On a new episode of Hard NOC Life, Keith, Britney, and Dominic revisit the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer, worry about the discourse surrounding Shang-Chi, how the Free Guy creative team should bring Deadpool to the MCU, and recap the latest episode of Disney+’s What If. They also look back at the one-year anniversary of Chadwick Boseman’s passing.
The Protégé isn’t just your typical action movie. And Maggie Q is absolutely not your typical Hollywood action hero. Indeed, Q and this movie represent something special for Asians like myself; more so especially for Asian women. In the history of American-made action films, how many have been led by Asian women? And no, Scarlett Johansson doesn’t count for obvious reasons. I bet if you’re counting at home, you have barely finished counting on one hand.
Continue reading “NOC Interview: Maggie Q on Representing Powerful Asian Women in ‘The Protégé’”
We’re counting down to the release of the exciting, action-packed thriller, The Protégé. And to celebrate, Lionsgate has a new clip for you all!
Continue reading “New Clip from ‘The Protégé’ Teases Maggie Q and Samuel L. Jackson’s Chemistry”
Not many folks have this one on their radars, but they really should!
Yesterday, Lionsgate dropped a new clip for their upcoming action extravaganza, The Protégé, which features Maggie Q and Michael Keaton beating the snot out of each other! The clip is brutal, badass, and gives you a glimpse of what to expect when the film hits theaters this fall. Check it out here:
Continue reading “It’s Keaton vs. Q in a New Clip from ‘The Protégé’”
Wanna be a Bad Motherf–, like Samuel L. Jackson? Want a three-day trip for two to their Gibson Garage and Factory in Nashville, TN for full VIP tours, as well your own ’58 Flying V guitar? If you answered yes to both, then Lionsgate and Gibson have teamed up to make your dreams come true!
Continue reading “Lionsgate and Gibson Team Up for ‘The Protégé’ Giveaway”
Marisol Nichols portrays Captain Angie Garza in the new chapter of the iconic Saw series, Spiral, which premieres in theaters on May 14. The actress is a three-time ALMA Award nominee and known for her role as Hermione Lodge on The CW’s Riverdale. Some of her other many notable credits include Teen Wolf, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Resurrection Blvd, 24, and Vegas Vacation.
Continue reading “NOC Interview: Marisol Nichols Discusses Joining the ‘Saw’ Franchise in ‘Spiral’”
Do you see that line up? Whom do I give my money to?! I need this now. Yes, NOC readers! Some of our faves are coming together for a brand new project and my friends over at Lionsgate came thru with the 411 to get us hype and ready! Check out the new trailer and official teaser poster for the film!
Continue reading “Michael Keaton, Maggie Q, and Samuel L. Jackson Star in ‘The Protégé’”
Note: I made this with the intent to commemorate the third anniversary of Prince’s passing on April 21, 2016. Just so happens, Avengers: Endgame premieres this week on April 25 (if you’re reading this blog you probably have heard about that). The premise was to re-contextualize last year’s rather lengthy Avengers: Infinity War, set to all the songs on 1984’s Purple Rain, in the order they appear on that definitive work of pop music. The thinking was, in terms of emotional/dramatic arcs, Purple Rain the album is more coherent and composed than Infinity War (I wouldn’t make the same claim if we were talking about Purple Rain the film, but in this case we aren’t).
Continue reading “Infinity Rain: An Avengers / Prince Mash-Up, Annotated”
Sorry to burst your bubble, haters, but Captain Marvel is really good.
With all the controversy surrounding Captain Marvel, created by internet trolls, it was refreshing to watch the film and see how wrong they were about it. Captain Marvel has been labeled a feminist film, and it is, but it does so without dragging men down. Instead, the film focuses on women empowerment, sisterhood, and friendships.
Continue reading “‘Captain Marvel’ Goes Higher Further and Faster For the MCU”
A version of this piece originally appeared at Dom’s new blog Melancholyball.
According to today’s live Q&A event hosted by Marvel Studios at a re-created Tower Records in West Hollywood, which also featured live sets by Bush and L7.
