Poptic Nerve

Last week was slow when it came to "cool news" that is until Friday so, here are my picks for the week of 2/26/21! Canned Tuna: Amber Heard is fired from Aquaman 2! After the shitstorm that stemmed from Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's legal battle bringing forth crazy antics to the surface, like a beached Whale, which continued onto the professional front as it emerged that Amber Heard has been fired from the follow up to Warner Media's breakout hit, Aquaman due to the basis of some health clauses she failed to comply with. (Coronavirus protocols, perhaps or Heard having this bad reputation?) Rumors are circulating that Game Of Thrones actor Emilia Clarke has been considered for the character Mera, previously played by Heard. That said the cast of the first film will reprise their roles, Jason and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Aquaman and Black Manta respectively. Aquaman 2   is slated to release on December 16, 2022. And as if that's not enough, an animated mini-series

  February is such an important month for various reasons! Be it President's Day holiday and Valentine's day for all you lovebirds who pay extra for dining at a restaurant during a pandemic no less.  And while, it's still February, as in Black History Month, ironically the shortest month in the year. (Go figure.) I thought I would list my favorite films of the Blaxploitation genre.  What is "Blaxploitation" for the uninitiated? Well, here's a brief history lesson for ya: When the Motion picture Industry was tanking during the late turbulent sixties and early Seventies, films with an all-black cast starting with Melvin Van Peebles, Sweetback Badass Song made a decent amount of profit thanks to the unwavering support of Black moviegoers. Hollywood paid attention and but not before independent filmmaker, Larry Cohen recognized the potential for Black oriented films starting with Black Caesar followed by its sequel Hell up in Harlem. American International Pictu

There's really not too much too write about this week in Pop Culture other than a few newsworthy bits. So here's the 411 for the week of February 19, 2021!      "Get outta here"! The trailer for HBO Max's Mortal Kombat, has dropped!    As a fan of the videogame series since its inception during the early 90's, I was curious about how a more adequate adaptation of the games would look, so after watching the trailer. I'm neither optimistic nor pessimistic.  First off, the main protagonist is not affiliated with any of the original characters however Sub Zero, Jax and Scorpion came off impressive.  Glad to see Kung Lao make his live action debut but where's my boy Kabal and why is Liu Kang dressed up as Ryu?    Good to know that Joe Talsim of Warrior , The Raid Redemption and the excellent The Night comes for Us is cast as Sub Zero. Overall, this looks promising despite a silly trailer is practically a self-referential parody with those tropes. "ON

Last week's headlines was obviously the biggest news of this month, thus far! Here we had the 2nd Impeachment trial of disgraced former President Donald J. Trump, Tom Brady wins another Super Bowl. *groans* and now, even more celebrities are facing consequences for things they have either said or done. Cancel Culture is on the move more than ever and there is no running or hiding. Just ask Roseanne Barr...who's now battling Covid 19.  First actress and former MMA Fighter Gina Carano was axed from Lucasfilm Disney, for her recent inflammatory posts via Social media when comparing the persecution of Conservatives to the atrocities of Jews during the infamous Nazi regime. What's funny about this, is how Ms. Carano receiving a few warnings from the heads up after making previous controversial posts and tweets be it debunking Black Lives Matter or against mask wearing during a serious pandemic.  It would be of no surprise that she's pro Quanon.      Carano's hubris resul

So, what we have is the epic trailer for the Snydah cut. Question is, will it be much better than the original version helmed by Joss Wheldon or just as bad? From what I have seen is more of a focus on story content as opposed to cheesy one liners i.e. "My Man". No offense intended, of course Aquajan. The big "surprise" is the appearance of two familiar characters that add a modicum of cred to this director's cut which drops March 18th. What say you?

Disclaimer: This is a satirical masthead of  Colin Jost and Michael Che of course, they wouldn't endorse PNN .  So, this week was fun. No I'm not referring to the Impeachment Trial of a failed President, but more exciting topics. Here's the best tidbits of the week!    "On your left"! Falcon and the Winter Soldier trailer  After a year of Disney plus debut, we finally take a better glimpse at the long-awaited Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Sam Wilson was given Steve Rogers' blessing as the new Captain America because his best friend Bucky Barnes is not "certifiable enough for the job. And with Sam's carrying on Cap's legacy, is trouble from Zemo who ain't done with the Avengers yet, the Anarchist organization called the Flag Smashers and if that wasn't enough, enter the government endorsed Captain America-John Walker! Falc and his Amazing friends arrives next month.    Gina Carano: "You're terminated fired"!!  It seems that M

"Horror is like a serpent; always shedding its skin, always changing."    - Dario Argento    Oh, indeed, it is    So over five months ago, I discovered this exciting documentary on Shudder, titled In Search of Darkness (2019) which piqued my curiosity after the success of Horror Noire, Cursed Films and Scream Queen . And let me tell you, I watched the entire four-hour documentary in one sitting.      Well in between pausing for a bathroom or snack break of course.    What makes this doc so different from the others? Well, its solely dedicated to the iconic horror films of the 1980's. As a Gen Xer, I really appreciated that decade as it redefined not only popular culture, but horror films in general!    In Search of Darkness is a who's who of actors, directors, bloggers etc. offering their perspectives on the trends, trials and tribulations throughout the 80's timeline,      There are a range of topics all covered in this exciting love letter to 80's horror b