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AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Trailer Gets a Retro Parody

The first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War has already proven to be one of YouTube’s most popular videos, and it’s also lending itself well to a few parodies as well. So far, we’ve seen it recreated with action figures, animated footage, and even LEGO. But now, a group of fans have unleashed an even more ambitious take on Infinity War‘s trailer by blending together footage from several of Marvel’s oldest live-action adaptations, with a few surprises thrown in as well.

Via Laughing Squid, YouTube user Darth Blender teamed up with producer Felipe Haurelhuk and editor Christiani Buffoni to create the Avengers: Infinity War retro trailer, which utilizes clips from Reb Brown’s embarrassingly bad Captain America TV movie, Nicholas Hammond’s Spider-Man TV series from the ’70s, Peter Hooten’s almost forgotten turn as Dr. Strange, as well as the little known Exo-Man as a stand-in for Iron Man. There was actually a time when Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) teamed up with Thor (Eric Allan Kramer) in The Incredible Hulk Returns TV movie. But it’s not quite as impressive as Thor: Ragnarok.

In an inspired touch, Max von Sydow‘s Ming the Merciless was recolored to stand in as Thanos, and it was fun to see David Hasselhoff‘s Nick Fury again.

We’re fortunate that the Infinity War movie is happening now. Because if the Marvel Cinematic Universe had been around in the ’70s and ’80s, it would have probably looked a lot like this.

What did you think about the Avengers: Infinity War retro parody? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Darth Blender

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What Were the Odds the STAR WARS Theme Song Would Sound Great Played on Calculators?

Fans of the galaxy far, far away never want to know the odds, but we can always use a good calculator. That way we can figure out just how much interest we owe Jabba the Hutt, and how much a new fleet of clone soldiers will cost the Republic. And we can also count on them if we want to hear the Star Wars‘ theme song, because it turns out they can even be turned into an instrument.

This unusual performance we first saw at LaughingSquid was shared by the YouTube channel It’s a small world, home to one of the best (only?) calculator musicians around. It features a brief snippet of “The Imperial March” and a rousing mechanical rendition of the 20th Century Fox introductory logo song. But the big performance is a version of the Star Wars main theme played on five calculators configured like a mathematician’s strange idea of a keyboard.

How is that a thing someone can do? I couldn’t even figure out how to use my TI-89 to find the right slope, let alone use it to play a song. Although watching this we do get the shivers thinking about an alternate universe where George Lucas still owns the rights to Star Wars and he includes a new “calculator player” in the Max Rebo Band in the next special edition.

That would not be music to our ears.

What other iconic movie theme song would you like to hear played with calculators? We’re counting on you to give us your best suggestions in our comments section below.

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Featured Image: It’s a small world

Did Gwyneth Paltrow Reveal an AVENGERS 4 Spoiler?

Marvel Studios’ reputation for secrecy goes back a decade, but they’ve taken it to extremes with Avengers 4. We don’t even know the name of that movie, courtesy of MCU overlord Kevin Feige. Thanks to some intrepid spy photographers, we’ve gotten a few hints about a hero’s new look and some throwback costumes. Now, Gwyneth Paltrow may have inadvertently spoiled a big turn for her character, Pepper Potts. Today’s Nerdist News is flying in to the rescue as we breakdown what it could mean for Avengers 4.

There are potential spoilers ahead for the untitled fourth Avengers movie, which we couldn’t have gotten without Paltrow’s errant social media post. But if you somehow managed to miss it, this is your last chance to avoid it!

Join host and Stark Industries’ next CEO, Jessica Chobot, as she shares Paltrow’s deleted picture, which revealed her mocap leggings. We’re pretty sure that she wasn’t meant to show those off, because it almost certainly means that Pepper will be wearing some kind of armor during the film. In Iron Man 3, Pepper briefly wore an armored suit and even had an armored gauntlet for the final confrontation with the villain. Potentially, Pepper could fill in for Tony at a critical moment during Avengers 4, but she’s probably not going to be a full time substitute Iron Man.

We think it’s more likely that Pepper will finally adopt her own armored persona as Rescue. In Marvel’s comic book universe, Tony Stark built the Rescue armor for Pepper with a key restriction: it has no offensive weapons. That’s because Pepper didn’t want to become an instrument of war, and everything about her armor was designed to save lives. If Avengers 4 turns out to be Paltrow’s final appearance as Pepper, giving her the chance to become Rescue seems like a fitting exit.

How do you think Pepper’s armor will come into play? Share your theories in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel

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THE LAST JEDI Cast Take A STAR WARS Character Quiz

We’ve all fallen for it time and again – the dreaded “which character from (name a popular TV or movie franchise) are you?” quiz on social media. It’s a wonderful time-waster, and over the years I have found out just which character I am from Lord of the Rings, Firefly, Marvel Comics, Sex and the City, and yes, Star Wars. For the record, I ended up being Princess Leia, despite being certain I would be Jabba the Hutt.

