Geek Out

Geekly Tunes (Whatcha Listening To): June 2025

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with another Geekly Tunes post for June 2025. This post is where our writers share the music they’ve listened to over the past month. You’re part of the Geekly Gang, too, so feel free to share what music you’ve been listening to over the last month. I’ll kick off the tunes for this month.

Kyra’s Tunes

My tunes for this month are less focused than the previous month. Let’s begin with The B-52’s. Their early work is stellar. Of course, you have the track that put them on the map, “Rock Lobster.” This song defied categorization. Is it art pop? New Wave? Regardless, “Rock Lobster” (and a lot of the tracks from The B-52’s eponymous first album) took inspiration from 1950s and 1960s pop music, but The B-52’s took it even deeper. They added an element of kitsch and camp. “Rock Lobster’s” conceit is a Beach Movie with Schneider switching up gender roles and adding a flourish of comedy. Obviously, The B-52’s didn’t take themselves seriously.

The B-52’s had a run of great songs from their first three albums like “Planet Claire,” “Private Idaho,” and “Whammy Kiss.” The band took a lengthy hiatus after their lead guitarist, Ricky Wilson, passed away from complications of AIDS. But the band persevered and released Cosmic Thing in the late Eighties, and this album features The B-52’s second breakthrough hit, “Love Shack.” While “Love Shack” served as a massive exhale for the band, I also adore many of Cosmic Thing’s other tracks, where they openly mourn the loss of their bandmate. And “Roam” is another huge hit. You’ve gotta love “Roam.”

What better way to celebrate Pride Month than with a queer band like The B-52’s? Happy Pride!

I’m staying in Athens, Georgia, with this one. I grew up with R.E.M.. From “Radio Free Europe” to “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” to even their Nineties albums like Automatic for the People and Monster, I’ve listened to most of their catalogue. I don’t know which era of R.E.M. I like best. R.E.M. is one of those bands I can turn to during various musical itches.

Ironically, Kate Pierson (of the B-52’s) provided backing vocals for R.E.M.’s “Shiny Happy People.” Michael Stipe insisted that “Shiny Happy People” was about Chinese propaganda posters, to which Pierson replied, Okay then, “Love Shack” is really about the plight of tenant farmers in Georgia. Don’t get it twisted. The two bands loved each other. R.E.M. frequently thanked The B-52’s for paving the way for them. In fact, one of the songs I mentioned about The B-52’s and their fallen bandmate featured night swimming (or skinny dipping). R.E.M. has a fantastic track called “Nightswimming.” I’ve always wondered if the two bands sang about the same moment. Both bands are close. It’s possible.

Despite liking most of R.E.M.’s catalogue, Automatic for the People is the perfect moment. Stipe shows maturity in his lyrics, and the band is at the height of their power. Whenever I get on an R.E.M. kick, I’ll usually throw in Automatic for the People for good measure.

The Replacements were a band that could never get out of their own way. I love the music we got from this band, but they should’ve been bigger. They should’ve been huge. The Replacements have a sordid history with drugs and alcohol. The band’s name is a testament to their past. They could no longer get gigs with their original band name and couldn’t think of a good replacement name, so they called themselves The Replacements.

Sonically, The Replacements bridged the gap between punk and alternative rock. Many cite The Replacements as the first alternative rock band. “Can’t Hardly Wait” often gets stuck in my head. I love both versions, the electric guitar one from Tim and the second version from Pleased to Meet Me. Tim’s version of “Can’t Hardly Wait” follows someone bored in heaven, while Pleased to Meet Me’s version sounds more like someone trying to get sober. Except for one or two lines, the lyrics couldn’t be any more different.

When they weren’t embarrassing themselves on Saturday Night Live, The Replacements were dropping gems like Let It Be (which The Replacements deliberately named after The Beatles album to piss off their label) that included the hit “I Will Dare,” which also happens to feature a Peter Buck (R.E.M.) guitar solo. I didn’t plan that. I swear. Let It Be and the subsequent Tim are two albums that have gotten near-perfect scores on music review sites, and for good reason. They’re incredible. Pleased to Meet Me is a huge departure, but still great. With Pleased to Meet Me, The Replacements explored various music genres (some of which would influence future bands like Nirvana) right before the band dissolved.

Ah! The Replacements are at (or near) the top of those bands where you wonder what could’ve been. That’s all I have for music this month. Let’s see what Season and Skye have been listening to.

