There's a lot to take in, but Thor is the real MVP here! <p><strong>The Background</strong>: Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. During his time with the site, he's been able to cover some excellent TV shows and films and interview some wonderful stars.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>What He's Into</strong>: Erik is a superhero fan, and his love for comic books began after he first watched Batman: The Animated Series as a child. He also enjoys comedies, action/adventure flicks, dramas and science fiction. He has a love for sports as well, particularly professional basketball. Though he's a Maryland/Washington D.C. native, he roots for the Boston Celtics. Some of his all-time favorite TV shows are BTAS, Breaking Bad, Sanford and Son, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Better Call Saul and Atlanta. And when it comes to movies, Beverly Hills Cop, A Raisin in the Sun, Toy Story, Iron Man, Star Wars, and Wall Street are among his favorites. He also enjoys a good pizza (preferably with pepperoni and mushrooms) while he's watching entertaining films and TV series.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>What He's Excited About Right Now</strong>: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Reservation Dogs Season 3, Ahsoka, Loki Season 2, Invincible Season 2, Next Goal Wins and Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.</p>
In Matt Hagen's drooping face, we trust. <p><strong>The Background</strong>: Nick Venable is an Assistant Managing Editor, and the TV Editor. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper. After rising up through the ranks covering Movies, Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. And if you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy. His love for his wife and daughters is almost equaled by his love of gasp-for-breath laughter and gasp-for-breath horror. A lifetime spent in the vicinity of a television screen led to his current dream job, as well as his knowledge of too many TV themes and ad jingles.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>What He's Into</strong>: Nick is one of those people who won’t necessarily insert a Monty Python reference into every conversation, but is still mentally equipped to do so. Beyond such appreciation for surreal UK comedy, Nick also indulges in as much horror splendor as possible, from Stephen King novels to James Tynion IV comics to Freddy Krueger one-liners to all things Mike Flanagan. Throw in a dash of NFL, some 311 and Weird Al, fried crawfish poboys, bourbon, ‘90s-era pro wrestling, crossword puzzles and mystery-driven video games, and baby, you got a stew going. (Nick will insert an Arrested Development reference into every conversation, if possible.)</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>What He's Excited About</strong>: Anything Jeff Lemire, Tom King and W. Maxwell Prince think of, ever. More of Kelly Reilly’s deliriously fierce performances on Yellowstone. HBO’s The Last of Us. Clone High’s return. Colin Farrell’s Penguin being in every movie/TV show/breakfast cereal.</p>
Honestly, this made the fashion moment even better. <p><strong>The Background</strong>: Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows <em>Ted Lasso </em>and <em>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</em>. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to <em>Fire Country</em>, and she's enjoyed every second of it.&nbsp;</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>What She's Into</strong>: Riley’s range in likes is random and wide, from Marvel to musicals and from<em> Game of Thrones</em> to the latest Netflix rom-com you can catch her watching just about anything. Her favorite movies include but are not limited to <em>When Harry Met Sally, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, Finding Nemo</em> and <em>The Grand Budapest Hotel</em>. She loves going to the movie theater, consuming copious amounts of popcorn and logging whatever she saw on Letterboxd immediately afterward. She constantly walks around quoting <em>Ted Lasso, SNL</em> and <em>Parks and Rec</em>. She has been known to create the occasional PowerPoint explaining the MCU to those who don’t get it. In the non-media realm, Riley is a massive college basketball fan. She is a firm believer that the Gonzaga men’s basketball team is the best team of all time, and she is patiently waiting for the day they finally win a national championship. She grew up in Washington and loves skiing, coffee and making sure that people know she is from the state, not D.C.&nbsp;</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>What She's Excited About Right Now</strong>: Anything Taylor Swift or Andrew Garfield does, finally seeing strong female representation in the MCU and eventually seeing Jonathan Bailey sing his heart out in <em>Wicked</em>.&nbsp;</p>
The marketing team hasn't missed a beat thus far. <p><strong>The Background</strong>: Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. During his time with the site, he's been able to cover some excellent TV shows and films and interview some wonderful stars.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>What He's Into</strong>: Erik is a superhero fan, and his love for comic books began after he first watched Batman: The Animated Series as a child. He also enjoys comedies, action/adventure flicks, dramas and science fiction. He has a love for sports as well, particularly professional basketball. Though he's a Maryland/Washington D.C. native, he roots for the Boston Celtics. Some of his all-time favorite TV shows are BTAS, Breaking Bad, Sanford and Son, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Better Call Saul and Atlanta. And when it comes to movies, Beverly Hills Cop, A Raisin in the Sun, Toy Story, Iron Man, Star Wars, and Wall Street are among his favorites. He also enjoys a good pizza (preferably with pepperoni and mushrooms) while he's watching entertaining films and TV series.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>What He's Excited About Right Now</strong>: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Reservation Dogs Season 3, Ahsoka, Loki Season 2, Invincible Season 2, Next Goal Wins and Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.</p>
