Last week on Hard NOC Life, Keith and Dominic joked about how Andor was basically “Les Mis in Space France.” This week, they’re serious about the comparison. Also, Keith rants about the most recent episode of The Last of Us, and Dominic has a theory about the superstars in the NBA Playoffs and their superhero equivalents.
Keith and Dominic celebrate the extended Star Wars holiday weekend by reviewing the next batch of Andor episodes, aka Lucasfilm presents “Les Mis in Space France.” Then, they discuss what did and didn’t work for them in the latest MCU offering, Thunderbolts*. All this and more on a new episode of Hard NOC Life,
I’d like to start out by saying I’m an MCU believer. The rest of the world may be done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and with just cause after misses like Quantumania, She-Hulk, and Secret Invasion, or even after mid-tier products like Brave New World or Multiverse of Madness. However, I got into Marvel Comics in 1991, and here I am 34 years later, and I still buy them, love them, and get excited whenever a new MCU film is announced or is released.
Continue reading “Why ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Might Work Out After All”
Marvel is no stranger to mental health and trauma when it comes to their heroes and villains. Many of their greatest heroes have been in a place of uncertainty – Thor losing himself (and gaining weight) after Infinity War; Rocket Raccoon’s past trauma and found family; Wanda’s grief overtaking an entire town; and many other heroes dealing with post-traumatic stress disorders. Yet, as the heroes in the story, they persevered while saving many lives.
Continue reading “Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts*’ Proves Anyone Can Be a Hero, Says Director Jake Schreier and Cast”
Superheroes have trauma. That’s not an original idea. However, what happens when these superheroes have to face something more real and unsolvable than saving the world, such as actual depression and mental health issues? You get something greater than your average superhero popcorn blockbuster. That’s where Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* truly excels.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Thunderbolts*’ is Marvel at its Most Mature and Emotionally Complex”
On a new episode of Hard NOC Life, Keith and Dominic break down the recent trailer for Fantastic Four: First Steps and Pedro Pascal’s penchant for playing paternal characters in Last of Us and The Mandalorian. Then they review the first season of Daredevil: Born Again before recapping some news from Star Wars Celebration in Japan.
Prepare yourselves because Galactus is coming! The herald of Galactus has come to this world to inform us that tonight, the role will be played by an actual purple planet-eating humanoid Goliath and not a storm cloud of nothing. More than that, they brought the official trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps with them, and boy, it looks phenomenal!
Continue reading “A New Silver Surfer Arrives with a New Trailer for ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’”
We will finally know Miles Morales’ fate as Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse, the long-awaited trilogy capper, finally gets a release date. The film hits theaters on June 4, 2027. The news of the release was announced at CinemaCon, the movie theater industry trade show held annually in Las Vegas, NV.
Continue reading “‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’ Finally Swings into Theaters in 2027”
We are only a little over a year until Avengers: Doomsday hits, and fans have been getting anxious about any sort of confirmed announcement about the tentpole, beyond the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, and the Russo Brothers directing. Well today, we finally got something pretty big, as the full confirmed cast was revealed via livestream, ending months of speculation on which MCU A-Listers would be joining the fun!
Continue reading “Marvel Studios Confirms Full Cast of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’”
We have reached the end of DC Multicast Season 2! On the season finale, Keith welcomes his Hard NOC Life co-host Dominic Mah to discuss 2009’s Watchmen.
Continue reading “DC Multicast Rewatches the ‘Watchmen’”
In the penultimate episode of DC Multicast Season 2, Keith is joined by veteran comic book insider, and former Batman editor, Joseph Illidge to reflect on the game changer that was 2008’s The Dark Knight.
Continue reading “DC Multicast: Joseph Illidge on Why ‘The Dark Knight’ Was So Serious”
On a new episode of DC Multicast, Keith welcomes acclaimed comic book artist and writer Jamal Igle to break down all the canceled Superman movies that ultimately led to 2006’s Superman Returns.
