Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1983

Don Hertzfeldt’s Sequel to WORLD OF TOMORROW Cannot Get Here Soon Enough

The amazing, incredible, delightful, sorrowful World of Tomorrow is getting its own clone from the future. Don Hertzfeldt‘s 2015 short film will have its DNA spliced and studied, then copied, and will eventually create the basis for a new cinematic lifeform that could then, theoretically, travel back to 2015 to have a conversation with its source code provider.

RICK AND MORTY’s Mr. Poopybutthole Gets His Own Auto-Tuned Remix

Rick and Morty season 3 officially got under way last month, and each new episode has been followed by some extremely catchy auto-tuned songs by Chetreo. Now, Chetreo is teaming up with the team behind Songify for the ultimate Rick and Morty remix. And who better to star in the song than the most unlikely supporting character of them all: Mr. Poopybutthole!

Schmoyoho has posted the new Mr. Poopybutthole song, and it’s got the upbeat tempo of an ELO tune, as well as the title character’s relentlessly positive outlook. Mr. Poopybutthole just can’t help it if we don’t have any bad memories about him! Although we suspect that may be due to the way that Rick and Morty had to migrate to another dimension after they screwed up their own world. Or perhaps Mr. Poopybutthole is an alien memory parasite who somehow became real. Either way, nothing is gonna hold him back! But he may need a few painkillers to get through the day.

The video primarily uses footage from Mr. Poopybutthole’s first appearance in “Total Rickall,” as well as a few other episodes from the first two seasons of the series. At the rate that we’re getting new Rick and Morty songs, it won’t be long until there’s enough music for a concept album!

We’ve previously covered Chetreo’s other Rick and Morty remixes: “I am Alive,” “Pickle Rick,” and “Noob-Noob!” You can find more of his creations here, and follow the Songify team here.

What did you think about Mr. Poopybutthole’s song? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Adult Swim

STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II Gamescom Trailer Sends the Action Into Space

Later this year, Star Wars Battlefront II will take players on a journey across all three cinematic eras while adding the highly anticipated single player campaign mode. So far, the footage that we’ve seen has depicted the heroes of the Republic, the Empire, the Rebellion, and the Resistance as they fight it out on the ground. Now, the newest Star Wars Battlefront II out of Gamescom is taking the conflict to the stars with our best glimpse yet of the space action.

As you can see below, the new footage that debuted at the European trade show begins in the modern era of The Force Awakens,  as Poe Dameron leads his forces against the First Order’s Resurgent-class Battlecruiser in the Unknown Regions. From there, it jumps to a previously unseen battle over Endor, with the Death Star’s debris in the background. That’s where Luke Skywalker and his squadron face the Empire once again!

The trailer also shows us the Millennium Falcon and a Y-Wing in action before dropping us back in the prequel era as Republic fighters arrive in orbit of Ryloth to challenge a Trade Federation Lucrehulk Battleship before we witness Darth Maul (!!) in an aerial battle over Kamino’s research outpost. But the biggest surprise of the trailer is that Jedi Master Yoda will also be taking part in the space battles, and he has no fear!

Star Wars: Battlefront II will take flight on November 17 for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

What do you think about the latest trailer for this game? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Image: EA/DICE

What else is happening with Star Wars Battlefront II?

How Star Wars Battlefront II will bridge the gap between Episodes VI and VII.
The one thing missing from Star Wars Battlefront II.
How Star Wars Battlefront II tells the story of the heroes of the Empire.

MARIO KART VR Lets You Speed Down the Mushroom Kingdom Racetracks

In the 25 years since Nintendo first introduced fans to the Mario Kart series with Super Mario Kart, and the franchise has only gotten bigger and better. Mario Kart has practically created its own digital world–one we’d very much like to visit! Who among us hasn’t wanted to use a Koopa shell on the freeway to break up traffic? While we can’t bring the joys of Mario Kart to our world, there’s now a way to virtually take part in Mario’s.

