2 Black Nerds

This week we discuss one of the first big-budget blockbuster films produced by A24, directed by Alex Garland "Civil War" (1:37). We also take the time to catch up (24:36) on some other things we've been watching such as "The Regime", "The Nun II", "Vacation Friends 2", "Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told" and more.

News of the Week: Supergirl, The Fantastic Four, The Matrix 5, Yasuke, Scary Movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers and G.I. Joe, 28 Years Later, Jon Snow Games of Thrones. Jon Snow Game of Thrones Spinoff.

(Song: ACKNOWLEDGE ME x Doja Cat)

Wrestlemania XL (1:12:16) took place this past weekend and it was the biggest Wrestlemania of all time, so there's a lot to discuss. In the world of TV Invincible (1:21) season 2 has concluded and we talk about the finale along with some notes for part 2 of the season. In the movie world, "Monkey Man" (45:08) an action thriller with Dev Patel in the director chair hit theaters this past weekend, along with "The First Omen" (57:42) a prequel to the original "The Omen".

News of the Week (2:14:37) Trailers (Joker: Folie à Deux, MaXXXine)

(Song: Kingdom x Downstait (Cody Rhodes Theme))

2 more episodes of "X-Men '97" have hit Disney+ within the past couple of weeks. Episode 4 titled "Motendo/Lifedeath - Part 1" and Episode 5 titled "Remember It", in this podcast episode we do our normal spoiler-free thoughts and breakdown of the episodes.

Beyoncé is back with another album! But this time with some country music feels with "Cowboy Carter" (1:18). In the movie world, we checked out the new Monsterverse movie featuring the beloved Titans in "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" (28:27) and the new horror film starring Sydney Sweeney with "Immaculate" (48:44). Also, Jordan takes the time to review the new show from Benioff and Weiss (The showrunners of Game of Thrones) that his Netflix this past week, "3 Body Problem" (58:49)

News of the Week (1:11:18) — Trailers (Bad Boys, Kinds of Kind), Jurassic World, Pirates of the Caribbean

RIP Louis Gossett Jr. and Chance Perdomo.

(Song: SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIIN' x Beyoncé & Shaboozey)

Episode 3 of "X-Men '97" gets weird this week titled "Fire Made Flesh".

Spoiler-free thoughts (1:00)

Breakdown (6:49)

Jordan and Desmund review a couple of movies that released this past weekend as well as discuss some new trailers and news of the week.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (1:26)

Last Night with the Devil (12:15)

Road House (2024) (24:29)

Shirley (37:42)

News of the Week (53:02): Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, Trailers, Euphoria, Joker: Folie à Deux, Dragonball Theme Park

(Song: Like That x Future, Metro Boomin, Kendrick Lamar)

X-Men '97 is here!! Continuing from the 90s animated cartoon we now have our first couple episodes of "X-Men '97" with a new look, some new animation, and some new characters. First we discuss the legacy and influence (1:03) of the cartoon from the 90s, get into a little bit of controversy then continue onto our spoiler free thoughts (23:33) of the series followed by our full episodic breakdown (33:54).

"Kung Fu Panda 4" (1:32) the latest from one of Dreamworks' trusted franchises has hit theaters this past weekend. "The American Society of the Magical Negro" (14:49), a title and trailer that many of us were skeptical of has also hit theaters, but how did it turn out? We also take the time to catch up (26:29) on some other things we've been watching including "Bob Marley: One Love", "Quiet On Set", and more.

News of the Week (1:23:26): MCU, Star Wars, Scream VII, Teen Titans, The Batman, 2025 Movie Calendar

(Song: Fly-day Chinatown x Yashua)

It's that time of the year! The 96th Academy Awards (1:40) happened this past Sunday and it's time to talk about the show in it's entirety from Jimmy Kimmel as host, to surprises and favorite parts of the show, to John Cena...naked? We also spend time this week to talk about the new romance thriller from director Rose Glass starring Kristen Stewart, "Love Lies Bleeding" (1:49:21).

