Uncategorized
When Disney+’s R.L. Stine adaptation Goosebumps debuted in October 2023, it was only a 10-episode limited series. But with its Season 2 renewal, the series has become a serialized anthology that tells a new story every season. Co-creators Rob Letterman (2015’s Goosebumps) and Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) return this season with Letterman and Hilary Winston (Community) serving as co-showrunners again.
While we won’t be following our characters from the previous, the second installment, subtitled Goosebumps: The Vanishing, follows another group of high-schoolers trying to solve a decades-old supernatural mystery.
To the tune of the Beastie Boys’ “Pass the Mic,” the series opens in 1994 Brooklyn, New York, with a group of teens — Matty (Christopher Paul Richards), Hannah (Eloise Payet), Sameer (Arjun Athalye), and Nicole (Kyra Tantao). As in every horror show, their boredom and curiosity have fatal consequences.
In honor of the traditional “senior dare,” they make an idiotic plan to spend the night in the allegedly haunted old fort by the water. Local lore claims it’s where the military conducted medical experiments on humans. Their spooky adventure ends as expected: all four vanish without a trace and are presumed dead.
In the present day, we meet Matty’s younger brother, Anthony Brewer (David Schwimmer), a divorced botanist now living in his childhood home. His kids, teenage twins Cece (Jayden Bartels) and Devin (Sam McCarthy) come to stay with him in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn for the summer. His only rule is to “stay out of the basement,” where he’s set up a lab filled with sensitive research and fragile equipment.
The twins reconnect with childhood friend and next-door neighbor Frankie (Galilea La Salvia) and meet charismatic delivery driver CJ (Elijah M. Cooper), post-juvie rebel Alex (Francesca Noel), and Frankie’s douchey college boyfriend Trey (Stony Blyden). Due to the series of strange happenings, they all get to know Alex’s mom Jen (Ana Ortiz), a police detective who went to school with the four kids who vanished in 1994.
Trying to impress his longtime crush Frankie, Devin stupidly follows in his uncle’s footsteps and goes into the tunnel on a dare. He makes it out alive but not unscathed and whatever latched onto him is the source of weird things happening in the community. Meanwhile, Anthony has his own bizarre encounter with equally disastrous outcomes.
While the scariness is kept tame for a YA audience, the special effects and creature creation by Peter Jackson’s Wētā FX produce some skin-crawling body horror. Anthony gets infected by the mystery spores, which grow into squirming tendrils protruding from his arm. The visuals are fantastically disgusting; a lot of goo pouring out of eyes, noses, and mouths, along with vicious vines trying to pull and suffocate whatever they can.
Like Season 1, it’s hard to connect with the characters right away. Since The Vanishing takes place during summer break, we don’t see the high school dynamics among the group. However, there’s still anxiety around the upcoming senior year, messy love triangles, fighting with parents, living under the pressure of high expectations, and getting into trouble on the regular.
David Schwimmer, best known for his tenure as Ross on Friends, does a great job juggling the show’s blend of comedy, drama, and horror. And when his character takes a darker turn, he delivers a chilling performance. One noticeable, comical aspect about Anthony and every character is that they frequently talk to themselves out loud, not even whispering.
The Vanishing adapts a number of Stine’s beloved books, including Stay Out of the Basement, The Haunted Car, Monster Blood, The Girl Who Cried Monster, The Ghost Next Door, and Welcome to Camp Nightmare. Each story is about a different type of supernatural threat (plant monsters, ghosts, blobs), but Winston and Co. still made everything work together in one mostly cohesive narrative.
In the first six episodes available for review, there’s one that stands out for its increase in suspense. Much of Episode 6, “The Girl Next Door,” sees the group looking for clues while watching a VHS tape recorded by the 1994 missing teens. The episode, filmed on a hand-held camera, owes the eeriness to its director and found footage extraordinaire Eduardo Sanchéz (The Blair Witch Project).
The show has an interesting mix of music genres, including Sabrina Carpenter, 21 Savage, St. Vincent, Thundercat, Childish Gambino, and more than one diegetic play of System of a Down’s 2001 nu-metal hit “Chop Suey!” Rap and hip-hop don’t always work in some scenes but the overall eclectic needle drops are appreciated.
