Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1965
September 8, 2017
Newly Discovered Kurt Vonnegut Short Story Available for Free
It’s been over 10 years since Kurt Vonnegut passed away, but like the true literary rock star he was, it turns our he had some unreleased tracks for us to find. And one of them, a lost short story from the start of his publishing career, was just made available for us to read for free.
The Atlantic shared a recently discovered short story of his, “The Drone King,” that was found by his friend Dan Wakefield and Vonnegut scholar Jerome Klinkowitz, while the pair was working on a new comprehensive edition of the late author’s short stories. This is one of five they unearthed in Vonnegut’s papers at Indiana University’s Lilly Library, and they date it to the early 1950s, before he had released his first novel. So that would mean before Player Piano came out in 1952.
Read "The Drone King," a short story by Kurt Vonnegut that was never published: https://t.co/WfqUedh1AB pic.twitter.com/z9EpwDpa8g
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) September 8, 2017
It’s a great melancholy little tale, so we don’t want to spoil it for you, but “The Drone King” doesn’t have the type of humor of Slaughterhouse-Five, and there’s not the biting social commentary like in his fantastic short story “Harrison Bergeron.” But it is clearly the work of a skilled young writer, featuring a sad protagonist who has much more going on that what is revealed in the short time we spend with him.
This story, along with the other four newly discovered ones, will be included in Complete Stories, a collection of his 97 short stories (only half of which were ever officially released) he wrote between 1941 and before his death in 2007. The collection comes out later this month, on September 26.
Of course we’re not surprised we’re getting new works from him over a decade after he died. All the best artists leave something for us to find after they’re gone.
What do you think of “The Drone King?” What is your favorite Kurt Vonnegut story? Write your ideas in the comments below.
Featured Image: Comedy Central
More for you voracious readers!
The 11 best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes
A book from the ’70s predicted our frustrating future
A Guardians of the Galaxy manga is on the way
See How GAME OF THRONES Created the Gore of Greyscale
Fortunately for us, greyscale is not an actual disease we need Samwell Tarly to cure for us, but making it look like a real skin condition was a big challenge for Game of Thrones‘ prosthetics team this past season. And in a new behind-the-scenes clip we get to see not only how they made Ser Jorah Mormont look like a stone man in waiting, but how they made it possible for Sam to “treat” him.
This is the second clip from the second episode of The Game Revealed, the new seven part series from HBO about the making of the show. The first sneak peek featured Euron’s giant warship and his impressive nighttime attack, but this time the focus was on the bloody, puss-filled, gross cutting away of Jorah’s black-scaled skin.
Ugh, even knowing it is nothing but make makeup, it’s still disgusting to see Sam put the knife into Jorah’s chest. Although that seems less painful than the five or six hours actor Iain Glen had to spend having it applied in the first place. (And even that isn’t as bad as his 1:45 a.m. pick up that day. I’d rather have greyscale than get up that early for anything.)
It’s also amazing that getting his condition to look real was infinitely harder than it was for the totally inexperienced Sam to miraculously find a cure and pull off the surgery on his first try.
Full episodes of The Game Revealed are only available to HBO subscribers across their multiple platforms, but you can watch the entire first episode online here. We promise most of the behind-the-scenes footage isn’t nearly as gnarly.
Which practical effect did you think was the most impressive from this past season? Peel away your thoughts in our comments section below.
WANT MORE GAME OF THRONES?
Game of Thrones VFX reel brings the Army of the Dead to life.
See Jon Snow’s secrets unraveled throughout this supercut.
Watch The Hound, Jorah, Tormund, and Beric throw down with dueling banjos!
Images: HBO
September 7, 2017
What Did We Learn on the THOR: RAGNAROK Set?
The press embargo has been lifted on last year’s Thor: Ragnarok set visit, and that means lots of juicy new information about the movie. But what does it all mean? That’s what we tackled on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, as well as the potential fallout from Disney‘s big streaming service announcement, and whether new filming in Themyscira has something to do with Justice League.
Today host Jessica Chobot “ragna-rocked“ out with Nerdist News writer Joan Ford, associate editor Kyle Anderson, and producer Jason Nguyen. First up was everything our Kristy Puchko learned when she headed to the Ragnarok set in Australia last year, like what we can expect from newcomers Hela and Valkyrie, and what Thor, Loki, and Hulk were doing the last few years. (Uh, wasn’t Thor living with Darryl the whole time? Isn’t that canon?)
