BGN interviews actor Lupita Nyong’o (Khadijah) about her latest role in the Universal Pictures film The 355.
A dream team of formidable female stars come together in a hard-driving original approach to the globe-trotting espionage genre in The 355. When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild card CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (Oscar®-nominated actress Jessica Chastain) will need to join forces with rival badass German agent Marie (Diane Kruger), former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadijah (Oscar® winner Lupita Nyong’o), and skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela (Oscar® winner Penélope Cruz) on a lethal, breakneck mission to retrieve it, while also staying one step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng (Bingbing Fan), who is tracking their every move.
Interviewer: Jeandra LeBeauf
Video Editor: Jamie Broadnax
The 355 premieres in theaters Jan 7th.
Writer: Samira Ahmed / Artist: Andres Genolet / Marvel Comics
One young Marvel hero I’m always happy to see remains mostly untainted by editorial mandates and being shuffled off to incompatible creative teams is Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel. It seems like the majority of books I’ve read starring our heroine seem to be by people who truly get the character. Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit is a miniseries that remains in sync with this thought.
While visiting her brainy cousin in Chicago, Kamala has a run in with a thief in a science lab. Somewhere along the way, the encounter leads to multiversal hijinks of hilarious proportions. There’s not a whole lot of action in Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit #1, but Samira Ahmed demonstrates the fact that kicking butt is only a fraction of why we love this character so much. Kamala isn’t just new to superheroing. She’s a semi sheltered kid that’s still what Shakespeare would call “a stranger in the world” and it’s fun to see the world through her eyes. Meanwhile, the sci-fi shenanigans she finds herself in towards the end of the issue….I literally LOLd reading in a room by myself.
Ahmed knows exactly how to throw Kamala in the thick of things while never allowing the character’s world to take itself too seriously. Meanwhile, the artwork Andres Genolet in Ms. Marvel; Beyond the Limit #1 offers up here is simply gorgeous. The diverse color palette combined with the attention to detail and creativity in every panel all make for visuals that keep the pages turning even in an issue that is mainly exposition, plot establishment, and character development.
Bottom Line: Samira Ahmed makes a book that perfectly blends superhero fun with coming-of-age sensibilities. If you like the majority of Ms. Marvel content, there’s no reason to believe you wouldn’t be into this title. It’s well worth the coin.
9.5 Embiggened Fists out of 10
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The post ‘Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit #1’ Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
There are so many things worth celebrating, especially as we embark on a new year. You might celebrate reaching a specific goal, like furthering your education or saving a certain amount of money. Maybe you’ve landed your dream job or a well-deserved raise. Even little things are worth celebrating, like discovering a new hobby. New homes, paying off debt, overcoming fears, and starting a business are all worthy reasons to celebrate.
Celebration of Life Week (January 1–7) reminds us not only to usher in a new year but celebrate life to the fullest. It’s about taking time to focus on the small things, on the big things, all the important people in your life, as well as yourself.
Celebratory energy has a way of making us feel alive. Think about when you have a special occasion to look forward to. You receive immediate joy through anticipating the fun you’ll have. We experience an elevated feeling of hope and excitement for what is to come. But what if our big occasions don’t happen often? We shouldn’t have to put our excitement on hold.
Truth is, we have been conditioned to wait for an external reason to feel excited and energized about life. Unfortunately, when we wait for a reason to celebrate life, we waste precious opportunities to enjoy life right now. There is power in realizing we can feel excited in the moment without actually being in the midst of a special event. All we really need to do is give ourselves the gift of celebrating more often — simply because we can.
I have discovered that joy is a choice. I can have it whenever I want. Even if I find myself in an unfortunate situation or circumstance, I can still have joy. I’ve learned that I can celebrate my small wins each day. I can also celebrate the wins of others.
