Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2019

This AVENGERS Tattoo Sleeve is Signed by Stan Lee

It’s never too late to get a tattoo. Jason didn’t get his first ink until after he turned 30, and now he’s the proud owner of an Avengers-themed sleeve. The tribute to the Marvel group was completed by Anson Eastin of True Alchemy Tattoo Studio in Florida and features aspects like the Infinity Stones, Hulk, the arc reactor, Captain America‘s shield, and more. But the icing on the cake? A Stan Lee signature.

Jason’s ink was completed a few months before a convention where Lee was scheduled to make an appearance. Jason said, “I asked his staff at the stage where he was signing about the special request, and they had me come up on stage with him. He had a bit of trouble signing my ankle and he was so nice about it. He apologized twice that it was a bit sloppy. The only thing I could do was tell him, ‘Hey, you’re Stan Lee. You can do whatever you like!'”

The above picture shows the signature before being inked. Jason went straight to a tattooist on site at the convention to make the Sharpie signature permanent.

Take a trip to the gallery below to see a Deadpool and Iron Man tattoo combo, a work in progress Batman and Superman watercolor tattoo, and more of the Avengers.

If you have nerdy ink on your skin or you’re a tattoo artist that applies pop culture, STEM, music, or other nerd-inspired ink (tl;dr: I want to see basically all of the tattoos) on a regular basis, then please hit me up because I’d like to highlight you in a future Inked Wednesday gallery. I’m especially interested if you have a sleeve or other large tattoo. You can get in touch with me via email at alratcliffe@yahoo.com. Send me photos of the tattoos you’d like me to feature (the higher resolution, the better) and don’t forget to let me know the name of your tattoo artist if you have it, as well the name of the shop he or she works out of. If you are the tattoo artist, give me links to your portfolios and/or Instagram accounts so I can share them with our readers.

Images: Jason

BLACK PANTHER Photos and Plot Breakdown

Spider-Man: Homecoming hasn’t even been out a week and we’re already turning our focus to the world of Wakanda. That’s because Entertainment Weekly has unleashed its massive Black Panther cover story from the annual Comic-Con issue, and there are a ton of new images and plot details to unpack. Marvel’s been almost as secretive about Black Panther‘s secrets as Wakanda itself, but on today’s Nerdist News, the cat is out of the bag!

There are potential spoilers ahead for Black Panther! We’re not going too far beyond EW‘s coverage, but some of our predictions may be too on point for anyone who wants to remain unspoiled. You’ve been warned!

Join host and the keeper of the heart-shaped herb, Jessica Chobot, as she dives into Black Panther’s hidden nation and unravels what we know about the plot. Aside from the breathtaking costumes and the latest info about the supporting cast, the most intriguing thing to come out of EW‘s preview is the description of the movie as a cross between The Godfather and James Bond.

How would that even work? For starters, it appears that the MCU isn’t aware of just how technologically advanced Wakanda really is. That’s a closely guarded secret, and T’Challa may have to get his 007 on to ensure the outside world doesn’t learn the truth about his homeland. That brings us to the Fredo connection: Michael B. Jordan‘s Erik Killmonger. The former cinematic Human Torch is going to be one of T’Challa’s primary enemies in this story and he’s apparently siding with the invaders over his own people. But unlike Fredo, Black Panther can’t simply send Killmonger out on a one-way fishing trip. Killmonger is truly a worthy foe, and he might even be able to seize control of the country away from the royal family.

The new photos also revealed that Martin Freeman‘s Everett K. Ross will be wearing traditional Wakandan clothing while apparently meeting with Queen Mother Ramonda and her daughter, Shuri. Although Ross was antagonistic towards Cap’s team in Captain America: Civil War, he was introduced in Christopher Priest’s Black Panther run as a true friend and loyal ally of T’Challa. That aspect of Ross’ character may be reflected in the film as well.

What do you think about the latest Black Panther preview? Let out an epic roar in the comment section below!

