Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1752

Get Mad at Your Own Personal Marvel MCU Movie Rankings Thanks to This Easy Quiz

Which MCU movie is better: The Winter Soldier or The Incredible Hulk? That’s super easy, right? But what about the first Thor or Doctor Strange? Spider-Man: Homecoming or Age of Ultron? Where would you put Infinity War on the list? Is it even the best Avengers movie? With 19 Marvel films and so little separating many of them in terms of quality, trying to rank all of them is a daunting, possibly impossible task since you could make one today and have it be very different than one you might make in a week. Fortunately there’s now a website that will help you put together your very own rankings with a simple quiz that pits every film head-to-head. Though whether or not you will be happy with the results is up for debate.

Twitter user Chuck Skoda put together this handy, direct questionnaire that asks you to repeatedly choose between two MCU films by answering “which would you rather watch right now?” That’s it, and in just a minute or two you’ll have your own list. But while lots of them will probably be obvious, like Guardians of the Galaxy vs. Iron Man 2, it’s amazing how many of them feel like having to split the Frost Giant baby in half. Here’s what I ended up with.

With the exception of my top and bottom three I think I hate my own list. For example I love the first Captain America and have no idea how it ended up so low, let alone how Homecoming is even lower. I just spent two months watching Peter Parker every day on cable! Ooooh, that could be the problem. This is about which MCU movie I’d most want to see right now. Maybe if I had just watched The Avengers on repeat I’d be tired of it and it would come in lower for me.

As strange as it sounds, and even though it tears apart the internet every time we do it, I think I’d rather try ranking these with other people. At least that way I’d have someone else to blame for the list being all wrong.

We want you to take the test yourself and then share which results shocked you the most in our comments section below.

Featured Image: Marvel

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Nerdist News: WTFriday #5: What Does Deadpool 2 mean for X-men movie franchise and more!

Deadpool 2 is looking like it is going to SMASH the box office this weekend, but what does it’s success mean for the X-Men movie franchise? Plus Magnum P.I. is back, but will you watch the show if he is missing his iconic mustache? And Bryan Fuller has dropped another TV show…Is he cursed or something? And just when you thought Universal’s Dark Universe was dead…Rumors are swirling that it might be back! And finally – In honor of Deadpool 2 being out, we thought we’d attempt to stump our panel with some pop culture on Josh Brolin…

Be sure to check out WTFriday live every Friday at 1PM (PDT) on Alpha!

One Guy’s Bitcoin Mining Setup Can Heat His Bath Water, But It’s Too Hot

With an always-fluctuating market and a variety of new coins being introduced every day, there are a lot of factors to consider if you’re thinking about entering the world of cryptocurrency. If you want to mine the bitcoin yourself instead of just buying in with US dollars, there’s a whole other set of complications that you have to be aware of.

Here’s a reductive explanation of bitcoin mining: You can set up your computer hardware to do calculations for the bitcoin blockchain, and in return, you get some bitcoin. If you want a stronger explanation than that, Coindesk has a more extensive primer on the subject. One problem miners face is that the specialized hardware, known as ASICs, can get pretty darn hot, enough so that it can become a problem. So, how do you deal with all that heat?

Reddit user gta3uzi (whose name is Lee, as Motherboard notes) came up with a clever solution: He used the heat to heat up his bath water. This sounds like a good idea, but it actually worked too well, as the water in his tub reached a piping 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The good news is that he found an even more practical use for the heat: He diverted the heat into his HVAC system to heat his home, which he says got rid of his $80 heating bill during the winter. Lee answers a ton of questions and gets into more technical specifics about his rig in the comments of the Reddit post, so check that out here if you want to read more.

What other creative uses can you think of using bitcoin-generated heat for? Let us know what you think down in the comments!

Featured image: Many Wonderful Artists/Flickr

Is Deadpool Ready to Lead X-FORCE into the Future?

