Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2060

GAME OF THRONES Re-Throned: “Hardhome” (S5, E8)

Winter is coming, but not soon enough. So to help pass the time until season seven of Game of Thrones, we’re doing a weekly re-watch of the series, episode-by-episode, with the knowledge of what’s to come and—therefore—more information about the unrevealed rich history of events that took place long before the story began. Be warned, though: that means this series is full of spoilers for every season, even beyond the episode itself. So if you haven’t watched all of the show yet immediately get on that and then come back and join us for Game of Thrones Re-Throned.

Because the next best thing to watching new episodes is re-watching old ones.

——

Season 5, Episode 8: “Hardhome”

Original Air Date: May 31st, 2015

Director: Miguel Sapochnik

Written by: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

We’ve known from Game of Throne‘s very first scene that who rules from what chair doesn’t matter compared to the coming Great War between the living and the dead. And no episode better highlights the true existential threat the White Walkers pose than the stunning, haunting events that take place in “Hardhome.” But while the relentless attack of undead lemmings stands as one of the great horror sequences in television history, the scariest—yet potentially hopeful—moment comes when it ends.

A beleaguered Jon Snow retreats back on a rowboat as the Night King walks out to the end of the pier and slowly raises the dead, turning the fallen wildlings into an ever-growing army for him to command. It’s arguably the single most iconic moment of the series (I vote it number one) because it’s the show’s most chilling.

But why does he allow Jon to get away? The rowboat isn’t far from shore, and he could easily have his horde of dead men form a zombie bridge to continue the attack. Instead he lets Jon leave with a full display of his awesome powers.

Is this moment just him being a total bad ass, sure in his inevitable victory, reveling in the fear he can instill in the living before he conquers them? Or is it more calculating than mere bravado?

Jon is not meant to survive Hardhome, as during the battle he is attacked by an actual White Walker (referred to by D.B. Weiss as a lieutenant). But when Jon defends himself with his Valyrian steel sword, Longclaw, it doesn’t shatter like every other weapon when struck by a White Walker’s weapon of ice. This shocks the lieutenant, who was clearly unaware such a thing was possible. He isn’t stunned for long though, as Jon strikes him with Longclaw, instantly breaking the White Walker into thousands of ice shards.

The Night King sees this from above, and his subtle expression of disbelief shows that he, too, did not expect something like this could happen. This has been a perfect slaughter/recruitment for him so far, as has the building of his army over the years, but Jon shows him he is not invincible.

Which again raises (pun intended!) the question of why he let him go. It’s a super villain move for sure, letting the hero know the evil that awaits him, but beyond that is there value in letting the living know what is coming? Is this an attempt to undermine their resolve?

Mance took 20 years uniting the wildling clans, and he did it by telling them they’d all die otherwise. Knowledge of the White Walkers would seem to be a unifying force, but yet before this attack half the wildlings turned down Jon’s offer of working together to stop them, despite knowing better than anyone the danger they are in. Even zombies aren’t enough to bring some enemies together, so why should the Night’s King fear Jon Snow’s unifying abilities? Sure enough, Jon will be killed by his own brothers for working with the wildlings, despite the logic of his reasoning.

If anything, Jon returning with such an unbelievable story about an unthinkable enemy might make him less credible as a leader. Imagine only hearing about what happened at Hardhome and how difficult it would be to accept. Would you trust the man who told you something so impossible?

And if you did believe him, would you want to face such an enemy? It’s one thing to risk death in battle, but it’s something else to know that your fate is somehow worse than dying. To fall against the White Walkers is to become their soldier. Why run north to fight such a foe when you can run south to avoid them?

It’s why that moment of silence is far more terrifying than the attack that preceded it. Death comes for us all. It doesn’t need to chase us.

However, there is hope here, hope that has nothing to do with Jon being a man who has literally conquered death. To let your enemy escape is an act of pride; it’s arrogant to assume you can defeat your opponent whenever you want. It’s a very human failing for a blue-eyed ice demon.