Goosebumps: The Vanishing is a solid next chapter in the anthology series, delivering just as much mystery, creepy creatures, and coming-of-age angst. While fall would’ve been a more on-brand time for the release, or even summer when the series is set, The Vanishing still holds up as an entertaining binge for new and old Goosebumps fans alike.
All eight episodes of Goosebumps: The Vanishing premiere January 10, 2025, on Disney+ and Hulu.
The post Review: ‘Goosebumps’ Returns with Next Chapter of YA Horror in ‘Goosebumps: The Vanishing’ appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.
When Disney+’s R.L. Stine adaptation Goosebumps debuted in October 2023, it was only a 10-episode limited series. But with its Season 2 renewal, the series has become a serialized anthology that tells a new story every season. Co-creators Rob Letterman (2015’s Goosebumps) and Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) return this season with Letterman and Hilary Winston (Community) serving as co-showrunners again.
While we won’t be following our characters from the previous, the second installment, subtitled Goosebumps: The Vanishing, follows another group of high-schoolers trying to solve a decades-old supernatural mystery.
To the tune of the Beastie Boys’ “Pass the Mic,” the series opens in 1994 Brooklyn, New York, with a group of teens — Matty (Christopher Paul Richards), Hannah (Eloise Payet), Sameer (Arjun Athalye), and Nicole (Kyra Tantao). As in every horror show, their boredom and curiosity have fatal consequences.
In honor of the traditional “senior dare,” they make an idiotic plan to spend the night in the allegedly haunted old fort by the water. Local lore claims it’s where the military conducted medical experiments on humans. Their spooky adventure ends as expected: all four vanish without a trace and are presumed dead.
In the present day, we meet Matty’s younger brother, Anthony Brewer (David Schwimmer), a divorced botanist now living in his childhood home. His kids, teenage twins Cece (Jayden Bartels) and Devin (Sam McCarthy) come to stay with him in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn for the summer. His only rule is to “stay out of the basement,” where he’s set up a lab filled with sensitive research and fragile equipment.
The twins reconnect with childhood friend and next-door neighbor Frankie (Galilea La Salvia) and meet charismatic delivery driver CJ (Elijah M. Cooper), post-juvie rebel Alex (Francesca Noel), and Frankie’s douchey college boyfriend Trey (Stony Blyden). Due to the series of strange happenings, they all get to know Alex’s mom Jen (Ana Ortiz), a police detective who went to school with the four kids who vanished in 1994.
Trying to impress his longtime crush Frankie, Devin stupidly follows in his uncle’s footsteps and goes into the tunnel on a dare. He makes it out alive but not unscathed and whatever latched onto him is the source of weird things happening in the community. Meanwhile, Anthony has his own bizarre encounter with equally disastrous outcomes.
While the scariness is kept tame for a YA audience, the special effects and creature creation by Peter Jackson’s Wētā FX produce some skin-crawling body horror. Anthony gets infected by the mystery spores, which grow into squirming tendrils protruding from his arm. The visuals are fantastically disgusting; a lot of goo pouring out of eyes, noses, and mouths, along with vicious vines trying to pull and suffocate whatever they can.
Like Season 1, it’s hard to connect with the characters right away. Since The Vanishing takes place during summer break, we don’t see the high school dynamics among the group. However, there’s still anxiety around the upcoming senior year, messy love triangles, fighting with parents, living under the pressure of high expectations, and getting into trouble on the regular.
David Schwimmer, best known for his tenure as Ross on Friends, does a great job juggling the show’s blend of comedy, drama, and horror. And when his character takes a darker turn, he delivers a chilling performance. One noticeable, comical aspect about Anthony and every character is that they frequently talk to themselves out loud, not even whispering.
The Vanishing adapts a number of Stine’s beloved books, including Stay Out of the Basement, The Haunted Car, Monster Blood, The Girl Who Cried Monster, The Ghost Next Door, and Welcome to Camp Nightmare. Each story is about a different type of supernatural threat (plant monsters, ghosts, blobs), but Winston and Co. still made everything work together in one mostly cohesive narrative.