We’re also very excited that Tom Hiddleston might have confirmed our theory that Cate Blanchett’s Hela could be in possession of the last Infinity Stone, which is way bigger news than finding out what happened between Thor and Jane Foster.
Thor wasn’t the only big Marvel news of the day though, since Disney announced all Marvel and Star Wars films will be leaving Netflix in 2019 for Disney’s own streaming service. How successful will a Disney only service be, and what will it even include considering how many Disney services there already are? Plus, does this mean the end of Marvel series on Netflix? Could Netflix be really hurt by this latest competition? Or is the streaming market too flooded now, defeating the entire purpose of them in the first place?
Finally, what to make of reports that filming will soon take place on Themyscira? (Yes, we know it’s not a real place…probably.) Despite denials, are these Justice League reshoots? Or are the Amazonians going to appear in Aquaman? That seems unlikely, so if they are for Justice League, set for a November release, is this good news or bad news?
Whatever it means, don’t ask Jared Leto about them. He’s already struggling with DC’s “see-what-sticks” approach to the Joker. So are we Jared, so are we.
Of course, if you have ideas on what the big news of the day means, tune in live weekdays at 1:00p.m. PST on Nerdist’s YouTube and Alpha channels and get in on the conversation when it happens. We promise there’s never an embargo on sharing your thoughts with us.
But you can still talk back to us now, by telling us in the comments below what you think of today’s topics.
Need More Thor: Ragnarok?
An introduction to Hela and Valkyrie
What were Thor, Loki, and Hulk up to before the film?
New character posters from the movie.
What is up with planet Sakaar and why is Jeff Goldblum so colorful?
Do you know about Marvel’s secret hero, Green Steve?
Images: Marvel
GAME OF THRONES Characters Drawn in the Style of Tim Burton
Now that we’re headed into the long winter between seasons, we’re all trying to properly deal with the lack of Game of Thrones–related content we’ve grown so accustomed to. Thankfully, there’s never a shortage of incredible fan-made Thrones things like these drawings that mash-up the world of Westeros with the artistic style of Tim Burton.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BX3NH85hC3h/
These Burton-esque character designs were created by artist Andrew Tarusov and brought to our eyes via a recent post on Bored Panda. Tarusov recently filled his Instagram feed, which is usually chock-full of pop culture pin-up art, with 12 big-eyed Westerosi portraits of the big hitters of the HBO show.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYJK65SHF71
Burton’s style and the medieval world of Thrones go together entirely too well; it makes us wonder if it’s not too late to suggest an animated show in this style as one of the upcoming Game of Thrones spin-offs.
A post shared by Pin-Up by Andrew Tarusov (@askandy) on Aug 12, 2017 at 10:51am PDT
We’d definitely watch a show that follows the undead trials and tribulations of the Night King taking care of a newly zombified baby, but we’re sincerely debating starting a petition to have the animated romantic adventures of Tormund Giantsbane and Brienne of Tarth brought to television.
A post shared by Pin-Up by Andrew Tarusov (@askandy) on Aug 24, 2017 at 11:20am PDT
Take a look at Tarusov’s Instagram for the rest of the series and let us know which one is your favorite in the comments below!
Want more Game of Thrones art?
See art of the deaths in Game of Thrones.
A Game of Thrones fan art round-up.
See carved pencils with Game of Thrones sigils.
Featured Image: HBO
Rockstar’s L.A. NOIRE Gets Remastered with VR Edition
Back in 2011, Rockstar Games introduced gamers to the throwback world of L.A. Noire, where they were cast as a detective in Los Angeles during the 1940s. While we’re still awaiting a full-fledged sequel, Rockstar has revealed big plans for the franchise this fall as L.A. Noire heads to the current generation of gaming consoles and to virtual reality!
L.A. Noire is being re-released for Playstation 4 and Xbox One with a fully remastered edition of the original game as well as the DLC. Everything has been enhanced for the new incarnation of the game, including the graphics, the lighting, and new camera angles that were designed to create a more cinematic experience. L.A. Noire is also coming to Nintendo Switch with the same features as the other two systems, but it will also have a Joy-Con mode with gyroscopic, gesture-based controls. When the Switch is portable mode, the game will support “contextual touch screen controls.”