GAME OF THRONES’ Season 7 Premiere Photos Show Long-Awaited Arrivals

Thank the old gods and the new, because after an extra long wait Game of Thrones is finally back this weekend. And these photos that HBO just released from this Sunday’s season seven premiere, “Dragonstone,” should help hold us over during these last few maddening days.

We expected them to be a lot like the frustratingly Mad Men-esque descriptions that recently came out, like the one for this episode that reads Jon:

Jon (Kit Harington) organizes the defense of the North. Cersei (Lena Headey) tries to even the odds. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) comes home.

However there’s actually something pretty big for us to chew on here. That’s because it looks like Meera and Bran have finally reconnected with civilization.

That or Meera got tired of lugging Bran around and left him out there for the Night King to find. Either way, its big.

We know this is the Night’s Watch even without those black coats because of this other photo showing Dolorous Edd leading the way.

Looks like Edd and his brothers came through the gate at Castle Black to greet their arriving guests.

As for Cersei, her attempts at evening the odds look to be weighing on her.

No wonder why she’s drinking…

But at least she has this giant map to help her look for any potential allies, hard as they might be to find.

We also get two peeks at what it going on at Winterfell, though neither contain Jon.

Maybe the most exciting is another appearance from our favorite little Lady, Lyanna Mormont.

There’s also Brienne and Podrick engaging in some training. (Yes, it’s training, look at how disinterested the women are here. Besides, we refuse to believe this is a real fight, even if by some horrible chance it is).

Of course, the episode gets its name from Daenerys’ long-awaited return to the land where she was born, the ancient seat of House Targaryen (which had been under Stannis’ control), Dragonstone.

It even has its own fancy, uncomfortable throne, which must be a Targaryen thing.

These photos might not seem like a ton, but honestly that Meera picture is more than we normally get. There’s also a lot to learn from what we don’t get to see, and that is once again, just like in the trailers, no sign of Sam in Oldtown.

 

What’s up with that? Ugh, you know what, these only made us more anxious for nine o’clock on Sunday night.

But what do you make of these pictures? Tell us in the comments below.

Images: HBO

Get Ready for DUCKTALES Funko Pops! A-Woo-Ooo

Just when you thought your plastic memorabilia money bin couldn’t possibly fit even one more figurine or vehicle, life comes at you like a hurricane with even more must-own pieces of childhood nostalgia. Nowadays, almost all of these particular trinkets come courtesy of Funko, who have succeeded in cornering the market on stuff people like by licensing every property under the sun. Hey, they do good stuff, and desks and shelves everywhere are happier for it. The latest offering in their extensive POP! line of vinyl figures is a smattering of web-footed world travelers from Disney’s classic DuckTales program.

Following their recent announcement of Darkwing Duck figures, which consisted of Darkwing, Gosalyn, and Launchpad McQuack, Funko has announced a full complement of main characters, consisting of Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and Webby with her trademark stuffed animal (that looks exactly like her).

Scrooge comes complete with his trademark tophat, cane, spats, and is even carrying his Number 1 Dime, which everyone is always trying to steal, so maybe it’s not the best idea to just brandish it like a badge, but hey, maybe Duckburg’s real safe now.

Huey’s having none of it.

Dewey’s expecting you to get to the adventuring.

And Louie is patiently waiting for a track upon which to explode. Or whatever.

Webby was never a huge part in the ’80s-’90s cartoon, but she’s going to be a major player of the upcoming rebooted series.

And because there’s always some kind of store-specific exclusive, we’re not surprised there’s one in this set too. However! We’re really jazzed that the GameStop-exclusive figure this time out is none other than Magica De Spell, the villainous witch and arch-nemesis of Scrooge, complete with her crow Gennarino. Easily the coolest of the bunch.

There will also be Scrooge and Webby keychain POP! figures if that’s more your fancy.

