Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2171
February 10, 2017
Watch Will Arnett, as LEGO BATMAN, Prank Call a Toy Store
Will Arnett, the voice of LEGO Batman in The LEGO Batman Movie, recently told us what he thinks his character’s most underrated ability is, and while we didn’t disagree, we think the superhero’s skill at prank phone calls deserves some consideration as well.
Arnett was just a guest on BBC Radio 1’s “The Matt Edmondson Show,” and the host gave him a simple but ever-so-fun task: He had to make a prank phone call to a toy store—as LEGO Batman—starting each sentence with all the letters of the alphabet in order. In case you have the same question that LEGO Batman did, yes, we’re talking about the English alphabet.
Once they have the store on the phone, Arnett is able to transition from letter to letter pretty seamlessly, the first real crack coming at K, although it was a hilarious meta reference to superhero-dom: “Kryptonite… no, that’s the other guy.” We figured he’d struggle come the end of the alphabet, but Arnett, ever the strong improviser, comes through clutch on U: “Uranium… was… sorry, my son just handed me this Google [search], he’s really into science right now.”
Rounding third base and heading into home plate, Arnett finishes the journey without ever really sounding forced: “You’ve been very, very helpful, I’m sure it’s busy. Zoo-like, I bet, right?”
Whether he’s pestering store employees or walking on a bed of LEGO, Arnett is really embracing the LEGO Batman role and all that comes with it, which is probably part of why we enjoyed The LEGO Batman Movie so much.
Featured Image: BBC Radio 1
Comic Book Club: Brett White & Judith Stephens
Check out the website at comicbookclublive.com to find out how to watch the show live! And follow the show on Twitter: @comicbooklive, @azalben, @jtsizzle, and @realpetelepage
9 Essential Episodes of SAMURAI JACK
The upcoming Adult Swim miniseries of Samurai Jack is going to be ten episodes of action, intense emotions, and gorgeous animation that will finally finish the story of the samurai prince sent to the future and forced to traipse through a world overrun by the evil that is Aku. But it’s been 13 years since the show was on air, and a lot of new viewers might not have time to watch all 52 original episodes to catch up before the March 11, season 5 premiere. They’re all on Hulu now, thankfully, but we know that’s still a lot. Thank goodness for Genndy Tartakovsky, you guys!
At a recent press event for Samurai Jack, I asked the creator which episodes are the most essential of the original run, for fans who want to take an abbreviated journey into Jack’s history. Tartakovsky ultimately named nine episodes that end up being both his favorite and the ones that “are the purest… and execute the style, the idea of Jack most successfully.” And it’s not just he who believes so; evidently most fans tend to agree on the same batch of favorites. “Everybody tends to love the same ones. There are these iconic ones that everybody refers to.”
So, let’s dive in and take a chronological look at the creator-approved episodes (multi-part stories count as one episode) of Samurai Jack to watch before the new ones premiere.
Season 1, Episode 1-3 – “The Premiere Movie”
I did a retrospective series all about the first season of Samurai Jack (it was called Samurai reJacked, go read it!) and the first three episodes, which were originally shown together as a single movie, are perhaps still some of my favorites. In just three episodes it introduced the character of Jack, his plight and struggle against the villainous Aku, the new, insane future world he’s now forced to inhabit, and the fact that (with his magic sword) he’s a real force with which to be reckoned. The action sequences in these episodes are as intricate and frenetic as any they’d ever do and it really gets you hyped for what adventures await. As Genndy Tartakovsky says, “You can watch the first three episodes and get a sense for the whole series.”
Season 1, Episode 7 – “Jack and the Three Blind Archers”
Few episodes ever captured the raw visual storytelling of this one, where Jack learns about a magical wishing well guarded by three supposedly unbeatable archers. They’re blind, but their hearing is unmatched. This episode has almost no dialogue and is notable for its striking snow-white setting and brilliant use of silence. It shows off the prowess of Jack and that not all the threats he faces are hulking robotic bugs. A truly landmark episode.