But perhaps the most exciting part of the announcement is L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files for HTC Vive. It’s not going to be the full game as it appeared on the consoles, but The VR Case Files will feature seven of the self-contained cases from the original title, which have been completely recreated with virtual reality in mind.
As L.A. Noire fans may recall, one of the key aspects of the game came during interrogations. Players had to study the movements and body language of suspects to determine if they were being truthful or deceptive. Putting that experience into VR could make the game even more entertaining. It’s not the sequel we were hoping for, but we’ll take it!
The remastered edition of L.A. Noire and L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files will be released on November 14.
Are you excited about the chance to revisit L.A. Noire again? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: Rockstar Games
THE WALKING DEAD’s Greg Nicotero Teases SHOCK THEATRE, His New AMC Horror Series
Through the upcoming eighth season of The Walking Dead, zombie guru and special make-up effects artist Greg Nicotero has been invaluable to the series. He and his team have created the series’ signature “walkers,” and he’s moved behind-the-camera as an executive producer and a director. Now, Nicotero has his own TV series, Shock Theatre, coming to AMC, and he’s ready to share a new brand of horror.
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Nicotero revealed that Shock Theatre is a mash-up of horror, comedy, and sci-fi that he’s currently writing and executive producing. It also sounds like Shock Theatre will take the Black Mirror anthology approach, with a different story and a cast for every episode. Nicotero also noted that each episode would have its own vibe and tone.
“Shock Theatre is my homage to ‘50s horror movies,” explained Nicotero. “I’ve always loved that genre, the idea that people would take things that they were terrified of in society at that time and turn them into some sort of fantastic outrageous sci-fi monster movie. Back then it was the Cold War, it was going to outer space, it was radiation…I always loved that. I thought that there was something so fun about it. And that’s what Shock Theatre is.”
Nicotero added that “Shock Theatre is taking relevant themes today and putting that kind of fun Shaun of the Dead twist on them. I think Shaun of the Dead is probably the closest in tone that I can ever think about for Shock Theatre because it was funny and thrilling, and you love the characters, and it was scary, and had great moments in it, and was all-around completely entertaining. That’s the goal.”
According to the EW report, Nicotero hopes to begin filming Shock Theatre during the next Walking Dead hiatus, but a premiere date has yet to be announced by AMC.
Are you excited to see Nicotero’s new series? Scare up some thoughts in the comment section below!
Images: Universal Studios/AMC
Don’t Open, Links Inside…
Walking Dead season seven deleted scene will break your heart.
What the show’s time jump means for TWD‘s future.
TWD is getting its own VR game in 2018.
HARRY POTTER’s Very Own Letter to Hogwarts Can Be Yours
It’s a hard day in a Muggle’s life when they finally stop lying to themselves and admit they will never get a letter to Hogwarts. That’s what made my 29th birthday so tough. But while none of us will ever get to be a student at Harry Potter’s whimsical wizarding school, we now have a chance to get a very special acceptance letter from the school anyway, the exact one Mr. Potter himself received way back when.
A new auction from the movie collectibles site Prop Store (which we learned about at Time) has put up for bid a sealed letter Harry was sent in The Sorcerer’s Stone. This is an actual prop used by Daniel Radcliffe telling Harry he was invited to attend Hogwarts.
“The envelope is made from marble-effect paper, with Harry’s address printed in green on the front of the envelope, and the Hogwarts crest on the reverse. The hero envelope features a real red-wax Hogwarts seal, unlike the many entirely printed versions that were also used in the scene. The envelope remains sealed with a letter seemingly contained within.”
The opening to bid on it is £1,500 (just under $2,000 American), but they are expecting to get between £3,000 and £5,000. You can bid online until September 26th when they will host a live auction. No word on if the winning bidder can demand it be sent by owl.
We’ll always be disappointed we didn’t get our own letter to Hogwarts, but owning Harry Potter’s would be a pretty nice consolation prize. What other Harry Potter prop would you most like to own? Tell us in the comments below.
Featured Image: Warner Bros. Studios
Body Images: Prop Store
Want more in Harry Potter?
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone gets animated
Get sorted into the right Hogwarts House with this bath bomb
Two new Harry Potter books are coming in October!
