Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1878
December 11, 2017
Will READY PLAYER ONE Be More Than Just a Bunch of Easter Eggs?
A new trailer for Ready Player One dropped this weekend, and it had another big basket of Easter eggs for us to hunt down. But will the movie be more than just a collection of pop culture goodies? We discussed that on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with our first look at season two of Jessica Jones, and calculated the odds for the craziest The Last Jedi theories out there.
Joining host Jessica Chobot today were Nerdist producers Kate Meyers and Jason Nguyen, along with science editor Kyle Hill, and they kicked things off with the latest look at Ready Player One. What did we think of it? With Steven Spielberg directing can it be more than just a trip down nostalgia lane? Can a film that is half live-action/half-CGI work? And what about that absurd new poster featuring the world’s longest leg? How many people at the studio saw this and said, “Sure! Looks 100% normal!”
We also got a trailer for Jessica Jones season two. Did we like it? Do we hope they continue to develop the story of her dealing with PTSD? Will they be able to come up with a better villain than season one’s David Tennant? And will she be able to rescue Marvel after The Defenders flopped?
Finally, it is finally Star Wars week, with The Last Jedi coming to theaters on Thursday. So to get ready we ranked the odds (without spoilers) for the craziest theories on a scale of “possible” to “no f***ing way.” Is Rey really a reincarnated Snoke or Anakin? Will Han Solo appear as a force ghost or turn up alive? Is Snoke the first Jedi in history? And not only could Kylo and Rey be siblings, is he the one who left her on Jakku?
Tune in every weekday with us when Nerdist News Talks Back airs live at 1:00 p.m. PT on our YouTube and Alpha channels. There are a lot less Easter eggs than in Ready Player One, but that’s a good thing.
We still want to hear from you though, so talk back to us in the comments below about today’s topics.
Images: Warner Bros. Studios, Marvel, Lucasfilm
THE LAST JEDI Cast Answers the Internet’s Burning STAR WARS Questions
By the end of this week, Star Wars fans will have most of the answers they’ve been waiting for when The Last Jedi arrives in theaters. But there are always questions left unasked, and sometimes, they should be! To gear up for the premiere of The Last Jedi, Wired invited the cast to answer the internet’s most searched questions about their characters. Naturally, a lot of hilarious moments ensued.
The first paring consisted of Mark Hamill and Laura Dern, as they tackled questions directly relating to the Jedi. And it didn’t take long for Hamill’s Joker voice to make a audio cameo. Hamill admitted that there are some things he knows about being a Jedi that are contradicted by other material in the Star Wars novels, games, and comics. That said, he believes that Jedi are supposed to be celibate, “otherwise I’d have a girlfriend by now.” Hey Mark, some of us still want Mara Jade back in the canon.
John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran were the second pairing, and they also fielded some suitably ridiculous inquires, including one about whether Jedi wear underwear or not. They thought it was an absurd question, but they both answered it. Tran also had the perfect response for “Who is Kelly Marie Tran?” She said “me!” Boyega also admitted that he owns nine lightsabers. Perhaps our favorite question for them is this: “Was Finn Star Wars Grey’s Anatomy?”
Finally, Daisy Ridley and Domhnall Gleeson were unexpectedly paired up as well. And as Gleeson quickly reminded Ridley, it’s always polite to pick your co-star’s character as your favorite. She also succinctly explained how Rey can understand BB-8 and how she beat Kylo Ren at the end of The Force Awakens.
What was your favorite Star Wars question and answer from this video? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: Wired
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25 Easter Eggs in the READY PLAYER ONE Trailer
Over the weekend, Steven Spielberg‘s adaptation of Ready Player One dropped a new trailer and reintroduced fans to Ernest Cline’s virtual sci-fi future. Within the artificial world known as the Oasis, several pop culture icons appear to exist alongside Wade Watts, the main character of the story. And while Wade’s quest for the ultimate treasure of the Oasis is engaging, we can’t take our eyes off of the incredible lineup of guest characters we’ve seen since Who Framed Roger Rabbit. That’s why today’s Nerdist News is running down 25 Easter Eggs from the latest Ready Player One trailer.
Join host and the first Artemis in the Oasis, Jessica Chobot, as she plays Street Fighter bingo with the appearances of Ryu, Blanka, Sagat, and Chun-Li, in addition to blowing our minds with a Back to the Future style Delorean that has K.I.T.T.’s light bar from Knight Rider. Perhaps the most unexpected thing was the cameo by the Battletoads as they led an army into battle. That’s right, Rash, Zitz, and Pimple are making their big screen debut!