Because for all of the terrible magical powers the Night King has, and for as monstrous as he is, he still retains some of that humanity from when the White Walkers were first created from man himself. They are an army of the dead, but it’s the living part of them that makes them vulnerable, and a vulnerable enemy can be defeated.

Maester Aemon said that love is the death of duty, and that applies to the Night King and the White Walkers, too. He takes joy in letting Jon go, in letting the living know what comes for them, when the best thing he could have done was kill Jon Snow right then and there.

“Hardhome” stands as one of Game of Throne‘s best episodes, a master class in storytelling, told with a stunning and shocking spectacle full of humanity, bravery, and frailty. And while it ends on the most ominous of moments, their might be a sliver of light found in the darkness of that evil.

The living better hope so.

What do you think of this episode and the final scene? Row into our comments below to let us know.

Images: HBO

Does This Photo of Thor’s Hammer from INFINITY WAR Spoil RAGNAROK?

In just over five months, it’s gonna be time to Ragnarok and Roll with the third Thor solo film. Last month, fans got their first peek at Thor: Ragnarok, which featured a battle with the Hulk and the destruction of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. Yeah, Hela is apparently that powerful. But have we truly seen the last Mjolnir in the MCU? A new picture from the set of Avengers: Infinity War prominently features Thor’s hammer, and today’s Nerdist News is consulting the mystic stones for answers!

There are potential spoilers ahead for Thor: Ragnarok! Do you want us to throw the hammer down? Consider yourselves warned!

Join host and queen of the Norns, Jessica Chobot, as she examines the following pic that was posted by the Infinity War directing duo: the Russo brothers.

Worthy.

A post shared by The Russo Brothers (@therussobrothers) on May 30, 2017 at 7:14am PDT

Is this a spoiler above all others? I say thee nay! If you know your comic book history, then it should come as no surprise that Mjolnir has been destroyed and recreated many times before. It’s not really a question of whether Thor’s hammer will return, it’s how and when. Because of recent LEGO leaks, we know that Thor is apparently without his hammer for the final showdown with Hela. Instead, the Son of Odin will take an ax called Jarnbjorn into battle. That’s a mighty weapon on its own, and Thor has a long history with Jarnbjorn that predates Mjolnir.

That doesn’t necessarily explain how Mjolnir can appear in Infinity War. It’s simple, really: it could easily be from a flashback or a dream sequence, similar to Thor’s visions in Avengers: Age of Ultron. But if we had to guess, we’d still put money down on Thor getting his hammer back before teaming up with the Avengers again.

What do you think about the reappearance of Thor’s hammer? Let us know in the comment section below!

Frank Miller’s SIN CITY Hitting the Small Screen

Frank Miller‘s Sin City has long been recognized as one of the most lauded and controversial comics out there. Its striking black and white visuals feature sparse spot colors that pop off the page in an unforgettable way. It looks like a whole new generation are about to discover Miller’s magnum opus with the announcement at Deadline that The Walking Dead and The Shield showrunner Glen Mazzara will helm a reboot of the black and white beast under TWC-Dimension. Looking to Len Wiseman–well known for the werewolf vs. vampire franchise Underworld–to direct, who hass previously delved into the delicate world of comic book adaptations with FOX’s Lucifer. The show will allegedly stick far closer to the original source material, which makes a lot of sense in the age of prestige long form storytelling.

Miller’s dedication to blurring the borders between entertainment and exploitation have often distracted from the book’s iconic art. The series exponentially expanded its audience and turned Miller into a Hollywood director with 2005’s Sin City film, a collaboration with his thematic brothers in arms, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.

With seven Sin City print collections spanning a decade, the most surprising thing about this announcement is that it hasn’t happened before. After the success of the first film and the cult following of the book, it’s likely that this delay has less been about the comic itself–though it does have plenty of critics–and more to do with Frank Miller himself.

