Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2246

Facebook is Bringing Games Like PAC-MAN and GALAGA to News Feeds

Facebook has never been a stranger to gaming: FarmVille and Words With Friends both thrived on the website and became some of the biggest time-killers in the world during their primes because of it, and the social media site even introduced a hidden basketball-shooting minigame during the most recent March Madness tournament.

Now, though, Facebook is making a more concerted effort to make the site a destination for quick, casual gaming, and they’re bringing in some classic heavy-hitters to help with the effort.

Today, the company introduced Facebook Instant Games, an HTML5-based gaming platform that will allow users to play simple games in Facebook’s messenger and its news feed without the need for additional plug-ins. It’s also a cross-platform service, meaning that users on mobile and desktop versions of Facebook can play nice with each other.

Facebook Instant Games is currently in a closed beta, and includes 17 games, like Pac-Man, Galaga, Space Invaders, and Words With Friends, as well as some original titles created for the platform. Leo Olebe, Facebook’s director of global games partnerships, said (via The Verge), “We’re going to find out as time goes by what works on the platform,” likely meaning that some titles will be cut and others introduced as users get their hands dirty and decide what they want to play and what they’d rather not touch.

Social media is becoming an increasingly important part of video games—the Playstation 4 has sharing features built into its controller and operating system, and games like NBA 2K17 have faux social media updates as a feature to add realism to the sports world—so perhaps Facebook will be able to carve out a new niche in casual, multiplayer gaming with this new endeavor. Users can share high scores on their timelines, and there’s no way I’m going to let my friends see that my mom topped my score in Galaga.

Featured image: Midway/Namco

The Makers of DON’T BREATHE Discuss the Appeal of Horror Today

We might as well get this out of the way now: asked if the rebooted Evil Dead movie universe starring Jane Levy will continue on in any form, creators Sam Raimi, Fede Alvarez, and Rodo Sayagues will only offer a big “no comment.” But with this caveat, per Raimi, who had sort-of announced a couple years ago that both movie universes might collide, prior to Ash vs. Evil Dead being greenlit for TV: “I hoped one day to take Fede’s great idea of Ash and Jane together. But I opened my mouth, and then it didn’t happen, and I created a lot of trouble. So, I think, no comment.”

At a press luncheon for their recent hit Don’t Breathe—which debuts this week on Blu-ray and DVD—the team of Alvarez (director), Raimi (producer) and Sayagues (co-writer) took a little time to assess the current state of the horror film, which many say is the best it’s been in years. Alvarez’s theory on that is simply that kids who grew up during the great ’80s run of horror are now the right age to be making it themselves. “You have to picture, you have to imagine in 1988 a bunch of kids watching movies–watching horror movies,” he said. “We are some of them. James Wan is one of them. The guy—the Cloverfield Lane, the guy who did that—all those kids are watching movies and going ‘Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod!’ It takes time for those kids to become film makers, and take the genre seriously, like we do.”

Raimi, who actually was making horror movies in the ’80s, wants to keep enabling people to do what he did—although he’s quick to point out there’s no formula. “I don’t actually have a game plan,” he explained. “I think we just try to make those kinds of horror movies that studios won’t make, or that there’s a talented film maker that could use a little more protection from the studio. I always admired Hammer. I love horror movies, and I wish I had a stronger plan, but we’re looking for talented young film makers that could use a hand. Not necessarily creatively, but financially, or someone to stand up for them when the time comes, with the studio.”

“You know what I think?” asked Sayagues, rhetorically. “I think you’re like little kids, pulling a prank. For me, the thing that excites me the most is knowing that we will see that idea in the big screen, in theaters. It’s kind of like tricking the system, like they didn’t know that was going to happen, and they played the movie in the theater, and everything is set, and then we show that. It’s like ‘Wow, it’s going to be released, and we’re going to show this.'” He is, of course, thinking specifically of the turkey baster scene, which we won’t spoil here if you haven’t seen the movie yet.

