Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2061

Bandcamping: The Best Underground Albums of May 2017

The first day of summer is only on June 21, but we don’t need a calendar to tell us that May was our first peek at the warms months ahead. Even if summer doesn’t mean time off from work, it still feels like a break, so in that spirit, take some time to take a break from your current musical lineup and try something new. We have a few candidates from Bandcamp vying for your attention, so check out some of the best albums we found in May on this month’s edition of Bandcamping, beginning with:

5. Modern Pressure by Daniel Romano

Modern Pressure by Daniel Romano

Genre: Americana, rock

If you like: The Beatles, My Morning Jacket, Wilco

Although they fall under the broad “classic rock” umbrella used to describe anything older than 25 years or so, The Beatles were a pop group with pop hooks and pop melodies, just played with guitars. Ontario’s Daniel Romano carries on that tradition, crafting delightful old-school choruses that are catchy as pop but read more organic.

4. Superheroes by Poetically

Superheroes (EP) by Poetically

Genre: electronic, pop, hip-hop

If you like: classic Daft Punk, Justice

Hey: It’s summer, so let’s dance, huh? This new EP from Denmark-based artist Poetically will help you do just that, with its combination of French house and infectious throwback pop from groups like Chromeo. Don’t be fooled by the drab-looking album art: This is a real head-bobber of a release .

3. the brink by ghosts and leviathans

the brink by ghosts and leviathans

Genre: electronic, pop, hip-hop

If you like: Drake, Khalid

You might not expect high quality electro R&B from a pasty Irish kid, but that’s what ghosts and leviathans has made. The aesthetic might often read more indie electronic than Drake, but the vocal style and rhythms are pure modern, internationally-influenced hip-hop that could co-exist on a Spotify playlist with The 6 God.

2. I Owe You For This by Beasthead

Superheroes (EP) by Poetically

Genre: indie rock, ambient, alternative

If you like: Radiohead, Bon Iver

This offering from Minneapolis group Beasthead is a tough one to categorize, which is a good thing. Sometimes it comes off like reverb-heavy indie rock, while other times it’s more hip-hop or even trip-hop influenced, and sometimes it falls somewhere between those disparate ends. You can’t say this album isn’t interesting, and it could be one that takes a few plays to really unpack and discover what’s really going on here.

1. 2 by Saagara

2 by Saagara

Genre: jazz, world music, alternative

If you like: Four Tet, Sun Ra, Dan Deacon

Non-Western might sound unexpected to American audiences: The rhythms, structures, instrumentation, and musical theories are all different. Wacław Zimpel’s Indian orchestra Saagara attempted to bridge that gap on 2, though, and it’s a rousing success. This isn’t Americanized world music: It’s a meeting between the two that is by no means a compromised version of either.

Honorable Mentions

Primogeniti by YungSireTheBuddha

Genre: alternative hip-hop

If you like: Earl Sweatshirt

Glass Houses by Tablefox

Genre: indie rock, alternative rock

If you like: Coldplay, Mumford & Sons

That’s all for May, 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 April, check it out here (and the complete Bandcamping archives are here).

HARRY POTTER’s Getting 20th Anniversary Hogwarts House-Themed Covers

They grow up so fast. One day they’re repelling deadly attacks by dark wizards, the next they’re riding in their little boats to start their first year of school, and before you know it they’re all grown up. It’s a magical journey, one that should be celebrated, which is why Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will get special Hogwarts House-themed covers for its 20th anniversary.

Pottermore announced that Bloomsbury will commemorate two decades of J.K. Rowling‘s wizarding world with original designs by illustrator Levi Pinfold for the book that started it all in the UK on June 26th, 1997. (It wasn’t officially released in America with its new name, The Sorcerer’s Stone, until September 1st, 1998.)

The covers will come in both hardcover, featuring black jackets, and paperback, in the color of the house, and each will have “a specially designed crest uniquely representing” Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. They covers all tell “a different story, with the artist using traditional heraldry from historic coat of arms imagery to delve deep into each house.” (Have to admit House Slytherin is our favorite.)

