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UPGRADE’s First Action-Packed Trailer Looks Like Sci-Fi Cyberpunk Awesomeness

You know the days when you’re so tired, frustrated, or unprepared, you’d love nothing more than to turn on a personal autopilot that could take over? Like a setting in our brains to get us through the moments when we aren’t up to the task. But you know when it would really come in handy? When we were seeking revenge against the men who killed our wife, like in the upcoming sci-fi action movie Upgrade, which shows how dangerous we could become someday  if we give ourselves over entirely to a machine.

The first fantastic trailer for the cyberpunk film–which is set in the near future–introduces us to Logan Marshall-Green‘s technophobe Grey Trace. Despite his fears about technology in a world where it already controls almost everything, he has an experimental computer chip implanted in his neck to help him walk again after he was paralyzed during an attack where his wife was killed. But “Stem,” who is like an internal, dystopian modern version of Kit from Knight Rider, does much more than just get him up and about again, it turns Grey into a nearly indestructible vessel and a bio-killing machine.



Considering what Marshall-Green has to convey in those fight scenes–that he isn’t actually in control of his own movements–it’s massively impressive he really isn’t letting a computer move in.

We’re excited by the idea of the movie, which feels like it isn’t far from being a reality. That’s why it’s terrifying to think what could happen if “Stem” decides he should make all the decisions. We know what happened to Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2… Maybe we don’t want an autopilot setting for our brains after all.

Directed by Leigh Whannell (Insidious: Chapter 3), you can Upgrade your movie going experience when the film comes to theaters on June 1.

What do you think of this first trailer? Don’t go on autopilot, share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Featured Image: Blumhouse Tilt

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Choose Your Own Adventure with These Interactive Fiction Games

Interactive fiction could be defined more as a story than a game, although there are certainly game-like elements to keep you involved in the narrative. Similar to Choose Your Own Adventure or text adventure Infocom games (for the grizzled gaming veterans out there), interactive fiction expertly blends a compelling story with mini-games and puzzles for a relaxing and entertaining experience.

These three interactive fiction games were recently released by remarkable indie game studios. They may be shorter than the games you’re used to, but that makes them the perfect way to pass the time when you have an hour to spare on a rainy afternoon, or when you’re looking to load up your smartphone or laptop before a flight home.

A Case of Distrust

 

If you’ve ever wanted to be a detective in a hard boiled murder mystery, A Case of Distrust is the game for you. Set in the 1920s, you take the role of P.C. Malone, a private investigator struggling to make a name for herself as a detective in a man’s world. When a shady character shows up on her doorstep begging for her help, P.C. has no idea about the trouble she’s in for.

This interactive fiction title is striking in its style, with 2D animation and silhouetted characters who feel like they just stepped out of a speakeasy. Along with reading a story that practically feels like historical fiction, you’ll point and click to snoop around for clues, grill your suspects, and flip through your notes to figure out whodunit. (PC/Mac, $14.99)

Florence

Florence is a story that’s both heartwarming and heartbreaking. You’ll remember what it was like to fall in love for the first time as you walk in Florence’s shoes, from the first date, to the first fight, and beyond. The story features snippets of a realistic relationship that pull you in and keep you there with small interactions and mini-games.

One of the most compelling mini-games has you piecing together a conversation as you literally put together jigsaw pieces to keep it going. It’s an apt depiction of what it feels like when you’re putting the first pieces of a person together and seeing if they fit with your own. (And if you’re shy, it’s incredibly accurate about how it can feel when you’re struggling with a conversation.)

Florence isn’t a game you can play through time and time again, but that’s okay, because the story sticks with you long after you finish. It’s short and sweet and utterly romantic. (iOS, $2.99)

True Legacy

True Legacy has the most text of the games in this list, and is also the most mind-bending and smartphone-turning. Different branches of the narrative will have you turning your device to keep reading—and occasionally solving puzzles—before going on in the story.

