Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2003
July 29, 2017
Hayley Atwell Would ‘Love’ PEGGY CARTER to Appear in CAPTAIN MARVEL
If you’re anything like us, you’re probably constantly looking for reasons for Agent Peggy Carter to show up in the MCU. Arguably the most accomplished and celebrated members of the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR), Hayley Atwell‘s character became an instant icon and fan favorite from the jump, taking her from Captain America’s side to headlining her own series, Agent Carter, on ABC. And though we saw Peggy’s death at the end of Captain America: Winter Soldier, we know homegirl lives a very full, impressive life during her 96 years on the planet. So after we heard Captain Marvel’s standalone film would take place in the 90s, we immediately wondered: would Agent Peggy Carter be involved?
While we spoke to Atwell (during the 2017 summer TCA session) about her new Starz miniseries, the adaptation of E.M. Forster’s Howards End, the topic of Peggy Carter appearing alongside Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers obviously came up. And though Atwell did not confirm nor deny any involvement in the project, she did express a lot of excitement at the idea. Excitement that we FULLY SUPPORT!
“Yes, I’d love that, and I love Brie Larson—I’d be well up for that,” Atwell explained, before adding that, “I think, you know, because she dies at the age of 96, she lives quite a long time—so I could be employed forever.”
It would be a positive addition to the film to be sure, and not just for the fan service. Atwell’s Carter has always lived outside of the two common female identities lofted upon women on screen: Strong Female Character or the Victimized Ingenue. Her strength comes from existing outside of these parameters and flourishing in spite of them and the expectations men have of women in these positions. If Peggy could impart this knowledge on a young Carol Danvers, be it at SHIELD or NASA (or wherever she may work in the movie universe), it would not only strengthen the female relationships that exist in the film, but showcase the myriad ways in which women can and do work together.
For Atwell, that was always a main priority in setting Carter apart from the rest. “It’s fun and it’s superhero, and it’s not as complex as the literary world of E.M. Forster, but I thought, ‘Could we make her and Angie have a really nice relationship? Can we have two women that genuinely like each other? Can Peggy be seen as someone who’s not threatened by other women or threatening to other women?’ Because that’s my experience.”
And it’s exactly the sort of attitude and female team-up we’d love to see in Captain Marvel. Besides, as Atwell put it, even if it’s set in the 90s, “I bet [Peggy]’s still in shoulder pads.”
What do you think? Would you like to see Peggy Carter in Captain Marvel? Let us know in the comments below.
Images + GIFs: Marvel
Alicia Lutes is the managing editor of Nerdist, host of Fangirling!, and frequent Twitter over-user—if you’re into that sort of thing.
Greatest Living Couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard Made a GAME OF THRONES Video
We imagine the competition for the title of second greatest couple in the world is fierce, but the battle for the top still belongs to Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard. That’s because their latest video, a costume-filled homage to Game of Thrones and its best twosomes, proves they aren’t just the best pair on this planet, they’re the best one-two punch in the all the Seven Kingdoms.
The two shared this video, set to Game of Thrones‘ theme song, before the season seven premiere. We didn’t think we could love them anymore than we did after they used their vacation to make their own video for Toto’s “Africa,” but may the mother show us mercy we were wrong.
I can’t tell you how many times in my life I’ve said how much I wish I had a great wig guy (seriously), and now you can see why. Although it also doesn’t hurt to also have access to authentic costumes.
(Question: Am I the only person who gets weirded out seeing “tall” Jon Snows?)
We aren’t surprised these two successful, working actors dedicated so much time and resources into a 70 second video, not when last year they showed up to the official season six premiere dressed like this.
A post shared by kristen bell (@kristenanniebell) on Apr 11, 2016 at 9:45am PDT
If you think you and your significant other are the best couple in the world we’re not going to argue with you. But you two are only #2 at best.
If you want that top spot maybe find a wig guy.
Which Game of Thrones pairing is your favorite in this video? Swear it to the old gods and the new in our comments section below.
Images: Kristen Bell/Dax Shepard
What Are Varys’ True Motivations in the GAME OF THRONES?
