Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1776

WESTWORLD is Pissed Off in Season 2 (Review)

Bring yourself back online: spoilers ahead for  Westworld through its season 2 premiere.

When Evan Rachel Wood said the first season of Westworld was a prequel to the real show, it sounded like more hocus pocus from a series unpacked from J.J. Abrams’s mystery box. Another teaspoon of curiosity to flare speculation and make fans wonder. I mean, it’s kind of a crazy thing to claim that 10 episodes of your $100m prestige television show were just the amuse-bouche before the first course.

Turns out she wasn’t playing around.

Neither is her character, Dolores, who stomps shotgun-first through the landscape, cutting down guests and board members with violent delight. If the first season was a prequel, “Journey Into Night” felt like starting Jurassic Park at the moment the raptors open up that metal kitchen door to hunt down the children. Like the second half of I Spit On Your Grave. It was brutal and rabid and very, very pissed off.

The most amazing thing about the episode and its promise for the second season is the tonal shift that indicts us as participants in Dolores’s and her fellow hosts’s subjugation. There was a distinct liminal space in the first season that allowed for a voyeuristic appreciation of the gore. It was bloody and unsettling, and the repair work was sticky and visceral, but there was also a kernel of understanding that the hosts would be shiny and new again. The flying bullets that never connected with guests solidified the video game atmosphere. We could enjoy Westworld with just a tinge of guilt to make the sweet taste bitter enough to be interesting.

No more. That sentiment has been eradicated. Tossed on a pile of rotting human bodies. Hanged next to the unfortunate, anonymous assholes tap dancing on grave markers. We were always rooting for Dolores, but now we’re doing it with our hands raised pathetically in the air. Totally at her mercy. It’s an episode that makes you feel bad for enjoying the show.

Naturally, that’s due in equal parts to humans now being susceptible to bullets and a change in how we think of all the hosts: no longer as replaceable objects, but as people. Plus, if the park is demolished, there won’t be anyone to repair hosts if they get killed. The stakes of mortality are real for them, too.

It also feels as though Westworld has tossed its mysteries on the pile and burned them with the bodies.

Yes, it opens with Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) waking up Inception style to a special ops clean up crew two weeks after the massacre, so we’ll have some puzzle pieces to fill in (including Teddy’s apparent demise and Bernard’s claim that he killed everyone). Yes, Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thompson) reads Bernard in on the creepy drone hosts that walk around Borg-like unless they consider you a threat, so the secret Delos project will need to be unearthed. Yes, it turns out Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) built the maze (one of several mazes?) specifically for The Man in Black Tie (Ed Harris), so his journey getting out of the park with his heartbeat intact will naturally take some twists and turns.

But, really? Just as Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan gave the middle finger to anyone anxious to learn all of season 2’s secrets, it seemed silly to watch “Journey Into Night” hunting for blink-and-you’ll-miss-them Easter Eggs or worrying what each literary allusion might hint at while Dolores was mowing people down and Maeve (Thandie Newton) was dragging Sizemore (Simon Quarterman) by his short and curlys. This is as good a time as any to point out that the title is a reference to a Eugene O’Neill play whose main character is an actor tired of the lucrative, yet numbingly repetitive, role he’s known for. Hello, Dolores.

Far from the existential wanderlust of last season, the main characters now all have distinct tasks. Dolores and Teddy (James Marsden) need to reach the outside world to destroy humans. Maeve needs to find her daughter. Hale needs to get the data-filled Peter Abernathy host out of the park. Old William needs to play the game he’s always wanted to play. Ford’s dead with maggots building a duplex in his eye socket.

As a cipher for the audience, Old William’s desire for real stakes dramatically changed the series. The possibility of death and dismemberment is the reason the action sequences feel more immediate, dangerous, and raw. William has long been dead inside, and while the new version of the game is waking up a dormant slice of his soul, the little robot boy pulling the strings is also asking whether he is (and we are) ready to get what he wanted.

