Long before today's CGI blockbusters, The Last Starfighter captured audiences' imaginations with its groundbreaking visual effects, heartfelt story, memorable characters, and one of the greatest "ordinary kid becomes a hero" adventures ever put on screen. But does it still hold up over 40 years later?

Avengers: Doomsday might be Marvel’s biggest crossover yet—but at this point, separating what’s REAL from what’s RUMORED is becoming a full-time job. In this Nerd Alert discussion, we dig into the latest Avengers: Doomsday rumors, leaks, reports, and confirmed information surrounding the massive MCU event. Who is actually fighting whom? We break down the supposedly “confirmed” battles making their way around the internet and ask the important question: How much of this can we

"To read David Foster Wallace was to feel your eyelids pulled open." – David Lipsky I first saw The End of the Tour in 2015 during its initial theatrical run. I’ve since seen it close to ten times now. Just this Sunday, August 16, 2026, I saw it once more at The Beverly Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was of course a reminder of how profound this film truly is. I think the true sign of a great biopic is one that makes you feel as if you actually know the characters who inha

The Broken Queue: Why the Movie Industry Refuses to Fix Its Ticketing Crisis "For some reason, it has become acceptable to say to audiences, we are providing this empty room with a TV in it and just watch a film... If that experience for the audience is not valued... people stop going." — Christopher Nolan It is a scene that has become entirely too familiar for the modern film enthusiast. You clear your schedule, log into an app the exact second pre-orders open, select your s

Long before today's CGI blockbusters, The Last Starfighter captured audiences' imaginations with its groundbreaking visual effects, heartfelt story, memorable characters, and one of the greatest "ordinary kid becomes a hero" adventures ever put on screen. But does it still hold up over 40 years later?

“With great power comes great responsibility. This is my gift. This is my curse. Who am I? I am Spider-Man.” – Peter Parker The age of the cinematic superhero truly took off in 2008 with Iron Man. Granted, there were many that came before it—Blade in 1998, X-Men in 2000. But it was Iron Man that signaled to the world that this was the beginning of a new age. The comic book hero was here to stay. And now here we are in 2026, over eighty superhero movies later. At times we hit

Well...Marvel finally did it. After years of trying to convince us that the Multiverse Saga had a plan all along, this trailer actually made me believe it. The first full trailer for Avengers: Doomsday isn't just a collection of money shots. It feels like the first MCU trailer since Endgame that has genuine weight behind it. Instead of trying to sell jokes every 20 seconds, it leans into dread, impossible choices, and the feeling that every corner of Marvel history is a

This month, the Nerd Alert crew dives into one of the strangest, boldest, and most misunderstood cult musicals ever made, Shock Treatment (1981), the spiritual successor to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

“Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.” – Homer I’ve written about this before, but anticipation and reality rarely ever live up to our expectations. 2024’s Joker: Folie à Deux was highly anticipated and wound up a meandering mess of a musical whose predecessor somehow produced an Oscar-winning performance by its lead. The Mandalorian and Grogu felt like an overlong episode of the series, doing little to differentiate

The Losers hit theaters in 2010, directed by Sylvain White from a screenplay by Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt, adapting the fantastic Vertigo comic created by Andy Diggle and Jock. While Vertigo falls under the DC umbrella, it never had the mainstream recognition of Batman or Superman, and I honestly think that worked against this movie. Audiences just weren't quite ready for comic book adaptations that weren't about superheroes, mutants, or billionaires in capes.

From Airplane! to The Naked Gun, Top Secret!, The Kentucky Fried Movie, BASEketball, and Scary Movie 3, David Zucker has helped define the modern spoof comedy and influenced generations of filmmakers and comedy fans.

If this trailer is any indication, Crystal Lake understands one very important thing: Friday the 13th was never just about Jason. It was always about the atmosphere. From the very first shot, this teaser absolutely nails that eerie summer camp vibe. The peaceful lake, the campfire stories, the fog rolling through the trees... it's the kind of setting that makes you want to grab a flashlight and immediately regret it. Instead of trying to reinvent the franchise, the trailer

Sometimes the best movie experiences happen when you know absolutely nothing. No trailer breakdowns. No spoiler-filled social media posts. No YouTube theories. Just sitting down, pressing play, and hoping for the best. That was my experience with They Will Kill You. The only thing I knew going in was that it starred Zazie Beetz, and honestly, that's all I needed. I've been a fan of hers ever since Deadpool 2, so I figured she'd make whatever this movie was at least worth watc

“If you’re gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.” – Roger Alan Wade Fun Fact: A comprehensive study conducted by Nova Legal Funding tracked the documented, major medical trauma suffered by the core cast. The crew has racked up over $24 million in lifetime medical bills as a result of their many stunts and antics. The Lifetime Injury Breakdown of the core cast: Most severe trauma Johnny Knoxville 16 Verified Concussions: Culminating in a severe brain hemorrhage and cognitive dam

“I look at you and I see the final triumph of stupidity in the world!” – Lorraine Hansberry You ever see something and wonder, “How? How did this get made? Why did it get made?” I give you Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. What’s even weirder is that it isn't necessarily a bad thing. It’s a fair series of questions but to deny its effectiveness is being willfully obstinate. Make no mistake, this movie is DUUUUUUUUUUMB, with a capital sTUPID. But god dammit if it isn’

“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” – Herman Melville In a period of ten years we have the animated feature Moana, its sequel, and now the live-action rehash that no one asked for. The animated original is a seminal piece of Disney animation that not only provides entertainment but cultural introduction and understanding. It is gorgeously animated with unbelievable vibrancy and perhaps most importantly, a sense of originality and uncharted cult

“Bello!Tulaliloo ti am. Me want banana. Poopaye!” - a minion In 2010, for better or worse, the little yellow bastards known as minions made their debut in Despicable Me. Much like Mater was a secondary character in Cars, the minions were rightfully not the center of attention. Then Cars 2 happened and everyone realized Mater was best in small doses. The same can be said for these little yellow creatures that speak gibberish and operate with the mentality of the Three Stooges.

The Nerd Alert Movie Club returns with another cult favorite as Brandon, Jimmy, James, and Chase dive into the 1996 pulp adventure classic, The Phantom! Long before comic book movies dominated Hollywood, Billy Zane donned the purple suit and brought Lee Falk's legendary comic strip hero to the big screen. But nearly 30 years later, does The Phantom still hold up?

There was a magical period of time in the 1980s when nobody quite knew what to do with all the television channels. Cable television was still relatively new, desperately trying to justify its existence by filling twenty-four hours a day with...well...whatever they could get their hands on. HBO wasn't yet the prestige powerhouse it would become. MTV actually played music videos. The Disney Channel felt like a secret club. This week on dumb movies, Superman III.

“If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans.” – Stephen Hawking Steven Spielberg will be eighty years old in December. It leaves a lump in the throat to think of what little time we have left to experience new Spielberg. He is as synonymous with cinema as the very cameras capturing the imagery he has ingrained in our collective memory. He is basically his very own genre. There’s somethi