Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2113
April 8, 2017
Watch the Astounding Amount of Work It Takes Recreating a GAME OF THRONES Sword
Although they couldn’t get their hands on any Valyrian steel, the craftsmen from Baltimore Knife and Sword were able to recreate Eddard Stark’s sword Ice for the latest edition of Man at Arms: Reforged.
After watching that, you’re no doubt as floored as we are at how intricate and time-consuming the forging of real swords can be. The attention to detail that the crew puts into recreating Ice is nothing short of amazing, and we can’t begin to imagine how much blood, sweat, and tears went into making swords back when such modern means weren’t available. If you’re anything like us, you probably thought swords were, more or less, just one piece of metal flattened out and sharpened. While that’s probably true for common swords used in battles, the beautiful heirloom swords passed down through noble families were more like this forging. Only, you know, all done by hand without a machine shop and power tools.
What’s particularly interesting about creating Ice is how the fellas at Baltimore Knife and Sword make note of it having more in common with an executioner’s sword rather than how it’s listed in Game of Thrones as Ned’s Great Sword. This is somewhat fitting considering the important scenes with Ice in the show aren’t battles but are, instead, Ned’s execution of a deserter and Ser Ilyn Payne’s beheading of Ned (beNeding?).
Our only question, after all is said and done, is if Man at Arms: Reforged has plans to melt their Ice down in order to forge Widow’s Wail and Oathkeeper.
Are you as amazed as we are in the work involved in making such a beautiful sword? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Image: Man at Arms: Reforged
Finding clues might take some work too.
Joey Spiotto’s Storytime Art Show Gives an Adorable Twist to Pop-Culture Favorites
The Little Golden Books series have been a huge piece of Americana for over 70 years, and most of us as kids grew up reading them back when we were in pre-school and kindergarten. For a lot of us, Scuffy the Tugboat and Katie the Kitten were among the first books we ever read or owned, and their cheerful art style is instantly recognizable to us all, even years later as adults.
Over the past few years, artist Joey Spiotto has taken the classic Little Golden Book art style and applied them to modern pop culture icons, with characters from movies, television, and even well known musicians. He debuted his first series of these in a line of parody style art he called Storytime back in 2014, which featured cute Little Golden Book inspired pieces featuring the likes of Shaun of the Dead and Guardians of the Galaxy. Spiotto then followed up that series with the equally cool Storytime 2 a year later.
Now we’ve learned that Spiotto is continuing his Little Golden Book inspired art with Storytime 3, which will once again exhibit at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles. Although the artist draws from the past several decades of popular culture, there are a lot of very current aspects of media that are currently grabbing everyone’s attention, like Logan, Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad, Negan from The Walking Dead, Hamilton, Mr. Robot, Westworld, Stranger Things, and video games like Overwatch. And that’s just naming but a few. You can check out a handful of them down below in our gallery, and to see the rest, be sure to head over to Gallery 1988’s site.
The Storytime 3 art show will be on exhibition at Gallery 1998 from April 7 through April 22, 2017. You can also purchase Spiotto’s book featuring all his Storytime art to date by clicking on his personal website here.
Which of these adorable takes on your favorite characters do you think is the best? Be sure to let us know down below in the comments.
Images: Joey Spiotto/Gallery 1988
Match Moves with Mondo’s COLOSSAL Creature Statue
Nacho Vigalondo‘s Colossal opened in theaters this Friday to a good deal of acclaim, and is well on its way to being a cult hit at the very least. In it, Anne Hathaway plays an alcoholic who–in the tradition of any number of ’90s indie flicks–moves back to her quaint li’l hometown in order to reconnect with the people she left behind, and, perhaps, get her life back in order. Oh yes, and she also unexpectedly finds that when she stands within the bounds of a local playground, she somehow summons and controls, movement by movement, an enormous destructive kaiju halfway around the world in Seoul. Shenanigans naturally ensue. You can be sure you won’t see a premise more original this year.
