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It's New York Comic-Con weekend, citizens!  Let's get to it!  Listen to a new episode of Afronerd Radio's Grindhouse, airing every Sunday at 6 p.m. eastern on BTalk 100.  Tune in to your gamma-irradiated AFROnerdist hosts, Dburt and the "Uncanny" Daryll B. as they wax about the following blerd-centric phenomena:  our own Daryll B., braved post-pandemic NYC, to check out the Friday edition of NYCC '21 and Dburt and the listenership can't wait to find out what he learned; a whole cadre of trailers hit the cyberwebs this past weekend-S4 of Star Trek: Discovery; The 355 and fan favorite, Psych 3; are they handing out Disney+ shows like free snacks at the mall food court nowadays?  Purportedly, Photon/Spectrum (aka Black Captain Marvel) and the Shang-Chi "Ten Rings" universe are getting streaming shows; 

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!!! 

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Also, Afronerd Radio's podcast format can be heard via BTalk 100 Pandora, Spotify and,  IHeartRadio....more formats to follow!

Season 13 of Doctor Who is only weeks away, and BBC America just dropped a teaser trailer for the upcoming season. The brief trailer features the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) sending a warning straight to camera, warning that “The Flux is coming.” Whatever the “Flux” is, it’s going to be a major cluster-flux, bringing with it all sorts of baddies from the series. Whittaker continues, “It’s bringing with it the Sontarans, Weeping Angels, creatures known as the Ravages, and enemies from across the universe.” Whittaker exclaims, “This is the fight of our lives” before she’s called away.

It’s a great teaser that ratchets up the tension for the upcoming season of Doctor Who, which will be the final outing for Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor, who made history as the first female Doctor of the long-running sci-fi franchise. Whittaker’s departure will also see Chris Chibnall step down as showrunner, with Russell T. Davies returning to the role.

The eight-episode season will connect together as part of a larger story arc, which will feature Yaz (Mandip Gill), and new companion Dan (played by comedian John Bishop). Audiences will also meet mysterious character Vinder, played by Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson. Chibnall previously discussed plans for the season at SDCC, and how the pandemic changed everything. He said,

“Before we started making it, there were times when we thought we were going to be unable to do the show under covid conditions this year… there were two ways you could go, … You could go ‘let’s do lots of tiny little episodes in one room, with no monsters,’ or we could throw down the gauntlet and do the biggest story we’ve ever done. We’re going to go to all kinds of different places, we’re going to have all kinds of characters and monsters, and it’s all going to be part of a bigger whole. It’s definitely the most ambitious thing we’ve done since we’ve been on the series.”

If you’re sad to see Whittaker go, take heart. She’ll be appearing in 3 specials next year before officially signing off.

Doctor Who: Flux premieres on October 31 on BBC America.

(image: screencap/BBC America)

• Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples are bringing back their award-winning comic series Saga in 2022. (via THR)
• Check out some killer cosplay from New York Comic Con 2021. (via Syfy Wire)
• Here’s some stuff to watch once you’ve finished Squid Game. (via Nerdist)
• Well this is just ridiculously cute:

So we called 0800 678 3110 to report an alien sighting!

Here’s how it played out (she didn’t know who was going to be on the other end of the phone! 😉)#FindtheDoctor #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/WLMvCkghZt

— Little Who Girl (@LittleWhoGirl) October 9, 2021

• Legends of Tomorrow teases its 100th episode and some major drama. (via CBR)
• Marvel’s What If? ending explained. (via IGN)
• Here’s all the NYCC deets from the Outlander season 6 panel. (via EW)
• Perfection:

This continues to be the greatest squirrel feeder ever pic.twitter.com/SL180o2QrV

— SPENCE, TODD (@Todd_Spence) October 4, 2021

Hope you’re having a pumpkin spicy Saturday, Mary Suevians!

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Working as both a direct sequel to Ghostbusters II and a fresh reboot (I for one was a fan of Paul Feig’s take, but that’s neither here nor there), Ghostbusters: Afterlife finds the Ecto-1 in a barn somewhere in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma. Co-writer and director Jason Reitman, son of the original film’s director Ivan Reitman, injects a large helping of heart into the franchise. More akin to bygone family-focused adventure films like Honey I Shrunk The Kids than the first two films, there’s plenty here for viewers of all ages. 

The film opens with a stunning late-night car chase, it’s clear we’ve got a ghost – and a Ghostbuster. We get our first glimpse of Summerville, a town that looks as though trapped in amber. The chase takes us past a neon-lit car hop diner, an abandoned mine, silos, and of course an eerie old house at the edge of the cornfield. Things go bump in the night and our Ghostbuster, mostly kept in shadows, appears to lose their fight. 

Sony

The next thing we know we’re in the apartment of single mom Callie (Carrie Coon), her science-minded daughter Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and her angsty teen son Trevor (Finn Wolfhard). They’re on the brink of eviction, but that’s okay because they’ve just inherited the creepy farm house in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma. Coon is wonderful as always, a mess of a woman, but one you believe has an endless pit of strength. 

Wolfhard has the more thankless role. He falls in love at first sight with a roller skating waitress named Lucky (Celeste O’Connor), so of course he gets a summer job at this dump to be near her. Wolfhard has easy chemistry with Coon, their dynamic more like a partnership than a mother-son. With his unique look and quirky screen presence, it’s a shame he doesn’t get much more to do beyond pine for a girl. 

