Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1809

NECA Delivers the Largest DAREDEVIL Figure to Date (Toy Review)

The first question you may have when you see NECA‘s 18-inch Daredevil action figure is, “Why not the Netflix version?” But examining their previous Marvel comic-based figure may answer that. Yes, NECA more frequently makes figures based on the live-action Marvel characters, but their first comic-based one was Deadpool, and they’ve now done three variants, not counting the three-foot tall upscaled version. Comics Daredevil is versatile like that, too, and leaves room for alternate color schemes down the line. Plus no Charlie Cox likeness fee.

Hasbro, who make 12-inch Marvel figures, have seemingly noticed what NECA is doing and are playing to compete, releasing, for example, an oversized Hulk right after NECA did. NECA made Deadpool, so Hasbro did a Deadpool with extra comedic accessories, and now NECA’s putting out an “Ultimate” version with even wackier accessories, including a gruesome exposed brain that family friendly Hasbro can’t do. NECA announced Daredevil at Toy Fair last year; Hasbro rushed out their own to be ready first, at San Diego Comic-Con. Both have bonus unmasked heads and mask accessory to hold in-hand; Hasbro added bonus bloody taped fists.

NECA’s, however, is worth the wait. Like their Deadpool, it may be comic-based but it’s packed with realistic detail above and beyond any artwork on the page. Small silver rivets adorn the outfit, while the shinguards, gauntlets, knee pads and belt buckle have a metallic sheen. “Battle damage” scratches show the wear and tear of crime-fighting.

Articulation is pretty standard, with double-jointed elbows and knees, ab crunch, waist twist, and pretty much everything you can see. What’s new is that the ball-jointed wrists have a much greater range of motion than usual, which means swapping out his hands can be a challenge, as the peg may move to the side if you push the hand on it too quickly.

Daredevil has three sets of hands: fists, club holding, and a “talk to the hand” left hand with a “hold my mask loosely” right hand. The mask does not fit on the unmasked head; as with the Hasbro version, it’s a display accessory.

The open ear-holes do bring up an interesting point, though. Since his ears are red as Daredevil, Matt Murdock must be painting them, just as most movie Batmen paint black around their eyes and it is never acknowledged whatsoever in the story. (Face paint is really hard to get out of the ears, y’all.)

Daredevil’s two clubs fit nicely in his hip holster, and include multiple attachments that can be put between them, or just on one. There’s a long stick (it looks collapsible, but isn’t):

Two lengths of nun-chucks (short and long):

And a grappling hook that does not look like it will hold his weight (don’t try it; just use it for display).

While the lower right leg joint below the knee is a little loose on mine, the fact that it’s a ratcheting joint allows it to stay in place, which is the benefit of that kind of articulation to begin with. But even though you can pose the figure many ways, it looks really good in neutral-ish positions.

However, if you actually want him to, oh, I dunno, ride a unicorn…you can pose him that way.

Because Hasbro’s Daredevil was a Comic-Con exclusive (there may yet be a non-exclusive version, but they have not announced such), it’ll run you a good $80 or so on eBay. Like a movie theater concession stand employee, then, I’ll ask: would you like to upgrade to a large for just $30 more?

You could always get both, of course. But while Hasbro’s is a very cool figure, NECA’s is a work of art.

Which would you pick? Comment below, or talk toys with me on Twitter @LYTrules.

Images: Luke Y. Thompson

Dare to bedevil these other stories:

Scientifically accurate Daredevil is batty, man.
Daredevil TV theme a capella.
When’s Bullseye coming to TV?

Make Your Summer Magical With a Ginormous Inflatable Unicorn Sprinkler

If you’re like I am and you prefer sunbathing to skiing, the best way to get through the dark, cold winter months is to picture what it will be like sitting poolside while hot dogs and burgers sizzle on the grill. Which is why there’s always so much pressure for every summer to be perfect, because before you know it the snow and ice will return. So how can you assure that those warm months are magical this year? By getting a huge inflatable unicorn sprinkler that shoots water from its horn.

This Ginormous Unicorn Yard Sprinkler (actual name), that we first learned about at Romper, comes from Big Mouth Inc. Standing seven-feet tall, the light-weight mythical creature has a simple design. After you inflate it you connect a regular garden hose and water sprays from its magical horn. It even has a wide-mouth cap air valve so you can quickly deflate it and store it.

Of course, not everyone is enamored with unicorns, so if you find real animals and dinosaurs more magical you can also get their equally huge elephant or T-Rex models. You can find a list of the company’s dealers here, and it retails for as little as $50 at Target.