A restless crowd found itself eagerly awaiting the commencement of an important event on Friday afternoon in the gorgeous ballroom of a luxurious Los Angeles hotel. High spirits were palpable all around, as everyone had come from seeing one of the most hotly anticipated films of the year a few days before the event: Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel. The film, a turning point for the ever-expanding success that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, represented something more than just a typical superhero FX-driven origin story — it was to become Marvel Studios’ first female-led superhero movie. And as such, the crowd was anxious for the announcement that they would soon be joined by the captain, herself, Brie Larson, as well as co-stars Jude Law, Lashana Lynch, Samuel L. Jackson, Gemma Chan, Clark Gregg, directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, and producer-extraordinaire Kevin Feige to discuss candidly what indeed makes her a hero.
Continue reading “The “Marvel”-ous Ms. Danvers: The ‘Captain Marvel’ Press Conference”
Back in May of 2018, a group of reporters visited the set of Captain Marvel on the Sony lot in Los Angeles to experience Marvel’s newest superhero in person. Although we have not been officially introduced to the feminist hero yet in the MCU, we were given signs of her arrival at the end of Avengers: Infinity War.
As we have seen in the trailers and released photos, we are introduced to Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers (Brie Lawson), in the 1990s. This isn’t an origin story. From her first introduction, she already has her powers and is part of the elite military force on the Kree planet Hala. Her Starforce teammates include Korath (Djimon Hounsou) and Minn-Erva (Gemma Chan). There are flashbacks to Danvers’ life as she embarks on her adventure on Earth and meets a young S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Together, they must work to stop the Skrulls, led by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), from completing an evil plot.
Want to know more?
Be warned. Below are spoilers.
Continue reading “‘Captain Marvel’ Set Visit: Everything We’ve Learned About the MCU’s Newest Hero”
UPDATE (9/18/18): The Captain Marvel trailer is here!
Continue reading “‘Captain Marvel’ First Look and Setting Up the Future of the MCU”
It has been 14 years since Disney Pixar released the hit animated film The Incredibles. Since then, fans have asked director Brad Bird, executive producers John Walker and Nicole Paradis Grindle, and original cast members Craig T. Nelson (Mr. Incredible), Holly Hunter (Elastigirl), Samuel L. Jackson (Frozone), and Sarah Vowell (Violet) numerous times if the sequel would even happen.
Well, it’s here.
Continue reading “Video from ‘The Incredibles 2’ Press Conference”
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is the YA/action adventure film directed by the master of macabre, Tim Burton. This is the live-action adaptation of the book by author Ransom Riggs. Rumor has it that the books have potential and are engaging. That’s too bad because the movie isn’t any of those things. This painfully slow adaptation isn’t a return to form for Burton. It’s the same old hokey filmmaking, but time actress Eva Green is the victim! He really wants to show the audience that he still has that Beetlejuice, Mars Attacks charm. He wants you to know that his version of what is weird is acceptable. In a time where weirdness, geekiness, is the new norm, his message, and Miss Peregrine seem 10-years too late.
Continue reading “Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children: Another Tim Burton Borefest”
Saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier and really have nothing bad to say at all. There were a few issues with story logic but outside of minor nitpicks, I’d have to say this is as good as The Avengers and definitely the best “solo” Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to date.
The best way to describe this movie is “balanced.” It achieved an almost perfect balance between comic book-style action, humor, character development, and story sophistication. Taking a page from the Robert Ludlum/Tom Clancy school of 1970s-era Cold War espionage pop culture storytelling, The Winter Soldier (at the very least) establishes a formula for Marvel Studios that, if used repeatedly, should guarantee the cinematic dominance of Marvel IPs for the next generation.
It’s been a little over a day since I saw both versions of Oldboy — one by Spike Lee and one by Park Chan-wook — back to back. The more I reflect on the Spike Lee version, the worse and worse it gets in my head. So I’ll just barf out the major wrongs about this sad re-make and be done with it.
This write-up will be chock full of spoilers which will save you a lot of time and money. I’m also assuming that my readers have seen the original, Korean version of Oldboy. And if you’re keeping track at home, both versions (American and Korean) are based on the Japanese manga of the same name by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi.
Continue reading “The Five Major Fails of Spike Lee’s Oldboy“