Season’s Tunes

I also went back in time this past month. I know Queen is a well-known band, but I’ve been on a kick of listening to some of my favorite tracks. Specifically, “Hammer to Fall,” “The Invisible Man,” and “Radio Ga Ga.” These tracks strike more of a chord with me than many of their other songs. I can listen to those songs on repeat for hours. Okay. I can listen to various songs on repeat for hours, which is normal for me. I’m trusting all of you with this secret, Geekly Gang. Eh-heh.

I had a friend in high school who had no idea who Queen is. I took it upon myself to rectify that. Don’t worry. She’s been saved. >:)

Okay. This is technically a movie, but I love the soundtrack. K-Pop Demon Hunters dropped on Netflix less than a week ago, and I’ve been listening to the soundtrack constantly. I don’t listen to a lot of K-pop, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the earworms and choreography in the music videos. I did the same thing when the soundtrack for Barbie (2023) dropped. The soundtrack for K-Pop Demon Hunters is available on Spotify. What have you been listening to, Skye?

Skye’s Tunes

I’ve been trying to expand my musical tastes lately. I’m not familiar with Rage Against the Machine from my youth (on account of it being my youth), but I recall hearing several good things about their music. Also, having caught a couple of their songs off and on in my adulthood convinced me to dive in. Now I see what I’ve been missing. Over time, I’ve learned the different ways music genres can express specific ideas. Rage Against the Machine’s debut album reflects my feelings toward global news at the moment. Maybe it won’t someday, but Rage Against the Machine remains relevant.

Y’all know I love the classics. I’ve collected a few rap albums over the years, but 2Pac: Greatest Hits was inevitable. My favorite thing about 2Pac: Greatest Hits is how comprehensive it is. When I first bought it, I thought it was a double LP (like most large albums). However, I was surprised to learn it was a quadruple LP. Not 2 records, but 4?! Now you’re speakin’ my language. Naturally, if you’re a fan of OG 90’s rap, this album should speak for itself. I imagine I’ll probably be collecting more Tupac records over time, but I’m happy with this start.

The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds has been comforting and depressing for me this past month. I’ve loved Pet Sounds since I received it as a Christmas gift. Being another album with zero tracks I dislike, my love has remained strong across several listens. I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling saddened by Brian Wilson’s passing. So, as a faithful tribute to him, I should only appreciate the art he gifted us with, arguably his best album. Rest in peace, Brian. We truly lost a legend.

Kyra Kyle here again. Agreed. Rest in peace, Brian Wilson. Let us know your favorite Brian Wilson song in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Skye’s 5 Pride Month Movies

Published on by SkyeLeave a comment

Happy Pride, Geekly Gang! What better way to celebrate Pride Month than with movies? Being a member of the LGBTQ+ Community myself, it was fun to curate this list for y’all. My favorite part was seeing how film evolved in its coverage of LGBTQ+ themes. Sometimes heartwarming. Sometimes depressing. Sometimes downright cringeworthy. But what’re you gonna do? Regardless of content, these movies serve as great time capsules for how far we’ve come with discussing LGBTQ+ concepts. We still have a long way to go, but these movies are still cool.

I’d like to clear one thing up real quick. I don’t mean to imply that, as a member of the LGBTQ+ Community, only I can determine the best LGBTQ+ movies. Not at all. I’m one person, and these are some of my favorites I watched this month. There are also several other movies I saw and didn’t mention. Feel free to mention them in the comments. As always, thanks for your understanding. With that said, these are my picks for 5 LGBTQ+ movies for Pride Month.

The Birdcage

I’ll start with a goofy one. That’s mostly what The Birdcage is: goofy. Even with The Birdcage‘s simple premise, it managed to get some good laughs out of me. If you haven’t seen The Birdcage, here’s the run-down. A young man with gay fathers is getting married to a woman whose parents are deeply conservative. So, the whole movie is trying to convince the girl’s parents that the boy has straight parents. With a star-studded cast including Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, and Christine Baranski, how could I not recommend The Birdcage?

Also, I truly underestimated the comedic potential with Hank Azaria in The Birdcage. His role as Agador Spartacus had me rolling on multiple occasions.

