Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1822

Hot Toys Enters the INFINITY WAR With Full-Sized INFINITY GAUNTLET and Figures

It’s been an interesting few days if you are a Marvel fan. This past Thursday, the studio and Robert Downey, Jr. dropped a bomb on everyone when they announced Avengers: Infinity War will be released a week early, from May 4th to April 27th. In trying to match Marvel’s announcement, Hot Toys has released not one, not two, but THREE of the items from their Infinity War series. What better item to start with than what the Avengers, the Guardians, and Thanos will be fighting over, the Infinity Gauntlet.

Unlike its Hasbro counterpart, this life-size Gauntlet is non-wearable. We’re not sure we’d want to wield so much power anyway (we’re also afraid we’d drop it). The Gauntlet also comes adorned with all six Infinity Stones. Since 2012, we’ve known at some point Thanos would try to use the Infinity Gauntlet and attempt to bring the MCU to its knees, and it’s almost surreal to see it actually happening. The handgear comes with an LED light function which shows the Infinity Stones glow or “breathe.” It displays on a custom Infinity War base and stands 75cm tall. As the glove runs $930, we highly recommend you do NOT recreate the scene from Ragnarok where Hela calls Odin’s Gauntlet “fake” and knocks it on the ground.

Infinity War wouldn’t be much of a movie if there were no one to try and stop Thanos from acquiring the Gauntlet. Here are two of those brave souls. First up, we have the man who started this whole journey in the first place, Iron Man. This die-cast metal version of Tony Stark comes with 30 points of articulation and 21 LED light up points. Along with 3 pairs of interchangeable hands, he also comes with a repulsor cannon for his right arm. No more of this small-time “shoot lasers out of my hand” stuff. This is the BIG TIME. Complete with an interchangeable Tony Stark sculpt head, Shellhead will be ready to lead the Avengers into battle.

Lastly, we have the God of Thunder himself, Thor. Even though he is down one eye, Thor Odinson is not willing to stop fighting. Just like at the end of Ragnarok, Thor’s eye will light up to show the hammer wasn’t the source of his power this whole time. He also comes with interchangeable arms, so you can recreate his He-Man-like transformations. The coolest part of this figure, though, is the lighting effects you can add to the armor, so you can display just how powerful Thor has become. Special note: there is no deluxe edition which comes with Groot and Rocket. Their “cameo” was just for the picture.

Make sure to keep an eye on Hot Toys’ Facebook page. They’ve posted preview pics of both Captain America and Thanos, so their official releases can’t be too far away.

You can check out more pictures of all three of these items in the gallery down below, and can pre-order any of them from Sideshow Collectibles here.

So what do you think? Between these Hot Toys and the earlier release date, are you even more excited for Infinity War? Let me know on Twitter @donnielederer or sound off in the comments below.

Images: Hot Toys

Hot Toys are us.

Check out Black Panther with a light-up suit!
Superman without a digitally erased mustache!
Take a (deluxe) seat, Emperor Palpatine.

Watch a Ten-Minute Fireworks Display Set Off All at Once

The best part of any fireworks display is the ending, when the brightest, most beautiful bursts of color take to the sky in the show’s biggest barrage. But how much of that is because the entire exhibition builds to a crescendo? Would the finale be as effective without the prelude? Or could you skip right to the end and not miss anything? There’s only one way to find out–watch an entire ten-minute show set off all at once.

We came across this explosive–yet very educational–video at Geekologie, and it comes from YouTuber Tom Scott, who wanted to do something different by intentionally setting off a normal fireworks show with a single button, a unique way to explain why it sometimes happens by accident. The fireworks here reach heights of 200 to 400 feet, and all of them are fired within a hundredth of a second, making for one instant mega explosion.

Normally when a display goes awry it’s because someone screwed up, and the results can be less like a fun night out and more like attending the beginning of the Apocalypse. That’s what made this intentional mass launch more satisfying than the unplanned kind.

However we did miss the music that many shows are often set to, and with so many fired at once the middle become one big ball of light, so it was hard to appreciate the full palette of a regular show. Plus, despite having way more oomph than a normal finale, there was nothing to compare it to, which made it seem less impressive.

Turns out when you don’t have any rising action the crescendo falls a little flat.

Did you prefer this condensed show? Or would you rather watch the full ten-minute version? Set off fireworks full of your thoughts in the comments below.

Featured Image: Tom Scott

‘Splosions and stuff are cool:

Blowin’ up spray paint!
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s supercut of his own movie explosions!
A world record soda and Mentos explosion!

Is THE SHAPE OF WATER’s Doug Jones the Most Famous Actor You’ve Never Seen?