Sporting a creature design that is arguably even cooler than any of the kaiju spotted in Pacific Rim, the enormous creature from Colossal is a gangly critter with horns, a permanent frown, and a clueless dog-like expression that make it scary and kind of cute all at once. Mondo, who has small pile of Colossal-related merch for sale over on their website, has begun selling, for a mere $150, a 13″-tall exclusive reproduction of the monster, made of polystone, and which has been constructed using the original digital model from the film. Also, to add some authenticity, the base is made to look like an actual city street in Seoul.
The statue, sculpted and designed by Ramirez Studios, Jason Wires, Paul Hanley at Jason Wires Productions, and Magical Illusion Factory, won’t ship until later in the year (the 4th quarter of 2017, according to the website), but pre-orders are currently up and running.
There are two price points on the statue. For $150, you can get just the statue, but pony up an extra $5, and you can also get a copy of the film’s eventual Blu-ray, signed by Nacho Vigalalondo himself.
Just look at that face. How could you resist?
Let us know in comments if you’ll be adding this to your collection.
Images: Mondo/A24
This Fan-Made Trailer Puts Will Smith Into THE MATRIX
Nearly 20 years ago, Will Smith was approached to star in The Matrix as Neo, a role that ultimately went to Keanu Reeves. The Wachowski siblings’ film went on to become one of the most iconic movies of the ’90s, and it solidified Reeves as an action star. As for Smith, he went on to headline Wild Wild West, which was perhaps not the best use of his talents. But what if things had been different? What if Will Smith had taken the blue pill and followed The Matrix down its rabbit hole?
The Unusual Suspect has released a new video that splices Smith into The Matrix in scenes that were previously occupied by Reeves. The result is an unusually convincing mash up that features footage from several of Smith’s films, including Men in Black, Focus, I Robot, and Enemy of the State. But it’s not all just clever editing.
On Reddit, the Unusual Suspect noted that it took him three days to finish this mash up and revealed that he also played with Smith’s dialogue to achieve the intended effect. He added that “there’s about 10 instances here though where I put Will Smith INTO the shot. So there I looked for clips of Will Smith making a similar pose to Reeves. Then I rotobrushed in After Effects and color corrected. Then I removed Reeves in Photoshop, motion tracked accordingly, and voila.”
The Matrix would have been a very different film with Smith in the lead, but probably no less successful. As perfect as Reeves was for the role, Will Smith doing it would have been interesting to see. For now, this video is simply a tantalizing glimpse at what might have been.
What did you think about the Will Smith in The Matrix mash up? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Images: Warner Bros./The Unusual Suspect
Lifelike ADVENTURE TIME Ice King and Lemongrab Busts Are Kinda Creepy
Adventure Time‘s Ice King has his moments and, like most villains, a tragic backstory. He’s misunderstood to some degree, sure, but the bearded dude has also kidnapped a whole lot of princesses in his time–which is decidedly not cool. His general buffoonery and wacky appearance help temper his less flattering qualities, but this bizarrely beautiful realistic bust by professional FX artist Adam Edwards brings the realism home. He brings the Ice King to startling life, and the character looks a little sad. Behold:
Laughing Squid brought this imaginative creation to our attention. Edwards shared his build process on Imgur, so you can keep flipping through the above album to watch the transformation. He sculpted, molded, cast, and painted the Ice King bust by hand. I’m blown away (and kind of grossed out, if we’re being honest) by the texture and translucency of the skin.
And it’s not Edwards’ first time making a lifelike bust of an animated character from Adventure Time. He tackled the sour Lemongrab in 2016:
A post shared by Adam Edwards (@adamedwardstech) on Mar 24, 2017 at 4:23am PDT
Yeah, he nailed it. The texture and shading make the lemon-y character look worthy of squeezing over some freshly grilled salmon. I’m pretty sure those eyes (made by Richard Martin) are staring into my soul–and not in a romantic way.
Which other Adventure Time characters would you like to see translated to a real life human look? Share in the comments.
