We review the latest in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise, discuss the natural disasters in Morocco and Libya that have killed, injured, and displaced thousands, the genocide by starvation in Artsakh, and the one year anniversary of the start of the current Iran protests.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 56: ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 ‘Review”
Move over Marvel Studios! There’s a new juggernaut taking over Hall H this year! For the longest time Vyjayanthi Movies has teased a mysterious new film that they’ve codenamed “Project K.” And today, they shattered con-goer expectations by revealing all details about the film: now known as the upcoming sci-fi epic — Kalki 2898!
Continue reading “SDCC 2023: ‘Kalki 2898’ aka ‘Project K’ Lights Up Hall H”
Joined by our friends Nadia Osman and Zaina Ujayli, The Middle Geeks review the latest Indiana Jones film and how it continues the franchise’s trend of racism and Orientalism against North African peoples.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 55: ‘Indiana Jones’ Dials Up the CGI and Orientalism”
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”
Keith welcomes Swara back to the podcast to dish on his recent interview with the legendary Emma Thompson and her new movie, What’s Love Got to Do With It. They also break down the latest Flash and Transformers trailers, plus the nightmare fuel that is The Little Mermaid’s “live action” animals.
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’”
We interview Aliza Vellani on her role as Rani Singh in Netflix and Warner Bros.’ Sweet Tooth, based on the graphic novel series from DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint, returning for Season 2 on April 27!
Continue reading “Aliza Vellani on the Impact of ‘Sweet Tooth’”
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”
With Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny coming out soon, The Middle Geeks discuss the franchise’s long and torrid history of Orientalism and racism.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 51: Indiana Jones and The Nexus of Orientalism”
We interview Indira Varma and Tahar Rahim of the new Apple TV+ series, Extrapolations, which explores the global near future effects of climate change.
Continue reading “Indira Varma and Tahar Rahim on their Roles in the New Apple TV+ Series, ‘Extrapolations’”
Disney+’s Chang Can Dunk is now streaming on Disney+! We speak with the producer Rishi Rajani on the process of getting the film out there and how he sees the landscape changing for Asian American stories.
Continue reading “Rishi Rajani on Producing Diverse Asian Stories in ‘Chang Can Dunk’”
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’”
Brahmāstra: Part One — Shiva is set to break records as one of India’s most expensive and most spectacular films this summer. Written and directed by Ayan Mukerji, Brahmāstra tells the story of Shiva, an orphan with pyrokinetic powers who discovers he’s an ‘astra’ — a weapon of powerful energy. The film — which is set to be a trilogy — draws inspiration from Hindu mythology.
Continue reading “The Stars of ‘Brahmāstra’ and Their Impact on Indian Culture”
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, joined by Nerdist contributor Maryam Ahmad!
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 40: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episodes 3-4 Review”
There’s a new speedster in town on The Flash! Dr. Meena Dhawan made her debut in “Keep it Dark” and received the spotlight in last week’s “The Man in the Yellow Tie.” Who is Dr. Meena and why has she sought Barry Allen and his team out?
Continue reading “Kausar Mohammed on Joining ‘The Flash’”
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”