Hard N.O.C. Life

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172. Return of a New Empire Strikes the Jedi Hope Back Dec 09, 2019

Show notes

With Rise of Skywalker and the end of the Skywalker Saga at the end of the month to look forward to, Hard NOC Life is going to be a Star Wars podcast for the month of December. Because there aren't enough Star Wars podcasts on the internet! Each week, Dominic and Keith will be breaking down a different trilogy that make up the beloved Star Wars franchise.

This week, they rewind the clock four decades to 1977 and the film that started it all! How did Star Wars change the movie industry and the way movies are marketed? Why is Empire Strikes Back considered the definitive film in the franchise? Why doesn't Return of the Jedi get more love? They also compare the Special Editions to the originals and try to figure out why nostalgia may be an even more powerful force than, well, the Force. They also praise the indelible score by John Williams and its contribution to the Star Wars experience.

All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic!

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

171. The Phantom Attack of the Sith Menace Revenge Clones Dec 02, 2019

Show notes

Each week, Dominic and Keith will be breaking down a different trilogy that make up the beloved Star Wars franchise. And because they decided to go in numerical order instead of chronological order, they're starting with Episodes I-III, otherwise known as the Prequels. How excited were they to return to Star Wars as adults? What's Dominic's problem with younglings? What's Keith's problem with Yoda's syntax? How racist were the Neimoidians, really? How did Ewan McGregor literally become the man of their dreams? The hosts try their best to answer these questions (no more, no less. OK, maybe more or less) as we count down to the end of Star Wars on Hard NOC Life!

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

170. Fancasting the Impeachment Nov 25, 2019

Show notes

For the last two weeks, the most riveting show on television was actually the impeachment hearings. So naturally, Dominic and Keith convened an episode of Hard NOC Life to talk all about it.

In addition to an analysis of the hearings, both the real one and the Bizarro World one -- as well as the Democratic Debate one-off in the middle of everything -- they also take a shot at fancasting the major players like Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, Ambassador Gordon Sondland, and Dr. Fiona Hill, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

169. 'The Mandalorian is Not Maclunky Nov 18, 2019

Show notes

Dominic and Keith weigh the pros and cons of Disney+ and review The Mandalorian on this week's Hard NOC Life.

Before they get into the first ever live action Star Wars series, Keith and Dominic reveal their first non-Mando watches on Disney+, which both still included Star Wars content. In addition to the Fox Fanfare returning to the classic trilogies, they also try to figure out what "maclunky" means in yet another tweak to the Han/Greedo scene in A New Hope. Keith also goes on another rant about HBO Max after reading about Warner Bros.' recent "brand refresh." Finally, they spend the bulk of the episode breaking down everything that happens in the first two episodes of The Mandalorian, and the show's heavy spaghetti western influence. SPOILERS abound! We have spoken.

What's #NerdPoppin this week (55:55): Dominic just finished listening to the entire first season of Radiotopia's Passenger List, starring Kelly Marie Tran. Keith keeps it on Disney+ by watching the bonus features for Avengers: Endgame that were not included on the original blu-ray release.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

168. Jamie Noguchi's 'Dark Fate' Nov 13, 2019

Show notes

On a special Hard NOC Media crossover, Jamie Noguchi of the Fuckin' Do It Cast joins Keith on Hard NOC Life to figure out why Terminator: Dark Fate failed at the box office.

In what is arguably the best Terminator movie since 1991's T2, Dark Fate still failed to register at the box office. Since Keith and Jamie were big fans of the movie, they question whether the vocal backlash from toxic fans contributed to its soft opening. There is also a brief sidebar about Keith's twitter thread about Matt Damon starring alongside Batman actors. Speaking of Batman, they also nerd out over the casting of Matt Reeves' The Batman and why Batman is actually a terrible superhero, before diving into Jamie's favorite 'ship on The CW's Supergirl.