While the highborn lords and ladies of Westeros have fought, schemed, and killed for power on Game of Thrones, one character has remained steadfast to serving not himself or his family, but rather the realm itself, Lord Varys. The Master of Whispers has managed to stay alive while many around him have fallen, all while covertly working to install a new leader on the Iron Throne, a monarch who will make life better for the common people.
And now his reward for all his work has placed him right on the hot seat, a seat being warmed by dragonflame.
Last week’s episode saw Daenerys interrogate and threaten Varys who or what it is he truly works for, since he has served one king to the next, until he decided it was time for a new ruler. It was the first time anyone has truly questioned his motives, which until now have always seemed to be consistent with his message about working for the common people.
At the Game of Thrones season seven premiere, actor Conleth Hill talked to us about his character, and what he thinks has driven him throughout the series. Hopefully for Varys the Mother of Dragons takes great stock in what is said on the red carpet, because while she might be wary of her adviser, Hill thinks Varys means what he says when talks of serving the realm.
Varys tried to save Ned Stark’s life, he worked to undercut the dangerous Baelish, he rescued Tyrion Lannister, a man he helped protect two great cities from ruin, and he put together an alliance to help Daenerys Targaryen take the Iron Throne. Plus he might be a mermaid.
After all that it’s hard to imagine he ever thought he’d be on a seat this hot. So for his sake he better be the man he has always sworn to be, because there’s nothing hotter than dragon flame.
What do you think, is Varys the man of the people he claims to be, or is the Mother of Dragons on to him? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
Images: HBO
Follow Along With a Map of BABY DRIVER’s Opening Chase
We doubt anyone would deny that Baby Driver is one of the most stylish and exhilarating movies that’s come out in recent years. The film, written and directed by Edgar Wright, has taken the world by storm with its action sequences and downright crazy car chases. One such chase, through the streets of Atlanta, GA, was cleverly mapped out in a recent video by Vox.
What’s surprising about the video above is how–let’s say–accurate the chase is to the streets of Atlanta. There are a few jumps here and there but the route in which the chase takes place could work in real life. It all starts at the Candler Building with Baby rocking out to the opening notes of “Bellbottoms” by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and winds through the streets of downtown Atlanta with police in hot pursuit. There are some longer jumps in distance in order to get Baby and his bank-robbing crew onto the highway but there’s very little backtracking or use of locations that don’t make sense to the chase itself.
It’s good to see that Wright and company filmed Atlanta–for the most part–as it’s actually laid out. There are far too many movies that either don’t seem to care or take too many liberties with geography that can strike an viewer as odd if they know the place where its filmed. (We’re looking at you, Cleveland streets and landmarks in Spider-Man 3!)
What do you think of Vox’s chase mapping? Was the first one in Baby Driver your favorite? What other movie chases would you want to see mapped out? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Image: TriStar Pictures
This A Capella Version of the RICK AND MORTY Theme is Totally Squanched
There are so many things about Rick and Morty to love: The diverse interdimensional settings, the deep cast, the sci-fi tech, and perhaps the most underrated aspect of the show: the theme song. As a theme song, it serves its purpose tremendously well: It captures the vibe and lets you know what kind of program you’re getting into, and it’s memorable. You’ve definitely found yourself humming it before. Now, there’s an a capella version of the song, which further proves just how hummable it really is (via Tastefully Offensive).
Los Angeles-based comedy group The Warp Zone, using an arrangement by Alex Walker Smith, use five people to record the track, and of course they’re all in character, as Rick, Morty, Birdperson, Mr. Meeseeks, and Unity (or rather, as the primary physical form of Unity we see in the episode, since Unity itself is a singularity whose one consciousness transcends more than one flesh-and-bone body, duh). As for the recording itself, it works like a charm. There’s a lot of “bum-bums” for the lower parts and whistling for the higher pitched instrumentation, all of which is completely recognizable as being from the theme song. An effective cover should be a tribute to the original while differentiating itself, and that’s just what this a capella rendition does.