In the first six episodes available for review, there’s one that stands out for its increase in suspense. Much of Episode 6, “The Girl Next Door,” sees the group looking for clues while watching a VHS tape recorded by the 1994 missing teens. The episode, filmed on a hand-held camera, owes the eeriness to its director and found footage extraordinaire Eduardo Sanchéz (The Blair Witch Project).
The show has an interesting mix of music genres, including Sabrina Carpenter, 21 Savage, St. Vincent, Thundercat, Childish Gambino, and more than one diegetic play of System of a Down’s 2001 nu-metal hit “Chop Suey!” Rap and hip-hop don’t always work in some scenes but the overall eclectic needle drops are appreciated.
Goosebumps: The Vanishing is a solid next chapter in the anthology series, delivering just as much mystery, creepy creatures, and coming-of-age angst. While fall would’ve been a more on-brand time for the release, or even summer when the series is set, The Vanishing still holds up as an entertaining binge for new and old Goosebumps fans alike.
All eight episodes of Goosebumps: The Vanishing premiere January 10, 2025, on Disney+ and Hulu.
The post Review: ‘Goosebumps’ Returns with Next Chapter of YA Horror in ‘Goosebumps: The Vanishing’ appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries—who looks more and more like a potential presidential candidate with each opportunity to speak—delivered a masterclass in political jiu-jitsu Friday, using Republicans’ own enthusiasm to highlight their past election denialism while marking the stark power dynamics that will define the 119th Congress.
Updated January 4, 2025 Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex, has the internet in a tizzy, as she recently announced her new show with Netflix, With Love, Meghan, on her revamped Instagram account featuring a trailer showing her performing several Martha Stewart-esc activities, from preparing decorative ice cubes, apertivos, and entrees in the kitchen, to flouncing around in her backyard garden and hanging out with her loved ones and close celebrity friends like Minda Kaling and of course husband, Prince Harry and their View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (@meghan)
It’s unfortunately not a surprise that Markle has already received harsh criticism and feedback online, mainly from British royalists and Megan McCain, who revealed that she was previously a fan of Markle before the debut of the trailer for her new show, as she named it, “utterly tone deaf to the moment.” The moment, being the state of the world, especially in the United States, we’ve recently experienced several harrowing public tragedies (some are labeling them as terrorist-motivated); the public is currently preparing for a new president of the United States. She continues, “I was originally a Meghan Markle supporter. I thought she was cool, stylish and refreshing,” McCain shared in n a post on X. “Like the rest of the world my opinion changed when she disrespected the royal family. Now that she wants to be American again instead of British aristocracy, what she seems to forget is Americans want real, raw, uncensored. All of this even in the trailer is highly curated, produced and out of touch.”
I was originally a Meghan Markle supporter, I thought she was cool, stylish and refreshing. Like the rest of the world my opinion changed when she disrespected the royal family. Now that she wants to be American again instead of British aristocracy what she seems to forget is… https://t.co/EexXfqm28P
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) January 2, 2025“There have been 2 terror attacks in 2 days, major wars raging and Americans can’t pay for groceries,” McCain continued. “We are a country in rage, uncertainty and intensity right now. This concept is ill advised. I would have told her to do a show helping bring fresh food to food deserts in low income neighborhoods. Do something to help people instead of your ego. This is why the world doesn’t like you, nothing else. Just completely and utterly tone deaf to the moment.”
While McCain and others have a right to their opinion, many are wondering why it is an issue to see a happy Black woman demonstrate acts of love in the form of culinary creations for the closest people in her life while inspiring other people to do the same, especially in light of challenging times? Don’t we need and deserve the joy?
Another critical point of Markle’s rebirth in the public eye that most are unaware of is that she’s deeply familiar with the culinary and life>The Tig, which included insights into Markle’s life, such as her friendships, relationships, and adventures in Vancouver. It was initially created for her to share interests in travel, fashion, wellness, food, and other life rel="tag">Food Megan Markle Netflix
The post Meghan Markle Makes A Return To Her Lifestyle And Culinary Roots With New Netflix Series appeared first on Essence.
