The Middle Geeks

Hard NOC Media
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The Middle Geeks

Mae and Swara are two writers and geeks of West Asian (IE Middle Eastern) descent who discuss and review all things Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA, ie "MENA") representation each month, along with other entertainment topics. Come join us as we highlight positive depictions of SWANA people in popular media, review the latest popular releases, and just have a fun time nerding out. Follow us @TheMiddleGeeks, @MaeAbdu, @spiderswarz

  1. 3 DE OUT.

    Episode 68: 'The Rings of Power' Season 2 SPOILER Review

    The Rings of Power Season 2 has concluded, and we have back on our friend Arezou to go through all the details of the riveting sophomore outing of this take on J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium. But on that note, just how canonically faithful is the series, or does it take too many deviations from the source material? Either way, we discuss and praise the performances, particularly Black Iranian icon Sophia Nomvete as Princess Disa, and analyze how the overall storytelling still stays true to its literary sources. We also discuss the terrible news coming out of Lebanon, highlight where you can help, give our recommendations, and much more.   FULL SPOILERS for The Rings of Power Season 2 throughout   Follow Arezou on social media @ArezouAmin Tariq's piece for The New Arab: How Bisan Owda's Emmy win triumphs over Hollywood’s attempts to dehumanise Palestinians   Donate to Anera to help Lebanon Donate to Oxfam's Lebanon Appeal Donate to Baitulmaal's Lebanon aid Decolonize Palestine Donate to help Sudanese people feeling geopolitical violence Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine   Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family. Follow us on Social Media: @TheMiddleGeeks, @spiderswarz Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    1h38min

  2. 23 DE JUL.

    Episode 67: Star Wars: The Acolyte Season 1 Review

    Leslye Headland's The Acolyte, streaming on Disney+, is unique in more ways than one. As one of the most diverse Star Wars series, in front of and behind the scenes, with writers like the SWANA and Turkish Kor Adana, it presents a bold story in the era of The High Republic, showcasing the mistakes made by those in power and the reverberations for our main characters. Namely, twins Osha and Mae (Amandla Stenberg), Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae), Qimir (Manny Jacinto), as well as many others. To dive into this series and what it's trying to say, we have back on Arezou and welcome Noor. As both are High Republic fans, they bring invaluable insight into the discussion, as the series sets the backdrop for The Acolyte. What stood out to us? Does the series do a good job of portraying the Jedi Order? What does it have to say about how we view this universe and good and evil? We dive into all of that, give our recommendations, and much more.   SPOILERS for The Acolyte throughout Follow Arezou on social media @ArezouAmin and follow Noor @nimblenoor Donate to help Sudanese people feeling geopolitical violence Decolonize Palestine Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Six ways you can support Palestinians in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine   Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family. Follow us on Social Media: @TheMiddleGeeks, @spiderswarz Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    1h14min

  3. 3 DE JUN.

    Episode 66: 'We Are Lady Parts' Season 2 Review

    Our favorite costume designer Isa joins us once again to review one of our all-time favorite series, Nida Manzoor's We Are Lady Parts, starring a British Muslim women punk band comprising of frontwoman Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey), lead guitarist Amina (Anjana Vasan), bassist Bisma (Faith Omole), drummer Ayesha (Juliette Motamed), and band manager Momtaz (Lucie Shorthouse). After finding mainstream success in Season 1, how does the band move up in Season 2? How will they remain true to themselves in the music industry that wants to control them? How will they contend with new Muslim bands on the scene like "Second Wife"? What were some of our favorite songs from this season? Why is Malala Yousafzai here? How was Nida Manzoor and her team able to masterfully incorporate so many rich stories in just six half-hour episodes? We need more of this amazing series and more like it! We also discuss the latest news about the genocide in Gaza. Namely, we discuss the potential for a ceasefire and how the political dynamics have changed positively for Palestine in the midst of the relentless murders of its citizens. Free Palestine.   SPOILERS for We Are Lady Parts Season 2 from 14:34-1:05:50 Follow Isa on social media @evilcleverdog. Read Swara's review of We Are Lady Parts Season 2 for The Nerds of Color, and check out his interview with Anjana Vasan and Sarah Kameela Impey. Read Mae's review of We Are Lady Parts Season 2 for ScreenRant.   Donate to help Sudanese people feeling geopolitical violence Decolonize Palestine Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Six ways you can support Palestinians in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine   Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family. Follow us on Social Media: @TheMiddleGeeks, @spiderswarz Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    1h17min

  4. 22 DE MAI.

    Episode 65: Author Rania Hanna on 'The Jinn Daughter'

    In her debut novel, The Jinn Daughter, Syrian-American author Rania Hanna weaves together a family tale based in stories of oral tradition across the Arab world. In telling stories with the Jinn, she seeks to tell a fundamentally human story. We discuss Rania's foray into the book world, how she aimed to tell stories on her own terms, and what she hopes to achieve with her novels. We also discuss the continuing tragic events in Palestine, and pinpoint where we can find hope.   Buy The Jinn Daughter from your local bookstore! Decolonize Palestine Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Six ways you can support Palestinians in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family. Follow us on Twitter: @TheMiddleGeeks, @MaeAbdu, @spiderswarz Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    50min

  5. 11 DE MAR.

    Episode 64: LIVE at Awesome Con (Washington D.C.)!

