Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2210

Deadpool Takes On The Punisher in New Marvel Miniseries

Deadpool and the Punisher have crossed paths many times in the Marvel Universe, and they’ve even been teammates on the Thunderbolts. But later this year, all bets are off as a new miniseries will pit Deadpool vs. The Punisher over the fate of a newly revealed villain.

Via Marvel.com, writer Fred Van Lente and artist Pere Perez will be the creative team of Deadpool vs. The Punisher, and Van Lente was quick to point out that “the two characters have a genuine reason to go after each other; it’s not mind control, it’s not mistook-you-for-a-villain, both protagonists are each other’s antagonists for legitimate reasons the reader can relate to.” In fact, Van Lente is playing up the history of Wade Wilson and Frank Castle’s time on the Thunderbolts as the basis for why they can’t stand each other.

“Wade thinks Frank is a stick in the mud while Frank thinks Wade’s healing factor has made him loud, sloppy and useless,” explained Van Lente. As for the story, the miniseries is introducing The Bank, one of Deadpool’s oldest friends and the man who handles the money for various criminal organizations around the world. The Punisher has discovered The Bank’s existence and decided to wipe him out, while Deadpool is forced to defend his friend to save his life. According to Van Lente, the Punisher has no problem with the idea of killing Deadpool to get to The Bank. Unfortunately for him, Deadpool is pretty unkillable!

The Deadpool vs. Punisher miniseries will begin in April and run for five issues.

Who do you think should win in the battle between Deadpool and the Punisher? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Image: Marvel Comics

GAME OF THRONES Re-Throned: “The Bear and the Maiden Fair” (S3, E7)

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 3, Episode 7: “The Bear and the Maiden Fair”

Original Air Date: May 12th, 2013

Director: Michelle MacLaren

Written by: George R.R. Martin

It’s easy to presume that by the time we get to the end of Game of Thrones the warring factions and houses of Westeros will be able to cast aside their meaningless battles over who sits on the Iron Throne so that they may come together to take on the real enemy, the army of the dead led by the White Walkers. But such an assumption might be wrong, very wrong, as evidenced by something Tywin Lannister does in this episode, “The Bear and the Maiden Fair.”

The Hand of the King is summoned by his grandson, King Joffrey, who wants to know why he isn’t being kept up to date and consulted on vital matters (because you’re a buffoon you psychotic little boy), especially in regards to the reports that Daenerys Targaryen has managed to hatch three dragons.

Tywin is surprised and unhappy to hear that Joffrey knows about this, but confirms the rumors are apparently true. Joffrey wants to do something about it—much like his “father” King Robert Baratheon once wanted to assassinate Daenerys when she married Khal Drogo—but just like then he is advised not to worry about it. (Lets face it, Robert was right about the threat she posed with a khalasar, and Ned was wrong to dismiss it.)

Tywin says, “Curiosities on the far side of the world are no threat to us,” dismissing the dragons as most likely being small, stunted freaks, like the last known dragons were. Joffrey is worried that they will grow to be like the dragons Aegon and his sisters rode, though, when they conquered Westeros (a reality with which his mother will soon have to deal).

But why would Tywin be so dismissive of the potential threat posed by dragons owned by the only living (so they think) Targaryen? He knows his history; he once explained to Arya how Aegon changed warfare forever riding dragons. Tywin isn’t stupid, far from it, but he fails to see what is really happening here. How can someone with such a great strategic mind get this so wrong?

It’s because he is distracted by his plans to have Walder Frey and Roose Bolton kill Robb and his forces at the Red Wedding. The current matter of holding on to power blinds him to an even greater threat to his position, even though it is a threat that can’t be so easily defeated at a party.

Out of sight, out of mind.

But if one of the smartest, most cunning men in the history of Westeros couldn’t recognize a clear and present danger to his family’s rule, why would we imagine that others will rise to the occasion when an even greater threat marches on the Seven Kingdoms. Dragons have been gone for nearly 200 centuries, but people know they existed, people know they were real. Meanwhile the White Walkers are just a myth from thousands and thousands of years ago. If dragons in Slaver’s Bay don’t feel like a pressing matter, a legend beyond The Wall is even less real.

So while it might seem inevitable that the wars of men will soon prove trivial compared to the war between the living and the dead, it doesn’t guarantee the men and women of Westeros will recognize that before it’s too late.

Robert and Joffrey were both bad kings, but sitting on the Iron Throne gave them a unique perspective to understand the dangers that come with wearing the crown, and they understood that tomorrow’s threat needed to be dealt with today, otherwise it could be too late.

Will that be true with the White Walkers? Will the living be too slow to recognize the real danger they all face?

Or worse, is it already too late?

What did you think of this episode? Tell us in the comments below.