News of the Week (2:00:32) Disney's Canceled Projects?, DCU Check-In

RIP AKIRA TORIYAMA

(Song: THank god 4 me x ScHoolboy Q)

The wait is finally over! Denis Villeneuve is back with "Dune: Part Two" (2:18), one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Is it the science fiction epic we hoped it would be? Also in this episode we review "Avatar: The Last Airbender" (1:02:17) the new live action adaptation of the beloved cartoon from Netflix. Also the time has come and the Academy Awards (1:31:47) is this Sunday so it's time to give our final predictions!

The latest project from Donald Glover has hit the airways with a new TV show reimagining of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (1:28). Vince Staples has also come out with his own TV show, a comedy on Netflix, "The Vince Staples Show" (15:55). Also "True Detective" (24:39) is back after almost 5 years with a new season starring Jodie Foster titled "Night Country". In the movie space Desmund got the chance to check out the latest from ufotable with "Demon Slayer: Hashira in Training" (39:18). A new Coen brothers movie has released in theaters, but this time with only one half of the duo, Ethan Coen in "Drive-Away Dolls" (47:53). Lastly, Tyler Perry's new film starring Kelly Rowland and Trevante Rhodes has released on Netflix titled "Mea Culpa" (59:50). We also talk about the SAG Awards (1:09:20) that premiered live exclusively on Netflix this past weekend, with some surprises.

Happy belated Valentine's Day! We hope you had a good day of love. It was also the day that Sony decided to release it's latest Spider-Man related character movie (without the web slinger himself) with "Madame Web". We do a recap (33:59) of how this movie came to be, along with box office records, and then get into our review with our spoiler free thoughts (46:26) and character breakdowns (1:11:55).

Before discussing Madame Web we discuss some important Marvel news (1:21) from Superbowl weekend inlcuding the trailer for what we know now as "Deadpool & Wolverine", the trailer for "X-Men '97", and the poster/cast announcement for "The Fantastic Four".

(Song: Toxic x Britney Spears)

Happy February! In this episode we do some quick catching up reviews. Starting with Matthew Vaughn's new action/thriller "Argylle" (1:48) and the Oscar Nominee "The Zone of Interest" (17:20) from director Jonathan Glazer. We also do a roundup (28:54) of movies like Society of the Snow, Lift, Suzume, and some other TV shows.

News of the Week (1:10:12): Echo, Supergirl

Rest In Peace Carl Weathers

This may be one of the few episodes where we don't review anything really, instead we spend this episode discussing our most anticipated movies and tv shows of 2024 (20:27). From "Dune Part 2" to Season 4 of "The Boys" theres's a lot to look forward to.

News of the Week (1:25): Marvel News

It's that time of the year! Oscar nominations (1:32) have officially been announced and it's time to discuss the snubs and a couple of light predictions. We also take the time to review the first movies of 2024 including

"The Book of Clarence" (46:10) - the latest from director Jeymes Samuel and actor Lakeith Stanfield,

"Mean Girls" (56:35) - the movie musical adapted from the broadway musical adapted from the 2004 movie which was adapted from. a book,

"The Beekeeper" (1:09:56) - the newest action film starring Jason Statham ,

and "Origin" (1:19:30) - the latest from accomplished director Ava Duvernay.

News of the week (1:38:17): WWE Raw, Star Wars, Daredevil: Born Again, Top Gun 3, Jurassic World

(Song: n.h.i.e x 21 Savage Ft. Doja Cat)

The first MCU project of 2024 has been released in totality with Marvel's "Echo". A show we've known has been in the works somewhat since the end of "Hawkeye". Because all 5 episodes dropped at once, we binged the series and it's time to talk about the whole thing. First we do our recap (1:23) on how "Echo" came to be, then we give our spoiler free thoughts (18:26), and then get into our episode by episode breakdown (31:50) of the series.

(Song: DELRESTO (ECHOES) x Travis Scott ft. Beyoncé)

The last and final film of the DCEU has arrived with "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom". As we say our goodbyes we talk about the DCEU a bit and this film at length as per usual. First we do a small recap (1:17) of how this movie came to be and discuss the box office, give our spoiler free thoughts (26:00), and then dive in with our character breakdowns (37:06). We then of course give our final eulogies of the DCEU and rank this film among the others. How did you feel about the DCEU in the end?

