I used to go hard for TheWalking Dead. I joined the party in early Season 2 after binge watching all of Season 1 on a rainy weekend.  I was obsessed. Not only did I buy Season 1 almost immediately, I demanded everyone I know and love watch it too.  It was that good.  Sure. It […]

Meek is a free man. TMZ reports that the rapper and his team received word from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that Judge Genece Brinkley's decision to deny the rapper bail had been overruled. Brinkley denied Mill bail last week, setting a hearing for 60 days later.  According to the PA Supreme Court's official order, the justices cited the alleged corrupt cop in the rapper's case as a reason for his release. Prosecutors were also not opposed to Mill's release. [brightcove id=5026803787001] The news comes after months of support from celebrities and officials, who believed that Mill should be released. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf publicly endorsed Mill's release in March, tweeting, "I support D.A. Larry Krasner’s position in the case of Robert Williams (Meek Mill). Our criminal justice system is in need of repair. That’s why my admin has made efforts to invest in programs that divert individuals from the system, improve public safety, and promote fairness." JAY-Z also penned an op-ed for The New York Times, highlighting the bias in America's criminal justice system and calling probation a "trap." "We must fight for Meek and everyone else unjustly sent to prison," the hip-hop mogul wrote.  Mill tweeted Tuesday that he was thankful for the help he received along the way and will be teaming up with his legal team to help others who have been unjustly imprisoned.      "I’d like to thank God, my family, and all my public advocates for their love, support, and encouragement during this difficult time. While the past five months have been a nightmare, the prayers, visits, calls, letters and rallies have helped me stay positive," Mill wrote.  He continued, "In the meantime, I plan to work closely with my legal team to overturn this unwarranted conviction and look forward to reuniting with my family and resuming my music career."

Even with all of the hype around Avengers: Infinity War, the new Venom trailer did not go unnoticed when it had a late night debut earlier this week. And while the first Venom teaser didn’t show us the alien sym-BI-ote, the new footage didn’t hold back on its comic book origins and gave us an extended look at Tom Hardy as both Eddie Brock and his alter ego. This may be the most accurate rendition of Venom we’ve seen to date, but the internet’s still not happy with this Marvel adjacent film. Today’s Nerdist News is breaking out the sonic canons to explain why fans just aren’t satisfied.

Join guest host Amy “Does Whatever a Spider Can” Vorpahl as she goes over some of the reasons why the new Venom trailer is getting a frosty reception. Some of the excuses are a bit silly, like getting angry over the pronunciation of symbiote. There are some justifiable complaints about the trailer’s dialogue, but the biggest issue that fans seem to have with Venom is that Spider-Man isn’t in it.

Sony isn’t hiding its attempt to launch a shared universe of Marvel’s Spider-Man characters without Spidey himself. But the problem with that is Venom is intrinsically linked to Peter Parker. Spider-Man was the first person to bond with the symbiote, barring some retcons with Deadpool. When Spidey rejected the symbiote, it found Eddie Brock, a disgraced journalist with a grudge against Spider-Man. Together, the symbiote and Brock became one of Spider-Man’s greatest villains. And when Venom proved to be popular, Marvel remade him as an anti-hero.

As portrayed in the trailer, Eddie Brock isn’t the dark reflection of Peter Parker. He’s more like a crusading journalist who doesn’t appear to have the flaws of his comic book counterpart. By removing Spider-Man from the equation, Sony has had to completely rework Venom’s origin story. When the changes are this extreme, is it really the same character from the comic? Or is this Venom just someone who shares the same name and powers? We’ll find out when Venom hits theaters on Friday, October 5.

What do you think about the new Venom trailer? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: Sony Pictures/Marvel

More of the latest Nerdist News!

• What does Marvel skipping SDCC’s Hall H mean?
• We know Peter Dinklage’s role in Infinity War!
• Why Deadpool 2‘s Peter is the movie’s linchpin!

Avengers: Infinity War premiered last night, and while full reviews aren’t allowed until tonight at 6PM ET (check back here for ours!), the first reactions are out, and the movie sounds completely overwhelming. That’s not to say there’s not any criticism to be gleaned from these early reactions, but those who have been following the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its characters from the beginning are going to have a lot to process in this movie, at the very least.

So let’s dive right in with the very first reaction—or at least, I’d assume it was, since the tweet appears to have broken the very embargo date and time contained in it. Kevin Smith just couldn’t contain himself:

I am overwhelmed. The movie is epic beyond compare. LOVED it. My legs are still shaking. It’s a gigantic @Marvel masterpiece. So much to say but I’ll stay Silent Bob til Monday so as not to slip in spoilers. Suffice to say it’s gonna be a looooong year until @Avengers 4… pic.twitter.com/aHnsgj5MK0

— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) April 24, 2018

As for some (non-spoilery) specifics on what to expect, it sounds like the Guardians of the Galaxy will feature prominently, which is no surprise when one of them is Thanos’ “favorite daughter,” and it sounds like the movie makes good on press tour talk of Thanos himself getting a lot of focus:

Thanos is the main character of #AvengersInfinityWar and Josh Brolin is great. But the best pairing in this movie is Thor + the Guardians and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.