In fact, there are a lot of familiar faces that show up in that footage, including Lara Croft, Tracer from Overwatch, King Kong, Joker, Harley Quinn, Deathstroke, Chucky, and even the freakin’ Iron Giant. And if that’s not enough, then perhaps Adam West‘s Batmobile, Speed Racer‘s Mach 5, Kaneda’s motorcycle from Akira, or the RX-78 Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam will satisfy you. Under three minutes of footage gave us enough cameos to fill an entire movie. Now, we can’t wait to see the characters that Spielberg will save to surprise us when the film hits on March 30, 2018.
What’s your favorite Easter Egg from the Ready Player One trailer? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: Warner Bros. Pictures/Amblin Partners
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You Can Now Augment Yourself with 3D-Printed Double-Hands
How many times have you looked at your own two hands and dared to dream about the possibilities that would come with having six? You could read three books simultaneously, or play four games of craps while also holding two cocktails. You could… do so many other absurd, seemingly pointless things with four extra hands.
You better think of a list of those things right now, because here before you is a double-hand machine augment that lets you… give a triple high-five? Shoot three free throws at the same time? Really raise the roof?
The double-hand machine augment (which comes via BoingBoing) is the creation of Italy-based bionics company, Youbionic. And in all seriousness, at least the intent behind the robot double-hand seems to be aimed toward helping people. So a sextuple thumbs-up for that.
Federico Ciccarese, Youbionic’s founder, says on LinkedIn that he’s worked for years “projecting and experimenting every day to create something that can help others,” and that “The aim of [Youbionic’s] research is to be able to make a Artificial Hand [sic] that can help those who unfortunately have lost one, giving them the ability to perform the basic actions of every day.”
When Double Hand works. #3dprinting #arduino #prosthetics #robot #bionic #design #DIY #style #amazing #cool pic.twitter.com/MowDK72uDm
— Youbionic (@youbionic) November 19, 2017
And while it’s clear that a single bionic hand in place of a missing biological hand would be perfectly reasonable — and even maybe downright awesome — it’s less clear how a double-hand operated by a functional biological hand would work in this capacity. Perhaps it’s only test platform for R&D. Or maybe it’s a prototype that’ll be used in a poker game with the Borax Kid.
What do you think about this double-hand machine augment? Do you see a thousand-and-one uses for this contraption, or only one? (And get your mind out of the gutter, we’re talking about one three-handed juggling!)
Images: Federico Youbionic
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FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST Goes 8-Bit in New Trailer for the Live-Action Movie
The Fullmetal Alchemist live-action movie is out in Japan, and it’s already on top of the box office in that country. To celebrate the film’s big opening weekend, Warner Bros. Pictures of Japan has released a surprising throwback trailer for the Fullmetal Alchemist movie that re-imagines Hiromu Arakawa’s characters as the star of their very own 8-bit role-playing game.
We first saw the video on Crunchyroll, and it’s a really charming take on the classic manga and anime. Edward and Alphonse Elric really lend themselves to that 8-bit style, even though they didn’t make their debut until 2001. Within the alternate world envisioned by Arakawa, Edward and Alphonse were brothers; their attempt to resurrect their mother led to a botched alchemy experiment that cost Edward his arm and his leg while leaving Alphonse’s soul trapped in a suit of armor.
The 8-bit trailer also features three of the Elric brothers’ foes: Envy, Lust, and Gluttony. But rather than give us the JRPG battle that we’ve been waiting for, the remainder of the video is comprised of footage from the film that introduces Yasuko Matsuyuki, Kanata Hongō, and Shinji Uchiyama in their respective roles of Lust, Envy, Gluttony. You can also spot the CGI Alphonse kicking some ass.
The live-action Fullmetal Alchemist movie will eventually be released in the United States, but an exact date hasn’t been announced.
What did you think about the Fullmetal Alchemist 8-bit trailer? And would you play a Fullmetal Alchemist JRPG? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: Warner Bros. Pictures of Japan
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WONDER WOMAN, MARVEL, and STAR WARS Nendoroid Figures Are Too Cute for Words
Japanese toy company Nendoroid has been around since 2006, making adorable “chibi” vinyl figures of characters from well known anime, manga and video games. Lately though, Nendoroid has expanded into making equally adorable figures based on Western pop icons, including characters from Star Wars, classic Disney animation, and even the heroes and villains from Marvel and DC Comics.
Among their newer offerings for 2017, which you can see below, are Star Wars’ own Princess Leia Organa, in her original A New Hope outfit. From the current trilogy of Star Wars films, BB-8 makes an appearance as well, giving his famous “thumbs up” to Finn from The Force Awakens.