The app also has the most dynamic and colorful graphics, with 3D scenes set in a future, dystopian Hong Kong that naturally bring Blade Runner to mind. Like A Case of Distrust, you’re a detective investigating a murder, but the similarities end there; this story is much darker. Bleak colors, forensics-based puzzles, and a grim vision of the future make True Legacy stand out as an engaging noir narrative. (iOS, $2.99)

Images: Blindfire Limited, Ben Wander/Serenity Forge, Annapurna Pictures

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Steven Moffat Found the Silliest Way to Make Peter Cushing’s DOCTOR WHO Canon

When you look back at last 12 years of Doctor Who on television, you’ll likely notice a lot of meta in-jokes about the canon of the show and stuff that happened between 1963 and 1989. The modern series’ two showrunners, Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat, were and are huge fans of the series, so it certainly makes sense. But now that neither of them have that job, and are novelizing their own stories, they’re going even more meta! We already told you about Davies referencing future incarnations of the Doctor, post-Whittaker, and now Moffat has found a way to even make Peter Cushing‘s feature films sort of canon.

For those not aware, in 1965 and 1966, Terry Nation–the creator of the Daleks and writer of their first several stories on televised Doctor Who–sold the film rights to the characters to Amicus, who proceeded to adapt the first two Dalek serials into full-color feature films. The basic set-up was changed quite a bit; rather than an alien, the lead character of Dr. Who was a dotty inventor from Earth who created a time and space ship called “Tardis” (no “the,” no acronym) and the companions became his very young granddaughter, his niece, and the niece’s boyfriend. Peter Cushing played Dr. Who and while neither of the movies (Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks Invasion Earth – 2150 AD) are canon, fans have kept them in a special place in their heart.

One of those fans is evidently Moffat. In his novelization of the 50th anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor,” he added an exchange in the UNIT Black Archives between Kate Stewart and Clara Oswald that puts the movies in canon, kind of. According to Radio Times, the Doctor (presumably the First Doctor) allowed movies based on his adventures to be made in the mid-60s, and he became friends with Cushing. They were such good friends he took the aging actor to the future, well after the time of his death, to appear in a movie, a nod to Cushing’s CGI resurrection in Rogue One.

Moffat has mentioned he wanted this scene to be in the original TV special of “The Day of the Doctor,” but the BBC couldn’t, amazingly, secure the rights to the posters for the two Dalek movies. Also added to the novelization are brief appearances by River Song–specifically one meeting the Tenth Doctor again, explaining their exchange in “Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead“– and Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor. There’s even a silly line explaining why the First and Second Doctor stories are in black and white (they were colorblind, obviously).

It makes me laugh that both Moffat and Davies have had literary field days with the adaptations of their stories, embellishing and retrofitting things based on what’s come later. It’ll be fun to read these and find all the little Easter eggs they’re putting in.

Images: BBC/Amicus Pictures

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor and the resident Whovian for Nerdist. Follow him on Twitter!

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Scientists in Antarctica Make a Major Breakthrough Growing Vegetables without Sun or Soil

Scott Watney memorably managed to keep himself alive in The Martian by growing poop potatoes, but the first human to set foot on Mars likely won’t have to resort to such desperate measures to create a sustainable food source now that scientists in Antarctica have managed to grow vegetables without using any sunlight or soil.

The AP reports a team of researchers at Germany’s Neumayer Station III have harvested eight pounds of salad greens, 18 cucumbers, and 70 radishes, all grown in a high-tech greenhouse without using any soil, sunlight, or pesticides. And they did this in an extreme environment, what with the temperatures outside the facility below zero. And this is just the start; their goal is to grow eight to 11 pounds of fruits and vegetables a week starting in May.

Astronauts have previously cultivated greens on the International Space Station, but this breakthrough could have huge ramifications for potential colonization on the moon or Mars, or even for deep space travel. Being able to grow and maintain a fresh food supply in an inhospitable world, or on trips that will take years if not decades, will be incredibly important to mankind’s journey into the cosmos.

As the old adage says, give a man a poop potato and he eats for a day, but teach him how to grow fruits and vegetables without dirt or sunlight and he’ll be much happier and invite a lot of his fellow Martians over for dinner.

What do you think this breakthrough means for the future of space travel? Take a bite out of our comments below with your thoughts.

Images: 20th Century Fox

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Jay and Silent Bob Will Return in Kevin Smith’s New VR Series

It’s been over a decade since Jay and Silent Bob last appeared in Clerks II, but Kevin Smith is giving his signature characters a comeback. Smith has signed on with STX Entertainment to write, create, and direct a new short-form series called Jay and Silent Bob VR.