Season 1, Episode 8 – “Jack Versus Mad Jack”
Another truly gorgeous and simple episode, this one proves that Aku will go to almost any length to destroy Jack—even pitting him against a furious duplicate version of himself. Another episode that’s mainly one battle for the whole episode, “Jack versus Mad Jack” will have thematic resonance in the new season, even if it’s more than just Jack on Jack action. Look at those amazing, almost comic-book-panel split screens!
Season 2, Episode 6 – “Jack Remembers the Past”
For spending as much time with Jack as we do in the series (I mean, like, almost every minute of every episode, on average) we don’t get to learn too much about him. His life in feudal Japan was immediately snubbed out when he was sent to the future, and the anachronism of an ancient man fighting futuristic foes and helping aliens just quickly became what Jack’s life was. But in the sixth episode of the second season, Jack happens across the land from which he came, and remembers back hundreds of years (only a couple for him) to what growing up was like, learning from his father and mother, and reveling in childhood. This is what Jack wants to get back to, and we can all hope he does in season 5.
Season 3, Episode 4 – “Jack and the Zombies”
Most of what Jack fights in the course of the series are robots–mostly because, well, it’s a kid’s show and you can’t have your hero slice up real flesh and blood people all the time. But season 3 offered a lot of interesting changes, and actually a fair amount of horror-based adventures, and having Jack fight off a graveyard full of Aku-reanimated undead is a great wrinkle. The episode is very dark and has a distinctive monochrome color palette, which makes Jack stand out like a beam of white light. Oh, and great action as always.
Season 3, Episode 11-12 – “The Birth of Evil”
We’ve talked about Jack’s past, but now we get to look at the history of the unspeakable evil known as Aku. This two-parter, which was the penultimate of season 3, explored the origin of the show’s horrendous, and weirdly comedic, villain, where he terrorized the Earth all the way from the days of the dinosaurs onward. It also explores how the gods Odin, Ra, and Rama (from three different belief structures, mind you!) banded together to forge the magic sword that is the only thing that can hurt Aku, and how it was bestowed upon the Emperor, who kept it in the family until Jack finally grew up to wield it. I love lore, and it’s so cool that they waited nearly three full seasons to give us any sense of how long the evil of Aku has been around.
Season 4, Episode 1 – “Samurai Versus Ninja”
It’s a shame that the final season of the original run had such a sporadic release schedule (no more than four new episodes ever aired in successive weeks from June 2003 to September 2004) but each of those episodes had something amazing to offer. The premiere episode went down as one of the coolest and most visually striking episodes they ever did, and that’s saying something. A ninja has trained extensively to be able to take on Jack, and when they finally do, the screen turns completely black-on-white or white-on-black, in a very “Spy vs Spy” kind of way. Genndy Tartakovsky told us people always talk to him about this fight. “Forget the episode, people refer to just that fight time and time again.”
Season 4, Episode 2 – “Robo-Samurai Versus Mondo Bot”
What was I just saying? Season 4 had some truly excellent episodes, and with it so close to the end, they had to have a Gundam-esque giant robot battle, right? The sewers of Andromeda are inhabited by tiny, terrified robots who ask Jack to enter and pilot a giant samurai robot to take on a marauding bad guy giant robot that’s been rampaging the city surface. It’s just as badass as it sounds.
Season 4, Episode 11 – “Tale of X9”
And finally, we have an episode that, two episodes before the unplanned ending of the show in 2004, was a real break in the narrative form. X9 is the last in an experimental X-class robot series. He’d been given emotions and for years had been living a life away from fighting, having fallen in love with a local gal. But Aku comes calling, forcing X9 to take on one last job…take out the samurai known as Jack. This episode is a love letter to hard boiled fiction and film noir, and focusing on a different character and his intersection with Jack is both refreshing and tragic, given that we’re pretty sure we know how the fight’s going to go.
And there we have it; straight from the creator’s mouth, the nine most essential episodes/stories of Samurai Jack to watch before the premiere of the updated series on March 11. Are there any you think are just as essential? Let us know in the comments below!
Images: Cartoon Network
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!
