Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1904

See the Real-Life Locations That Inspire Pixar’s Amazing Environments

It’s an understatement to say that Pixar films are beautiful. We’ve always appreciated how much work went into every Pixar film, but it wasn’t until now that we really understood how seriously the animation house takes its films’ backdrops. This new video, recently put out on the Disney•Pixar YouTube channel, gives us a little insight into the lengths the studio goes to in order to capture an environment as accurately as possible.

The real life settings don’t end with San Francisco for Inside Out or Paris for Ratatouille. The artists sought out inspiration for locales for other films that aren’t entirely, let’s say, rooted in reality. Pixar used the Monterey Bay Aquarium as a model for Finding Dory, the Venezuelan mountains for Paradise Falls in Up, Scotland’s Outer Hebrides for Brave, and even designed the setting of Cars with a nod to Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX.

But the most impressive thing we learned from this video is where they went for inspiration for 2015’s The Good Dinosaur. We’ve touched on Pixar’s knack for gorgeous environments before but it’s so much cooler than just how everything looks. The breathtaking vistas in the film come from filmmakers visiting Wyoming, Montana, and Oregon to capture the look of those areas. And those areas just happen to be where Apatosauruses lived in North America during the Late Jurassic period. Pixar’s attention to detail is so impressive that we wouldn’t be surprised if it came out they went to the future to do research for Wall-E.

What’s your favorite Pixar movie setting? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image: Disney/Pixar

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Train Like Rey with STAR WARS Activewear from Her Universe

The Last Jedi will feature Rey training with Luke on the mysterious new planet, Ahch-To. If it’s anything like Luke’s training with Yoda on Dagobah, Rey will have to lift lots of heavy items and possibly run while carrying Luke on her back. If you also want to be able to hoist Mark Hamill into the air and tote him around (with his permission, obviously), you should start training now, and you can do so in Star Wars style with Her Universe‘s new activewear collection at Kohl’s.

Like the DC Comics workout line released in April, the Star Wars gear includes everything from sweatshirts, to leggings, to tanks, to lightweight jackets. Some of the prints fly under the radar, while some are covered in Star Wars, so you can choose the level of fandom you want to display.

Even if you aren’t into running around on remote islands and wielding a lightsaber, this line also looks suited for casual or committed lounging. I know that defeats the purpose of activewear, but I prefer to call it by its alternative name, comfywear.

Keep scrolling down to the gallery to see the rest of the collection. When you’re ready to shop and work out with the Force, visit Kohl’s website or a retail location.

Which of these items would you wear to train like Rey? Jog to the comments and tell us about which pieces you think look the most comfortable.

Images: Her Universe, Kohl’s

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

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Is STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II Getting Too Much Criticism Over Its Leveling System?

Is the criticism about Star Wars Battlefront II‘s leveling system over the top? We discussed it on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with Gal Gadot‘s stand against sexual harassment and Brett Ratner, and Amazon‘s big commitment to its Lord of the Rings series.

The Dan Cave’s Dan Casey was in the host chair today, and he was joined by fellow Nerdist editor Amy Ratcliffe, along with producers Jason Nguyen and Jesse Gill. They started with the backlash over the soon-to-be-released Star Wars Battlefront II‘s announced leveling system, which fans say will require 40 hours of play to unlock Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Though EA has lowered the amount of credits required for the big characters. You can get them faster if you’re willing to pay hard cash. Is this fair or foul?

They also discussed Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman-like stance against sexual harassment in Hollywood, after she announced she would not sign on for a sequel unless producer Brett Ratner, accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct, was removed entirely from the franchise. It would seem like Warner Bros. (who foolishly did not sign her to a multi-film deal before Wonder Woman was a huge success) has no choice, but what does this mean for female stars going forward? Is this a game-changing moment in Hollywood’s history? And as far as actual movies go, what about Gadot’s comments she wants to face Cheetah as a villain in Justice League 2?