(Song: Water x Tyla)

Happy 2024! Award season has just kicked off with the 2024 Golden Globe Awards (1:37). This year the voting process has changed as the voting committee has now expanded to more people, but did that change anything about the show? Also over the break there were a decent amount of movie releases. We take the time to talk about the heavily anticipated, "The Color Purple" (56:53), the biopic about the cursed Von Erich family in "The Iron Claw" (1:13:11), Bradley Cooper's second time in the director's chair with "Maestro" (1:32:16), and the French film getting a ton of buzz with "Anatomy of a Fall" (1:46:47).

(Song: Two Words x Kanye West ft. Mos Def & Freeway)

We finally have a verdict about the Jonathan Majors trial (1:31) and he has been found guilty on 2 of 4 accounts with assault and harassment. With reality setting in, what does this mean for the future of the MCU? But looking beyond that, what could this mean for the future of Jonathan Majors? This past weekend Timothée Chalamet has taken a crack at the beloved and eccentric character in "Wonka" (30:23). We also got a rare sighting at the talented Jeffrey Wright as the lead in a film with "American Fiction"(46:35).

As the year comes to an end we take the time to acknowledge what a journey this year has been and we talking about the biggest Hollywood winners and losers of 2023, from directors, to franchises.

Thank y'all for rocking with us another year. We love and appreciate all the support. For All Time Always. See y'all in 2024.

"Poor Things" (1:32), the heavily anticipated film from Yorgos Lanthimos starring Emma Stone has finally hit theaters. We've also been watching other things (19:30) and spend some time to catch up, including:

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Leave the World Behind, May December, Project Greenlight, When Evil Lurks, I'm a Virgo, Fionna & Cake, and Young Love.

Also the nominations for the 2024 Golden Globes (57:53) have been released and feel a little different this time around so we had to take the time to acknowledge them and give some early predictions. The 2023 Game Awards (1:36:03) also happened this past weekend and we take the time to discuss some of the highlights from the show.

(Song: Jesus Is The One (I Got Depression) x Zack Fox)

Beyoncé has done it again, "Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé" (1:40) the documentary following one of the largest world tours ever, has hit theaters. Also we discuss the 33rd Godzilla film from Toho, "Godzilla Minus One" (22:21) and the 12th film from legendary director Hayao Miyazaki, "The Boy and the Heron" (43:03).

News of the Week (1:04:14) - Trailers: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Fallout, The Boys, House of the Dragon, GTA VI

(Song: MY HOUSE x Beyoncé)

The mid season finale of "Invincible" season 2 (1:34) premiered this past weekend so we discuss Mark, Debbie, Allen, and other spoilers up to this point so far. We also got the chance to check out some movies this past week including:

- Ridley's Scott's "Napoleon" (50:16)

- A new holiday slasher from Eli Roth with "Thanksgiving (1:07:00)

- The 62nd Disney movie to commemorate their 100 year anniversary, "Wish" (1:17:08)

- and the new a24 film starring Nicolas Cage, "Dream Scenario" (1:38:00)

News of the Week(1:51:14): Scream 7

(Song: hold me down x Noname)

The SAG-AFTRA strike (1:13) is over!! It took 118 days but an agreement has been reached, and we discuss what this could mean for the next year of film and TV. We also take the time to catch up and review some films we've seen in theaters recently including:

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" (14:47)

"Killers of the Flower Moon" (31:10)

"The Killer" (58:57)

"Saltburn" (1:10:12)

We also do a roundup (1:22:41) of other movies, anime, TV shows, and events we've watched/done lately.

News of the Week (2:01:12)

Nicholas Hoult, What If Season 2 Trailer, Madame Web Trailer, Fantastic Four, Avengers: Kang Dynasty.

After dropping our in-depth deep dive and review of 'The Marvels', we hosted a 2 Black Nerds Spaces on X to have a spoiler-filled conversation about the movie with listeners and friends of the podcast. We begin with our general impressions of the film (1:13), and then discuss specific moments and set pieces from the film (20:50), as well as the movie's ending and mid-credits scene (41:35). The conversation concludes with our thoughts about the future of the MCU, the inevitable arrival of mutants, and whether or not Marvel should abandon the Kang storyline (1:06:30).