This weekend, The Shape of Water is expected to be a major contender at the Academy Awards, with acting nominations for Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins, and Octavia Spencer, as well as an Oscar nod for director Guillermo del Toro. But what about the film’s unnamed fish man? Doug Jones brought the Asset to life through his performance underneath layers of makeup and prosthetic pieces. For over three decades, Jones has been one of Hollywood’s most prolific creature performers, but the vast majority of his admirers probably couldn’t pick him out of a crowd.

Great Big Story recently released a short profile on Jones which describes him as “the most famous actor you’ve never seen.” Hopefully, that is about to change.



Even for fans of Jones’ previous film and television roles, there are still a few surprising details to be found in this video. For starters, Jones had one his more horrific roles in the ’80s as McDonald’s anthropomorphic moon, Mac Tonight!



Jones credits his stint in the Mac Tonight commercials for building his reputation as a performer who is willing to undergo hours of makeup and wear uncomfortable costumes without complaint. The actor also shows off his contortion skills, which go a long way towards making him seem more than human when he’s in character.

It’s not uncommon for Jones to so fully inhabit his creatures that viewers almost forget about the man portraying the monster. He brings a lot of humanity to his roles, and he shared his belief about the audience’s preference to see a human’s interpretation of a monster rather than just another CGI creation. Jones may not be getting any love from the Oscars, but he is getting more recognition, even from random fans on the street.

What did you think about the latest Great Big Story video? Share your thoughts below!

Image: Fox Searchlight

 

More movie magic:

Will Keanu Reeves get super on Netflix?
The Last Jedi‘s deleted scenes are revealed.
Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Awesome Mix Volume Zero!

A Lightsaber Tribute to STAR WARS REBELS’ Kanan Jarrus

Warning: Spoilers are ahead for season four of Star Wars Rebels.

Star Wars fans express their passion through a number of creative endeavors, and for Nick Cohen of Starfall Sabers, it’s about crafting one-of-a-kind sabers made entirely by hand. One of his recent designs pays tribute to a fallen hero from Star Wars Rebels: Kanan Jarrus. The Jedi formerly known as Caleb Dume lost his life in a selfless act of sacrifice, saving the Ghost crew from an explosion in “Jedi Night.” The character is Cohen’s favorite in Rebels, so he took extra care to replicate the elegant weapon.

What I find especially remarkable about Cohen’s creations is how he uses found items to complete them–much like they did for the original trilogy. Cohen shares some of the everyday objects he used in Kanan’s lightsaber: zip ties, a piece from a flashlight, and a cut-up floor mat. He says he always keeps found parts, and when you’re making a variety of lightsabers, having a stash of hardware and odds and ends would come in handy. I mean, look at what he made.

View some beauty shots of Kanan’s lightsaber below. Visit Starfall Sabers to learn more about getting a saber of your own.

How many lightsabers do you own? What do you think of the fate of Kanan Jarrus? Use the Force to leave your comment below.

Images: Lucasfilm/Disney XD

Stay rebellious with these stories!

Star Wars Rebels fan edit unites the saga.
Will Rebels‘ big reveal influence Episode IX?
Rebels EP Dave Filoni on the return of Ahsoka Tano.

Watch MISTER ROGERS Save Public Television on DRUNK HISTORY

It’s hard to think of a figure in the history of television more deserving of media tributes than Fred McFeely Rogers (that’s Mister Rogers to you). And we’re likely to see more and more of them cropping up, as this month marks 50 years since Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood debuted on WQED in Pittsburgh. But I’m certain we won’t see many quite as indelible, unique, and hilarious as Drunk History’s take on Rogers’ trip to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communication. In the pitch-perfect segment, characteristically tipsy host Derek Waters listens as comedian and frequent Drunk History storyteller Solomon Georgio weaves the remarkable tale. Colin Hanks plays Rogers, which seems appropriate, given that his dad Tom (who you may have heard of) was recently cast as Rogers in the upcoming You Are My Friend.

(Note: Georgio curses a bit more than Rogers might have, so have your earmuffs ready.)

Drunk History

So, in sum: Rogers sees children’s television lacks merit; Rogers lands a job at NBC and decides it’s not the place for him; Rogers returns home to start his own show on a shoestring budget at his local station; and Rogers throws a massive fundraiser in Boston that catches the attention of President Lyndon B. Johnson. LBJ gets in on the public broadcasting game with stacks of cash, his successor Nixon tries to put the kibosh on it, Rogers moonwalks into the Subcommittee meeting and straight-up nails his presentation, and the Subcommittee totally gets it.

(Oh, David Koechner plays Senator Pastore, because why wouldn’t he?)