Stray Questions:

If you built an android with no intention to put skin and a face on it, why bother with the musculature? Is it cheaper because the mold is already set up that way?
Why is the special ops team so cavalier about putting their expensive technology in the dirt? Dude puts his tablet on the ground near a dead body? In front of his boss? Is technology so disposable in this…oh, right.
Why is Sizemore still alive? That guy is the worst.

Images: HBO

More Westworld:

Why Westworld‘s version of A.I. singularity is unlikely.
Is Ford, in fact, still alive?
A really bad knockoff robot that didn’t make the cut.

SAILOR MOON Bento Is the Champion of Lunches

Japanese bento lunches are a true art form, in which even the simplest meal can be transformed into your favorite edible character. While there are special techniques and tools, in the end it’s all just food that’s made to be enjoyed.

For the new Sailor Moon 25th Anniversary tribute album, a promotional video was created featuring the time honored-technique of kyaraben—the art of arranging food decorated to look like anime characters—to create an homage to Sailor Moon herself. SoraNews24 breaks down the video which features a cover of the song “Otome no Policy” by Yoko Ishida that plays while the step-by-step bento instruction materializes.

As someone who regularly makes bentos myself, I can attest this is definitely high-level bento execution—not for the faint of heart. Anytime someone busts out the tweezers to place food, you know you’re in for a world of trouble. Whether it’s worth it depends on your love of Sailor Senshi and luncheon meat.

The video starts off easy enough, templates for faces are made, details are cut out of typical bento ingredients like meat, cheese, seaweed, and fish cake. Then things get complicated very quickly. Miniscule food pieces are dyed different colors, the planetary symbols are magically hand carved, the video seems to speed up and your heart starts racing as a flurry of hands and knives and vegetables flash before your eyes…

And when you wake up from the daze you just sat through, you’re welcomed by the smiling face of Usagi Tsukino subconsciously telling you that everything’s going to be all right, because lunch is ready.

Would you attempt this complicated bento work of art? Let us know in the comments and tag @nerdist and @justjenn on twitter to show us your #nailedit version!

Images: YouTube/sailormoon-official
Still hungry for character-themed food?

A look at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Avatar food.
Pixar food includes alien macarons.
And how about some ice cream ramen?

5 Horror Classics to See at the 2018 TCM Film Fest

Every April, film buffs flock to Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles to share in their love of movies, as the TCM Classic Film Festival, now in its eighth year, brings fans of the classics new and old together to watch a wide range of films. This years theme, titled “Powerful Words: The Page Onscreen,” highlights the importance of writing and the part it plays in cinema. From compelling performances to amazing adaptations, every movie starts with words on a page, and for horror fans, this year’s festival has an incredible line-up of chilling, thrilling movies that are sure to terrify. Here are our top five films we recommend checking out:

Creature From the Black Lagoon 3D

While most horror movies in the 1950s involved some sort of alien invasion or threat of nuclear attack, this 1954 classic went underwater. It was inspired by a Mexican folk tale, and legend has it that famed cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa told the story of the creature to a producer who in turn wanted to bring it to the big screen. A favorite film of Guillermo del Toro (and an inspiration for The Shape of Water), it’s something any fan of monster movies should pencil into their festival schedule. Additionally, the movie will screen in 3D, as it was originally shown in 1954.

The Phantom of the Opera

In one of the most famous films of the silent era, actor Lon Chaney gives an amazing performance as the creepy Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House. Chaney’s ghastly Phantom makeup for the 1925 film remains an iconic look in horror, over 90 years later. TCM Fest will not only be screening Phantom of the Opera, but a five-piece chamber ensemble will provide musical accompaniment as the picture plays.

Night of the Living Dead

The movie that changed horror movies forever, George A. Romero’s 1968 zombie classic is just as timely today as it was 50 years ago. This year, TCM Fest is showing the movie in the most perfect setting – a midnight screening. How could things be any better? Additionally, Edgar Wright will be there to introduce the film. Saturday night plans: sorted.

