Afro-Commentary: BLOWN AWAY!

Movies today are spectacular, awesome, ingenious, mind-blowing, eye-popping digital miracles.  From the first scenes of Terminator 2's T-1000 shifting and oozing in his 'polymetal' form to the life like yet totally imaginary beings of Avatar, movie magic has brought us to a place of awe and wonder.

For me this isn't the first time that I have witnessed movies that changed my perception of what was real and what was fantasy.  I was born in the 60's, and grew up in the 70's.  Cinema was very different when I was young.  But the lack of CG or digital film scores didn't mean that I missed out on experiencing the same feeling of awe that audiences are mesmerized by today.

The seventies was a era where the term 'Blockbuster' was coined.  Mainly it came about because people were lining up around the blocks to get tickets.  People were showing up in droves.  But not because they were starved for entertainment. In the seventies, movies changed in a way that audiences had never seen before.

My first experience of this was when I went to see JAWS in 75'.  I was pretty young, but my parents thought it was okay.  "It's just a shark movie."  I laugh now when I talk to younger generations and tell them that JAWS scared the crap out of me.  Yes, that's right little Geek Soul Brother was scared of a rubber shark.  Shoot, I still don't like swimming in the ocean!  Laugh it up, it's okay.  But take a mental trip back to that time and imagine that the worst scary movie up until then were monsters in rubber suits slowly walking towards their victims.  Or before that, giant insects or sea creatures attacking cities.  That was pretty much the height of fear; though I don't think they really scared anybody.  PSYCHO was an exception.

Back to the 70's.  Yes, JAWS was a hit.  But it was just the first in a line of cinema breakthroughs that just kept pounding people's imaginations one after another.

Everything increased in its own special genre.  Horror got more scary, Scifi got more imaginative, drama became more... dramatic!  I didn't see THE EXORCIST in the theater cause I was too young.  But even today it is considered one of the scariest movies of all time.  For me everything changed in horror when I went to see ALIEN for the first time.  It was a man in a suit, yes, but not the corny rubber suit of yesteryear.  From that point on, the sub-genre of Sci-Fi/Horror took on a whole new meaning.  And new genres were being invented by that time.  'Slasher' became a standard.  Suddenly buildings on fire and earthquakes became 'Disaster Movies'.

And above all, the genre that had me officially 'BLOWN AWAY' was Science Fiction.  Better special effects technology and camera movement allowed film makers like Lucas and Spielberg to create moments of imagination that were only previously in the minds of book readers. I have to say that no one was ready for what they first saw in  STAR WARS.  Even the commercials gave us a clue that we were seeing something new.  Fights with Swords made of light and ships that could fly so fast the stars streaked past them had people walking out the theaters wondering how all that was possible.  CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND made people feel that not only could aliens exist but they could be wise and knowing.  And SUPERMAN brought the most famous comic book character to life.

I'm glad I got to experience the beginnings of the way movies changed and evolved.  Sometimes I look at younger people and wonder if they will ever feel the way we did in those days.  It was a 'first time' for many things in film and I don't know if it will ever impact people the same way again.  But if it does, I hope the coming generations aren't jaded to the genius in filmmaking that's coming down the road.  What was the movie moment that had you Blown Away?

GSB Podcast: ANIME 2: KAIJU BOOGALOO

The Five Nerdy Venoms revisited the topic of Anime! It's been like 2 years.  But instead of going over the classics, they talked about what they liked and hated now.  Our newest Venom JD (she still has to walk the rice paper) listed some age appropriate anime.




Remember, GEEK SOUL BROTHER and the 5 NERDY VENOMS airs 10pm eastern on Tuesdays for News and Movie and TV reviews.  Feel free to call or chat with us about whatever main topics we are featuring.  Keep up with future episodes by subscribing, or give us a 'like' on Facebook and get updates on when a new show is scheduled. Search for Geek Soul Brother in iTunes and subscribe to get up-to-date downloads of each episode.  Or you can always listen to past episodes on my TALKSHOE PAGE (or try the player in the sidebar). Leave your comments and tell us what you thought.  As always, I Hope you enjoy the show.

NBC's CROSSBONES - Not Your Funny Disney Pirates!

When I heard about this show coming to NBC I wasn't sure what the tone would be. Was NBC going to run with the same style and comedy of the Disney franchise PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN?  Or was it going to be something a little more dramatic and serious?  Well, I don't think serious begins to describe the flavor of this high seas adventure starring John Malkovich as Blackbeard.  He may not be represented as the historical figure that you know, but he lookes like a ruthless and calculating leader in this series.  And he's somebody that Tom Lowe (Richard Coyle) has been assigned to assassinate by his superiors England.  From the trailer you can see that there is going to be a cat and mouse game between those two and all the other characters of the show. And who is the sister with the sword?  She's Tracy Ifeachor playing Nenna and she looks like she'll be around for a minute according to imdb.