Via The Tracking Board, Jay and Silent Bob VR will of course star Jason Mewes as Jay alongside Smith as Silent Bob. However, Smith’s appearances in this show may be minimal, since the story will unfold through Silent Bob’s eyes. Essentially, viewers will experience the duo’s misadventures solely from Bob’s perspective, as Jay manages to get them in trouble time and time again.

Smith has previously shared plans to include his iconic duo in further sequels to Mallrats and Clerks, which have yet to come to fruition. Additionally, Smith has hinted at killing off Silent Bob in Moose Jaws, and bringing the duo back to Hollywood for Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. The latter is reported to follow the pair as they try to stop a Bluntman and Chronic reboot from being produced, much in the way they tried to stop the original Bluntman and Chronic movie from being made in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

A production timetable for Jay and Silent Bob VR was not included in the announcement, but it seems likely to begin sometime this year.

Are you excited to see Jay and Silent Bob hit VR? And should the rest of the View Askewniverse join them in their new adventures? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Dimension Films

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BLOCKERS is Fun, Sweet, and a Little Misguided (Review)

If Blockers earns the right to be called remarkable, it’s not on the grounds of imagination. Lining the movie from beginning to end are staples of the gross-out genre so familiar that you’ll be astounded that any creative team thought they could play as new in 2018. We’re talking marathons of inebriation, vomiting medleys, and an increasingly devastating array of wrong-place-wrong-time sexual catastrophes. But mixed in with the lot is a tenderness that does ring as somewhat remarkable, at least considering its home. Blockers may sell tickets on the inferred hilarity of a premise so ostensibly regressive that it, too, feels like a surprising roll of the dice in the present year, but its regular inclinations toward something far sweeter and sharper is what makes the film worth sitting through.

The ill-conceived entry point to which I’m referring is, of course, Lisa (Leslie Mann) and Mitchell’s (John Cena) kneejerk decision to stop their respective teenage daughters from losing their virginities on the night of senior prom. The first of the film’s big surprises is its fairly valiant effort toward contending with just how backwards, immature, and innately misogynistic this plan really is. This end of the philosophical spectrum spawns from, of all places, Ike Barinholtz’s Hunter, estranged father of the third leg of the Lisa’s and Mitchell’s kids’ social tripod. Despite ideological opposition to their mission of chastity, Hunter tags along, mostly by means of contrivance; that he’s such a welcome presence helps to forgive the matter before you have time to give it much thought.

What ensues is a shaggy comedy of errors as the trio high-tails it from one prom night pit stop to the next, always a few leagues shy of their daughters. While the journey’s broadest exploits fall (sometimes morosely) flat, Blockers might just make up for this with such graceful service to the softer end of the comedic spectrum. Between exploits in butt-chugging and crotch-grabbing, we get pithy discussions about subjects as substantial as childrearing, tolerance, and even genuine despair—all allowing for a more intimate connection with the central characters than you’ll likely expect of a movie that builds a comic set piece around John Cena squeezing a blindfolded Gary Cole’s genitals, and all supplying far stronger laughs than the scene in which John Cena is forced to squeeze a blindfolded Gary Cole’s genitals.

The second of the film’s big surprises is just how much of Blockers is devoted to the daughters themselves. While Mann, Cena, and Barinholtz command the bulk of the action and comedy, the younger generation—Julie (Kathryn Newton), Kayla (Geraldine Viswanathan), and Sam (Gideon Adlon)—aren’t exactly relegated to the sporadic cutaway scene. Each of the girls has her own concerns, yearnings, and wacky misadventures, all of which Blockers is willing to contend with in earnest. To a degree.

Dispiritingly, even its strong suits are only halfway realized. Though founded on the rejection of the gender imbalance that has kept tight hold on the sex comedy for decades, Blockers isn’t quite as generous as it seems to think it is in affording its teenage tier the opportunity to show off their propensity for getting wacky. Likewise proud to brandish the banner of queer empowerment, Blockers lands in something of a tricky grey area when it comes to the story surrounding its only gay character.