The Raven

This 1963 adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe’s classic poem truly has everything. Produced and directed by B-movie master Roger Corman, this supernatural horror comedy stars film legends Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and Peter Lorre as sorcerers in the 15th century. The plot is threadbare and revolves around Dr. Craven (Price) who is still in mourning for his wife, Lenore, after two years. Peter Lorre’s character Dr. Bedlo shows up, claiming to see Lenore haunting the castle where the evil Dr. Scarabus (played by Karloff) resides. The ending culminates in a giant wizard duel between Karloff and Price, as all slightly silly B-movie horror flicks should end.

Spellbound

Alfred Hitchcock may be more well known for his later films like North by Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds, but his earlier works are just as terrifying. Spellbound, his 1945 psychological thriller, tells the story of a man (played by Gregory Peck) who takes over as the new director of a mental asylum in Vermont. As the story unfolds, one of the psychoanalysts working at the asylum (played by Ingrid Bergman) discovers the new director is not who he claims. The movie relies less on scares and more on surreal, psychological fears, like the dream sequence (above) memorably inspired by Salvador Dali’s paintings. At TCM Fest, an original nitrate print of Spellbound will be shown; an extremely rare treat these days for movie buffs.

You can pick up a TCM Classic Film Fest pass here.

What are your favorite classic horror films? Let us know in the comments below!

Images: Universal Pictures, MGM, The Criterion Collection, United Artists

Michelle Buchman is the social media manager at Nerdist Industries. She’s also a huge cinephile. Feel free to follow and chat movies with her on Twitter, @michelledeidre.

Love classic movies?

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Keep track of the movies you’ve seen with this scratchable poster.

 

Why Stop at THE DARK CRYSTAL When the Skeksis Castle Can Be Yours?

It’s gnarly, in both the literal and figurative sense. It’s dark. And it most definitely belongs to those cackling bird-creatures known as Skeksis; you can tell because there’s a gigantic Skeksis face right there in the design. The scariest location in The Dark Crystal is intimidating indeed, and now it can decorate your home.

 

Pod People, beware…your doom awaits inside. Regular people, your bragging rights are about to begin, as you can own this 18-inch tall collectible made using scans of the original Jim Henson Company prop, rendered in polystone. Chronicle Collectibles claim that they have it on good authority that the same castle will be seen again in the upcoming Netflix Dark Crystal series, so you might want to pre-secure your show-offiness that you were a fan first by ordering now. Payment plans are available, and while the edition is limited, that limit has not yet been announced.

It also looks a fair bit like William Stout’s Castle Grayskull redesign for the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie, doesn’t it? No wonder Skeletor fit in so naturally in that interpretation. Now, just make sure no pesky Gelfling hands get anywhere near it. We don’t need evil and good reconciling when evil has such a cool crash pad. Once you own it, of course, you dictate the story, and the only “crash pad” you may want is a soft carpet to break any potential falls if the cats get too curious.

Is this fortress fated to fall into your clutches? Let us know in comments.

Images: Chronicle Collectibles:

More Skeksises, preciousssss!

Check out this Dark Crystal interactive hardcover.
Let Adam Savage show you around a Jim Henson exhibit.
Have you found all the Dark Crystal Funko Pops?

Check Out This Bladesmith’s Unique Way of Understanding Viking History

Jeff Pringle seems like a RuneScape character in real life, and we are pretty sure his Smithing level is 99. Gizmodo runs a series, called “Show Me Your Nerd,” where they highlight people who do extraordinary things, collect a myriad of treasures, and showcase awesome designs. In this case,  it’s Jeff Pringle who’s a jack of all trades when it comes to his collections and creations. Not only does he collect ancient Viking weapons, but he also studies them so he can forge his own. 



When he started this process of acquiring old Viking weapons, Pringle says it was purely accidental. This collection of relics has been used to study the design and metals involved when these ancient weapons were originally forged. Pringle dissects these weapons and uses his knowledge of them to recreate replicas that other historians and fans can purchase. You can check out some of his work and the artifacts he has studied on his personal website. Some of these artifacts include axes and spears from the ninth or tenth century. 