Frank Miller is one of comics’ most notorious creators. With a back catalog including seminal cape comics like The Dark Knight Returns and the criminally underrated The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Miller has always been a hotly debated presence in mainstream comics. Though his work on Sin City set him apart–capping off his meteoric rise of the ’80s and leading to his ascension as one of the superstars of the ’90s comic book industry–a number of unseemly outbursts, as well as a wealth of personal problems, took the sheen off Miller’s name in subsequent decades, publishing nothing notable except for one patently offensive indie book until 2016’s The Dark Knight III: The Master Race.

This announcement and upcoming TV series could put Frank Miller back into the spotlight, and depending on the direction the show takes, help to rewrite his troubled legacy.

What are your feelings about Sin City? Contemporary classic? Style over substance? Or do you just wish studios would stop with the constant reboots? Let us know in the comments!

THE NEW MUTANTS Adds STRANGER THINGS’ Charlie Heaton As Cannonball

Director Josh Boone’s adaptation of Marvel Comics‘ 1980s favorite The New Mutants is continuing to take shape at Fox, and it’s looking to another ’80s themed nostalgic property to do so. According to The Hollywood Reporter, actor Charlie Heaton, best known as Jonathan Byers from Stranger Things, is officially in talks to join the cast of the X-Men spin-off film as Samuel Guthrie, better known as Cannonball.

In the comics, Sam has the ability to propel himself into the air, and has a powerful energy field that surrounds him while doing so, which makes him virtually invulnerable. Heaton joins Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams as Magick and Wolfsbane, respectively. Also among the cast is Rosario Dawson as mutant doctor Cecilia Reyes.

This adaptation of The New Mutants is going to be somewhat different from the comics, if early reports are to be believed. In the original Marvel stories, the New Mutants were the third generation of students at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, first under the watch of Charles Xavier, and later, Magneto. Unlike the older students, the X-Men, the New Mutants weren’t trained to fight bad guys, but just how to control their powers.

Nevertheless, they kept getting into all kinds of trouble anyway. In this new film, which is being described as more of a horror movie, the kids will find themselves as part of a government facility where they are being studied, and not Xavier’s school. The classic “Demon Bear Saga” from the comics is said to be the movie’s inspiration.

In the comics, Sam Guthrie is a lanky, blonde, super tall and super polite “good ‘ol boy” from the American south. Originally part of a large rural farming family from Kentucky, Sam helped found the team, and was the only member to stay on throughout that book’s entire 100 issue run. When New Mutants morphed into X-Force, he was front and center, and eventually, he became the first member of the New Mutants to graduate to the X-Men proper.

In recent years, he’s found himself as a member of the Avengers. His sister Paige Guthrie is the mutant known as Husk, and she was one of the founding members of the fourth generation of mutant students at Xavier’s known as Generation X. Although Sam is often portrayed as being a bit of an “aw, shucks” Southern stereotype, he eventually grew beyond that and became on of the X-Men universe’s most popular characters. Much like Colossus, he’s often shown to be the big lug with the heart of gold, and is in many ways the heart of the team.

The New Mutants is still looking to cast several members of the team, like Native-American Danielle Moonstar, Brazilian Roberto Dacosta (Sunspot) and the alien shape-shifter Warlock. Filming is set to being this July for an April 2018 release date. New Mutants will be one of three Fox X-Men properties coming in 2018, including Deadpool 2 and X-Men: Dark Phoenix. 

Are you excited about this latest addition to the world of Marvel’s New Mutants? Be sure to give us your thoughts down below in the comments.

Images: Netflix / Marvel Comics

Stranger Things will be dark next season.

This Weird STAR WARS Supercut is 95 Minutes of Fandom Found Footage

Star Wars is now officially 40 years old, and has changed the cinematic world since the day A New Hope hit the big screen back on May 25, 1977. It’s a franchise that has left a lasting mark on the entire landscape of pop culture. To this day, it’s still thrilling to find new photos or videos from production of the original trilogy, but there are also the other unsung heroes of Star Wars found footage–the truly weird Star Wars-inspired shit. For a franchise that is so well-loved, it makes sense that commercials, television shows, and movies found inspiration (and occasionally straight-up stole) from Lucas’ smash hit. You could spend hours sifting through the internet looking at the bizarre (and often disastrous) ways filmmakers and advertisers have tipped their hat to a galaxy far, far away.