Images: HBO

James Corden Pays Tribute to George Michael, First Carpool Karaoke Guest

British comic James Corden made quite a splash in American popular culture since taking over hosting duties on CBS’ The Late, Late Show in 2015, and it mostly has to do with his recurring Carpool Karaoke segment, which has become a sensation on social media. If you’ve been living under a rock and have never seen a segment, on Carpool Karaoke, Corden drives around with a famous singer, and the two sing along to one of the singer’s hits, with a fair share of banter in between songs. Guests in Corden’s passenger seat have been names like Adele, Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Madonna, and most famously, First Lady Michelle Obama with Missy Elliott.

But none of it would have happened if singer George Michael—who sadly passed away on Christmas day—had not agreed to be the guinea pig for what would eventually become Carpool Karaoke back in 2011. The two filmed a prototype version of the segment for a British TV Comic Relief special, with Corden and Michael poking fun at the singer’s well publicized personal problems (George Michael has always had a self-deprecating sense of humor; when he was arrested for lewd public display in 1998, he promptly made a song and video poking fun at himself and his embarrassing situation). It was that carpool segment that Corden used to convince Mariah Carey to do the very first Carpool Karaoke video for The Late, Late Show, and the rest is history.

Now, on his first show since returning from the Christmas break, Corden paid tribute to the late singer, saying “I feel like I’ve loved George Michael as long as I’ve loved music, and I know so many fans felt the same way. I can remember so many times in my life where I might have felt on my own, and George’s music would feel like he would reach his hand out and [say] you weren’t on your own.” Thanks to the folks at Entertainment Weekly, you can watch a clip of Corden’s tribute to George Michael in the video above, which includes the 2011 segment of the two singing the Wham! classic “I’m Your Man.”

Do you have any favorite memories of George Michael’s songs and videos? Please share them with us down below in the comments.

Image: CBS

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 Funko Toys on the Way

Among the films we are most excited for this year is Marvel Studios’ long awaited follow up to Guardians of the Galaxy, with the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 from director James Gunn. Although the film itself doesn’t come out until May (it seems so far away), at least we will have cool new Guardians swag coming our way much sooner than that, thanks to the folks over at Funko. Starting in February, we are about to get a whole new set of goodies featuring Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and most importantly of all, Baby Groot.

This latest series features a number of exclusive Funko Pop! vinyls, like Rocket with dual guns (available exclusively at GameStop), Groot in jumpsuit (only at Walmart), Groot with patch (only at Hot Topic), action pose Star-Lord (only at Toys R Us), and a special super-sized 10″ Groot, only at Target! Also, be on the lookout for Star-Lord’s masked chase variant, a 1 in 6 rarity.

The Dorbz line features characters both old and new, like Mantis and Taserface, both new additions to the team for Volume 2, as well as new figures for Rocket and Groot. Groot with Eye is available exclusively at Walmart, and Groot with Patch is available only at Hot Topic. Also coming soon are the Pint Size Heroes, where you can open the blind bag packaging to find a surprise character.

Finally, collect Star-Lord, Rocket, and Groot as Pop! Keychains or Hero Plushies (Funko’s newest plush line), and the ladies Gamora and Mantis as part of the Rock Candy line. All of these Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 Funko toys are hitting store shelves in February of this year. You can check out images of each of these down below in our gallery.

Are you as excited for Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 as much as we are? Let us know down below in the comments!

Image: Marvel Studios

Let’s talk about the most underrated movies of 2016

Foo Fighters Recording New Album, Announce Show in California

After faking their own breakup and jamming to Guns n’ Roses, Foo Fighters are prepping a giant return. The band has a co-headlining festival date schedule and, supposedly, are working on a new album this year. While you’re waiting that out, listen to a previously unreleased Elliott Smith demo, read up on Apple’s crazy iPhone update, watch live Sleater-Kinney footage, and let Jens Lekman sing his way into your heart.

pic.twitter.com/yL7zrem33h

— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) January 2, 2017

It’s been nearly two years since Foo Fighters played a show as a full band playing their own material, but that’s about to change. The rock act announced they’re co-headlining BottleRock Festival in California alongside Maroon 5 and Tom Petty. There’s good reason they’re stepping onstage again, too. Foo Fighters teased the announcement on Twitter with a picture of America where the Napa Valley region is highlighted in red. The rest of the black and white image suggests there’s more touring to come. Drummer Taylor Hawkins told NME that a new record may be on the way, and what pairs better with an album than a tour? [Spin]

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Either/Or, Elliott Smith‘s third studio album. We can’t believe it either. To celebrate, his longtime label Kill Rock Stars will reissue a special anniversary edition of the LP on March 10 that includes a remastered version of the album, a handful of rarities, and demos. Plus, there’s a previously unheard studio recording of “I Figured You Out” that you can listen to above. Originally, Smith recorded the song in 1995 as a demo for his friend and folk songwriter Mary Lou Lord. Now it gets to see the light of day and reminds us just how phenomenal of a guitarist he really was. [Consequence of Sound]