We’re really happy that DuckTales is back in the forefront of people’s minds because it was a lot of our first exposure to high-flying adventure. Will you be picking up these treasures, or just wishing for them on your lost magic lamp? Let us know in the comments below!

Images: Funko

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He’s written the animation retrospectives Batman: Reanimated, X-Men: Reanimated, Cowboy Rebop, and Samurai reJacked. Follow him on Twitter!

Brilliant Blue Sulfur Fire is Beautiful, Toxic Mess

As we’ve learned before (and were reminded of again in this video), fire is usually yellow, orange, red, or one of those warm hues, but if you use a different fuel, you can get flames burning in pretty much any color you want. Recently, some folks in the Worland, Wyoming area learned that burning sulfur results in blue flames, because when a lot of leftover sulfur from the old Texas Gulf Sulfur Plant caught fire, it was very big, very blue, and very toxic (via The Verge).

Worland volunteer fire department chief Chris Kocher responded to a call of a blue glow a few days ago, and when they arrived, they saw a large blue fire that moved quickly along the surface and was pretty engaging to watch, as evidenced by the 2.6 million views a video of the blaze has on Facebook right now.

It’s critical to point out that if you were to ever come upon a fire like that, it would be in your best interest to stay far away. Aside from it being a dangerous and hot fire, burning sulfur produces sulfur dioxide, which turns into sulfuric acid when combined with water, and that includes the moisture in your lungs. So, as you can imagine, simply breathing too close to a fire like this could have some really negative consequences.

Instead, just watch the video above and enjoy the lovely blue fire from afar, and let us know in the comments below what fuel you think produces the prettiest flames.

Featured image: Dodi Mulyana/Flickr

China Celebrates KFC’s 30th Anniversary By Creating a Smartphone

Marital tradition dictates that the 30th anniversary be celebrated with the gift of pearls. And while pearls are all fine and good, wouldn’t you rather commemorate such a milestone with a KFC-branded smartphone? In news that almost seems too absurd to be true, that appears to be the general idea behind Chinese electronics company Huawei’s production of a smartphone emblazoned with the Colonel’s smiling face and a phrase that translates roughly to “Established 1987,” the year that KFC opened up shop in China. (Incidentally, that’s the same year as Huawei was founded.)

According to Ad Age, the phone’s features include, fittingly, a pre-installed KFC delivery app. More surprising is the inclusion of a music selection feature that allows the user to pick a song they want to hear while they’re dining in at KFC. This isn’t the first time KFC has gone high-tech to hold onto its customer base in China. They’re also embracing online ordering (via China Daily), a staple in America that’s still establishing a foothold in China. And, as you’ll see in this promo, they’ve used emoji in their advertising. (The Colonel’s visage doesn’t translate quite as well to emoji as you may have hoped.) The promo spotlights K-Music, implying that KFC is just as appropriate a venue for proposals as it is birthdays.

There aren’t a lot of details available on the phone’s specifications, though the YouTube description indicates that it’s a customized take on the Huawei 7 Plus, and according to Kotaku, there will be the option of either 16GB or 32GB storage capacity.

Naturally, the key factor here is the whole “KFC phone” thing. Since they’re being so up front about exactly what this phone is, we wish them the best, and more success than U2 got that time they forced their album onto everyone with an active iTunes account.

Would you buy a KFC phone? Let us know in the comments below.

Image Credit: KFC/Huawei

China is Making Solar Farms That Will Look Like Adorable Cartoon Pandas

Solar energy is already exciting — a way to get clean energy from a giant ball of plasma 90 million miles away. And as it becomes a more efficient and viable way to power our lives, its spread across the globe continues. Solar panels, themselves, however, are kind of boring. They’re what make human use of solar energy possible, yes, but they’re usually just gray squares, placed on a roof or perhaps lined up in rows on a particularly sunny field or hillside.