    Joined by our friends Darya Bajestani, Roxana Hadadi, Ali Nasser, and Zaina Ujayli (while sadly missing Mae!), we're live at D.C.'s premier comic-con, Awesome Con! In this panel of SWANA writers, scholars, artists, and actors, we will discuss how we grew up feeling or not feeling represented, how Hollywood has constantly Orientalized our peoples, excluded us, and appropriated our cultures, where we see signs of improvement, our favorite examples of SWANA representation and SWANA creators in pop culture today, and what Hollywood needs to do to have our peoples represented more broadly and positively across pop culture.    Check out the panel on The Nerds of Color YouTube channel   Rocky's analysis of Dune 2 for Vulture   Decolonize Palestine Support UNRWA Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Six ways you can support Palestinians in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine   Follow Rocky on Twitter @roxana_hadadi Follow Ali on social media @TheAliNasser Follow Darya on social media @rorvkk Follow Zaina on social media @zainaujayli Follow us on social media: @TheMiddleGeeks Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media   Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family. Please support us on Patreon!

    48min

  6. 7 DE MAR.

    Episode 63: 'Dune: Part Two' Review

    Roxana Hadadi joins us once again to review the Dune franchise, now with Dune: Part Two in theaters. In a franchise that appropriates so much from SWANA and Muslim cultures, does the second installment improve on that regard, or does it continue to appropriate and Orientalize? But even beyond that, does Denis Villeneuve effectively convey the meaning of Frank Herbert's original text, and its warning against hero worship? Or have audiences taken the wrong message with this latest installment? We discuss all of those aspects, talk about what you can do to help Palestine, give our recommendations, and much more.   Rocky's analysis of Dune 2 for Vulture. Come join us at our panel at Awesome Con in Washington, DC, 'The State of SWANA Representation in Pop Culture,' March 9, 2:30-3:15 at the Walter E. Convention Center!   Decolonize Palestine Support UNRWA Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Six ways you can support Palestinians in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine Follow Rocky on Twitter @roxana_hadadi Follow us on social media: @TheMiddleGeeks   Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family.

    1h21min

  7. 12 DE FEV.

    Episode 62: 'Assassin's Creed Mirage' Review and Updates on Gaza

    We welcome back our friends Jasmin and Isa to discuss Assassin's Creed Mirage, a sprawling action-adventure game from Ubisoft set in 9th Century Abbasid Baghdad, that tells the story of Basim Ibn Ishaq (Lee Majdoub) and his mentor Roshan (Shohreh Aghdashloo). We go into detail on why this game is the the best Iraqi, Arab, Persian, Muslim, and SWANA representation we've ever seen in gaming, and why the story and setting resonated with us so much. Beware of spoilers later the conversation. We also discuss the tragic news of the unfolding Israeli genocide in Gaza, and what we can keep doing to support Palestinians and work towards a Free Palestine.   Full Spoilers for the ending of Assassin's Creed Mirage from 1:01:00-1:17:31 Come join us at our panel at Awesome Con in Washington, DC, 'The State of SWANA Representation in Pop Culture,' March 9th, 2:30-3:15 at the Walter E. Convention Center!   Decolonize Palestine Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza Six ways you can support Palestinians in Gaza Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine Masha Gessen's piece in The New Yorker: 'In the Shadow of the Holocaust'   Swara's piece on Assassin's Creed Mirage for But Why Tho? Swara's interview with Shohreh Aghdashloo for But Why Tho? Swara's interview with Lee Majdoub and Narrative Director Sarah Beaulieu for But Why Tho?   Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here. We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family. Follow us on online @TheMiddleGeeks Follow Jasmin online @jasminjoestar Follow Isa online @evilcleverdog Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media Please support us on Patreon!

    1h37min

  8. 21/12/2023

    Episode 61: ‘The Persian Version’ Review on the Eve of Yalda

    On the eve of Yalda, the Iranian Winter-Solstice, we review writer-director Maryam Keshavarz's The Persian Version with our friends Arezou and Samira. How well does Keshavarz do at portraying a unique yet universal experience through Leila (Layla Mohammadi) and her mother Shireen (Niousha Noor)? How does intergenerational trauma shape our familial relationships, and what can we do for healing? We also discuss Yalda as a holiday and why we celebrate it, discuss the ongoing genocide in Gaza, give our recommendations, and much more.   Decolonize Palestine   Support the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and families in Gaza   Six ways you can support Palestinians in Gaza   Islamic Relief USA: Support Families in Palestine   Our music is composed by Ashley Hefnawy. You can find more of her music here.   We are a proud member of the Hard NOC podcast family.   Follow Arezou on Twitter @ArezouAmin   Follow Samira on Twitter @samira_says   Follow Swara on Twitter @spiderswarz   Follow us on Twitter: @TheMiddleGeeks   Follow us on Instagram @TheMiddleGeeks   Subscribe to The Middle Geeks on Hard NOC Media   Please support us on Patreon!

    1h7min
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Sobre

Mae and Swara are two writers and geeks of West Asian (IE Middle Eastern) descent who discuss and review all things Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA, ie "MENA") representation each month, along with other entertainment topics. Come join us as we highlight positive depictions of SWANA people in popular media, review the latest popular releases, and just have a fun time nerding out. Follow us @TheMiddleGeeks, @MaeAbdu, @spiderswarz

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