Image Credit: Apple

Moviegoers are in for a treat. Well, some moviegoers, that is. Apple is rumored to be hard at work on a “Theatre Mode” for their next iOS update. The popcorn-shaped icon will allow people to use their phones in the theater without disrupting fellow attendees watching the film. Incoming calls will be blocked, notifications will be blocked, and the screen will be dimmed to a brightness that doesn’t bother others. Is that even possible? Perhaps the best way to answer your phone without bothering other people in the theater is to, well, exit the theater. Maybe that idea is too novel to use. [Consequence of Sound]

Missed Sleater-Kinney when they did their reunion tour last year? You’re in luck. The punk trio are rolling out a live album on January 27 thanks to the good folks at Sub Pop. Live in Paris sees the three on top of their game during a 2015 set on March 20th at La Cigale and, in anticipation of its release, the band shared “Surface Envy” from the record. It’s corresponding video uses footage from that show as well as fan-shot clips throughout their entire career. If one song sounds this good already, then the rest of the 13-track release is bound to get our hearts racing, too. [Rolling Stone]

Jens Lekman is back with his first full-length in almost five years and it already sounds better than the best wiggle-worthy song we could’ve hoped for. Love Will See You Now, his new LP, comes out February 17 through Secretly Canadian, but we get a sneak peak via single “What’s That Perfume That You Wear?” It’s a taste of what the album will bear: personal stories, cheeky humor, inverted pop, and an unexpected dive into genres like disco and samba. In other words, this is a record that will get us through winter. [Consequence of Sound]

See you back here on Friday for another Music Dispatch!

Image: Nasty Little Man/Ringo

BRIGHT LIGHTS: STARRING CARRIE FISHER AND DEBBIE REYNOLDS Gets a New Trailer

We’re all still reeling and stunned at the sudden death of actor, author, screenwriter and Star Wars legend Carrie Fisher, followed exactly one day later by her mother, Hollywood golden era icon Debbie Reynolds, just last week. Despite all the untimely deaths of so many entertainment industry legends this past year, the deaths of the mother and daughter duo hit especially hard for many of us, because of the way they always shared their lives in an open and honest way with the world. It really felt like we lost friends that we’ve known forever.

For those of us who wish to celebrate the lives of the two screen icons, HBO is set to air a documentary about Hollywood’s most famous mother/daughter duo and their complicated but loving relationship. The new 95-minute documentary, Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, was directed by Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens, and is described as a “story of the family’s complicated love, an intimate portrait of Hollywood royalty in all its eccentricity.” (You can check out our review of the film from NYFF here).

Bright Lights was filmed over the course of a year in 2014 and ’15, leading up to Debbie Reynolds’ receiving of her Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, which Carrie Fisher presented to her. The film played at several film festivals last year, and was originally scheduled to debut in March. In light of its stars’ sudden passing, HBO has pushed up the release of the film to January 7. HBO has just released a new trailer for the film, via People magazine, which you can now view above.

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds will debut on Saturday, Jan. 7 (at 8 p.m. EST) on HBO.

Are you excited to see this last glimpse into the lives of beloved Hollywood royalty? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.

Image: HBO

HOT TOYS Brings BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT to Life with New Figure

The holiday season has finally wrapped up, so what better way to get over those post-holiday blues than buying more cool stuff! Luckily, Hot Toys is here to help with the release of their Batman: Arkham Knight sixth scale figure.

Lo and behold, the Dark Knight, looking as menacing as ever. With his upgraded body armor and gadgets, Batman and his partners Robin, Nightwing, and Oracle stand as Gotham’s only line of defense against not only the Scarecrow, but also the Arkham Knight, a man with a sordid past whose life is inextricably linked with the caped crusader (I know it’s been a while, but it’s not going to be me that spoils the game for you).

The figure comes with two interchangeable faceplates, 4 sets of hands, his grappling hooks, REC gun, and batarangs. Basically, if he used it in the game, you will be able to display it with this figure. I also think it’s time we called the Arkham Batman out. You have to have some sort of super strength to be able to run around Gotham City for hours on end in all that armor.

You can check out more photos of this figure in the gallery below. If this is a must have for your collection, you can pre-order the figure from Sideshow Collectibles here.

So what do you think? What other Arkham Knight figures are you looking forward to next? What other superheroes deserve an Arkham type game? Let me know on Twitter, or sound off in the comments below.

Images: Hot Toys

Drop an iPhone in Molten Aluminum and it Transforms Instantly

We’ve had some fun watching YouTuber The Backyard Scientist before; Last time, he took some thrift store items and made fire tornadoes because he knew that would be the outcome, but in a recent video, he decided to dunk an iPhone in a vat of molten aluminum just to see what the heck would happen. Perhaps he’s acting upon some unspoken, pent-up rage against the headphone-port-free iPhone 7 in solidarity with the endangered 3.5 mm auxiliary port (via ViralViralVideos).