Luckily, the dedicated team at Cinefamily TV has worked tirelessly to compile some found footage from the Star Wars film sets, interviews with the original cast, and some of the most wonderfully weird Star Wars-inspired content from across the galaxy. Of course, 40 years is one hell of a long time, so this video is a pretty sprawling one, lasting about 90 minutes of intergalactic bizarreness. Still, it’s worth a watch, and nothing shows the lasting effect Star Wars had on our culture like showing the weird ass way we’ve shown our love for the franchise. Give the video a watch, if you dare (be warned–some of the video is NSFW):

For those of us who were born several years after A New Hope hit theaters for the first time, a lot of this content might be brand new. But even if you’ve seen some of this content before (like the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, which gets a shout out in the compilation), seeing all of the bizarre ways Star Wars has been referenced among a variety of entertainment mediums and cultures is pretty impressive. Despite the compilation’s frenetic nature, it’s still a hoot to watch. After all, the disco Threepios dancing with disco Darth Vaders and the Star Wars-themed variety show numbers (my personal favorite being the one from Donny and Marie Osmond’s variety show) make this compilation well worth the watch.

Were you able to watch the entire video? What were some of your bizarre Star Wars homages? Do you have any faves that weren’t featured in the video? Tell us about it in the comments!

Did LEGO just let some Snoke spoilers slip?

Feature Image: Lucasfilm

THOR: RAGNAROK Gets a Hilarious Animated Parody Trailer

It’s safe to say that MCU fans have high hopes for Thor: Ragnarok. The recently released trailer struck a more adventurous tone for Thor‘s next cinematic outing, while offering more humor and a bit of a Guardians of the Galaxy vibe. It didn’t hurt that the trailer also featured Thor’s “friend from work,” the Hulk, in his full Planet Hulk glory. Paired together with Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” the Ragnarok trailer was one of the best comic movie trailers in a long time. But what if it was even better?

Via Comic Book Resources, the team behind the AOK YouTube channel has released an animated parody trailer for Thor: Ragnarok that makes the entire thing deeply silly while rewriting “Immigrant Song” into something more Thor-appropriate. It’s also a pretty accurate breakdown of the previous Thor movies and what we can probably expect from the third installment.

Plus, how could anyone not love a video that mashes up Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster with one of his most famous poses?

This parody also made us realize that there’s a distinct lack of Thor in Marvel’s animated lineup. While the God of Thunder has been in the most recent Avengers animated series, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor has yet to get his own animated series in the modern era. Considering the wealth of stories from both the comic books and Norse mythology to draw upon, Thor: The Animated Series is long overdue and we want to see it happen!

What did you think about AOK’s Thor: Ragnarok parody? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: AOK

Talking WONDER WOMAN Reviews, The Rock as the Wolfman, and a POWER RANGERS Sequel

High expectations have been the death of many a long-awaited feature film. After months, years, or–in this latest case–decades of anticipation, it’s tough for any feature to live up to all we’ve hoped it might someday be. But it doesn’t seem as though Wonder Woman is suffering under the weight of its 70-plus years of fervent fandom. In fact, Diana Prince’s first big screen solo outing may well be the most beloved superhero movie to hit theaters.

Like, ever.

via GIPHY

Granted, it’s a bit too soon to make such a declaration, but we can say that reviews for Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman have been nothing shy of overjoyed. On today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, host Jessica Chobot, Nerdist Managing Editor and Fangirling commandant Alicia Lutes (who was pretty fond of the flick herself) and Nerdist Senior Editor and The Dan Cave‘s own Dan Casey will tackle the question of whether Wonder Woman is indeed the best superhero movie yet, and what that might mean for the genre on the whole.