China has the right idea about solar farm aesthetics, though, and they’re in the middle of a big movement to make them a lot more fun and attractive. As you can see in the photo above, a solar plant in Datong, China is building a solar farm that will look exactly like a cute and happy cartoon panda when completed (via Atlas Obscura). Actually, it looks quite a bit like the most famous pop culture panda of the past ten years: Po from Kung Fu Panda.

Developed by Chinese clean energy company China Merchants New Energy Group and the United Nations Development Program, this panda is just part of a 248-acre solar farm that’s expected to eventually produce 100MW of power — enough to power tens of thousands of homes. As the UNDP notes, the installation is set to reduce carbon emissions by 2.74 million tons over 25 years. So yes, it’s a big deal.

The question is, if we were to do this in the U.S., what would we make our solar fields look like? A cat? Pizza? The dancing hot dog Snapchat filter? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Featured image: UNDP

First A WRINKLE IN TIME Photos Emerge

One of the biggest films on the docket for next year is Disney’s big budget adaptation of one of the most beloved children’s science fiction books of all time, Madeleine L’Engle’s 1963 novel A Wrinkle In Time, which is coming to us from director Ava DuVernay and Frozen screenwriter (and Oscar-winner) Jennifer Lee.

Now the folks over at Entertainment Weekly have a first look at the upcoming film, featuring photos of Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, and Oprah Winfrey (with killer bedazzled eyebrows!) as the celestial beings Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which, respectively. Also included in the behind-the-scenes photos are actor Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and newcomer Storm Reid as the film’s protagonist, Meg Murray.

You can check out the new pics in the tweets below:

DYING over these photos from @Ava‘s #AWrinkleInTime. Oprah’s eyebrows! Meg’s glasses! Beardy scientist Chris Pine!!! https://t.co/jjE1zURz02 pic.twitter.com/Uxw1ni3Ky4

— Devan Coggan (@devancoggan) July 12, 2017

For those of you out there who have never read it, the original novel centers around a young girl named Meg Murray, whose father, a government scientist played by Chris Pine, has gone missing after working on a mysterious project. Meg and her child prodigy younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), along with their friend, are then helped out by three celestial beings, the women known as Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which, to help find their missing father.

DuVernay, who is perhaps best known for her work on the movie Selma, wanted to be sure that A Wrinkle In Time was brought into the 21st century, and mentions in the interview how she specifically wanted a cast as racially diverse as possible, saying “The first image [I had in my head] was to place a brown girl in that role of Meg, a girl traveling to different planets and encountering beings and situations that I’d never seen a girl of color in.”

More photos from @ava‘s ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ #AWrinkleInTime pic.twitter.com/xes7nxOWl3

— Geeks of Color (@GeeksOfColor) July 12, 2017

Diversity was also on her mind with the casting of the three celestial Mrs., saying that “with these women, I wondered, could we make them women of different ages, body types, races? Could we bring in culture, bring in history in their costumes? And in the women themselves, could we just reflect a fuller breadth of femininity?” Not only is it amazing that this classic novel is getting the proper treatment (there were cheap-o TV movie adaptations before), but it’s even more amazing that it’s going to be such a diverse affair.

A Wrinkle in Time is due to hit theaters on March 9, 2018.

How excited are you to see this classic novel brought to life on the big screen? Be sure to share your thoughts with us down below in the comments.

Images: Walt Disney Pictures

Poster Documentary 24X36 is Part History, Part Promotion (Review)

The beginning and ending of Kevin Burke’s movie poster documentary 24 x 36 consists of the kind of history they don’t teach in film school, but ought to be of interest there nonetheless, as the evolution of movie marketing artwork is explored. From the history of screen printing to the evolution of Photoshop, we see what worked in different decades and why; in the pre-mutliplex days audiences enjoyed complicated posters because they gave people waiting in line something to look at in detail, while today artwork must convey a film’s intent even when it’s postage-stamp sized on your phone. Great poster artists like John Alvin and Bob Peak get their due, and we learn heartbreaking bits of trivia like the fact that Roger Kastel’s original Jaws painting was taken from him by the studio and never given back.