Continue reading “DC Multicast: Breaking Down the Canceled Projects Before ‘Superman Returns’”
At long last, the DC Multicast has entered the Nolanverse. Join Keith and Batman-on-Film founder Bill “Jett” Ramey as they look back at the two decades of impact Batman Begins had on superhero cinema.
Continue reading “DC Multicast: ‘Batman Begins’ and the Beginnings of ‘Batman-on-Film’”
Even as a Marvel fan, I’ll be the first to admit that not all of the MCU’s Disney+ shows have worked. I really didn’t care for Secret Invasion or She-Hulk. However, when they’ve hit, such as X-Men ’97, WandaVision, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and Loki, they’ve hit hard. And that brings us to one of the hardest hitters of all: Daredevil: Born Again.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ is Marvel Television at Its Peak”
MCU directors don’t get more prolific than Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson. They may not be household names to the extent of The Russo Brothers. However, given their stellar work on Moon Knight and Loki Season 2, they are quickly becoming the premiere duo behind some of the MCU’s best works in recent years.
Continue reading “Directing ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ with Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson”
Marvel history doesn’t get much more storied than the work of Sana Amanat and Dario Scardapane. From their work on the comics and shows, they’ve firmly established their place as legends within the Marvel Universe. Today these two giants are teaming up to bring back one of the best Marvel shows, with one of the best Marvel heroes in the MCU with Daredevil: Born Again. And we were able to speak to both of them recently in honor of the show’s debut on Disney+ March 4.
Continue reading “Producers Dario Scardapane and Sana Amanat on ‘Daredevil: Born Again’”
We’re so back! It’s been a long wait for fans of Daredevil. Back when the first series was cancelled on Netflix after three seasons, fans rallied and cried to bring it back with the #SaveDaredevil campaign. Little did we know that seven years later, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen would be saved, hallway fighting back to our screens under Marvel Studios. His epic return in the new series Daredevil: Born Again premieres on Disney+ March 4. And we were able to sit with the stars of the show, Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk themselves, Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio!
Continue reading “Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio On Power and Violence in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’”
DC Multicast continues on as Keith welcomes Shawn Taylor to discuss the 20th anniversary of Keanu Reeves’ turn as the Hellblazer in 2005’s Constantine.
Yesterday, we unveiled to all of you hardcore DC fans that we had a chance to chat with James Gunn and Peter Safran at an exclusive, intimate press conference recently, in which they discussed the current status of the DCU. It was a conversation so epic, we had to split it up into two parts.
Continue reading “Catching Up with James Gunn and Peter Safran of DC Studios, Part II”
By the power of Grayskull, we have the first official look at Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man in a teaser image from Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming live action Masters of the Universe adaptation, due in theaters next year.
Continue reading “Nicholas Galitzine Has the Power (Sword) in New ‘Masters of the Universe’ Image”
Back in 2023, way before the trailer for Superman debuted, there was an intimate press conference. This wasn’t a Hall H spectacle. It was a small but informative chat with filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran, as they became promoted to the heads of DC Studios. It’s two years later, close to the release of DC Studios first official DCU film Superman, and the duo decided to call a second follow up Q&A with members of the press to discuss the current state of the DCU.
Continue reading “Catching Up with James Gunn and Peter Safran of DC Studios, Part I”
On the latest episode of DC Multicast, Keith is joined by journalist Lyvie Scott, author of Inverse’s oral history of the 2004 Catwoman film, starring Halle Berry!
Sam Wilson is Captain America. He’s been Captain America for four years in the MCU, and 10 years in the comics. As a VA PTSD counselor, and a loyal partner to Team Cap, he was always the worthiest successor to take on the shield, whether folks want to admit it or not. And yet, audiences still have trouble accepting it. However, with Captain America: Brave New World hitting theaters February 14, all that should and will soon change!
Continue reading “Welcoming Sam Wilson as Captain America at the ‘Brave New World’ Press Conference”