The Kids Are All Right

Let’s take it down a bit. We go from off-the-wall humor to a more heartfelt premise in The Kids Are All Right. Two children with lesbian parents discover their sperm-donor father and try to connect with him. Another simple yet effective premise. The Kids Are All Right results in some complicated emotions and difficult relationship questions being raised. The mothers are worried about the sperm donor, Paul, taking their children away from them. Meanwhile, with the kids getting older, they’re already having conflicting feelings about their parents. It’s a cute coming-of-age film wrapped in an LGBT blanket.

If you’re in the mood for something more realistic and personal, I recommend The Kids Are All Right, if for no other reason than to remind yourself that Mia Wasikowska has emotions. I was shocked, too.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Here’s where it gets more complicated. While I really enjoyed The Adventures of Priscilla, it elicited a wide variety of emotions from me. As three drag queens make their way across the Australian Outback, they have several misadventures along the way. That doesn’t seem like much on its face, but it results in all sorts of interactions. The upsides, downsides, and everything else that comes with being a drag queen in the 90s are put on display here, and it’s not always easy to watch. However, y’all may know that movies like that are the kind that attract me.

Sure, The Adventures of Priscilla can be difficult to get through, but I recommend it only for Terence Stamp. Yeah, it’s fun seeing General Zod as a drag queen.

Paris is Burning

Paris is Burning is a classic. While the creation of the film raises some ethical questions, what’s detailed in it is unlike anything else I’ve seen. Paris is Burning outlines the intricacies of Ballroom culture in New York City at the height of the AIDS crisis. This month was my first time watching it, and it raised several difficult emotions. I found myself reflected in each of the folks on-screen and relating to their struggles to an unhealthy degree. We will survive, and Paris is Burning shows us how they do it in “Gay World.”

Paris is Burning also does a fantastic job of highlighting the difficulties of combining LGBTQ+ issues with race issues. This is still an issue today, but if we don’t talk about it, it’ll never change.

Disclosure

Of the movies on this list, the ones I would consider “must-watches” in today’s climate are Paris is Burning and Disclosure. While Paris is Burning has proven to maintain relevance after 35 years, Disclosure was released 5 years ago, and its importance is already striking. Disclosure takes an elaborate and detailed look at the coverage of transgender people in the public eye over the years. From as far back as the 1910s, Disclosure shows us how transgender people have been humiliated from the start. As the world continues to grow and evolve, especially now, we need movies like Disclosure.

Even thinking about Disclosure now, I can’t help but feel emotional. For me, Disclosure hits too close to home, but that’s also why it’s important.

So those are my 5 movies for Pride Month this year. What do y’all think? Are there any movies I mi – Yes. I couldn’t even finish that sentence, but yes, share your favorite LGBTQ+ movies in the comments with us. We always love to hear from you! Now go out there and show the world how you’re not afraid to live your life on your terms. 😉

Geekly News: June 22, 2025

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We have a couple of MCU updates and new board games to talk about. This week had an extra topic or two than last week’s. Yay! Since the MCU news is juicier, we’ll begin with the latest from Avengers: Doomsday.

Wolverine Will Be in Avengers: Doomsday

A couple of reports/rumors about the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday surfaced this past week, suggesting that Wolverine will return in some capacity during the massive group film. Early this past week, veteran stunt double Daniel Stevens stated that he’s working on Avengers: Doomsday. Stevens is Hugh Jackman’s stunt double for his role as Wolverine. This admission doesn’t confirm Wolverine will be in Avengers: Doomsday because Stevens has worked as a stunt double for multiple characters during Avengers movies, but the second report may seal the deal.

YouTuber UnBox PHD specializes in drone footage of Hollywood films. They’re the ones who broke that Wolverine would don his blue and yellow suit in Deadpool and Wolverine months before the movie’s release. UnBox PHD took drone images of a classic Wolverine movie scene’s recreation. Marvel asked UnBox PHD to take down the images, and in return, they all but confirmed Wolverine will be in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. It’s yet to be seen in what capacity Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine will be involved. Fingers crossed for more updates.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s Mephisto to Make Appearance in Ironheart

Sacha Baron Cohen as the MCU’s Mephisto, who is a Marvel variant of the Devil, was leaked several years prior. Cohen’s Mephisto had been rumored as far back as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He cropped up again in Agatha All Along. Just about any Marvel film or series that features a magical element has been rumored or teased Cohen’s Mephisto. Ironheart combines magic and technology. The show’s central theme will be magic versus tech; this conflict interested me in our MCU Preview earlier this year. During that same preview, I mentioned that The Hood would be Ironheart’s main antagonist. While I still believe The Hood will be Ironheart’s focal enemy, he’s a younger character, about the same age as Riri Williams, so it makes sense if someone bigger is pulling the strings.

