thenerddimension

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The Podcast: Dimension 13 - The Upsider Down

It's been a few weeks, but the Nerds don't miss a beat catching up, discussing headlines, and bringing you some of their takes on pop culture.

We talked about Stranger Things 4 Part 1 and the first impressions from Disney+'s Obi Wan Kenobi.

Listen and let us know whether you agree!

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Starfield Gameplay Trailer

Microsoft and Bethesda showed off official gameplay footage for the anticipated, and still delayed, Starfield. The 15-minute video starts off with an introduction before footage shows the player landing on one of the various planets, Kreet, in the game. A robot leads you out of the ship, and the player roams off into the wilderness with a set of weapons.

The gameplay video shows both first and third-person views, and like Skyrim, you get XP for discovering locations in the game. The action begins when the player heads into a building to fight off pirates.  The overall look of the game is beautiful, and the futuristic take lends itself to some interesting gameplay as the player uses a jetpack to fly to enemies. There’s loot locked behind digital locks, and developers have boasted there are a hundred planets open for exploration. 

The dialogue scenes remind me of Fallout with the talking-heads camera shots, and the overall tone is reminiscent of Christopher Nolan’s directorial style -- crisp and clean cinematography paired with as-serious-as-you-can-be storytelling. 

The customization system on characters looks expansive, and you can even build your own ships. It makes sense why the game has been delayed, and my hope is that Bethesda is aiming to release a feature-heavy and fully-realized game that works out of the box when it releases sometime in the first half of 2023.

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Willow Teaser Trailer

Star Wars Celebration is in full-swing, and Disney not only talked a little bit about the next Indiana Jones film -- they also showed off a good amount of their new Willow series. 

Warwick Davis returns many, many years after the 1988 movie that captured the imaginations of a whole generation. 

Okay, maybe it wasn’t the biggest thing ever, but for those of us who loved it, it was rather a big deal. Val Kilmer played the lovable goofball Madmartigan, but it was Pat Roach as General Kael who was so iconic to me -- perhaps even more so than Darth Vader at the time.

The new series looks like it’s going the distance with a lot of fantasy and fun. I’m looking forward to it.

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Ray Liotta Passes at 67

Ray Liotta who made his mark on pop culture with his role as Henry Hill in Goodfellas passed away in his sleep while overseas in the Dominican Republic, working on a new film.

Liotta had multiple career-defining roles. He played Shoeless Joe Jackson in the classic Field of Dreams, Frank Sinatra in The Rat Pack, and Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. 

His presence will be missed.

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Blackpink Featured on Rolling Stone Cover

Blackpink, the world’s biggest girl group, will be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone’s June issue with an in-depth interview inside.

The cover was released along with plans for a collector’s edition that will be released sometime in August that will contain five issues of Rolling Stone with four variant covers featuring each member individually, a 44-page ‘zine, photos from the cover shoot, and a sheet of stickers. Blackpink is only the third all-female group to land a cover with the publication. Destiny’s Child was featured in 2001, and The Spice Girls, the first all-female group to get a cover, was on the cover of a 1997 issue. 

It’s only the second time an all-Asian group has appeared, with BTS being the first just a year ago for the June 2021 issue.

While the online article is behind a subscription wall, fans can pick up the hard copy soon enough to discover an intimate look at the girl group with bits of information regarding their upcoming album.

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Thor: Love and Thunder Trailer

That teaser trailer was actually teasing an official full-length trailer showing off a lot more of Thor: Love and Thunder. 

We get more plot details this time with more information about Jane Foster becoming worthy of the power of Thor. It’s been about eight years, seven months, and six days since Thor and Jane have been together (who’s really counting?), and it will take them both, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Zeus to defeat Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher. 

Bale’s version of the character looks very human, except with the pale palor of a vampire, but given that Bale slays in every role he’s ever played, I’m hoping he does some real damage in Thor. 

I’ve got some predictions, but you’ll have to tune in to our next podcast to hear the deets. 

‘Til then, we’d love to hear what you think about Thor: Love and Thunder and what theories you may have.

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Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning: Part One Trailer

Can this mission get anymore impossibler?!

