Welcome to 2Nerds and an Actor

Do you stay after the credits of every movie just in case? Have you and your friends had a heated discussion after leaving the theater? So have we! And we love to say the quite parts out loud. 2Nerds and an Actor is a podcast for nerds to geek out together about entertainment and all things in the nerdosphere. Come talk nerdy with us about movies, tv, games, anime, comics, and whatever your nerdom may be. Hosts, film critics and educators, Aisha Jordan, Frantz Jerome, and Mike Santana are here to talk it out with you no filter! And we bring expert guests along for the ride. Here you belong and your opinions matter. We want you to know we see you, even if our takes are a bit hot, you belong in the conversation with us. Let us know if you agree or disagree, or just want to know if we see the same things you did. WELCOME to 2Nerds and an Actor podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are some people who find comics to be a fun way to spend time. And there are some who, to them, these mythological symbols mean something. On this episode of 2Nerds and an Actor, we chat with one of the Internet’s favorite comic lovers: Omar Holmon! Poet, Gamer, co-founder of the Hugo award-winning publication Black Nerd Problems, and apostle of the Gospel of Scott Summers.Join Aisha, Frantz, and Mike, as we get into some deep cut X-Men mythology with Omar to figure out how Marvel is positioning the IP. How far can X-Men ‘97 go before they run out of older stories to tell? Will Krakoa show up on ‘97 before the MCU? Where are the comics heading now that the ‘Krakoan era’ is over? Is Scott happier with Emma or Jean? We get into the weeds about all of this and more, on this episode of the 2Nerds and an Actor podcast. Get into it!00:00 – The Spoilaes Are Getting Sensual04:31 – Comics, Wrestling & the Art of Loving a Good Story06:20 – Krakoa: The X-Men's Boldest Reinvention08:31 – Mutant Nation, Mutant Rules: Building a World of Their Own10:44 – Representation & Mutants Taking Center Stage12:20 – The Fall of Krakoa: A Nation Comes Crashing Down16:05 – When Fiction Reflects Reality: The Politics of the X-Men17:26 – Life After Krakoa: The Mutant World Tries to Rebuild20:11 – Who Gets to Tell These Stories? Representation Behind the Pen22:17 – Captain America, Emma Frost & The Question of Accountability27:08 – The Krakoa We Never Got: Hickman's Unfinished Vision30:02 – Krakoa vs. Arakko: Learning How to Live Beyond the Fight33:27 – X-Men '97: Greatest Hits or Rushed History?35:40 – Cyclops Finally Gets His Flowers53:38 – Doomsday Is Coming: Can Doctor Doom Deliver? huDbOj1BaLQy5YKYY0Hv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the spirit of Halloween we’re running back one of our earliest episodes from this season. Check out our legendary chat with Xero Gravity about the ins and outs of Curry Barker’s indie horror hit, Obsession. Subscribe to 2Nerds! Welcome! We’re in the mix with horror lover and journalist Xero Gravity! We’re chatting about the films Obsession and Backrooms, plus the Internet-to-Hollywood horror pipeline! Lock in with us and laugh about our fears on this episode of 2Nerds and an Actor. #2NerdsAndAnActor #ObsessionMovie #Backrooms #HorrorMovies #HorrorTok #IndieHorror #BlackNerds #GeekCulture #PopCulturePodcast #MovieReview #HorrorCommunity #WondirStudios 00:00 Password Sharing, Bills & the Cold Open 00:31 Welcome to 2Nerds and an Actor 00:59 Introducing Zero Gravity & Horror Nerdom 04:09 Spoiler-Free Review: What Is Obsession? 06:22 Why Horror Captures What Society Fears 10:41 Curry Barker, Internet Filmmakers & Indie Horror 15:51 Spoiler Warning: Entering Obsession 16:49 The Wish, Male Loneliness & the Nice Guy Problem 27:36 Indie Navarrette’s Performance, the Cat & the Scariest Scenes 35:33 Backrooms, Liminal Horror, Ratings & Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this special episode of 2Nerds and an Actor, we went digging in the crates to bring you our chat about Justin Tipping and Jordan Peele’s HIM. The only way to have this convo about where Black history and sports history meet was to have our guest and good friend Dr. Amira Rose Davis on. You know, Professor, author, and former athlete Amira Rose Davis? Yeah, HER.We went everywhere with this one. What was the movie trying to say? Who was the intended audience for this? Did the movie bring a Black conversation into the public forum? That, and some brilliant insights around the historical relationship between Black Americans and sports. Even more exploration of women and sports in the U.S. All this and too much to type here on this (bonus throwback) episode of 2Nerds and an Actor!00:00 — Quarterbacks, Receivers, and Linebackers00:23 — Meet the Nerds and Our Sports-History MVP03:27 — A Great Idea Tackled by Messy Execution08:14 — Black Gladiators, Body Horror & the Price of Greatness13:12 — Six Out of Ten: Rating the Hype15:24 — Marlon Wayans, A Cinematic Force & the Case for Support19:50 — Spoiler Alert: Cameron Cade and the Color