Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1894

Maltin on Movies #154: Sean Baker

The man behind The Florida Project (one of the year’s best movies) joins Leonard and Jessie for a candid look at his career, which began on public-access television in Manhattan. His last feature, Tangerine, caused a stir because it was shot entirely on iPhones…but it’s the content, not the cameras, that makes these movies so good. (His latest was photographed on 35mm film.) Sean shares the story of his “overnight” success and explains why he thanks Spanky McFarland and the creators of the Little Rascals at the end of The Florida Project.

Try Mubi free for 30 days at mubi.com/maltin!

Follow @LeonardMaltin and @jessiemaltin on Twitter! And be sure to check out leonardmaltin.com

The Todd Glass Show #324: Chip Chantry (Part 1)

Chip “Funniest Person on Social Media” Chantry 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!

This Wonder Woman Cosplayer Embraces Her Inner Amazon

Moscow-based cosplayer Diana Anokhina is a huge fan of Wonder Woman. Diana cosplaying as Diana is kind of perfect, and her Wonder Woman costumes are incredible. She’s made versions based on all of Wonder Woman’s appearances in the DCEU. Can you imagine how great it would be to open your closet and see multiple Amazon princess costumes? Anyway, Diana participated in an epic shoot with photographer Denis Murin to highlight her work.

They captured the spirit of the Wonder Woman film by renting a black horse. Diana had never been on horseback before, so she fully committed and learned how to ride ahead of time. Murin told Nerdist, “The funny thing is that horse’s name is Lyuta, which roughly translates as ‘fierce one.’ And she was fierce. Lyuta was feeling that Diana was a novice rider so she would take any opportunity to break into a gallop. But Diana bravely held.”

All the work was worth it, because the photos are incredible.

Keep scrolling to see more images from the photo shoot, as well as some photos showing off the making of the costume. You can keep up with Diana’s cosplay projects by following her on Instagram, and you can see more of Denis’ photography by following him on Facebook and Instagram.

Do you cosplay or take photographs of cosplayers? If so, I want to see your work so we can talk about highlighting your creations in a future Cosplay Friday gallery. If you’re interested, please get in touch with me at alratcliffe@yahoo.com and send photos you’d like me to feature–the more high-res the photos, the better.

Images: Denis Murin

Be impressed by more cosplay!

James Gunn’s favorite Guardians pet cosplay.
A fierce Wonder Woman cosplay group.
A championship worthy Breath of the Wild costume.

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 Gets Renewed on Netflix

There’s at least one thing to be thankful for this Turkey Day that doesn’t even count eating a metric tone of potatoes and bread products. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return, otherwise known as the revived version of Mystery Science Theater 3000 made possible by crowdfunding that launched on Netflix, has been renewed by the streaming service giant for a second/12th season! That means more of Jonah Heston, Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo, Gypsy, Kinga Forrester, TV’s Son of TV’s Frank, and every other weird and wacky character from Moon 13: The Moon.

The announcement was made at the end of MST3K‘s 2017 Turkey Day marathon on Shout! Factory by creator Joel Hodgson and new series stars Jonah Ray and Felicia Day.

It seemed a gargantuan, unfathomable prospect for MST3K to come back after an absence of 18 years following its cancellation in 1999, after 197 episodes on Comedy Central and Syfy (nee The Sci-Fi Channel), but return it did, thanks entirely to a majorly successful Kickstarter campaign in 2016. The campaign raised so much money, the team was able to make 14 new episodes, which were eventually picked up by Netflix for distribution. This was followed by a nationwide “Watch Out for Snakes” live tour.

There was some worry that Netflix might not pick up the series, despite receiving 100% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and almost uniformly good fan reaction, because, unlike most Netflix original series, it’s not super easy to binge a season of Mystery Science Theater. Lucky for us MSTies, though, the response was enough to warrant making more, and long may the new Satellite of Love reign.

As of now, the release date given for the next new season is “the not-too-distant future” but we hope that means late 2018. Hope, hope, hope.

Let us know your thoughts on more MST3K in the comments below!

Images: Shout Factory/Netflix

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!

Get a look back at MST3K season 11!

Why we think the new MST3K didn’t lose a step !
Creator Joel Hodgson on making the show the same, but different !
How the new season was made !