I have one question for you guys that are reading this though.  Have you seen BLACK SAILS on the Starz cable network?  Because I'm going to tell ya, the premise of CROSSBONES is very very close to the plot of the Starz series.  I wonder who really started developing their projects first?  And BLACK SAILS was a pretty good show for its first season. So comparatively, CROSSBONES has something to prove. On the other hand, the fact that it's going to air on NBC, and I don't think that many people watched the Starz series, probably means it won't have much competition in the area of pirate shows.
Look for it Friday, May 30th at 10pm est.

Afro-Commentary - Did X-Men: First Class Kill the Wrong Guy?

(Reposting from Apr. 23, 2013)
It seems that the more recent Marvel movies  (and by that I mean any movie based on Marvel characters) have valued the presence of a 'Likable' Black Male Actor.  In IRON MAN 2, Don Cheadle had a major part in the story.  Idris Elba also had a great role in Thor, though not quite as prominent Cheadle.  And how can we not include Samuel Jackson, being that he was in every Marvel / Disney film to date.  And even looking forward, we see Cheadle having another major role in the IRON-MAN 3 storyline, Anthony Makie being introduced as Falcon in CAPTAIN AMERICA 2: WINTER SOLDIER, Jamie Foxx playing Spider-Man's most electrifying villain, and not only is Idris Elba coming back to reprise his role of Heimdail - guardian of the Bifrost, but Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has also joined the cast as Algrim / Kurse.  Well, dark elves aren't exactly of African decent, but I'm talking about actors. Likable Black Male actors.

Darwin was likable.  In X-MEN: FIRST CLASS he was very likable, even in his 15 minutes of fame.  But before he could work his charm and heroics into our mutant loving hearts, the guy that could adapt against anything couldn't adapt to digesting a fiery red gum-ball.  Actually, the jury is out on that, but that's food for another post.

When you look back at the franchise, the males in the X-Men movies have always been a little on the caucasoidian side (white dudes).  Truthfully, I was okay with that considering they reflected the early comic characters.  And Storm in the comics brought so much pride and elegance to the title that most people of any color could say that Marvel represented people of African decent in a good way where she was concerned, 100% African I might add.

So did Matthew Vaughn mess up on not keeping a likable brother in his story?  It actually followed the comic more closely than many people realize.  But film studios love to keep their audiences happy, and coming back for more. Did they say "Oh no, maybe we should have kept Edi Gathegi around a little longer and not have made him the Noble Negro."  I know they didn't use the term 'Noble Negro'.  How could they, Geek Soul Brother invented it.  But there is a term in fictional writing called 'killing your darlings'.  It means a writer has to be willing to kill even the characters they like in order to give the story some real motivation.  Isn't that what happened in First Class? Everybody mourned Darwin because he died trying to save them, and they were motivated to come together and fight Big Bad Bacon.  The same happened to our lovable Agent Couslin. Not exactly the brownest of male actors, but he was a 'darling' by definition.  And by the way, the jury was out on that situation also, and a resounding voice voted "Bring Coulsin Back!" (Update!! This was way before Agents of Shield)

In my opinion, the right move for 20th Century Fox would be to bring Darwin back with some mutant storytelling magic.  You could almost say it would be redeeming in the eyes of the audience.   There have been rumors that Bishop might be in Days of Future Past.  Is that the role Omar Sy, who's listed on the imdb page, will be playing?  I can't say.  I'm sure only the sweating executive producers can say for sure.  I do know one thing.  I love Hally Berry, but not as Storm.  She is not the 'likable Black Actor' I was talking about, plus she's one of those lady types.  I'll tell you another thing. Whether they're Black, White, Blue, Green or Purple, nobody will be more likable than Peter Dinklage as Puck.  Come on, it will be Tyrion in tights!  You know you'll love it.

I know there's all kinds of debates about whether a white character should be played by a black actor, or even vica-verca.  But I'm just talking about the recent film fad of having a cool brother that the audience cheers for.  Did X-Men: First Class kill the wrong guy?  Would it have been better not to have a black male actor in the movie at all? Personally, Geek Soul Brother thinks so, considering other comic films.  Here is a post I wrote a while ago about the whole Darwin dying situation - X-MEN: FIRST CLASS - OFFENSIVE OR JUST A PERIOD PIECE.  Hit me back with your thoughts.

UPDATE 2014: With Omar Sy playing Bishop in the new X-Men: Days of Future Past, I'm sure Fox will not make the mistake of killing the likable leader type  black character again.  Though I wouldn't put any bets on Storm making it to the end of the film. Little spoiler there I know, but I don't think that upset you fans too much.