Alvarez and Sayagues agreed that technology and surround sound also have a key part to play in modern horror, giving jump scares more of a kick than they used to have. “I don’t know if you noticed,” Alvarez pointed out, “none of them [in Don’t Breathe] are empowered by music. It’s all just sound design. The moment when she—they decide they’re going to go for the cellar, and she’s eyeballing the main door, and suddenly the door opens right in front of her. There’s a jump there—there’s no music, there’s nothing, just action, and there’s a loud crack that the door does. And that actually happened for real, when we shot it. We took the sound, and eventually we pumped it out. So it’s just, like, very loud and unsettling. CRACK! That hit at the right moment; it just scared everybody.”

Sayagues described what he sees as the typical cycle for a horror franchise thusly: “The studios made stories, and the studios made money out of it. And they were happy. And then they hired them again, and they made money again, and they were happy. And then they asked themselves, ‘Do we really need to deal with this film maker?’ Because people seem to go and watch these films, so what they did, they hired the same writer, but they got rid of the director, or they brought in another guy that was more like a journeyman from the studio. And they thought it would work again. And it was like, ‘Good, we don’t need to deal with that writer. Let’s just get another guy that just writes for the newspaper. Let’s just get him–I can pitch him the idea.’ And the guy from the studio says ‘Come up with some crap,’ and they put it out there, and it’s a success, and they go ‘Oh, this is great.'”

That won’t be happening on Don’t Breathe, as the sequel is going to have the same team behind it, with a new idea they won’t divulge as of yet, though Raimi called it “only the greatest idea for a sequel I’ve ever heard.” Alvarez added that it’s “kind of anarchic as an approach to a sequel to a movie. Is it what the studio are dying to have right away? Eh, who knows? Maybe…It’s exciting to create a character that you want to see more out of it. At least I do. I want to see the blind man, and see what’s going to happen with him.”

For those aspiring to make horror films, Alvarez is adamant that the most important thing is to have your work be widely seen, as his short, “Panic Attack,” was on YouTube. “If you’re passionate about what you do, and if you’re a pure film maker, your goal is to have your short be seen by as much people as possible. Nobody can offer you money in exchange for doing something that is going to be more powerful than what YouTube can do, which is to put it out in the world, and everybody can see it there.” Noting that he is often sent password-protected links, he emphatically admonished against such a thing, going, “What the fuck are you doing? Are you trying to hide this from people? You don’t want people to steal it from you and make a shitload of money without paying you—who thinks that is going to happen? Just put it online. Mail it to everybody. I’ve seen some shorts that are better than ours with these passwords—’Please don’t share it!’ Who are you fucking kidding? ‘Please don’t share it’? I don’t understand the logic behind ‘Don’t share it.’ What are you trying to protect? There’s no money in the short business. You’re not going to sell it and make money—no. What you want is people to see it.”

In the end, explained Alvarez, a successful horror movie has two parts: it has to both appeal to the general horror audience, and  attract wider audiences by getting across in a quick trailer why the concept works. “Because you can have an idea—OK, it’s about these kids robbing a blind man. OK, eh—I get it. Very quickly, you kind of get it. But then you show a couple of scenes that explain the possibilities of the idea.”

“Also,” added Sayagues, “horror is the perfect—it seems to be the perfect platform to create original content, right? You can make a good, commercial horror movie on a lower budget, so it’s safer. Studios can take the risk. So we took advantage of that.”

Did they succeed in doing so with Don’t Breathe? Have you been waiting for home video to find out? Now’s your chance…and let us know what you think in comments below.

Images: Sony Pictures

The BOOGIE NIGHTS House is up for Sale. Pool Party Anyone?