Have a Magical Thanksgiving with These HARRY POTTER-Inspired Recipes

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is full of magic and wonder, and we muggles love to do everything we can to try to bring some of that magic into our everyday lives. While it’s a bit tough to get some bonafide magical creatures living in your house, we can bring some of the tasty treats the wizards and witches of Hogwarts get to enjoy on the reg. With the holidays coming up, it’s the perfect time to get your wizarding bake on and create your very own Hogwarts-style feast.

In a new video from Binging with Babish, we get a tutorial on making some awesome (and perfectly seasonal) treats like Pumpkin Pasties, Treacle Tarts, and of course, Butterbeer. Take a peek at the video, and get inspired to do some wizardly baking!

I’ll be honest, when reading the , the Treacle Tart was never one of those desserts that really sounded super tasty to me (this may or may not have been partially due to my lack of knowledge of what treacle was). However, after watching this video (and Babish’s reaction after trying a slice), it definitely looks like it may truly be the unsung hero of Potter-themed treats. It’s also cool to see a more adult-themed Butterbeer recipe. The non-alcoholic versions or the ones modeled after the drink you can get at Universal Studios are always super sweet, so it’s great to see one that carries a bit of a kick! You can grab the recipes from the Binging with Babish website, as well as check out some of his other pop-culture inspired recipes.

Will you be baking any of these Potter treats this holiday season? Have you baked other treats from the Harry Potter universe before? Tell us about it in the comments!

Feature Image: Warner Bros. 

More Harry Potter holiday fun!

Dine on these Wizarding World treats with Harry Potter kitchenware!
And use your dinner glasses to play the Harry Potter theme!
…or just listen to the soundtrack on this new vinyl box set

Watch the History of Image Comics Unfold in New Documentary, SO MUCH DAMAGE

In 1992, seven of Marvel’s most popular comic book artists jumped helicarrier and formed Image Comics. At the time, Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri, Erik Larsen, Jim Valentino, and Rob Liefeld were superstars within the medium, and their new venture changed the industry while challenging both Marvel and DC with their sales. Twenty five years later, Image is still one of the top comic companies, but it hasn’t always been a smooth journey.

Syfy Wire has released a new five-part documentary called So Much Damage, an oral history of Image Comics with input from all of the founders. Syfy’s Mike Avila hosted the documentary and conducted the interviews, with additional reporting from Henry Barajas. The documentary also details the rifts between the creators and how their partnership was nearly splintered just a few years after it began.

In part one, McFarlane recalls how he recruited Lee and Silvestri on the eve of their famous meeting with Marvel, where the artists quit the company and laid out their reasons why. As a parting shot, the artists scheduled a similar meeting with DC Comics, which now seems somewhat ironic, since Lee is currently the co-publisher there. In the second episode, the documentary explores the nearly unprecedented response to Image, which transformed the creators into celebrities.

In the third installment, the creators talk about the downturn of the comic book industry and the dispute that led Liefeld to quit Image shortly before a vote that would have also kicked him out.

Years later, Liefeld and his former partners reconciled, thanks in part to the efforts of Robert Kirkman. Kirkman co-created The Walking Dead, a comic book that became such a massive hit that he was invited to become a new partner at Image. The fourth part of this documentary focuses on Kirkman’s arrival, and the way that he changed the company from the ground up.

The fifth and final installment catches to Image’s current state as the home to several critically acclaimed and commercially successful creator-owned comics like Saga, Bitch Planet, and Happy. Along with The Walking Dead, those titles are among the books that once again made Image into a publisher that draws in the very best writers and artists in comics.

What did you think about So Much Damage? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Image Comics

Turn the page for more comics news and views

Mera finally gets her own series.
7 DC characters Brian Michael Bendis should write.
Jeff Lemire talks creation, comics, and expanding the world of Black Hammer

Nintendo’s Kirby Has Become Japan’s Most Adorable Snack

For the last twenty five years, Nintendo’s Kirby has created his own place in video game history by defending Dream Land and the planet Pop Star by weaponizing his enormous appetite. Enemies and objects can be easily swallowed by Kirby, but somehow he manages to make that look cute. Now, fans in Japan are celebrating their love of Kirby by turning the tables and eating him.

Via Kotaku, Lawson convenience stores in Japan are selling Kirby buns stuffed with a filling inspired by “Maxim Tomato,” a major item from the Kirby games. And as you can see in the picture below, Kirby retains his inherent cuteness even in this form.