Check out the theme song above, and let us know in the comments if this is your new favorite Rick and Morty musical moment; Sorry, The Warp Zone, but we doubt it, only because “Get Schwifty” is a hit.
Featured image: The Warp Zone/Twitter
Bandcamping: The 5 Best Underground Albums of July 2017
Summer is a time to find your comfort zone and relax, but there’s no sense in not getting weird sometimes. If you’re too shy to go skinny dipping or try something off-the-wall, though, maybe trying a batch of different new music will do it for you. This month’s edition of Bandcamping brings an eclectic variety of obscure albums we found on Bandcamp, so check out the albums below and let us know in the comments which ones are your favorite.
5. FREE MONEY by Anton Bocash
Genre: hip-hop, electronic
If you like: ?
If you’re looking for something that’s a bit “out there,” then here you are. FREE MONEY is an often experimental effort that might lose a few listeners along the way, but those who stick around might find something that they’re low-key into, like the oddly danceable title track, or the autotuned, didgeridoo-driven, and EDM-influenced “Intro.” Yes, that’s a mouthful, but it’s also pretty neat.
4. Serpiente by Sam U Él
Genre: soul, R&B, hip-hop
If you like: Beck
It’s tough to stand out in hip-hop with so many Soundcloud rappers having access to FruityLoops and a USB microphone, but Sam U Él seems to have found a corner of his own. The New York artist’s chicano- and soul-inspired hip-hop sound makes for some great vibes with engaging rhythms and satisfying bass, especially on songs like “El Cielo Freeway.”
3. Kraken by unhappybirthday
Genre: indie rock, new wave, post-punk
If you like: synthwave, Interpol, U2
This remaster of a 2012 recording from Dutch group unhappybirthday sounds like it was ripped out of the late 70s/early 80s new wave movement, and the throwback vibes are totally welcomed. Album standout “Himitsu” satisfyingly hearkens back to a time when bands were still figuring out electronics and combining them with propulsive post-punk rhythms. It’s no novelty, though, because the songs themselves are for real.
2. 404 by Ryan Cadwallader
Genre: jazz, instrumental hip-hop, ambient
If you like: BADBADNOTGOOD
Canadian composer Ryan Cadwallader tries to meld a lot of different genres — jazz, blues, hip-hop, R&B, ambient — on this six-track effort, and one of its strengths is that it never falls squarely into any one of those genres. “Strut” is a soulful and funky effort, while “It’ll Come Tomorrow” sounds like an ambient piano-driven number before breaking out into an instrumental hip-hop beat. 404 is a fine demonstration of a young songwriter’s skills, and hopefully a peek at what’s yet to come.
1. Fraction by Holy Machine
Genre: indie rock, new wave, post-punk
If you like: synthwave, Interpol, U2
Everything about Kentucky-based band Holy Machine is big-sounding: their reverb-drenched guitars that borrow from U2’s The Unforgettable Fire era, their persistent krautrock and electronic drum beats, and their sometimes synthwave Stranger Things vibes. The cinematic album opener “Interview” establishes a sinister environment earlier, and frenetically paced tracks like “The Sailor’s Fate” keep the promise of high-energy and headphone-filling atmospherics. This is a diverse winner that wows in more ways than one.
Honorable Mention
Builder by Humble Fire
Genre: indie rock, indie pop
If you like: Warpaint, Beach House
That’s all for July, but until next time, let us know in the comments which of these albums were your favorites, what we missed, and what we should look forward to. If you missed out on June, check it out here (and the complete Bandcamping archives are here).
July 28, 2017
The Must-See Movie of 2017 is the Playful High School Heist BAD GENIUS (Fantasia Review)
Bad Genius is an absolute unbridled joy to watch. A nail-biter with its tongue in its cheek, watching it brought on the same fist-pumping elation of seeing Shaun of the Dead for the first time and discovering an impeccable new filmmaking voice with technical skill and fresh creativity. Writer/director Nattawut Poonpiriya has applied the language of heist cinema to high school kids cheating on tests to create a thrilling winner.
