Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1783

THE SHAPE OF WATER’S Fish Man Spirals Downward in This Deleted SNL Short

John Mulaney‘s hosting gig on Saturday Night Live last night was one of the best in a long time, with sketches that were pretty consistently laugh-out-loud funny and mostly managed to be so by being amusing and strange rather than overtly topical. But there was one bit cut for time that also feels like it might have been appropriately cut for tone. It’s definitely weird, a month or so shy of being topical, and a subdued kind of funny. But dare we say–it’s strangely poignant while being utterly absurd.

It involves the Fish Man from The Shape of Water. Forget that you and I know that the movie performer is the brilliant Doug Jones in a costume; in this version, he’s a real fish man (Kyle Mooney) who just wants to be a photographer rather than a movie star, and cedes all his post-Oscar opportunities to fellow gilled-dude Roger (Mulaney). Things don’t work out the way he hopes. And while this short film isn’t by Guillermo del Toro (as far as we know, anyway), it does manage to make you feel for a guy in a goofy rubber mask too. Plus there’s a great and unexpected celebrity cameo.

It’s about life. Get it?

Oddly, that wasn’t the only semi-sad story of an ocean-dwelling humanoid. In the night’s best and most random sketch that did make it to air, Pete Davidson orders lobster at a Greek diner, only to have said crustacean (Kenan Thompson) and his daughter (and the waitstaff) segue into a full-on performance of Les Miserables. SNL often does song parodies, but full-on musicals are rare.

What was your favorite SNL moment? Let’s discuss in comments.

Image: NBC

The Shape of Water, in review…

Read our original assessment of this year’s Best Picture.
Check out the visual effects breakdown.
And celebrate the real actor behind the Fish Man.

GODZILLA and PACIFIC RIM UPRISING Team Up in Awesome Japanese Poster

Last fall, the director of Pacific Rim Uprising, Steven S. DeKnight, teased the possibility of Legendary’s Monsterverse (including Godzilla and King Kong) crossing over with the Pacific Rim universe. While the chances of that happening in live-action seem remote, at least for now, the dream team up has already occurred in an epic poster illustrated by Hidetaka Tenjin.

Via Anime News Network, Tenjin was commissioned to create this image to promote the upcoming Japanese release dates for Pacific Rim: Uprising and Godzilla: Kessen Kidō Zōshoku Toshi (Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle), an animated movie which continues the story of last year’s Godzilla anime feature.

Joining Big G on the poster are Pacific Rim: Uprising‘s jaegers: Gipsy Avenger, Saber Athena, Bracer Phoenix, and Guardian Bravo. The jaegers are the pinnacle of giant robot technology in their world, and they were designed to take on all manner of kaiju. They’ve taken on some impressive creatures, but Godzilla is rightfully called the “King of the Monsters.” He rarely loses a fight against anyone. That said, the jaegers are faster and more agile than Godzilla’s usual foes. They may even have the power to take out Godzilla, especially if he faces more than one at a time.

There would be some hurdles to overcome before any crossover could take place. For example, Pacific Rim and Godzilla take place in very different time periods. But it’s far from impossible. Perhaps Godzilla has simply been in hibernation in the Pacific Rim universe until awakening at a time when humanity is well-equipped to confront him. We’d pay good money to see that story on the big screen!

What do you think about the Godzilla and Pacific Rim Uprising crossover poster? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Legendary Pictures/Universal Pictures/Toho

Editor’s note: Nerdist Industries is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

Calling all monsters:

How every major movie monster compares in size.
How do the monsters of A Quiet Place hunt?
Guillermo del Toro apologizes for not taking on the Universal Monsters.

Will the Mega Drive Mini Be the Sega Genesis Classic of Our Dreams?

Nintendo’s NES Classic and SNES Classic editions reignited demand for casual retro gamers, and both miniature consoles are still difficult to get a hold of for various reasons. Since Sega was Nintendo’s main rival during the 16-bit era, we’ve been eagerly waiting for competition in the equivalent of a Sega Genesis Classic. Now, that device may actually be on the way.

Via Kotaku, Sega announced that the Mega Drive Mini will be available in Japan later this year. Since the Mega Drive was called the Genesis in North America, it stands to reason that the Sega Genesis Mini will eventually be released over here as well. But will this outperform Nintendo’s classic editions? There is some cause for concern, since the Mega Drive Mini will be using AtGames’ technology. AtGames is the company behind last year’s AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback HD.