But can you really put a price on making your summer the best it can be? Maybe you can in July, but not in the middle of winter.

Which animal–real, mythical, or extinct–would make for the best poolside companion? Spray our comments section below with your best idea.

Images: Big Mouth Inc.

Unicorns and rainbows everywhere…

Is the crying unicorn candle cute or terrifying?
The Last Unicorn Blu-ray is worth your time.
Ice crystals under a microscope are unicorn tears.

Watch Wes Anderson’s ISLE OF DOGS Come to Life in a Behind-the-Scenes Video

Making a stop-motion animation feature film seems like such a daunting task that director Wes Anderson might have had an easier time if his upcoming new movie Isle of Dogs was a live-action film set on an actual island full of trash. And a new behind-the-scenes video about how animators brought these very good doggos to life shows that while the final product is a visually stunning piece of art, the craftsmanship that goes into making it is just as impressive as the end product.

In this featurette from Fox Searchlight, we get to learn how 27 animators and ten assistants carefully–and painstakingly–turned a collection of human and dog puppets into creatures that look like they are living, breathing beings. Their process, which included studying the actual movements of people and dogs, hand-crafting countless different mouths for each human character so they could capture a wide range of emotions, and getting real-life video examples from Wes Anderson, is less about moving the puppets a little bit, and more about putting together an actual performance.



It makes sense that certain animators would excel at different aspects of the film making process, but the fact an artist can specifically be better at the nailing the timing of joke even when doing stop-motion animation is pretty incredible. How quickly do you realize you have a penchant for comedic timing when a five-second joke takes 40 minutes to film?

That’s just another reason to love stop-motion animation, especially because it would probably be harder to get a joke just right with a real dog on an actual trash island.

What aspect of making a stop-motion film do you find most impressive? Bark out your favorite in our comments below.

Featured Image: Fox Searchlight

Like stop-motion? Here’s more:

116 years of stop-motion in three minutes.
Seven non-scary stop-motion Halloween flicks.
SpongeBob’s stop-motion Halloween song.

Watch Bill Murray Recite a Poem About Dogs, From SXSW

No one can ever quite predict what Bill Murray is going to do from moment-to-moment. One day, Murray might crash a wedding party, and on the next night, join strangers for a round of karaoke. However, Murray has been known to occasionally share his love of poetry in unexpected places. This week at SXSW, Entertainment Weekly spotted Murray giving a live reading of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s “Dog” while accompanied by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

#BillMurray reading a poem about a dog is something you never knew you needed…until now. @isleofdogsmovie #SXSW pic.twitter.com/z7GkTsy4rG

— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) March 18, 2018

Ferlinghetti wrote “Dog” in the ’50s, and the line about Congressman Doyle as “just another fire hydrant” may have been Ferlinghetti’s commentary on the real Congressman Clyde Doyle, who was a part of the House Un-American Activities Committee. The rest of the poem appears to celebrate the innocence of the titular dog and his unique perspective on life. “The dog trots freely in the street and sees reality.” It’s hard to argue with that!

Murray came to SXSW to promote his role in Isle of Dogs, the upcoming stop-motion animated feature directed by Murray’s frequent collaborator, Wes Anderson. It takes place in a dystopian future where dogs have been forced to live apart from humanity; Murray provided the voice of Boss, a dog that attempts to help a boy named Atari reunite with his own canine companion. Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, and Jeff Goldblum portray the other dogs in Boss’ pack. It will be out in theaters on Friday, March 23.

What did you think about Murray’s reading of “Dog”? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Images: EW/Fox Searchlight

Doggos galore!

Instagram photos of dogs in food.
Halloween parades for dogs.
Dogs visiting a drive-through bagel shop.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Imagines the Lost JURASSIC PARK Auditions

It’s hard to believe we’re coming up on the 25th anniversary of Jurassic Park, the movie that made realistic CGI look achievable, and Jeff Goldblum pose like a bare-chested, desirable invalid. To celebrate, last night’s Bill Hader-hosted Saturday Night Live imagined the auditions for the movie that didn’t quite work out, in the kind of retro-sketch that allows for impersonations that don’t necessarily fit anything up to the minute (Alan Alda, anyone?).



At the risk of nit-picking the veracity of a sketch that makes no serious claims on realism, not every one of these auditions would ever conceivably have happened. While No Doubt did exist as a band, they were still a couple of years away from a big enough breakthrough that Gwen Stefani would be auditioning for anything this huge (or with anything other than platinum blonde hair), and Pee-wee Herman was still shaking a certain scandal stigma that wouldn’t really leave until after Paul Reubens appeared in 1999’s Mystery Men. Still, no reason to throw those impersonations out with the metaphorical bath water. Sinbad and Jaleel White are very much of the era, and it’s nice to finally hear an Ellen DeGeneres impersonation that doesn’t rely on merely exaggerating her Southern accent; long before becoming a down-to-earth talk show host, she was a hugely successful deadpan stand-up.

