Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1771
April 27, 2018
Nerdist News: WTFRiday #2: How to Fix The DC Universe
Avengers: Infinity War is finally here and it’s the culmination of 10 years of marvel filmmaking. But instead of spoiling the movie for those who haven’t seen it – We are going to look at their number one competitor – DC. What can they do to turn around their universe – We’ll break all of that down today. Plus Star Trek gets it’s first female director. Speaking of directors, Colin Trevarrow had some interesting thoughts about his flop, The Book of Henry and it is a carbon copy of Star Wars: A New Hope. And finally – in honor of Infinity War out in theaters, we thought we’d attempt to stump our panel with some Justice League related trivia… all of this and more on today’s Nerdist News: What The Friday!
Be sure to check out WTFriday live every Friday at 1PM (PDT) on Alpha!
This LEGO Trench Run Is Just as Captivating as the Classic STAR WARS Scene
Jason Allemann is a LEGO artist who uses simple machines and a clear talent for building to recreate the feeling of flight. He is currently gathering support for a LEGO Ideas project called “Pursuit of Flight,” and he used the same technique to flawlessly capture in brick form what’s destined to become a classic scene in cinema: the Death Star Trench Run in Star Wars.
It’s almost impossible for me to watch the two ships in motion and not get the music from Star Wars: A New Hope playing in my head. The small kinetic sculpture effortlessly brings to mind Luke Skywalker’s X-wing dancing back and forth across across Darth Vader’s tactical display.
The additional details of the two rotating turbolasers and the visible working parts adds incredible authenticity to the Death Star feel of the small sculpture. He purposely left the inner components visible, Jason explains in the video, to mimic the machinery of the fully armed and operational battle station.
Jason not only shows off the mesmerizing sculpture, which uses a small crank to put it into action (or a small motor, as shown in the video), but also talks a bit about how it’s done with simple pistons, lift arms, and axles. He makes it sound straightforward, but the ingenuity and creativity needed to depict this unforgettable scene so perfectly is impressive. Most impressive.
If you’re a fan of this build, support Jason’s LEGO Ideas project to help bring it to life, and one day you might be able to build a mini Death Star trench run of your very own.
What other ships would work well with this model design? Tell us your ideas in the comments.
Images: Lucasfilm, Jason Alleman
We’ve got your LEGO Ideas right here:
Amelia Earhart was a good one.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 might still be in the running.
And Tron: Legacy is actually happening!
Lara Croft Meets the Mayans in SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER Trailer
If you thought the gun-totin’, tomb raidin’, arrow-shootin’ adventuress Lara Croft had become a fully formed, honest-to-game-title Tomb Raider by the end of Rise of the Tomb Raider, think again. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, we are told, “Lara will be forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be.” Most likely because things are going to get way crazier, to the point where nothing weird’s ever going to faze her any more.
The new trailer splits its focus between what appear to be two timelines. Heavily armed military types with skull face masks get picked off one by one by Lara in the jungle; meanwhile, a Mayan high priest is preparing a human sacrifice for the gods. But just when you think this game trailer might be about to get way more gory than you thought possible…
…Lara stops the high priest by stabbing him! What appeared to be happening in a different time period–and may still be– has been shattered by the appearance of Ms. Croft, who looks out on a landscape that looks quite out of time. The Mayan apocalypse figures into the story, so it seems somebody must have mis-carried a one on that whole 2012 thing, and the real date’s approaching.
Camilla Luddington returns as Lara, to be challenged in “new and unexpected ways.” Shadow of the Tomb Raider comes out Sept. 14th on XBox One X, PS4, and Windows PC.
Can you wait that long to start jumping into tombs and through jungles again? Venture into comments below and leave us some gems!
Images: Square Enix
She did it again! Lara Lara Lara!
Tomb Raider II gets a fan remake.
Lara Croft versus zombies!
The new Tomb Raider movie’s supporting character problem.
How INFINITY WAR Sets Up the New Future of the MCU
Warning: There are massive spoilers ahead for Avengers: Infinity War !