A post shared by Nendoroid News (@nendoroidnews) on Nov 29, 2017 at 7:14pm PST
From the world of Marvel Studios films, there’s the Son of Odin with his shorn locks from Thor: Ragnarok, along with his brother Loki. And the latest version of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is represented as well, in his most recent Homecoming incarnation.
A post shared by Nendoroid News (@nendoroidnews) on Nov 30, 2017 at 4:04pm PST
On the animated Disney films tip, we’ve got Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Belle, from the original animated Beauty and the Beast. Ariel even comes with Flounder and Sebastian, and her very own ” dinglehopper” (also known as a fork).
A post shared by Nendoroid News (@nendoroidnews) on Oct 18, 2017 at 8:17pm PDT
And this year’s #1 superhero (don’t argue with us), Wonder Woman gets a Nendoroid figure as well, ready to do battle with the forces of evil.
A post shared by Nendoroid News (@nendoroidnews) on Aug 23, 2017 at 9:24pm PDT
You can check out more of Nendoroid’s figures by checking out their Instagram and Facebook pages, which are constantly being updated with new figures.
What do you think of the latest adorable additions to the Nendoroid family of figures? Be sure to let us know who you want to see next down below in the comments.
Images: Nendoroid
Sony’s VENOM Movie Will be Based on These ’90s Comics
There were rumblings of a Venom movie before the MCU even existed. The iconic evolution of the black and white Spider-suit has been a fan favorite along with the man who first held the Venom mantle, Eddie Brock. So no one was wholly surprised when Sony announced they were making a Venom standalone film. However, what’s slightly confusing is that the movie won’t include Spidey himself, making the latest news on the film very intriguing. During Sao Paulo’s Comic Con Experience 2017, Director Ruben Fleischer appeared via satellite to tease the Spidey spin-off. What he revealed confirms a popular fan theory and opens up a whole world of new ones!
The Zombieland director shared that the Sony film would pull from two story arcs, both classic Venom stories from the wild world of ’90s Marvel. The first is Venom: Lethal Protector, a six issue miniseries from 1993 which sees Venom make a pact with Peter Parker to stop being bad. Eddie movies to San Francisco, becoming a vigilante himself until a bunch of little symbiotes start causing chaos, leading to an unholy alliance between Peter and Eddie. The second is Planet of the Symbiotes, a five issue event from 1995 wherein Eddie questions his role as Venom, looking at who really holds the power when he wears the symbiote suit. It also sees Brock team up with Ben Riley’s much maligned Scarlet Spider.
What does this tell us about the new movie? Well, it scraps the popular idea that the film would lean into the Agent Venom or Venom: Space Knight stories. Those tales featured an adult Flash Thompson as he merged with the symbiote following a stint in the Iraq War. It also looks like Riz Ahmed will probably play serial killer Cletus Kasady, Brock’s ex-cellmate who takes on a symbiote offspring and becomes the evil Carnage. Many fans guessed that would be his role after his Emmy-winning turn in HBO’s prison drama, The Night Of. Carnage is the inspiration for the evil organization that creates five new symbiotes in Lethal Protector, a threat that inspires the odd couple of Spidey and Venom. These villainous symbiotes–Agony, Lasher, Phage, Riot, and Scream–also become the antagonists in Planet of the Symbiotes, even teaming up with Carnage at the end.
Both of these arcs are steeped in two main things: violence and alien monsters. So it’s likely that the new film will lean into an R rating as it focuses on the seedy side of the Spider-world with a sci-fi flare. Sony is clearly dedicated to establishing the idea of multiple Spider-folk with the title of the recently teased animated Miles Morales movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The inclusion of Planet of the Symbiotes as source material for the Venom movie may have more to do with the characters it includes than the storyline itself.
During the now infamous Clone Wars Saga, Marvel attempted to introduce a wholly new Spider-Man named Ben Reilly, who was later known as the Scarlet Spider. During the culmination of Planet of the Symbiotes, Spider-Man, Venom, and Scarlet Spider team up to save the day. Sony may be looking at a modified version of that team-up as a way to manage without Peter Parker. Or maybe this new film will stick strictly to the symbiotes, possibly pairing up Carnage and Venom to save New York instead. It would be unconventional but an interesting choice for Sony to make.
What do you think of these choices? Excited to see a violent Venom movie? Stoked to see Carnage on the big screen? Let us know below!
Images: Fox, HBO, Marvel, Warner Bros.