Featured Image: Cartoon Network
The Undertaker’s 7 Best Wrestling Moments
On April 2 of this year, in the main event of Wrestlemania, the Undertaker wrestled his final match. Losing to Roman Reigns, Undertaker ended an almost 27-year odyssey that most professional wrestlers can only dream about. There were many iconic moments throughout his career that made “the Phenom” the greatest WWE superstar of all time. We’ve narrowed these moments down to arguably his top 7 (with SO much to work with, there will HAVE to be some debate). Let’s take a look at the storied career of “the Deadman.”
7. Retirement
While it may seem like someone ending their career shouldn’t be part of a “greatest moments” list, we are all about making exceptions. It wasn’t the fact that the Undertaker retired, it was HOW he did it. After losing to Roman Reigns, the Undertaker put back on his long black coat and hat. He then looked around CW Stadium at the over 70,000 people cheering for him. He then slowly walked to the middle of the ring and took off his gloves, hat, and coat. He walked out of the ring and up the ramp, giving one last fist to the sky to not only the fans live, but to the millions watching around the world. An hour after the event ended, as crews were tearing down the Wrestlemania set, the Undertaker’s “remains” still laid in the middle of the ring, being the last items removed as a sign of respect for the Dead Man.
6. Wrestlemania Series with Triple H, “End of an Era”
After facing Shawn Michaels at the previous two Wrestlemanias, the Undertaker fought Michaels’ best friend and D-Generation X teammate Triple H at the NEXT two. Their first match at Wrestlemania 28 took a heavy toll on the Undertaker. Even though he pulled out the victory, he had to be helped to the back, while Triple H was able to walk on his own. That didn’t sit well with the Undertaker, who asked for a rematch the following year. After weeks of saying no, Triple H finally accepted and upped the stakes by making it a “Hell in a Cell” match, a steel cage in which both superstars excelled. With Shawn Michaels as the special referee, Undertaker and Triple H tore into each other even more than they did the previous year. Undertaker would once again gain the victory, upping his Wrestlemania winning streak to an unbelievable 20-0. In a “Wrestlemania Moment” for the ages, the three legends walked up the ramp together, signifying the “end of an era.” Michaels was retired, and Undertaker and Triple H never wrestled a full-time schedule again.
5. Saving Miss Elizabeth From Jake Roberts (Undertaker becomes a Babyface)
When the Undertaker made his debut, he was a bad guy, or “heel.” With a character that was basically a giant mortician, it made sense. As time grew, fans began to be drawn to this character. Mark Calaway (his real name) was 100% committed to the character of the Undertaker that everyone bought it, no matter how crazy some storylines became. During this time, the WWE had a “Superman” in Hulk Hogan. What better use of the Undertaker than to be its “Batman.” A hero that uses the darkness as a force for good. This transition began in an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event in 1992. Jake Roberts was about to hit Miss Elizabeth with a chair, and right as she and her husband Randy Savage entered the backstage, Jake swung back, only to have the chair caught by the Undertaker, to the surprise and delight of fans everywhere.
4. The Streak
WWE Superstars are lucky to have a career that spans 21 years TOTAL, let alone have one that allows them to win at the WWE’s Super Bowl 21 straight times. There’s not quite a star like the Undertaker though. Beginning with Superfly Jimmy Snuka and ending with CM Punk, the Undertaker’s streak at Wrestlemania is almost as, if not more, important than any of the championship matches at the event. It was never “Who is the Undertaker fighting at Wrestlemania?” It was always “Who is the Undertaker BEATING at Wrestlemania?” While the streak may have ended at Wrestlemania 30 at the hands of Brock Lesnar, it is a record that will stand for a LONG time.
3. Return of the Deadman
In late 2003, Kane defeated his brother the Undertaker in a “Buried Alive” match. For months, Kane gloated about destroying the legacy of his sibling. That’s why he was confused when it was announced he would be facing the Undertaker at Wrestlemania XX. The Phenom showed up, but without the motorcycle or headband. The original Undertaker had returned, with his manager Paul Bearer in tow (yes, PAUL. BEARER). While little things about his character would change during the rest of his career to stay current with the times, Undertaker never shed the Deadman gimmick again. This was what he was most comfortable with, and was the version of the character fans love.
