Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2156

Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction #175: Round 2 (Andrew Polk, Jessica McKenna, Barry Rothbart, Matt Kirshen)

Round 2 featuring Andrew Polk, Jessica McKenna, Barry Rothbart, Matt Kirshen. Recorded July 17, 2016 at The Virgil in Los Angeles.

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Andy Samberg, as Eddie Vedder, Salutes the Filmmakers and Talent Who Didn’t Die This Year

The “In Memoriam” reel at the Oscars is a solemn moment, and will undoubtedly have us misty-eyed at this year’s big celebration. The Independent Spirit Awards, on the other hand, like to be irreverent and do things in a more informal, R-rated fashion. But how exactly do you mock the premise of the death reel without coming off as a wholly insensitive jerk, like the guy who snores at a funeral?

You do the opposite: have a reel for people who did not die this year. And while it may not seem completely on the cutting edge to set it to Pearl Jam‘s “Alive,” trust us, that’s still newfangled rock to some of the longtime veterans of showbiz. Plus how do you resist Andy Samberg as Eddie Vedder?

Not In Memoriam: @AndySamberg‘s tribute to the stars who are still alive. #SpiritAwards pic.twitter.com/KPgI0PLT3E

— IFC (@IFC) February 25, 2017

We figured Hailee Steinfeld would be okay. Milos Forman falls into the “good to know” category. And now we know that Matt Damon sometimes goes by “Mattie D-Bones,” but you probably shouldn’t call him that if you meet him. Samberg’s delivery throughout just might make you feel like you’re watching the MTV VMA’s of 1994, for Vedder and for verse, and that’s hardly a bad thing; the number ends with a surprise we won’t spoil, but it’s a perfect punchline delivered by just the right accomplice (no, not Justin Timberlake. Or Michael Bolton).

Who else should he have saluted who’s still alive? Could Timberlake play Chris Cornell in an ultimate grunge-off? Let us know your thoughts below!

STAR WARS REBELS Recap: Thrawn Tightens His Grip on Fulcrum

Warning: This recap contains spoilers for the Star Wars Rebels episode “Through Imperial Eyes.” Jump into hyperspace and away from this page if you haven’t watched the episode yet.

Given the title of Star Wars Rebels, it’s fitting the animated series largely focuses on the Rebel Alliance side of the fight. “Through Imperial Eyes” changed the perspective, but since we have an Imperial who is actually a rebel spy, it’s still fitting. The episode began by literally looking through Imperial eyes, as we saw the world from Kallus’ perspective. I don’t know if the format would have worked for the entire 20 minutes, but it was a creative way to begin.

Kallus as Fulcrum is an arc I’ve been on board with and hoping for since “The Honorable Ones.” I know his time on the icy moon didn’t happen a long time ago, but the experience with Zeb marked an epiphany for Kallus. He’s done awful things, sure. He was on board with doing said awful acts in the name of the Empire. But some of us come to realizations later than others, and Kallus being faced with Zeb’s situation seemed like the last straw and a push of inspiration to switch sides. And it did take a while for us to see Kallus as Fulcrum, so it’s enough for me to believe in his transition, even if I don’t necessarily think he’s redeemed or completely forgiven for his past transgressions.

That was a long way for me to say I’ve been waiting to get more Kallus and see where his head is. I knew Thrawn was suspicious of having an Imperial spy in their midst, and it was only a matter of time before he applied his analytical, Sherlock Holmes-esque mind to the problem. I don’t think I’m wrong in saying many fans who are familiar with Thrawn from Legends like seeing the intelligent, deductive skills of the villain the most. We got Thrawn-ness in spades. He set a trap for Fulcrum, and though Kallus tried to work around him, he wasn’t successful.

I was impressed with Kallus’ level of cleverness but not surprised. He’s an Imperial Security Bureau agent. If he has such a position, he has the smarts to go with it. His job has been to track down those who betray the Empire or conspire against it, so of course he knows how to game the system. He totally set up Lieutenant Lyste, and I liked seeing the overeager youthful officer put into his place. I do feel like Kallus underestimated Thrawn, especially by altering the map. It’s Thrawn. How much do you want to bet he has the map memorized and will now know exactly what planet the rebels are calling home because of what Kallus did?