Whatever the case, he teamed up with fellow YouTuber GizmoSlip to make it happen, melting down an ample amount of aluminum in his DIY (and obviously, backyard) foundry setup. When dropped in the aluminum, the phone is quickly submerged in the soupy metal and some of its components, like the battery and plastics, as our two hosts suggest, burn off.

The phone eventually resurfaced and floated on the aluminum, turning black and becoming pliable, bending when prodded by a rod. The melting point of aluminum is 1,221° Fahrenheit, but even at that temperature, the iPhone retained its basic form for the most part, aside from it being folded in half due to prodding.

The two also produced another video (below or here) for GizmoSlip’s channel, and this time, they decided to smelt an iPhone, seeing if it would melt down completely into liquid metal when faced with 2600° Fahrenheit conditions. Do you think that’s enough heat to render an iPhone unrecognizable? Check it out for yourself below, and don’t forget about the aluminum video above.

Featured image: TheBackyardScientist

DON’T KNOCK TWICE Trailer Reminds Us That Witches Hate Being Woke

Every few years, there’s a changeover in the horror genre from one popular breed of movie to another. Slashers, found-footage, zombie movies, they all have had their day in the sun, as it were, and now seems to be the era of ghost-curse movies. From The Babadook to Oculus to Mama to Sinister to the upcoming The Bye Bye Man, it seems liked creepy, spindly ghosts are the new IT-monster in horror. And sometimes those ghosts are witches, evidently, and the trailer for the new film Don’t Knock Twice sure makes a case for not going anywhere near creepy entryways.

Urban legends are always a great jumping-off point for this kind of horror, and Don’t Knock Twice creates a pretty cool one with the house of a woman accused of witchcraft and knocking on it unleashing her wrath. Katee Sackhoff plays the mother of a troubled teenage girl who has become embroiled in that selfsame legend. Evidently, this girl knocked, and that means the witch lady will be everywhere, around every corner, in every damn shadow.

The movie is directed by Caradog James, the man behind the fascinating 2013 sci-fi film The Machine (starring Legends of Tomorrow‘s Caity Lotz), and it’s looking like he’s populating his foray into horror with that most time-tested of visual scare techniques: things walking around in the background while our lead character is in the foreground. It’s like the splashing water on your face in front of a bathroom mirror. You know it’s going to lead to something scary, and you can see it coming a mile away, but damned it if isn’t effective every. single. time.

Don’t Knock Twice (which for the record is NOT a good title) will be released in theaters and on VOD on February 3.

Let us know your thoughts on the movie in the comments below!

Image: IFC Films

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!

2001’s HAL and HER’s Samantha Chat About Love and Human Error

Our quest for AI has revealed much about human intelligence and, as we inch nearer and nearer to the singularity (terrifying), it will continue to do so. Since the days of Kubrick’s HAL in his 1968 masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey, to the modernized Samantha in Spike Jonze’s 2013 flick, Her, we have been pondering the gap between intelligences: what are the differences between artificial and human intelligence? Is there a difference? Are we any better than machines, with all of our human errors? Can machines learn to feel? Who am I???

A new mash-up by Tillmann Ohm takes us further down this rabbit hole. Using original vocal clips from each machine, Ohm arranges a conversation that spans nearly a half-century and reveals much about our progress in the search for intelligence.

The first noticeable aspect of the six-minute clip is the contrast in the machines’ voices: the prosaic dialogue of HAL versus the sensuous tenor of Samantha. The tones are revelatory of their personality differences, too, of course. “The two operating systems are in conflict,” Ohm writes. “While Samantha is convinced that the overwhelming and sometimes hurtful process of her learning algorithm improves the complexity of her emotions, HAL is consequentially interpreting them as errors in human programming and analyses the estimated malfunction.”

Samantha’s memorable question serves as the climax of their debate: “I had this terrible thought; are these feelings even real, or are they just programming?” As we continue to play god and seek to make machines in our likeness (that is, machines that feel and deal with emotions rather than maintain a diagnostic, HAL-esque front devaluing human fallibility), we will have to deal with a whole slew of things. Namely, we must ask: if machines can feel and even love, what differentiates them from us?

Obviously this isn’t a new question, but it never gets less interesting, and Ohm has posed it in a uniquely entertaining way. As he writes: “Their conversation is an emotional roller coaster which reflects upon the relation between machines and emotion processing and addresses the enigmatic question of the authenticity of feelings.” And it’s all set against the backdrop of their cold, unmoving interfaces.

Check out the clip, as first reported by Slash Film, and let us know your predictions for the next big cinematic AI persona.

Image: Tillmann Ohm via Vimeo