Marvel leaked Ironheart’s schedule this past week. Next week, we’ll see the first three episodes, and the week after that, the second set of three Ironheart episodes will release. If Ironheart uses The Hood as a mid-boss, someone who’s working for a larger and bigger bad, narratively speaking, it makes sense for the bigger bad to show their face during the fifth and penultimate episode. The Hood may be failing to convert Riri to the dark side, so the one behind The Hood will need to get personal. Notice how the “M” in Karma is suspiciously highlighted in red. A red M for Mephisto? It could be. We won’t have to wait long to see if one of Marvel’s most dastardly enemies graces the screen. I love the Cohen casting of Mephisto.

If we do get Cohen’s Mephisto in Ironheart, I don’t think he’ll be in full makeup, or if he is, we’ll only catch a glimpse. This appearance will most likely introduce the character and sow the seeds for future MCU stories. Could Mephisto make an appearance in Doctor Strange 3 or Midnight Sons, or even VisionQuest? All of those projects make sense.

Paperback Adventures: Volume 2 Launches on GameFound

Paperback Adventures combines a roguelike deck-building game with a word game. Paperback Adventures (first volume) was a solo game only, but Volume 2 offers a 4-player simultaneous co-op game mode as well. The modular system allows for more variety with the more character boxes you have. Even though Geekly has yet to play this game, Paperback Adventures was a hit with several well-known board game reviewers, specifically Shut Up & Sit Down and The Dice Tower.

I like any modular game with a well-thought-out storage system, and Paperback Adventures: Volume 2 appears to have that in spades. The game’s Big Box, which may be an add-on (no word on the Paperback Adventures: Volume 2’s price point yet), has space for everything included in the game. Yes! I don’t know how many times I’ve had larger modular games with ridiculous storage.

Paperback Adventures: Volume 2 takes the original Paperback (which I have played on Steam, and it’s excellent) and adds a layer of adventure with small RPG elements to it. I never picked up a hard copy version of Paperback (and I missed the first wave of Paperback Adventures), but I may have to back Paperback Adventures: Volume 2 when it launches on GameFound next week.

Cozy Cat Cafe Launches on KickStarter

Run your own cat cafe. Arrange furniture. Recruit cats. Attract customers. Cozy Cat Cafe has coziness in its title. Player turns don’t appear to take long. You’ll have a handful of options, but Cozy Cat Cafe ups the ante if you’ve recruited the right cats. Certain cats can pull off special cat tricks (cards).

I don’t know what “Biscuit Boost” does, but I must play it at least once. Want to know more about Cozy Cat Cafe? Fortunately, Stami Games has a quick Instagram video, providing a quick overview. I like a couple of Cozy Cat Cafe’s game mechanisms. Players construct patterns to attract customers, but the customer cards can be altered on one’s turn if you think one of your opponents can attract a customer. Neat! The other game mechanism I like is the double-sided tiles. You can construct a basic piece of furniture, or you can upgrade it for a posh version. Me-ow!

Cozy Cat Cafe has adorable art that fits its theme. If you’re interested in Cozy Cat Cafe, the core box runs about $54 (plus shipping). The deluxe version is $81. There are several other options (some with signed copies of the game). Check out Cozy Cat Cafe on KickStarter.

That’s all the Geek News we have for you this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Marvel United Rise Of The Black Panther Review

Tabletop Game Review: Marvel United, Rise of the Black Panther

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Has it been long enough since we’ve covered a Marvel United expansion? It’s been one month? Eh, why not cover one of the final expansions from the original release, Rise of the Black Panther? Like I said in our last expansion review, Geekly won’t be covering every Marvel United expansion, but we will review the ones worth your time or the ones we believe people will most likely purchase. In short, you may want to consider these expansions.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. In Marvel United, take on the roles of iconic Marvel heroes who work together to stop the master plan of a powerful villain controlled by the game. Each villain has a unique master plan, cards that trigger various effects, and threats that make clearing locations difficult. Heroes clear missions, making the villain vulnerable, and finally take on the mastermind before they complete their evil plot. Can you save the world from impending doom? Let’s find out with Rise of the Black Panther.


Wait. Before we leap into the fray, we should look at Rise of the Black Panther’s fine print.