Wade Wilson is many things: an elite special forces operative, the erstwhile roommate of an elderly blind woman, an assassin with a heart of gold, a sexually adventurous partner, and someone with superhuman regenerative powers. But there’s only one question on our minds after seeing Deadpool 2 and as we set the stage for the Drew Goddard-helmed X-Force movie: Is Wade Wilson a leader? Marvel’s Merc with a Mouth is a force of nature, but does he have what it takes to command an elite, black ops version of the X-Men, thus effectively carrying the franchise forward on his formidable shoulders? To find out, I traveled to New York City to ask the people who know Wade Wilson and Deadpool best: the stars and filmmakers behind Deadpool 2, including Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, David Leitch, and many more. Find out for yourself on today’s episode of Nerdist News Edition.

In addition to offering their sage wisdom on Deadpool’s leadership prospects, stars Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, and Julian Dennison all revealed to me where they’d like to see their characters go next. After all, quite a bit happens at the end of Deadpool 2 and in those post-credits scenes that will have potential implications for the future of the franchise. Considering that we only got the smallest slice of Cable’s expansive, ridiculous backstory, the sky is the limit for what we could expect to see from these characters on the big screen moving forward.

What do you think? Does Deadpool have what it takes to be a leader or is he better off as a solo act? What kind of movies would you like to see Fox make with these characters going forward? Let us know in the comments below.

Images: Fox

Additional reporting by Jesse B. Gill.

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Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@DanCasey).

Unraveling DEADPOOL 2’s Mid-Credits Scene (Spoilers)

Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for Deadpool 2. If you haven’t seen the movie, go break the fourth wall elsewhere!

Is a Marvel movie even a Marvel movie without mid-credits or post-credits scenes? We’re used to them now, and Deadpool 2 doesn’t disappoint. Early word out of Deadpool 2 says the mid-credits scene is one for the ages. “You’re welcome, Canada!” In one fell swoop, Deadpool drastically changed the events of the sequel–he may have even wiped out his alter ego. It’s a rare thing when an actor gets cheers for killing himself in his signature role on screen. On today’s Nerdist News, we slow our roll to break down everything that went down in Deadpool 2‘s closing moments.

Join guest host and substitute X-Force member, Hector Navarro, as he goes over some of the wildest comic book movie scenes in years. It was one thing for Deadpool to use Cable’s time travel device to save his girlfriend, Vanessa. We get that decision. It may have negated almost all of the events of the movie and DP’s character growth, but he would have done anything for her. Everything he did after saving Vanessa basically broke the universe.

Deadpool only went out of his way to save one member of his doomed X-Force team, which means we might see poor powerless Peter again. But it’s Deadpool’s visit to X-Men Origins: Wolverine that really caught everyone’s attention. Fox has spent years pretending the movie didn’t happen, and the X-Men films have always had murky continuity at best. But it was still weirdly satisfying to see Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine, even if it was from old clips. DP murdering his doppelganger from that film was also a plus.

Finally, Deadpool closed on the ultimate meta joke: the murder of Ryan Reynolds before he could star in Green Lantern.

What did you think about Deadpool 2‘s mid-credit scenes? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: 20th Century Fox/Marvel

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THUNDERCATS Return with a New Cartoon Network Series

Today we got our first look at the new She-Ra reboot at Netflix, and now we’ve learned of another ’80s weekday afternoon favorite coming back next year. Yes, the anthropomorphic felines from the planet Thundera, the Thundercats, are returning to television, but not in a form that maybe anyone was expecting.

Announced via Entertainment Weekly, Warner Bros. Animation is bringing back the classic heroes for new animated series called ThunderCats Roar, which will debut on Cartoon Network in 2019. You can read the official series description and check out the official key art down below:

THUNDERCATS….HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!https://t.co/V9bsHQTVTf pic.twitter.com/oZcZc3xsvM

— little sasquatch (@bignosebug) May 18, 2018

“Staying true to the premise of the original series, Lion-O and the ThunderCats — Tygra, Panthro, Cheetara, Wilykat, and Wilykit — barely escape the sudden destruction of their home world, Thundera, only to crash land on the mysterious and exotic planet of Third Earth. Lion-O, the newly appointed Lord of the ThunderCats, attempts to lead the team as they make this planet their new home. A bizarre host of creatures and villains stand in their way, including the evil Mumm-Ra, Third Earth’s wicked ruler who will let nothing, including the ThunderCats, stop his tyrannical reign over the planet.”