Of course, Kallus only really got busted because of Ezra. I don’t know if Sabine and Ezra will ever realize their role in getting Kallus caught, but I hope not. Sabine doesn’t need to feel guilty about anything else. It’s a real bitch that Thrawn knows art and is familiar with her techniques. Most Imperials wouldn’t have paid attention to her graffiti beyond seeing the art as nuisance. Thrawn not only noticed the art but recognized the style and who is responsible. That quality is one reason he’s valuable to the Emperor and the Empire. He sees what others dismiss.

Bonus points for this episode:

The Kanan and Rex dynamic was delightful. I like the way they joke back and forth.
Yularen! I’ve been rewatching Star Wars: The Clone Wars and have seen the character pop up again and again. I know he transitioned from the Republic to the Empire, like many other officers did, but it’s still startling to see the guy who worked with the Jedi buying into the Empire’s nonsense. This episode was a harsh reminder of how they operate and how many people have no problem with it, and in fact, see it as the right side of history to join.
Finally, I admire Kallus’ decision to stay behind. He thought he was in the clear, but it would been easier on him to officially defect and go into hiding. He’s remaining where he is because he thinks he can do more good, and it’s a brave move. Of course, it’s going to backfire because Thrawn’s onto him…

What did you think of “Through Imperial Eyes?” Do you buy into how far Kallus has come? Tell me in the comments or come talk to me on Twitter.

Images: Disney XD

Wonder what Jar Jar’s doing now?

London’s LEGO Store Lets You Buy a LEGO Mosaic of Your Face

Well, it seems we’re going to be on the lookout for cheap airfare to the United Kingdom, since we now have yet another reason to visit London and their new LEGO store–where you can get a custom mosaic kit of your face.

The LEGO Mosaic Maker, as it’s appropriately called, functions as the coolest photo booth in existence by taking your picture, rendering it in a grayscale grid, sorting out which LEGO pieces are needed, and giving you the photo as an assembly guide. According to CNET’s video, the kit includes over 4500 pieces and only costs £99 (about $125.00 US).

Your first thought might be that the price tag seems a bit steep for a LEGO set, but consider the process you’d have to go through without this miracle machine. Not only would you be left to your own devices to translate a photo to a brick-friendly grid, you’d also be on the hook for nearly double the price if ordering the bricks piece by piece. The Pick-A-Brick portion of the LEGO website allows you to order specific pieces, and the 1×1 plate piece the kit appears to come with are priced at six cents each. So, assuming you had the time to figure out what your face translates to in a similar fashion, the 4502 1×1 plate bricks you’d need would cost you roughly $270.00 US. And that’s not even counting the base plate, packaging and handy dandy instructions you’d need.

Basically, what we’re saying is that it makes more sense to just come with us to London and get your custom LEGO portrait with us.

Cool custom LEGO set, or coolest custom LEGO set? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image: YouTube/CNET

Simon Kinberg Discusses Future GAMBIT and FANTASTIC FOUR Movies

Simon Kinberg is the mutant guru at Fox, and the man is at least partially responsible for films like X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Deadpool (to be fair, he also co-wrote X-Men: The Last Stand and the reboot of the Fantastic Four, so not everything has been a home run). Now there are rumors he’s going to be directing X-Men: Supernova, a re-do of the classic Dark Phoenix Saga from the comics, which X-Men: The Last Stand botched (by Kinberg’s own admission). On top of all that, he’s also a producer on future installments of Deadpool, and the Gambit movie starring Channing Tatum. Yes, according to a recent interview with Kinberg (at ComicBook.com, via Uproxx), he updated fans on the status of the troubled Gambit movie, saying the following:

“It’s in active development. It’s a movie that we hope will be ready to go by the end of this year and shoot next year. We have two or three X-Men related movies this year so it can wait for a moment. The process has been that Channing [Tatum] is as determined about getting the character right as Ryan Reynolds was about Deadpool and Hugh [Jackman] was about this Logan movie. We know that when we get those right, the movie succeeds so we want to make sure we get Gambit right because we want him to be the beginning of a whole new franchise.”