Diana Confronts Her Brother in WONDER WOMAN #36 (Exclusive Preview)
During “The Darkseid War” storyline, Wonder Woman learned one of the most closely guarded secrets of her life: she has a twin brother named Jason. Unlike his sister, Diana, Jason was not raised among the Amazons and he grew up without ever meeting his real parents. When Diana finally managed to find Jason, she was dismayed to discover that he had seemingly sided with Grail, the daughter of Darkseid, in a bid to kill all of Zeus’ children—including Diana!
After an interlude that explored Jason’s childhood years, this week’s Wonder Woman #36 will find Diana in chains as she desperately attempts to reason with her brother. As writer James Robinson established in the previous issues, Jason and Diana’s older brother, Hercules, played a large role in training Jason during his formative years. And as you can see in the gorgeous preview pages by artist Carlo Pagulayan, Diana wants to create a wedge between Jason and Grail by pointing out that Grail killed Hercules, and Jason could very well be next once Diana is out of the way.
Grail’s endgame appears to be the restoration of Darkseid, who was transformed into an infant at the conclusion of “The Darkseid Wars.” The stolen powers of Zeus’ children have already been used to age Darkseid and bring him back to the cusp of godhood. But DC has hinted that Diana may have an “unexpected ally” in her battle with Jason and Grail. And even though she is a captive, Diana is far from helpless.
On this issue, Robinson and Pagulayan are joined by inkers Jason Paz and Sean Parsons, as well as colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr. You can find the rest of the preview pages in our gallery below, as well as the covers by Bryan Hitch and Jenny Frison.
Wonder Woman #36 will be released on Wednesday, December 13.
What did you think about this preview? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
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Images: DC Comics
Overkill’s THE WALKING DEAD Teaser Brings Zombies to Washington D.C.
Since the debut of Robert Kirkman‘s The Walking Dead, there have been a few attempts to bring his vision of the zombie apocalypse to life as a video game. And while Telltale’s Walking Dead series managed to recapture the tone and moral ambiguity, the new Walking Dead title from Overkill may finally deliver the walker-killing action that we’ve been waiting for. Overkill Software has released the first teaser trailer from its upcoming co-op game, which introduces Aidan, the first of several playable characters. It also shifts the story to Washington D.C., a city that hasn’t really been explored in the Walking Dead universe until now.
The trailer shows us a glimpse of Aidan’s life in D.C. prior to the zombie infestation, and we can infer that he was somewhat overwhelmed by the responsibilities of his career and his obligations to his family. We also learn that Aidan had a younger brother who was visiting him, but he is alone when we see him later in the trailer. Aidan also appears to be more at ease in this Hellish landscape than he was before the world that he knew came to an end. Judging from the smile on Aidan’s face, he seems to enjoy using his bat to put down a horde of walkers.
Overkill’s The Walking Dead will be released in 2018, but an exact date has not yet been announced.
What did you think about the first trailer from The Walking Dead‘s latest video game? Take aim in the comment section below!
Images: Overkill Software
Need More Undead Content?
Here’s last week’s rundown of “Time For After.”
Learn more about the Fear/The Walking Dead crossover.
And finally, here’s Robert Kirkman talkin’ comics.
December 10, 2017
Bad Lip Reading Turns STRANGER THINGS Into a Weird 90s Sitcom
Stranger Things has inspired many, many, many fan-made things since its debut on Netflix. Countless artistic re-imaginings, lots of apparel, and oh-so-many Eggo-related items, but of all the things we’ve seen so far, this just might be–dare we say–the strangest.
The Bad Lip Reading team has really outdone themselves by creating a wonderfully nonsensical 18 minute “episode” of Stranger Things as if it were from the ’90s. As with most of their videos, the dialogue is absolutely absurd but–with help of Gillian Jacobs providing the voice of Nancy–we’re given a glimpse of a Hawkins, Indiana where things make even less sense than the one in the actual show. A world where Chief Harper and Joyce Byers bond over singing one of their favorite songs together and where “Marm” (formerly Barb) has a thing for Nancy and is in no way shy about making her feelings known.
As cool as the actual theme song for the Netflix show is, we’re tempted to start a petition for season three to use the campy version in the video above. The lyrics “Don’t take candy from a stranger, things like that could lead to danger. Dustin, Lucas, El, and Mike, riding on a bike to save their friend from the Upside Down!” are just too perfect and make us think the BLR team passed through a portal to another dimension where this actually is the theme song.
There’s a lot to unpack in the 18 minute clip, but what’s your favorite part of this latest Bad Lip Reading? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Image: Netflix
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