「メガドライブ」誕生30周年記念！

『メガドライブ ミニ』（仮称）2018年発売決定！

思い出の名作ゲームの数々が、これ1台で楽しめます！#セガフェス #メガドライブ #メガドライブ30周年https://t.co/HWj6NFL96y pic.twitter.com/0C9QH1l5Mr

— セガ公式アカウント (@SEGA_OFFICIAL) April 14, 2018

The Sega Genesis Flashback had a lineup of over 80 games, but it artificially boosted its count with Sega Master System and Game Gear titles rather than sticking to the Genesis’ lineup. Most of the first-party Sega games made the cut, including the Sonic the Hedgehog titles. But the Flashback inexplicably had trouble emulating the framerate of Sonic’s games, which are nearly three decades old. The Flashback also left out Ecco the Dolphin, Streets of Rage, and ToeJam & Earl, despite being first-party Sega games. Those should have been no-brainers!

Beyond that, what we’d really love to see from the Sega Genesis Mini are some of the third party and licensed games that made the original system great. Remember Sega’s Spider-Man game? Or Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse? X-Men, Earthworm Jim, Aladdin, Joe Montana Football, Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, Castlevania: Bloodlines, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist would be among our picks. And since technology has greatly evolved since the days of the Sega CD, would it be too much to ask for some of those games as well?

The Sega Genesis is an all-time great console, and it deserves to have as many of its best games as possible. Don’t let us down this time, AtGames!

Which titles do you want to see on a Sega Genesis Mini? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Sega

More video game news!

Assassin’s Creed and Portal fashions!
Here’s our review of the newest God of War.
Spyro the Dragon is back and in hi-def.

Cookie Monster Takes Confession on THE LATE SHOW

Who knows what secrets lie in the heart of Sesame Street? It may be a welcoming and inclusive show, but its iconic Jim Henson creations have been around almost 50 years and they’ve taken on a life of their own. Perhaps none more so than the Cookie Monster, one of Sesame Street‘s breakout characters. Recently, Cookie Monster was the featured guest of Stephen Colbert‘s “Midnight Confessions” skit on The Late Show , and while he may be non-denominational, he did feel the need to share some of his deepest secrets with Colbert and the studio audience.



If you thought Cookie Monster was remarkably well preserved for a puppet, it’s because he’s been cheating. During confession, Cookie Monster admitted his blue fur has long since turned grey. However, he hides the grey fur by using “Just for Monsters.”  Cookie Monster also fessed up about his secret shame: he’s still not very good at the alphabet even though he’s been tutoring kids for years. There’s just something about the letter “C” that completely catches Cookie Monster’s attention any time he tries to go past it.

Of course, the only reason Cookie Monster took part in the bit was to promote his new book, The Joy of Cookies: Cookie Monster’s Guide to Life, which was released earlier this week. Essentially, it’s an advice book that always manages to incorporate cookies into almost any situation. Plus, it comes with a cover that looks like Cookie Monster took a bite out of each book.

What do you think about Cookie Monster’s secrets? Steal one of his cookies and confess your own sins in the comment section below!

Image: CBS

More Henson creature fun!

Adam Savage checks out a Jim Henson exhibit.
The Dark Crystal: the board game.
Will the next Muppets reboot get it right?

Shia LaBeouf Plays Tennis With a Porg in Jimmy Kimmel’s Fan Trailer

If you’re our type of reader, and you heard there was a movie coming out called Borg vs. McEnroe, you could be forgiven–as some of us yearn to be–for assuming a new Star Trek movie was coming out, with alien collectivists trying to absorb and cyborg-ize some new Irish captain. In fact, it’s about a tennis championship bout between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, as well as a comeback of sorts for Shia LeBeouf, with the bad boy of acting stepping into the tennis shoes of the baddest boy to wield a racquet.

Jimmy Kimmel, however, had a totally different science-fiction reference in mind when he and his team created this trailer for a proposed sequel; a sequel, we should note, that we’d definitely be all-in for:

Perhaps the best part of the joke is the fact that it targets two groups one might perceive as being mutually exclusive: tennis fans from the ’80s and The Last Jedi fans of today, and Kimmel seems to know it, as he goes into the audience afterwards to explain the joke. In theory, comedy isn’t funny if you have to explain it, but David Letterman made an art of the comedy of over-explanation, and Kimmel seems to have a knack for it as well.

Also, look at da weedle Porg wiv da weedle racquet! D’awwwww.

Would you pre-order tickets to a Porg tennis movie? The only acceptable answer should be yes, but if you think we’re wrong (or not), let us know why in comments!