What’s the greatest film of the ’90s? Most of you out there would say Pulp Fiction or Fight Club, and while those are indeed stellar films, my money is always on P.T. Anderson’s second film, 1997’s Boogie Nights. Made when the director was only 25, the 2 1/2 hour epic about the porn movie heyday of the late ’70s and early ’80s, launched the careers of Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, Heather Graham, John C. Reilly, and Philip Seymour Hoffman into the stratosphere. Most importantly, it took Mark Wahlberg, who until that time was seen as a one hit wonder “Marky Mark” and an underwear model, and gave him a legit acting career.

Most of the action in the film takes place in the home of pornographer Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds). The house is supposedly set in the former Southern California porn Mecca of the San Fernando Valley, but in reality, the home was actually located in Covina, in the San Gabriel Valley. Now we’ve learned, thanks to real estate website Curbed, that the house that was used in the movie is up for sale. And judging from the pictures used in the listing on the website, it’s barely changed at all since the movie was shot there back in 1996.

In fact, the mid century home, which according to the listing was built in 1958, looks pretty much as is it did when it was first built, stone fireplace, groovy wood paneled walls, and all. And it can all be yours for just $1.5 million dollars, and then you can have the best Boogie Nights theme parties ever, and be the envy of all your hipster friends. All I know is, I hope whoever buys it doesn’t modernize the heck out of it or knock it down and turn it into another McMansion. We’re talking Hollywood history here, baby! Some things just need to be preserved. You can see some photos from the listing down below in our gallery. 

If you had the disposable cash, would you buy the Boogie Nights house? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: New Line Cinema / Jenny Xu, Re/Max Realty

6 X-MEN We Want Back on the Team

Earlier this week, Marvel revealed the new teams and the new creative lineups for X-Men: Gold and X-Men: Blue. Surprisingly, several popular mutant heroes and heroines didn’t make the cut this time, as the original X-Men from the past will join Magneto in X-Men: Blue; while Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rachel Grey, and Old Man Logan will follow Kitty Pryde in X-Men: Gold.

To a certain extent, it’s understandable why incoming writers Marc Guggenheim and Cullen Bunn may have wanted to cut down the size of the cast. But the problem that created is that many fan-favorite characters are seemingly going to be left out of the equation. That includes a few characters who have been associated with the team for decades!

While we are definitely excited to see where Resurrexion takes Marvel’s mutant heroes, we’ve put together a quick list of six mutants who we believe deserve a slot on one of the two main X-Men teams.

Rogue

While we’re happy to see Rogue headlining Uncanny Avengers as the leader of that particular team, she’s been gone from the X-Men books for far too long. There’s no reason why Rogue can’t pull double duty, and appear in the X-Men while maintaining her role in the Avengers. Wolverine used to pull off that trick all of the time! And if he could, then why not Rogue?

Gambit

Amazingly, Gambit has also been out of the X-Men books for a few years, aside from a stint in X-Factor and a few cameos here and there. Just because he theoretically still has a live-action movie on the way doesn’t mean that Marvel is fully utilizing its favorite Cajun.

Let’s face it: Gambit is never more entertaining than when he’s playing off of the other X-Men. He’s softened over the years, but Gambit still has a bit of the rebel swagger and an occasionally shady side that can lead into interesting directions. That said, we’re over the whole Rogue and Gambit angst…for now. If they end up on the same team again, let’s see them have some fun!

Wolverine

We’ll give Marvel this: Wolverine has been dead for two years, and they haven’t brought him back yet! That’s a lot longer than we expected his death to last, and Marvel has introduced Old Man Logan from an alternate Earth to essentially fill his role on the team. But damn it, we want the original model back!

The good news is that whenever Marvel eventually decides to bring back Wolverine, his body should be well preserved inside that hardened adamantium shell. Now, someone just needs to get him out of there!

