Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1870

Love, Alexi #92: Jeffery Self

Actor, writer, host Jeffery Self joins Alexi to talk his new book “A Very Very Bad Thing”, his role on TBS’s Search Party, being engaged, Real Housewives, and SO MUCH MORE!

Follow @alexiwasser on instagram & twitter, send emails for Alexi to read on air: DearLoveAlexi@gmail.com!

Mike Mignola’s JOE GOLEM: FLESH AND BLOOD #1 Returns to the Drowned City (Exclusive Preview)

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and his frequent writing partner, Christopher Golden, are revisiting the alternate world of Joe Golem: Occult Detective with the new miniseries Flesh and Blood. While Joe Golem stands apart from the Hellboy universe, it does take place in the alternate timeline of Mignola and Golden’s Baltimore, where New York was nearly submerged in the ’30s by a cataclysmic event. Thirty years later, Joe Golem solves supernatural cases as private investigator in “the Drowned City,” alongside his partner, the seemingly immortal Simon Church.

Joe Golem didn’t get that name by chance. He was quite literally a golem who suddenly came to life in 1955 without any clear idea of who or what he was. However, Joe has been plagued by memories and dreams that tease his true nature and purpose. And in our exclusive preview from the first issue, we see that Joe’s friend, Lori, has been experiencing similar memory flashes as well.

For Joe Golem: Occult Detective – Flesh and Blood, Mignola and Golden are once again joined by artist Patric Reynolds and colorist Dave Stewart.

“Flesh and Blood is exactly the kind of story Mike Mignola and I wanted to make room for when we created the Joe Golem series,” said Golden, while speaking to Nerdist. “It’s a standalone, two-part supernatural mystery, the perfect thing for an occult detective to stumble into. It’s tragic and weird and once again lavishly illustrated by the remarkable Patric Reynolds. At the same time, the evolution of Joe Golem continues, as he comes closer to the truth than ever, and as Mr. Church crosses a line to make sure it stays out of reach. Now that it’s been revealed that Baltimore and Joe Golem are part of a Shared Universe…you never know what’s going to happen next, or what we have planned down the line.”

You can find a few additional preview pages in our gallery below. Joe Golem: Occult Detective – Flesh and Blood #1 will be released on Wednesday, December 20, in comic book stores everywhere.

What did you think about this preview? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Dark Horse Comics

Hear Adam West’s Cover of “The Thing” from the New Dr. Demento Tribute Album

We bade a sad farewell to Adam West in 2017, but this holiday season he has given us one final pop culture gift to remember him by: a fantastic cover of the classic ’50s novelty song “The Thing.” And it’s a performance that perfectly encapsulates all the reasons we loved him.

This is the latest track from Dr. Demento Covered in Punk, the upcoming two-hour tribute album for the beloved radio host designed to replicate his show’s format. We previously told you about the first release from the record, Weird Al’s cover of The Ramones’ “Beat on the Brat,” but West’s version of Phil Harris’ humorous song about a mysterious, terrible package is way more ridiculous than Yankovic’s contribution. In true Adam West fashion, it’s delightful because it perfectly tods the line between sincere and silly.

No offense to Phil Harris, whose version spent four weeks at number one on the charts (seriously), but when it comes to the absurd we’ll always go with the protector of Gotham and the mayor of Quahog. Plus Adam West’s cover is a lot more rocking and upbeat.

This is one of over 30 all-new tracks that will be included on Dr. Demento Covered in Punk from Demento Records, which features tracks from Joan Jett, The Misfits, Fred Schneider of the B52s, and William Shatner. And though the album won’t be available in stores until January 12, 2018, if you pre-order it now (or via iTunes) you’ll get Adam West’s “The Thing” now.

And what better way to honor one of our favorites than by rocking out with his final, wonderful performance. Even if it does just make us miss him more.

What’s your favorite Adam West performance? Share yours in the comments below.

Featured Image: NBC

Tommy Wiseau’s THE ROOM is Finally Getting a Wide Release

Fourteen years ago, The Room amounted from the culmination of filmmaker Tommy Wiseau‘s Hollywood dreams. And despite the lackluster response to its initial two-screen release, The Room been wildly successful as a cult classic that has been embraced as one of the worst movies ever made. Next year, The Room will finally get an extended theatrical release, courtesy of Fathom Events.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, The Room will get a one-night only run in 600 theaters across the country on Wednesday, January 10. Wiseau wrote, produced, financed, directed and starred in The Room as Johnny, while his real life friend Greg Sestero co-starred as Mark, Johnny’s best friend/betrayer. Wiseau envisioned The Room as a tragedy in the vein of Tennessee Williams, although he now describes the film as a black comedy. Trust us, the comedy is unintentional in this one, and that’s why it’s so much fun to watch.