So it seems that reports of the death of the Gambit film have been exaggerated, if only somewhat. Gambit lost its director and release date, leading many to believe that the project was dead in the water. But then, the Deadpool movie had just as many fits and starts on its way to eventually getting made and becoming the blockbuster it was. It was a long road for Wade Wilson to superstardom.

But can Gambit really be compared to Deadpool? Deadpool as a character has a huge fanbase, on that transcends actual comic book readers (he’s the male Harley Quinn in this sense). Thousands of young men love Deadpool from video games and a kind of cultural osmosis, and long before the movie came out, Deadpool symbolized a kind of crazy irreverence embraced by many. It was poised to be a blockbuster regardless of quality. It’s just nice that it also happened to be great.

Gambit, on the other hand, has barely been able to hold his own solo comic book series for an extended period of time. You don’t see Gambit merchandise on the level of Wolverine or Deadpool, or other characters. He’s not even starring in any X-Men comic book titles at the moment. I wouldn’t say the character is unliked, but he’s not a breakout character in the way Marvel (and probably Fox) has always hoped he would be. A successful solo Gambit movie is a huge gamble, and a lot more of its potential success has to do with Channing Tatum’s power to draw in audiences, vs. the draw of the character itself. I have a feeling this one is a bit longer away from getting made than they’d like us to believe.

In the same interview, Kinberg also updated fans on the status of any kind of Fantastic Four sequel. To say that the Josh Trank directed reboot failed to meet expectations is me being polite. The FF reboot was the kind of bomb the superhero genre hasn’t seen since the glory days of such ’90s comic book fare as Barb Wire and Steel. And yet Kinberg, God bless ‘im, remains hopeful about the future of Marvel’s first family on the big screen, saying the following:

“We love that cast. Obviously, the movie wasn’t what we wanted it to be and it wasn’t received the way we wanted it to be…we would love to make another Fantastic Four movie. We feel like there’s a great Fantastic Four movie to be made and I think it would hue closer to the tone of the original, the source material, the comics, but we want to make that movie.”

He’s not wrong, there is a great Fantastic Four movie to be made. But Fox has dropped the ball with these characters three times now. Sure, there are arguably just as many bad X-Men films, but that franchise got off on the right foot back in 2000 with the original movie from Bryan Singer, and has had several great films in the franchise since then, along with the turkeys. FF by contrast has only had turkeys, with the last one being the biggest and juiciest. Fox has about five years to make another FF movie before the rights revert to Marvel, and chances of getting the movie going public to pay money for another reboot so soon are very slim, and the studio (and Kinberg) have got to realize that.

So what’s the solution? The ice between Fox and Marvel Studios has recently been cracked, although not outright shattered. Both Legion and the upcoming X-Men universe TV series are co-productions between Marvel and Fox, as Fox does not have the sole TV rights to the Marvel universe characters they own. A Fantastic Four “event series”, similar to what Marvel is doing right now with Inhumans, is totally the way to go. If the budget exists to make a high quality, effects driven series with an Imax theatrical premiere, then the FF deserve the same chance. And we know that television redeemed Daredevil after a less than stellar movie debut.  When it comes to the X-Men universe joining the MCU, well…we should not hold our breath. But a TV co-production with Marvel on the FF seems like a no-brainer at this point — and maybe the only solution that can benefit both companies.

What do you think of Kinberg’s comments on the Fox/Marvel franchises? And how would you deal with potential Gambit and Fantastic Four projects? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Saban Entertainment, Hanna Barbera, Marvel Comics 

But first…Logan!

The Truth About the Kents Begins to Be Revealed in SUPERMAN #18 (Exclusive Preview)

One of the highlights of DC Rebirth over the past year has been the return of a version of the Man of Steel that everyone can get behind in the pages of Action Comics and Superman, one in stark contrast to the Kal-El who launched  The New 52 five years ago. That Superman was a broody loner who didn’t seem to play well with others, wasn’t dating or married to Lois Lane, and wore an armored costume. Last year that Superman died, and the Superman from before Flashpoint returned, without the silly armor, married to Lois Lane, and with a young son named Jonathan Kent. (The red underwear is still gone. But hey, you can’t have everything.)