Now the folks at Buzzfeed have assembled the principal cast of The Last Jedi, including Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Laura Dern, Domnhall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, and Mark Hamill to take one of these personality quizzes, so the cast of Star Wars can find out which Star Wars characters they really are. And here’s a hint- it’s not any of the ones they themselves play. You can watch the entire video above.

The best part of this video is seeing the camaraderie of the cast. This is clearly a group of people who love spending time together. Although I did get a little bit wistful, as I would have simply loved to have seen Carrie Fisher with this group of actors. But it was touching to see that Mark Hamill’s corresponding character was none other than his  “space sis.” You can’t not love that.

What did you think of this adorable video? And how excited are you to see The Last Jedi finally? Be sure to let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Buzzfeed

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The PEANUTS Make For a Perfect RIVERDALE Parody

Riverdale has found a way to make the Archie Comics characters work within the context of a series that brings a touch of Twin Peaks to the CW melodrama. It’s probably inevitable that other classic comic book or comic strip characters will eventually get the same treatment. But this week, Jimmy Fallon beat everyone to the punch on The Tonight Show by smashing Charles Schulz’s Peanuts together with Riverdale for a new comedy skit. It’s really not that far from something the CW would actually do, which only made it funnier.

It is a bit weird to see Charlie Brown and Lucy have sexual tension, even within the context of this parody, but the skit seemed to hit most of the major Peanuts and Riverdale notes, including the Great Pumpkin, Pig-Pen’s ridiculous layer of traveling dirt, Charlie/Archie’s terrible music, and of course, Charlie’s affair with a teacher who speaks only in the incomprehensible squawking of adults from the Peanuts cartoons. Good grief.

Sadly, Snoopy takes a backseat in this parody, as Charlie and his friends mourn (slightly) for their friend Linus but don’t let it get in the way of the next high school dance. It was especially funny to see Archie and Lucy insist that they are only sixteen years old, given the way that the CW casts its teen shows with people in their twenties or older. But by far the best moment featured a cameo appearance by KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Madelaine Petsch, and Cole Sprouse as their Riverdale characters. It’s cool to see that they have a sense of humor about the whole thing.

What do you think about the Peanuts and Riverdale parody? Let us know in the comment section below!

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Images: NBC

THE LAST JEDI’s Homemade Trailer Shows Being a Jedi Doesn’t Have to be Expensive

The Last Jedi is going to make Disney so much money at the box office the movie will probably be able to finance the next ten years of Star Wars films. (We also think it’s pretty great!) But think about how much more revenue Lucasfilm would take in if, instead of having a budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars, they just spent like 40 or 50 bucks on some markers and toys? Would the movie be just as good if instead of fancy sets and CGI they used cardboard and socks? Maybe not, but we’d definitely still buy a ticket to see that version based on how much we love its homemade trailer.

The team at CineFix are back with another homemade shot-for-shot remake, this time with a simplified recreation of a teaser for the newest Star Wars film. Using only practical effects–so practical they use the kind of stuff you’d find laying around your house–they have us ready to blast off to the galaxy far, far away, but on a much more sensible budget.

These are always such silly fun, and because they’re old pros who know exactly what we’re going to do after we watch this, they have a side-by-side comparison video already posted for us.

We kid about how “simple” these are, but the truth is they require a lot of creative people doing a lot of work to make them happen. You can learn more about their process in their behind-the-scene video.

Which homemade shot-for-shot trailer is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below.

Featured Image: Cinefix

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Forget Elf on the Shelf, Try Lannister on a Bannister

It’s not truly the holiday season until a bunch of parents take to social media complaining about having to come up with new and creative ways to display the Elf on the Shelf, Santa’s “scout” who keeps an eye on your kids to ensure they are behaving in the weeks before Christmas. But why put yourself through that arduous nightly task when you can use a far more effective deterrent to keep your children in line, one you don’t have to worry about moving yourself. Because this year, the only way to guarantee your kids don’t end up on the naughty list is with a Lannister on the Bannister.

Jimmy Kimmel says the Elf on the Shelf is tearing his family apart because he keeps forgetting to move it, so he has a replacement option based on Game of Thrones. Because what better way is there to keep your family together than by threatening them with their own Red Wedding if they don’t.

It’s probably not a great idea to threaten your kids with dismemberment, but letting Jaime Lannister scare them with the possibility of losing a hand definitely will put the fear of the old gods and the new in them. But if you do invite Nikolaj Coster-Waldau into your house, you might want to hide the mistletoe…especially if mom looks like Cersei.

Which Game of Thrones character would do the best job of keeping your kids from acting up? Share your answers with us in the comments below.

Featured Image: ABC

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Astronauts Will Get to Watch THE LAST JEDI—in Space!

The Last Jedi officially hits theaters on December 15th and while most of us are putting the final touches on our premiere plans, it looks like the astronauts aboard the International Space Station have viewing plans that blow any of ours out of the water. While it’s not quite a galaxy far, far away, NASA has confirmed that astronauts on the International Space Station will indeed get to watch The Last Jedi while onboard the ISS.