Psylocke

Thanks to X-Men: Apocalypse, even casual X-Men fans know who Psylocke is. It sure would be a good time to feature her in a comic book. And yet, Psylocke is conspicuously absent from the new lineup at the height of her mainstream popularity. Crazy, right? That’s like giving Psylocke a potentially big part in the last movie and then not giving her much to do. Wait a minute…

Havok

Do you remember Cyclops’ younger brother? Because sometimes, we wonder if Marvel does! After all, there was a perfectly good set up after Axis that left Havok “inverted,” and potentially no longer the hero he once was. But that was pretty much ignored during Havok’s cameo during Death of X. And considering the ignoble way that Cyclops went out in that story, an upgrade for Havok would be the least Marvel could do!

Even if Havok wasn’t a member of the X-Men, he could still play a large role as one of the keepers of his brother’s legacy. He’s lived in the shadow of Cyclops for most of his life, so this would be the right time for Alex Summers to find his own path.

Phoenix (Jean Grey)

If you’ve ever complained about characters coming back from the dead in superhero comics, keep in mind that Jean Grey was killed off over a decade ago and she still isn’t back! The annoying thing is that she’s the Phoenix, so she should be all about resurrection and renewal. Teen Jean and the young X-Men from the past are still running around in the Marvel Universe, but there’s also very good reason why the adult Jean should make a comeback.

Out of all of the original X-Men, Jean Grey is only one who could legitimately step up and take on a leadership role not only for her team, but also for mutant rights in general. Without Professor Xavier, Wolverine, or even Cyclops to fall back on, it’s time for Jean to be the keeper of the flame, as she carries the dream of peaceful co-existence with humans into a new era.

Which mutants would you like to see get a comeback in the X-Men titles? Activate Cerebro and share your thoughts below!

Images: Marvel Comics

And now, 7 times comics made us go WHAAAAA?

Study: Coconut Crabs Can Probably Curl More Than You

The animal kingdom is full of superlatives: Peregrine Falcons can reach diving speeds upwards of 200 miles per hour while cheetahs top out at around 70mph as the fastest land animal. The world’s strongest insect might very well be a dung beetle called Onthophagus taurus, which can pull 1,141 times its own body weight. And then there are the brawlers of the ocean floor, the mantis shrimp, who are all kinds of badass. But when it comes to pure pinching power, nothing tops the crusty claws of the coconut crab.

Also known by the Latin name of Birgus latro and by the colorful aliases of robber crab or palm thief, the coconut crab is a species of terrestrial hermit crab that is the largest land-living arthropod. Weighing up to nine pounds and growing one meter in length from leg to leg, this Pacific and Indian Ocean dweller represents the upper limit for the size of (current) terrestrial exoskeletons. The focus of a recent study by Japanese researchers Shin-ichiro Oka, Taketeru Tomita, and Kei Miyamoto was not the crab’s size, however. They wanted to knowing how powerful its pincers are.

Published in PLOS One, their research found that the coconut crab can deliver anywhere from 7 to 400 pounds of force (or 29 to 1,765 Newtons) with their crushing claws, depending on their size. Since the pinching power showed a strong positive correlation to the crabs’ body mass, the largest crab on record could potentially exert 750 pounds of force (3,300 Newtons). For perspective, a human’s bite exerts an average of 265 pounds of force (at the molar), and an Olympic boxer’s average punch delivers a blow with 770 pounds of force. However, the claws’ clamping potential falls far short of the reigning champion of the animal kingdom: crocodile jaws can bite down with a massive 16,000 Newtons, or about 3,597 pounds of force. Yikes.

Oh, and the crabs can curl around 30 kilograms (66 pounds). Better head back to the gym…

It wasn’t all fun and games for the researchers though, especially not for Oka, who got a first-hand experience of the pincers’ power: “I was pinched two times and felt eternal hell,” he says. These crabs can use their powerful pincers to ward off predators and potential competitors, but also for accessing a variety of foods like hard-bodied animals, carrion, fruit, the insides of fallen trees, and by cracking coconuts. The study suggests that these omnivorous critters likely lost the need to carry the shells hauled by their hermit crab ancestors over the course of their evolution stretching some five million years. They’re now protected by a hard, calcified abdomen and, of course, those imposing claws. Crabrawler, eat your heart out.

