Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1841

All Our YURI ON ICE Dreams Came True in This Winter Olympics Performance

Yuri On Ice has been nothing less than a cultural phenomenon. The beloved show is one of the most talked about anime in recent years and–if you’ve yet to have the pleasure of watching it–focuses on the lives of three professional figure skaters as they take part in an international competition. The 12-episode series has gained a huge fanbase for its realistic and nuanced representation of same-sex relationships, and generally being very lovely indeed. So it’s unsurprising that the entire internet lost its collective mind when Japan’s Miu Suzaki and Ryuichi Kihara performed a routine featuring one of the most well known pieces of music from the Yuri On Ice soundtrack at 2018’s Pyeongchang Olympic Games! You can watch the gorgeous performance here:

The pair have been dancing together since 2015 and have actually performed the Yuri routine before, but this was the first time they’ve done it on an international stage, and it was honestly beautiful. It’s unsurprising that pro-skaters have brought Yuri On Ice to the Olympics, though, as many of the sport’s top names have publicly proclaimed their love for the anime. Like Russian pro-skater Evgenia Medvedeva, who’s an outspoken fan of the show and often tweets about it!

Perfect

FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE GAME Video Shows Off Jason’s Single Player Challenge

Friday the 13th: The Game has been out for the better part of a year, but Gun Media shows no signs of slowing down Jason Voorhees‘ video game rampage. Quite the contrary; there’s an upcoming free DLC that will allow players to take control of Jason in new single player challenges. One of the game’s community leads recently posted a demo video that showed off some of Jason’s options in this mode.

Fair warning: this video has NSFW language and plenty of gore. If you’ve ever seen a Friday the 13th film then you should have a pretty good idea about what Pamela Voorhees’ favorite son has in store for these hapless teenagers.



This clip does capture the inherently funny moments of slasher films, as the first teen to brag about his sexual prowess is also the first one to go off alone into the woods and make himself an easy target for Jason. Presumably there’s more than one way to dispatch these poor souls, or even a way to let them run for their lives. But in this scenario, it was over pretty quickly.

At the moment, there doesn’t appear to be a single player mode for the counselors in the game. But that’s something that we want to see in the future. There is also some good news for current players. As reported by Bloody Disgusting, Gun Media is planning an upgrade in April that will bring Friday the 13th: the Game into a newer version of the Unreal Engine. That will allow the developers to fix lingering issues with the game before eventually moving it to dedicated servers to stabilize the multiplayer experience. That may not come quickly, but it sounds like it will be worth the wait.

Are you excited to try Friday the 13th: The Game‘s single player challenges? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Images: Gun Media

More of the latest nerd news!

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Liam Neeson Is a Deadly Cupid on THE LATE SHOW

For the last decade, Liam Neeson has enjoyed a late career renaissance as an action icon in Hollywood. Since his leading role in Taken, Neeson has become an even bigger fan favorite thanks to his ability to be simultaneously intimidating and endearing. And while the actor might eventually step back from the action genre, he brought his signature gravitas to a recent promo for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In this video, he auditions for the role of Cupid, the god of desire and love who is often portrayed as a sweet looking cherub. But as played by Neeson, Cupid has a more dangerous persona. He’s the assassin of love!



With this Cupid, love is more than just a promise…it’s a threat! And Neeson gives a very Taken-like speech about what he will do to people who don’t fall in love on his watch. When he says that their relationship status will be “complicated,” we’re pretty sure that’s because they’re going to be violently dispatched. As noted by Neeson, the people that he kills can’t find a way to fall in love when they’re dead. So, whatever you do, don’t piss off this incarnation of Cupid!

Neeson even uses Sam Cooke’s classic “Cupid” song as a justification for his lethal methods. He might have a point. Cooke’s description of an arrow “straight to my lover’s heart” does technically qualify as a kill shot.

What do you think about Liam Neeson as Cupid the Assassin? Take aim and leave a comment below, or he will find you!

Images: CBS

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This KINGDOM HEARTS 3 Trailer Adds MONSTERS, INC and More Pixar

It’s been thirteen long years since Kingdom Hearts 2 was released, and the various spinoffs and side quest games just haven’t made up for the lack of a true sequel in the main series. That’s going to change later this year when Kingdom Hearts 3 finally arrives…and that’s not all that has changed! The Pixar characters were off limits in the first two games, but they’re out in force for the third installment. Last year, we caught our first glimpse of the Toy Story characters in Kingdom Hearts 3, and now it’s time to revisit the characters from Monsters, Inc.!