As with many Drunk History segments, you may actually learn something here you never would have otherwise. And even if you’re familiar with the story, and the actual testimony Rogers gave that day, you’re still going to laugh, Consider that a guarantee from your neighbor (in this case, that’s me).

How are you celebrating the anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood? Let us know in the comments!

Images: Comedy Central/Drunk History

Have some more TV news!

Stranger Things 3 casting news.
How bloody will things get in season two of Westworld?
A TV show about a samurai and a cat.

The Internet Is Losing It Over Luke’s RETURN OF THE JEDI “Plan”

At the end of The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo‘s fate wasn’t a mystery. The rebels knew Boba Fett was taking his carbonite slab to Tatooine in order to get Han’s bounty from Jabba the Hutt. It’s always been somewhat nebulous about how long Han was supposed to have been frozen, but his friends had the time to arrange his rescue. But how much thought did they really put into it? Star Wars fans have called out a pretty big Return of the Jedi plot hole this week, so Nerdist News is asking the hard question: how exactly was Luke Skywalker‘s plan supposed to work?

Join host and the Max Rebo Band’s backup singer, Jessica Chobot, as she attempts to make sense of it all. As far as we can tell, the first part of the plan was to send Lando into Jabba’s palace undercover as a guard. So far, so good. Next, C-3PO and R2-D2 were sent in with a message and a warning for Jabba. Here’s where things get dicey. If Jabba had accepted Luke’s first ultimatum and freed Han, then how were they supposed to get the droids back? Or for that matter, Luke’s lightsaber?

It wasn’t a coincidence when Leia and Chewbacca arrived at the palace after the droids were put into Jabba’s service, but they both ended up captured fairly quickly. That couldn’t have been on purpose, could it? Because from there, the plan appeared to fly off the rails, and Luke couldn’t use his Jedi mind tricks on Jabba to get them all out of trouble. We love Artoo, but it sure seems as if the plan’s final stage hinged upon the droid being in the exact position at the right time to give Luke his lightsaber back. The Heir to the Empire novels showed us how badly things could have gone, if the critical moment had been thwarted.

Some of Luke’s apologists have suggested Lando and Leia were essentially going rogue with their plans. But it doesn’t exactly let Luke off the hook, and it really makes Leia and Lando look bad. Wouldn’t this have been a lot easier if Luke had simply infiltrated Jabba’s palace instead of Lando or Leia? It’s almost as if someone set all of this in motion just for a major action set piece. George Lucas, we’re looking at you!

What do you think about the convoluted plan to save Han Solo in Return of the Jedi? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: Lucasfilm

More of the latest entertainment news!

How Wonder Woman 2‘s villain is changing the DCEU.
Did Rebels change everything we know about Star Wars?
What the new characters mean for Stranger Things 3.

Bass Guitar Sounds Way More Epic In a Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower

These days it’s hard not to hear the word “nuclear” without being terrified about whether or not something terrible just happened on Twitter, but don’t worry, because this is one time where hearing it rocks. Literally. Because it turns out a bass guitar never sounds more epic than when it’s played inside an abandoned nuclear power plant cooling tower.

This video comes from producer Sylvia Massy, who filmed Thunderpussy‘s Leah Julia playing an electric bass inside the remnants of an old tower at the Satsop nuclear power plant in Elma, Washington during a break from shooting the video for the band’s song “Torpedo Love.” The unusual acoustics of the space manages to turn just a couple of notes into a reverberating symphony of rock.



If we’re being honest we had never really put much thought into “what a bass sounds like in a cooling tower of a nuclear power plant,” but we’re so glad we now know the answer, because it sounds like a track from Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Seriously, this is where they should have held the showdown between Sex Bob-Ombs and the Katayanagi Twins.

Especially considering how great even a snare sounds inside of it. The effects of the cooling tower are even more pronounced with just a little drumming.

This would sound awesome anytime, but it really rocks to hear the word “nuclear” and want to bang our heads to the music, instead of banging our heads against the wall.

How would you describe what this sounds like? Tell us in the tower of our comments section below.

More on the Music Scene!

John Williams says he’s done with Star Wars.
Anna and Kristoff get a duet in the Frozen Broadway musical.
Weird Al has created a polka cover of Hamilton.

Featured Image: Sylvia Massy

You Have to See Ben Schwartz in This CLUE Live Read

The 1985 movie Clue is a modern classic. Starring beloved actors like Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, and Christopher Lloyd, it’s one of those films that is hard to imagine with any other actors playing those iconic roles. However, the UCB Theater in Hollywood hosted a live reading of the script with a brand new cast, and it was truly a sight to behold. Ben Pearson captured a portion of the reading and put it on YouTube for us all to enjoy.