So…2024 was a hell of a year. Both eventful and in some respects…hellish. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t some high points. We had a series of favorites when it came to television series–see what captivated our staff below!
Shogun (FX)
The one correct answer for Best Television Series of 2024 is Shogun. This is a technically flawless series whose singular fault is being based on a book that uses a White Man
as a vantage point character and hence the first scene of the Japanese historical drama is unfortunately this random White Man. But once you get past that, you get a clinic on how to do historical fiction.
You have Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Toranaga, deftly navigating a treacherous political game, with the help of Cosmo Jarvis’ John “Anjin doomed to stay in Japan for however long Toranaga is entertained by him” Blackthrone, and Anna Sawai as Lady Mariko, Toranaga’s translator, key component to several machinations, and all around one of the most badass ladies in all of fiction, and many more that flesh out a beautiful world.
There is a reason Shogun became the first Japanese-language series to win an Emmy for Outstanding Drama series, and then 18 other awards for good measure (a record by the way). There is a reason what was pitched as a mini-series was instead converted to a season 1 and already renewed for a season 2 and season 3.
You want action? You want romance? You want mystery and intrigue? You want Will Evans, our editor in chief to come out of a four year hiatus from the recap game for one last rodeo? The answer is: you want Shogun. -Mikkel
Kaos (Netflix)
I know what you all are thinking… she is going to say Girls 5Eva is the best show of 2024. Oh ok, maybe you have never heard of that show, and that’s fine, but it is a pure gem for those who miss the Kimmy Schmitts and the 30 Rocks of it all. And yes, we all agree the best show of 2024 is the X-Men ‘97 period. But, what you might not know about me is I have an affinity for Greek mythology. Now, I said affinity, not expertise, love, or obsession. I am generally intrigued and captivated by the folklore, characters, and intertwining stories. When I saw the trailer for Kaos and caught Jeff Goldblum as Zeus – I was immediately hooked.
No spoilers here, but the show is canceled, BTWs, and I am devastated. The series uses magical realism to tell the tale of the gods/demi-gods and the idea of power and fate. In this world, the presence of the gods is very real – they exist, and everyone on earth knows it to be true (more or less.) The story is told from the perspective of Prometheus, of all storytellers. Without giving too much away, the series plays the gods as they are – power-hungry entities that play with the lives of humans, but there are SO MANY secrets revealed that give the show a multitude of depth and emotion. The performances are out of this world, the comedy is timed perfectly, and the nuance is everything. Expertly shot, this show is a visual delight. I’m about to start some fan fiction just to finish it off.
The show is not perfect, as nothing truly is, but it struck such a chord with me that brings it to the top of my 2024 favs list. At a time when we all feel like we’re being played with for the gain and power of others, this show hits a bit close to home, but it is the artistic perspective that we all needed. Many characters feel the weight of hopelessness, yet something comes along to push them to rip through the fissures of an already cracked society and step into their fate for the betterment of humanity, no matter how much it hurts. I feel this so deeply and is why I am starting a petition to keep Kaos going. Not really, but I do wish we could have explored this unorthodox take on this classic mythology through to the end. –Aisha
X-Men ’97 (Disney+)
Had Mikkel not given Shogun their props, I would’ve done so myself. No hard feelings because now I get to talk best joyous show of 2024 and there is no other option besides X-Men ’97 chu heardddd!
The beauty of the X-Men lies in their realness. Jumping enemies, political stances, and bold fashion choices are just a few of their trademarks and X-Men’ 97 wasted no time leaning into the political elements with the mutant x black in America parallel coming in hot exactly 1 minute into the series premiere. The fits were always fire, and this series has Jubilee and them going hard in the street drip, basketball gear, and combat suits. X-Men ’97 is rife with protagonists and they all could get the squad beat down smoke if they’re daring enough to step to gang and them, leading to some incredibly animated action scenes every episode.
