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Over the past decade, Melissa McCarthy has established herself as a bonafide movie star, delivering brilliant comedic performances in films like Bridesmaids, Spy, and The Heat. But like all stars, she has also appeared in her fair share of clunkers, films that simply don’t match the level of her comedic talents, like The Boss, Superintelligence, and Life of the Party. Unfortunately, those films are almost always directed by her husband and creative partner, Ben Falcone. So every time a new McCarthy film is announced with Falcon directing, I’ve learned to temper my expectations.

And it’s frustrating, because Thunder Force had such potential. A superhero film starring two 50 year old women with real bodies kicking ass and taking names? Sign me up. While superhero stories continue to dominate film and television, older women have been largely ignored in the genre. With the exception of a handful of performances like Angela Bassett in Black Panther, Michelle Pfeiffer in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Annette Bening in Captain Marvel, women of a certain age have gotten short shrift, as they always do in Hollywood.

Thunder Force takes place in a world terrorized by Miscreants, sociopaths who gained superpowers when outer-space radiation hit Earth. These superpowered terrorists killed young Emily’s parents, and she swore to avenge them by developing a super serum to give good guys superpowers to fight back. As a child, Emily’s only friend was Lydia, a trash-talking loyal bestie who defended her against school bullies. The two become fast friends until the end of high school, when they have a falling out.

Now adults, Lydia (McCarthy) is a messy, beer-drinking forklift operator, while Emily (Octavia Spencer) is something of a female Tony Stark. Emily has engineered a gene therapy to give herself super strength and invisibility, but when Lydia accidently doses herself with super strength, leaving invisibility for Emily, the two estranged friends come together to become a crime-fighting team known as Thunder Force. Together they team up to take on the Miscreants, led by Bobby Cannavale’s The King, along with Laser (Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Pom Klementieff) and the Crab, a man/shellfish mutant played by Jason Bateman, who is clearly having a blast.

Thunder Force is aided by Emily’s daughter Tracy (Taylor Mosby), who quickly forms a bond with Lydia. The emotional undercurrent of the film is the reunion of these two best friends, and Spencer and McCarthy display an easy chemistry, no doubt thanks to their real life 25-year long friendship.

There are genuinely funny moments in Thunder Force, and I enjoyed it more than any other McCarthy/Falcon collaboration. Spencer and McCarthy are dynamite together, nailing the comedy and the emotional aspects of the film. And Lydia’s flirtation with the Crab delivers some of the weirder, wilder moments of the overlong film. I also enjoyed spending time in a world where women superheroes are casually accepted and celebrated, and where misogyny is only a tool of the villains.

But everything else about the film just plain doesn’t work. From the villains to the costumes to the overly complicated plot, the film feels like a rough draft of an idea. And that lack of flair extends to the action sequences, which are unfocused and uninspired. The world around Spencer and McCarthy feels like a placeholder, and every scene without them drags.

If I had seen this film in theaters, maybe I would be more annoyed. But as a late night Netflix watch, it’s engaging enough to enjoy. After all, comedians like Kevin James and Adam Sandler have been churning out mediocre content for Netflix for years. Why not let the ladies take a crack at it?

Thunder Force is currently streaming on Netflix.

(featured image: HOPPER STONE/NETFLIX)

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Because we (ok it was mostly, Dburt) were unable to get through many of the topics discussed during Sunday's Grindhouse broadcast, we will revisit the remaining subject matter for this Wednesday's Mid Week in Review show.  Afronerd Radio's Mid Week airs at 8 p.m. eastern, thanks to the good folks at BTalk 100.   Additional topics include:  friend of the "steam engine,"  multitalented filmmaker and comic book creator, David Walker stops by to discuss his latest project, The Black Panther Party, a graphic novel (illustrations courtesy of Marcus Kwame Anderson) focusing on the famed (and highly controversial) Black American political organization founded by activists/students., Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in 1966; and as mentioned previously, your AFROnerdist hosts will tackle other issues left on the proverbial kitchen table i.e.-the return of Milestone Media-

the firing of Gina Carano, "gay burger" restaurant joke that trended on Twitter but became a reality; iconic jazz artist, Chick Corea passes; filmmaker, Spike Lee is not against working with Marvel (but maybe not DC); DC comics buyout rumors and other comic book properties during BHM you should be reading.  