ThunderCats Roar stars Max Mittelman (Justice League Action) as Lion-O and Wilykat, Erica Lindbeck (DC Super Hero Girls) as Cheetara and Wilykit, Patrick Seitz (Justice League Action) as Tygra and Mumm-Ra, and Chris Jai Alex (Star Wars: Battlefront II) as Panthro. Executive producer Victor Courtright talks more about what we can expect from the series in the video below.



Thundercats was actually rebooted once before, back in 2011. A slightly older-skewing version of the original series, it only last one season due to low rating and poor toy sales, albeit ending on a cliffhanger. This newest iteration looks like the much more wacky and younger kid leaning shows like Teen Titans Go! and Justice League Action. This younger, more hyper style is a formula that has provided great success for Cartoon Network, so expect them to stick to it guys.

What do you make of this latest  Thundercats incarnation? Let us know your feelings down below in the comments.

Images: Cartoon Network / Warner Bros Animation

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Frank Oz Turns EMMET OTTER’S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS Fail Into Hilarious Blooper Reel

Few performers have been able to bring puppets to life like the legendary Frank Oz, who imbues characters like Yoda, Cookie Monster, and Miss Piggy with so much vitality they are as authentic as any of their human counterparts. But this hilarious behind-the-scenes blooper reel from Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas shows his magic isn’t limited to only what we see onscreen, because his characters are never more relatable than when they’re dealing with the aggravation of a never-ending day of filming.

Thanks to Twitter user TheMilanTooner the internet rediscovered a Blu-ray gem from the 1977 TV Christmas special this week. In it, a small drum refuses to roll out of a door and come to a rest the way Jim Henson wants. Over and over….and over and over and over again the little prop wouldn’t cooperate, requiring more than 200 takes before they got something they could be happy with. The only thing that makes it tolerable–and laugh out loud funny–is Frank Oz (working as Ma Otter’s puppeteer and temporary voice) and Jerry Nelson as Emmet reacting like two real actors who are exhausted from doing the scene repeatedly.

Make sure you watch the whole thing, because it just gets more and more hysterical the longer it goes.



That’s one of the funniest Muppets clips we’ve ever seen. It’s remarkable they were to keep a sense of humor about the whole thing and stay in-character as though the puppets were actual actors.

No wonder someone like Frank Oz is so good at bringing his characters to life on screen. They’re totally alive between takes too, especially when they need 200 of them.

What other Muppets would you love to see deal with this kind of filming snafu? Tell us yours in the comments below.

Featured Image: The Jim Henson Company

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The Yanny/Laurel Thing Has Been Turned into an Optical Illusion

Is it “laurel,” or is it “yanny?” That’s the question that’s haunted the internet and beyond all week, and there’s no definitive answer. Well, actually, there is, sort of: The confusing audio clip is confirmed to be of a person saying the word “laurel,” and yet, due to some sonic weirdness, a good amount of people are still legitimately hearing “yanny.”

It seemed for a minute that it was time to move on from this debate. We’ve all had our fun, the meme made its way to talk shows and has been turned into EDM remixes, and there’s even a new version of the aural illusion already, via “brainstorm vs. green needle.” It turns out, however, that we’re not done with yanny/laurel just yet, as the meme has now been made into an optical illusion.

Yanny or Laurel? from r/Calligraphy

An image originally submitted to the Calligraphy subreddit (but which really blew up thanks to a repost on the PenmanshipPorn subreddit) shows a word written in fancy cursive, and the caption asks the question: Is it “laurel,” or is it “yanny”? Thanks to calligraphic flourishes and the relatively similar construction of the two words, the person who made this image has crafted a continuation of what was already a heated debate.

The difference with this one, though, it seems, is that you have more choice over how it’s perceived. I personally am able to see it as either “laurel” or “yanny” just by changing my mental approach, and I imagine that’s the case for most of you as well.

What do you see? Also, what did you hear in the original yanny/laurel illusion? Let us know how much your brain hurts down in the comments!