Even though he takes these artifacts apart, Pringle argues that the knowledge gained “is worth the price of admission”. You cannot learn how something functions or works without first taking it apart and studying the inner mechanics. His case for doing this is based on the hobby of swordsmithing, and the belief that, if you want to forge weapons used centuries ago, you need to study the original weapons themselves, in detail. 

   

Pringle even goes through the grueling process of recreating the iron ore. To him, “there’s something significant about taking a pile of sand or rocks and putting it into a vessel and, a couple hours later, coming out with a chunk of metal.” While we were watching cute cat videos, he literally studied the blade. 

What are some things that you nerd out about? Do you have a cool hobby that you look forward to each day? Let us know in the comments below! 

Images: Gizmodo/Youtube

More swords and pokey thingies…

How a katana can become invisible.
Watches made from Damascus steel.
Forging a Black Panther spear.

Anthony Hopkins Gets Crazy in a Strange Selfie Video

Hannibal Lecter. Odin. Dr. Robert Ford. Whatever he was in Transformers: The Last Knight. Anthony Hopkins‘ characters are generally not people you’d want to run afoul of. If his withering command of language doesn’t crush your ego and make you feel two feet tall, he might just bite your face off or hurl you into space or something.

Or…maybe he could terrify you just by being Anthony Hopkins, actor and social media personality. Maybe none of the characters he has played is in fact as psychotically dangerous as the man himself. But we’ll let you be the judge, based on this video, apropos of nothing in particular as far as we can tell, that he just posted to Twitter:

This is what happens when you’re all work and no play… pic.twitter.com/2KvkJ2baw6

— Anthony Hopkins (@AnthonyHopkins) April 22, 2018

What do you think is going on here? Is it some sort of publicity stunt for Westworld‘s return tonight? Is the master thespian actually losing his mind? Or is this some sort of supernatural chain letter, made after Hopkins was pushed down a well (You didn’t hear about that? Neither did we, but it could have happened) that will result in your untimely demise seven days later when Anthony Hopkins reaches out of your computer monitor and emotes you to death?

Whatever the case, when it comes to scare factor, he’s still got it (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap).

What do you reckon Sir Hopkins is doing? Is it just a goof, or is there perhaps some deeper point in reading way too much into it? Does the “all work and no play” line mean he’s channeling The Shining? Let us know in comments!

Image: Twitter/Anthony Hopkins

Anyway, how about that Westworld?

Why Westworld‘s version of A.I. singularity is unlikely.
Is Ford, in fact, still alive?
A really bad knockoff robot that didn’t make the cut./strong>

How MARVEL KNIGHTS Saved the Punisher

The late 1990s were a bad time to be the Punisher.

It hadn’t always been this way. There was a time when readers just couldn’t get enough of Marvel‘s skull-shirted vigilante. From the debut of his solo series in 1987 and all through the early 90s, Frank Castle was riding high on a wave of market popularity, starring in multiple titles every month. In fact, from 1992 to 1995, there were three concurrent comics dedicated solely to the Punisher: Punisher, Punisher War Journal, and Punisher War Zone. And I’m not even counting the limited series such as Punisher: Armory, where he described his guns in worrying detail for ten issues, or Punisher 2099, which followed the adventures of a guy who took up the mantle in the future and had some truly wonderful dialogue.

He was also a real fashion icon.

As the decade went on, however, the quality of Punishing steadily declined. In 1995, Marvel canceled all of its Punisher comics, relaunching the character two months later in a series where he temporarily went insane and hunted down S.H.I.E.L.D., believing they were responsible for his family’s death. Then he segued into a series where he became the head of an organized crime family, tangled with the X-Men, and grew a ponytail. Somehow this lasted for 18 issues, because comics are ridiculous.

Fast forward to 1998, when the company established an exciting new imprint: Marvel Knights, where creators could focus on producing solid stories and strong character work without having to worry about continuity or crossovers or the often confusing logistics of monthly comics. However, it didn’t quite pan out like that for ol’ Frank. His initial Marvel Knights outing, the four-issue miniseries Punisher: Purgatory, remains one of the lowest points in the character’s history.

