The Middle Geeks Episode 56: ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 ‘Review

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.

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Dial of Destiny

The Middle Geeks Episode 55: ‘Indiana Jones’ Dials Up the CGI and Orientalism

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.

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The Middle Geeks Episode 53: ‘Polite Society’ Review with Roxana Hadadi

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!

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The Middle Geeks Episode 52: Senzel Ahmady on Playing Princess Jasmine in ‘Aladdin’

We welcome Afghan-Filipina-American actress Senzel Ahmady on the podcast, and discuss her taking on the iconic role of Princess Jasmine in the touring Aladdin musical!

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The Middle Geeks Episode 48: Tala Ashe on Her Career and the Situation in Iran

Like us, you know her, you love her as Zari Tarazi on Legends of Tomorrow, it’s Tala Ashe herself on the podcast! Mae has a riveting conversation with Tala on her life and career, her time as Zari on Legends, what she learned about herself playing the role, her theater roles in the SWANA plays English and The Vagrant Trilogy, and much more!

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The Middle Geeks: Shayan Sobhian and Max Mooney on ‘Does Bigfoot Dream of Flowers?’

We are delighted to speak with Legends of Tomorrow cast member Shayan Sobhian and his writing partner and director Max Mooney on their new film Does Bigfoot Dream of Flowers?. What inspired them to do this project? How is this depiction of Bigfoot similar and different from those we’ve seen before? We also hear from Shayan on his role as Behrad on Legends of Tomorrow, and where the show might go from their recent Season 7 finale.

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The Middle Geeks Episode 35: ‘Archive 81’ Review

We discuss Netflix’s new horror series Archive 81, which headlines two SWANA stars with Mamoudou Athie and Dina Shihabi! What did we enjoy about this creepy series? Would it have been better if Mamoudou and Dina’s characters were SWANA coded? What do we want from a Season 2?

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The Middle Geeks Episode 33: ‘Gaza Mon Amour’ Review and Holiday Edition

Even though there’s not a lot to be merry about, we count our blessings and make it merry! We also discuss the wonderful 2020 film Gaza Mon Amour by director brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser, which shows old love in the middle of Gaza, starring our fave Hiam Abbass. We also discuss the exciting news of We Are Lady Parts Season 2 renewal, Mena Massoud’s new Netflix rom-com coming out soon, and much more!

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The Middle Geeks Episode 32: The Promise of ‘Star Wars: Visions’

We’re excited to have Meg Humphrey of Rogue Podron on to discuss Star Wars: Visions, the new anime anthology on Disney+ that breathes fresh life into this franchise with Japanese creators, crafting stories in a universe that was *heavily* inspired by their own culture.

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The Middle Geeks Interview: Abubakr Ali of Netflix’s ‘Grendel’

We are delighted to welcome Abubakr Ali on the podcast, who will be playing the titular role in Netflix’s Grendel, making him the FIRST Arab and Muslim actor to headline a comic adaptation in TV/Film! We discuss what got him into acting, his career so far, what his favorite superhero and other media are, and much more. Enjoy the conversation!

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The Middle Geeks Episode 31: ‘Dune’ Review

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune adaptation, based on a book that was explicitly and heavily influenced by Middle East and North African (MENA) and Islamic cultures, is out, and we are joined by our friends and fellow MENA critics Hanna Flint and Roxana Hadadi to review it.

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