Stepping away from the realm of Themyscirian freedom fighters and into that of lovelorn monsters, we’ve heard that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson may just take on the part of the Wolfman in the developing Dark Universe franchise, per Screen Rant. If the rumors are true, The Rock would join the likes of , making for a pretty high-profile cast. Watch as Jess, Alicia, and Dan delve into The (decidedly hairless) Rock’s casting as the notorious werewolf, and into the promised caliber of the Dark Universe overall.

via GIPHY

Finally, we touch base with our friends the Power Rangers, who may not be out of luck just yet. Sure, Power Rangers didn’t fare quite as well as expected at the foreign box office, but word is that a sequel may nevertheless be in the works. So what do we all want from a second outing with the mecha-suited teens?

Oh, one last thing: covfefe. That being the nonsense word that President Trump accidentally tweeted out around midnight last night, much to the internet’s delight. Rest assured, we’ve got plenty to say on the matter.

Thoughts on Wonder Woman‘s esteem, The Rock’s induction into the Dark Universe, a Power Rangers sequel, or Trump’s late night blatherings? Let us know!

Featured image: Warner Bros

IZOMBIE: Liv Masters DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Warning: This recap contains spoilers, undead and otherwise, for the iZombie episode “Twenty-Sided, Die.” Go find some brains to eat if you haven’t watched yet.

iZombie had me at Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). “Twenty-Sided, Die” saw Liv ingest the brains of a dungeon master (DM) who met an untimely end. Even better, Liv got to run a game so we saw a female DM on television, which is always terrific. But before we discuss Liv on DM cerebral matter, let’s talk about how we’re moving closer to D Day.

Discovery Day, the day when the world finds out zombies are real and living among them, seems to be imminent. The zombie hunter and conspiracy theorist group Ravi infiltrated unfortunately has a lot of accurate information. They’re intolerant and armed, and—why yes—it is symbolic of racism problems in America. Ravi had to put himself on their radar more than he probably wanted to in order to stop the idjits from kidnapping a zombie (which they did anyway). I’m not okay with anything happening to Don E., for the record.

The new guy in charge at Fillmore Graves, Chase (played by Veronica Mars alum Jason Dohring), isn’t as uh, calm, as Vivian was. He’s all kinds of intense, and in the current precarious situation, I don’t think his brand of leadership is going to be helpful. I get the impression he’s willing to make human sacrifices to protect the zombie secret. Ruh-roh.

The Meal

If you’ve read fantasy novels, you know some of the most common food found in the pages are items such as crusty bread and juicy meats. Dishes like stews, meat pies, and cheese are all often featured. Liv’s meal seemed to be inspired by fantasy tavern fare. She turned Dan’s brain into a pot pie. Mmm. The brains were like the chicken or beef in the filling. She poured her stew-like mixture into a ramekin and topped it with pastry. My mouth shouldn’t water over a brain snack and yet…

Later in the episode, Liv decided she wanted to get off of dungeon master brain for her date with Justin. She slurped down one of the brain mush packets from Fillmore Graves.

Liv

Before I talk about how Liv picked up Dan’s analytical and storytelling traits, let me get an obnoxious part of the episode out of the way: all the men in the D&D group were in love with the single female player. One of them had a tattoo with her name. I have so many eye rolls about this point in the plot. So. Many.

Aside from the Zoe obsession, I don’t know how realistic it is to assume a dungeon master approaches all scenarios in life as if he or she is running a game. Dan, however, was so into his DM role he carried a set of roleplaying dice around his pocket. From that small touch, I can roll with (ha!) the idea of him always putting himself in the role of DM, regardless of whether a game is happening. From Liv’s mimicking, we know he used a D20 to help guide his decisions. It’s safe to say Dan was into D&D, to the point the game permeated into his whole life.