Looks like Tom Cruise’s last Mission Impossible movie is getting a two-part finale, and it looks like this trailer’s got more action in it than most action movies. There’s almost nothing about the plot -- just two minutes of death-defying stunts, bridge battles, and explosions. 

The movie releases July 14, 2023 -- more than a year from now. I’m not sure how they’re going to follow up with a second trailer. 

Just give us the movie!

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Soundtrack Legend Vangelis Passes

It was Vangelis’ Blade Runner soundtrack that taught me to appreciate soundscapes in movies. After hearing about how his music was so instrumental (natch) in creating the environment, tone, and mood of the film, I paid extra attention to it as I watched Ridley Scott’s dystopian future-epic for the first time. 

I wasn’t impressed. 

Now, I was pretty dense when I watched Blade Runner all those years ago, and I was learning more and more about film appreciation with each viewing of the classics, modern and old. And over the years, I can’t get that soundtrack out of my head -- the synthesized notes vibrating so dreamlike and ephemerally, to me they sounded like the inner yearnings of the unheard or the repressed screams of the forsaken echoing into the industrial-fog blanket of the night sky over new Los Angeles. 

Pitchfork, in 2019, named Blade Runner’s soundtrack as its #1 movie score of all time. 

I would venture to say that Vangelis is most known for his soundtrack for Chariots of Fire, which won him an Oscar for score. The theme song has been a sound meme for 40+ years, and it’s basically synonymous with anything involving a race. 

His influence on movies, music, and art is apparent and still alive today. If you manage to hit up a happy hour today or have a glass of wine ready, raise a glass to a legend. 

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Stranger Things 4 Spoiled By Monopoly

This is a warning to anyone who’s waiting in anticipation for Stranger Things 4. 

Apparently, the Monopoly game by Parker Bros. somehow spoils the new season, and the Duffer Bros. are a little upset by it. 

I’m not sure how the game spoils the season as I read the headline only, and I’m not about to read the actual article and ruin what fun I should be having by watching the newest season as the series comes to its final conclusion. 

So, unless you’re one of those viewers who doesn’t mind spoilers, stay away from Monopoly, board game shops, and this news article until you’ve seen the season. 

[thenerddimension]

The Podcast: Dimension 12 -- Too Much War, Not Enough Star

The Nerds are at it again, this time with an episode FILLED with pop-culture headlines to talk about.

There's movie news, video game news, and our special K-Pop Korner with Alexis.

Daniel, our AI starts to get really glitchy, and G goes off on a Star Wars rant that he'll probably have to apologize for when people get enough wind about it.

Head on over and listen to the podcast, subscribe, and then follow this website for more news and links to the multiverse of The Nerd Dimension!

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She-Hulk Trailer Drops

Disney dropped its She-Hulk trailer, and it looks... interesting. 

It looks like the show will follow the premise of the comics when Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) serves as a lawyer. In the show, Walters will serve as a superhero lawyer, and it looks like she will spend a lot of time in her hulked out form. 

The CG is the only thing I’m really worried about. One of my students mentioned She-Hulk looks a little bit too much like Fiona, and I’m inclined to agree that the trailer looks too much like it’s mixing various mediums and not presenting one cohesive look.  It’s just a trailer, so we’ll see what happens when the series finally drops. Unlike the other Disney+ series, She-Hulk looks much less serious and, for the lack of a better word, fun. 

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law releases August 17, 2022. Stay tuned for our reviews!

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Christopher Walken Joins Dune: Part 2

Though director Denis Villeneuve put Warner Bros. on blast for planning to stream Dune -- putting its chances of getting a sequel in jeopardy -- the movie was delivered with an exclusive theatrical release before it finally hit HBO Max. 

Thankfully, the movie did well at the box office and awards shows, so we’re getting the second half of the movie with Dune: Part 2. Casting rumors for the remaining characters set to appear have included some notable actors, including Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan Corrino. 

Today, it was confirmed that the legendary Christopher Walken will play Emperor Shaddam IV, ruler of the entire universe and the shadowy figure that orchestrated the attack on the Atreides complex that led to the family’s downfall -- and its heir’s ultimate ascension. 