The new Kingdom Heart 3 trailer debuted at D23 Japan, and it spent a lot of time following Sora, Goofy, and Donald as they transformed into monsters for their visit to Monstropolis. Here, we see the trio meet Mike and Sully for the first time, as they attempt to get the human girl, Boo, back to her own world. The footage includes a glimpse of Sora in the factory of doors, as Mike and Sully fight side-by-side with Sora’s party. Sora even uses Mike as a weapon against their enemies!

Additionally, the trailer drops us back in Corona, as Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from Tangled join the fight. But the glimpse of Toy Story‘s world was easily one of the highlights of the new footage. Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and Sora even hop on a rocket as they appear to take on Emperor Zurg’s ship.

And if that’s not enough for you, here’s the first teaser for “Don’t Think Twice,” the new Kingdom Hearts 3 theme song by Utada Hikaru!



Kingdom Hearts 3 will be released on Playstation 4 and Xbox One later this year.

Are you excited about the new Pixar and Disney worlds in Kingdom Hearts 3? Raise your Keyblades in the comment section below!

Images: Square Enix

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The Todd Glass Show #333: Johnny Pemberton

The hilarious host of Live To Tape, Johnny Pemberton, joins Todd on today’s episode!

Like The Todd Glass Show on Facebook, follow @ToddGlass, Eric Ohlsen, John Brand Wagner, and Lyricist Joe on Twitter, buy his album Thin Pig and buy his book The Todd Glass Situation!

Is Michael Bay the Right Director for DC’s LOBO Movie?

DC wants Michael Bay to bring the super edgy (so edgy) Lobo to the big screen, but is he the right director for the character? We discussed that in today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with whether we will ever actually get a He-Man movie, and the latest look at Pacific Rim 2, all while eating free ice cream! And we also made a big, exciting announcement about new show coming to Alpha.

Joining host Jessica Chobot today was Mothership writer Amy Vorpahl, associate editor Kyle Anderson, and Nerdist News writer Joey Clift, and they all dined on some new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream during the show tio judge the newest flavors. But when they stopped eating long enough to break down the biggest pop culture stories of the day, they started with news David Goyer is the latest director to leave the He-Man movie. Is this film ever going to be made? Was Goyer and his preference for gritty stories ever the right choice for the beloved characters? What director would be?



Then things got edgy (so edgy), as they discussed how DC could tap Michael Bay to lead a movie about their intergalactic, motorcycle-riding mercenary Lobo. Is this actually a perfect match between director and character? Are we surprised Bay would join a franchise he didn’t start? Are we encouraged by reports Bay wants a smaller budget? Is this the right direction for the DCEU?

We also got another look at Pacific Rim 2 this week, and it was all about meeting the new jaegers. Are we glad we’re getting new blood (err…oil)? And are we excited to see John Boyega taking a leading role with another franchise?

This March, the next generation will rise up to take back their world. #PacificRimUprising pic.twitter.com/85CoXv01ox

— Pacific Rim (@PacificRim) February 8, 2018

Finally we have a big announcement about Nerdist News Talks Back. Today was our last Friday edition of the show, because from now on it will air live on our YouTube and Alpha channels at 1 p.m. PT Monday through Thursday. But don’t be sad, because that’s only because we’re kicking off a new show, Nerdist News What the Fridays, an hour long discussion recapping the week in pop culture that will also include games and other segments. It will air exclusively at 1 p.m. PT on Alpha on Fridays, and it starts next week!

Yeah, we’re giving you guys an extra thirty minutes a week with us, which you have to admit is really edgy. So edgy.

What do you think about this big announcement? What about today’s topics? Talk back to us about everything in the comments below.

Featured Image: Paramount Pictures

THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX: Is CLOVERFIELD Actually the Paradox?

After six years in production, Julius Onah’s The Cloverfield Paradox was unleashed upon the world by surprise on the night of the Super Bowl. The film has inspired mixed reviews (our review) and some very wild theories regarding the future of the anthology science fiction franchise. I’m here to introduce a totally fantastical–and maybe ridiculous–theory about The Cloverfield Paradox, its impact on the franchise, and the question of alternate realities within the Cloververse. Grab some snacks and put on your tinfoil hats, because we’re in for a wild ride.

The established world of Cloverfield consists of two films, Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane, both of which appear to take place on an Earth that looks remarkably similar to ours. We know the world has undergone a drastic alien attack that’s led to giant monsters terrorizing the planet. So, when we enter into the world of The Cloverfield Paradox, the filmmakers expect us to assume we’re still in that world. But as many eagle-eyed fans have noticed, The Cloverfield Paradox actually confirms the existence of another entirely separate universe in the Cloververse canon. Let’s look at where those universes diverge and what that means for the future of the Cloverfield canon.