Fox is Finally Interested in Rebooting FIREFLY! But There is a Catch…
It’s been a mere 14 years since Fox canceled Joss Whedon‘s Firefly, and we’ve never fully gotten over it. And while the Serenity feature film offered up some much needed closure, thousands of loyal Browncoats have clamored for adventures set in the ‘verse. Fox has already revived The X-Files and 24, in addition to the upcoming Prison Break; which should demonstrate that the network has developed a taste for nostalgia programming. It turns out that the network may finally be open to putting Firefly back on the air, but there are a few major hurdles along the way. Today’s Nerdist News is going to explain what it would take to give us the Firefly revival that we deserve!
Join host and Hands of Blue agent, Jessica Chobot, as she breaks down the recent statement by Fox President of Entertainment, David Madden. The short version is that Madden indicated that a Firefly revival is a possibility…but only if Whedon came back and was fully on board for the project. Considering that Whedon hasn’t produced a full time TV series since Fox canceled Dollhouse, he may not be that eager to return. Plus there’s the fact that he can pretty much write his own ticket as a feature film director, after helming the first two Avengers movies for Marvel.
Let’s assume for a moment that Whedon would absolutely be up for a Firefly revival. Would the surviving cast members return? The Firefly cast has proven to be very close to each other even in the decade-plus since Serenity was released. However, Whedon has indicated that some of the cast are tired of being asked about a Firefly revival and seemingly ready to move on.
If the cast doesn’t return, would fans accept a Firefly TV series with a brand new cast in place of their beloved favorites? Come on. Everyone knows that it’s impossible to out-Nathan Fillion the real Nathan Fillion. And the rest of the cast is equally irreplaceable in our hearts. The reality is that the hope for a Firefly revival may be as unrealistic as ever. But we’d never say never!
Would you prefer a hard reboot of Firefly or a continuation of Serenity? Choose your path and let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Postmodern Jukebox Mashes Up ANIMAL HOUSE and A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY
In their latest video, the folks over at Postmodern Jukebox have teamed up again with Casey Abrams (American Idol) to bring us an unlikely pairing that works surprisingly well by performing Haddaway’s 1993 song “What is love” in a style akin to the Isley Brothers. The song, as you likely remember, was made famous by Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan’s head-bobbing Butabi brothers in SNL sketches and subsequent feature film A Night at the Roxbury.
Taking on the challenge to make the song listenable once again, PMJ gives it an Isley Brothers twist by performing it like the classic call and response tune “Shout” that was featured in the comedy classic Animal House. That relationship to the film isn’t lost on the PMJ team as they work in a few nods to the Delta’s party scene both lyrically and in all out mayhem toward the end of the song. What’s impressive is how an otherwise annoying pop song like “What Is Love” works so well when performed in a different style. It’s perhaps not as effective as what PMJ did with Nickelback, but breathing new life into a song like Haddaway’s Eurodance anthem is still an admirable accomplishment. And just because we’re feeling a bit evil today, let’s take a listen to the original to contrast just how good PMJ’s version is and demonstrate how the song never really left your brain. It’s there forever. We all have to deal with it.
Sheesh. Music videos in the ’90s were an extra special level of bananas.
What are your favorite PMJ songs? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Image: Paramount Pictures
Ranking the 25 Most Painful LEGO to Step On
Just a few day ago, I proclaimed Will Arnett the toughest person on Earth, because he went on national television and walked on a bed of LEGO bricks, a fate I wish upon nobody. That’s not a superlative I’m about to backpedal on, but looking at the footage again, one could argue that Arnett got off sort of easy: His stretch of building block plastic was populated mainly by standard bricks, largely eschewing non-traditional pieces that could have really punished his soles (and his soul).
This got me thinking: If I had to pick one LEGO piece not to step on, which one would that be? I sought out a list of LEGO and found Pick A Brick on the LEGO Shop, where I browsed the 1,244 available pieces and realized that there’s a lot more than one piece I want my heels nowhere near. But still, which one would be the absolute worst to plant a heavy foot on?