Via Engadget, VR Zone Shinjuku in Tokyo has introduced Mario Kart Arcade GP VR, a new arcade game by Bandai Namco Studios that allows players to step virtually into the race with Mario and his friends. In the video below, one fan donned the role of Luigi and wore his signature green hat while experiencing Mario Kart Arcade GP VR, which you can see in the split screen.

Mario Kart Arcade GP VR is one of the key attractions of the VR Zone Shinjuku, which includes VR games based on Dragon Ball and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Another video from Engadget demonstrated those additional titles.

One of the reasons that arcades nearly became extinct in the U.S. is that the home consoles were able to deliver a comparable or even a superior gaming experience. But we think that these new titles could lead to a resurgence of interest in arcades if Bandai Namco expands. As explained in the video above, Bandai Namco may open additional VR Zones in Japan, but it’s unclear when or if those titles will make it to the United States. But if they come, we’re gonna be among the first in line!

What do you think about Mario Kart Arcade GP VR and the other VR titles? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Image: Bandai Namco

Watch EVIL DEAD II in the Woods with Ash Himself, Bruce Campbell!

In 1987, Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and their collaborators reunited to film Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn, the sequel and partial remake of The Evil Dead. And while their battle against the Deadites continues this fall on the Starz original series, Ash vs. Evil Dead, Syfy and Alamo Drafthouse are teaming up to give Evil Dead II its due with a special 30th anniversary screening.

On Thursday, September 14th, the Music Ranch in Austin, Texas will be the staging ground for the Evil Dead II 30th anniversary event. Essentially, movie lovers will be able to watch the ultimate spooky old woods movie while surrounded by an actual spooky old woods. But fans won’t be alone in the darkness, because Campbell will be on hand to watch the movie with the crowd while promoting his new book, Hail to the Chin. As a bonus, everyone who buys a ticket will also get a free copy of  Hail to the Chin and a chance to have it signed. Now that’s “Groovy!”

You can find out more about this screening at its Eventbright page. And we definitely appreciate the sense of humor of whoever wrote this part of the official description: “What are you waiting for? Use your one good hand and click your way to a ticket now. They don’t cost that much… ONLY YOUR SOOUUL!!” Yeah, that soul-to-dollars exchange rate is getting out of control. For those of you who want to hang on to your immortal souls, the price will be $55.

Are you up for seeing Ash on the big screen again? Rev up your chainsaws and share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Images: De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

Feelin’ Groovy?

 

HARRY POTTER Bath Bomb Will Sort You Into Your Hogwarts House

Most of us who love JK Rowling‘s wizarding world of Harry Potter have, at one point or another, pondered long and hard about which house we’d fall into at Hogwarts‘ were we lucky enough to attend school there, assuming we weren’t the poor, hapless muggles that we really are.

Admit it: you’ve taken every one of those Facebook quizzes which let you know if you’re House Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin or Gryffindor. Over the years, I know I’ve been Slytherin more times than I care to count, and Hufflepuff at least once. Those social media substitutes for the Sorting Hat never deem me worthy of being in the same house as Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

But now, there’s a better real world alternative than those social media quizzes to find out just where the Sorting Hat would place you at the premiere school of witchcraft and wizardry. Us Magazine has pointed us towards an Etsy shop named Created by Rebecca Lynn, where one can buy the Sorting Hat Fizzer, a bath bomb which functions as a sort of Sorting Hat in your own bath tub.

The bath bomb is actually white, but is decorated with red, green, blue and yellow stripes, which each represent the four Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. As soon as you drop it in your tub however, that is when the bath bomb dissolves, and you are left with one bright color — and that color represents the house you have been sorted into.

You can check out what one of these Sorting Hat bath bombs looks like down below:

A post shared by Handmade Bath Bombs (@createdbyrebeccalynn) on Jan 9, 2017 at 5:56pm PST

The bath bomb is currently sold out at this Etsy shop, but who knows when the creator will bring it back. In the meantime, you can check her online shop for tons of other cool items.