*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!!! 

or This link below.....
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Greetings, once AGAIN, to all our loyal listeners and supporters! Listen to the latest episode of Afronerd Radio's Mid Week in Review broadcast airing this Wednesday at 8 p. m. eastern on BTalk 100.  Join your "ever-lovin' " AFROnerdist hosts as they wax about this (mid) week's trending topics: it appears that popular Canadian educator/clinical psychologist has a problem with the more than equally notable author, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the writer's take on Captain America villain, Red Skull;  rising Black British actor, Rege-Jean Page (Bridgerton), according to TheRoot.com lost a role on SyFy's Krypton because the idea of "Kal-El" having a Black Grandfather was a non-starter;  Dburt (per usual) was somewhat late to the Darkhorse comic book translated to TV series, Resident Alien but while he does like the show thus far, the premise reminds him that Milestone's ICON IP should definitely be fast-tracked;        

A recent Kotaku.com piece posits that the digital card game, Magic: The Gathering with its array of POC fantasy characters and storylines, is a welcome respite from more recent Black fantasy fare that places focus on #ADOS victimization;  and then there's the new Loki trailer from Disney+

Can A.I. reproduce or mimic new songs from deceased musicians?  Well, based on recent songs that are hitting the net, a prospective audience is about to find out; More African-American greats continue to leave our mortal plane-FL Congressman, Alcee Hastings passes at 84;  lastly, Neuralink co-founder, Max Hodak is prophesizing that a real-life Jurassic Park is in our future....

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!!! 

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

After being shut down for over a year, it appears that the Disneyland Resort is soon reopening. The park didn’t hit the April 1 date that was the earliest California would permit them to open. Instead, they’re reopening on April 30 with limited capacity and limited attractions (see the full list of what will be open below). The news about a possible reopening came straight from Disney CEO Bob Chapek during an investors call on March 9 (via Deadline), and on March 17, Chapek appeared on CNBC and stated Disneyland will reopen on April 30. This global pandemic represents the longest that Disneyland has remained closed in its year history. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure closed on March 14, 2020.

When Disneyland reopens, it will initially be limited to California residents only (per California’s reopening guidelines). They will manage the capacity with a reservation system. Over 10,000 furloughed employees will return to the job after retraining to work under the new COVID-19 guidelines. The official Disney Parks News Twitter account released a statement, which you can read in full above. And if you’re wondering about the new Avengers Campus, it won’t be ready for reopening day. Chapek stated the new area in California Adventure will open “later this year.”

Official Disney Parks Blog

Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida has been open since July, operating at 35% capacity. No word just yet at what attendance capacity Disneyland will have. But we expect the number to be similar. They’ll have a reservation system in place to keep tabs on capacity. Here’s what will be open in each park:

Disneyland

• Alice in Wonderland
• Astro Orbitor
• Autopia
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Casey Jr. Circus Train
• Disneyland Railroad
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Gadget’s Go Coaster
• Haunted Mansion
• Indiana Jones Adventure
• “It’s a small world”
• King Arthur Carrousel
• Mad Tea Party
• Main Street Vehicles
• Mark Twain Riverboat
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
• Snow White’s Enchanted Wish
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Tarzan’s Treehouse
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Enchanted Tiki Room

California Adventure

• Games of Pixar Pier
• Goofy’s Sky School
• Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
• Incredicoaster
• Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind
• Jessie’s Critter Carousel
• Jumpin’ Jellyfish
• Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters
• Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
• Pixar Pal-A-Round – Non-Swinging
• Pixar Pal-A-Round – Swinging
• Radiator Springs Racers
• Silly Symphony Swings
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Surprise Character Sightings
• The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
• Toy Story Midway Mania!
• Turtle Talk with Crush

And also, don’t expect any shows or parades or character meet n’ greets for some time. According to Chapek “the number of actual shows we can have are greatly limited because of social distancing.” Fireworks displays and World of Color are likely also not going forward for now. Pretty much anything that invites crowds to gather shoulder to shoulder will be out. You can get details about all the specifics at the Disney Parks Blog.

And even though it’s fantastic that 10,000 employees will soon get their jobs back, here’s hoping that Disneyland makes sure that all of their cast members are fully vaccinated first.

Originally published March 9, 2021 with updates on March 17 and April 7.

The post Here’s What Rides Will Be Running When Disneyland Reopens appeared first on Nerdist.