Honestly, a DM’s skill set isn’t the worst one to have. We saw it manifest it Liv. A DM worth his or her salt has to be a solid storyteller, a planner, an analyzer, and a fast thinker. On Dan’s brain, Liv was able to assess situations and observe elements she maybe wouldn’t have noticed before, like if someone looked a little shifty. Details can make a D&D session—a non-player character’s scar could be key to unlocking a quest or answer—so Liv was more attuned to them. This particular brain was well suited to investigative work.

Liv put her DM traits and knowledge to the test by holding a gaming session in hopes of triggering a vision. She pulled Ravi, Major, Peyton, and Clive around the table, and I adored seeing how much Ravi and Clive got into the game. Clive was skeptical and unsure of how adults could play a game of what is essentially make believe for hours, but he insisted they continue playing even after Liv had her vision. They pulled an all-nighter. Though I haven’t had anything close to an all night session since my younger days, I remember the feeling of getting so lost in the world you lose track of time. My hope is the episode inspires some viewers to give D&D and other roleplaying games a try.

Fellow D&D players, what did you think of the way the game and its players were portrayed in the episode? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Images: The CW

Adam Wingard to Direct GODZILLA VS KONG

It’s been many years in the making, and collectively probably around a billion pounds of bulk, but massive ape Kong and enormous lizard Godzilla are slated to do cinematic battle in Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs’ favorite year, 2020. While we knew the combatants, we didn’t know the director tasked with making it happen. That changed late Tuesday afternoon when The Hollywood Reporter shared the news that Adam Wingard would be taking up those gargantuan reins.

Wingard, along with writer Simon Barrett, have delivered a handful of fantastic throwback horror movies in recent years, including 2011’s You’re Next, 2014’s The Guest, and last year’s tragically underrated Blair Witch. He’s also the directing, without Barrett, this year’s Netflix original film Death Note, based on the manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

Though none of Wingard’s projects have been of the scale (pun intended) connected with the two kings of monsters, Legendary has a track record of giving their MonsterVerse films to tested directors of smaller films, such as Gareth Edwards in 2014’s Godzilla, Jordan Vogt-Roberts in this year’s Kong: Skull Island, and Michael Dougherty for 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

In March, Legendary gathered a writers’ room to take on the task of penning Godzilla vs. Kong‘s script, with Pirates of the Caribbean‘s Terry Rossio taking lead. More information will be forthcoming as we get it.

Let us know your thoughts on Wingard directing big ol’ monsters in the comments below!

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks

Images: Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros

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

POKÉMON GOLD and SILVER Get an Orchestral Vinyl Album

Almost as iconic as the imaginative creatures and worlds of the early Pokémon games, is the series’ music, whether it’s the whimsical and jolly cycling music or the epic scores to important trainer battles. The chiptune jingles may have sounded like an orchestra in our juvenile minds, but now, the music from Pokémon Gold and Silver has been given an actual orchestral treatment by composer and arranger Braxton Burks for a release called Johto Legends.

As the album currently exists, it’s made up of virtual instrumentation, but the current Kickstarter campaign is near its goal, which will mean that the entire hour of music will be re-recorded with a real orchestra by talented video game musicians who can be heard on games like Destiny, Minecraft, and others. Preview what that will sound like with an as-is sample below:

The album is also set to be released in a gorgeous 2LP vinyl edition via iam8bit. This release is set to include a premium foil stamped jacket (which features the kanji symbols for “gold” and “silver”), gold and silver foil inner sleeves, half-and-half color Pokéball vinyl records, and a gatefold illustration that hasn’t yet been revealed.

The vinyl edition will be available for pre-order for $40 beginning tomorrow via iam8bit, but if you’re interested in other formats instead, the Kickstarter campaign offers digital and CD versions as well. Burks has also previously given the first-generation Pokémon games the same music, so find some samples of that on his Soundcloud, and let us know in the comments below what piece of Pokémon music is your all-time favorite. The only answer we’ll accept is “PokéRap.”

Images: Materia Collective, iam8bit