Drew Goddard to Write and Direct X-FORCE
Ever since Cable and Domino were announced as starring in Deadpool 2, the next logical step was an X-Force movie. Although a movie featuring Marvel’s militant mutants had been rumored for years, it’s now official – according to the folks at Deadline, Fox has hired The Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard to write and direct X-Force. Ryan Reynolds will of course continue as Deadpool, as will Josh Brolin as Cable and Zazie Beetz as Domino.
This latest X-Men spinoff film revolves around Deadpool and Cable leading a team of mutant soldiers who fight for Xavier’s cause in a much more militant way than the X-Men ever have. Simon Kinberg, Ryan Reynolds, and Lauren Shuler Donner are producing. Goddard’s next film is Bad Times at the El Royale with Chris Hemsworth and Jeff Bridges, but word is the X-script is done, and will roll right into X-Force as soon as Bad Time is done.
A protege of Joss Whedon (Goddard wrote for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and several other Whedon shows), Goddard has been hovering around various superhero projects for years. He helped develop Marvel Studios’ Daredevil series on Netflix, before having to step away to direct the Sinister Six movie for Sony, a film that didn’t end up happening due to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 not meeting expectations. Now it seems Goddard has found the right project in the Fox X-Men universe.
Of course, the question remains, besides Deadpool, Cable, and Domino, who else will join the team? There is no shortage of X-Force members who have already been introduced in the X-Men cinematic universe already, although even if characters like Archangel, Psylocke and others should join the team, it’s quite possible they could be recast. Of course, we here at Nerdist of course have our own ideas about who should star in an X-Force film.
X-Force doesn’t have a release date yet, but don’t expect it before late 2019 at the earliest.
What do you think of Goddard taking on Marvel’s Black Ops mutant team? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments,
Images: Marvel Comics
More X-Force!
These are the essential X-Force story arcs
Who should join Deadpool, Cable, and Domino?
Rob Liefeld drew Zazie Beetz’s Domino
NEO YOKIO is the Weird AF Anime We All Need
There are few things in life more exciting than discovering an incredible new anime series that you can binge watch on your favorite streaming service, and we here at Nerdist may have just found it. Neo Yokio is a Korean, Japanese, and American co-production coming from Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend fame, writer/executive producer Nick Weidenfeld, and made by Japanese animation studios Production IG and Studio Deen along with MOI in Seoul, Korea.
Starring an eclectic voice cast lead by Jaden Smith, alongside Desus & Mero, Susan Sarandon, Jude Law, Tavi Gevinson, and Jason Schwartzman, the creators call Neo Yokio “a postmodern collage of homages to classic anime, English literature and modern New York fashion and culture.” It looks weird and wonderful as hell!
This trailer showcases the incredible storyboard talents of Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, Hunter x Hunter, Rurouni Kenshin) and Junji Nishimura (Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura, Pro Golfer Saru), introducing us to the wild world of Neo Yokio, described as “a diverse labyrinth of cultural and architectural innovation at the forefront of global fashion and finance.” But all that doesn’t really matter to Jaden Smith’s Kaz Kaan. He’s a lovesick Magistocrat who once saved the entire city, but his demon-slaying is now merely a side hustle and he’s more concerned with shopping, field hockey, and—of cours—-mending his broken heart.
Other recurring characters included at Kaz’s side are his faithful mecha-butler Charles, played by Jude Law, and his inseparable friends Lexy and Gottlieb, voiced by the incomparable The Kid Mero and Desus Nice. These compatriots aid Kaz as he navigates the complexities of life in Neo Yokio and tries to stay one step ahead of his arch-rival, the city’s number one most eligible bachelor, Arcangelo Corelli, voiced by Jason Schwartzman.
Things take a mysterious turn when Kaz is drawn into the turbulent world of ex-fashion blogger Helena St. Tessero, played by real life fashion blogger turned journalist, Tavi Gevinson. That sets in motion a sequence of events that force him to question everything he knows about Neo Yokio.
The first six episodes of this NSFW anime will be hitting our screens on September and we can’t wait! Will you be checking out this bizarre and brilliant looking new series? Let us know in the comments!
Need more anime?
Someone gave SpongeBob an anime makeover.
Here’s our review of In This Corner of the World.
We also have a bunch of details on the live-action One Piece adaptation.