Thanos demands your silence, but he hasn’t demanded ours! Avengers: Infinity War has finally arrived, and it had an even bigger impact than we could have guessed. The Marvel Cinematic Universe lost some key characters, and some of those deaths might actually stick. Now, we have to wait one more year for Avengers 4 to wrap everything up, but that doesn’t mean Infinity War didn’t offer up some clues for the resolution. Today’s Nerdist News is breaking down how Infinity War sets the stage for the MCU’s new future.
Join host and Thanos’ second favorite daughter, Jessica Chobot, as she goes over who lives and who dies. Here’s a good rule of thumb: if a character died when Thanos wiped out half of the universe, then they will all be back. Especially if they’re starring in upcoming sequels that have already been announced. Anyone who died outside of those moments might be gone for good, and that includes Gamora.
Of course, death isn’t necessarily the end in a superhero story, and the same holds true for comic book movies. Gamora could return in a different state, much like the surprising character who watched over the Soul Stone. There was only one character who was so indispensable that Doctor Strange actually gave up the Time Stone to save his life: Tony Stark.
The film gave us the reason why Strange valued Stark’s life so highly. Strange saw millions of possible futures, but only one in which the heroes triumphed. He must have needed Stark alive to pull off that trick. If Avengers 4 is truly the closing chapter of the first 22 MCU films, then it’s only fitting that Stark play a leading role in restoring those who were lost.
What do you think about Infinity War‘s implications for the future of the MCU? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: Marvel Studios
More Infinity War News
The science of Thanos’ moon throw
Look at how insanely connected the MCU really is in this chart
Does Infinity War live up to the hype?
Watch Mark Ruffalo read thirst tweets about himself
Raise a Glass to Marvel with an Infinity Gauntlet Cocktail
Ten years of Marvel movies have been leading to today, April 27, the release of Avengers: Infinity War. The heroes are assembling to face their biggest threat yet: Thanos. He’s trying to acquire all the Infinity Stones to do presumably horrible things with them. And though part of me believes Thanos is the kind of guy who would like to kick back with a fruity beverage complete with an umbrella (no judgment here), I wanted to create a cocktail reminiscent of the Infinity Gauntlet and the colorful Stones that fit into it. Behold, the Infinity Gauntlet as a cocktail!
Infinity
1 serving
Ingredients/supplies
1oz honey simple syrup
2 dashes grapefruit bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
3 or 4oz tequila reposado
Gem ice cube tray
Food coloring
Make the six ice cubes/Infinity Stones first. I used an ice cube tray with six different gem shapes from Target, but you can use candy molds. Fill each cube almost to the top with water. Using red, blue, yellow, and green food coloring, dye each cube individually: Mind Stone (yellow: one drop yellow), Time Stone (green: one drop green), Power Stone (purple: one drop each red and blue), Soul Stone (orange: one drop each red and yellow), Space Stone (blue: one drop blue), and Reality Stone (red: one drop red). Let them freeze completely.
Admire how they turned out:
Make honey simple syrup by combining equal parts maple syrup and water in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat and stir until maple syrup is just dissolved. Let cool.
Add the honey simple syrup in a rocks glass (or in a goblet, you do you) and add the grapefruit and orange bitters to it. Swirl together vigorously to mix. Add tequila and swirl to mix everything.
Carefully add the Infinity Stones. Do this last to delay the melting of the ice cubes. Finally, raise your Infinity Gauntlet-inspired cocktail to Marvel, and take over the universe.
You can make a non-alcoholic version of this drink with the colored Infinity Stone ice cubes and apple cider.
If you make an Infinity cocktail, please share pictures with us on Twitter and Instagram.
Images: Amy Ratcliffe, Marvel
Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. Follow her on Twitter and keep up with her Disney food adventures on Instagram.
More Infinity War!
7 Thanos stories to read before Infinity War.
How does Thanos throw a moon?