Another thing to notice is that none of the celebrities is trying out for the role of Ian Malcolm. Even in fictional satire, everybody acknowledges that it could only have been Jeff Goldblum. Oh for a world in which Pearl Jam actually did the soundtrack, though.

Did these parodies dino-soar or dino-sink? Hold onto your butts as we discuss this in comments!

Image: NBC

Jurassic Park is always open for article business.

The Sexy Jeff Goldblum Funko Pop is an ideal gift.
Fisher Price made a kid-sized Jurassic Park jeep.
Everything we know about Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Jeff Goldblum Fondles His JURASSIC PARK Funko Pops on CONAN

Earlier this year, Funko revealed that its plans for Jurassic Park inspired Pops included “Injured Ian Malcolm.” However, fans know it better as “Shirtless Jeff Goldblum.” It’s already proven to be a popular pre-order figure, but there may not be anyone who loves it more than Goldblum himself! During a recent appearance on Conan, Goldblum was invited by Conan O’Brien to rub his own “doll’s nipples,” and he readily agreed to. In fact, Goldblum even admitted to thinking about doing something even more extreme than just fondling the Ian Malcolm Pop.



Goldblum appears to be more familiar with Funko Pops than O’Brien, and he’s always prone to break into song at a moment’s notice. Although O’Brien brought up Goldblum’s return to the franchise in next summer’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, that topic of conversation just didn’t come up again after the Pops came out. However, Goldblum did make a point of telling O’Brien that he loves it when people do impressions of him even when they’re bad impressions. Goldblum even let O’Brien try on his glasses to better channel his inner-Goldblum.



Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait long for Goldblum’s next cinematic appearance. Goldblum is lending his voice to Wes Anderson‘s new stop-motion animated film, Isle of Dogs. Goldblum is portraying Duke, a dog whose pack is attempting to help reunite a boy and his canine companion. According to Goldblum, he recorded his lines over the phone because of schedule conflicts. So he literally phoned in his performance.

What do you think about Goldblum’s doll fondling desires? Translate your thoughts into Goldblums in the comment section below!

Image: TBS

More, ah, ah, Funko news. Yes!

The Shape of Water gets sexy Funkos.
Does Funko endorse ReyLo?
The documentary movie about Funko is a fan’s dream.

These Full-Body DRAGON BALL Z Tattoos Are Over 9000

Tattoos are representative of different things. They are used to remember loved ones. They are used to symbolize memories or events in a person’s life. They are also used as a declaration of one’s love for their favorite things, things which mean something to them. From Spider-Man to Star Wars, men and women all around the world use tattoos to show what means the world to them. In the case of Owan Kranseen from Nakhon Pathom Province in Thailand, his love for Dragon Ball Z and its characters is without reproach.

Reported by Kotaku, this is not a long-sleeve t-shirt from Anime World. Owan’s chest, back, and both arms are covered with the characters from the popular cartoon.

Sporting what looks like every character from the series from Goku to Gotenks, you could probably trace a timeline of the Dragon Ball Z’s entirety across Owan’s body if you wanted to. It would probably be the Dragon Ball Z Kai version, though. We don’t think ANYONE’s body could go through the tattooing required to cover all the filler episodes.

Tattoos are a visual representation of a person’s emotional response to something. Something trivial to one person might mean the world to another. In Owan’s case, Dragon Ball Z is everything to him. Kudos for not being afraid to express it.

You can check out more pictures of Owan’s multiple tatoos on his Facebook Page here.

So what do you think? What pop culture icons would you deem worthy to cover your entire body with? Let me know on Twitter @donnielederer or sound off in the comments below.



Image: Funimation

Choose news of tattoos that you can use…

Porg tattoos!
Jeff Goldblum reviews Jeff Goldblum tattoos.
Smart ink tats can monitor your health.

This Robot is Better At Basketball Than You

Are robots going to take over the world? Sure, we like to make jokes about a robot takeover, and things can sometimes get a bit too real when our favorite virtual assistant seems to be gaining sentience or a robot makes a sudden, bold move for freedom, but it seems we’ve been worrying about the wrong thing all of these years. Robots don’t want to take over the world–they just want to dominate humans on the basketball court.

