Monday Morning Nerd Alert!

Greetings and welcome to the first post of Monday Morning Nerd Alert. As I covered in my "Introduce Yourself" post, I'm a nerd at heart. so one of the items I'll focus on in my blog is pop culture/nerd-y things. So, that's the intent of this weekly post. I'm hoping to share a few items that I'm particularly jazzed about and that fellow nerds may enjoy. They could be big blockbuster type movies, a smart podcast, or a recent book that I think some may enjoy. I hope you all enjoy.

Black Panther (photo courtesy of Marvel)

This really is an interesting movie in the comic book space as it's led by a second-tier Marvel superhero. Marvel has already covered all of their bonafide superstar comic heroes with X-Men, Spider-Man, The Avengers, etc. What intriguing about this movie is that it has an all-star cast and director who have received praise for their work previously. Ryan Coogler's previous films have won numerous awards as has his cast. Early reaction to this movie is calling it one of Marvel's best and it feels like they have lightning in a bottle. While most Marvel movies are hits with the audience and critics, the genre doesn't have many movies that are seen as legitimately noteworthy OUTSIDE of being good comic book movies. Black Panther feels like it may join The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, The Avengers, and Wonder Woman in being in the pantheon of great movies that happen to be in the comic book genre. The diverse cast and opportunity to move into new chapters in the MCU will lead this to being one of the more fun, enjoyable flicks of the year.

Other Picks This Week:
How Did This Get Made? (photo courtesy of Earwolf.com)

Most people don't enjoy bad movies, but what if you got to listen to comedians dissect the bad movies we watch in very comedic fashion. "How Did This Get Made?" is a podcast that lives to mock the worst movies out there. From The Room to Green Lantern you get the opportunity for some of today's most successful comics tear into these movies. Have you ever wondered how a movie featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a male scientist who gets pregnant (you read that right) got made? How about the insanity that always follows a Nicolas Cage movie. Enjoy this little piece of gold.

The Red Rising Series (image courtesy of Amazon.com)

I stumbled onto this book series due to an ad in Entertainment Weekly and have been a fan ever since. The Red Rising Series is all that's fun about sci-fi (alternative worlds, future tech, innovative ideas blended with classic story structures) and disregards the things that bog the genre down for casual fans (dense histories that confuse, repetitive plots). It's a story about a young man named Darrow who is a grunt on Mars (remember we are talking about the future) and his quest to overturn a class based society. I really enjoyed the dialog and play between the characters and have been cheer leading this series for a few years now.

That about wraps up this week's post. I hope that maybe a few of you may be interested in this week's picks. Do you have something you want to discuss or personal picks that you'd like to offer me? Send me a a note and let's chat.

Cheers,

Tony