Unfortunately, all this history feels like a bit of a Trojan horse, as the entire middle section of the film basically turns into an infomercial for Mondo, the art division of Alamo Drafthouse, which commissions original artwork to create new illustrated posters and T-shirts for classic films. Now, chances are that if you’re reading this, you already love Mondo; certainly all of us here at Nerdist do, and we write about their wares frequently. But beyond the kind of generic talk that aficionados of any collectibles might offer (this stuff is cool, it’s unique, some of it’s super-rare, etc.), we don’t learn much more than “Mondo is great.” Oh, and Skuzzles, a company that does the same kind of thing, is also great. And some artists do these kinds of prints without getting permission from the rights-holders, because power to the people!

Mondo co-founder Rob Jones is briefly called out for his eccentric phone-calling etiquette, while his chosen attire of a bright yellow suit with a Danzig skull belt buckle makes him seem quite the dandy, but it also makes us wonder why there isn’t more of him. If this documentary is going to be the Mondo story, why not make him the center?

The answer, I suspect, is that the movie doesn’t know quite what it wants to be. Director Burke is a poster collector himself, and his film feels like an assemblage of stuff he thinks is cool, but as a result, this feels more like a walk through a convention hall talking to random booth owners than any kind of cinematic narrative. Given that it was partially Kickstarter-funded by fans, and premiered at Fantastic Fest, which is run by Drafthouse and features a rabid fan base for the product, maybe it doesn’t need to be more. At 86 minutes, it doesn’t try the patience, at least.

As of today, it’s available for streaming online exclusively at TribecaShortlist.com, a streaming site of old and new movies curated by industry insiders. If you’re a subscriber anyway, it certainly doesn’t hurt to at least watch the parts that do delve into the evolution of the artform.

It’s a tough grade here, as I like some of 24X36 a lot, but overall feel it’s a missed opportunity. In the end, I think 2.5/5 burritos is fair enough.

Images: Tribeca Shortlist/FilmRise

Luke Y. Thompson has been an L.A.-based film critic since 1999.

STRANGER THINGS Season 2 Has a New Teaser

Last year’s Netflix darling Stranger Things returns soon, and we’re ready to head back to Hawkins, Indiana. Join Host Jessica Chobot, Science Editor Kyle Hill, Mothership Writer Amy Vorpahl, and Features Editor Matt Grosinger on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back as they discuss Eleven and the boys’ next adventure, Wonder Woman 2, and The Rock‘s political aspirations.

We’ve heard very little about Stranger Things Season 2 since the first trailer dropped during the SuperBowl this past February. Now, we’ve heard… a tiny, little bit more. Granted, it is just a teaser, but it’s also an incredibly/awesomely 80s teaser, complete with bad green screen and cheesy effects. If their goal was to build hype in preparation for the Comic-Con panel, they’ve definitely done their job.

SPOILERS FOR WONDER WOMAN! Wonder Woman is still in theaters, but already rumors are circulating about the sequel. According to ScreenRant, Wonder Woman 2 will be set in the 1980s and will involve the Cold War. Chris Pine‘s Steve Trevor is set to return as well, which might be somewhat difficult considering he’s super dead at the end of the movie. Some Greek God magic could certainly bring him back—nobody stays dead in comic books—but we think that would cheapen the effect his death had on Diana.

GET READY TO GET ROCKED! Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, otherwise known as the most electrifying man in the world, might be running for president in 2020. The paperwork necessary to run a “Run the Rock” campaign has been filed in West Virginia, though not by The Rock himself. Either way, The Rock has succeeded at everything else he’s tried in his career, so why not? As long as Kevin Hart is his running mate, we’ll be satisfied.

You can watch and interact live with Nerdist News Talks Back every weekday at 1:00pm PST on YouTube and Alpha, and catch up with the archives just after the show!

Image: Netflix, Warner Bros., Universal