James Franco‘s recent adaptation of The Disaster Artist may bring in viewers who haven’t actually caught the film before. If this is your first time seeing The Room in theaters, we suggest that you brush up on the lyrics to the Full House theme and check to see if plastic spoons are allowed in the screenings. It’s usually the crowds that make The Room an enjoyable experience.

As part of the event, Fathom will debut a new trailer for Best F(r)iends, the latest cinematic collaboration of Wiseau and Sestero. Presumably Wiseau and Sestero will also be interviewed by Fathom Events as part of the lead-in to the movie. Tickets are already available, just check out this link for more info.

Are you excited to see The Room finally reach a wider audience? You’re tearing us apart in the comment section below!

Images: Wiseau-Films

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #800 Teases Green Goblin’s Return

For the last few years, Spider-Man‘s greatest enemy, Norman Osborn, has been stripped of his Green Goblin serum and forced to go on without his powers. In the build-up to next year’s Amazing Spider-Man #800, it looks like Osborn is going full Green Goblin again, and he’s not alone. Marvel has dropped a new teaser trailer for the upcoming “Go Down Swinging” storyline, which introduces a new villain in the closing seconds.

The early part of the trailer revisits some of the classic confrontations between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, including the infamous death of Gwen Stacy. At the end of the Superior Spider-Man storyline, Peter Parker found a way to keep Osborn from becoming the Green Goblin again, but he couldn’t keep Osborn down for long. The video also unveils the Red Goblin, and it leaves us with a few questions about Spidey’s new adversary.

While it wouldn’t be unusual for a new person to take up a Green Goblin-inspired identity, somehow we suspect that the Red Goblin is none other than Osborn himself. During his quest to restore his ability to use his Goblin formula, Osborn discovered that he had an innate talent for the mystic arts. And while his would-be teachers shunned him for his evil inclinations, it’s entirely possible that Osborn found a way to gain magical power. Note that the Red Goblin has a demon’s tail and he seems to literally have a fire within him. If Osborn made a deal with the devil (Mephisto), this is probably what it would look like.

The “Go Down Swinging” storyline will begin in Amazing Spider-Man #797, which will be released in March 2018. According to Marvel’s solicitations, this will be writer Dan Slott’s final storyline on the title after spending over a decade on the book. Stuart Immonen will provide the art for this story, while Alex Ross serves as the cover artist.

Who do you think will be under the Red Goblin’s mask? Share your theories in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel Comics

Rian Johnson Hints At STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI’s Deleted Scenes

Warning: There are some spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Last Jedi!

During Rey’s time on Ahch-To in The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker promised to give her three lessons about the Force. However, audiences only saw two of Luke’s lessons. While it’s possible that Luke will give Rey additional guidance in Episode IX, director Rian Johnson has confirmed that a significant sequence between Rey and Luke was cut from the final film.

While speaking with Collider, Johnson described a deleted sequence that involved “additional sort of trial/test that [Rey] goes through,” as well as a “big emotional scene between” Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill.

Johnson has been vocal about his belief that the finished film is his director’s cut, so none of these scenes will be added back into the narrative. Johnson’s initial cut for The Last Jedi was said to be close to three hours long, but he noted that the extended and deleted scenes on the Blu-ray and DVD will run around 20 minutes.

Additionally, Johnson alluded to a much longer version of Finn and Rose’s mission on the Mega Destroyer, including a sequence in which they “fake out these Stormtroopers.” He added that Finn and Poe have more scenes together where Poe tells his friend everything that happened to the Resistance since The Force Awakens.

Lucasfilm hasn’t yet set a date for Star Wars: The Last Jedi on home video, but an April or May 2018 release seems likely.

Which Last Jedi deleted scenes are you most eager to see? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Lucasfilm

Here’s What These 5 Famous Holiday Movie Homes Would Cost in Real Life

The very best part of holiday movies isn’t learning a valuable lesson about peace, love, and goodwill towards our fellow man. No, it’s drooling over the elaborate, lavish homes in which our favorite fictional families live. Especially since during this time of year you’re likely cramped with 96 different aunts and uncles in your childhood home, and the prospect of some peace and quiet—or at least a second bathroom—sounds like a real holiday miracle.