I believe I have my answer, but it wasn’t easy to come to. So, with my newfound expertise on LEGO pieces of all sorts, at least as they relate to potential pain inflicted on my little toesies, I went ahead and ranked the top 25 most painful LEGO to step on.
There are a few criteria to consider, the most important being natural resting position. Think about it this way: Stepping directly on an upright knife would be acutely unpleasant, but how likely would it be to find a knife on the floor in that position? More often than not, a knife on the floor will be laying flat and relatively harmless, which is why a LEGO piece like 2m cross axle w. groove didn’t make the list. It would be killer to step on upright, but that’s just not prone to happening.
With that in mind, here are painful LEGO numbers 25 through 11, followed by the absolutely insufferable top 10.
25. Tyre high narrow ø15×6
24. Brick 1×8
23. Profile brick ø15.83 w. cross
22. Round plate 2×2 w/eye
21. Roof tile 4×2/45° inv.
20. Mini head
19. Brick 1×4 w. 4 knobs
18. Smoke helmet protection
17. Stone 1x2x1 1/3 w. 2 plates 2×2
16. Streamer
15. Roof tile 1×2 45° w. 1/3 plate
14. Plate 1×1 w. up right holder
13. Brick with bow 1x3x2
12. Profile brick 1×2
11. Double conical wheel z12 1m
10. Brick corner 1x2x2
Small bricks are a theme on this list, due to the definition of pressure: force per unit area. In stepping on a LEGO, the force applied by our hypothetical stepping foot will be the same, so as the unit area gets smaller, the pressure, and therefore pain, increases. Laying on its base, this piece has three pressure points in the knobs, and it has great potential to rest on its two long sides, leading to a 1×1 area with four sharp corners that would be absolutely no fun.
9. Angle plate 1×2/1×4
This may be the largest brick in the top 10, but if you get it resting on its two long edges like a tent, that top, as well as the six pegs and right-angle edges caused by the sides’ difference in length, could get past the toughest of callouses.
8. Mailbox, casing 2x2x2
The tall 2×2 brick has tremendous potential for pain from all sides, but if you catch it with the open face, and those two hinge-holding pegs, up, watch out. Those pegs may be the smallest bit of plastic on this list, and we could see them getting lost in the bloodstream of a careless stepper.
7. Brick 2x4x1 w. screen
The irregular shape of this brick spells disaster from every angle, but the two ends of that arch, if stepped on face up… honestly, we could see those piercing skin, no lie. It feels like there’s a decent chance of that happening with this piece if carelessly left out on the playroom floor.
6. Facet brick 3x3x1
This facet brick is a sort of diagonal version of the standard 1×3 brick, and with its slant comes three peaks that wouldn’t be tear-free, especially if they found their way between your little toes.
5. Plate 1×2 w. vertical grip
Look at that vertical grip, like it was designed for the sole purpose of pinching the soft skin of your arch and leaving a blood blister that’ll alter your posture for a week. No thank you; get out of here.
4. Stalk
At first I thought it would be rare to find this piece standing with the prongs facing up, but then I realized that it’s a very bottom-heavy piece, meaning that I could see it in the pictured position at least 50 percent of the time. The prongs are basically three dull knives, which hurt more than sharp ones because they have to claw their way through your epidermis and into the meaty flesh of your sole.
3. Brick 1×2 w. 4 knobs
Virtually no matter how this brick is positioned, there’s some sort of irregular or small surface aimed at the sky, and then at your poor feet. Sometimes it’s the most basic-looking pieces that’ll haunt you the most, and this appears to be one of those cases.
2. Rocker bearing 1×2
This rocker bearing looks like something Saw villain Jigsaw would make his victims cut their stomach open with to find a key embedded in their skin. It’s got plenty of edges, some pointed and some long and narrow, so it’s a real pick your poison scenario here (with a bonus poker in the middle of the bottom surface).