You can read a synopsis for the meaning behind the design for each house at Pottermore, and if you want to pre-order your copy now you can do so now at Bloomsbury. They are even throwing a special contest for UK residents that do so by May 31st.

So yeah, twenty years. Can you believe it? And even more amazing, soon enough that will be how many copies of the first Harry Potter book we have.

Which cover do you most want to have apparate into your library? Let us know in the comments below.

Images: Bloomsbury

Critics React to WONDER WOMAN with Lots of Positive Reviews

The embargo is up for Wonder Woman reviews, and as critics have been sharing their thoughts around websites far and wide, they’ve pushed the Rotten Tomatoes score to 97% at time of publishing. That’s a high rating for any film, let alone a comic book inspired story. Though the latest entry to the DCEU has received some criticism, many reviewers have praised it for its tone, refreshing origin story, and Gal Gadot‘s performance as Diana, the princess and general badass of Themyscira. This sampling of Wonder Woman reviews from around the web covers some highlights and low points of the movie.

Let’s start with the review from our very own managing editor Alicia Lutes. She compliments the way Wonder Woman focuses on Diana’s optimism:

“Ultimately it’s a relief—almost one of catharsis—that Wonder Woman excels where the rest of DC’s films have not. Its rumination on love and its essence is nuanced in many places. Diana’s belief and faith in the good of humanity is a deep love, far deeper than has ever really been personally explored in a superhero film.”

Kelly Lawler at USA Today mentions the talents of Gadot:

“It’s Gadot’s film and she is electric as Wonder Woman, a role she debuted in last year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to wide acclaim. Unshackled from that film’s dreary baggage, the Israeli actress is able to shine as brightly in Wonder Woman’s smaller moments as she does when she lifts a tank with her bare hands.”

Over at CBR, Kristy Puchko says the movie celebrates the joyful parts of being a hero:

“Rather than stories of reluctant or brooding good guys, this film relishes in the wonder and excitement of being a superhero. Gadot’s face lights up as Diana tests her limits, leaps into action and saves the day.”

Joshua Yehl at IGN calls out the dynamics of the action sequences in his review:

“And goodness, are her action scenes are a breath of fresh air for the superhero genre. She leaps high into the air and hits like a truck, and while she is super tough, she doesn’t have Superman-level invulnerability, so she’s constantly switching between attacking with her sword and lasso and defending with her shield and bracelets.”

Sheri Linden at THR thinks the origin story of Diana is strong but that the movie suffers from “lapses in narrative energy”:

“Yet as with all comics-based extravaganzas, brevity is anathema to the Patty Jenkins-directed Wonder Woman, and it doesn’t quite transcend the traits of franchise product as it checks off the list of action-fantasy requisites.”

At The Guardian, Steve Rose isn’t impressed with the characterization of Diana:

“…poor Diana has been reduced to a weaponised Smurfette. The modish action sequences jerk between speeded-up and slowed-down to catch every detail of her defence-based fighting style and flawless, mud-free complexion. She fixes the war in a matter of minutes.”

But Angie Han of Mashable details that Diana’s perspective of the war is different and valuable:

“As far as World War I pictures go, Wonder Woman isn’t all that graphic or gory. By showing us our world through her eyes, though, Wonder Woman serves up a fresh appreciation for how horrific a concept war truly is – as well as how deeply embedded it is in human culture, and how insurmountable a task it would be to change that.”

Variety‘s Andrew Barker calls out director Patty Jenkins‘ directing influences:

“Wonder Woman is the first major studio superhero film directed by a woman, and it shows in a number of subtle, yet important ways. As skimpy as Gadot’s outfits may get, for example, Jenkins’ camera never leers or lingers gratuitously — Diana is always framed as an agent of power, rather than its object.”