2. Throwing Mankind off the Cell
No Undertaker list would be complete without arguably the most famous clip in WWE history. In 1998, the Undertaker was once again feuding with Mankind, and both aimed to settle their feud in a “Hell in a Cell” match. Like most of these matches, the action went to the outside of the cage, and then to the top. What NO ONE expected was how quickly Mankind would fall from the cage, as the Undertaker grabbed him and launched off the side and through a table. This incident solidified both Undertaker AND Mankind as certified badasses, as well as gave us one of announcer Jim Ross’ most famous quotes: “AS GOD AS MY WITNESS, HE IS BROKEN IN HALF!”
1. Wrestlemania 25: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
If you were to ask someone what the greatest match in Wrestlemania history is, most people would have answered Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage from Wrestlemania III. That was until Wrestlemania 25 in 2009. Shawn Michaels fought the Undertaker in an instant classic. At 30:44, it was the longest match on the card. It was also the first time that fans thought the streak had a legitimate chance of coming to an end. From kicking out of the Tombstone piledriver to hitting his patented Sweet Chin Music (your basic kick to the face), Shawn Michaels gave the Undertaker everything he had. It was after the Undertaker caught Michaels mid-air during a backflip from the top rope and delivering another Tombstone did the Phenom seal the victory as well as end the successor to Steamboat/Savage as the greatest Mania match of all time.
Legacy
The legacy of the Undertaker is one that will not only last forever within the WWE but within television as a whole. The character has been around since 1990, roughly just as long as the Simpsons. For a character to stay relevant for SEVEN years let alone 27 is quite a feat. The Undertaker was able to accomplish this. From being a mortician to a biker to a man with the powers of the dead, he captivated audiences for years, and his legacy will live on for years to come.
So what do you think? What is YOUR favorite Undertaker memory? Let me know on Twitter or rest…in….peace down in the comments below.
Images: WWE
8 Amazing Sci-Fi Movies That Never Got a Sequel
Later this year, something that many of us never thought would happen is happening: a sequel to Blade Runner is coming out. It took 35 years and multiple director’s cuts of the original movie, but Blade Runner 2049 will finally hit theaters in October. For years, Blade Runner was the best sci-fi movie never to have a sequel, and that got me thinking about all those other movies that belong to the ever-dwindling list of science fiction flicks that never got a follow-up. Below are my eight favorites (your star mileage may vary).
8. Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
Admittedly, this one is just a personal favorite and proooooobably has never been in danger of actually getting a sequel, but in the years following Star Wars, when every third low-budget movie was a space opera, Roger Corman‘s Seven Samurai in space flick continued to delight me. It’s got a great script by John Sayles, amazing sets and special effects by the likes of James Cameron, and features one of the great science fiction scores by a very young James Horner. I will never apologize for my love of this underseen gem.
7. Contact (1997)
It’s not exactly like Robert Zemeckis’ drama based on a Carl Sagan novel was begging for a sequel, but if Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey could get one, another heavy-science, heavy-philosophy movie from an equally revered hard-sci writer (and also, weirdly, about our place in the universe and interacting with alien life) seems perfect. Contact sadly didn’t do so hot in ’97 when it was released, but has since gone on to become a minor cult classic. And if you can make it through the interminable pre-launch stuff, you’re treated to some bazoinkers trippy Fi de Sci.
6. Gattaca (1997)
Andrew Niccol has written and directed several films (and not all of them are great), but his 1997 debut remains a masterwork of dystopian fiction. In a future where genetics determines people’s lot in life–and who they’re allowed to see romantically–a guy of lower birth assumes the identity of one of superior genetics in order to realize his dream of space travel…and the fact that he falls in love with the genetically superior Uma Thurman in the process ain’t the worst thing. Great sci-fi is always an allegory to the present, and Gattaca reflects race and class struggles brilliantly. Plus any movie that casts prolific author and social scientist Gore Vidal as the villain is worthy of praise.