When does Avengers: Infinity War take place on the MCU timeline?
Psychologist Uses Sushi to Make Brain Complexity Simple
Here’s some brain food for you, LITERALLY. (That’s pun magic, please applaud.) Seriously, though, there’s a clinical psychologist who’s posting brain explainers on Instagram using sushi, and they’re all so educational and delicious you won’t be able to help but release some dopamine.
Hot Toys’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Hulkbuster Figure Won’t Smash Your Savings
We write about Hot Toys a lot, because quality-wise, nobody beats them; with few exceptions, their head sculpts look photo-realistic and their costume details are so accurate they could have been made by the movie studio itself. However, you get what you pay for, and some of them are just out of reasonable price range. The amazingly detailed Hulkbuster Iron Man figure they made from Avengers: Age of Ultron, for example, retailed at $824.99, and if you can find it anywhere now, you’ll be paying a lot more.
In making the second, however, they might have realized something SO big and bulky might not really need every single realistic point of articulation. Tony Stark might need to pose this every which way for Hulk battles, but you the collector will probably find one or two sweet spots for display and call it a day. So for the new Hulkbuster, Hot Toys has made it part of their “Power Pose” collection with more limited mobility (head, arms, wrist and waist joints) and a price cut by almost 50% to $430. It’s no less detailed, with a photo-realistic paint job and 18 LED light-up elements. He just won’t be doing any yoga stretches.
Of course, now that this exists, we’re gonna need a Cull Obsidian to give him a worthy one-on-one fight (“CullObsidianBuster” doesn’t roll off the tongue quite the same way, does it?). So Hot Toys is getting our money no matter what. They know what they’re doing.
Is your home ready for an all-new 1/6th scale Hulkbuster? Tell us in comments!
Images: Hot Toys
If you like Hot Toys Avengers…and gettin’ caught in the rain…
…check out Iron Spider, with all his new suit perks.
…admire blonde Black Widow and all her weapons.
…prepare for the coming of Thanos and his gauntlet.
What Was the ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Reference in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR?
Warning: this article contains a minor spoiler that you might not even catch when you see Avengers: Infinity War. Read on at your own risk.
Okay, so given that we last saw the Aether in the collection of Tivan (Benicio Del Toro), and it was established as one of the Infinity Stones in Age of Ultron, it’s shouldn’t be plot-ruining to say the Collector and his massive haul appear in Infinity War. And as before, with great collections come great easter eggs. In a junket interview with Radio Times, the Russo brothers confirmed that there will be hidden things to catch (skip to around the 2:32 mark for this item), and that Arrested Development fans might be especially pleased:
Was it a banana stand, perhaps?
[Ron Howard voice] “It wasn’t.”
No, like Howard the Duck, this reference is apparently an actual character, and it had to be one worthy of a cigar-chomping duck who previously starred in one of the most punchline-worthy movies of all time. Who could possibly stand alongside such a hero on the writ-large version of an action figure shelf that spans the galaxy?
OF COURSE it’s the blue guy. Tivan probably thought he was a Kree. As sussed by Redditors a few months back from some early footage, Tobias Funke (David Cross, though it may or may not actually be him in Infinity War), the analyst/therapist who hybridizes those two words in a manner inappropriate for reprinting here, is sitting in a glass case behind Gamora in one shot. The Russos directed a handful of Arrested Development episodes, so it’s a double in-joke.
Tivan is indeed going to need some therapy, but like everyone, we question Tobias’ track record.
Did you catch Tobias onscreen? Did you see anything else that might have been hidden in there? Comment below and let us know.
Images: Marvel Studios, Imagine Television
Avengers ad infinitum:
Where does Infinity War fit in the timeline?
The Avengers cast sing their own Brady Bunch theme.
Does the movie live up to the hype?
What’s the Significance of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR’s Post-Credits Scene? [SPOILERS]
Warning: The following article deals with the post-credits scene from Avengers: Infinity War. if you don’t want that spoiled, maybe come back here later after you’ve seen the movie. Cool? Okay.