The movie opens with math prodigy Lynn (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) earning her way into an exclusive, expensive high school with brains and bold moves that leave her father (Thaneth Warakulnukroh) embarrassed but proud (and in far better financial shape). Grace (Eisaya Hosuwan) is the bubbly first friend Lynn makes at her new school, and they decide to use each other’s skills–academics and popularity–to mutual benefit. When Grace gets her boyfriend Pat (Teeradon Supapunpinyo) and his money involved, Lynn launches a small cheating business with an ingenious method for letting her paying classmates copy her answers. Hopefully Lynn’s competition for top of the class, Bank (Chanon Santinatornkul), doesn’t ruin it for everyone.
Bad Genius is a showcase of everything great cinema is capable of. It’s a complex look at young hopes and social status wrapped around a rocket ship of a high concept. Poonpiriya and company have a blast with the cheating scheme, using whip pans and hero shots to elevate the intensity of writing answers down on an eraser and passing it one desk down inside your Mary Janes. Lynn invents a musical code to share answers in plain sight, and it’s eventually treated with the operatic, dream-like style it deserves. The film expertly plays these moments for both comedy and tension, respecting the natural dichotomy of the stakes of cheating on a math test. Either it determines the rest of your life, or it’s silly youthful indiscretion. Or both at the same time.
The plot that results is like Ocean’s Eleven if Ocean’s Eleven had any real risks. If you were ever actually worried that smooth George Clooney and Friends wouldn’t pull it off in the end. Lynn is excellent at math, but she’s not a superhero, and when she sets a scheme in motion to get her friends scholarships and entry to schools outside of Thailand by scamming an international version of the SATs, a dozen obstacles emerge. Then a dozen more. And a dozen more. And a dozen more for good measure.
As soon as you think they’re in as deep as they can go, another brick gets added to the pile.
Each of them digs your nails further into the armrest and forces you to hold your breath, but Bad Genius isn’t satisfied with loose ends or convoluted outs. It puts its clever, imperfect characters into genuine danger and offers realistic, applause-worthy escape routes. The script and editing are airtight and incendiary, but the movie–despite making audiences break out in a sweat–never feels too heavy. The caper offers the pressure and fun; the characters offer the heart and soul.
All of them are written as Breakfast Club tropes who, like the library-bound kids of the John Hughes classic, deepen and round out as the story and the cheating intensify. Relationships are challenged and reshaped, and the futures for these young minds come into clear focus. Chuengcharoensukying is an outstanding talent whose Lynn is the explosive engine of this film, a young woman with intelligence, charisma, and a lot of doors still closed to her.
The yin to her yang his Bank, the other scholarship student in her class who’s trying his hardest to succeed so his working class mother won’t have to scrub her hands raw when the washing machine at their cleaning business breaks for the third time in a week. He begins earnest and uptight, yet street smart, which makes his journey into darker territory as compelling as Lynn’s. The rest of the surrounding young cast is excellent, dropping punch lines like seasoned pros and making the stakes of the escapade sing.
It has the humanity and complexity of Catch Me If You Can as well as style and construction that would make Edgar Wright salivate. Every element is sheer perfection. The script, the vision, the tone, and the actors who wrap it in a neat, adrenaline-soaked bow. All of it works. None of it is wasted. Bad Genius is literally flawless.
5 out of 5 piano-coded burritos
Images: GDH 559
New SIMPSONS Documentary Explores THE PROBLEM WITH APU
For nearly 30 years, The Simpsons has chronicled the lives and misadventures of the title characters and their fellow residents of Springfield, USA. The Kwik-E-Mart owner, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, has been among the show’s most popular supporting characters during its run. In the early seasons of the show, Apu was largely a one-note stereotype figure, who was fleshed out in later seasons as a family man with a life outside of his Simpsons interactions. But that doesn’t necessarily change some of the problematic aspects of Apu’s portrayal, which persist to this day.