The cast was full of amazing talent, with Ben Schwartz as Wadsworth, Taran Killam as Mr. Green, Casey Wilson as Mrs. Peacock, Paul F. Tompkins as Col. Mustard, Paul Scheer as Professor Plum, and Riki Lindhome as Miss Scarlet, just to name a few. The clip is only a few minutes of the entire performance, but it is one of the most iconic scenes in the movie–where Wadsworth explains how he knows who the murderer is. The scene is a pretty demanding one for Schwartz, even just in a live read format, but he does an absolutely wonderful job. Even if you’ve never seen the movie Clue (which, if you haven’t, go watch it now!), this scene is a hilarious one to behold.

Unfortunately, this clip doesn’t really highlight the rest of the amazing cast. However, if it’s any indication, the show was absolutely hilarious. And with a cast filled with so many talented actors, it’s no wonder. If nothing else, maybe this will help inform the rest of the casting for the new Clue movie starring Ryan Reynolds . Did you get to see the Clue live read in person? Tell us about it in the comments!

Images: NBC, Paramount

More reading!

LeVar Burton’s new podcast is like Reading Rainbow for adults.
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld is coming to TV.
Annihilation is more Lovecraftian than you thought.

Keanu Reeves Might Star in a Netflix Superhero Movie

Next year we’re getting John Wick 3, and Starz will further expand the world of top-tier assassins with their spin-off TV series The Continental, so as much as we love our favorite dog-loving hitman, how could we possibly get more of Keanu Reeves being a total bad ass before it becomes overkill? By letting him play a vigilante superhero, which is just what Netflix is hoping to do with a new film.

Deadline reports the streaming site is hoping to get Reeves to star in Past Midnight, a new feature they recentluy acquired the rights too. Little is known about the film, other than is is “being described as a new type of vigilante superhero story.” While John Wick might seem like one, he is not actually a superhero. However Reeves basically played one as Neo in The Matrix franchise, so this would sound like a sort of amalgamation between the powerful Neo and the skilled assassin John Wick.

The film is set to be written by TJ Fixman, whose are for the video game series Ratchet and Clank, with Rick Famuyiwa (Dope) set to direct. The movie does have some big names already attached though, with Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War directors Joe and Anthony Russo set to produce the film.

We’re always worried about being burnt out on superhero movies, and we’d hate to visit The Continental so often it doesn’t feel special anymore, but “John Wick with super powers” sounds right up our alley.

What do you make of this news? Does this sound like a project perfect for Keanuer Reeves? Tell us why in the comments below.

Images: Warner Bros/Summit Entertainment

More of the nerdy news you need!

Rian Johnson introduces some Star Wars: The Last Jedi deleted scenes !
Kugali is the African comics anthology you need to read !
Astronomers observe the very first stars that ever existed , reveal our stellar origins!

STRANGER THINGS 3 Adds Lucas’s Sister Erica As Series Regular

What was the best part of Stranger Things 2? Was it Dart? The demodogs? Sean Astin’s Bob? #JusticeForBarb? Those are all excellent answers that have one thing in common–they’re all wrong. Because the best part of season two was Erica, Lucas’s sassy, savage little sister who stole every single scene she was in. Well it turns out Netflix and the Duffer Brothers agree with us, because they have announced she will become a series regular in season three. And she’s bringing her own gang of monster-fighting friends with her.

On Twitter today Netflix announced that Priah Ferguson will go from her small season two role, in which she made us laugh mocking her smitten big brother, to a show regular who will have an “army of friends” herself. She’s not the only new cast member; they also announced Maya Thurman-Hawke will play Robin, Hawkins new “alternative girl.”

Maya Thurman-Hawke is headed to Hawkins as Robin, an "alternative girl". That is her literal character description so get ready for some angst. pic.twitter.com/zbyUteq3kA

— Netflix US (@netflix) March 2, 2018

Variety describes Robin as being “bored with her mundane day job” which causes her to go looking for some excitement. However, this being Hawkins where things are literally upside down, she “gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a dark secret.” As for Ferguson’s bigger role, they say that “no longer content with sitting on the sidelines, Erica finds herself on a wild mission to save Hawkins from a dangerous new threat.”

This combined news might hint that Hawkins’ young women are getting their own chance to shine in the battle against demogorgons and Shadow Monsters. That would add a new dynamic that has the potential to give the show a fresh perspective.

But we’ll also just be happy to get more of Erica, the best part of season two.

What do you make of this news? What do you think it means for next season’s story? Tell us in the comments below.

Images: Netflix