Home Alone

Image: 20th Century Fox

The McCallister family estate is ideal for entertaining a lot of family members, accidentally throwing out plane tickets, and laying deadly booby traps. We did some light Zillowing and discovered that the five-bedroom/three-and-a-half-bathroom home, located in Winnetka, Illinois, will set you back a cool $2 million according to the Zillow Zestimate. Plus, you know, another $2 million in damages for nearly murdering Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern.

Die Hard

Image: 20th Century Fox

Are you someone who practically lives at your office? Then why not make your office your home by purchasing the Nakatomi Plaza building from Die Hard? This 34-story Century City skyscraper, better known as Fox Plaza in real life, boasts an impressive 730,000 square feet… and two bloody human feet if you forget your shoes. It’s valued at approximately $440 million, but that’s probably selling it a bit short, so let’s just round up to roughly $600 million unless you’ve got a white knight of your own at the negotiating round table, bubbe.

Why Him?

Image: 20th Century Fox

While it may not be the greatest movie in the world, Why Him? starred one heck of a nice house. Located in Beverly Hills, Laird Mayhew’s mammoth mansion has a 1.3-acre tennis court, a five-car garage, a library full of rich mahogany that’d be perfect for your leather-bound books, and absolutely no obnoxious James Franco caricature trying to become your son-in-law. And all it’ll cost you is $24.5 million.

Batman Returns

Image: Warner Bros.

Have you ever wanted to be Batman? Okay, me neither, but I would love to live in Wayne Manor, and since Batman Returns is totally a Christmas movie, it belongs on this list. Let’s assume that Gotham City is a stand-in for Chicago. That would make the iconic Wayne Manor, located at 1007 Mountain Drive in Gotham City, with its 11 bedrooms, seven bathrooms, live-in butler, gym, laboratory, and fireplaces to stare into wistfully while you brood about justice and Martha worth approximately $32.1 million. But where they’re really gonna get you is on supervillain insurance. Well, that and bat food to feed the flappybois in the cave downstairs.

Elf

Image: New Line Cinema

If you like your Christmas movies with a hearty bowl of spaghetti and maple syrup, first of all, you’re gross. Just eat popcorn. But also look no further than 55 Central Park West in Manhattan, a.k.a. the building where Ghostbusters was shot, a.k.a. the home of Buddy the Elf’s father in 2003’s Elf. Not only is this three-bedroom/three-bathroom apartment a diamond in the Big Apple’s rough, but the building is home to famous folks like Donna Karan and Calvin Klein too. So maybe they’ll be kind enough to make you a bespoke elf costume of your very own as a housewarming gift, because you might be a bit short on cash after dropping $2.9 million on this swanky spot.

Which holiday home is your favorite? Which you would you most like to live in IRL? Let us know in the comments below.

Image: 20th Century Fox

Editor’s note: This post is sponsored by Zillow. With millions of photos of homes for sale and for rent, historical pricing data, and other tools for homebuyers. Zillow: find your way home.

Relive the Best Porg Moments from THE LAST JEDI

Warning: Mild spoilers for The Last Jedi ahead. Read on at your own risk! 

The Last Jedi‘s opening week is officially behind us.

While there are many things we might argue about in regards to The Last Jedi, there’s one thing we can all agree on: the porgs were a damn delight. Okay, maybe we don’t all agree on this… but at least most of us here at Nerdist do. While the trailer may have caused some to fear that the film would overuse the porgs to force the cuteness factor, the little fuzzballs ended up being mostly background characters to add moments of occasional comic relief. It was perfect!

So perfect, in fact, were the porgs that we’re inclined to take this time to break down some of the best porg moments from The Last Jedi. Join us!

The Porg-Scream Heard ‘Round the World

Via Giphy

The above was the first glimpse we got of the porg community in any The Last Jedi trailers, and it was enough to endear us to the little guys. Depending on how you view porgs, this little shriek could be seen as a scream of terror or one of determination as it rode the Millennium Falcon out to battle.

Rian Johnson has said that a group of porgs is called a murder, so with a metal name like that, maybe this war cray is an example of unbridled porg ferocity. Regardless of what it the porg is actually trying to convey, this wee caw will forever have a place in porg-lovers’ hearts.

The Porgs Move in

When Rey and Chewie park the Millennium Falcon on Ahch-To, it doesn’t take the porgs long to sneak inside and get comfy. Bunches of porgs end up moving into the Falcon, building nests where they don’t belong, and generally driving Chewie crazy. While I’m sure Han would have been just as annoyed as Chewie was about a porg nest in his beloved ship, we couldn’t help but love it.

Porgs in Space!