Lindsey Bahr of the
“He’s [Steve] on his own mission, to stop the comically evil Germans’ General Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and Doctor Poison (Elena Anaya) from prolonging the war, but it’s never a question that this is Diana’s show.”

Wonder Woman will be in theaters on June 2. Head to the comments and tell me what you’re most looking forward to about the movie!

Images & GIFs: Warner Bros.

And here’s the cast of Wonder Woman the film’s importance:

AQUAMAN Will Take Place After JUSTICE LEAGUE

With Wonder Woman getting incredible early reviews–the best yet for a DCEU film–the future of the DC Comics brand on film is finally starting to look bright. One of the other potential bright spots in the DCEU canon is next year’s Aquaman film from The Conjuring director James Wan, starring Jason Momoa as King Arthur of Atlantis. (Warner Brothers is probably hoping that this King Arthur performs better at the box office than the last King Arthur did).

One thing fans are wondering about is whether or not Aquaman will be an origin story, after recent comments by producer Charles Roven suggested that the film will be set after the events of this fall’s Justice League movie.

Producer Charles Roven reconfirmed to Cinema Blend that Aquaman will not be a prequel to the events of Justice League, but will instead be set after it, saying that “Aquaman will make reference [to Justice League]. There will be some reference of something that preceded Aquaman that will be in Aquaman. I believe that is the intention.”

Having said that, it seems that while Aquaman’s main plot will take place after the events of Justice League, we will be getting an origin story for the character, but probably told via flashbacks. Both of Aquaman’s parents, lighthouse keeper Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison) and his mother Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), are featured in the movie, and both characters are long dead when Aquaman is an adult, which is clue #1 that we are getting flashbacks to Arthur’s childhood. Clue #2 is that a young actor named Otis Dhanji will play a teenage Arthur Curry in the movie. Like Man of Steel before it, it seems Aquaman will use a contemporary story with flashbacks to fill in the blanks of the hero’s origin.

Although many superhero movie fans bemoan the endless stream of origin stories on the big screen, the truth is, unlike Superman or Batman, most average folks don’t know Arthur Curry’s backstory at all. To most casual fans, he’s just that guy from the old Super Friends cartoon who rides around on a seahorse and talks to fish. Like Wonder Woman, he’s a character that truly needs his complex and mythological backstory explained in detail for the non comic book reading audience.

It seems the DCEU is trying to break free from the traditional origin story shackles, by using the cross cutting of flashbacks. Man of Steel showed Clark Kent at ages 9 and 13 using his Kryptonian powers, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice showed a 9-year-old Bruce Wayne watching his parents being murdered, and at least one of the Wonder Woman trailers showed a little Diana learning about the gods from her mother, Hippolyta. This seems to be the way that DC is differentiating itself from Marvel’s more traditionally told origin story frameworks.

Aquaman starring Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry and Amber Heard as Queen Mera, hits theaters on December 21, 2018.

What are your thoughts on the DC films using a different tack when it comes to presenting the origin stories of their iconic heroes? Do you like the flashback formula, or  do you prefer more traditional, linear methods? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Warner Brothers

How will Joss Whedon change Justice League?

New LEGO Leaks Reveal Snoke and THE LAST JEDI Spoilers

One of the lingering mysteries of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the identity of Supreme Leader Snoke, the power behind both the First Order and Kylo Ren. While we’re hoping to get more answers about Snoke in the upcoming sequel, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it seems that some clues have already been dropped thanks to Hollywood’s most reliable rumor source: LEGO! That’s right, everyone’s favorite interconnecting bricks have once again teased the future of the Star Wars saga, and today’s Nerdist News is gonna tell you what it means for Snoke!

There are some potential spoilers ahead for The Last Jedi. Given how quickly the LEGO images have been pulled, we’re thinking that they’re pretty accurate. Either way, you’ve been warned!