The assumption has been that the Kent family comes from a parallel universe, but a mysterious figure named Mr. Oz has told the Kents that they are not what they believe themselves to be. Oh, and there has been a mysterious third Clark Kent, who doesn’t seem to remember being Superman and doesn’t have powers. Now the truth of the Kent family, the dearly departed New 52 Superman, and the mysterious third Clark are finally going to be revealed in a new storyline called Superman Reborn. The four part crossover between the Super-titles (the first since Rebirth began) begins in Superman #18, and continues into Action Comics #975, Superman #19, and concludes in Action Comics #976.

You can check out our exclusive extended preview of the first ten pages of Superman #18  in our gallery below!

Publisher: DC Comics

Writer: Peter Tomasi, Patrick Gleason

Artists: Mick Gray, Patrick Gleason

Cover Artists: Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray, Gary Frank (Variant)

Here’s the official synopsis:

“SUPERMAN REBORN” part one! In DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH #1, the enigmatic Mr. Oz told this Superman, “You and your family are not what you believe you are. And neither was the fallen Superman.” Now, in the first Rebirth crossover between SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS, the shocking truth behind Oz’s words is revealed. It begins with one of Oz’s prisoners escaping, and ends in a tragic moment for Lois and Superman.”

Superman #18  is due to hit stores on Wednesday, March 1.

Are you stoked to find out the truth about the return of the classic Superman and his family? Let us know what you think down below in the comments.

Images: DC Comics

Exploding Batteries Look Like Tiny Jets at 70,000 Frames Per Second

We can’t think of anything more beautiful in its simplicity than watching things happen in slow motion. Slowing down the passage of time on things that normally happen in the blink of an eye opens up a whole new world to marvel at, and allows us to discover beauty in the otherwise mundane. In other words, explode-y stuff looks way cooler when it’s slower!

YouTube’s resident maestros in the control of time itself, The Slow Mo Guys, have given us a closer look at what not to do with household items by blowing up some batteries. We certainly assumed that some destructive things would happen if you apply a blowtorch flame to an electrochemical cell, but we weren’t aware of how beautiful that destruction can be. What was discovered during the video is that there are vents on most batteries that keep them from becoming tiny shrapnel grenades should they find themselves engulfed in flame. Turns out that the vents on AA batteries turn them into miniature rockets that are a delight to look at in slow motion.

At 70,000 frames per second, a peewee jet-propelled space program might seem like a lot of fun (and we suppose it ultimately is) but you can see that The Slow Mo Guys weren’t entirely prepared for how energetic some of these reactions were. So, although it should go without saying, don’t try this sort of thing at home and just enjoy the mayhem The Slow Mo Guys create from the comfort of your own YouTube feed.

What’s your favorite Slow Mo Guys experiment of all time? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image: The Slow Mo Guys

Everyday Hero Swings Into our Hearts Dressed as SPIDER-MAN

It’s not uncommon for actors who play comic book characters to don their superhero outfits and make surprise appearances at hospitals to lift the spirits of sick children (it really puts the “super” in superhero, doesn’t it?). Even though the film isn’t set to debut until July, our upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming star, for example, Tom Holland has already donned the web slinger’s suit to visit patients and has documented the smiles as a result of the impromptu spidey session. But actors aren’t the only ones who take time out of their schedule to squeeze into super suits.

Perhaps more common are the ordinary men and women who take it upon themselves to do a good deed and do right by their fictional counterpart. One such everyday hero is a man by the name of Roger Corcoran, who has spent over 30 years cleaning windows at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. In 2013, he was approached by a team from Child Life Services to put together a superhero celebration, where pediatric patients were gathered to watch as Corcoran dressed as Spider-Man wielded a rubber squeegee instead of a web.