Images: ABC/Neon

It’s a Porgapalooza!

The Last Jedi‘s animation supervisor talks Porgs.
14 Porg-inspired recipes.
Look at all these Porg tattoos!

This Dope Fashion Line Brings PORTAL and ASSASSIN’S CREED to Life

When gaming, customizing skins can go beyond creating a playable avatar, sometimes you wish you could dress in real life to actually become that character. Cosplay may be more involved than you want to get, but there’s something about putting on a piece of clothing that can change your attitude and bring your closer to your favorite films and video games.

Thankfully, Volante Design is making it that much easier to bring casual gaming cosplay into your every day life.

Inspired by gaming, comics, anime, and film, the streetwear is elegant and stylish, designed to protect you from the elements, yet infused with the style of geek culture.

The sleek designs are inspired by games like Portal, Assassin’s Creed, and more. With product names like Hacker and Augment, the online world is a big inspiration, but there are also items labeled as “scavenger” which hint at a life on the remote Star Wars planet of Jakku. The allusions to gaming and films are subtle, and while pieces will be familiar to eagle-eyed fans, to everyday folk they just appear to be nothing more than beautifully tailored coats.

This is what makes these jackets perfect for transitioning from con-life to daily life.

The coats are stylized with detachable hoods, and fine pocket and zipper detailing. These little additions add a lot when it comes to the overall look and feel of the designs. They are finely finished and look it, with slim-lined vests full of flare and coattails aplenty—you’ll look like you’ve walked right out of a video game.

Check out our favorite designs in the gallery below and see the entire collection on volantedesign.us.

Which of your favorite games would you like to see inspire fashion? Let us know in the comments and tag @nerdist and @justjenn on twitter!

Want More Fashion?

These pokémon shoes are so cute!
We love these DC Comics suits.
And don’t get us started on these Disney heels!

Images: Volante Design

We Got an Up-Close Look at NASA’s New Mars Insight Lander

NASA wants to send mankind to Mars, but before we can visit our cosmic neighbor we need to know a lot more about the Red Planet, like “what is it made out of?” and “what the heck is inside of it?” That’s why they’ll soon be launching a brand new, very special lander, to answer questions that will be vital to the safety of human exploration. Because the last thing we want to do is send our brave astronauts to a place full of Mole People. Yeah, we’re not sure if Mars is full of Mole People or not. That’s why, with so much on the line, we wanted to get an up-close look at the very important Mars Insight lander.

In this out of this world edition of Nerdist News Jessica Chobot asked newly anointed space correspondent Aliza Pearl about her visit to Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc, California, where she got to see Insight in person. Unlike past landers, which have surveyed the planet’s atmosphere and surface, Insight is designed to examine the inner-workings of Mars’ to learn things like what the planet is made out of, how it formed, and what lies underneath it. Because it could be concealing caverns, lakes, or those dreaded underground dwellers who won’t take kindly to us “aboveground” folk.

The window for launch, which will be NASA’s first ever from the West Coast, opens on May 5th (that would make for one hell of a Cinco de Mayo celebration), and they are targeting late November for a Mars arrival. Of course, like all landers, it will still have to survive the dreaded “Seven Minutes of Terror,” where everything has to go exactly right for it to make it through Mars’ atmosphere before slowing down enough to gently land on the planet.

And then of course there could always be Mole People to deal with! What? We don’t know. Well, yeah, we probably do know, but Mole People or not Mars still has a lot of other secrets it’s hiding below the surface, and we can’t wait to find out what they are. Especially so we won’t be caught off guard when we finally get their ourselves.

What do you think Insight will learn about Mars? Give us all of your theories, no matter how nuts they might sound.

Featured Image: NASA

Make Your IRON MAN Dreams Come True with This Japanese Exoskeleton

Since movies were invented, they have given us a glimpse into the future. There are the dystopian worlds of Metropolis and Mad Max. There are the nicer ones like Back to the Future Part II. We’ve also seen movies where technology is set years before our time, even when it’s present day, like Iron Man. The team at Japanese company Skeletonics have created an exoskeleton that while doesn’t come with its own F.R.I.D.A.Y., will give you the feeling of an Avenger.

Reported by Kotaku, this suit lets you get inside it, move its arms, and walk around in it. Other than that, it does…nothing else. Reyes Tatsuru Shiroku, the suit’s creator, said they “weren’t really worried about making anything useful.” Pardon us, but walking around in a robot suit is the DEFINITION of useful.