LADY GAMERS

In this episode the Five Nerdy Venoms talked about Ladies and their video gaming with special guests - Christina from Agents of Geek, Kia a.k.a. The Last Storm from Nerdgasm Noire Network, and Najomie C. (@NajomieInfo) who is a graphic designer and gamer. The discussion covered the different experiences women have with online, off-line and even table top gaming. Also they talked about playing male-centric games.  Also joining the conversation were Nerdy Venom in training JD Vieira, and honorary Venom Hattori Hudson! Hope you enjoy.



Remember, GEEK SOUL BROTHER and the 5 NERDY VENOMS airs 10pm eastern on Tuesdays for News and Movie and TV reviews.  Feel free to call or chat with us about whatever main topics we are featuring.  Keep up with future episodes by subscribing, or give us a 'like' on Facebook and get updates on when a new show is scheduled. Search for Geek Soul Brother in iTunes and subscribe to get up-to-date downloads of each episode.  Or you can always listen to past episodes on my TALKSHOE PAGE (or try the player in the sidebar). Leave your comments and tell us what you thought.  As always, I Hope you enjoy the show.

INTERVIEW: Rapper BISHOP LAMONT!

Bishop Lamont is a Rapper that's not afraid to show his geek side.  He's been in the game for a long time, being signed up with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, doing work on several EA Sports Titles, and has a title track for the film HAVOC.  Lamont has been producing his own albums under his label Diocese Records, the newest of which - Reformation - will be coming out in the middle of 2014.  You can find Bishops music and other info in iTunes or just go to bishoplamont.com



This interview was more of a great conversation with one of our geek brothers.  It's the whole reason our very own Illumeenous asked him to be our guest after she saw his Instagram comicbook picks.  Bishop talked about how the different media industries treat artists, what strategies he's using to do his own self-promotion and run his label, and what he felt about nerds rapping (Nerdcore).  The brother definitely considers God and Family as the most important aspects of his life.  And Bishop had some very encouraging words for others out there that are trying to be creative in their own way. 
As always, this show contains Explicit language.  You have been warned. Hope you enjoy!

GEEK SOUL BROTHER: AFTER DARK is an adult show that features discussions on social, political, religious, gender and other hot topics in pop and geek culture. You can listen to GSB: AFTER DARK Live on Thursdays at 10pm eastern by going to our show page on TALKSHOE.COM.  And make sure you find us and our archive recordings by subscribing in iTunes. We really appreciate it.

CAPTAIN AMERICA 2: WINTER SOLDIER REVIEW

There was a general consensus that CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER is one freakin' awesome film.  The Five Nerdy Venoms (@FiveNerdyVenoms) also thought it was wayyyyyy better than the first one. Some even thought it was the best Marvel film next to THE AVENGERS.  The gang held off of giving major spoilers at first, and even left some juicy tidbits a secret for you people that haven't seen it yet.  But all in all, this was a lively review of the Ninth theatrical film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus there was news and lots of geek hi-jinx as always. (Some Explicit Language).



Remember, GEEK SOUL BROTHER and the 5 NERDY VENOMS airs 10pm eastern on Tuesdays for News and Movie and TV reviews.  Feel free to call or chat with us about whatever main topics we are featuring.  Keep up with future episodes by subscribing, or give us a 'like' on Facebook and get updates on when a new show is scheduled. Search for me in iTunes and subscribe to get up-to-date downloads of each episode.  Or you can always listen to past episodes on my TALKSHOE PAGE (or try the player in the sidebar).  Remember to leave your comments and tell me what you thought.  As always, I Hope you enjoy the show.

GSB After Dark: LEGALIZING DRUGS

The Five Nerdy Venoms were flying solo in this episode. They talked about the recent instance of marijuana being legalized in some states. And they asked what other drugs should or shouldn't be legal?  How can the government control things, or should it always be at state level?
Intro music clip 1976 Legalize It by Peter Tosh





GEEK SOUL BROTHER: AFTER DARK is an adult show that features discussions on social, political, religious, gender and other hot topics in pop and geek culture. You can listen to GSB: AFTER DARK Live on Thursdays at 10pm eastern by going to our show page on TALKSHOE.COM.  And make sure you find us and our archive recordings by subscribing in iTunes. We really appreciate it.

Trailer Jive: LUCY (2014)

Drug Mule turned Mutant Baby Phoenix. I'm totally down.  And with Luc Blesson (Fifth Element) writing and directing, and Scarlett Johansson playing a chemically evolved being, you can expect something interesting for sure.  Morgan Freeman has a cool role of a scientist researching how to open up human brain potential. 


And to cap it off, Min-sik Choi is one of the apparent villains. You may know him as Oldboy!  Not everybody likes all of Blesson's films, but nobody can argue that they are boring.  Telekinesis and Drug Lords - winning combination.  Watch for it this summer.