Marvel United Box Close Up Board Game Review

The Fiddly Bits

Designer: Andrea Chiarvesio and Eric M. Lang
Publisher: CMON Global Limited and Spin Master Ltd.
Date Released: 2021
Number of Players: 1-4
Age Range: 8 and up
Setup Time: 5-10 minutes
Play Time: 30-40 minutes

Game Mechanisms

Cooperative Play
Hand Management
Modular Board
Solo / Solitaire Game
Variable Player Powers

Marvel United Tabletop Game Set Up

Game Setup

We already covered the Game Setup and Game Flow in our Marvel United review (here’s a link to that review), so we’ll go over the basics in the following two sections. Let’s cover an abbreviated review of the game setup and rules.

Marvel United’s setup can change depending on which Villain and Heroes you choose to play. Each game consists of six locations. Typically, core sets have eight locations. Since Rise of the Black Panther is an expansion, it only has six. You may choose your locations or shuffle them and choose six at random. Each Location card has spaces at the top for civilians and thugs and a rectangle with a block of text that will state “End of Turn” at the top of the box.

Place civilian/thug tokens on their matching spaces. Shuffle the Villain’s Threat deck and deal out each Threat face-up so that it covers the rectangle at the bottom of each location. You must clear this threat before gaining the “End of Turn” effect printed on a Location. Place health tokens where signified on threat cards and on the Villain dashboard. Place the three mission cards (Defeat Thugs, Rescue Civilians, and Clear Threats) face up under the villain dashboard where the text reads “Unlocked.”

Each player shuffles their hero decks and then draws three cards to form their hands. Shuffle the Villain’s Master Plan deck. Leave the Master Plan deck face down. This will be the villain’s draw pile.

Players place their miniatures on one of the six location cards, usually the centralmost location for each player (easy access). Then, they place the villain on the location card opposing the heroes.

Marvel United Game Flow Board Game Review

Game Flow

The villain(s) play first. Draw the top card of their master plan deck. The villain moves the number of spaces indicated. Resolve any BAM! Effects and these effects will be printed on a space within the villain’s dashboard. Then, place the civilian/thug tokens (if any) indicated at the bottom of the card. After all these effects are resolved, the heroes get their turn.

Heroes pick who goes first, and hero turns will continue around the table clockwise. At the beginning of each game, Heroes will get three turns before the villain receives another turn. During their turn, heroes play one card from their hand.

Resolve actions and the symbols printed at the bottom of the hero’s card in any order. The symbols at the bottom of a hero’s card will be shared with the next player, but any printed action will not be shared. Heroes will use these actions to complete missions. The game begins with three missions in play: Defeat Thugs, Rescue Civilians, and Clear Threats. Each mission card will have spaces for the tokens they require to complete. As soon as these spaces are filled, the card is discarded, and the mission is considered complete. Mission cards can be completed in any order.

Marvel United Three Mission Cards Board Game Review

After the heroes complete the first mission, the villain panics and will act (play a card) every two hero cards instead of every three hero cards. After the heroes complete the second mission, the villain becomes vulnerable to damage. The heroes can complete the third mission, but it isn’t necessary. If the heroes do complete the third mission, each hero immediately draws 1 card, increasing each player’s hand size by one.

Play continues back and forth until either the villain wins (by completing their unique master plan or anyone, heroes or villains, runs out of cards) or the heroes win by dealing enough damage to the villain after the villain becomes vulnerable to damage.

Review

Rise of the Black Panther has some stellar heroes in its ranks. The Challenge Card uses some interesting game elements that I haven’t seen Marvel United use before or since. Killmonger can be a tricky villain and one of my favorites to defeat. It’s an accomplishment to defeat Killmonger. But Rise of the Black Panther’s Locations may be the biggest reason why Geekly’s covering this specific expansion. We’ll start with Locations.

Jabari Village and Warrior Falls have solid “End of Turn” abilities. One gives you a Wild token while the other allows you to deal one damage at that Location. Not bad. But it doesn’t hold a candle to the remaining four Locations. Golden City lets players move to any other Location at the end of their turn. This gives players extra movement. I love that. That gives me one less resource to manage and I can focus on Heroics and Attack. Royal Palace allows players to search their deck for a card and place that card at the top of their deck. Fantastic! This would be a strong ability in most card games with decks. But the Great Mound and Shuri’s Lab puts Rise of the Black Panther Locations over the top.