Finally, Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series, with its massive budget and multi-season commitment, will focus on adventures preceding The Fellowship of the Ring. Is Amazon a good home for a show like this? Does this seem like too obvious a ploy to compete with Game of Thrones? Does this open the door for other book-to-movie franchises like Harry Potter to come to the small screen? And what literary series would we love to see get a TV show?

Nerdist News Talks Back airs live every weekday at 1:00 p.m. PT on our YouTube and Alpha channels, so tune in during the show and be a part of the conversation with us. Especially because there’s no leveling system to get to the good parts.

But we still want to hear from you about today’s show, so talk back to us on in the comments below.

Images: EA/DICE/Lucasfilm, New Line Cinema

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New Hot Toys WONDER WOMAN Figure Is Worthy of the Gods

Ladies and gentlemen, what you see below you is actually not a photograph of actress Gal Gadot striking an action pose as Wonder Woman, believe it or not. It is actually the latest Hot Toys figure with a stunning, real-life likeness of the Justice League actress in all her Amazon warrior glory.

The 1/6th scale figure joins previously announced Justice League Hot Toys like the Flash, Batman, and Aquaman. This is only the latest Hot Toys Wonder Woman figure, as the first was released last year to coincide with Batman v Superman, but we think this one is superior to even that amazing figure.

The all-new Justice League Wonder Woman figure also comes with several different weapons and accessories, including Diana’s sword, her shield (which comes weathered), two pairs of Wonder Woman’s Amazonian bracers, her Lasso of Truth, and a specially designed Justice League-themed figure stand, to match the rest of her League teammates.

Also included is a hooded robe, like the one she wears in her solo film, her cross-body belt, and the Mother Box that was property of the Amazons. The robe and the Mother Box are exclusive to the Deluxe Figure.

Hot Toys Justice League Wonder Woman figure will be available to pre-order on the Sideshow Collectibles website, in both standard and deluxe versions. The full list of features is available here, and you can check out photos of the figure in the gallery below.

What do you think of the latest Hot Toys work of art? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.

Images: Hot Toys, Warner Brothers

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Why Is Marvel Stalling Its Phase 4 Movie Announcements?

Three years ago, Marvel Studios laid out the future of the MCU all the way through the middle of 2019, with the release of the currently untitled fourth Avenger movie. But with only 18 months left in Marvel’s Phase 3, the company has been uncharacteristically quiet about its upcoming slate of films. We know that Spider-Man: Homecoming will get a sequel and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been confirmed. But beyond that, Marvel is keeping a tight lid on its Phase 4 plans. Today’s Nerdist News is examining what this could mean for the MCU.

Join guest host and senior editor, Dashing Dan Casey, as he walks us through a few theories that may shed some light on Marvel’s plans. It’s long been expected that Avengers: Infinity War and its sequel will be the end of the line for several MCU original players, like Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, or Chris Hemsworth. Even if Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor survive the conflict with Thanos, the stage may have already been set for their comic book successors. Remember, recasting isn’t out of the question. Just ask Ed Norton!

It’s possible that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige wants to give the old guard a proper sendoff before giving away the game about their replacements. But considering that the Marvel movies for 2020 will probably begin filming next year, there’s a time limit on how long these plans can remain secret. Or perhaps Feige doesn’t want to give away the fact that nothing major will change at all, and we’ll be getting new Cap and Thor movies. Even Iron Man 4 is a remote possibility, if the focus shifts to Riri “Ironheart” Williams, with Tony Stark as her mentor.

But our favorite theory comes out of the blockbuster news that Disney was in negotiations to buy 20th Century Fox’s film and TV catalog. Now, that’s one way to bring the Fantastic Four and the X-Men into the MCU fold! While those talks appear to currently be dead, they could easily come back to life. After all, the deal to share the Spider-Man rights between Sony and Marvel ran into a few obstacles before it became a reality. It’s entirely possible that this deal will happen as well. Under that scenario, Feige may be waiting to see what happens before committing to the next few years of Marvel movies.