Would you subject yourself to a powerful pinch from a coconut crab on a dare? Let us know in the comments!

Image: Drew Avery, Asuran Kerala

New STAR WARS Rumor! Is This Why We’re Not Getting an Obi-Wan Spinoff?

Thanks to Disney, we’re gonna get at least one new Star Wars movie per year for the foreseeable future. But so far, we only know about 2018’s Han Solo stand-alone film and the remaining two installments of the current Star Wars trilogy. The natural choice to star in the next stand-alone seemed to be fan-favorite Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Prequel trilogy star Ewan McGregor has indicated his willingness to return, and he even briefly lent his voice to Star Wars: The Force Awakens! So why isn’t an Obi-Wan film happening any time soon? Today’s Nerdist News is on the case!

Beware of potential Star Wars spoilers ahead, especially for Star Wars: Episode VIII. You’ve been warned!

During an appearance on Rebel Force Radio, Entertainment Weekly writer Anthony Breznican relayed a particularly juicy rumor. According to Breznican, the only reason an Obi-Wan solo flick hasn’t come together yet is that there are still plans to use him in the current trilogy. That means there’s a very strong possibility that McGregor will once again be called upon to reprise his role in either Episode VIII or Episode IX. But why?

Join senior editor and part-Wookiee, Dan Casey, as well as science editor and midichlorian truther, Kyle Hill, as they dive into the mystery of Obi-Wan’s new role in the Star Wars franchise, and if it ties into the identity of Rey’s parents. Keep in mind, Rey is much too young to be Obi-Wan’s daughter, but Rey as Kenobi’s granddaughter certainly isn’t out of the question. And we kind of love the idea of Luke Skywalker teaching the last Kenobi the ways of the Force. Of course, that would also mean that Obi-Wan must have had a kid during his exile on Tatooine. If so, he must have had a lover as well, although we think we can rule out the Jawas on that one!

What role do you think Master Obi-Wan will play in the future of the Star Wars films? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

SUPERGIRL Recap: Medusa

Editor’s Note: This post contains spoilers for Supergirl. Proceed with caution if you aren’t caught up yet. 

For the majority of Supergirl‘s second season, we’ve been watching several relationships develop, across the board of the romantic, familial, and platonic. Last night’s episode “Medusa” added fuel to some of these kindling fires, all the while extinguishing others. But there was a lot more to the episode than relationships, however, including a pretty noteworthy crossover. We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get to it!

Ah, Thanksgiving. It’s the perfect time to eat copious amounts of food, spend time with your family, and try not to get sucked into a sudden rip in the space-time continuum. If you have experience in that last department, you’re probably a Danvers. That’s exactly how last night’s episode kicked off, with the time rip rudely interrupting Alex’s big coming out announcement.

Before the mystery behind the time portal was revealed towards the end of the episode, Kara had some other business to attend to. After reaching out to Lena to question her about her mother, Kara learned that Lena thought of herself as someone who had always come up short as a daughter. With Lex getting all the attention, Lena was left in the dust. As soon as Kara took off, Lena called her mother Lillian and told her they needed to talk.

It is unclear what the duo discussed, but at this point there are more important things at hand. While Mon-El was spending time at the speakeasy, a mysterious hooded figure showed up and set off a toxic gas that only kills aliens. Mon wasn’t in good shape following the attack. Until they found a cure, Kara’s mom Eliza was under the impression Mon-El was going to die. With his life on the line, Kara was bound and determined to find a cure.

That determination led her to L Corp. Apparently, Cadmus weaponized “Medusa,” which they obtained from the Fortress of Solitude (after gaining access via Kara’s blood). But they needed a rare isotope in order to disperse the virus. The organization’s only option was to send Cyborg Superman to grab the item from L Corp. Kara showed up to stop him, but he got away, thankfully without the isotope. Maggie was hit in the crossfire, which gave her a bit of bonding time with Alex.