"Higher, Further, Faster?" We'll see about that. "The Marvels" is finally out in theaters and you know what that means. We do our recap (1:28) on how "The Marvels" came to be, including the films performance at the box office. Then of course our spoiler free review (37:08), into our character by character breakdown (50:45), important moments, and where it ranks in line with the rest of the MCU.

(Song: Soldier x Destiny's Child, T.I., Lil' Wayne)

The Season (Series?) Finale of Loki is here! Titled "Glorious Purpose", the same title as the first episode of the series, where everything comes full circle. Before we get into our episode breakdown (30:57) and spoiler free thoughts (24:45), we first have some MCU news (1:23) to discuss regarding release dates and reactions to the new 'Echo' trailer.

(Song: Lose Control x Missy Elliot, Ciara, Fatman Scoop

Glorious Purpose x Natalie Holt)

What a week it's been for superhero shows. This past week we not only got Loki episode 5 (which we also dropped an episode for), but the season finale of "The Boys" spin off, "Gen V" (8:45) premiered and the the long awaited season 2 premiere of "Invincible" (1:44:38) released as well. And before we discuss these projects at length we do a brief discussion on Amazon Prime Videos venture into superhero content. (1:37)

(Song: FE!N x Travis Scott ft. Playboi Carti)

What an interesting couples days it has been for Marvel. Not only did the penultimate episode of Loki season 2 drop, but an article from Variety about the 'Crisis at Marvel' (1:34) released online this week. In this episode we spend a good amount of time discussing the article and the new things we may have learned about Marvel in their current situation regarding Jonathan Majors, The Marvels, Blade, and The Avengers. We then go on to do our normal weekly review of Loki with episode 5 titled "Science/Fiction". First giving our spoiler free thoughts (49:07), then onto our breakdown (53:03) of the episode.

Multiverse Saga is that you? This weeks episode of Loki titled "Heart of the TVA" is a seemingly super important episode that could have a long lasting effect on the greater MCU, but we'll have to see if even that's true first. Before we get into our spoiler free thoughts (19:51) and breakdown (25:16) of the episode we first do a quick temp check on the upcoming movie "The Marvels" (1:26).

The heavily anticipated PS5 game "Marvel's Spider-Man 2" (1:42) is finally out! Neither of us have beat the game yet so we take time to give an overview and some spoiler free thoughts that includes gameplay, the expansion of the map, some story touchpoints involving well known characters and how much the game has sold.

Also in this episode we take the time to interview the creator of Blacktooth Publishing (1:11:30), Omari Malik about his company and how he came to love and create comic books on his own.

"You better runnnnnnnnnn". Loki season 2 is now at the half way point and it's time to assess how we feel so far. Is this midway point better than how we felt during season 1? And do we feel like this season is leading in a solid direction? Plus this episode titled "1893" has plenty of action and surprises to discuss.

Spoiler free thoughts - (1:28)

Spoiler breakdown - (9:23)

Beyoncé vs Taylor Swift(1:50), Barbie vs Oppenheimer, this year has shown us that the box office is operating on a different type of time. These unforeseen successes feel like once in a lifetime experiences that could have lasting effects on the movie industry, so we discuss Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and their tours and respective movies and why they may carry on the trend from Barbie and Oppenheimer. We also do quick movie review catch up with "The Exorcist: Believer" (45:47), "Saw X" (1:04:06), and "The Creator" (1:12:08). Also in this episode we interview our good friends Sean Clemmons and and DeAnthony Simmons on their short film "The Language of Loves" (1:39:22).

(Song: Virgo's Groove x Beyoncé)

We're back again with another Loki review and to talk about episode 2 of season 2 titled "Breaking Brad". Before we get into our usual review we discuss some of the latest news out of Marvel that came from a Hollywood Reporter article by Borys Kit about some of the changes being made to Marvel television.