Images: Netflix
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: 9 CULT Movies to Watch
Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s seasonal anthology series American Horror Story has returned, and with it an onslaught of classic horror tropes, colorphobia, and self-referential in-jokes. This season is subtitled Cult and—whilst the premiere focused on the cult of celebrity which surrounded last year’s election—we know that the show will be looking at all kinds of cults, with Evan Peters not only playing budding cult leader Kai but also starring as some of the most infamous cult leaders in history.
With this in mind we’ve made a list of some of the best “cult” movies, covering classics that American Horror Story might take inspiration from to contemporary “cult” hits that are a must for any fan of the show.
Rosemary’s Baby
Mia Farrow’s star turn is likely to be a huge touchstone for American Horror Story this season. The simmering paranoia and body horror of his tale about a young pregnant woman convinced that a satanic cult has plans on her unborn child have already begun to seep through into the season premiere, so expect to see more of Rosemary’s influence.
The Wicker Man
This ’73 British cult classic about a police officer sent to a small island to solve the disappearance of a missing girl only to uncover a terrifying conspiracy, is one of the best horror movies of all time. The surreal, abstract strangeness of the film and the iconic pagan imagery make The Wicker Man a cultural touchstone that AHS would be wild to ignore.
Santa Sangre
Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s blood-drenched kaleidoscopic masterpiece tells the story of a young man who escapes his captors to reunite with his mother, the leader of a fanatical cult. Murphy and Falchuk have already borrowed heavily from Jodorowsky in the more surreal moments of Asylum and Hotel, so taking inspiration from Santa Sangre will be a natural fit.
The Believers
This stone cold B-movie is an interesting cultural artifact from the Satanic Panic that coursed through North America in the 1980s. Martin Sheen plays a police psychiatrist who moves to New York City and becomes entangled with the dark world of satanic cults. This film has aged pretty badly, but it’s likely that AHS will lean into Satanic Panic and the alleged spate of occult killings that (never) occurred during the peak of the trend.
The Invitation
One of the best horror films of recent years, Karyn Kusama’s intimate and gloriously dark film is a masterclass in paranoia and fear. Friends reuniting for a dinner party are perturbed by the behavior of our grief stricken protagonist, but is it him they really have to be worried about? Falchuk and Murphy have stated there will be no supernatural elements in this season and The Invitation is a perfect study of a humanly horrific cult.
The Sacrament
This Eli Roth/Ti West co-production is another fantastic look at the horrors that humans can wreak. Based on the Jonestown massacre, this movie is a heart-wrenching look at the exploitative nature of cults and their sometimes brutal ends. We already know Evan Peters is playing Jim Jones in a later episode, so this is a great primer for what will likely be coming to our screens later this year.
Kill List
Ben Wheatley‘s sophomore effort is one of our favorite British movies of all time. What starts as a by-the-numbers crime thriller quickly spirals into a nightmarish world of surreal sacrifice. This is a deep cut choice and we’d love to see Falchuk and Murphy take some unconventional British horror hints from this occult oddity.
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Differing slightly from the rest of our list, Martha Marcy May Marlene isn’t a horror in the traditional sense but it’s horrifying nonetheless. This dreamy indie thriller is a masterful character study about a young girl who’s recently extricated herself from a cult. Though it’s unlikely AHS will do anything as nuanced as this film, the movie does star AHS’ main muse Sarah Paulson and take hints from the Manson family and AHS will be covering that this season.
Last Shift
A night alone in an empty police station goes just as well as you’d expect in this 2014 underground horror hit. With a badass female protagonist and a whole spectrum of scares from subtle to scream out loud, Last Shift is one of the coolest reimaginings of the classic cult tropes that take so heavily from the Manson and Jonestown stories which AHS will be recreating.
Will you be watching any of these classic cult movies to re-up your knowledge before the next episode of AHS? Is there a movie we missed from our list? Which of these films are you desperate to check out?? Let us know in the comments!
Looking for MORE spooky content?
Watch episodes of One Good Scare!
Read our review of IT, which was very creepy.
And lastly, did you know there’s a campy horror musical playing in Los Angeles?
Images: Magnet Releasing, Paramount Pictures, FOX, Warp X, Drafthouse, Orion, Mainline, British Lion, Worldview
Chris Hardwick's Blog
- Chris Hardwick's profile
- 132 followers