5. Minority Report 2002
Like Blade Runner, this movie was based on a Philip K. Dick novel. Unlike Blade Runner, it’s got gorgeous future-city vistas and also a high level of action. The idea of being able to use precognition to tell when a crime is going to happen and then arrest the perpetrator before they’ve done anything is a really rich and frankly scary prospect, wherein just thinking about committing a crime could get you locked up. Throw in a run-for-your-life conspiracy plot on top of it and you’ve got a winner. Sure, it was turned into a painfully short-lived TV series a couple years back, but let’s not pay much attention to that.
4. Brazil (1985)
There are two reasons why Terry Gilliam‘s 1985 magnum opus never really had a chance to get a sequel: 1) the movie itself is so incredibly dark and bleak that a sequel would really have to go back on a lot of what made the movie work; and 2) because Gilliam spent so much time bad mouthing the studio when they took control of the overlong editing process and cut a happier ending that neither party probably would be interested again. As it stands, though, Brazil is a Kafkaesque nightmare that starts out weird and funny and about bureaucracy and becomes about the terrifying inescapable Big Brother.
3. The Fifth Element (1997)
Man, 1997 was such a good year for sci-fi movies! I remember going to this movie on my 13th birthday with a group of friends and being utterly captivated. I’ve seen it roughly nine billion times since and I never get tired of it. An evil something or other is about to destroy all life in the universe and only a physicalized version of perfect celestial being can stop it, but first she’s going to need the help of a retired military man turned cab driver, a couple of monks, and the world’s most annoying DJ. And it’s got one of the best Gary Oldman performances ever. It doesn’t even need a sequel!
2. Dark City (1998)
This movie had the bad fortune of being overshadowed by The Matrix a year later–which used a lot of the same sets as Dark City even!–and in a lot of ways they’re similar, but where the Wachowskis went cyberpunk, Alex Proyas veered into the horror and film noir realm, with alien slugs taking over dead bodies in order to perform experiments on the humans they’ve abducted and forced to live in a floating, ever-changing city made of endless night. Rufus Sewell played this movie’s version of “The One” as an amnesiac who isn’t sure if he’s a murderer or not who slowly begins to display the same “tuning” abilities as the alien overlords. I cannot get over what a brilliant and perfect movie this is. Watch it once a year for religious purposes.
1. Akira (1988)
You shouldn’t be surprised at all that I’ve picked this movie as the best sci-fi movie never to get a sequel. There are hundreds of pages of Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga series about a post-post-apocalyptic Tokyo and the realization that telekinetic people exist, yet he only ever made that one perfect glimpse into the world of Akira in 1988, considered to be one of the best anime ever made and the movie that very nearly bankrupted the country of Japan. There has been talk for decades about doing a follow-up, or a live-action remake, but honestly, I don’t think any second attempt could be as evocative or as thought provoking as the one that we got. TETSUOOOOOOOOO!!!! KANEDAAAAAAAA!!!!
And those are my eight picks for best sci-fi movies that never got a follow-up. Do you agree? Which would you have added? Let me know in the comments below!
Image: Universal
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He writes the weekly look at weird or obscure films in Schlock & Awe. Follow him on Twitter!
Speaking of Akira, here’s more anime to get you started!
LEGO BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is Extremely Cute
Disney’s recent live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast has once again proven that the “tale as old as time” is truly timeless. And while you may have seen the story many times before, you’ve never seen it get the LEGO treatment until now!
This week, Disney and LEGO debuted Beauty and the Beast: As Told By LEGO, a new digital short that retells the famous story of Belle and her Beast, from the perspective of a young girl who provides all of the voices and even the brief cover of the “Beauty and the Beast” theme. Hearing the narrator do an Angela Lansbury impression was easily one of the funniest parts of the video.
In just two-and-a-half minutes, this video captures most of the film’s signature moments, including Belle’s introduction, the reveal of the Beast, and the debut of the enchanted objects. It also provides a Cliffsnotes version of their whirlwind romance, as Belle and Beast share a meal, a snowball fight, and a recreation of their iconic dance.
