
And so it begins. For 37 years, the faithful followers of the holy trilogy (I suppose I should call it “the sacred saga” instead since it’s nine movies, but the overzealous purists may protest) have sat and wondered whether or not their beloved would-be badass bounty hunter, Boba Fett, survived literally the stupidest accidental death ever caught on film.
Continue reading “NOC Review: The Word According to ‘The Book of Boba Fett’”
The Matrix is back, baby! Last week The Matrix Resurrections hit theaters and HBO Max just in time for the holidays. And our very own Lauren Lola shared her thoughts on the film in her spoiler free review here on the site. But now that everyone has seen it, it’s time to go deeper, and break down the film and all its kung-fu goodness!
Continue reading “NOC Spoiler Chat: ‘The Matrix Resurrections’”
The trials and tribulations of indie filmmaking are taken to their absurd, action-y, lengths in Marc Price’s Nightshooter, a story about a film crew finding themselves at the scene of a harrowing gang (mob?) execution at an abandoned and soon to be demolished business center on the last night of shooting a zombie film.
Continue reading “‘Nightshooters’ is One of the Best Action Films This Year”
Christmas is a wonderful time of year. It’s a moment to reflect on one’s life for the past 12 months with the family and friends you cherish, and celebrate another year together. Patrick Ridremont’s new film, The Advent Calendar, however, delivers a deliciously macabre statement that rejects the Yuletide sentiments for horror and gore sensibilities wrapped lovingly in beautiful cinematography and terrible people. This French film gifts the audience with an Advent calendar of terror, each scene opening up to reveal heightening anxious dread, that will leave horror fans happy this holiday season.
Continue reading “‘The Advent Calendar’ Proves to be Fun Holiday Horror”
Earl Simmons obtained critical success in the hip-hop world with his first major label single, “Get At Me Dog.” It was released and certified gold in February of 1998 — a month after this writer was born and, more importantly, three months before his debut album, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot released. By May of 1998, the world was officially in the hands of “DMX.”
Continue reading “‘Don’t Try To Understand’ Invites Fans on a Personal Journey Through the Life of DMX”
Tonight’s the night! It’s been a long road for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, and the country is finally going to see his faithful, epic, visually stunning adaptation hit the big screen, in the way it was meant to be seen! And to celebrate, we are finally going to reveal that were given the very exciting opportunity to speak with Dune star, Chang Chen, who plays the complex Doctor Yueh.
Continue reading “Paging Dr. Yueh: An Interview with Chang Chen from ‘Dune’”