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Welcome to the debut episode of 2Nerds and an Actor and Guest! We’re kicking it with some of the folks behind our favorite things and bringing you with us.
On this episode of ‘And Guest’ Playwright and Writer/Executive Producer of FX’s Kindred, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins! An old friend of the podcast, we get into his transition from stage to screen, adapting Octavia Butler’s work for TV, and consulting on HBO’s Watchmen. Stay tuned for more chats with more guests!
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The post A Chat With ‘Kindred’ Writer/Executive Producer Branden Jacobs-Jenkins appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Recently, Team BGN had the pleasure of phone interviewing Naveen Andrews to discuss his latest role, in the Fox drama The Cleaning Lady. The show has garnered praise, not only for its groundbreaking cast but also for its poignant attention to immigration, motherhood, and cultural representation.
Naveen, we’re so excited to dive into your journey in the hit drama The Cleaning Lady. As viewers have seen, you play such an intricate, cunning character — Robert Kamdor, who is the new big boss in the series. He’s ready to take over Las Vegas as the new criminal mastermind.
Thank you! First of all, I should say that what drew me to the project was the fact that it was about immigrants. Being a child of immigrants myself, the idea of meritocracy or self-betterment in a new, different country is familiar to me. Obviously, The Cleaning Lady explores those darker themes where characters are forced to do things in order to survive, some of which may not necessarily be legal. Let’s just say that! [Laughs.]
Secondly, my girlfriend had seen the whole first season during the pandemic, so when the [casting] offer came through, she said, “You must watch the whole first season!” So I did. For me, it was the actors who really made the show by giving it an emotional punch and a drive that is profoundly moving at times, particularly the fifth episode in the first season, where the audience is wondering if Fiona’s going to be deported. They had the Rolling Stones, I think “Moonlight Mile,” playing over the soundtrack — well, I was sobbing at the end of that. Now, for my character, you have to go to a very dark place. All I can say is that the character is in need of therapy.
As we’ve touched upon, the cast has brilliantly depicted how there are so many levels to these complex characters. How was day one on the set for you and getting to know your new castmates?
The cast was wonderful! They were so warm and welcoming. It was also a very easy set to work on, which isn’t always the case. I was very mindful of the fact that they created the impetus of this show. So, what I was there to do was to make, hopefully, a contribution and give it a little bit of a kick or push. But they’d already set the thing up. As I said, I was very mindful of that. I believe that they deserve full credit for where the show is today.
Throughout your career, audiences have seen you depict many multifaceted characters. From Lost to The Dropout to Sense8, you’ve brought these characters to life with ease and pristine balance. When taking on these roles, where do you draw your inspiration from? How do you prepare your mindset for the level of intricacy that you exude as Robert Kamdor in particular?
What I try to do is find some humanity in the darkness. I don’t want to compare or contrast, but if you’re looking at someone like Hitler — he seemed very fond of dogs. He was fond of his outstation, and he was fond of opera. Those seem like crumbs, but you look for crumbs. It’s the same with Robert. The one person that he might have any genuine feelings for is Nadia, played by Eva De Dominici. As twisted and flawed as his conception of love or affection might be, it’s still a feeling. So, I guess I tried to get behind that.
In playing Sunny Balwani (Andrews’ character in The Dropout), what humanized him for me was the fact that he was desperately in love with Elizabeth Holmes. He would do anything for her, and he actually did — literally would go to the ends of the earth and quite possibly to jail. So, that’s what I try to look for: something that humanizes an otherwise very dark and malevolent character.
We do come to find that Robert’s Achilles’ heel is none other than Nadia, with whom Robert shares a very long, deep history. As a result, viewers may find themselves asking, “Hey, is Robert misunderstood, or are there bigger motives?” Were there ever moments while reading the script that you found yourself having parallels with Robert Kamdor?
Oh, my goodness, yes! Particularly from when I was younger, before I became a parent. Relationships are complex. It’s possible for human beings to behave in ways where they don’t even realize what they’re doing is disruptive — not only to their partner but to themselves. So, yes, there were definitely things that I could draw from the past.
As we watch the series unfold, we learn that Robert is quite an educated criminal. Not only is he calculated, but he has a sense of self-awareness. In three words, how would you describe Robert Kamdor and why?
“Insinuous,” manipulative, and yet wise. “Insinuous” because he’s incredibly good at inserting himself into various situations for his own self-gain. Manipulative — hopefully that should speak for itself: somebody who enjoys the game of pitting people against each other and having power over creating situations. Wise because I think consciously or unconsciously, he knows what he’s doing. There’s something nihilistic about him, so I think he’s aware of the nihilism and the emptiness that are at his own core.
Lastly, what are you hoping for the viewer to take away from your portrayal as Robert Kamdor?