Join host, and Teräs Käsi champion, Jessica Chobot, as she picks up the threads from Making Star Wars to describe Snoke’s new look. We may not be able to use the leaked LEGO pictures, but we’ve got some custom Snoke art of our own that shows off his new look. Unlike his brief appearance in the previous film, it appears that Snoke is getting his golden robes on and wearing a black ring that may hold a Kyber crystal.

It should be noted that the LEGO box art actually does try to hide a spoiler: the identity of the person making contact with Snoke via the hologram-facetime device. If it was simply Kylo Ren reporting in to his master then it wouldn’t be much of a surprise, would it? So it has to be someone unexpected, and that’s just gonna add more fuel to the “Luke Skywalker has gone to the dark side” conspiracy theorists.

The new LEGO pics also introduced BB-9E, a First Order droid that may be the evil version of BB-8. But what if it actually is BB-8 on an undercover mission inside Snoke’s Mega Star Destroyer? Additionally, the new LEGO pics also offer up some new details about the Resistance ships that were glimpsed in the first trailer.

What do you think about the latest details from The Last Jedi? Ignite your Kyber hearts in the comment section below!

Art by David Kantrowitz

This Video of a Snake Throwing Up Another Live Snake Is Amazing and Terrifying

Don’t worry: We were just thinking that maybe you needed another reason to be afraid of snakes, the legless reptiles that already haunt our dreams with their strong and often poisonous bites and constricting abilities, and now we have you covered. A couple days ago, a man named Christopher Reynolds came across a snake while leaving his mother’s house, and when he realized that it was in the process of regurgitating another live snake, he thankfully started filming (via Gizmodo).

Sure enough, the video shows the black snake throwing up the complete and living other snake, stretching and contracting all of its muscles to work the muscular death tube out of its body. Sara Ruane, an assistant professor at Rutgers University, explained to Gizmodo that while this may seem pretty wild, it’s actually a fairly common escape mechanism.

“Snakes eat each other all the time,” she said. “When snakes are startled by something or something is attacking them, one of their first lines of defense is to throw up whatever is in their stomach.” She added that since the snake quickly shed a significant amount of weight, its ability to flee is greatly increased by throwing up its most recent meal. And for the record, Ruane suspects that the larger snake is a coachwhip (or Masticophis flagellum).

Are their any other bonkers animal escape mechanisms that you can think of? Let us know in the comments below, although we’re skeptical that you’ll find something freakier than this.

Featured image: Christopher Reynolds/YouTube

Evil Goes Green in the First BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN Trailer

Batman: The Animated Series has been the high water mark for DC cartoons for over two decades, and it’s still a fan-favorite to this day. And while a full revival of the show seems to be out of the question, the upcoming animated movie, Batman and Harley Quinn appears to capture that classic Bruce Timm style in a new adventure written by Timm himself.

Warner Bros. Animation has released the first trailer for Batman and Harley Quinn, which finds Batman and Nightwing reluctantly recruiting Harley Quinn on a mission to save humanity from the Floronic Man and Poison Ivy, Harley’s best friend. As you can see in the trailer, there’s more of an adult tone to this film, and the friendship between Harley and Ivy may not be enough to prevent a green apocalypse based on the work of the man who became Swamp Thing, Dr. Alec Holland.

Kevin Conroy and Loren Lester are reprising their roles as Batman and Nightwing, respectively, while Melissa Rauch portrays Harley Quinn in the film. Paget Brewster is voicing Poison Ivy, alongside Kevin Michael Richardson as the Floronic Man. Timm co-wrote the script with Jim Krieg, and Sam Liu directed the film.

Fans of Batman: The Animated Series may also be pleased to know that two classic Harley episodes will be included on the Blu-ray edition: “Harley and Ivy” and “Harley’s Holiday.” Additionally, Harley Quinn and Loren Lester will also be the subjects of their own stand-alone special features.

Batman and Harley Quinn will be released digitally on August 15, with the Blu-Ray and DVD release following on August 29.