Austin Butler, who will be playing Elvis Presley in the Elvis biopic, is reportedly playing Feyd-Rautha, the Harkonnen counterpart to Paul Atreides. 

The script is presumed complete with filming to begin this summer. Josh Brolin, who bristled with his character Gurney Halleck’s unresolved plot in the first film, said he’s read the script and understands why his character suddenly disappeared from the film. 

Dune: Part 2 is scheduled to release October 20, 2023. 

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Bethesda Delays Starfield and Redfall

https://twitter.com/bethesda/status/1524721132720566272?s=20&t=9A85mG-7uSTfUK0XHqrjPw

Big announcement from Bethesda today as it announced the delay of both Redfall and Starfield to the first half of 2023.

That leaves Microsoft’s slate for the Xbox Series X without a high-profile exclusive for the year.

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The Podcast: Dimension 11 - The Multiverse Is Wimey-Timey

Dimension 10 is lost, but we found ourselves in Dimension 11 where the multiverse is running rampant.

We celebrate Neal Adams and George Perez, talk about Avatar getting a full slate of sequels, and the state of the Marvel franchise as we delve deep into the conclusion of Moon Knight and the ramifications of the many deaths in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Let us know what you think!

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House of the Dragon Teaser

HBO released a full teaser (trailer) for its upcoming Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. 

We finally get an idea of what the story’s plotline will be as the teaser begins with the various houses of Westeros swearing their allegiance to Visarys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) and his heir Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy).

Matt Smith plays Prince Daemon Targaryen who decides to make a claim for the throne. 

There be dragons and a focus on building legacies. 

With Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik running the show, I’m excited to see what George R.R. Martin and company have in store for fans, especially after that underwhelming final season of Game of Thrones. 

The show will debut August 21, 2022. The Nerds will likely be talking about it on the podcast, so subscribe and get the latest episodes as they come on Anchor.

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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2022 Inductees Announced

After a fan vote and deliberations, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2022 class. Duran Duran topped the fan vote, beating the second-highest vote garner Eminem by 250,000 votes. Pat Benatar, The Eurythmics, and Dolly Parton rounded out the top five. During the nomination phase, Parton released a statement saying she did not feel she should have been nominated and asked to be removed from the ballot. until she made an actual rock and roll album. The Hall respectfully declined, and it looks like Parton will have to ready up a speech for the November 5 induction date. R&B star Lionel Richie also made the cut along with Carly Simon. Harry Belafonte, the first single artist to ever go platinum with an LP, got the nod as an Early Influencer, and so did legendary guitarist and folk musician Elizabeth Cotten. After years of not getting in, Judas Priest was finally elected into the Hall with the Musical Excellence Award given to acts that have had a profound effect on the genre. Super producer and songwriting team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, responsible for 16 Billboard Hot 100 #1 hits and 26 #1 hits on the Billboard R&B chart, were also awarded the Musical Excellence Award. Rounding out the list of inductees, Entertainment lawyer Allen Grubman, executive Jimmy Iovine, and producer Sylvia Robinson were awarded the Ahmet Ertegun Award which is “given to non-performing industry professionals who, through their dedicated belief and support of artists and their music, have had a major influence on” rock and roll’s “development and growth.”

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May the 4th Begins with Obi-Wan Kenobi Trailer

The new trailer for the limited Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi shows off more villains, a “chilling” interaction with Uncle Owen, and a glimpse of the big bad whose shadow will cast a deathly pall over the universe until A New Hope.   Ewan McGregor looks primed and ready to go as an undercover Kenobi using his physical abilities rather than tapping into the Force. It’s imperative that Luke Skywalker be kept safe and hidden, but Uncle Owen (Joel Edgerton) respondes to Kenobi’s plan to train the future Jedi by jabbing him with, “Like you trained his father?” Ouch.

We get to see more of the Inquisitors, Darth Vader’s task force made up of former Jedi, hunting down the remaining members of the disbanded order. Moses Ingram’s character Reva’s line, “You can’t escape him!” hits the climax as shots of Vader, literally coming together as his arm and chest box are attached, end with the character’s trademark breathing. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi releases May 27th, which will be here faster than you can say, scruffy nerfherder.