Why do you think Marvel is holding off on revealing its Phase 4 plans? Share your theories in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel Studios

A Padmé Amidala Young Adult Novel Is Coming in 2018

Star Wars books and comics in the current storytelling universe have explored the backgrounds of a number of characters, major and secondary, but one in particular hasn’t received enough attention: Padmé Amidala Naberrie. The queen, senator, and fighter is an intelligent leader and skilled politician. She deserves more attention, and she’ll be getting that in an upcoming Star Wars young adult novel.

Jedi-Bibliothek (via Making Star Wars) shared a look ahead at Star Wars titles coming in the first half of 2018, courtesy of German publisher Panini, and the list includes a Padmé Amidala focused YA book from an unnamed author. This title hasn’t been confirmed, but Jedi-Bibliothek has been on the money with their discoveries before.

We don’t have any details about the potential setting, but I hope it’s between the events of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Some of Padmé’s activities between Episodes II and III were documented in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, so I’d rather visit a new era for her. Maybe even the time before she became Queen Amidala. The story of Naboo’s monarchy, Padmé’s training, and even the ins and outs of House Naberrie has all kinds of potential. This is a character worthy of a story, and given that we’ve already seen YA novels focused on Leia and Jyn Erso, Padmé’s a natural next step.

And before you say anything, don’t knock the fact that it’s a YA novel. Most of the YA stories released so far–Lost Stars, Rebel Rising, Leia: Princess of Alderaan–are among the best in canon.

What would you want to see in a Padmé Amidala novel? Would you prefer it to be set in between Episodes I and II or earlier on the timeline? Make your ruling in the comments.

Images: Lucasfilm

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

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Flying Thor’s Hammer Drone Tests Your ‘Worthiness’ To Wield It

Even though Chis Hemsworth may have recently said RIP to Mjolnir in a touching and hilarious video tribute, there are still plenty of real-life versions of the legendary hammer that exist in one form or another, like the real flying version of the beastly block of uru featured in the clip below. While it can’t help to lift you off the ground, it can most definitely test your worthiness to wield it — as well as your patience for flying a small, very aerodynamically challenged RC quadcopter.

YouTuber and engineer Allen Pan, who’s featured in the video, designed and built “Thor’s Hammer Drone” in celebration of Thor: Ragnarok as well as his first real-life version of Mjolnir, which used electromagnets to glue itself to metal surfaces and basically become “unliftable” to anybody but Pan. This new version focuses on Mjolnir’s indefatigable tendency to fly back to its rightful owner, using a drone-driven hammer and a remote control that can be stored in a backpack and worn like a glove.

Pan spoke with Nerdist regarding his reason for this specific take on Mjolnir, and said that “Almost exactly two years ago I made an ‘unliftable’ Thor’s hammer that started my whole Youtube career, so I thought it would be fitting to celebrate the anniversary by making another Mjolnir that sort of has the opposite property (very light vs. very heavy).”

Unlike Pan’s first Mjolnir, which had a movie prop-like casing as well as some real heft to it, this version is relatively unimposing with a thin, heavily perforated plastic shell surrounding a small quadcopter. The hammer drone is also apparently extremely difficult to pilot. Pan noted that “It’s very hard to control, but added that “when it does sort of do what you want it to it’s very satisfying. Maybe not heroic, but definitely satisfying.” Which means this may be the perfect hammer for Thor’s roommate, Darryl.

What do you think about this flying version of Thor’s hammer? Do you want to see Pan tackle the lightning aspect of Mjolnir next? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!

Images: Sufficiently Advanced

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Darth Vader Is Much Less Intimidating with Anakin Skywalker’s Voice

It might seem impossible to understate the contribution James Earl Jones‘ voice played in making Darth Vader the greatest pop culture villain ever, because it’s impossible to imagine anyone else sounding as intimidating. But we know exactly what his voice was like before he got his mask–he sounded like Hayden Christensen. And this hilarious video showing what it would have been like if Vader’s mask malfunctioned proves we still might be underestimating how important James Earl Jones was in making Vader the ultimate bad guy.