Speaking of Alex, she has come along way since Maggie first suggested that she might be gay. Last night, she had several big moments, including coming out to her mother and finally getting the girl. But she wasn’t the only one who was looking within. Kara spent a fair amount of the episode preoccupied with the fact that her family is responsible for creating Project Medusa, and that they weren’t as benevolent as she thought. When J’onn reminded Kara that their legacy would be her, she calmed down.

Kara then took that very same lesson and tried to apply it to Lena Luthor’s situation with her mother. When Kara broke the news to Lena that her mother was part of Cadmus, Luthor shut her down and criticized her instead. Despite Kara telling her that she was different from her mother, Lena dismissed her and set up a meeting to see Lillian. When they met in person, Lena confronted her mother about Cadmus, then proceeded to join the dark side.

Or so Lillian thought. The mother-daughter duo teamed up to disperse the toxin throughout the city. While they were successful at executing the plan, when the bazooka finally went off, it erupted in harmless material. As it turns out, Lena had tricked her mother and called the police on her. With her cooperation, Eliza and the rest of the folks at the DEO were able to find a cure for the Medusa AND J’onn.

Aside from the main plot points, there were several smaller ones that received a lot of love last night. For starters, Alex and Maggie are finally an item! The adorable couple wasn’t the only one who kissed, however, as Kara also smooched Mon-El. Of course Mon didn’t remember any of it when he woke up feeling back to normal.

Finally, the payoff to the tear in the space-time continuum: Barry Allen returned to the show for a cross-over. It didn’t take long for Kara to realize that the tear was all thanks to Barry and Cisco, whom she’ll be seeing a lot more of (along with some others) throughout this week.

What did you think of last night’s episode? Let us know in the comments.

Images: CW

Bandai Takes Snap-Kits Into Hyperdrive with New STAR WARS Line

If you’re a Star Wars collector, even casually, you’ve probably put together a plastic toy spaceship at some point—but not like this. In its new line of miniature kits, Bandai is not only upping the ante on quality, but also of ease. The company is aiming for a level of detail that matches prop-replica levels of accuracy, while still making it possible for the average consumer with non-elflike fingers to snap the kit together with relative ease. The first North American release will be a two-pack of Rogue One X-Wings, one in 1/72 scale and the other in 1/144 scale. For those who don’t speak nerd scale on toys, here’s how that breaks down: 1:1 scale would be a six-foot tall human action figure, approximately, so 1/72 scale means a human pilot would be an inch tall, while 1/144 would make them half an inch.

Bandai has made a video, above, that showcases the amazing lengths they go to to make these collector friendly. The sculpting is so intricate that it includes details you won’t even see in the final assembled product but can enjoy while you’re building. The design is such that it is made to hide the marks where each part was originally attached to the frame. And depending on how fancy you like your stickers, there are options: each vehicle comes with both high-end waterslide decals and regular labels that don’t require tweezers and a soaking bowl.

Our gallery below showcases some of the attention to detail in the first wave of product, which includes an A-Wing, TIE Interceptor, and Poe’s black X-Wing—particularly cool are the bases that replicate Death Star panels, and the optional laser blast effect pieces. Many more vehicles are planned, including a Millennium Falcon and potentially a Star Destroyer, and there’ll be figure kits as well for the likes of Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, and a shiny vac-metallized Threepio (one of these things is not like the other!). So far they’re all from the Luke Skywalker era, but given the way they get the metallic parts to look on our favorite protocol droid, it would be nice to someday finally get a properly shiny replica of Queen Amidala’s various royal spaceships from the prequels.

Are you ready to build an armada? What would you like to see Bandai tackle next? Stay on target and leave your thoughts in comments.

Images: Bandai

Bandcamping: The Best Underground Albums of November

Now that we’re done dealing with our extended families, it is time to either unwind or miss them, depending on how it went. Why not relax with a batch of freshly picked new music, or more specifically, some of the finest obscure picks from the past month of Bandcamp releases? This month’s edition of Bandcamping features some gems, so let’s not screw around and dive right in.