Great Mound is one of the only ways to manipulate Crisis Tokens in the original Marvel United release. Full stop. If you have a villain who has pesky Crisis Token abilities (one of those is Killmonger included in Rise of the Black Panther) and you only have the original Marvel United release, Great Mound is a must. Its “End of Turn” ability allows players to discard a card from their hand to the bottom of their deck to remove 1 Crisis Token anywhere. Shuri’s Lab creates a great tandem of Location abilities. Its “End of Turn” ability grants players the ability to draw up to their maximum hand size, negating any ill effects from the Great Mound and giving players a way to heal. I like Enter the Spider-Verse’s Locations a lot, but they pale in comparison to Rise of the Black Panther’s.

As mentioned in previous Marvel United reviews, Challenge cards provide optional rules to spice up the core gameplay. Rise of the Black Panther’s “Endangered Locations” is a simple and engaging rule twist. During Setup, Each Hero is linked to a different Location by using the included Endangered Location tokens. During play, each time Overflow is triggered in a Location, the Hero with its matching token takes 1 damage. This makes each Location mean something to certain players. This Challenge card could influence players to keep one Location clear of tokens over another Location. I love it because it raises the stakes and adds a dash of strategy and something else for players to navigate.

Killmonger Marvel United

We’ll get to the heroes in a bit, but let’s talk about one of the MCU’s better villains, Killmonger. Killmonger also happens to be an intriguing villain in Marvel United. He wins when four or more Locations have 3 or more Crisis Tokens, and he adds Crisis Tokens in various ways. His Overflow and BAM! abilities replace Civilian/Thug Tokens with Crisis Tokens, which will make clearing missions (in order to make Killmonger vulnerable to damage) more difficult. The “Weapon Smuggling” Threat card has a similar action. And his Master Plan deck adds plenty of Civilian/Thug tokens, which can trigger Overflows, while his “Overthrow” ability can convert multiple Civilian tokens into Crisis Tokens. In short, Killmonger can turn the tide of battle in short order.

Furthermore, Killmonger has plenty of ways of dealing additional damage to Heroes, which can cause players to race toward Shuri’s Lab for some heals. Killmonger has one of the higher potential damage outputs of Marvel United’s original set. As I said prior, beating Killmonger is an accomplishment.

Rise of the Black Panther’s Heroes are darn good and should be up for the task of defeating Killmonger. Black Panther tends to focus on giving himself bonus actions, but his Movement is so good that he’s a good choice for teams choosing specialists (All Attack or All Heroics), and the other two Heroes in this expansion happen to be specialists. Winter Soldier is one of the better pure damage dealers from Marvel United’s original set. His deck tends to be the most self-centered of the Rise of the Black Panther heroes. He gives himself Attack tokens. This can also make Winter Soldier the easiest Hero to play. Of the Rise of the Black Panther heroes, Shuri is easily my favorite.

Shuri has a stunning five cards with Wild symbols on the bottom. This gives her and her teammates options whenever they take their turns. The remainder of her deck centers around Heroics. Winter Soldier is the fighter; Shuri is the helping hand. And Shuri’s one special effect “Young Genius” certainly lends a helping hand. She gives one Hero (she can target herself) a wild token and the player may draw cards until they have 3 cards. Not only does she hand out an extra wild token, but Shuri heals a Hero up to their full health. This is huge. I don’t know how many times Shuri’s ability saved my party’s bacon. She is Rise of the Black Panther’s standout Hero.

Too Long, Didn’t Read

Rise of the Black Panther has some of the original Marvel United set’s best Locations. Its Challenge card adds a simple but compelling wrinkle to gameplay. Killmonger is a worthy adversary. The Heroes provide variety, but Shuri can turn the tide of battle.

Whatcha Watching, Geekly: June 2025

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday! Since it’s Wednesday, we have another Whatcha post. Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. Today, the Geekly writers will share the TV shows and movies they watched over the last month. Feel free to share what you’ve been watching, because you’re part of the Geekly Gang, too.

Kyra’s Shows

I’ve watched a handful of shows, but Good American Family may be the most noteworthy. Good American Family is another true crime documentary, but it doesn’t involve murder like my last month’s picks, just child abuse and neglect. Trigger Warning: If you don’t care to watch a show about child abuse, I would skip Good American Family.