Since then, a touching healthcare advertisement has been created that’s really stuck with us. Aired in Australia in collaboration with Philips and the Ogilvy & Mather London marketing agency, this ad came to fruition after being directly inspired by the generous actions of Corcoran.

The video is a  heartwarming look into the life of a normal guy who hung his Spider-Man outfit out to dry, before making a mad dash out into the busy streets. His day took a series of ups and downs (where he stopped to do good deeds, as a hero does) en route to wash the windows of a hospital where a child wearing a gown approaches to watch. He reaches up to touch the glass and stares up in awe.What’s that? No, I just got some of that cleaning solution in my eye, that’s all.

What do you think of the video? Let us know in the comments below!

Image: Philips via Adverge.Ge

COWBOY BEBOP Video Essay Explores the Rich Nothingness in Space

I write a lot about various animated series, (Batman: The Animated Series, Samurai Jack, the like), but truly none of them gave me as much to think about—and as many fun examples of bending genre—as Cowboy Bebop, the beloved 26-episode anime from the late-90s that revolutionized sci-fi action in the medium. I did a retrospective of all of the episodes (it was called Cowboy ReBop) and I feel like didn’t even come close to the heart of what makes the show’s main characters tick. Video essayist Channel Criswell was able to do it in 12 minutes.

Criswell’s general thesis about the show is that the characters are exploring their past by being an objective observer to the pasts of others. Spike Spiegel is a zen-like former gangster turned bounty hunter whom we know has some deep dark secret, but it takes half the series to understand what that is, and the other half before he finally resolves it. The rest of the time, he floats around with his crew and tries to catch bounties, and each of those bounties have a past worth exploring. It’s equal parts hypocritical and self-unaware for them to be tracking down people with dodgy pasts when they have questionable beginnings of their own.

And this is not simply a Spike issue—the other three members of the crew have to deal with their own pasts (Jet Black had a relationship end badly because of his former life as a policeman; Radical Edward was raised in an orphanage and doesn’t know her parents at all; Faye Valentine has entirely lost her memory of her life before she became a con woman) and one by one, they choose to either leave because of it or continue on. There is an inherent nihilism to all of this, but after you solve your big life’s problem, what else is there?

This is legitimately one of the best video essays I’ve watched, even by Channel Criswell’s standards, and really gets to the heart of a show that continues to be worth revisiting time and time again.

What do you think about Cowboy Bebop and why it frigging rocks so hard? Share opinions in the comments below!

Images: Sunrise

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!

Here are this spring’s anime not to miss!

Leia’s Jabba Kill Immortalized in LEGO Tribute to Carrie Fisher

It’s only been a few months since Carrie Fisher suddenly passed away, but we are far from over the loss our beloved Princess General Leia. For years, Fisher was not only a movie star and one of the top script doctors in Hollywood, she was a frequent guest on the convention circuit. In fact, Fisher had been scheduled to be a guest at Emerald City Comic Con next week. To honor Fisher and note her absence from the con, one fan took it upon himself to use LEGOs to recreate the moment from Return of the Jedi where Leia killed Jabba the Hutt.

And it’s as badass as you’d expect from the feminist icon:

Via Neatorama, the LEGO Leia vs. Jabba was created by Iain Heath and inspired by a statue that was produced by Sideshow Collectibles. On his Flickr page, Heath wrote, “We’ve already seen LEGO tributes showing a demure Princess Leia shoving a floppy disk into some poor hapless droid, but I wanted to reimagine a moment from the original trilogy that really captured Fisher’s feisty character!” Truer words. And, it has to be said that the expression on LEGO Jabba’s face is pretty hilarious.

As is Leia’s plucky determination for ending the man that put her in such an objectifying outfit:

For years, Leia’s costume in Jabba’s palace has been called “Slave Leia,” but this LEGO creation seems to be more appropriate for Leia’s more recent nickname: Huttslayer. It’s a fitting title for her, and has even worked its way via one of the official novels.

What did you think about the LEGO Leia vs. Jabba? Use the Force and share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Featured Image: Lucasfilm

LEGO Images: Iain Heath/Flickr