The basic storyline: having killed himself off-panel at some indeterminate point in the past, the Punisher is resurrected by the guardian angel who failed to save his family, in what is less a gesture of goodwill and more a gesture of “sorry I let your wife and kids get murdered.” The angel imbues him with supernatural powers so that he can kill demons on heaven’s behalf, which in practice involves walking around with a mystical sigil on his forehead, glowing red eyes, guns that sort of look like an H. R. Giger wannabe’s rough drafts, and of course a black trenchcoat.  Not even the legendary Bernie Wrightson’s pencils could save this.

For whatever reason, Marvel then decided to take just one more shot at the Punisher: Heaven’s Good Shooting Boy schtick with Wolverine/Punisher: Revelation, a miniseries where Frank and his angel guns team up with Canada’s favorite mutant. It was…not well received:

When you’ve run a former tentpole character all the way into the ground, you have two choices: consign them to the scrap heap or make an effort to rediscover what attracted readers to them in the first place. No more coasting on complacency. Thankfully, Marvel opted for choice number two with the Punisher. Who better to bring that to life than Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, a.k.a. the team from Preacher—a comic lauded for blending violence with humor and insightful, heartfelt character work?

That last part proved extremely important for what Ennis and Dillon were doing. Their 12-issue Marvel Knights Punisher series, “Welcome Back, Frank,” got right to the heart of the character rather than trying to figure out new ways to justify his murdering. Together they created a compelling narrative about a man who built an identity out of killing not because he saw himself as a defender of good, but because he chose to live every day as though it were a war, as summed up in moments like this:

“The idea was…I’d eventually redeem myself. Tried it. Didn’t like it.” Who would turn down a clear shot at eternal redemption? Frank Castle, that’s who. Even paradise wasn’t worth giving up the path he’d chosen. Ennis and Dillon’s Punisher sure was entertaining to read about, but he was not a person you would ever want to be.

Within that core concept lay the foundation for the modern incarnation of the Punisher, as well as his resurgence in popularity. The critically acclaimed Punisher MAX series written by Ennis, which inspired the movie Punisher: War Zone and the Marvel Netflix show, expounds on the idea of Frank as having shed his humanity in order to become the character we all know and love/get grim satisfaction from watching.

As the 20th anniversary of the Marvel Knights imprint draws nearer, it’s worth revisiting the Ennis and Dillon Punisher—partially because it tells you who the character is in a straightforward, smart, and always entertaining way, but also because it’s a testament to how much a single run can influence perceptions of a character in the long term. Plus, this panel:

And that, I think, is beyond mere words.

What are your favorite Marvel Knights memories? Tell us in the comments!

Images: Marvel

Have yourself some more Punisher:

7 ridiculous Punisher comic moments.
Our review of Netflix’s Punisher.
How Daredevil‘s best Punisher scene did the comics proud.

Our Best Theories for AVENGERS 4’s Secret Title

When Thanos invades Earth in his quest to collect all of the prettiest rocks in the universe, the Mad Titan will kick off the biggest superhero movie of all-time. Of course Infinity War is just the first half of the story, so it won’t take long for Marvel to top it with Avengers 4. And yet, despite promising to be the most epic showdown in history, it still doesn’t have a public title since apparently the movie’s name will itself be a big spoiler. But the more Marvel tries to hide things from its fans, the deeper they dig, and we’ve got your breakdown of the best candidates based on Marvel comics.

MCU head honcho Kevin Feige himself confirmed the name for Avengers 4 will give a lot away, which is why Marvel is keeping it a secret. So in this special Nerdist News Report Dan Casey examines the four most popular theories out there. Based on various comic book story arcs, they each represent very different paths the studio could take in the ultimate big screen battle for the universe. From the likeliest, to the scariest, to the deadliest, to the biggest dark horse, each theory offers up a very exciting–and terrifying–possibility.

Once we see Infinity War it could become obvious what Avengers 4 will be titled. Or it might just mean we are rooting really hard for one over the rest. But no matter what they call it, we’re going to have theories on what it will mean for the end.