1. Brick 1×1 w. 4 knobs
Simplicity is key, and it brought brick 1×1 w. 4 knobs all the way to the top. Every side is tiny and has potential for unbelievable trauma. It has pegs on all surfaces but one, yes, but the shape of this brick makes me think that if you stepped on it with any degree of forward movement, it would roll along with your foot, taking a bunch of quick hits before the pressure from your foot stopped it, and you, in your tracks.
Even though this was a traumatic list to compile, we want to know your horror stories about stepping on LEGO. Do you think our list stacks up? Tip-toe your way to the comments below.
Also be sure to check out our interview with LEGO Batman himself:
Listen to Bruce Springsteen’s Unused HARRY POTTER Song
Update 2/10/17: Bruce Springsteen’s touching Harry Potter song that was never used has finally surfaced and it will make you want to rewatch all the movies. The song is called “I’ll Stand By You Always” and you can check out a demo version of the track below.
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As is obvious when discussing a magical world filled with wizards and talking paintings and flying brooms and all that, there are a few disconnects and lingering questions between the Harry Potter universe and our own. For instance, how do wizards and witches balance getting a real-world “muggle” education with their magical studies, or do they? Do magical people have an interest in muggle entertainment? What kind of music do they listen to?
Music doesn’t seem to play a particularly important role in the life of Potter and company—given they usually have bigger fish to fry—but it would appear that they’re blissfully unaware or just disinterested in one of the biggest names in muggle rock and roll history: Bruce Springsteen.
In a recent interview on BBC Radio 2 with Simon Mayo said he wrote a song called “I’ll Stand By You Always” that was meant for the movies, but “they didn’t use it.” He said that while it may not be a traditional Springsteen song, he was still proud of the track.
“It was pretty good,” he said. “It was a song that I wrote for my eldest son, it was a big ballad that was very uncharacteristic of something I’d sing myself. But it was something that I thought would have fit lovely; at some point I’d like to get it into a children’s movie of some sort because it was a pretty lovely song.”
Listen to that portion of the interview below, and try not to frustrate yourself imagining what Harry Potter would have been like with a bombastic Springsteen ballad.
Featured image: Warner Bros. Pictures
Darth Vader v Buzz Lightyear: Dawn of a Fight You Didn’t Know You Needed
There’s probably already a heated–and completely weird–debate raging on in the comments section as to how this fight would even happen let alone who would actually win. If there isn’t then I’m disappointed in you, the Internet. This is the stuff that pointless online debates were made for and we now get to watch a (as close to) real life battle between the most feared Sith leader this side of Dagobah and the best damn soldier Star Command has ever seen.
The absurdly awesome video above, created by YouTube’s Nukazooka, gives us a glimpse of what would happen should Buzz Lightyear ever crash land in the vicinity of Darth Vader. The results are, well, predictable when you think about the skills of a plastic toy pitted against those of an incredibly powerful cyborg space wizard. The two have at each other for a bit trading substantial blows to one another that result in few nods to Buzz being a toy and what would happen if Vader’s control panel was messed with. Ultimately, Vader prevails because OF COURSE HE WOULD and sends Buzz on an interplanetary journey via his own suit.
What concerns us is the world Nukazooka created. We’ve worried before about their Super Mario hellscape and Minecraft IRL but this one’s a bit different. If we’re to assume that Vader and Buzz are roughly the same height before sending him off to another world. Does that mean that when Woody finds Buzz and identifies his “Andy” brand that the planet he landed on was the same one from the Pixar film? Does this further connect the intertwined Pixar world theories with a galaxy far far away? Furthermore, does that mean that everyone in the Star Wars universe is small in comparison to Andy and his planet and that they tower over everyone? OH SHIT! We just figured out who Supreme Leader Snoke is!
Name another person in that universe that’s more suited to run an evil army than Sid!
Do you think Buzz should have won? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Images: Nukazooka/Disney Pixar
John Wick’s Pooch is on a Quest for Vengeance in DOG WICK
By now, most of you are familiar with the tale of former assassin, John Wick. Back in 2014, the Keanu-ssance began when Keanu Reeves stepped into the titular role as John Wick, a man who was forced to reclaim his former life of violence to deal out some epic revenge on the criminals who stole his car and killed his dog. But what if the crooks had taken out John instead? In that case, the instrument of vengeance would be…Dog Wick.