How to Observe Celebration of Life Week
In an effort to remind ourselves to celebrate life without having a reason, here’s a list of ideas to add more celebration this week and every day:
Start Each Day with Gratitude
It’s natural to feel gratitude when we reach a goal or celebrate a milestone. We can also experience gratitude in the midst of tragedy, realizing how precious life is. Sometimes our wake-up calls remind us of everything we do have to be grateful for. But what about the kind that doesn’t need a reason?
Idea: The moment you wake up, see what feels different when you say: “Thank you for another day. I’m excited to celebrate whatever the day brings.” Then carry that energy around with you throughout the day. You’ll be surprised the difference it makes when you set intentions.
Make the Ordinary Extra
Some days can feel monotonous, for sure. Maybe it’s the amount of work before us, or the weather, or many other reasons. When life feels blah, celebrating is the last thing on our minds.
Idea: Something that always boosts my mood is music. If I’m writing, a little jazz can be relaxing and help the pen flow. If I’m cleaning or working on a difficult task, a little ’90s old-school rap never hurt anybody. Adding music can be a fun way to pass the time. When we set the mood to enjoy the process of whatever we are up to, it can become enjoyable.
Get Moving Outdoors
There’s something about nature and how it gives us everything we need to feel good about life. The outdoors gives us evidence that life is a gift. Even though we know this, sometimes we might forget how much better we’ll feel after spending even a little time outside. It’s important for our well-being.
Idea: If you’re like me, most of your day is spent indoors. If you can, eat outside for lunch or have a meeting while you walk. Breaking up the day with sunshine and fresh air adds a sense of freedom to our day. If you can’t get outside, open the curtains or the window. Go to the mall for those New Year deals, while getting your steps in.
Another Fun Way to Celebrate
Have a Zoom party to celebrate yourself and the important people in your life. Play music and even have games. I have actually done this with my girlfriends, and it’s so much fun. We all live in different cities, so Zoom allowed us all to be together at once. We wore the same color, had our favorite drink, shared what we’ve all been up to, and celebrated our wins. You can use the time to celebrate a birthday or other special event too. Best part, it’s free!
Don’t forget to take time for yourself. Take a spa day or a mental health day. Go on a well-deserved vacation or stay-cation. Watch your favorite movie, or read that book that you’ve been meaning to get to for weeks. Reconnect with a friend. Make a list of all the people you are thankful for and tell them how much you appreciate them in a hand-written note.
Use the hashtag #celebrationoflife on social media to share how you are celebrating all week long.
Afronerd Radio can now be heard LIVE courtesy of Apple Music/Itunes
Happy New Year to our staunch Afronerd Radio supporters and listeners! So it's off to the races with our first Grindhouse broadcast for 2022 airing this Sunday at 6 p.m. eastern on BTalk 100. Check out your cosmically empowered AFROnerdists hosts as they muse on the following topics: discussing the obvious-our predictions for the ensuing year in pop culture; #Snyderverse, #DCEU, and "Justice League" have been trending on Twitter for the last 24-48 hours including rumors that the upcoming Flash film will dismantle the preceding Snyder canon and introduce a female-led Justice League; more sadness for the top of the year-legendary comedic actress, Betty White (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls) passes a few weeks shy of 100 years of age; groundbreaking Blaxploitation filmmaker and actor, Max Julien (The Mack, Thomasine & Bushrod) dies at 88;
The highly-anticipated Cobra Kai Netflix streaming series returns for a fourth season; HBO Max' Young Justice S4 closes out its mid-season finale with fans already gearing up for a #renewYoungJustice campaign; Dburt continues to lament the possibility that the sequel to Black Panther, Wakanda Forever might turn out to be a bust. Alleged details are being reported that the Wakanda soundtrack will include substandard black pop acts that have very little to do with the franchise's African and Afro-futuristic themes; lastly, Black Girls Code founder, Kimberly Bryant is being ousted from the nonprofit organization she started in 2011 due to allegations of workplace impropriety.
One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF
Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!!
Also, Afronerd Radio's podcast format can be heard via BTalk 100 Pandora, Spotify and, IHeartRadio....more formats to follow!