This fall, TruTV is releasing comedian Hari Kondabolu‘s Simpsons documentary, The Problem With Apu, which will explore the cultural impact of the show’s most prominent Indian character. Along the way, Kondabolu speaks to several actors and comedians of South Asian descent, including Hasan Minhaj, Sakina Jaffrey, and Kal Penn for their thoughts on Apu. And in the newly released trailer, they don’t hold back. Penn outright states that he hates Apu, and therefore he hates The Simpsons as well.
According to Kondabolu, he’s been dealing with his feelings about Apu for 28 years, and this documentary has been in the works for some time. As seen in the trailer, Kondabolu managed to get some comments from former Simpsons writer Dana Gould, who was very frank in his assessment of Apu’s character. It’s less clear if Apu’s performer, Hank Azaria, will also directly participate in this documentary. However, there are many clips of Azaria voicing Apu, including a commencement speech.
The Problem With Apu will debut this fall on TruTV.
How do you feel about Apu’s portrayal on The Simpsons? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Image: TruTv
How a Lovable LABYRINTH Ludo Costume Came to Life
Labyrinth is full of lovable characters, but maybe none more so than Ludo. The giant and gentle beast was rescued by Sarah and later helped her fight Jareth the Goblin King’s army. Paul and Rozanne de Wild, a.k.a. deWild Cosplay, decided to bring Ludo to life to be part of a group cosplay with Paul’s Jareth and a friend’s Sarah. They told Nerdist, “We saw Ludo as a large, fairly simple shaped character who we could make out of foam, and experiment with Smooth-On Rebound 40 for mold making and Smooth-On DragonSkin20 for the face with limited expense.”
The couple learned about cosplay in 2011, and as they’ve always spent time making various projects, they dove into cosplay in 2012 as Hawkeye and Black Widow.
This Ludo build took them just over two months and started with a full scale wire frame. They pieced together the foam shape and continued from there. deWild Cosplay said the most challenging part of the build was visibility and breathability. They didn’t want wearing the costume to be a sauna experience and didn’t want to run into people. They shared how they solved those problems: “Paul wired two computer fans into the mouth which blow fresh air directly onto the wearers face, and four fans into the top for the head forcing and extracting the hot air out. We also put a small reversing camera into one of his eyes and the LCD screen was mounted on the back of the face.”
I don’t know about you, but I desperately want to hug-tackle this Ludo costume. That would not be appropriate though, so instead I’ll admire all the photos and marvel at all the work that went into making it. You can get a look at additional WIP photos below. Then, go keep up with all of deWildCosplay’s work–they’re making a Game of Thrones Drogon costume, FYI–at Facebook and Instagram.
If you specifically want more of the Ludo build, hop into this album.
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.
Images: Paul and Rozanne de Wild
Funko’s Super Cute Chewbacca and Baby Groot Tees Deliver the Adorable
Funko has built a whole brand on finding the most charming aspects of pop culture characters and highlighting them in appealing ways. Case in point: they’ve figured out how to make It‘s Pennywise weirdly precious. They take the adorable angle to the max with their aptly titled Super Cute Tees series. Three new designs in the series are coming in September featuring Wonder Woman, Chewbacca, and Baby Groot.
But these are not your average graphics. Chewbacca is styling his flowing fur with a hair dryer, Wonder Woman’s using the Lasso of Truth as a jumping rope (you have to get those work-outs in however you can!), and Baby Groot is jamming to tunes. Look:
Harry Potter‘s getting some love with a Harry and Hedwig print and Luna Lovegood. You can see those Super Cute Tees in the gallery below.
Then, coming this summer, Funko has new Pop! Tees. These shirts incorporate the Funko vinyl figures, and while they don’t speak to me as much as the Super Cute tees (I have little willpower against the word cute, okay?), they’re still fun and they cover more fandoms. Behold the galactic colors in this Rick and Morty t-shirt:
Jump on down to the gallery to see more Pop! Tees that you’ll be able to find at your favorite Funko retailer. Because really, can you ever have too many t-shirts? No. No, you cannot. I’m especially partial to the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Yondu one because it has him in his now famous “I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!” pose.
Which tees will you be adding to your wardrobe and how will you style them? Sound off in the comments.
Images: Funko
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