5. Timenesia by Galaxy Juice

Timenesia (2016) by Galaxy Juice

Genre: indie rock, psychedelic rock

If you like: Animal Collective, Of Montreal

I believe this is the first album from Kuwait to appear in this space, and it’s a keeper, drawing influences from the global music marketplace to create a familiarly psychedelic sound that doesn’t go too far off the early-Pink-Floyd-psychedelia deep end. They try a lot, yes, but it always remains coherent, and therefore, listenable, especially on opening track “Allokation,” which reminds me a little bit of Granddaddy or Beck?

4. Distancia Focal by Chances

Distancia Focal by Chances

Genre: rock, post-hardcore

If you like: Confide, Refused, Pianos Become the Teeth

This album by Chilean group Chances is in Spanish, but the language barrier isn’t an issue with songs this intense, and really, how well can you understand the post-hardcore screaming when it’s in English anyway? Chances knows how to make big-sounding and energetic rock music, something they do consistently though the record’s 11 tracks.

3. Another Life by Tomorrows

Another Life by TOMORROWS

Genre: indie rock

If you like: Real Estate, Father John Misty, Arctic Monkeys

Dublin-based Tomorrows doesn’t really plant a foot firmly in one subgenre of indie rock, instead choosing to float between them and tackle everything from dream pop to doo-wop- and bluegrass-influenced rock for a record that congeals better than you’d expect it to. It tries a lot, yes, and it also achieves a lot, bringing disparate influences under one generally dreamy umbrella.

2. Graphism by Pale Hands

Timenesia (2016) by Galaxy Juice

Genre: indie rock, synth pop, electronica

If you like: St. Vincent, MGMT, Tegan and Sara

This Massachusetts trio creates an immersive electronic sound on their sophomore album that has the candied pop gloss of Tegan and Sara along with the bold but catchy experimentalism of St. Vincent. Simply, it’s a fascinating record that’s as challenging as it is consumable.

1. What a Joy by Ellie Herring

What a Joy by Ellie Herring

Genre: electronic

If you like: Todd Terje, Lindstrøm

Everybody and their cousin’s cousin is throwing electronic music up on Bandcamp, but Kentucky-based producer Ellie Herring knows how to craft a propulsive track that honors ’80s electronic traditions without masking the fact that it’s nearly 2017. Electronic music often gets in the bad habit of going on for too long because “it’s setting a mood, man,” but Herring’s tracks can create a moment in just a few minutes without wasting time meandering on a thread with no clear destination.

Honorable Mentions

Bright Lights, Bright Lights! by Broken Factory Windows

Genre: rock, alternative rock, hard rock

If you like: Titus Andronicus, The Men, Dropkick Murphys

SG X NC by Sun Glitters X Nadine Carina

Genre: indie pop, electronica

If you like: Toro y Moi, vaporwave

Forests and the Hunt by Forests and the Hunt

Genre: synthwave, electronica

If you like: Stranger Things, Com Truise

That’s all for November, but until next time, let us know in the comments which of these albums were your favorites, what we missed, and what we should look forward to. If you missed out on the last post, check it out here (and the complete Bandcamping archives are here).

GOTHAM’s Camren Bicondova Breaks Down That Shocking Selina Kyle Twist

Warning: the following story contains major spoilers from Gotham‘s fall finale, “Mad City: Beware the Green-Eyed Monster.” Don’t say we didn’t warn you …

Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) is going to have some major mommy issues when Gotham returns from its mini fall hiatus. The future Catwoman was thrown for a major loop in the fall finale, “Mad City: Beware the Green-Eyed Monster,” when her estranged mother showed up at the most fortuitous time — right as she was being attacked by the Court of Owls’ assassin!