The Cloverfield Paradox introduces us to Ava and the crew of the Cloverfield space station, an international expedition to try and harness a new source of renewable energy which will hopefully help the Earth’s impending crisis. This is the first point where we get a hint that the world Ava and her husband inhabit isn’t the same world we’ve seen in the previous movies. On Ava’s Earth, there are rolling blackouts and a devastating energy crisis, which has never been referred to in either of the other two films. In fact, in both of the other entries, the characters appeared to be living completely normal lives in a world rather like our own until things were interrupted by the terrifying world-altering events of each film.

After the Shepard particle accelerator aboard the station suffers an unexpected power surge, the team finds themselves flung through space to the other side of the sun, and that’s where stuff really starts to get fun. The premise of the film is built upon the scientific principle of quantum entanglement, focusing on the idea of “molecules from two different realities interacting.” This is where we know for certain that the Cloverfield space station has entered another dimension–though we’re not one hundred percent sure which one.

When we’re violently introduced to Jensen, who’s apparently from the dimension where the station has ended up, we know something is up. Jensen claims to have been a crew member on the same ship in the alternate universe. It’s indisputable Jensen is from this new dimension, but it’s her enigmatic and ultimately dangerous motivations which are another hint her world is actually the one from the first two Cloverfield films.  Jensen is convinced the Shepard can save her dimension and tries to convince the crew that they have no idea how bad it was there. Of course, the audience thinks she’s talking about an energy crisis equivalent to the one Ava’s Earth is suffering from, but what if she means the alien invasion from the first two movies? To really explore that notion, let’s jump to the shocking ending of The Cloverfield Paradox.

When the surviving crew members crash to Earth and a huge monster appears through the clouds, our first thought is Ava and Schmidt must be returning to the world we know from the first two Cloverfield movies. It would make sense if we imagine the film is working on a linear timeline, with the end of The Cloverfield Paradox working as a prelude to the beginning of the original Cloverfield. Establishing Paradox as a prequel seems to be a smart and relatively simple way to link it to the existing Cloverfield timeline, but we know Abrams and crew aren’t necessarily about giving easy answers. What if instead of The Cloverfield Paradox ending on the OG world of Cloverfield, it ends on an entirely different one?

Jensen is desperately scared for her world, so much so that she’s willing to commit murder to keep the Shepard particle accelerator in her universe. What could’ve driven her to such extreme measures? When the two dimensions collided due to the energy surge from the Shepard, maybe the aliens that were devastating Jensen’s planet (the planet from the first two movies) disappeared. If the Shepard had that effect, it could leave Jensen desperate and longing to keep the technology that rid her planet of the destructive alien force.

Another theory is that the power surge created multiple monsters on multiple planes of existence. If you go back and look at the monsters from the first movie, they’re sort of similar to the one we see roaring through the clouds at the end of The Cloverfield Paradox. And those both look really different from the ones we see flying over Earth and the end of 10 Cloverfield Lane. There’s always the chance that the power surge from the Shepard was the inciting act that created monsters throughout the multiverse Cloverfield exists within.

If that’s the case, then how many parallel universes have we already seen? At least the three from these films, imagining each is a singular dimension in the multiverse. That opens up the possibility for infinite Cloverfield stories, each taking place in their own universe. It would also explain how the next Cloverfield installment, a World War II-set zombie movie known as Overlord, fits into the canon. It’s simply another world entirely.

Did we just blow your mind with this Clover-spiracy? What are your favorite wild Paradox theories? Let us know below!

Images: Netflix

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Who’s the Hidden X-Force Member in DEADPOOL 2?

Who needs the Super Bowl when you’ve got Deadpool? Marvel’s Merc with a Mouth sat out of the big game, but delivered one of the biggest trailers of the week for “Untitled Deadpool Sequel.” We’re just gonna call it Deadpool 2 until Fox finally settles on a name. In the meantime, today’s Nerdist News is investigating one of our favorite moments from the trailer: the reveal of X-Force!

Join host Jessica Chobot as she runs down the X-Force members we can identify from their brief cameo in the trailer. First things first, the comic book incarnation of X-Force was formed by Cable over two decades ago. Under Cable’s leadership, the remaining New Mutants and a few outsiders went from being superheroes to members of a mutant paramilitary unit. Shoot first and stab later isn’t an entirely inaccurate way to describe their methods.