カービィまんかわいいー！

Recipe Recreates Rachel’s Terrible FRIENDS Trifle But Actually Tastes Good

Friends might be the GOAT television show for Thanksgiving episodes, and one of its most memorable Turkey Day moments was the year Rachel tried to make a traditional English trifle. When two pages got stuck together it resulted in her accidentally creating a half dessert/half shepherd’s pie monstrosity that only someone with the appetite of Joey could keep down. But if you’d like to recreate that iconic TV dish this holiday season without making all of your guests gag, a new recipe has the perfect way to get the exact same look as hers while tasting delicious.

This recipe from Bren Did has all of the good parts of Rachel’s recipe, but replaces the sauteed beef with peas and onions that ruined her dish by replacing them with sweet lookalikes. Instead of ground beef it calls for unsweetened coconut flakes mixed with Nutella, which looks just like cooked meat. And in lieu of onions and peas, it uses diced canned pears and kiwi pieces balled with a straw.

The result is a trifle that looks just like Rachel’s, but without being vile in every way.

Friends Fans! Now you can make Rachel's Thanksgiving Trifle (But one that tastes AMAZING) https://t.co/Nmu6Z6axmC #Friends #thanksgiving pic.twitter.com/CKFgm0iJlE

— BrenDid (@brendidblog) November 10, 2017

This is perfect to make for your fellow Friends loving guests, but if you serve it without telling anyone it really is a dessert–so they think there’s actually ground beef in it–you can find out who among your friends and family is willing to tell you the truth no matter how painful, and who will literally eat garbage to avoid hurting your feelings.

Because as you can see from this new video from the great YouTube channel Binging With Babish, voluntarily eating the version Rachel made is utterly disgusting.

If someone ever served us that,  we’d hate Thanksgiving as much as Chandler.

What other famous failed TV food would you like to get a similar lookalike but tasty recipe for? Cook up your best ideas in the comments below.

Featured Image: NBC

Feed your hunger with more stories about snacks!

Make Millennium Falcon waffles.
Did your Thanksgiving have a Facehugger chicken?
Snack on a spaghetti burrito.

Bizarre States #165: Cats are fun, Manson is not

Jess is back from Japan! After catching up, Bowser and Jess dive into Charles Manson.

Be sure to check out Bizarre States Los Angeles on Alpha!

BUY BIZARRE STATES PINS HERE!

Follow @JessicaChobot, @andrewbowser and @Bizarre_States on Twitter! 

You can watch the podcast episodes live Wednesdays at 4pm PST on Alpha and YouTube, or catch up on all the episodes you missed on Alpha.

Keep up to date by Liking the Bizarre States Facebook page! Watch Nerdist News!

The Scientific Secret to Blocking Bullets Like WONDER WOMAN

Diana of Themyscira is certainly wondrous. Made by the gods themselves, she is strong and agile enough to identify and dodge bullets The Matrix-style, and even block them. But doing so effectively doesn’t just require strength or speed — Diana has to be incredibly smart too.

In my latest Because Science, I’m trying to figure out the real secret to blocking bullets like Wonder Woman. First, what does it feel like to block a bullet? Given whatever you’re blocking with is as durable as Diana’s bracers, do the math, and there isn’t that much force behind a bullet (it’s the bullet’s small area coupled with a decent force that makes for deadly pressure).

Reaction time is also a factor, but here too, the amount of time that Wonder Woman would have to identify, react to, and block a bullet (given she could see it coming) isn’t completely unbelievable. So there must be something else to it…

If you want to block bullets like Wonder Woman, it’s going to come down to smarts because there’s one thing that’s much harder to block than a bullet: dozens of pieces of deadly shrapnel.

After you watch the new episode above, check out my last video on why Superman’s famous time reversal technique would spell disaster for the rest of us, subscribe to this playlist to stay current with the show, buy a Because Science shirt, mug, hat, or collectible pin, and follow me on Twitter to give me a suggestion for the next episode or on Instagram where I’m now posting extra mini-episodes!

Want Because Science days (!) before anyone else? Subscribe to Alpha for early access to the show and peep my new show The S.P.A.A.C.E. Program!

More DC Superhero Nerdery!

Superman’s time reversal technique would kill us all!
Could the Flash take a hands-free photo of himself?
Wonder Woman’s sword is the sharpest thing in the universe