While there are audible groans in many theater when no mid-credits scene shows up at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, you don’t want to leave your seats. The final scenes after the credits is kind of a big deal, with significant ramifications.
In it, we finally catch up with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) who are, as best we can tell from current Agents of SHIELD continuity, not SHIELD agents at present (assuming TV continuity still counts). Their vehicle gets hit by a car, but upon investigating, they find that said car has no driver. Looking around, they see what looks like a large-scale Left Behind-type scenario, as half the population of the world is being vaporized due to Thanos’ magic finger-snap. Naturally, this is causing vehicles of all sorts to crash. In the comics, this was the incident that summoned all the heroes in the first place.
Then Hill sees herself beginning to disintegrate. Fury pulls out what looks like a futuristic pager–arguably an oxymoron, since who uses pagers any more, but we’ll get to that–and makes a call of sorts. As he disintegrates, he manages to get out the first half of the Samuel L. Jackson signature line “Motherf….” before turning to dust himself. The Russo brothers are fond of Jackson in-jokes (recall how the Ezekiel passage from Pulp Fiction appears on Nick Fury’s tombstone in Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and clearly know all too well that Disney will never let them get the second half of that particular word onscreen. And they know you know.
As for the pager, it connects, and a red, yellow, and blue logo appears on the LCD screen: the symbol of Captain Marvel, a.k.a. Carol Danvers. Captain Marvel, of course, gets her own movie shortly before the next Avengers installment, and it’s set in the ’90s, when pagers were, in fact, still a thing. So it’s likely Nick Fury, who has been confirmed to appear in that movie, has been hanging on to his since then. Presumably we will find out where the Captain has been since the ’90s, as none of the other Avengers would seem to have heard of her; then again, in the first Iron Man movie, nobody had heard of Captain America, even though he was a cultural icon with his own trading cards.
Now, while Captain Marvel was not a key character in the original Infinity Gauntlet miniseries, her presence here is significant because Thanos began development as an antagonist for the original Captain Marvel, who has since become known as Mar-Vell, and will be played by Jude Law in the upcoming film. It’s also a canny way to make viewers feel like the next two movies between now and Avengers 4 won’t just be disposable filler, but important plot points you’ll want to know in order to get the whole story.
Does this get you psyched for Captain Marvel next year? Let us know in comments!
Images: Marvel, Marvel Studios
Here’s a bit more reading on Captain Marvel:
Everything we know about the Captain Marvel movie so far.
Where has she been all this time?
How Kevin Feige assesses her powers compared to other heroes.
This Is the Song the Guardians of the Galaxy Played in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
Because of the split narrative focus between every major superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Infinity War doesn’t have room for an entirely all-new Awesome Mix Vol. 3 for Peter Quill and his fellow Guardians of the Galaxy. (Since he now has a Zune, it’s not clear if we can even use the same numbering system any more, but let’s save that problem for their next movie.) But it’d be a shame not to give them at least one ’70s soul tune, and it’s a resonant, relevant one: The Spinners’ “The Rubberband Man.”
The significance of the song’s use is twofold. First, and most importantly, it’s the very first song James Gunn ever heard on the AM/FM radio his father gave him when he was a child. From that radio came the genesis of the idea that a parent’s gift of pop music could be so formative to someone like Star-Lord.
What’s also significant, however, is that the song, originally called “The Fat Man,” was cowritten by producer Thom Bell for his son, who was overweight. It’s about how cool a fat guy is who can get tunes from a rubber band stretched from his toes. It’s a funny fit for Star-Lord because Drax jabs Quill about his weight in the film, even though he is clearly in very good shape. It’s now also the only song on the Infinity War soundtrack.
What song should the Guardians get next movie? Let us know in comments.
Image: Marvel Studios
More Guardians news!
There’s an Awesome Mix Vol. 0.
James Gunn wrote some of the Guardians’ dialogue in Infinity War.
Rocket Raccoon with no skin is terrifying.
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