The real breakout of the film is McKenna Grace as Phoebe, who loves learning but hates school, tells bad jokes so well you cannot help but laugh, and is the spitting image of her grandfather. She’s a scientist, and eager to use her skills whenever she can. You simply cannot look away from Grace when she is on screen. She’s funny and smart, but in a way that feels authentic and true; not like the artificial wit found on many a sitcom featuring a genius named Sheldon.

Sony

Making friends with a classmate who’s nicknamed himself Podcast (Logan Kim, a perfect little ham), the two discover more of her inheritance: ghost traps, proton packs, and gadgets galore. The glee of watching them test them out on glass bottles as if it were a BB gun is truly something to behold. When chasing a ghost through an abandoned building, Podcast asks if she’s not scared at all. She replies overstimulation calms her. Truly badass material in the making. 

When summer school teacher/seismologist Mr. Grooberson (an affable Paul Rudd), teaching these Zoomers about the Ghostbusters via YouTube (in a wonderfully cheesy use of footage from the first film), convinces them to open the ghost trap, all hell is let loose – literally. The rest of the film follows our new crew as they learn old secrets and figure out how to save the planet once and for all. 

While the film uses plenty of CGI, it always feels aligned with the effects of the original films. This coupled with the practical effects makes the visuals in Ghostbusters: Afterlife far more like the films earlier in the franchise than most of today’s effects-heavy films. The action set pieces are thrilling – especially the sequence that begins with Trevor taking the Ecto-1 for a joyride and ends with Phoebe and Podcast using the newfound equipment to capture a blue, metal eating blob named Muncher, a worthy successor to our beloved Slimer. 

Sony

The film reveals Easter eggs from throughout the franchise to the audience like the layers of an onion. Superfans will catch them much earlier than casual viewers, but both will leave feeling satisfied. The current of nostalgia coursing through the film is helped by its rural setting – with Canada playing Oklahoma – bringing true Norman Rockwell vibes to the whole affair. 

Without revealing major spoilers, fans of the original two films should have plenty of moments to spark the joy of watching them for the first time. Plenty here is shiny and new, yet just as charming and cool as anything those original films had to offer. The weakest parts of the film really are when it leans a little too hard into fan service, with too heavy a knowing wink. It shines brightest when Reitman finds new ways to spin these callbacks, rather than just repeat them. 

Overall, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a hoot. Truly one of the best sequels in recent memory, offering just enough of the familiar to justify its title, while also bringing so much heart and fun and originality along for the ride. If this serves as a launchpad for a new phase in the franchise, with such a dynamic lead as Phoebe at the helm, I’m willing to follow her anywhere. 

Oh, one last thing: be sure you stay all the way through the credits. 

4.5/5

The post GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE Is a Worthy, Joyous Sequel appeared first on Nerdist.

After a long pandemic delay, audiences can finally view the 25th film in the James Bond series: No Time To Die. Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 features a moody new track from Billie Eilish, who at 18 is the youngest singer to ever tackle a Bond theme song. And she delivers, with the haunting, gorgeous “No Time To Die”:

Bond themes have varied over the years, from the seductive torch songs of Shirley Bassey to the rock n’ roll riffs of The Wings and Duran Duran to Lulu’s funky earworm “The Man With the Golden Gun” (a personal favorite of mine):

Naturally, this had us thinking about the allure of the James Bond theme song, and which musical artists we’d like to see tackle the genre. Here are our picks for the folks we’d like to see tackle a Bond song:

Kaila Hale-Stern:

It may not seem like the first match-up to spring to mind, but the word deserves—nay, needs—to know what Dolly Parton would do with James Bond. Now I will never be able to actually stop thinking about this. And while we’re on the subject of great American songstresses, what about Stevie Nicks, who apparently loves Daniel Craig and his wife Rachel Weisz as much as we do? “It appeared to be a mutual love fest between Mr. Bond and the Gold Dust Woman,” said a source when they met, and yet. AND YET!

Dan Van Winkle:

I want Radiohead to finally get the Bond theme spot they so clearly dream of, after submitting not one but two songs for Spectre, only to have them both rejected for different reasons. One was a preexisting song (“Man of War”) that Thom Yorke once described as an homage to Bond themes, and the second was “Spectre,” which is itself a great example of exactly why Radiohead would be perfect for this gig. I’m sure they’ve moved on by now, but it would just fit so well that it’s one of those things where it comes to mind and you’re like, “Wait, they haven’t yet?”

Chelsea Steiner:

When Amy Winehouse died of an accidental overdose in 2011 at the young age of 27, the world was robbed of decades of music from the brilliant songstress. Winehouse’s rich timbre and powerhouse vocals made her an absolute standout, and her retro sound would have been absolutely perfect for a James Bond theme. In fact, Winehouse and her longtime collaborator Mark Ronson recorded a theme for Quantum of Solace, which was ultimately rejected after delays due to Winehouse’s substance abuse struggles. The producers ultimately when with the Jack White and Alicia Keyes duet “Another Way To Die”.

While I’ll always be sad that Winehouse never got to make her own Bond song, I would love to see what Celeste would do with a Bond theme. The stunning singer evokes the spirit of Winehouse, and is sure to become a massive star.

Rachel Leishman:

I would like Leon Bridges to take a try at a Bond song. Back in the olden days of James Bond, the smooth tones of singers like Shirley Bassey, Nancy Sinatra, Tom Jones, and more have taken a spin with Bond and Bridges has a similar vibe to me. Having him do a Bond song? Inspiring.

Alyssa Shotwell:

Janelle Monae hasn’t done it yet right? I pick her if not.

Who would you like to see perform the next Bond theme song? Let us know in the comments!

(image: Tina Rowden/Netflix)

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