There is a X-Force movie currently in development, so it’s likely that we’ll see Deadpool, Domino, and Cable on the team in that film. But who’s filling out the team in this group shot? We believe that Terry Crews is playing G.W. Bridge, a former teammate of Cable’s from their stint in the Six Pack. Bridge wasn’t a member of X-Force in the comics, but he’s apparently on this team with Domino and Deadpool.

Hanging to the left of Bridge is a guy in the ’90s headwear who can only be Shatterstar, one of the founding members of the team. It’s a little harder to determine the identity of the man standing between Domino and Deadpool. Because of his covered mouth, our money is on Chamber even though he was never a member of the team. Alternately, it could also be Zeitgeist, one of the members who was introduced by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred. Sure, Zeitgeist died in his first appearance, but so did Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and that hasn’t stopped her from being in both Deadpool movies.

Now look at the picture again. There’s clearly someone standing behind Deadpool, and they are the mystery member in question. Who could it be? Well, there’s really only one member of X-Force’s comic  book incarnations who can pull off that white spandex costume: Fantomex! But that’s still an open question for this film. Even if this is the X-Force lineup for Deadpool 2, it’s highly possible that most of them won’t make it out intact for the X-Force movie.

Who do you think will make up X-Force’s team in Deadpool 2? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: 20the Century Fox/Marvel

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Domhnall Gleeson Shares Genius STAR WARS Spinoff Ideas for Hux

Who is the most beloved character in all of Star Wars? Think it through. No, look at the headline of this article and try again. As Domhnall Gleeson tells MTV’s After Hours, it’s obviously General Armitage Hux. Gleeson’s conniving First Order general appeared in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, and though he’s perhaps best known for his rivalry with Kylo Ren, it’s only a matter of time before he breaks out into the spotlight, right?

Look, if Hux’s military career doesn’t work out, Gleeson has plenty of spinoff ideas for Hux stories. Hux can find something to do no matter where he is in the galaxy. Gleeson presents his brilliant pitches in the below video, and friends, I’m not exaggerating when I say this is one of the funniest things I’ve watched this week. His comedic delivery is so very on point.

I refuse to choose a single favorite pitch, but “If Hux Could Kill” is one of the best of Gleeson’s ideas. Hux on Canto Bight in a film noir setting (hey, why don’t we have a film noir Star Wars movie yet?). And the Taken meets Taken 2 idea?! I’m crying. Domhnall, I don’t think these are bad ideas. You should get Kathleen Kennedy’s phone number and spitball until a Hux pitch sticks.

Do you give a Hux about seeing more Hux? Share your very best Hux spinoff titles in the comments. Just don’t take six months to develop them.

Images: MTV, Lucasfilm

Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. She likes Star Wars a little. Follow her on Twitter.

Shucks, more Hux stories!

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Meet SIDEWAYS, DC’S Newest Teen Hero (Exclusive Issue #1 Preview)

In the wake of DC Comics‘ epic Dark Nights Metal event series, an entirely new age of heroes is being unleashed on the DC Universe. Among those new heroes is the latest super powered teenager to join in the fight against the forces of evil, high school student Derek James, now known as Sideways.

When Derek fell into a rift in the Dark Matter Dimension during the events of Dark Nights Metal, he acquired the handy super power power of being able to create dimensional rifts in mid air, allowing him to travel between realities. Will this new teenage hero become worthy of being a future Teen Titan, or is he just not ready for the big leagues yet?

In addition to the pressures of juggling high school life and saving the world, Sideways’ use of his newly found super powers is possibly causing cracks in the space time continuum! Considering how multiversal crisis events that alter time and space seemingly happen like clockwork in the DCU, could Sideways accidentally cause the next one? You’ll just have to read the book and find out!

You can check out our exclusive preview of  the first five pages from Sideways #1, from the creative team of Justin Jordan, Dan Didio and Kenneth Rocafort, down below in our gallery.

Publisher: DC Comics

Writers: Justin Jordan, Dan Didio

Artist:  Kenneth Rocafort

Cover Artist: Kenneth Rocafort

Here’s the official synopsis for issue #1:

“During the events of DARK NIGHTS: METAL, high school junior Derek James accidentally fell through a rift into the dark matter dimension! Now, as Sideways, he can create rifts in midair to leap through dimensions at will! But with that much power comes great liability—and cracks are starting to form in the fabric of the space-time continuum… ”

Sideways #1  is due to hit stores on Wednesday, February 14th.

Are you as excited as we are to meet DC Comics’ latest teenage hero? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.

Images: DC Comics

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