That educated criminals are often the worst kind of criminal. I would also say that intellectualism is overrated. If you don’t know how to be happy, if you don’t know how to live or treat other people with respect and kindness, then you have no intelligence. I would hope they might draw something from that. It doesn’t matter how clever or brilliant Robert thinks he is or might be. Ultimately, if you don’t make a difference to the world in a good way, you’re worthless.
You can catch more of Andrews in The Cleaning Lady, streaming Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.
Call us controversial, but the worst films for 2022 on our list are a selection of award contenders and popular fan franchises. For every great group of films out there, you will always find a few bad apples in the bunch. 2022 was no different with its slate of releases. Brace yourselves — here are our picks of the worst films of 2022.
Jamie Broadnax’s Worst of 2022
Nope
Many critics will disagree with my selection of Jordan Peele’s Nope as it is currently sitting at 82% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It has received many accolades, including a supporting actress win for Keke Palmer from the New York Film Critics Circle. All of that withstanding, I could barely get through its 2 hours and 10 minutes run time.
The plot was nonsensical (I get that there are layers here to Peele’s metaphors, but most were a reach). The performances were lackluster (sorry, Keke), and the ending was uneventful. I was allowed to screen this film a second time and just couldn’t do it. Luckily for Peele and Universal Pictures, I’m in the minority with my opinion about the film — which grossed over 170 million at the box office.
Babylon
I’m going against the status quo, yet again, with my opinion here, this time a movie in contention for several awards, including Best Picture. I’m even going against my colleagues here — Catalina Combs, liked the film and gave it a fresh rating. My problem with Babylon was the story structure was just as messy as the parties and lives of its protagonists.
It’s also become a trope of Hollywood rewarding itself for exalting and praising movies about its own system. That aside, beyond the gratuitous presentation of a flamboyant young Hollywood — there’s no substance to the movie. I also wondered why Margot Robbie sounded like Harley Quinn throughout. Then I realized that perhaps the Australian actor thinks all New England accents sound that way.
Blonde
Let me start by saying that the cinematography in this movie was beautiful. Now, it’s time to annihilate this film with my opinions beyond its technical aspects. The story of Marilyn Monroe (way overdone btw) was depicted in the worst way in this movie.
The depiction of her giving fellatio to President Kennedy was shameful. The fictionalized accounts about her childhood were highly unnecessary and added nothing to the story. Most of what was fictionalized in this film was having Marylin hypersexualized through a male lens, and it was shameful to the legacy of this iconic actor. I didn’t enjoy it at all.
Cassondra Feltus’ Worst of 2022
The Bubble
With a stacked cast and Judd Apatow at the helm, I prepared myself for a fun movie with some of the best comedic actors around — Keegan-Michael Key, Pedro Pascal, Leslie Mann, David Duchovny, Fred Armisen, Kate McKinnon, Peter Serafinowicz.
What I got was a terribly unfunny mess that had no business being 126 minutes. It had an interesting enough premise: Hollywood actors quarantined while filming a ridiculous movie during a global pandemic. It pulled a few chuckles out of me (maybe three), but there were too many subplots, and none were interesting. I’d have a better time watching the fictional film franchise Cliff Beasts.
Wayne Broadway’s Worst of 2022
Halloween Ends
Given the precipitous drop in quality between 2018’s Halloween “requel,” (which was, itself, a fine, if unnecessary and occasionally meandering feature) and 2021’s Halloween Kills, you would think it’d be easy for Halloween Ends to wrap up a trilogy that increasingly seems like it was originally meant to be a one-off effort.
But you’d be dead wrong. You’d be so wrong that you, like me, might actually be upset in the movie theater. You might, like me, actually wonder how they could have gotten everything so wrong and yet defend this dumpster fire in the name of “subverting expectations.” Well, I expected something approaching good, and they subverted the hell out of that.
Michael Myers is an afterthought. Laurie Strode is a quirky grandmother out of a Diablo Cody film, and a promising opening ten minutes gives way to a dreary hour and a half following characters we neither recognize nor care about. If only evil had died that night in Halloween Kills — it would’ve saved us the horror of watching this woeful misfire.
Terrifier 2
There are two schools of thought for placing Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2 on a year-end worst list. First, there’s the idea that doing so risks making the reviewer look like they don’t get it. The film knows it will never be an Oscar contender (except, maybe, for makeup effects, which are admittedly very good here). It knows itself to be a gorefest first and foremost. So it doesn’t bother with “conventional” film concepts like having likable characters, a coherent plot, or even a motivation for its villain.
The movie knows that, so why wouldn’t any reviewer? Worst off? It has an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes!
Yet, there’s the second school of thought; the one I adhere to. It says, regardless of a film’s knowing and ironic nihilism, one must still say how their viewing experience affected them and how it might affect others. Well, I hated this movie. I gained nothing from watching it. It’s an ugly movie about ugly people doing ugly things, and that’s not even considering the murders that occur. Guys, I got the joke; I just didn’t think it was funny.