What do you make of this real world “sorting hat” come to life? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.

Images: Warner Brothers

Nerdist Podcast: Jaimie Alexander (TWCH)

Between portraying Sif in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Jane Doe on NBC’s Blindspot, Jaimie Alexander has established herself as one of Hollywood’s most formidable actresses…and she lives up to her billing! Last Sunday, Jaimie was the latest guest on AMC’s  Talking with Chris Hardwick, and this is the special extended edition of Jaime’s chat with our founder, Chris Hardwick.

Naturally, Blindspot came up a lot in this episode. And while Jaimie wasn’t allowed to tell us why Jane Doe’s tattoos suddenly glowed in the season finale, she did share some insights about the opening scene of the series in which she was naked in Times Square and covered in full body tattoos. According to Jaimie, it’s an eight hour process to get into the full makeup, which is why she doesn’t do it that often on the show. Jaimie also shared how she is able to distract herself during the makeup sessions and spoke about her character’s onscreen fight with Rhonda Rousey and her favorite scene from the second season.

It turns out that some of “Jane” follows Jaimie into her real life whether she wants it or not. On this show, Jaimie tells Chris about an occasion when she had to get physical with someone who got a little too grabby with one of her friends.

After starring in Kyle XY, Jaimie apparently went through a brief down period in her career before landing the role of Sif. She went on to tell Chris how she became involved with Marvel, how she was chosen for the Thor movies, and why she used Tom Hiddleston as her unofficial dialect coach!

Jaimie also told Chris about growing up in a family as the only girl, wrestling her younger brother, and reading comics. She’s a true fangirl, and not at all pleased that Jubilee is a vampire now. Take note, Marvel!

Make sure to watch Talking with Chris Hardwick Sunday nights at 11pm on AMC or on amc.com/talking! The extended audio will premiere as a podcast here every Friday after a new episode makes its AMC debut. 

Google the RICK AND MORTY Catchphrase “Wubba Lubba Dub Dub” for a Surprising Response

Anybody who’s ever spent more than a few minutes on the internet during the past few years knows that Rick and Morty is a very meme-able show. Characters like Pickle Rick, Mr. Poopybutthole, and possible Mr. Poopybutthole relative Noob-Noob have spread across the internet like wildfire, but perhaps none more than Rick’s self-ascribed catchphrase: “Wubba lubba dub dub.” Like us and everybody we know, the folks at Google are apparently big Rick and Morty fans as well: The search engine has snuck in a few fun references into the show across their services.

For example, if you perform a Google search for “Wubba lubba dub dub,” it automatically translates the text into Birdperson language and asks, “Did you mean: i am in great pain please help me,” a reference to the scene in the “Ricksy Business” episode in which Birdperson translates the catchphrase for Morty and Summer.

Google gets it pic.twitter.com/gs6ONwHWkw

— Kyle Hill (@Sci_Phile) August 15, 2017

Google Assistant is getting in on the fun too, although it doesn’t seem to know as much as the core search engine does, since it doesn’t speak Birdperson:

Got a different response. pic.twitter.com/Uq7Dxd7X3q

— Moses Temu (@temzkun) August 15, 2017

Then again, another user tried the same thing, and this time, Google Assistant caught on and expressed concern for their well-being:

pic.twitter.com/ztGV9I03vh

— —} ZΞЯØ {— (@ZERO_SPAWN_) August 15, 2017

Now that we know Google is down with Rick and Morty, feel free to try throwing some other references from the show at it and see what happens. Let us know in the comments below if you come across anything that’s super schwifty.

Featured image: Adult Swim

Which STAR WARS Characters Deserve a Spin-Off?