This Hulu exclusive follows a real-world couple (Kristine and Michael Barnett) as they adopt a child with dwarfism (Natalia Grace). Good American Family makes an interesting choice with its narrative structure; it attempts to show both sides of the issue. This idea may work better in theory than in practice. Kristine (portrayed by Ellen Pompeo) and Michael (played by Mark Duplass) tell their story first. In fact, the first two episodes (which originally aired the same day, March 19, 2025) follow the Barnett’s sequence of events.

Kristine champions autistic children. She believed in her autistic son, Jacob, and helped him adjust to his neurodivergence and strives to do the same for other children like Jacob. Good American Family goes out of its way to paint Kristine as an angel of mercy in these first two episodes. The same can’t be said for Natalia (played by Imogen Faith Reid).

Natalia does some horrific things like putting her hands over Kristine’s eyes while she’s driving, decapitating her adoptive brother’s stuffed giraffe, and poisoning Kristine’s coffee. What makes matters worse is that Kristine believes that Natalia Grace is a twenty-two-year-old woman instead of a seven-year-old child. It’s like a scene from the movie Orphan. Natalia is getting close to Kristine’s husband, Michael. The first two episodes do a great job of setting up this conceit. It even appears that Natalia has gone through puberty (she might have a period and has pubic hair), so Kristine Barnett’s hypothesis sounds like it could be true.

But then we get Natalia’s point of view in Good American Family’s third episode. She is clearly a child, not an adult. Her outbursts are those of a troubled child with disabilities. What seemed to be understandable–if extreme–responses by the Barnetts in the first two episodes transform into horrific child abuse in the third episode. By the end of the second episode, the Barnetts legally change Natalia’s age to 22 and dump her in an apartment by herself. So, the Barnetts just abandoned their child. That’s terrible. Things get worse for Natalia as the Barnetts sprinkle in some torment (during the third episode and beyond). Spoiler Alert: Eventually, Natalia finds a supportive family, her life turns around, and she takes the Barnetts to court.

Again, I’m most interested in Good American Family’s narrative structure. While I like the attempt to show both sides of this story, the show’s structure holds it back. Many viewers said things like I can’t believe this 22-year-old duped this couple. Clearly, these viewers didn’t watch Good American Family beyond its opening night (when it released its first two episodes). Perhaps Good American Family should’ve released the third episode on opening day or consolidated the first two episodes. The second episode ventures into some nice psychological horror; I could’ve done without the first episode’s melodrama.

The point of view shifts to Michael Barnett near the end of Good American Family. This episode (or episodes) paints Michael as another potential Kristine victim. I never bought it. Good American Family hammers home the point that Natalia was the only victim in this story during its final episode. Ultimately, Good American Family obscured a heap of details during those first two episodes. It didn’t just show the Barnetts’ point of view; it sanitized the Barnetts’ wrongdoing. And what the Barnetts did gets sick.

Kyra’s Movies

I watched plenty of true crime documentaries. I won’t add another one to the movies I watched this last month. Instead, Captain America: Brave New World was added to Disney+. I didn’t watch it in theaters, so I figured I would give it a quick review.

Captain America: Brave New World wasn’t as bad as I feared, but it wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. The Serpent Society barely played a role. The movie doubled down on traditional Hulk villains, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Red Hulk) and The Leader. While I still think Hulk villains in a Captain America movie makes little sense, I like that Captain America: Brave New World didn’t try to shoehorn more members of the Serpent Society. The movie’s villains could’ve been crowded.

Despite being a more focused story than I originally thought, Captain America: Brave New World requires a lot of MCU homework. Falcon/Winter Soldier, The Incredible Hulk, and Eternals. I could see a lot of people watching Falcon/Winter Soldier. That series did well enough on Disney+, but MCU fans would need to subscribe to Disney+ and watch an eight-hour miniseries.

The Incredible Hulk is eighteen years old by this point. Captain America: Brave New World does a good job of building up Ross and his daughter, Betty, but talk about striking while the iron is ice cold. Fewer moviegoers watched Eternals. I wouldn’t have watched Eternals if it weren’t available on my flight to London. I wasn’t going anywhere for eight hours. Why not watch Eternals?

I like how Captain America: Brave New World introduced adamantium by using Celestial Island (an event from Eternals). But I can’t help but imagine the MCU viewer who saw the massive body in the middle of the Indian Ocean and wondered if that was Galactus. There’s a lot of mandatory MCU homework for Captain America: Brave New World. In fact, this movie may have the most required MCU homework. By my count, one would need to watch about 40 hours. 40 hours? Yikes!