As Inverse reports, there isn’t a specific timeline for getting the film onto the ISS just yet, but the astronauts will definitely not have to wait until they return to earth to watch the film. NASA Public Affairs Officer Dan Huot also explained to Inverse that the astronauts typically get digital files for films, and are able to play the movie back on laptops or via onboard projectors. So basically, they get to watch a movie about space while they are in space. That definitely makes my plans of seeing The Last Jedi in a theater with reclining chairs seem a lot less exciting…

Of course, this isn’t the first time astronauts have gotten to watch movies in space. The International Space Station actually has a pretty extensive movie library, and a pretty impressive set up for a space station. Astronaut Scott Kelly gave us all a glimpse into their projector in 2015.

#Movie night in micro #Gravity aboard #ISS on our new HD projector which we use for conferences, tech software, etc.. pic.twitter.com/Mhb03U3alz

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) April 25, 2015

The ISS library is full of great titles, including an almost surprising amount of disasters-in-space films like Gravity and Alien.  Of course, the ISS movie library isn’t only space-themed with films like Anchorman, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and shows like Better Call Saul and Modern Family rounding out the list. After all, if you’re stuck in a space station for huge chunks of time, you’ve got to have some solid in-flight entertainment to help pass any free time you have.

We’re excited that the International Space Station gang gets to enjoy The Last Jedi like the rest of us, although we’ve got to admit that there is something extra badass about watching the movie while being in space yourself. We can’t wait to hear what they thought of the film!

If you were on the International Space Station, what one movie would you want to be sure to bring along? Tell us in the comments!

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Feature Image: Disney/Lucasfilm

THE STAR WARS Concept Trailer Resurrects Ralph McQuarrie’s Early Designs

George Lucas created Star Wars over 40 years ago, but he wasn’t the only visionary who helped bring it to life. Concept artist Ralph McQuarrie played a very important role in translating Lucas’ interstellar space opera into a visual feast for the imagination. And while McQuarrie’s designs underwent significant changes before they were brought to the big screen, his influence is all over the films. Now, a group of graduating students at Orlando’s Digital Animation and Visual Effects school have put together a concept trailer for The Star Wars, which re-imagines the events of the original film with McQuarrie’s concepts and Lucas’ wildly different script.

Lucas’ early drafts for The Star Wars were quite different from the final version that debuted in 1977. In some versions, Luke and Leia were essentially the same character: Luka Starkiller. That was before Luke Skywalker became an older Jedi general and a Knight of the Sith. Although there was an incarnation of Han that was a green skinned alien with gills, the version seen in this video is fairly close to his cinematic counterpart. Except for the beard, of course. It’s also weird that Han and seemingly every random stormtrooper have lightsabers in this incarnation.

The influence of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis can be seen when C-3PO appears in this trailer, and fans of Star Wars Rebels should immediately recognize the early version of Chewbacca. That design was recycled for Zeb on the animated series. Even Rebels‘ resident droid, Chopper, seems to have drawn upon McQuarrie’s depiction of R2-D2. It’s also somewhat strange to see these unfamiliar faces recreate a few classic moments from the first film.

What do you think about the fan made trailer for The Star Wars? Feel the Force in the comment section below!

Images: The DAVE School

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How Much Will BLACK PANTHER Set Up AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR?

A new international trailer for Black Panther offered previously unseen footage, but as the last film before Infinity War how much will the movie stand on its own and how much will it set up Thanos’ big invasion? We discussed that on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with the possibility of a Boba Fett Star Wars movie, and the latest on the likely Disney–Fox mega-merger.

Host Jessica Chobot was joined today by Nerdist News writer Aliza Pearl, as well as producers Derek Johnson and Jesse Gill, and they started with their reactions to the latest fantastic trailer for Black Panther. Since it’s the final MCU movie until Infinity War though, how much do we think it will be its own self-contained story, and how much do we think Marvel will use it to set up their biggest Avengers team up ever? And since it’s based on source material from great writers like Chris Priest and Ta-Nehisi Coates, how excited are we to see it?

While The Last Jedi is opening this week (hooray!), there are reports the standalone Boba Fett anthology movie is moving forward, with legendary Star Wars figure Lawrence Kasdan producing and X-Men: Dark Phoenix‘s Simon Kinberg directing. Are we excited by this possibility, or is Boba Fett overrated? Would we rather see an Obi-Wan movie instead? What if Ewan McGregor isn’t involved? Or are we much more excited by Rian Johnson’s trilogy?

Finally, it sounds like that massive Disney-Fox merger will likely be announced on Thursday, but are we glad all these franchises will be owned by one studio? Are we happy Hugh Jackman says he won’t return as Wolverine after the send off he got in Logan? And since this deal would mean Disney owns the rights to Alien, does that mean Xenomorphs will technically be Disney princesses?

Don’t forget Nerdist News Talks Back airs live every weekday at 1:00 p.m. PT on our YouTube and Alpha channels, so tune in and get in on the conversation with us. We love discussing every big movie franchise with you, even the two or three Disney won’t own by Friday.

We still want to hear from you though, so talk back to us about today’s topics in the comments below.

Images: Marvel, 20th Century Fox