We’re getting Star Wars spin-off movies whether we want them or not, folks, so you better get used to the idea! But for reals, the recent news that director Stephen Daldry is attached to an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie has us thinking about what kind of movie this could be, and what other characters might get the same anthology movie fate. On today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, we talk all about that, plus Marvel’s The Defenders, and, of course, a bit of Game of Thrones. Because it’s a day ending in Y, after all.

Join host Jessica Chobot and a panel featuring Nerdist News writer Joan Ford, Nerdist’s Managing Editor Alicia Lutes, and yours truly, Nerdist’s Associate Editor Kyle Anderson (hello) as we talk about all these things. Please enjoy!

We’re all pretty excited for an Obi-Wan movie (and if it’s not called Old Ben, everybody’s doing it wrong). However, we’re not super stoked about further Star Wars spin-offs, because it seems like Disney could branch out and create NEW characters. Gasp!

In addition to Starring Warring, we took a look at the teaser for Netflix’s upcoming Punisher series, a spin-off of Daredevil season two. Jon Bernthal sure looks like he’s going to mess some people up, but we’re a little worried about wanton violence without any social commentary. We’re hoping it won’t go the route of the new Death Wish movie is what we’re saying.

And finally, Nicolaj Coster-Waldau–you know, Jaime Lannister himself from Game of Thrones–dropped a hint that filming of the eighth and final season will start in October and that he himself doesn’t know the fate of his character until he gets the script. We talk about whether that means Jaime is definitely alive, and discuss what reunions we’d still love to see happen in the remaining eight episodes.

Image: Marvel/Lucasfilm, HBO

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

Have yourself a great weekend, and for further reading, check out the following!

Gendry is way, way more important than you think!
Our full review of The Defenders!
The possibility of a Yoda or Boba Fett movie!

Step Into THE TWILIGHT ZONE with This Haunting Cosplay Photo Series

For most of us, loving a television series means talking about it with friends, listening to or making podcasts, or scouring the interwebs for theories. Every expression of fandom is rad, but photographer and director Michael Smiy turned his appreciation for The Twilight Zone up to 11 by creating and executing a striking photo series homage to the spooky show.

“Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”

Smiy thinks Rod Serling was a man ahead of his time. He told Nerdist he was inspired while watching “Eye of the Beholder” recently. “[I] thought, how cool would it be to bring these characters back to life in full color. A sort of reimagining with the resources I had in the modern era, while still remaining true to Serling’s original vision,” explained Smiy.

As you can see, each photo is connected to a specific episode of The Twilight Zone. Smiy found the right backgrounds for the shots around Los Angeles. Then, he gathered about 25 friends to dress up as Twilight Zone characters (hence where the cosplay angle comes in) and shot them all over a weekend against a gray background in his apartment. He spent months compositing the pictures to get the final shots you see here.

“Eye of the Beholder”

Smiy’s photos have so much atmosphere and that came from careful consideration. “I aimed to capture a moment from each episode that had the most emotion/intensity to it — how can I convey the core feeling of the episode in a single image, essentially. The paranoia of ‘The Invaders.’ The doomed curiosity in ‘Nick of Time.’ Or the paralysis and confusion of ‘Where is Everybody?’ It was a balance of pose, form, composition, and performance from my many friends in costumes,” he said.

“The Invaders”

You can view more photos from the haunting series in the gallery below. Hop over to Imgur to see the complete Twilight Zone portfolio and keep up with all of Smiy’s projects by visiting his website and following him on Instagram.

Do you cosplay or take photographs of cosplayers? Then I want to see your work so we can talk about highlighting your creations in a future Cosplay Friday gallery. If you’re a photographer, maybe we could focus on your images from a single convention. 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. Be sure to provide credits for the cosplayers or photographers for each image because giving credit is good manners–bonus points if you include links to relevant Facebook pages or websites. Though I wish I knew all the nerdy franchises, I don’t, so please let me know who or what is being cosplayed.

Special thanks to Nerdist reader Nick T. for bringing this photo series to our attention.

Images: Michael Smiy