There are certain things in animation and live-action that can’t easily be done with LEGO, but this video neatly found a way around that. For example, the role of Gaston went to a pink stapler with a ridiculous hairpiece. Gaston’s nearly lethal attack on the Beast occurs off-screen, but his Pac-Man like escape from the castle was another oddly funny moment. It was also a nice touch that the lifting of the curse didn’t seem to have the hoped for effect…at least for the enchanted objects. Poor Cogsworth… But at least he tells perfect time!
What did you think about the LEGO Beauty and the Beast? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
What about “Belle and Boujee” Though?
Images: Disney/LEGO
April 7, 2017
Sneaky Zebra Filmed All The Best Wondercon Cosplay For a Music Video
One of the most wonderful things to come out of the growing number of conventions over the years is the myriad of cosplay enthusiasts that show up to let their nerd flags fly. In some cases, this community of superfans creates a spectacle that rivals the convention events themselves. And in this world of cosplay, our pals from Sneaky Zebra certainly know how to show it off. Their latest cosplay video from Wondercon 2017 has so many characters in it that it’ll take a few viewings to catch them all.
Sneaky Zebra’s music video capture much more than just the cosplay. Setting up various hero (or villain) poses or just letting the cosplayers be in character really makes these videos the closest thing to experiencing a con in person. You can almost feel the exhilaration the cosplayers experience when they’re the hero/villain/cartoon character and it shines through in every single frame. Plus, setting it all to a song like Outasight’s “Do Something Crazy” doesn’t hurt for keeping things upbeat and exciting.
While it’s hard to pick any favorites out of a group who is so devoted to their craft, we still have a few that need some extra kudos like this Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn.
And it’s impossible not to love the family of DC fans cosplaying together.
But, if we’re being honest, the winner in our minds will always be anyone willing to completely step into the mindset of Tina Belcher and dance their weird butt off like no one’s watching!
What are your favorites from Sneaky Zebra’s latest? Are you as mad at them as we are for getting “Do Something Crazy” stuck in your heads? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Images: Sneaky Zebra | Fox
Fisher Family Has Given Permission for Leia Footage to Appear in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX
Star Wars: The Last Jedi may not mark the last time Leia Organa appears in the saga. We know from comments by Disney CEO Bob Iger that Carrie Fisher‘s death in December 2016 didn’t affect Episode VIII. They didn’t change the story and her performance will remain as it was. As Lucasfilm has stated they have no plans to digitally recreate Fisher as Leia, it seemed like The Last Jedi would mark the final appearance of the iconic character. But, that may not be the case.
The Hollywood Reporter brought to our attention that Carrie’s brother Todd Fisher told New York Daily News on Thursday that he and Billie Lourd, Carrie’s daughter, have given Disney permission to use previously captured footage of Carrie for Episode IX. He said, “Both of us were like, ‘Yes, how do you take her out of it?’ And the answer is you don’t… I think the legacy should continue.”
Todd Fisher reports Disney wants to include Leia in Episode IX, slated for a 2019 release. If this is the case, it’s up in the air as to how much footage would be included in the upcoming Colin Trevorrow film. A small nod could serve as meaningful goodbye to bring Leia’s story to a close. Given her role in the Star Wars universe, she deserves the grandest of endings–or at least one befitting of the character. Leia’s more the quiet, dignified sort after all.
But the part making me a bit squeamish is the idea of them saving footage recorded for Episode VIII in order to stretch out the remaining Leia scenes. None of us want to let go of the princess and general we have on a pedestal. I so understand that. However, if they’re not planning to change Leia’s story in The Last Jedi, then where is this footage coming from? The last thing I want to see is any sort of promotional material with “Goodbye, Leia” messaging for Episode IX. The optimist in me doesn’t think Lucasfilm would allow that. The cynic in me… well, let’s keep fingers crossed.
Ultimately, what I think as a fan isn’t as important in this case. Those closest to Carrie have given their permission. I like to imagine what Carrie would say about all of this. She’d undoubtedly use her cutting wit to make some some on-point, humorous remark.
Would you want to see Carrie Fisher in Episode IX? If so, how big of a role do you think she would play in the story? Sound off with your thoughts in the comments.
Images: Lucasfilm
Chris Hardwick's Blog
- Chris Hardwick's profile
- 132 followers