Marvel Television (1:27)

Non-Spoiler Thoughts (27:21)

Spoiler Talk (20:40)

(Song: Hot Boyz x Missy Elliott)

The best MCU show is back! (subjective?) Loki Season 2 has premiered on Disney+ and it's time again for our weekly reviews. Before we get into the reviews, we get into the reasons that Loki works for a lot of people versus the other Disney+ shows. Following that, we give our non spoiler thoughts (16:38) and then get into our spoiler review of the premiere episode. (24:43)

(Song: Sock It 2 Me x Missy Elliot ft. Da Brat)

It's a celebration!! The boys are back but it's not just any old episode, this episode marks our 4 year anniversary of the podcast! Not only that, but this is episode 200 and the premiere of our 10th season of the podcast so there's so much to celebrate. So much in fact that we invited some of our friends who've helped cultivate the community we've harbored to discuss The State of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A topic that we all have an opinion on. But first we have some unfinished business and we need to talk about the results of our Summer Movie Draft we had at the beginning of the summer (1:49).

Part Two Guests and Topics:

Fantastic Frankey - The Lack of Consequences and Lower Stakes (37:57)

Unquallified Heroes - Avengers No More. The Lack of Central Characters (1:13:47)

Sean and De - The Tone and Style of the MCU (1:42:30)

The Boys - Difficult Transition to TV and Streaming (2:25:40)

(Songs: Illest Motherf***** Alive x Jay-Z, Kanye West

H*A*M x Jay-Z, Kanye West)

It's a celebration!! The boys are back but it's not just any old episode, this episode marks our 4 year anniversary of the podcast! Not only that, but this is episode 200 and the premiere of our 10th season of the podcast, so there's so much to celebrate. So much in fact that we invited some of our friends who've helped cultivate the community we've harbored to discuss The State of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A topic that we all have an opinion on.

Part one Guests and Topics:

Stark Wars podcast - The Multiverse Problem (20:00)

Black Gay Comic Geek - Too Many Characters and Their Uncertain Futures (44:46)

Bryon Knows Movies - Behind the Scene's Drama (1:15:23)

Two Dudes Watch Cartoons - Quantity over Quality (1:49:58)

(Songs: Liftoff x Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kanye West,

No Church In The Wild x Jay-Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, The-Dream)

DC's latest superhero adventure "Blue Beetle" has hit theaters and it's time to discuss. We have special guest that has joined us for this episode - Danny from Unqualified Heroes (@unqualifiedheroes) is here to add his expertise to the show. We start off with our recap (3:07) of Blue Beetle's production, a little character history, and the box office. We then go into our spoiler-free thoughts (33:42) followed by our character and moment breakdowns, stingers, and where it falls for each of us among other DCEU films (46:08).

(Song: Uptown Vibes x Meek Mill ft. Fabolous & Anuel AA)

We are back from a small hiatus and better than ever. We have a jam packed episode with a little surprise in store. First we discuss a heavily anticipated movie from Netflix, the new sci-Fi-mystery-thriller starring John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Fox, "They Clone Tyrone" (1:52). Also our favorite shelled up teenagers are back with another movie, but this time it's animated with "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" (14:42). Then we talk about the latest horror film from A24 with some Australian flavor, "Talk to Me" (50:58). We have the pleasure of having a very special guest on today's show. He's been integral in many of our lives as a writer, producer, director and voice actor in the award winning animated series "The Boondocks", as well as projects like "Black Dynamite". Not only that but he's here to give insight on his new black animation and media company, Martian Blueberry. Please help us in welcoming Carl Jones (1:08:52) to the show.

(Song: Tyrone x Erykah Badu)

The season finale of "Secret Invasion" has premiered on Disney+ and it's time discuss where this series has wound up in the grand scheme of MCU TV Shows. We first give our big picture thoughts (1:34) about the finale and series and then go into our episode breakdown (9:14) and final thoughts (1:01:22) and ratings of the show.

The heavily anticipated cinematic phenomenon #Barbenheimer has taken over movie theaters this weekend! Both "Barbie" (1:02:49) and "Oppenheimer" (1:43:42) have dominated the movie landscape and it's time to discuss. Before we get into our reviews, we recap (2:08) the journey of how #Barbenheimer even came to be, from Christopher Nolan's departure from Warner Bros., to the box office and world-class marketing of these films.