Featured image: Warner Bros

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From Fan of Steel to MAN OF STEEL: An Interview with Brian Michael Bendis

It’s 80 years since Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 and DC Comics has a year of celebrations in store. Undoubtedly, the announcement of Superman’s newest writer has garnered the most excitement and speculation from fans so far as Brian Michael Bendis made an unexpected move from Marvel to the Distinguished Competition to take on the most iconic hero of the past century. The release of Bendis’ first Superman series begins with Man Of Steel #1 on May 30th, and I chatted to the superstar comic creator about everything from his first memories of Superman to his first interaction with Stan Lee, as well as which classic Superman creator he’d collaborate with if he got the chance.

For Bendis, a Cleveland native, Superman has always been a presence in his life. “I’m from Cleveland so it’s everywhere,” Bendis told me. “Honestly, when you grow up in Cleveland all you hear about is ‘You know we invented Superman and rock ‘n’ roll.’ It’s part of my DNA, so when I as a young Jewish man took to comics, people would say to me ‘You know Superman was created by two Jews from Cleveland just like you.’ And it does help to see that it’s something that other people in my position have made happen, and although you don’t have any idea how it could happen to you, it gets you on the road to thinking ‘Oh, I could do that,'” Bendis added with a laugh.

Bendis wasn’t kidding about being surrounded by Supes as he grew up, and when I asked him about a formative memory of Superman he didn’t disappoint.

“I was in college in Cleveland. I would hit the job board everyday and it said ‘illustrator wanted for Superman parade to celebrate a statue of Superman in the center of the city at the Superman museum,'” Bendis explained. “They did this big parade with all these guests and they hired me to be the parade artist, and I got to draw all these signs for the guests artists and got to meet some of my favorite artists. George Perez, that was the first time I ever got to meet him.”

This anecdote that Bendis shared with me was one that not only centered around everyone’s favorite superpowered farm boy, but also foreshadowed his decades-long career in comics.

“One of my coolest memories–and I did a cartoon about this–was that Siegel was supposed to come to be at the parade, but he fell ill so instead Stan Lee came in his stead, and it was a big deal that the competition was coming to support this great moment. So I had to stay up all night drawing a sign for Stan Lee,” Bendis chuckled. “So it’s 6 a.m. and I’m completely covered in ink and paint, and the bus pulls up and Stan Lee gets off. He looks at me and he says, ‘Brian Michael Bendis!’ I’m completely confused–I’m 19-years-old–and I’m like ‘You know my name?’ And he leaned over and said, ‘You’re wearing a name tag, schmuck!’ And he walked off. So that’s my great Superman memory, [because] it’s also my great Stan memory, and decades later here I am.”

Superman is a universally recognized figure, but how did growing up in the Man of Steel’s shadow affect Bendis when it came time to take up the mantle of Superwriter.

“You always feel the legacy of the character when you hop on, and I’ve had that joy a couple of times, but there’s something different about Superman,” Bendis explained. “I’ve written big icons. Not to brag, but to a lot of people Iron Man and Superman are peers, and I’ve written Iron Man. So why is Superman different? He just is, and you feel it from the first sentence that you write,” Bendis pondered. “Because when a character that invents the genre, sometimes those characters don’t age well. They fall out of favor as the genre explodes, they don’t go the distance. But Superman did. I think there’s something fascinating about the fact that not only did this character invent the genre but it stayed true and became the core, soul, and center of the genre for the entirety of its existence.”

The responsibility of taking on one of the most iconic heroes to have ever put on a cape is not lost on Bendis.

“Last week The Siegel & Shuster Society gave me a brick from the chimney of the house where Superman was born, and it’s sitting in my office reminding me not to f–k up!” Bendis revealed. “I joke, but it’s really reminding me to write honest, write true, and write bold. It reminds me to write the most honest thing you can write cos anytime you do that you never fail.”

Man of Steel is an unusual start to such a huge task as each issue is drawn by a different artistic team–starting with Ivan Reis, Jason Fabok, Joe Prado, and Alex Sinclair–but for Bendis that has only enriched his experience.

“I live by this philosophy very deeply, that collaboration for the writer should be in service of the artist. There are certain writers who write a script and say ‘Draw for me!’ But that’s not why we make comics. When people do that, they’re missing the magic of making comics. What I do is that I write towards that artist. I call them and ask what they want to draw! For some artists, like Doc Shaner [who’s drawing Man of Steel #2], I didn’t even have to call him. You just look at his Twitter feed and you can see what he wants to draw! You want a Green Lantern scene? You’re definitely getting a Green Lantern scene!” Bendis exclaimed. “Some of it is obvious, and some of it is ‘I’m a huge fan of this person and I’ve never seen them do this, and I bet they would kickass at this.’ Then you go to that person and say, ‘I think you’d kickass at this.’ And most of the time they’re very challenged and charmed by the fact that you think so much of their work.”

There’ve been many classic Superman artists over the decades who’ve left their visual stamp on the hero. Selecting from some of the Big Blue Boy Scout’s most iconic artists, I asked Bendis with whom he’d most like to collaborate– Golden Age co-creator Joe Shuster, Silver Age perfectionist Curt Swan, or Bronze Age reinventor John Byrne.

“It would be Curt Swan. What Curt did and how much Curt did and how consistent Curt was is one of the true beauties. There’s something magical about when Alan Moore wrote for him,” Bendis gushed. “It gave him something to draw that was so much more emotional and truthful than he sometimes got–cos Curt did some of the craziest Superman stories–but he had him draw real emotion.”

Curt Swan’s Superman | Image: DC Comics

“Ivan [Reis] will talk about how Superman just putting his head down and crying is one of the most emotional moments in all of comics, and Curt brought it with the most elegant of cartooning,” he continued. “So it would have to be Curt even though, listen, I’m a craft junkie–get me in a time machine and get me in a room with Siegel and Schuster and I’ll stay all day. I have a million questions for those guys! A million!”

As for what has Bendis most excited about when it comes to Superman, well, it’s actually about a whole lot more than just the Last Son of Krypton.

“It’s the overall journey at DC that I’m most proud of,” Bendis revealed with a smile. “It’s not just Superman; it’s the overall deal that we’ve created at DC. I couldn’t be more challenged, I couldn’t be more excited. It’s an overwhelming amount of good people that I’m working with, and having left a situation with that, it’s almost startling to find it again. I’ve got a whole bunch of new people that I get to collaborate with, and I still have all my old friends. It’s fantastic!”

And it’s not just his collaborators that have him excited, but also the support of the fans.

“Genuinely, I’m filled with this sense that people really want us to kick ass and do well, and you can just feel that people are really rooting for us, so I just let that fill me and get to work.”

Man of Steel #1 is available on May 30, 2018.

Images: DC Comics

KINGDOM HEARTS III Hands-On Preview Highlights TOY STORY World, Combat Changes, and More

On Thursday evening, I played an hour and a half of Kingdom Hearts III (KH3). I wielded my Keyblade against a Titan on Olympus. I fought in battle as a robot in Toy Story world. I hung out with my besties Sora, Donald, and Mickey again, and they’ve never looked better. And they should look better, because Kingdom Hearts III is the first new game in the main, numbered video game series since 2005. Thirteen years of progress in game development appears to have made KH3 a title that will have visuals to match the compelling story.

This game will wrap the Dark Seeker Saga that began in the first Kingdom Hearts. The battle of light vs. dark/good vs. evil in the Disney-meets-Final Fantasy world is coming to an end with resolutions for the hero Sora, the villain Xehanort, and everyone in between. The hands-on preview didn’t delve into plot points, with the exception an Organization XIII member appearing in the Toy Story world; the demo was all about experiencing the changes in gameplay.

Graphics

Textures, lighting, interactivity with the environment around you—all of these are better in KH3. I ran around Andy’s room and Galaxy Toys, leaping on as many surfaces as possible. You can roll around on balls, knock items off shelves, and jump on practically anything (more on that in a minute). Taking the time to explore is rewarding because of the way the environments react to you.

The characters look sharper, more detailed. I’ve noted this in KH3 trailers, but it’s more evident during gameplay. The toy versions of Sora, Donald, and Goofy have a plastic, porous texture. Hamm has scratches and faded spots to show wear and tear. (What is Andy doing to his toys?!) Even the backgrounds have character: climbing around inside the vents of Galaxy Toys feels grimy, and the rain-covered surfaces on Olympus feel slippery.

Lighting is more careful and directed this time around, too. During a panel before the demo, Kingdom Hearts III co-director Tai Yasue noted the light was built into the textures in the past. Now, they shine different light sources into scenes to give them a more realistic look. He also pointed out the worlds are more populated with background characters, a statement supported with a shot of Corona from the Tangled world where citizens occupied the space around the town square naturally.

Movement

As noted, you can jump onto most objects you encounter. And if you just move forward, Sora sort of automatically adjusts, maneuvering over or around obstructions with ease, and even running up walls. The vertical aspect of movement is especially emphasized in Olympus, where I dashed up sheer rock faces and cliffs to get to the Rock Titan, dodging to the left and right to avoid boulders falling over the edge. To say it’s easier to move isn’t quite the right way to describe it. Movement’s more intuitive and fluid. It’s worth taking a few minutes to race around and see what you can do.

Combat

Combat is where you’ll find the biggest improvements and changes in Kingdom Hearts III, and I’m here for it. The prologue, Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A fragmentary passage, has the closest combat system to what I experimented with in KH3, so I’d recommend playing it before the new game’s release as a base—KH3 goes above and beyond it, though.

Link System

Link is the new word for Summons. You can still call upon your pals, but now they have a different name and more detailed controls. I linked up with The Little Mermaid‘s Ariel using “Lagoon” and Wreck-It Ralph‘s Ralph using “8 Bit.” A new addition to the Kingdom Hearts franchise, Ralph can build blockades and then wreck them. You can use his help to block in Heartless or split off a section of the battlefield, or you can tap into his brute strength to rush your enemies. Ariel, on the other hand, is more elegant. You can use her watery form to dive into Heartless or splash them, and her finishing move is like a small version of the Bellagio water fountains in Las Vegas that you can orchestrate for maximum effect. I’m going to need more gameplay time to nail the nuance of using the Links in the most optimal way and to appreciate the graphics and attention to detail. Ralph, for example, appears by coming out of the Fix-It Felix Jr. game.

Keyblades

I’m not much of a magic user, so I rely on the strength of my Keyblade for combat. Learning what combos a specific Keyblade can do and what its advantages are has been one of my favorite parts of past games, but I’ve found it frustrating to only be able to use a single blade in battle. Also, I’m enamored with all the designs and I don’t like to pick favorites because then I don’t see them all.

But now, you can switch between Keyblades during combat. I’m a button masher, so seamlessly transitioning between Keyblades is something I need to work on, but noting the contrasts between what the Toy Story, Tangled, and Monsters, Inc. Keyblades can do incentivized me to become better. Varying attacks and animations makes combat more engaging, less repetitive. I found myself excited about fighting every pack of Heartless instead of feeling, “Ugh, again?” because I wanted to try other techniques.

Attractions

Summoning Attractions also contributes to making battles more varied and unique. As a Disney Parks ride or die, my heart leaped when I called the Mad Tea Cups, Big Magic Mountain, and Pirate Ship into action. They’re stylized as if they’re part of the glowing Main Street Electrical Parade, which gives them all a cohesive aesthetic despite their distinct characteristics. Here, like in other areas of the game, the focus is on interactivity. The attractions don’t operate independently; you ride in them and direct them to attack your enemies. The visuals are a little distracting; the screen was so crowded with activity—like cascading water and fireworks—that I found the attractions hard to control and aim, but it’s likely a matter of getting used to this style of gameplay.

A few other welcome changes: it doesn’t appear that you have to swap out members of your party. Woody and Buzz joined the group as additions, not replacements. Bigger party sizes means you don’t have to miss out on leveling up Donald and Goofy, and you have more firepower on your side. Additionally, teaming up with different party members leads to various combos and effects. All of that in concert with the alterations listed above and other additions like being able to jump into robot suits in Galaxy Toys makes me enthusiastic about combat in KH3. And I’m usually a player who gets stressed out about combat.

Square Enix will be announcing the specific 2018 release date for Kingdom Hearts III early in June, likely at E3.

Images: Square Enix

Amy Ratcliffe is a Managing Editor for Nerdist. Follow her on Twitter and keep up with her Disney food adventures on Instagram.

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