What's #NerdPoppin this week (56:00): Jamie is really into HBO's Watchmen while Keith can't stop talking about Hadestown, which he finally saw on Broadway, and why it continues to prove that shows centering POC will always be successful.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

167. Encore Presentation of 'Occupy Me' Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

Occupy Me is the first fictional podcast from Hard NOC Media. In anticipation for the premiere of the second episode -- coming next week! -- we are presenting a special encore of the first episode, "Roxanne Met an Alien" on the Hard NOC Life podcast feed.

Subscribe to Occupy Me on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or listen at the official Hard NOC Media portal.

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written & directed by Dominic Mah

co-producers: Michael Ouyang, Keith Chow

music: Timo Chen

sound design: Andres Coca

cast

Roxanne: Britney Monae

Cy: Marc Abrigo

Dot: Erin Quill

Christina: Jessika Rodrigues

Tod: Michael Ouyang

Annika: Andrea Guidry

Support The Nerds of Color on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic!

166. Begun, The Streaming War Has Nov 04, 2019

Show notes

This week on Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith attempt to make sense of all of the new streaming platforms.

On the heels of Apple TV+ debuting with several high-profile shows, the hosts look at the future of streaming. With new entries like the aforementioned Apple TV+, HBO Max, and Disney+ taking aim at legacy services Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, will fans and viewers be able to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of content consumption? Also, Keith goes on an extended rant about why HBO Max is confusing, plus they wonder why Apple doesn't sell actual televisions.

What's #NerdPoppin this week (41:15): Dominic is amazed that Blade Runner no longer takes place in the future and Keith encourages listeners -- especially those in Virginia -- to tune into his interview with Qasim Rashid on Southern Fried Asian and then go out and vote on November 5.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

165. Watching the 'Watchmen' Oct 28, 2019

Show notes

On a new episode of Hard NOC Life, Shawn returns and joins Dominic and Keith to break down HBO's Watchmen adaptation.

Before they get into Watchmen, though, the three hosts revisit the final trailer in the Star Wars Skywalker Saga and reveal what they're most excited about (and not) in Episode IX.

What's #NerdPoppin this week (48:30): Shawn finally found a rare MF Doom vinyl figure, Dominic is digging Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' Watchmen score, and Keith has changed his mind about DC Universe's Titans.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

164. Casting Cat and Breaking Bad Oct 21, 2019

Show notes

On this week's Hard NOC Life, Dominic gets Keith through his very own "flu game" to score all the points on the week in Nerd Pop.

First, they marvel at the amazing casting announcements for Matt Reeves' upcoming The Batman, including Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, Paul Dano as The Riddler, and Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman. This leads into an extended conversation about what to expect in Reeves' take on the Dark Knight and whether we should reevaluate some of the campier takes on the mythos -- such as Batman & Robin and Halle Berry's Catwoman. Then, the two hosts break down Netflix's Breaking Bad movie El Camino by remembering what made the series one of the best in television history and how the movie serves as a proper send-off to characters as iconic as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. Finally, they share which classic TV series they'd like to see Netflix return to for a similar epilogue movie.

What's #NerdPoppin this week (57:00): Dominic is eagerly anticipating the Rise of Skywalker trailer and is ready to purchase advanced tickets, while Keith is excited that the entire Studio Ghibli canon is coming to HBO Max.

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

163. Why So Cinema? Oct 14, 2019

Show notes

Hard NOC Life welcomes back Dominic to weigh in on Martin Scorsese and the battle between superhero nerds and film nerds.

First, be sure to subscribe to NOC's upcoming fictional narrative podcast, Occupy Me, which is dropping this week! Also, Keith shares some of his New York Comic-Con thoughts and does a compare/contrast with San Diego Comic-Con. Then, the two hosts discuss the box office record-breaking Joker which is the perfect segue into Martin Scorsese's beef with the Marvel Studios machine.

What's #NerdPoppin this week (46:30): Dominic is re-reading Warren Ellis' run on Moon Knight while Keith is tuning back in to the DC shows on The CW -- including the debut of Batwoman -- in preparation for the Crisis crossover (of which he wants WB to #ReleaseTheCrisisCut).

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

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