Jurassic World Dominion
Can I just put a series of sighing noises for this review? Because that’s what I did in the theater. Sighed.
I sighed at the story. I sighed at the attempts at cheap nostalgia, which is all these sequels series have trafficked in since the beginning. I sighed at the movie trying to sell us on the idea that Jeff Goldblum’s sardonic, cynical Dr. Ian Malcolm wouldn’t see that the evil, shady bioengineering company is shady and evil. I sighed at the idea that we’d be fighting deadly (to the environment, that is) locusts instead of man-eating dinosaurs.
I hated the fact that the issue raised at the end of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, that of how to corral wild dinosaurs or find a way to re-introduce them into the ecosystem, was handled offscreen between that film and this one, depriving audiences of a story they’d actually like to see. Drs. Alan Grant and Ellie Satler (Sam Neill and Laura Dern) are back, but so what? They’re not given anything interesting to do other than get together at the end. Even that elicits nothing more than a “Cool.” from me. The trilogy is over now, and I pray it stays extinct.
Jeanine T. Abraham’s Worst of 2022
Bitch Ass
If I could have slapped this film, I would have. Bitch Ass is a slasher film about a group of gang members who break into the house of a psychotic introvert who forces them into impossible-to-win violent games to escape. Nothing is compelling about this film; it is another example of if you have somebody to invest in your idea, you can make a movie.
Time slowed down in all the wrong ways while watching this film. There was not one single character worth rooting for. Everyone was annoying, so it was like, meh, when they were killed. At the same time, it was jarring having to sit there and watch a bunch of young Black kids get brutally murdered for no reason.
The main character, Bitch Ass, wasn’t scary. The reason he was psychotic was a broad stereotype, and the film did not have a clear point of satire or reason for watching. The cinematography was professional, the costumes looked presentable, and the actors knew their lines and made their marks. But the film was just watching actors say lines at each other and hit their marks.
There were no real, believable moments in this film. The attempts at humor weren’t funny. When the writers attempt to get sympathy for the main character, it comes off as insincere. Bitch Ass just pissed me off. Why would you put actors through all that trauma for a hot mess of a script?
Black Adam
Black Adam is like being trapped in a video game filled with monotonous violence, unfunny jokes, and a plot that makes no sense. Dwayne Johnson is more entertaining on his Instagram than in this movie.
Unfortunately, there is not one single thing about this film that was appealing. Ugly costumes, and unappealing locations, and the film was way too long. Was this even a movie? There were barely any plot points to hold on to that made any sense.
The superheroes who first came to capture but then to help Black Adam had weak superpowers that even as a collective were basically useless. For instance, this guy Atom Smasher’s (Noah Centineo) only superpower was that he could grow to be giant-sized, but he spent most of the time getting in the way. Black Adam was a boring waste of time.
What were your worst films of this year? Let us know on social media! And don’t forget to check out our best films list!
The Perseverance rover on Mars dropped off a tube of rock samples and it looks like it came straight from a galaxy far, far away. There’s (probably) no kyber crystals inside, but it bears a strong resemblance to a lightsaber. Somehow we doubt that the design similarities are an accident. There’s probably a bunch of Star Wars-loving nerds at NASA geeking out over this moment as well. If you’ve seen Apollo 13, you’ll know that NASA is also capable of the same kit-bashing skills that led to the iconic lightsaber hilts.
Whether or not the sample holder is meant to look like a lightsaber, the task of returning them to Earth is a big deal. Each hilt (or sample tube) is filled with a sample collected by Perseverance. NASA shares information about each one, including pictures from the rover of the drill site. Not counting the pet rock it picked up in its wheel while roving around Mars, Perseverance has collected 18 samples. The rover dropped the first one at a potential pickup spot near its original landing site. Next, it took the picture above to make sure the sample hadn’t rolled under the rover’s wheels. It will drop more lightsabers/tubes over the course of the next two months. But it also holds onto duplicates of each sample in case anything goes wrong.
Returning the samples to Earth is a long term goal. NASA is aiming to put a lander on Mars in 2028 and the samples may not make it back to Earth until 2033. Even then, scientists would preserve some of the the rocks for decades. That way, they can be analyzed with technology that doesn’t even exist yet. Researchers did the same with lunar samples collected by the Apollo program, some of which they are just now studying 50 years later.
If you want your own lightsaber/Perseverance sample tube, you can try kit-bashing your own build. Or put one together on your next trip to Savi’s Workshop at Galaxy’s Edge in the Disney theme parks. That way, you’ll get to choose what color your lightsaber is. We assume all those coming back from Mars will be red.
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.
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