RocketJump has posted a new comedic short film that takes place in a reality where John was the one who was fatally wounded in the robbery. In the face of such a tragedy, what’s a good boy to do? Why, clearly a swift and violent rampage is the way to go! Much like his former master, Dog Wick seems to favor head shots, and it’s pretty hilarious to see him walking around with a gun in his mouth. He couldn’t use his paws, because that would be ridiculous.
Is this really any more far-fetched than John Wick‘s secret subculture of assassins and killers? In that world, Dog Wick would practically be a Disney movie. There’s even a few shades of Air Bud when a pair of cops determine that there is no law against dogs shooting people. Technically, this is true. But even if it wasn’t, Dog Wick is above the law!
What did you think about the Dog Wick comedy short? Take aim, and share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Image: RocketJump
February 9, 2017
GAME OF THRONES Re-Throned: “The Lion and the Rose” (S4, E2)
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 4, Episode 2: “The Lion and the Rose”
Original Air Date: April 13th, 2014
Director: Alex Graves
Written by: George R.R. Martin
If we are trying to imagine what seasons seven and eight of Game of Thrones might look like, “The Lion and the Rose,” featuring the horrible but glorious death of Joffrey at the Purple Wedding, is a sneaky good candidate. Not because it has any big battles, like the many we are sure to see throughout the last two seasons, but because it brought together a myriad of characters that had never interacted before, resulting in one of the best episodes the show has ever done.
Written by George R.R. Martin himself, this episode is unlike any other through the first six seasons. The wedding brings together all of the Lannisters and Tyrells, as well as Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand, Sansa Stark, Varys, Bronn, Grand Maester Pycelle, and Brienne. And as much fun as it is seeing dangerous characters like Oberyn and Tywin not-so-subtly threaten one another, it’s just as much fun seeing Loras and Oberyn flirt with one another from across the venue. The whole wedding is compelling and fascinating, where each interaction has so much backstory and weight behind it you wish you could spend hours there eavesdropping on each discussion.
Even the first few episodes in the series, which brought King Robert and his family to Winterfell, were not quite like this. Not only did we not know the characters yet, the conflicts between them were rooted in the past (still buried for convenience sake). By this point in the show every character, even allies, was in some sort of conflict with one another, giving greater significance and emotional resonance to each conversation. When Jaime tells Loras (someone he is now bound to by royal marriage no less) that Loras will never marry Cersei, Loras bites back, “And neither will you.” It’s funny but it’s also stunning, because Loras is acknowledging that the dirty rumor about Jaime and Cersei is true—and he knows it, and he wants Jaime to know he knows it.
Joffrey’s reign, and thus the power and safety of House Lannister which is now intimately aligned with House Tyrell, depends on that secret remaining unspoken, but Loras throws it in Jaime’s face, and Jaime silently accepts it. So few words convey so much.
The whole wedding sequence is full of these powerful, exciting, potentially explosive moments, and it’s all done with nothing more than a few words and fake smiles. It’s the kind of scene you can only achieve when you develop characters and their motivations as well as Game of Thrones does.
And now with Jon and the forces of the North coming together, and with Daenerys heading to King’s Landing—alongside Tyrion, Grey Worm, Missandei, the Greyjoy children, and the remnants of Houses Martell and Tyrell—to face off against House Lannister and the Mad Queen Cersei, the show is about to embark on a grand meeting of characters that will make the Purple Wedding look like an intimate gathering of friends.
Only with the promise of way more battles and way more deaths. That’s a very alluring idea.
So even though we don’t really need much of a reason to get excited for the inevitable coming together of all of these formerly separate stories and characters, re-watching “The Lion and the Rose,” and seeing how it is still as fun and exhilarating as it was when it first aired, makes the coming character convergence even more promising.
If only they could find a way to kill Joffrey a second time.
But what do you think of this episode? Where does it rank among the most fun hours from the show? Have a drink of wine and tell us in the comments below.
Images: HBO
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