The penultimate episode of Marvel's "Secret Invasion" has arrived on Disney+ and it's time to discuss how we feel this show will end from both a quality perspective and a story one. As per usual we do our spoiler free thoughts (1:31) then get into our episode breakdown (8:41).

Tom Cruise is back with more action, spy madness and ridiculous stunts in "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" (1:40), the 7th installment in the "Mission: Impossible" Franchise. Is comedy back??? "Joy Ride" (57:54) the new comedy film starring an all Asian-American cast has just hit theaters and it's raunchy but is it good? Patrick Wilson also makes his directorial debut with a franchise he's been a part of for over a decade now with "Insidious: The Red Door" (1:12:33), Desmund got a chance to check this one out, but is Insidious still a franchise worth holding on to? Emmy Nominations (1:22:40) have also released, with some not so surprising noms, but there's definitely some nominations to raise an eyebrow at as well. Lastly, the time has come for us to discuss the SAG-AFTRA strike (1:48:21) and what it means for the industry that this very podcasts lives on.

We are officially over the hump and into episode 4 of 6 with Marvel's "Secret Invasion". But before we get into our spoiler free thoughts (22:40), as well as our breakdown and discussion (29:55) of the episode, we talk about some confirmed news about "Deadpool 3" (1:37), as well as some speculation about other surprises we could see in the movie.

Episode 3 of Marvel's Secret Invasion has hit the airwaves this week with an episode titled "Betrayal", and it's time to do our weekly breakdown. We start off with our spoiler free thoughts (1:25) and after talk about the big moments that happen in this episode in depth. (8:20)

(Song: Strike (Holster) x Lil Yachty)

Happy 4th of July week?! In this episode we discuss the 5th installment to one of the most beloved franchises of all time with "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" (1:30). On the TV show side of things we talk about the new Season of popular technological anthology series "Black Mirror" (18:07), the latest season of "The Bear" (36:23), and the new HBO show from The Weeknd and Sam Levinson in "The Idol" (53:33)

News of the Week (1:05:38):

(Song: Aye x Lil Uzi ft. Travis Scott)

The latest MCU TV show has hit the airwaves with "Secret Invasion". This is Marvel's Spy/Espionage show starring Samuel L. Jackson and a plethora of acting talent. We're back to our weekly review and breakdown with this new MCU show, let's see if it can subvert expectations.

The summer remains busy in the film world and we have some new movies to review and discuss:

"The Blackening" (1:29), "Asteroid City" (13:45), Extraction 2 (25:33), Pixar's "Elemental" (37:22), "No Hard Feelings" (55:26)

News of the Week (1:05:43): Superman: Legacy, Kraven the Hunter

(Song: Uncle M x Young Thug)

After almost 9 years of development hell "The Flash" has hit theaters. As per usual it's time to discuss and breakdown the movie, but we're not alone this time! We have a very special guest with us, Fantastic Frankey (@fantasticfrankey), a pop culture and nerdom icon. Frankey joins us as we talk all things "The Flash" including a small recap (1:22) of how we arrived at this film including the box office and the early hype around the movie, as well as our spoiler free thoughts (38:08) and spoiler filled character by character breakdown (50:19).

(Song: Raydar x JID)

"Succession" (1:29) has come to an end and it's time to discuss and give our thoughts of how the show ended and where the show falls for us in terms of "great television". We also take the time in this episode to do a roundup (1:11:56) of TV shows and video games, from "Star Wars: Visions" and "Ted Lasso", to "Diablo IV" and "Street Fighter 6".

News of the Week (1:52:58): Marvel - Fantastic Four, Disney+ Dates, Superman: Legacy Casting, Spider-Man 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Mortal Kombat 1, Star Wars Outlaws

(Song: Hillbillies x Kendrick Lamar & Baby Keem)

The jumpstart to season 9 continues as we catch up on some big and important movies that have hit theaters recently. In this episode, we review and discuss:

Fast X (1:37), The Little Mermaid (26:37), Transformers Rise of the Beasts (44:46), White Men Can't Jump (1:05:24), and Past Lives (1:17:30).

(Song: Float x Janelle Monáe ft. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80)