Via Giphy

While most of the porgs ultimately moved out of the Millennium Falcon, one brave little guy stuck around for the long haul. And despite his valiant scream that won all of our hearts, he didn’t necessarily keep his seas legs (or space legs) once the ship blasted off into battle. Much like BB-8 struggled to stay upright in the Falcon in The Force Awakens, this little porg clearly forgot to fasten his seat belt as Chewie zipped through the caverns of Crait.

Porgs for Dinner

While waiting for Rey and Luke on Ahch-To, Chewie got a bit peckish, and managed to make himself up a meal of one unfortunate roasted porg. Of course, as the film shows, Luke’s island is full of porgs, so our favorite Wookiee wasn’t able to eat his meal in peace. Instead, he found himself surrounded by a small crowd of porgs, looking in horror at the monster about to consume their fallen brethren. Though Chewie ended up scaring all of the porgs off, he ultimately felt too guilty to eat one of those big-eyed goofballs. Good choice, Chewie.

Chewie and Porgs: Friends…Besties, Actually

Via Giphy

Okay, so maybe Chewie would beg to differ, but one of the best things about porgs in the film was watching them interact with the Wookiee, who was transformed from a giant, growling predator to begrudging co-pilot and friend of the porgs. Watching Chewbacca act like a big grump around those adorable critters was nothing short of magical. Even though he wasn’t exactly enamored with the little guys, it was clear that he ended up on Team Porg. Here’s hoping we get a buddy-cop spin-off focusing on the exploits of Chewie and his new Porg Pal.

What did you think of the porgs? Did you have a favorite porg moment? Tell us in the comments!

Feature Image: Disney/Lucasfilm

Disney Takes THE NUTCRACKER into Dark Territory in New Trailer

E. T. A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King has been told and retold for over 200 years, most famously as The Nutcracker ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Next year, Disney is putting a fresh spin on both the ballet and the original tale in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. The first trailer for the film finds Mackenzie Foy‘s Clara as she literally follows a thread into another world. But as Clara soon discovers, there’s darkness beyond the vision of sugar plums, and getting home may not be as easy as she thought.

Chocolat director Lasse Hallström is bringing The Nutcracker and the Four Realms to life from Ashleigh Powell’s screenplay. The first trailer also offers up a glimpse of Morgan Freeman as Drosselmeyer, Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Helen Mirren as Mother Ginger, the despotic ruler whom Clara must find a way to overcome.

Additionally, Disney has released a photo of Richard E. Grant as the aptly named Shiver and Eugenio Derbez as Hawthorn, appearing alongside the Sugar Plum Fairy as they entreat Clara to take action. There may be a greater purpose behind Clara’s fantastic adventure that could determine the fate of the four realms. But first, Clara will have to rise to the occasion and take charge of her own destiny.

Disney will release The Nutcracker and the Four Realms on November 2, 2018.

What do you think about the first trailer for Disney’s take on The Nutcracker? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Walt Disney Pictures

How THE LAST JEDI Fixes the STAR WARS Saga’s Biggest Mistake

Warning: Major spoilers for The Last Jedi follow!

When our favorite moptop farmboy barreled into an incarcerated sovereign’s holding cell and proudly declared, “I’m Luke Skywalker, I’m here to rescue you!” it was the first time in his life that the name really meant anything. We know that the Skywalker sigil had carried weight long prior to Luke’s ad-hoc rescue mission of the princess-in-repose; we know that Luke’s father had ridden his name through the ranks of Jedi training and, subsequently, to the head of the Galactic Empire. His mother did the same for nobler causes.

And yes, we know that Luke’s sister—the complete stranger he’d made it his business to spring loose from a heavily guarded Imperial vessel —had used her adopted handle Leia Organa to reign with diplomacy over Alderaan, and what’s more, to bring liberty and salvation to the known galaxy.

But when the world first watched Tatooine’s hometown boy tear off his stormtrooper disguise and proclaim his mission with a full heart and an open nasal cavity, all we knew of Luke Skywalker was that he was here to rescue you. And that’s all we needed.

For the three years between the original picture’s release in 1977 and the 111th minute of The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars was a story about a nobody—a big-dreaming bumpkin raised on a moisture farm—who became a somebody by way of heart, courage, determination, and a little help from an enterprising messenger robot and a manipulative shaman. Though to no small degree the beneficiary of chance, the doe-eyed Jedi-in-the-making nevertheless earned his claim to heroism, not on the Skywalker of it all, but on the Luke.

It wasn’t genealogy that drove Luke’s adventure in that very first movie—how could it be? All that the original Star Wars’ audiences knew of the boy’s family were some vague details about his father’s death and his aunt’s affinity for cerulean dairy. Instead, the first chapter of the Star Wars saga rested its laurels on the idea that anybody, even a naval-gazing schmendrick like Luke Skywalker, could harness the Force, take down the Empire, and become a hero.