What did you think about the new trailer? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Warner Bros. Animation

Let’s look at some of Batman’s slightly less awesome adversaries

WONDER WOMAN is Joyful, Imperfect, and Necessary (Review)

There’s something about Wonder Woman that’s so singular to her character and no, it’s not the fact that she’s a woman. But the fact that she is a woman is certainly evident in the film’s cinematic strengths. Homegirl is a goddess—literally—and that really changes the game; she doesn’t need Tony Stark’s bravado or Bruce Wayne’s money or Captain America’s super-serum or all the Joker’s crazy. She is the literal personification of perfection made otherworldly. So how do you bring all that power to life on the big screen?

It was certainly a herculean undertaking for Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, made all the more difficult by the pressure of being the first and only female superhero standalone film directed by a woman… without, it seems, the typical fanfare of superhero movie marketing. On top of that, Wonder Woman shoulders the weight of being an origin story, establishing this character for a new audience, all the while living in the shadow of 76 years worth of history. (And as we know, comic book fans are, ahem, a bit protective.)

Best case scenario in making a film like this? If you please the fickle critic gods, audience gods, studio gods, and creator gods alike, you may spark a lightbulb in the heads of the big time movie executives, leading them to say, “You know, guys, I think these women spend money and do good work! Let’s respect and give them equal footing and make stuff with them!” But oh, what a world that would be. (A very hyperbolic one, probably.) Which is to say: I do not envy director Patty Jenkins‘ position in having to handle all of this.

But Jenkins proved that female strength can be just as badass, if not more so, than the male stuff. She subverted tropes to the delight of humor and story. And she really leaned into the strength of femininity to create a dynamic and original film we’re so thrilled for you girls and boys to see. She was exactly the perfect person to direct this film.

There were a few things that bugged me, however.

Before we get to that, it should be said: the chemistry and banter and relationship established between Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor is flat-out delightful. They light up the screen with their vulnerability and humored nuance. For 90% of the film, I am on board.

But then there’s a moment in the third act where it turns into something that didn’t quite sit right. I understand the impulse to—since you’re subverting all the tropes—go whole hog with Steve Trevor as The Motivating Love Interest. But at the same time, the way it was handled (edited?) felt frustrating when juxtaposed with Diana’s singular strength and drive—her love of people and her drive to protect them. It’s something I can’t help but feel is inextricably linked to a need to make strong women attractive to men and a male audience. To show them, look: someone would fuck her not in spite of her strengths—all of which are stronger than his, certainly an emasculating quality to some of the weak-kneed boys out there—but because of them.

Ultimately it’s a relief—almost one of catharsis—that Wonder Woman excels where the rest of DC’s films have not. Its rumination on love and its essence is nuanced in many places. Diana’s belief and faith in the good of humanity is a deep love, far deeper than has ever really been personally explored in a superhero film. Gadot does a beautiful job making this apparent throughout. She is no doe-eyed ingenue; her Diana is strong and ferocious. And yet how she balances love and being an outsider in a man’s world is so vulnerable and pure, it brings new layers to the character. And, frankly, I appreciate someone centering a superhero character around something so simple and earnest in a time full of so much vitriolic hate and garbage. The world feels like it really needs a Wonder Woman right now.

Using World War I as a backdrop felt more foreign than I thought it would, which also may have contributed to its pacing issues. That was not a world where things happened quickly, as they do in every other superhero backdrop. It is for that reason I perhaps hungered for a bit more action or speed to the story (I can’t help it; I’m a product of the modern world), but I appreciated that we needed to ease her in—it is Diana’s origin story, after all. And though slow in parts, Wonder Woman shines as a result of its banter and awkward, human moments.