As The Verge reports, a group of engineers from Toyota were inspired by the manga Suramu Danku (or Slam Dunk) that tells the story of a high school boy who finds he has an uncanny, natural ability for basketball. So naturally, they jumped from loving a manga about a human with a hidden talent to making a robot who is basically perfect at shooting free throws.

As far as robots go, this one seems to be pretty streamlined in its functionality without the ability to really move anywhere on its own or pick up a basketball on its own. Still, despite those physical limitations, this robot is still able to effortlessly make free throw after free throw. To test how good the robot actually was, the engineers had it compete against two basketball players who play for the team Alvark Tokyo. And while the competition was fierce–after all, these were professional basketball players–the robot managed to win the contest, never once missing a shot.

So are we overreacting whenever a robot does something a little too human for our comfort levels? Probably. However, if this video is any indication, we absolutely have something to worry about when it comes to any future sports competitions. These creations might not want to take over the world, but with robots beating the crap out of us at basketball and even solving Rubix cubes faster than we ever could, they might just be here to embarrass at sports and other feats of physical performance. And honestly, that might be more concerning than a robot apocalypse.

What do you think of this free throw robot? Do you think you could beat it? What other sports do you think robots could be really good at? Let’s talk in the comments!

Feature Image: Alvark Toyko 

This Sad Version of the Toys ‘R’ Us Theme Might Help You Mourn

Earlier this week, Toys ‘R’ Us confirmed the rumors about its impending demise by announcing the closure of its American stores. Toys ‘R’ Us’ legacy goes back 70 years and it was once the most popular toy store franchise in the nation, as the official Toys ‘R’ Us theme song used to be a constant presence in TV ads that invited kids and their parents into “the world’s biggest toy store.” As a tribute to Toys ‘R’ Us, Chase Holfelder has released his take on the theme as performed in a minor key.



Holfelder has a YouTube channel devoted to his covers of songs in a minor key, which can make almost any tune sound sad. This song feels particularly melancholy and haunting because going to Toys ‘R’ Us was a shared experience for many children and young adults. Just the visit alone could be an uplifting experience that can’t be replicated by an online retailer. There was something magical about being surrounded by so many toys. And now it’s gone.

How did this happen? The Week has a great summary of Toys ‘R’ Us’ final years. The short version is that the venture capital firms Vornado, KKR, and Bain Capital purchased the franchise and saddled it with the debt of the purchase, which made it nearly impossible for Toys ‘R’ Us to turn a profit or recover. And if this story sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because Bain Capital did the same thing to KB Toys several years earlier. So, we can thank corporate shenanigans for crushing our collective childhood memories.

What do you think about Holfelder’s cover of the Toys ‘R’ Us theme? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Chase Holfelder

In happier toy news…

Hot Toys has a new Loki figure.
Star Wars Solo toys include an eyebrow-raising Lando.
Funko is all over the Infinity War.

The LEPRECHAUN Franchise Gets a New Reboot for Syfy

For lovers of awesomely bad horror, the luck of the Irish really kicked in this St. Patrick’s Day. Yes, possibly the campiest long-running slasher franchise is returning to its roots, as the gold-craving, ironic punishment-meting Leprechaun is back in the second attempt at a fresh start for the series. WWE Studios previously tried this with Leprechaun Origins, a vehicle for WWE superstar Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl that eliminated the comedy factor and attempted to remake the creature as a scary cave monster, but it wound up alienating old fans without converting any new ones. And now that Postl’s no longer with the company, the studio no longer needs the property.

Syfy looks to be returning the character to its original conception as a mix of traditional Leprechaun mythology with Freddy Krueger-style wisecracks and magical kills. Warwick Davis is unfortunately not returning; he’ll be replaced by Linden Porco, who may be best known as Marlon Wayans’ body double in Little Man. Based on the brand-new teaser, he seems to be basing his interpretation on Davis’ familiar style.

But one familiar franchise actor will be returning. Mark Holton, best known as Francis Buxton in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, will be back as the mentally challenged, sweet-natured Ozzie, who narrowly survived the very first film. Leprechaun Returns will also feature higher-profile filmmakers than usual, as it’s written by Suzanne Keilly (Ash vs Evil Dead) and directed by Steven Kostanski (The Void). Because it’s made for basic cable it probably won’t be hard R in the violence or sexuality departments, but Kostanski has a vivid imagination and Keilly clearly knows horror-comedy. This could actually be a Leprechaun to look forward to, though he had better say “I want me gold!” at least once. Or fifty times. It is his thing.

Will this new movie be a lucky charm for the network? Sure, ye better tell us in the comments!

Image: Syfy

More horror? We got some!

The 7 best space horror movies.
Nine great horror movie love stories.
A history of horror at the Oscars.