This is the latest from the hilarious YouTube channel Auralnauts, who make some of our favorite comedic Star Wars videos, and in it they imagine a Vader whose mask never worked the way it was meant to. So instead of the deep, booming tones of James Earl Jones, we got Mr. “I Hate Sand” Anakin’s normal voice instead. We doubt this version of him would have instilled fear in anyone in the galaxy far, far away.

Believe it or not that was not the real Hayden Christensen lending his voice to this, it was Christopher Wirth doing a spot on impression. But even more amazing is that this isn’t even the least intimidating Darth Vader ever recorded. That title goes to the actual man under the mask, David Prowse. You can see what it sounded like on set when he was playing the part and also doing the voice. We don’t know how everyone wasn’t constantly giggling during filming.

Like we said, despite James Earl Jones as Darth Vader being maybe the greatest, most perfect voice casting in the history of mankind, we still might not fully appreciate just how important he was to making Vader the best villain in the galaxy.

Who sounded less scary as Vader? Who could have maybe played the role besides Jones? Talk Vader voices with us in the comments below.

Featured Image: Lucasfilm

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Hear Rosario Dawson Narrate Andy Weir’s New Novel ARTEMIS (Exclusive)

Author Andy Weir could have followed up his best-selling hit The Martian with a book about the history of classifying space rocks and we would have been looking forward to reading it. So you can imagine our excitement for his next novel Artemis, a heist story set on the Moon. But if there was any worry such a fantastic premise would mean he’d be sacrificing the real, heavy science elements we loved so much in The Martian, this clip from the audiobook read by Rosario Dawson has put our space-loving hearts at ease.

The new novel follows Jazz Bashara, a young girl living in mankind’s first and only Moon colony, Artemis. After trying to pull off the perfect crime, Jazz gets caught up in a conspiracy for control of the city itself. In this exclusive clip from the audiobook from Audible, titled “Preparations,” Dawson reads the part of Jazz as she gets ready to to go on a secret and inherently dangerous EVA to the Moon’s surface.

I don’t like driving in the rain at night, so the idea of going on a secret Moon walk alone is a horror story for me. But just like Mark Watney, Jazz seems to know her stuff while having a pretty good sense of humor about the dangers of space exploration. That means even if the plot is vastly different from Weir’s The Martian, it will have the same elements that made us love it so much.

The audibook of Artemis is available at Audible this week, the same day the novel hits bookstores, Tuesday Novermber 14. You can order the audiobook with Rosario Dawson version here.

What was your favorite scene in The Martian? What elements of that book do you hope are in Artemis? Take off for our comments below to share your thoughts.

Featured Image: Audible

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Jason Momoa Can Still Speak Dothraki from GAME OF THRONES

Did you take a foreign language like Italian or French in high school? How many years of it did you take? For me it was three years of Spanish, which works out to roughly 27 months of my life spent learning it. And if I had to describe my ability to communicate in Spanish now I would have to go with “horrendous.” And I’d have to tell you in English. So needless to say I think Jason Momoa, who only played Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones during its first season*, still being able to speak fluent Dothraki all these years later is impressive.

Justice League‘s Aquaman was recently a guest on The Graham Norton Show, and after showing Momoa some not-so-great “Drogos” cosplayers, the host asked about his fluency in Dothraki. Turns out Momoa still knows how to communicate in the horse lord language.

My man!

And keep in mind, while Dothraki might be a made-up language (aren’t they all?), he can’t just fake it and get away with it. Dothraki was created by David J. Peterson for the show, and you can study it yourself. So if you want to threaten to rip your enemy’s entrails out and feed them to the sheep, or to call your khaleesi the “moon of my life,” you literally have to know what you’re talking about.

I probably would have paid more attention in high school if I studied Dothraki.

What fictional pop culture language do you wish you were fluent in? Tell us in the comments below.

Featured Image: The Graham Norton Show

*No, I didn’t forget about him showing up in Daenerys’s vision in the House of the Undying. That was still five-and-a-half years ago!

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