But there is nothing slow about Themyscira, the most beautiful thing the DCEU has ever seen. Welcome, sun, to the DC universe! It’s so nice to see you there, living in your little cloud pocket in the sea. (In your defense, I can see why you were hiding from the rest.) Robin Wright commands such power in her performance and, oh my god, I cannot gush enough about the fight scenes. How fucking badass is it to see such fearlessly feminine and insanely powerful fighting done on screen? Kudos the world over to whomever choreographed those fight scenes. And the way they are shot is so spellbinding to watch, it really helps you appreciate the skill and craft that went into making it look as cool as it does.

And there there is, of course, Chris Pine. I was unsure what to think of Steve Trevor, dubious when his face was the literal first shot of the first teaser that they debuted at San Diego Comic-Con. This wasn’t his story, and I was annoyed by how central he appeared in what little marketing it felt like there was of the film. But I was instantly won over by a particularly The Little Mermaid moment I will not spoil (I will say that it involves a grotto). Head and shoulders above every other DC/WB outing (with the exception of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy), Wonder Woman is a force with which to be reckoned, and we are ready for the girls to run the world.

3.5 out of 5 truth-lassoed burritos:

Images: Warner Bros./DC

Alicia Lutes is the managing editor of Nerdist and creator/host of Fangirling! Find her on Twitter if you’re into that sorta thing.

And if you’re looking for more Wonder Woman scoopage from our time talking to Patty, watch this!

Watch a Soccer Referee Enter a Game on a Flying Drone

There are so many things you can do with a drone, like go whale watching, play real-life Fruit Ninja, and make Thanksgiving dinner (although we don’t recommend the last one because it doesn’t actually work out all that well). We’re even getting to the point now where humans are able to ride on them… and in a way that is much cooler than those two-wheeled scooter things that somehow earned that title of “hoverboard” while being totally bound to the ground. Case in point: One ambitious Portuguese soccer official, whose story of drone-riding was shared on Mashable.

The Portuguese Cup Final took place this Sunday, and they pulled out all the stops to get the game ball to the field. Instead of having a ball boy do it or something insufferably boring like that, a guy in a jumpsuit flew onto the field riding a drone like an airborne snowboarder, flying around the stadium for a bit before landing gingerly on the field and giving the ball to the referee.

While this technology may be very early in its life cycle, we can only imagine how it can be applied aside from ceremonious sports moments. Perhaps firemen and other types of emergency rescue crews of the future will be riding drones and saving lives more effectively, or maybe we’ll see ultra-tall department stores staffed by hoverboard-riding employees accessing inventory a hundred feet high.

What other ways can you think of using a rideable drone? Let’s speculate in the comments!

Featured image: FPFutebolOficial/YouTube

The Future is Meow! A Bakery in Japan Makes Cat-Shaped Bread

There’s just no limit to the wonderfully weird pieces of cuisine that Japan comes up with. They’ve made cream puff desserts into drinks, put Kit Kats on sushi, turned meat into cakes, and even made it possible to bathe in maple syrup! And their latest foray in overtaking internet searches and Twitter trends might be their cutest yet. Yes, we’re talking about cat bread.

Wait, scratch that. Not that sort of cat bread, this sort of cat bread.

According to a recent post on RocketNews, a Japanese bakery will soon be supplying cat-shaped slices of bread resulting in all sorts of glee to gluttonous gluten lovers. The Blue Jean Cafe will be selling packs of five slices of the cat-shaped bread for 350 yen (about $3.13) from their location inside the Osaka’s Hankyu Hotel.

Even though we recognize this sort of thing is a total gimmick for a bakery opening up, we still can’t help but enjoy it. And knowing the world’s interest in cute, cat-shaped things it’s only a matter of time before–dare we say it–copy cat bakers start to create their own feline breads! What’s surprising about all this is how the Hankyu Hotel actually has a notice on their website for people planning on visiting specifically to get the bread.

We’d totally know what the deal is if only we could read Japanese.

What are your thoughts on the cat bread? Have food and internet finally become one? Can anyone translate that flyer for us? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Images: Giphy, Fashion Press, PR Times, Hankyu Hotel