Ample lip service is paid to the encouragement of Adlon’s Sam to explore and embrace her sexual orientation, not to mention a pair of genuinely sensitive—not altogether fleshed-out, but sensitive nonetheless—scenes devoted to the undertaking that is her coming out. But for every endeavor in bridging the gap between gay stories and straight, there arises another ill-conceived choice pulling these ends apart, principally taking form as an abject tonal shift that transpires whenever Sam interacts with her crush. And did I mention how hard Blockers expects you to laugh at John Cena squeezing a blindfolded Gary Cole’s genitals?

Resting comfortably on the laurels of good intentions—and occasionally up on its high horse about it to boot—Blockers isn’t quite the pioneer of a reinvented genre that it wants to be. To its credit, there are hints of reinvention scattered about, even bolstered to the point of demanding notice by a winning league of women playing the sort of material you don’t usually get to see them play. With her sanity slipping rapidly over the span of the film, Mann goes screwball in a delightful fashion, while newcomers Viswanathan and Adlon tamper expertly in bawdy and awkward.

Yes, this lot is anchored back a bit too far by the film’s weaker, lazier inclinations. But peering through just frequently enough are Blocker‘s brighter notes. They’ll at the very least get you to the end, and perhaps even prove remarkable enough to stick with you thereafter.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Images: Universal

M. Arbeiter is the East Coast Editor of Nerdist. Find them on Twitter @micarbeiter.

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First Reactions to AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Footage Are In

The first reactions to Avengers: Infinity War footage are in and they offer some surprising insights. On today’s Nerdist News Talks Back we discussed what to make of them, along with Amazon‘s grand plans for their Lord of the Rings series, and the trailer for Terry Gilliam‘s Don Quixote movie 20 years in the making.

Dan Casey was back for another day of hosting duties, and he was joined by associate editor Kyle Anderson, social media director Michelle Buchman, and Alpha’s The Wednesday Club host Matt Key. They started with news from THR Amazon has already ordered five seasons of their upcoming Lord of the Rings series. Is this a good strategy, or does this put too much pressure on the show? Will it inevitably be compared to the movies instead of on its own merits? Will the format allow them to include more from the books, or will they have to pad things out like with The Hobbit film trilogy? And is this too soon for a remake, or does a TV series make it different enough?

Another huge franchise also made some big news, after the first 30 minutes of Infinity War was screened in London. (Minor spoiler warning!) Apparently the film’s opening was much funnier than anyone expected. Are we surprised by this when the movie seems so serious? Do we think the reported change in tone from location to location and group to group will work? Or will it make it feel less cohesive? How do we feel about Hawkeye’s continued absence? Is the expected $200 million opening weekend be even remotely possible physically? How many theaters are there? And why does that huge number mean someone in our office possibly made the single worst bet of all time?

Finally, after nearly two decades of developmental hell Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote got a trailer. Why did this movie take so long to get made? What did we think of this first look? Are we fans of the classic story? Is the time right for a new adaptation? And since it still has legal issues surrounding it, will it actually be released?



Nerdist News Talks Back airs live on our YouTube and Alpha channels Monday through Thursday at 1 p.m. PT, but don’t forget to tune in tomorrow to Nerdist News What the Fridays, our hour long recap of the pop culture week that airs at 1 p.m. PT exclusively at Alpha. Because when Hawkeye finally does show up, you’ll know where you can discuss it.

What did you think of today’s show though? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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Will J.J. Abrams Retcon STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI?

It’s been a few months since Star Wars: The Last Jedi completely destroyed fan theories that Rey was secretly related to the primary characters of the original trilogy. She’s not a Skywalker, or a Solo, or even a Kenobi—she’s simply a young woman whose parents abandoned her on Jakku. But according to Simon Pegg, J.J. Abrams had a very different idea about Rey’s parents in The Force Awakens. Today’s Nerdist News is investigating whether Abrams will go back to his original plans when he closes out the new trilogy with Episode IX.

Join guest host and Rathtar whisperer, Kyle Hill, as he runs a landspeeder over Pegg’s comments. We can probably assume Pegg was joking about his character, Unkar Plutt, being Rey’s father. However, we do take Pegg at his word when he said Abrams had a “relevant lineage” in mind for Rey when he introduced her. Rey’s Force vision in The Force Awakens appears to back up this theory, as we even got a new line from Obi-Wan Kenobi in there.