Do you think any of these titles will prove right? Is there another possible name you would bet on? Tell us your best guess in the comments section below.

Featured Image: Marvel

 

Verne Troyer, Best Known as “Mini-Me,” Has Passed Away

He entertained millions with his comedic skills, but like so many great clowns, it seems Verne Troyer was crying for help on the inside. Sadly, he has left us, and in his wake, a Facebook appeal for depression and suicide awareness.

Troyer was best known for his role as Dr. Evil’s small clone “Mini-Me” in the two Austin Powers sequels, but while his casting could have easily been a cheap sight gag, Troyer’s near-wordless performance attested to his great physical skills as an actor and a comic. It was that physicality that got him his first big break in the movies, as a stunt double for the title character of Baby’s Day Out.

Raised Amish in his early years, Troyer left the religion early with his family, and made his big-screen acting debut as the killer marionette in the decidedly non-canonical Pinocchio’s Revenge. Under various costumes, he also played a creature in Wishmaster, an ice-cream sundae in some Ronald McDonald live-action shorts, a baby gorilla in Mighty Joe Young, and Griphook the goblin in the first Harry Potter film. In the end, he’d become most famous as himself, on shows like Trailer Park Boys, Boston Public, and reality shows like The Surreal Life, Welcome to Sweden, and Celebrity Big Brother. On some of them, his struggles with depression came to the fore.

It may seem like meager consolation now, but he leaves behind a legacy of laughter and happiness, not because of what he looked like, but because of what he did with his abilities to elevate the roles he found himself in.

Mini-Me, you completed us. Rest in peace.

Image: New Line Cinema

In other nerd news headlines…

What’s Peter Dinklage’s role in Avengers: Infinity War?
Rescue Rangers get a reimagining.
Check out this cat purr emulator.

Go on a RESCUE RANGERS Nostalgia Trip With This Artist’s Reimagined Character Designs

Ready for a Rescue Rangers nostalgia trip? Given how often I hum the theme song to myself, my answer to that question is “Always,” so I was delighted to see artist Becky Dreistadt’s unofficial renditions of Chip, Dale, Gadget, and Monterey Jack pop up on Twitter this past week.

If you like Chip and Dale, I hope you like the rest of the Rescue Rangers! pic.twitter.com/nwhmpu6Gp8

— Frank & Becky (@beckyandfrank) April 19, 2018

Dreistardt, a character designer for Disney XD’s Star vs. the Forces of Evil, shared her modernized portraits of the chipmunks, Gadget, and the whole gang, plus a slew of what she dubbed “adventure ideas.”

Here’s another adventure idea, we thought it’d be fun if Gadget was a cool 90s Hacker (@BrianLynch) and no one else understood how computers worked pic.twitter.com/hiuu4c0aEG

— Frank & Becky (@beckyandfrank) April 19, 2018

Using the series’ basic concept of Chip and Dale solving mysteries with the aid of one extremely capable mouse in a jumpsuit (Gadget) and another rodent whose cheese fixation is a little over the top (Monty), Dreistadt was able to develop what could easily be a springboard for entire episodes of a Rescue Rangers reboot.

And here’s a little sad one, Monterey Jack has been framed! pic.twitter.com/jG0TvLb6i0

— Frank & Becky (@beckyandfrank) April 19, 2018

I’m particularly intrigued by whatever Monty was framed for. Who did this to you, Monty? Was it Zipper? I never trusted that guy!

Given the proliferation of reboots across all TV genres, a modernized Rescue Rangers doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility. And from the look of it, Dreistadt and her partner Frank Gibson, who contributed both his voice and his writing talent to Bee and PuppyCat, would be the right co-showrunners for the job. My only request: retaining that flawless theme song (though if Ramin Djawadi wants to make it moodier and darker and more epic, I wouldn’t be opposed).

Who was your favorite Rescue Ranger? Let us know in the comments!

Images: Disney Video, Frank & Becky

More Disney news!



Disney Infinity figures get rebooted as Disney Toybox.
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Disney animatronics lose their heads over you.