Politics of Football24:45 — Fan Worship, Football Dreams & the Exploitation Machine28:18 — The GOAT, the Rookie & an Ending That Doesn’t Land31:27 — Masculinity Under Pressure and Bodies on Display34:14 — Cheerleaders, Race & the Gender Politics of the Game38:08 — Why HIM Needed a Black Swan-Level Transformation40:03 — Big Swings, Missed Targets & the Power of Subversion46:38 — The History Behind Black Athletes, College Football & Control53:02 — Marlon Wayans’ Dark Turn, Football as Religion & Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Avatar Studios dropping new heat after twelve years in the desert? You know we have to chat about Avatar: Seven Havens, it means too much to us not to! The look, the feel, the continuation of the lore - we touch on all of it. Watching the first two episodes left us with more questions than answers. Why is Korra a cautionary boogeyman tale? What was the cataclysm? Why are there only seven human cities left? How many more cute animals can the production team come up with?To help us answer these questions is the queen of any fandom she joins; writer, content creator, actor, fashionista, and all around Black nerd, Tiffie Starchild! We’re gonna get to the bottom of these mysterious plot points and more! Join us in the eighth haven of our studio set for another cool episode of 2Nerds and an Actor!00:00 — Unwashed Hands and Waterbender Problems01:00 — Meet Our Yoshi Warrior, Tiffy Star Child02:01 — Welcome Back to the World of Avatar04:27 — A New Avatar Era, Familiar Feelings07:30 — Justice for Korra!10:16 — Rating Seven Havens in Crystal Bugs13:11 — Animation Jank: Growing Pains or Style Choice?17:47 — Spoilae! Spoilers Ahead18:09 — Two Avatars, Double the Questions20:22 — Pavi Steals Your Heart23:14 — Red Diamonds, Vaatu Theories, and Sky-High Dread25:00 — Show, Don’t Tell: The Exposition Debate29:23 — Adult Aang and the Gang’s Grown Up34:02 — From Aang to Korra to Seven Havens: A World Out of Balance39:22 — Seven Havens, Singing Avatars, and Mysteries to Come Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s good y’all?! Since the DCU is on a generational run with its’ properties we had to run it back one time for the Lanterns finale! There were too many question shaped answers for us not to get into it. Who killed Hal? Who pretended to kill Hal? Why is Sinestro wearing clearance rack jeans? Just so many important questions!Who better to help us answer these questions than Milestone Initiative alum and Writer on DC Comics’ Green Lantern Corps, Morgan “Mogo” Hampton?! If you want to investigate one of the coolest ‘whodunit’ comic adaptations with insight from a bonafide comic book writer (and fan), then pull up and tune into this episode of 2Nerds and an Actor!00:00 — The Green Lantern Oath 02:08 — Is This Really the End of Lanterns?05:27 — What the Finale Gets Right About the Lore07:37 — Hal & John: From Rivals to Something More09:16 — The Hardest Thing to Do: Let It Go10:52 — Superheroes, But Make It Complicated12:09 — Season 2: More Space, More Lanterns15:38 — The Oath Rating: How Many Lanterns Does It Get?22:25 — SPOILERS: The Manhunter Was Among Us25:53 — The Murder Mystery Finally Cracks34:45 — Carrie, the Clues, and the Foreshadowing36:16 — John Stewart Writes His Own Rules43:12 — Sinestro Was Playing Chess the Whole Time52:54 — Hal Jordan: Dead, Gone… or Not Quite? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re back on the case trying to figure out Hal’s murder right along with the rest of y’all. This go-round we’re focusing on the 7th episode of Lanterns, “The Jordan Boys’ Legacy”. We felt like there was so much going on under the surface that it needed a deep dive. Mental health took the wheel and hella lore got casually dropped on this week’s Lanterns. It feels like the show took a tone shift and is a whole different beast. Do we like the shift? Will there be any answers to all the (many) questions? What’s good with this unalived planet? Why are the Manhunters using a fear toxin? Why didn’t John use the poncho? Frantz tries to give a spoiler-free recap, Mike debuts his own Pop!, and Aisha’s mind gets blown by several on-air revelations. All this and more, get into the convo on this episode of 2Nerds and an Actor!00:00 — Welcome Back to Lanterns03:36 — John Stewart’s Cosmic Errand Run05:25 — Is This Still Lanterns?07:01 — Welcome to the Lindelof Question Factory10:31 — John Stewart Black Affect12:03 — The Loneliness of Being Gifted16:03 — Yes, Green Lantern Has Always Been About Race20:00 — Hologram Hal Has Entered the Chat24:00 — Everybody’s a Suspect31:00 — Fear Toxin From Another Planet36:14 — Superheroes, Trauma & the Real World44:58 — Nerdspiracy: What Is Sinestro Really Doing? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s never too late to show love to brilliant cinema so we had to give it up to last year’s folk horror banger, Sinners! We sat down with actor, writer, and filmmaker Tarik Davis to chat about our love for this movie. We really tried to talk about everything under the sun (no pun intended). With two actors on set, Tarik and Aisha get real about the state of the film and TV industry. The gatekeeping, the nepotism, all the things that keep movies like Sinners from being made in the first place. On top of all that, we get into all the cultural nuance Ryan Coogler packed into this flick. There’s a lot, but we get to talk through the use of southern Black culture and why Sinners bridged it with the Irish and Chinese Delta experiences. How this movie moves cinema forward, and why Black horror is still an untouched gold mine. Tarik and Frantz sing a spiritual while giving props to Eddie Murphy for possibly making the MCU possible. Want to know how? Pull up and kick it with 2Nerds and an Actor while we reminisce on the brilliance of Sinners. 00:00 — Welcome & Meet Tarik Rashaan Davis05:34 — Becoming a Movie & Comic Book Nerd08:08 — Sinners Without the Spoilers12:40 — Seeing Home on the Big Screen15:07 — SPOILERS BEGIN15:56 — First Impressions of Sinners18:03 — Blacula, Blade & Black Vampires21:13 — What the Vampires Really Represent24:00 — Why This Story, Why Now?26:15 — Eddie Murphy & Black Genre Cinema28:42 — Black-Ass Moments36:44 — Sammy Takes the Stage40:00 — The Scene That Changes Everything45:00 — When Critics Miss the Point53:28 — The Lore Runs Deep55:42 — New Jack City… With Vampires57:00 — The Sinners Cinematic Universe57:57 — Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Summer has been wild for the nerd world. We’ve been eating pretty swell this far, and we’re about to get a whole lot more. In this episode we try to wrap our heads around the insane amount of casting news that’s come to light. From the Harry Potter series reboot, a shuffling of their Gilderoy Lockhart casting, although no one’s divination skills can figure out why that one happened. On the set of Amazon’s God of War adaptation, a major setback on the titular character puts the whole show’s future up in the air. We heard that the Alabasta arc of the live-action One Piece announced a boatload of their new cast members, but we can’t talk about it just yet.Meanwhile, Marvel Studios is just letting it rip. After San Diego Comic Con and D23, the floodgates are open, the announcements got folks hyped, and the speculations are speculating. Feige is giving us leeway to talk about the Ghost Rider, X-Men, Black Panther 3 casting alongside a trailer for Vision Quest! We got a lot to talk about and never enough time in a day. So lock in and kick it with 2Nerds and an Actor for our takes on all this new information.00:00 — Getting the Name Right00:30 — When Casting News Takes Over the Episode02:40 — Another Trip to Hogwarts05:25 — The Black Snape Debate08:50 — Kit Harington’s Lockhart Era11:30 — Aisha vs. One Piece15:40 — Kratos Takes a Hit19:20 — Dave Bautista Enters the Arena21:50 — The New X-Men Assemble25:10 — Storm Gets Her Moment28:50 — Marvel’s Rogue Problem31:15 — Rogue’s Villain Era33:40 — The Mystery of Beast35:40 — Rewriting Magneto38:40 — The Ryan Gosling Mystery39:15 — Black Panther’s Grown-Up Son42:30 — Ultron Makes His Return45:35 — Bring Back James Spader46:18 — Deleted Scene: The Great Collectible Unboxing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know what time it is! The podcast is coming at y’all live from OA with a convo about HBO’s Lanterns. We can’t talk about how cool we think the show is without talking about the Ryan Reynolds movie. Like, that one definitely crawled through CGI uniforms so this one could fly. We get to the bottom of where we think this show is taking Gunn’s DCU, since the tone is so different from Superman and Peacemaker. (No Spoilae, but we found a very interesting link between all three!) We try to answer what we think they got right in the adaptation from the Green Lantern comics to the show so far. Which then got us to dreaming about what we WANT them to put in the show! (We need Ch’p the squirrel lantern asap!) We drop some Nerdspiracy theories for y’all about some of the mystery plot points and give y’all our fearless banter along the way. Pull up and tap in as we get into one of the most talked about shows on TV right now on 2Nerds and an Actor! 00:00 — Welcome to the Lanterns Era02:32 — True Detective Meets DC03:46 — Can DC Finally Get Some Love?05:06 — Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern Legacy05:45 — What’s Powering This Show?08:01 — When Superheroes Look Actually Real10:08 — Hal Jordan: Messy, But Make It Work12:51 — The Things We Don’t Hate14:37 — Marvel vs. DC: Characters vs. Mythos17:28 — The Official Lanterns Rating18:34 — SPOILERS: The Rings Come Off20:08 — Jon Stewart, Daddy Issues & Buddy-Cop Energy23:38 — Could Lanterns Change the Superhero Game?31:30 — Jon Stewart’s Ring-Fu & the Big Theories36:54 — Red Lanterns, Atrocitus & Things Get Nerdy39:05 — Who’s Actually a Manhunter?41:52 — Is Hal Jordan Really Dead?43:00 — Parallax, Color Theory & the Final Clues44:31 — Legion of Doom at the VFW? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices