Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1761

MAGICAL GIRL ORE Is a Wild Take on Magical Girl Anime

If you’ve ever caught an episode of Sailor Moon, you know what to expect from the magical girl anime sub-genre: sparkling transformations, gloriously named attacks, and short skirted, easily recognizable costumes adorned with colorful bows. Magical Girl Ore, a new anime series airing this spring, absolutely and hilariously skewers all of your expectations and then chews them up and spits them out.

Magical Girl Ore (or “Magical Girl Me”) introduces us to young Saki Uno, who dreams of being an idol. Unfortunately, she’s not a very good performer, although she and her BFF singing partner Sakuyo Mikage certainly give it their all. One day, everything changes—as it usually does in anime—when Saki discovers that her mother is a magical, well, mom. But over the years the magical girl life has caught up with her and her aching back, so she’s ready to pass the mantle on to her daughter.

And this is where things start to get weird.

Her mother’s magical sidekick, Kokoro-chan, isn’t a cute creature with wings or a slightly snarky black cat, but a yakuza with a bit of a dirty mouth and a penchant for violence. When overly muscular teddy bears (stay with me here) kidnap the object of Saki’s affections, it’s time to transform and save him. But it doesn’t go the way Saki thinks, and the sparkles and glitter reveal a very tall, very buff… dude. In a very skimpy outfit.

Magical Girl Ore’s golden staff, his weapon of choice, isn’t used for complicated, spinning magical attacks, but to simply bash in the heads of a multitude of baddies. Blood flies everywhere in this show, much to Saki’s dismay and Kokoro-chan’s delight.

Things get even more complicated somehow when Saki’s BFF reveals that she has a crush on Saki. Forget any subtext or subtle hints of something beyond friendship between these magical girls; Sakuyo is clear in her feelings and transforms into a quite handsome man herself (himself?) to come to Saki’s rescue.

In fact, there’s nothing subtle at all about Magical Girl Ore, and that’s its real magic. From classics like Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura to more recent series like Pretty Cure, it’s easy to pick out the elements of the sub-genre that this new series is poking fun at. The show isn’t even afraid to break the fourth wall, promising the ubiquitous vacation and hot springs episodes no magical girl series would be complete without.

Magical Girl Ore is airing simultaneously this spring on Tuesdays on Crunchyroll in Japan and in the U.S.

And if you’re intrigued by the magical guy idea, but maybe with a little less craziness, be sure to pick up the miniseries Power Up. The short comic book series by Kate Leth features another unconventional magical team on a mission to stop the bad guys. Power Up isn’t a parody like Magical Girl Ore, but instead shows the reader you don’t have to look like the typical superhero or magical girl to save the day.

Who’s your favorite magical girl (or magical guy)? Tell us in the comments.

Images: Crunchyroll / Pierott and Scholastic

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Is Juggernaut DEADPOOL 2’s Secret Villain?

Almost all of the trailers for Deadpool 2 have tried to convince audiences Josh Brolin is doing double duty as a Marvel villain this summer. Not satisfied with crushing the MCU as Thanos, Brolin is also playing Cable in the Deadpool sequel, going head-to-head with Ryan Reynolds‘ Merc with a Mouth and the newly formed X-Force. But comic readers know Cable isn’t a bad guy, he’s a hero. This may mean that the filmmakers have gone out of their way to hide Deadpool 2‘s true villains. Today’s Nerdist News looks at the evidence that one of the big bads is none other than the Juggernaut.

Join host and the avatar of Cyttorak, Jessica Chobot, as she goes over a few clips from the film which suggest Juggernaut may get some cinematic redemption after his less than stellar turn in X-Men: The Last Stand. Some of the evidence is circumstantial, like the suspiciously large body heat signature that Domino picks up in a mutant transport. But a shot with Colossus punching an object that looks a lot like Juggernaut’s helmet is a lot more convincing (see the photo below).

Need more evidence? Then please see the tracklist for Deadpool 2‘s soundtrack. One of the tracks is called “You Can’t Stop This Mother ****er,” and the lyrics reportedly include the line “He’s a Juggernaut.”

Subtle. Real subtle.

Deadpool and Juggernaut actually do have a history together in the comics, as they fought in one of the first stories to cast Deadpool in a more sympathetic light. It just so happens Juggernaut’s partner-in-crime from the tale, Black Tom Cassidy, is reportedly played by Jack Kesy in the film. And where Black Tom goes, can the Juggernaut be far behind?

Do you think we’ll see Juggernaut reenacting his famous internet meme in Deadpool 2? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: 20th Century Fox

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The Music Of CHRONO TRIGGER And CHRONO CROSS Gets Reimagined

The Super Nintendo had a lot of games with iconic music, and among the highlights is Chrono Trigger, one of the finest RPGs available on the platform. The game’s PlayStation sequel, Chrono Cross, also wasn’t too shabby in the music department, and it too was one of the best-received games on its console. The music was a big part of that, and now Materia Collective and GameLark are honoring the Chrono soundtracks (composed by Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu) with a new album that was just released today, At The End Of Time: A Tribute To Chrono Cross & Chrono Trigger.

At the End of Time: A Tribute to Chrono Cross & Chrono Trigger by GameLarkWhile there have been plenty of re-orchestrations of video game music, this record is different in that it’s more of a compilation of work from different artists, meaning there are a ton of different genres at play here. For instance, Toxodentrail’s “Corridors of Time” keeps it orchestral, while Player2’s “Guardia Millenial Fair” is more electronic and Xnarky’s “Secret of the Forest” is a gentle jazz breeze.

Album producer Allen Brasch says of the record: “Our goal with At The End Of Time was simple: We wanted to offer listeners a unique, memorable journey whether they’ve experienced these games or not. The album art also hints that no matter who you are, you are going to be pulled into this adventure, and you might not be the same when it ends.”

Download At The End Of Time: A Tribute To Chrono Cross & Chrono Trigger, on Bandcamp, or stream it on Spotify and Apple Music. Check out the tracklist below, and let us know in the comments what your favorite track is!

1. Toxodentrail – “Corridors of Time” (from Chrono Trigger)

2. Qumu – “Wind Scene” (from Chrono Trigger)

3. Player2 – “Guardia Millenial Fair” (from Chrono Trigger)

4. Medllix – “Home Termina” (from Chrono Cross)

5. Kain White – “Garden of the Gods” (from Chrono Cross)

6. MyNewSoundtrack – “Bike Chase” (from Chrono Trigger)

7. Bassoonify – “Frog’s Theme” (from Chrono Trigger)

8. Daniel Romberger – “The Future Is Primitive” (from Chrono Trigger)

9. BlackearacheXD – “Kingdom Trial” (from Chrono Trigger)

10. Xnarky – “Secret of the Forest” (from Chrono Trigger)

11. 130 Grit Sound Studio – “Main Theme” (from Chrono Trigger)

12. RebeccaETripp – “Hydra Shadow” (from Chrono Cross)

13. ShaKe Elite – “The Day The World Revived” (from Chrono Trigger)

14. Matthew S. Harrison – “Battle for All Eternity” (from Chrono Trigger)

15. Ro Panuganti – “Undersea Palace” (from Chrono Trigger)

16. Hashel – “A Flower Blooming in the Garden of Time” (from Chrono Trigger)

17. Christian Richardson – “The Girl Who Stole the Stars” (from Chrono Cross)

Images: Square Enix, Materia Collective

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A Batman: The Animated Series tabletop game is heading to save our city!
This LEGO contraption can cook a whole breakfast !
What makes for a perfect horror anthology ?

A BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES Tabletop Game is Coming Our Way

It’s a really good time to be a fan of tabletop games tied to specific nerd titles. Not only can you play a game based on John Carpenter’s The Thing and pre-order the fabulous new game based on Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, but now IDW Games (we heard via io9) is giving you and your friends the opportunity to protect Gotham City from all manner of crime, in the style of the pound-for-pound best superhero cartoon series ever made, Batman: The Animated Series.

Gotham Under Siege is for 1-5 players to cooperatively take on the mantle of one of Gotham’s saviors, both vigilante and police, to fight Gotham’s colorful rogues’ gallery of ne’er-do-wells, psychos, and reprobates. You can choose to play as Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Catwoman, or the combined might of Commissioner Gordon and Officer Renee Montoya.

This summer Gotham is under siege… pic.twitter.com/F3dzbbea5w

— IDW Games (@IDWGames) April 27, 2018

The game, designed by Richard Launius and Michael Guigliano, has player “use dice allocation and threat management to defend the city against henchmen and bosses, and fight to save the city from being destroyed.” A very noble goal, and one that’s not gonna take all night. They say each game will take between 45-60 minutes to complete, meaning you and your friends could get several rounds in in an evening. And, you read the above correct, you can play by yourself if you want to.

The game features all new artwork in the distinctive Bruce Timm style, character miniatures, 3D city buildings, and more. They also promise this will be just the beginning, with subsequent releases with new villains and settings. We were already stoked to play the “Almost Got ‘Im” game a few years ago, and now this might be the TAS game we truly deserve.

Batman: The Animated Series – Gotham Under Siege will be released in August.

Images: IDW Games

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He’s written the animation retrospectives Batman: Reanimated, X-Men: Reanimated, Cowboy Rebop, and Samurai reJacked. Follow him on Twitter!

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This LEGO Contraption Can Cook a Whole Breakfast

Cooking a basic breakfast is pretty easy, at least compared to preparing most other foods. It’s hard to mess up eggs and bacon in a skillet on the stove top, and as long as you don’t have your toaster set to “burn it” mode, toast is also a snap. Pour yourself some orange juice and coffee and boom, that’s a breakfast. Let’s say, though, it’s Saturday morning, and after a long week of punching your time card, you’re just not into the idea of standing up for 20 minutes and cooking, but you still want that delicious payoff. Here’s the good news: You can get a robot to do it (via LaughingSquid)!



YouTube user The Brick Wall is responsible for this dose of loveliness, and his creation uses motors and other elements to form a pair of machines that can make a complete breakfast, which they describe as “probably the most challenging project so far.” The whole build is something to admire, but there’s one component that’s the most praise-worthy: the egg cracker, which…cracks eggs. It’s a lot more impressive that it sounds, because think about how difficult it must be to achieve that level of finesse using LEGO components. And from where I’m watching, I can’t see a single shard of shell make its way to the pan, so bravo.

Is this your favorite LEGO creation ever? Did you realize it was possible for breakfast to get any cooler? Sound off in the comments below!

Featured Image: The Brick Wall

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What Makes a Perfect Horror Anthology?

If you’ve ever been tasked with curating a horror movie night for friends and loved ones, you’re aware of how hard it can be to construct the right mix. Like any good compilation, there needs to be ebbs and flows. I once learned it’s not a good idea to put on George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead immediately after Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre for an audience of people who’d seen neither. It’s even harder when constructing an anthology horror movie, where you usually only have 15 minutes tops to get your point across and maximize scares before moving on to the next one.

The horror anthology film began with the 1945 British movie Dead of Night and the format has gone in and out of favor ever since, sometimes with each segment coming from different creative crews, and sometimes with the same writer-directors throughout. No company made anthology or portmanteau horror their stock and trade quite like Amicus Pictures. Founded by two American expats, Amicus was for a time the sole British contender to Hammer’s throne of horror supremacy, and they did it mainly through a series of seven portmanteau horror films. Let’s take a look at their third outing–1970’s The House That Dripped Blood, out now on Blu-ray from Scream Factory–and use it to determine what goes into the “perfect” horror anthology.

The first Amicus horror anthology was 1965’s supremely uneven Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors which featured five segments and a wraparound, and only the wraparound and 1.5 of the segments were any good. After this, they began a fruitful collaboration with short story writer and author of Psycho, Robert Bloch, who would adapt several of his horror shorts for the next three movies, beginning with Torture Garden in 1967. That film lessened the amount of stories to four with a slightly more involved wraparound. This would become the standard for all of Bloch’s portmanteaus.

While Torture Garden had a couple of decent stories–one with Jack Palance and Peter Cushing trying to see which of them is the bigger collector of Edgar Allan Poe was the clear highlight–it wasn’t until The House That Dripped Blood where the films really hit their stride. Despite the lurid title, the movie is fairly tame by most horror standards, but allowed the horror to grow from character and situation.

The wraparound segments are perhaps some of Amicus’ best: a detective (John Bennett) is investigating the disappearance of horror film star Paul Henderson, who is the most recent owner of a house with a mysterious and sinister history. The detective then hears about three earlier tenants of the house from the realtor (John Bryans). This allows for the house to remain the main fixture of each story, and made it much easier for director Peter Duffell to stage.

A good wraparound gimmick is very important for a good horror anthology. Often Amicus would just have the lead characters of each story meet as strangers in a spooky location, hear tales of their own impending doom, and then realize they’ve already died. (DUN DUN DUNNNNN!) This is the case in Dr. Terror and the studio’s two EC Comics adaptations, the excellent Tales from the Crypt and the less good The Vault of Horror. Other examples of horror anthologies with excellent wraparound gimmicks include Trick ‘r Treat with its use of Halloween night in the suburbs, or V/H/S with every story being an accursed snuff video. (The whole of that movie isn’t perfect, but the set-up is stellar.)

And so the vignettes begin in House; the first, “Method for Murder,” finds a suspense author (Denholm Elliot) who moves into the house with his wife (Joanna Dunham) and becomes obsessed with Dominic, the latest homicidal maniac he’s created for a novel. He becomes convinced Dominic is real and stalking him. He sees Dominic everywhere, and his wife, friends, and doctors can’t seem to snap him out of it. But Dominic’s existence is only the tip of a horrific iceberg of murder and betrayal.

As an opening segment, “Method for Murder” isn’t the most compelling, but it does have a nice twist, and few actors could play sweaty and nervous while trying to seem completely with it like Denholm Elliot. For movies with a stronger opening segment, you can look at Tales from the Crypt which begins with the immortal “And All Through the House,” Tales from the Hood with its tale of a black police officer who’s haunted by knowledge of his racist white co-workers beating a civil rights leader to death, or the immortal Creepshow which began with “Father’s Day,” one of the most darkly funny stories in any portmanteau.

House‘s second segment kicks it up a notch. “Waxworks” finds Peter Cushing as a former stockbroker with a penchant for neckerchiefs who moves in to the house and, when out walking, discovers a strange wax museum nearby. He enters to find some macabre scenes but is struck by the similarity of one of the figures of a woman he once knew. He tells his friend (Joss Ackland) to go check it out and he too believes it looks like the woman. As you might expect, there’s a reason for this, and it’s nothing happy. Cushing has the distinction of appearing in all of the Amicus films but one and while it’s not the standout of the movie, it does have some delightfully trippy dream sequences and a pretty punchy ending.

Segment three is easily the best. “Sweets to the Sweet” finds Christopher Lee as a strict and disciplinarian single father of a young daughter. After they move into the house, Lee interviews candidates to be the girl’s nanny and tutor, settling on Ms. Ann Norton (Nyree Dawn Porter). Ann grows increasingly concerned by the way the girl is treated by her cold and severe father and begins to believe he’s abusing her, even forbidding her from having a doll. However things are not as they appear, and once the girl finally gets her doll, the true state of things are revealed.

It’s the best segment in the movie because it allows Lee to stretch his acting chops a bit. He appears at first to be scary and foreboding, but he’s actually a man terrified by his daughter. For other examples of good creepy kid segments, look at Twilight Zone: The Movie, Cat’s Eye, and Trick ‘r Treat.

For the final segment, “The Cloak,” we have the actual story of Paul Henderson (Jon Pertwee), the pompous star of a million crappy horror movies. He’s playing a vampire in another low-budget schlock fest and is very over it. He wants some authenticity! He goes to an antique shop and fancies a cloak the proprietor (Geoffrey Bayldon) swears is real, and gives Paul a good deal. After putting on the cloak, the actor sprouts real teeth and begins to fly, even biting his costar (Ingrid Pitt) for real. Evidently, the cloak has the power to turn people into real vampires. Awhoops.

Ending on a comedy segment isn’t always the best for horror, but this one works, especially as it becomes embroiled in the framing story for the epilogue. Pertwee is suitably repugnant as the flashy, vapid diva, and Pitt is at her cackling best. Amicus had comedy segments before and since, and they’re usually among the weaker stories, though here it’s effective. Other portmanteau segments with a humorous tinge can be found in The ABCs of Death, Creepshow, Tales of Terror, and really most of them. Still, it’s bold to end with one, and few do.

The House That Dripped Blood is not a “perfect” anthology horror movie, but it’s definitely among the best. It doesn’t go for all-out terror, but its stories are well drawn with some excellent performances, and it gives you the requisite spooky feeling and features some of horror’s best icons. What more do you need?!

Image: Amicus/Scream Factory

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He is the writer of 200 reviews of weird or obscure films in Schlock & Awe. Follow him on Twitter!

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Pop Culture Queens and Kings Attend Met Gala in Heavenly Attire

The Met Gala, the annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City, always draws the biggest names on the planet. It’s a fancy show for celebrities to attend, and a way for them to essentially do cosplay. It’s only fair, as thousands of fans cosplay as them so often for conventions. This is their chance to become living art, in a way that most awards ceremonies and premieres would frown upon. The theme for this year’s Gala is “Heavenly Bodies,” and it refers to “Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” This allowed for some truly divine attire (sorry about that one). Here are some of the most memorable ensembles:

The original 70’s Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter showed up looking like the geek royalty that she absolutely is…

I’m telling you

The MCU Becomes More Epic When Edited to “We Will Rock You”

Queen is one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Some fans have known their music from going way back when, but for some, the introduction was the 1980 movie Flash Gordon. For others, it was in 1992 with Wayne’s World. Today’s younger Marvel Cinematic Universe fans can understand why Queen is so awesome with this fan edit of the MCU set to “We Will Rock You.”

Via Twitter user @reyestarkk, this video edited by Ivan Burgueno, a.k.a. Trailer Blend, takes the most action-packed moments of the last ten years in Marvel movies and sets them to the song which has riled up sports fans for decades. While the highlights are great, it’s how they are put together that’s really amazing. For example, the lyric “gonna be a big man someday” has shots of both Giant Man and a pre-serum Steve Rogers. “Waving your banner all over the place” of course has the Hulk destroying Ultron drones. Underneath the main track is a mix of different Marvel scores to amp up how epic everything feels. The music of the MCU is not as iconic as Star Wars, but when it’s used right, it’s awesome.

Another kudos goes to Ivan for making sure the Netflix shows are included. We are still holding out hope for an eventual Daredevil/Spider-Man team-up, and this could be the closest we get to one.

The first “We Will Rock with You” edit was so popular, Burgueno’s made a sequel:

After ten years, the MCU is still inspiring fans all around the world. Who knows what type of creativity the next then will bring?

What do you think? What was your favorite scene/lyric combo? What other songs do you think the MCU would benefit from collaborating with? Let us know in the comments below.

Image: Marvel Studios

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5 Of The Original Avengers Get Matching Tattoos to Commemorate AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

The OG movie Avengers just got matching tattoos. Well, all but one of them. But this has all happened before, and it will all happen again. Back in 2001, the actors who played the nine members of the Fellowship from the Lord of the Rings cast commemorated the end of filming of their epic, groundbreaking saga by getting matching tattoos together, the number 9 in Elvish. Well, all but one of them — actor John Rhys Davies, a.k.a. Gimli, opted out, and had his stunt double do it instead (yes, really).

@avengers part 2… But on this night receiving was just as sweet … Thank you @joshualord on behalf of all of us #chrisevans #scarlettjohansson @renner4real @chrishemsworth …

Fox, IMAX, and DeviantArt Team Up for DEADPOOL 2 Poster Contest

What do you do when you need a poster for the Merc with a Mouth’s new movie? Why not turn to fan artists, the people who like him already? That’s what Fox did in partnership with IMAX and DeviantArt, where artists have been having fun with Deadpool for years. Five different fan artists participated in the invite-only competition—the first in DeviantArt’s history—to design the Deadpool 2 IMAX poster art, and the results are pretty awesome. (Also, more than one design heavily features chimichangas. Can’t imagine why.)

First-place winner Andy Fairhurst embraced our antihero’s ingenuity when it comes to transportation. If you’re in the U.S. or Canada, keep an eye out for his poster, which will be featured at select theaters.

Prints of John Gallagher’s second-place-winning entry will be available as a mini poster at select IMAX locations on opening night May 17, 2018. Gallagher’s rendition is a touch more explosive than Fairhurst’s and heavy on the snacks.

Speaking of explosions and Mexican food, Patrick Brown’s design delivers both and a playground-ready pony. If you see Deadpool 2 in IMAX at select Regal Cinemas, you’ll receive his artwork on a collectible ticket. Members of Regal’s Crown Club can also get the design on a mini poster using a free promo code.

If you’re looking for more explosions, more tacos, and a pose that, like all the best superhero contortions, challenges the laws of physics, look no further than Jarreau Wimberly’s illustration (which received an honorable mention).

Rounding out the pack is Alice X. Zhang’s beautifully unique take on the subject.

Here’s hoping this isn’t the last DeviantArt/IMAX collaboration. I don’t have a lot of wall space left, but I’d make room for more poster-worthy creations as long as fan artists keep them coming.

Which Deadpool 2 poster would you want on your wall? Let us know in the comments!

Images: Andy Fairhurst, John Gallagher, Patrick Brown, Jarreau Wimberley, Alice X. Zhang

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