Rocky's commentary is amaze! <p><strong>The Background</strong>: Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. </p><p><strong>What She's Into</strong>: Books, movies, TV— The very things that brought her to CinemaBlend as a reader and eventual writer and editor. She loves Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims. </p><p><strong>What She's Excited About Right Now</strong>: Movie and TV adaptations of the books she loves, including the upcoming adaptation of Andy Weir's <em>Project Hail Mary</em>, which she's confident will be amazing, and Netflix's planned movie adaptations of Taylor Jenkins Reid's <em>The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo </em>and Richard Osman's <em>The Thursday Murder Club</em>. She's also excited for <em>Red, White & Royal Blue 2</em> and <em>Dark Matter</em> Season 2. </p>
The actor has a star-spangled movie recommendation. <p><strong>The Background</strong>: Carly Levy has been a freelance writer for CinemaBlend starting in 2022 covering mostly movies with a sprinkle of television. After graduating at Florida Atlantic University with a degree in film and theater in 2015, she worked for a year as a journalist for Talk Media covering South Florida news. In 2017, she spent four years as a ghostwriter writing about addiction and mental health for rehab and therapy blogs. Now, she divides her time writing about the subjects of both entertainment and mental health issues.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What They're Into</strong>: Carly is an avid cinephile who is always looking for the next best film to watch whether it goes back to the silent film era to what's playing in theaters. Her analytical mindset enhances her writing as she gains true understanding of the characters and stories that makes a movie great enough to write about. Her passion ranges from following film scavenger hunts on Letterboxd to discover new films and creating watchlists based on the latest trailers. She enjoys the originality and freshness indie cinema brings, particularly A24 films. During her spare time, Carly loves to listen to post hardcore rock music, watch classic television sitcoms, and reads a variety of books. She also likes to challenge her writing by writing essays on various trending topics that draw her eye.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What They're Excited About Right Now</strong>: The latest movies hitting the "Big Five" film festivals (especially Venice and Sundance). Anything A24 and Wes Anderson touches. Continuously making my mark through my writing and creating watchlists. </p>
Yes, please! <p><strong>The Background</strong>: Carly Levy has been a freelance writer for CinemaBlend starting in 2022 covering mostly movies with a sprinkle of television. After graduating at Florida Atlantic University with a degree in film and theater in 2015, she worked for a year as a journalist for Talk Media covering South Florida news. In 2017, she spent four years as a ghostwriter writing about addiction and mental health for rehab and therapy blogs. Now, she divides her time writing about the subjects of both entertainment and mental health issues.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What They're Into</strong>: Carly is an avid cinephile who is always looking for the next best film to watch whether it goes back to the silent film era to what's playing in theaters. Her analytical mindset enhances her writing as she gains true understanding of the characters and stories that makes a movie great enough to write about. Her passion ranges from following film scavenger hunts on Letterboxd to discover new films and creating watchlists based on the latest trailers. She enjoys the originality and freshness indie cinema brings, particularly A24 films. During her spare time, Carly loves to listen to post hardcore rock music, watch classic television sitcoms, and reads a variety of books. She also likes to challenge her writing by writing essays on various trending topics that draw her eye.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What They're Excited About Right Now</strong>: The latest movies hitting the "Big Five" film festivals (especially Venice and Sundance). Anything A24 and Wes Anderson touches. Continuously making my mark through my writing and creating watchlists. </p>
Bring this duo back! <p><strong>The Background</strong>: Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018, starting as a freelancer shortly after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts &amp; entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>What She's Into</strong>: Sarah is CinemaBlend's resident YA enthusiast, often bringing her lifetime love of books and the stories behind their often contentious adaptations to the site. Deeply into when music and movies intersect, from knowing the hype musical tracks of Mamma Mia!, beautiful scores of Michael Giacchino and yes, the absolute banger Twilight soundtrack way too well. She is also passionate about highlighting and interviewing voices within the industry to help open the door for Hollywood to better represent the world through movies and television. Horror, she really loves horror movies. The world of animation as well... OK don't make her pick one genre.&nbsp;</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>What She's Excited About Right Now</strong>: The continued resurgence of horror and musicals. The next Hunger Games movie, Mike Flanagan's upcoming shows, the Wicked movies and the final Spider-Verse animated film.&nbsp;</p>
I loved this whole movie for her. https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GmVxZUu56AEQ4DzUygJ4Vm.png
This is so unbelievably cool. https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4dnBaqggYBopRBZtr5dHzg.png
Well, this is adorable. https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kXTLd8ja6TbGctTZCbdkce.jpg
Oh, behave! https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Enwjd8DHUH6gafodwAU7zD.png
I love a cracka, and I love Alicia. https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QyFDQjurXJr5xt5g6DznEN.png
Reviews don't always speak for everyone. https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/w7HQ9MvRSDd7diNpTmruW9.png