— Terri Schwartz (@Terri_Schwartz) April 24, 2018

#AvengersInfinityWar is the MCU’s biggest soap opera ever, and that’s not a bad thing. Feels more like a sequel to Guardians, and you’ll get to see what makes a Mad Titan tick. We will have A LOT to unpack soon.

— Mike Sorrentino (@MikeJSorrentino) April 24, 2018

After 10 years of investment in this series & these characters, boy does #AvengersInfinityWar knock you on your ass. Humor, sky high stakes & a truly overwhelming amount of emotion in it. Russos did a great job spreading screen time for the ensemble but my MVPs – The Guardians.

— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) April 24, 2018

The Russo brothers directing team has previously said that doing this movie simultaneously with Avengers 4 allowed them to pick and choose who got more focus and screen time in each, so if the Guardians aren’t your thing, you might find next year’s sequel more to your liking. You might also not be impressed with Infinity War if smash the action figures together isn’t exactly your favorite superhero blockbuster format, and you’ve been more appreciative of some of the more character- and story-focused offerings.

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR is basically CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR times 20, except with less hero-on-hero fighting. I think people who loved the airport fight in CIVIL WAR like I did will go nuts for this film, and people who were bored will be 20 times as bored here. #InfinityWar

— Tasha Robinson (@TashaRobinson) April 24, 2018

#AvengersInfinityWar: Despite some truly thrilling moments, feels like less than the sum of its parts. A definite step down after that epic run of GotGV2 / Spidey / Thor 3 / Black Panther, but what else did I expect?

— Angie J. Han (@ajhan) April 24, 2018

But there was also plenty of just general praise to go around, as there usually is in early reactions if the movie is anywhere close to good:

You guys. I’m still processing everything we just watched. I’ll have to see #InfinityWar at least two more times. Holy crap. #Amazing #AllTheFeels #InfinityWarEvent pic.twitter.com/z6NzbP1AKm

— Amiyrah Martin (@AmiyrahMartin) April 24, 2018

Buy a ticket for a second viewing of #AvengersInfinityWar now. The movie delivers, it’s huge, and no one in your theater is going to be able to sit quietly through this one. Expect the unexpected. pic.twitter.com/8eobaAYrSF

— Jill Pantozzi ♿ (@JillPantozzi) April 24, 2018

I saw #AvengersInfinityWar earlier tonight and I can say that it delivers. There’s a lot of really fun character interactions, some cool action moments (Thor’s powers, Iron Man’s suit), and a few powerful emotional beats. Most of the humor is 👌🏻 Also Captain America is 💥 pic.twitter.com/WoZNPDpGXk

— Molly Freeman (@mollyrockit) April 24, 2018

Laughter. Fights. Tough decisions. Triumph and emptiness. @Avengers has it all. I feel the weight of what I just saw and the journey of the last ten years bearing down. Mama needs a drink. Wow. #infinitywar #ThanosDemandsYourSilence

— Grae Drake (@graedrake) April 24, 2018

Really can’t believe what I just saw. Gah people are gonna lose their shiz. My fave thing: the humor mixed w/ crazy action.

— Kara Warner (@karawarner) April 24, 2018

I promise all of you: you must see this opening weekend. Opening night, even. You’ll regret it otherwise. Remember i said this. #avengersinfinitywar https://t.co/vFX0bpHcqh

— KelleyLCarter (@KelleyLCarter) April 24, 2018

#AvengersInfinityWar is my second fave @Marvel movie after #BlackPanther. The superhero interplay is hilarious and surprising at every turn. The action is monumental. And there are actual stakes this time around. Kevin Feige is not f-cking around with this one.

— Nigel M. Smith (@nigelmfs) April 24, 2018

#AvengersInfinityWar wrecked me and it’s probably going to wreck you. Can’t wait to see it again.

— Kirsten (@KirstenAcuna) April 24, 2018

#Avengers #InfinityWar: Wow. Just…WOW! I was NOT expecting THIS! What a ballsy movie! Blown away! See this NOW! Do not get spoiled! Can’t believe what I just saw!!!! pic.twitter.com/dITeGTHTsu

— Jenna Busch (@JennaBusch) April 24, 2018

Just got out of the #AvengersInfinityWar premiere. The movie is incredible, epic beyond compare. It’s everything you want it to be. Iron Man and Captain America fuck within the first fifteen minutes. Marvel fans are going to love this one – EASILY top five.

— ben mekler (@benmekler) April 24, 2018

Another thing: I’ve been reviewing films for decades now, and I have never heard an audience react to the end of a film like the #InfinityWar audience reacted tonight. It was an astonishing experience. (And it’s another reason I want to see the film again in a packed house.)

— Tasha Robinson (@TashaRobinson) April 24, 2018

Pff, everyone knows it’s Captain America and Bucky or nothing. There’s also, of course, a post-credits scene, although there’s apparently only one—but you’re really going to want to stick around for it:

#InfinityWar may be the most expensive Hollywood movie ever designed to mess with its audience. People sure are going to sit through a lot of credits!

— erickohn (@erickohn) April 24, 2018

Infinity WOW! #InfinityWar. Lots of payoffs. Stay till the very END. That’s all I’m saying. pic.twitter.com/ch7adyFK21

— Brian Tong (@briantong) April 24, 2018

(image: Marvel Entertainment)

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