And while I said that Captain America: Brave New World’s story could’ve been far more scattered with additional Serpent Society members, that doesn’t mean that the movie has a tight script. It rambles. I thought the movie could’ve ended a handful of times before it did. And my final note is on Sam Wilson’s Captain America (who didn’t take the super soldier serum). The Wakandans did Sam a solid. His vibranium wings saved him multiple times. While that makes sense for the character and within the confines of the MCU, I didn’t like how little I feared for Sam’s safety.

I didn’t want Sam to get hurt, but he’s the one Captain America who didn’t take the super soldier serum, and he went toe to toe with a Hulk. I didn’t gasp once during his battle. It was as if Sam had taken the super soldier serum. Captain America: Brave New World may be a mixed bag, but I love Tim Black Nelson’s Leader. The Leader may have been worth an eighteen-year wait.

That’s all I have for this month. Let’s see what Season and Skye have been watching.

Skye’s Movies

After watching Goodfellas, I can see what everybody’s talking about. Goodfellas isn’t one of those movies I hear a lot about, but whenever I do hear about it, it’s always good things. I wouldn’t say Goodfellas is the quintessential mob movie (considering we live in a world where The Godfather still exists), but it’s still pretty darn good. Goodfellas does a great job of capturing the feel of organized crime, has gritty violence, is just the right amount of uncomfortable, and I loved it.

While not the whole story, Goodfellas does enough to show us both the glamour and danger of mob life. Also, the piano exit from “Layla” has been stuck in my head for weeks.

Some Like it Hot has been on my watch list for years. After watching it, I can confirm that I enjoyed Some Like it Hot, but not as much as I thought. To be clear, Some Like it Hot is still a very funny movie and got some genuine laughs despite its age, but I was surprised by how slow it could be at times. I was taken aback by the sudden romance that came halfway through. It wasn’t necessarily bad; I just wasn’t expecting it.

Even if Some Like it Hot wasn’t as bombastically funny as I anticipated, I still had a fun time with it. After all, nobody’s perfect.

The Seventh Seal is a classic in every meaning of the word. Even to this day, The Seventh Seal is one of those movies that’s studied in film schools around the world. This was my first time watching The Seventh Seal. Put simply, I wasn’t disappointed. I respected The Seventh Seal’s patient approach to suspense and thrills. Modern horror films overly rely on jump scares to make the movie seem scarier. The Seventh Seal‘s silence scared me the most.

If you haven’t seen The Seventh Seal, I highly recommend you treat yourself to one of cinema’s most revered classics.

Eraserhead is a movie I had already seen before this month, but I felt like I needed to watch it again. If you’ve never seen Eraserhead, you’d best go into this experience blind. This is a cinematic journey you’ll never forget. It’s difficult to go into details about what Eraserhead is because it uses shrouded symbolism, abstract storytelling, and deliberate imagery. Despite having seen Eraserhead three times, I still don’t fully understand it. What I like the most about Eraserhead is how you can watch it several times and always come up with a different explanation. That’s, without a doubt, David Lynch’s intention. Rest in peace, David Lynch.

If you’ve never seen it, make sure you watch Eraserhead on an empty stomach. You’ll thank me later. Also, keep telling yourself: “In Heaven, everything is fine.”

Season’s Movies

I’m not much of a movie watcher, but I did re-watch The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & Part 2. No. I didn’t re-watch The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It’s been a while since I read the books, so I can’t remember everything in the books that got left out of the movies. I think Katniss singing “The Hanging Tree” was my favorite part across both movies. I think the movies did a decent job of representing the books from an outside perspective. As a viewer, I wasn’t completely inundated with Katniss’s every thought. The Hunger Games, in general, is definitely a good series to revisit, both in novel and film form.

Season’s Shows

I’ve been binge-watching Dead End: Paranormal Park the past few days, and I’m in love with it. It’s a cute show that combines accepting people for who they are and fantasy. Who doesn’t like fighting demons while having to deal with scary family/people situations in the real world? Dead End: Paranormal Park features LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent representation. There is one character who got gender binary-coded, which differs from the comic. This aspect of the show irritates me, but other than that, I’d definitely recommend Dead End: Paranormal Park for people who are looking for something fun and in the spirit of Pride.

Kyra Kyle here again. That’s what the Geekly writers have been watching this past month. Let us know what you’ve been watching, Geekly Gang. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.