That the conclusion of The Empire Strikes Back comprised one of the great twist reveals in cinema history is in no small part to thank for our collective absolution of the film for undermining the very message from which its predecessor was ostensibly born. It wasn’t just Luke that changed with Empire, but Star Wars on the whole. What was once a story about character and choice begat another about bloodline and destiny, a shift cemented in Leia’s induction into the Skywalker clan in Return of the Jedi. By 1983, it seemed as though Star Wars had changed its mind about heroes, adopting the mentality that you’ve got to be born one.

I must confess, I wasn’t around for the world’s introduction to self-made-man Luke, nor the revelation of the Skywalker boy’s preternatural grandeur. But I was born in time to witness another of that faraway galaxy’s great spiritual reversals, and one that has not enjoyed quite the same fanfare.

Sorry, everyone. We’re talking Midi-chlorians now.

While I may have lost a few friends asserting that the reveal od Darth Vader as Luke’s father is a critical blow to Star Wars’ established identity, I’m sure none of my readers will disagree that The Phantom Menace‘s introduction of Midi-chlorians into the series’ canon was damn near fatal. Of all the missteps of the prequel trilogy—baby Anakin, trade embargos, CGI Yoda, teen angst Anakin, sand getting everywhere, baby Boba Fett, racist stereotype aliens, Amidala dying of a broken heart, and, of course, Jar Jar—it’s Midi-chlorians that arouse the bitterest resentment.

An ill-conceived effort to replace the magic and mystery of the Force with half-cocked microbiology, Midi-chlorians drove Star Wars even further from A New Hope’s tacit prophecy that anyone could be a hero. Empire and Return may have insinuated that only certain people could be heroes, but Phantom Menace doubled down withy the idea that even those people were only heroes because of a blood mutation.

Fans’ contention with the factor of Midi-chlorians has taken form in any and all of the traditional stages of grief. My own revulsion with this narrative transgression has set up camp in denial, allowing for a just-crazy-enough-to-work reading of every onscreen mention of Midi-chlorians. For me, they’re more closely comparable to our own world’s anti-Vaxxer movement. Are you really going to trust Qui-Gon Jinn, a known zealot with poor judgement?

The new Star Wars movies take the noble route of simply pretending Midi-chlorians never existed. At no point is the new trilogy’s rejection of the prequels’ microbial retcon more evident than in The Last Jedi’s biggest dramatic moment: the disclosure of Rey’s parentage.

When our beloved bunhead survivalist dodged the piercing glare of her Dark Side counterpart and whimpered a defeated, “They were nobody,” it was the first time in her life that she admitted to herself that her name really didn’t mean anything. But we know she’s wrong about that.

That Rey comes from nothing, just as we once believed to be true of Luke Skywalker, is precisely what makes her something. That the world’s first vantage point of Luke decried the shackles of humble beginnings and an ambivalent vast cosmos is why he rang so valiant to the Average Biggs in 1977. That Rey used her own helping of heart, courage, and determination (and, yes, a little help from an enterprising messenger droid and a goofy reformed stormtrooper) to overcome isolation, poverty, and a universe without any grand plans for her is why she reads the hero here and now in 2017—a time when this breed of hero is in particularly great demand.

The Empire Strikes Back may have retroactively armed Luke Skywalker with the benefactor of destiny, on which The Phantom Menace upped the ante. But per The Last Jedi’s revelation of Jakku’s adventurous orphan as born of “nobodies,” we know that we can credit whatever glory she achieves throughout her story not to bloodline (or, quite literally, blood), but to Rey.

The Last Jedi embraces this more diplomatic viewpoint of greatness, assigning the white-collar folks of Canto Bight with superlative villainy and closing its run on the hope of another young nobody as the future—better yet, a future—of the Force, the Rebellion, and the good fight altogether.

Though I’d be crazy to die on the hill that Star Wars should never have named Darth Vader as Luke’s father, nor Leia as his sister, I will brandish a similar flag: Here and now in 2017, what we could really use is not a story of family sagas, but of nobodies coming from nowhere to do something. That’s what the world got in 1977, and it’s what Star Wars returns to with The Last Jedi.

All we know about Rey is that she’s here to rescue us. And that’s all we need.

Images: Lucasfilm

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

More on Star Wars!

Read our spoiler-filled review of The Last Jedi
Stream John Williams’ The Last Jedi soundtrack right now!
A briefer on  the vengeance in the Force