Few expected X-Men ’97 to live up to the greatness of it’s 90s predecessor and far less expected it to surpass one of the greatest animated shows of all time (fight me) but ’97 was so well written that there’s a lot of room to argue just that. Magneto leaving the dark side and fighting on behalf of the X-Men made this show an instant must watch and the progression from start to season finale was unbelievably well paced. Including a bevy of new ideas and a new character or 2 instead of regurgitating the same, overused comic book storylines makes for much more compelling television. Don’t get me wrong, ’97 stayed comic book accurate but Beau DeMayo and the entire team really pushed the envelope in all the best ways. -Ja-Quan
Mr. McMahon (Netflix)
There is something perversely compelling about seeing how a truly evil person ticks. I’ve seen enough media about serial killers and cult leaders to know this to be true. And in those circumstances it’s one thing – we get a few eyewitnesses but by and large, the people who’d know that side of someone best are, necessarily, not available for comment. I think that not being the case here (with there being plenty of firsthand accounts) combined with my undying affection for pro wrestling (and it runs deep) made the Netflix docuseries, Mr. McMahon, an immediate must-watch.
The series is part biography of the man and part of the company and entertainment mainstay that he defined for decades. It gets into the nitty gritty of the Hogan era of the 80s, the New Generation, the Attitude Era, and is surprisingly unflinching about the darker sides of Vince McMahon’s psyche and life, and his shortcomings both personal and professional. Everything from the lawsuits that ended his tenure with TKO/WWE and his flops like the XFL and the World Bodybuilding Federation are at least touched upon, if not given life through conversations with his family, his top stars, and current and past wrestlers who approach him and his works from all angles.
With interview segments from Shane McMahon, The Rock, John Cena, Cody Rhodes,, and even Hulk Hogan, this is a series that stretches across time and place and doesn’t miss a beat in its true crime-inspired pacing and its peek behind the curtain. If memoir, wrestling, or true crime pique your interest, you can’t miss checking this out. -D.J.
Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Down, down, down the road! Down The Witches Road, y’all!
God [OR DIETY OF CHOICE, OR LACK THEROF] bless Katherine Hahn for returning to Westview to lead the Disney+ fantasy show Agatha All Along, the sequel to 2021’s For Magical White Girls Who Have Considered Altering Reality When Therapy Was Enuff, (aka WandaVision).
In Agatha All Along, we got to experience a group of downtrodden witches struggling with their own personal (sometimes literal) demons, their faded magic, and the hardships caused by existing under modern American capitalism. Wicked witch Agatha Harkness was our guide through The Witches Road, a deadly supernatural obstacle course that should a witch complete, they will be granted one wish each. Agatha’s trademark sarcasm and self-centered personality had us side-eying her every episode, but series star Katherine Hahn’s nuanced portrayal showed us Agatha’s emotional underbelly too.
Through Hahn, we gained an understanding of Agatha’s compounded grief over losing her mother, her lover, and even her child, and how all of that grief impacts her. Audiences can judge for themselves whether Agatha was justified in her shady shenanigans. But Agatha All Along does a pretty fantastic job of explaining WHY she is the way she is, without letting her off the hook for her choices.
Another standout performance came by way of Saturday Night Live alum Sasheer Zameta as Jennifer Kale. Zameta shined as Kale, a lawsuit laden cosmetics brand founder, potions witch, midwife, and rootworker (sis got more jobs than Keke Palmer) whose powers were bound by a nefarious white male doctor a century prior. Zameta’s portrayal of a Black American woman struggling to hold her own in a racist, sexist word that hates, yet craves her power hit home especially hard for Black women (and some of us brothas too).
Agatha All Along was one of the most fun shows in 2024, and Wednesday nights haven’t been the same since our favorite supernatural swindler and her teenage twink sidekick rode off into the MCU sunset. Did the final episode of the show end with unnecessary fight scenes and gratuitous special effects? Maybe. Did every individual character’s arc have a satisfying conclusion? Maybe not. But if 10 weekly episodes of Agatha All Along taught us anything, it’s that sometimes it really is about the journey, and not the destination. -Skylar
Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you?
Sign up here! Follow us on BlueSky ,Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and Instagram!
The post BNP Staff Favorites for 2024: Television appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.