We get that sitting in your own robot skeleton egging someone on for a scuffle looks great…on paper. Please keep in mind that it has ZERO weapons and does not give you super strength. But who knows? You might be able to mod it with some sort of force field generator, but that’s all on you.

You’ll be able to pick up your own version of this suit for a measly 10,000,000 yen—approximately $93,500. Here’s a cool idea: get four of your friends to buy one as well, then all of you run into each other. Send us a picture if you turn into Voltron and we will be sure post it. (JK don’t do that, it sounds dangerous and unsafe.)

Even though the “future” is not coming as quickly as movies had led us to believe, we are definitely on our way there. We’re still waiting for webshooters that don’t just use silly string. C’mon, SCIENCE!!

You can check out more videos from Skeletonics on their YouTube channel here.

So what do you think? Are you willing to shell out $93K to become one of the first Iron Men? Let me know on Twitter @donnielederer or sound off in the comments below.

Need More Cool Tech?

Look at this working robot hand…made out of cardboard.
Elon Musk wants to shoot a giant harpoon into space to collect trash.
A hydraulic press made a working fry pan out of tinfoil.

Images: Skeletonics

Make Out of This World Meals With These Beautiful Cosmic Knives

Every chef hopes their meal will wow, but now you don’t have to wait for dinner to be served to impress your guests, because you can give them an out of this world experience while you prepare their food with these beautiful knives decorated with images of the cosmos.

We came across this colorful collection of cutlery at Geek X Girls, and it comes from Chef’s Vision. Each knife in this six-piece, FDA-approved, dishwasher safe set features “a stunning color image of the unfolding universe.” The photos also have a practical purpose though, because they make them nonstick.

“The blades are high quality, durable stainless steel honed to razor sharpness for cutting ease. The solidly constructed handles are ergonomically designed for a balanced, secure grip, and they’re color-coded so busy chefs can easily find the right knife, to help prevent food cross-contamination.”

In addition to a pairing, utility, santoku, slicing, bread, and chef’s knife, the set also comes with a bonus 12-page color booklet guide to each knife, which also includes information about the gorgeous piece of the universe displayed on each.

But don’t worry, because if you’re the type of person who prefers the beauty of our world to the wonders of the universe, they also have a set of knives adorned with landscape images of our own celestial home. You can order both sets, currently on sale, for $49.99, from Chef’s Vision. Because why should the end of the meal be the only part of the process that is out of this world?

What would be the most appropriate meal to prepare with cosmic knives? Cut up our comments section with your best idea.

Images: Chef’s Vision

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George R.R. Martin’s “Not a Blog” has left LiveJournal !
We ranked every Friday the 13th movie!
3 women detectives we can’t wait to meet !

TV’s Ghost Rider Is the New TERMINATOR

Like that fate that befell Sarah Connor when she became the mother of future resistance leader John Connor via John sending his own unwitting father back in time, the eventuality of another Terminator movie is barreling toward us. Now, however, James Cameron is co-producing a reboot of his original movie’s timeline (because it’s always been FUBAR, more so after Genisys) with Deadpool director Tim Miller sitting in the driver’s seat. We knew there was going to be a new titular cybernetic killing machine, but now we know who it’s going to be: Gabriel Luna, best known for playing Robbie Reyes/Ghost Rider on ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The news comes to us from Deadline which also announced other new cast members Natalia Reyes (Lady, La Vendedora de Rosas) and Diego Boneto (Scream Queens). They join already announced cast members Mackenzie Davis, Diego Bonita, and returning cast members Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton. This will be a reboot of the franchise of everything after the 1984 original movie, meaning T2 is gone, but so is everything else, which is maybe better.

 

Luna appeared in the first eight episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s fourth season as the Robbie Reyes incarnation of Ghost Rider and was an immediate standout. His pick as the new Terminator is an inspired one and perhaps means they’re going in a more Robert Patrick as T-1000 direction, a Terminator who can be a little more inconspicuous than the enormous beef boy that was Schwarzenegger in the ’80s.

While we’re not immediately sold on the idea of a Terminator franchise reboot, the cast choices thus far, and especially Luna, have us very intrigued; we are cautiously optimistic. What do you think? Are you ready for more Terminator or are you ready to say “hasta la vista, baby?” Let us know in the comments below!

Images: ABC

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!

More of the latest in nerd news!

George R.R. Martin’s “Not a Blog” has left LiveJournal !
We ranked every Friday the 13th movie!
3 women detectives we can’t wait to meet !