Considering Rey learned about her parents from Kylo Ren, there’s a ready-made excuse to change the past. Kylo could have easily been lying to Rey in order to win her allegiance. But just because Abrams can retcon The Last Jedi doesn’t mean he will. Abrams has repeatedly said how much he loved the script for The Last Jedi, and it doesn’t sound like he’s upset at all about the change to Rey’s origins.

If we had to place a bet, we’d put money down on Abrams letting the revelation stand in Episode IX. He’s got enough to do while trying to wrap up the Skywalker saga without throwing one more retcon into the mix. But we’ll know for certain when Episode IX arrives in theaters late in 2019.

Do you think Abrams should change Rey’s past to restore the “relevant lineage”? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

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Images: Lucasfilm

Studio Ghibli Co-Founder Isao Takahata Has Died at 82

Reports from Yahoo! Japan have come in that Isao Takahata, who co-founded the legendary Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki in 1985, has died at the age of 82. Takahata’s career in film spanned over 50 years and include some Ghibli’s finest work, including his masterpiece, Grave of the Fireflies, which has its 30th anniversary this year. It is an incredibly sad day for anyone who loves animation, and film in general.

To say Takahata was a pioneer in Japanese animation is an understatement. He brought techniques theretofore unheard of in the medium to the mainstream all the way back with his first feature, 1968’s Horus, Prince of the Sun. These included adult storytelling, psychological realism, visual complexity, overt political and social themes, and stylistic violence, all of which have become hallmarks of anime ever since. He treated animation like a medium to tell stories of all kinds, not a genre in and of itself. His working relationship with Hayao Miyazaki began in the 1970s and following the production of Miyazaki’s 1984 film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the pair founded Studio Ghibli, along with producer Toshio Suzuki.

Two years back I did a retrospective of Takahata’s films (which you can find here) and going in I certainly wasn’t as familiar with his work as I was with Miyazaki’s. The experience was nothing short of revelatory. Though he directed fewer films than his co-founder, I find that Takahata’s work was always stretching the boundaries of the art form, and shifted styles almost every movie. Fireflies features bitter, tragic realism, whereas Pom Poko was a surrealist environmentalist film. My Neighbors the Yamadas was done in the style of a comic strip, with the story split into smaller vignettes, while his final film as director, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, looks like an ancient watercolor tapestry brought to life. I came away feeling like I might actually like him more than Miyazaki.

Kaguya earned Takahata his only Oscar nomination in 2014, though his final film as producer, Michael Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle, was also nominated, in 2017. While Miyazaki has always gotten more acclaim, he would certainly never have had the level of success without his collaboration with Takahata, an artist who never stopped looking to the future of his chosen art.

Images: Toho/Studio Ghibli

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He’s the writer of Studio Ghibli retrospectives Miyazaki Masterclass, Takahata Textbook, and Ghibli Bits. Follow him on Twitter!

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Y: THE LAST MAN Gets a Pilot Order From FX

It’s been a long journey to bring Y: The Last Man to live-action. Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s popular comic book series was originally going to be a feature film before it languished in development hell (or “DeHELLopment”) for years. FX has developed Y: The Last Man for television over the past three years, and now the project is finally moving forward.

FX has announced a pilot order for Y: The Last Man, which will apparently go by the shortened title Y. The original comic was first published by Vertigo in 2002, and it followed amateur escape artist Yorick Brown, as he inexplicably became the only living male human following an unexpected plague. Alongside his pet monkey, Ampersand, Yorick was forced to travel through a world controlled by women with the fate of humanity’s future dependent upon his survival.

Vaughan will be an executive producer on the potential series, and he developed it for television alongside co-showrunners Michael Green and Aida Mashaka Croal. Melina Matsoukas is also attached as an executive producer and the director of the pilot episode.

Given the long-form story of the comic, television may prove to be the best home for Y. The Walking Dead and Preacher have found success at AMC, while FX’s Legion has taken a lesser known Marvel hero and transformed his story into a mind-bending drama. We’re eager to see Y take shape, and hope it will get a chance to complete its tale after a multi-season run.

Who would you cast in Y? Share your dream picks in the comment section below!

Images: Vertigo

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