After Selina agreed to help Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) and Alfred (Sean Pertwee) with their heist of whatever the nefarious Court of Owls was hiding in a safe, the trio was attacked right after breaking in to the safe and stealing the mysterious glass owl figurine inside of it. Right when it looked like things would take a turn for the deadly, a woman in all black showed up and helped them fight off the assassin. Alfred finally killed the assassin, giving Bruce a moment to catch his breath and ask Selina if she recognized their helper. That’s when Selina revealed that the woman was none other than her mother.

As for how Selina will feel about having her mom back in her life again, and at such a pivotal moment, expect the next episode to focus on that in a big way.

“We’ll dive into that when the season picks up in episode 12. Episode 12 is really when we see how Selina feels,” Bicondova told us. “I think Selina is kind of torn because obviously she’s always yearned for her mother to be in her life but then at the same time, based on what we learn in episode 12, Selina is bitter because of what happened. Selina’s been living on her own for the majority of her life so it’s this yin and yang of, ‘Well I’ve always wanted a mother but I’ve grown up already on my own.'”

It was pretty lucky that Selina’s mother had been tailing her right when she started to help Bruce and Alfred with their heist plan against the Court of Owls, since without her assistance, they probably would have died inside the Court of Owls safe house.

“This is going to be tough to answer without spoiling it,” Bicondova said with a laugh when asked about why Selina’s mother chose to come back in her life now. “I can say that it’s kind of a coincidence because Selina has become vulnerable in a way with Bruce. She’s always put up a wall and has always been very guarded, and life has now put her in this place of vulnerability when her relationship with Bruce starts becoming a more teenaged relationship than a tween relationship. I think it’s coincidental that once her relationship with Bruce comes about, her mother who is her biggest vulnerability comes back into her life.”

She paused, and then continued, “Selina is getting hit from both ends with her emotions and I’ve had a really great time working on this stuff. I’m excited for everyone to see it. It’s different, you know? Selina is very complex. And personally I feel like when someone is trying to hide their emotions, they’re actually showing more. This is different for her because she’s not hiding her vulnerability in the upcoming episodes. She’s actually giving in to it. It was cool diving into this new aspect of Selina.”

The fall finale was a big episode for Selina for more reasons than just her mother returning to her life, since Selina also kissed Bruce right before the heist began. After denying her feelings for the future Batman and resisting their fledgling relationship for so long while Bruce made his feelings for her clear, the kiss was a moment of relief for fans who have become invested in their adorable, will-they-won’t-they dynamic.

“That scene was a very crucial scene for Selina because she had a feeling going into the mission that it was not a good idea, that there was a higher possibility of them dying than them succeeding,” Bicondova said. “So when she kissed him, it was like, ‘Well, here we go! If we did, I just wanted you to know that I like you a lot, but this may be the last time you see me.’ But it foreshadows the dynamic between Catwoman and Batman, that Selina will always do her own thing but she’ll always have feelings for Bruce, and it will always be that struggle between them of them being from opposite worlds.”

And what’s up with that weird glass owl figurine?! After the Whisper Gang told Selina, Bruce and Alfred that the key they found opened a safe containing something that could bring down the Court of Owls once and for all, the confusion on Selina and Bruce’s faces when they opened the safe to find an innocuous statue was a true moment of comedy. Why does the Court of Owls fear this, of all things?

“Whatever that is, right? This is the big deal? This is what we’re risking our lives for?” Bicondova said with a laugh. “I thought there would be, like, millions of dollars in this safe or something like that.”

Bicondova revealed that the actors still don’t know the answer to why that statue is so important to the Court of Owls. “I have no idea, actually,” she said. “We’re shooting episode 13 so I’ve gotten to read a few scripts ahead and I still have no idea what significance that little statue has. I will forever be confused about that. I’m sure we’ll learn about it later on but as of now I have no idea what that’s about. So me and Selina agreed on that. I think everyone is pretty confused so I’m excited to see what the writers do with that.”

What do you think is the deal with the Court of Owls statue? Tweet me your theories at @SydneyBucksbaum!

Gotham airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Images: Fox