Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2328

Every Movie Character Ever Meets in This Bathroom in Perfect Mashup

Imagining how characters from different movies would interact with each other, or co-exist in the same world, has always been a fun exercise in fantasy casting. But it turns out if that very scenario were possible it would look a whole lot more like a nightmare than a fantasy.

At least it does in one version of that world–a world we can not touch nor reach, where all the movie characters come together in a single location–because that place is a bizarre, surreal, and dangerous hellscape. So it is only fitting that place is known as Hell’s Club, and even imaginary people need to go to the bathroom.

In this expertly crafted, mega-mash-up video from Antonion Maria Da Silva of AMDS Films, that we first came across at Sploid, characters as diverse as Sylvester Stallone’s Judge Dredd, Jack Nicholson’s Jack Torrance from The Shining, Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus from The Matrix, all find themselves using the bathroom at Hell’s Club. Or at least trying to use it when they aren’t fighting each other, or battling monsters, or simply struggling with regular old bathroom issues.

Turns out that not only is the Hell’s Club restroom a unisex bathroom, it is also uni-species. I’ve seen Jurassic Park enough to know I would prefer to avoid any T-Rex when I’m using the facilities, so maybe if you go to Hell’s Club just hold it in.

The editing job here is really impeccable, with disparate scenes and bathroom locations interwoven seamlessly. If you didn’t know any better you would think most Hollywood bathroom scenes were filmed on one of two sets.

This is actually a follow-up to the original character meet-up videos inside Hell’s Club. Honestly, as much as you would like to meet some of these movie characters, I’d just avoid it.

Yeah, instead of going to Hell’s Club we’ll just stay home and watch a movie, where the characters belong and don’t frighten us so much.

What other bathroom scene from a movie could have been included here? Tell us in the comments below.

Image: AMDS Films

New STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE Photos Show the Rebels’ Badassery

If you think the fact that today is Labor Day means there’s a shortage of nerd-friendly film news out there, think again! Today’s Movie Morsels has the latest photos from Rogue One and Spider-Man: Homecoming, a new video of Vin Diesel and James Gunn talking Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and a whole helluva lot more!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Yet more Rogue One photos have surfaced online (after the recent deluge in Empire magazine). This time, we have a shot of Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso in what appears to be an early scene from the film, before she embarks on her mission to steal the Death Star plans. Plus, we have a new look at the sick-looking Death Troopers and the diabolical Death Star Director Rennic…

Three new Rogue One: A Star Wars Story movie stills#StarWars #RogueOne https://t.co/q1qo77AwmX

— Jason Ward (@MakingStarWars) September 2, 2016

Despite all her rage, she is still just a Jyn in a cage #RogueOne pic.twitter.com/I5Nu9itUk6 — Andrew Lupi (@ALupi15) September 2, 2016

New ‘Rogue One’ Photos Feature Handcuffed Jyn Erso, Dastardly Director Krennic & More https://t.co/ociVSVqE2v pic.twitter.com/OXOe3owb6Y

— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) September 3, 2016

[Twitter] Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Vin Diesel was so blown away by James Gunn’s script for the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel, that he immediately recorded his reaction to it in a new video which he’s shared on social media. Gunn himself joined his star, and the two talked about the differences between the first and second films. Gunn says the original Guardians was about becoming a family, but that Vol. 2 is about the more difficult job of being a family… [Facebook] Spider-Man: Homecoming Tom Holland, in what has become a tradition with Marvel superhero stars, has visited the patients of a children’s hospital in his super suit — the very same outfit he wears in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming. In the following video, Holland explains that the suit he’s wearing is the “beauty” costume, and that a total of twenty versions were made of the iconic outfit for the latest Spidey movie… Holland has also shared an atmospheric new pic from the set of Homecoming, in which Peter Parker strikes a heroic pose…

Thank you to @georgejcottle and his amazing team for making me look like a badass. #spidermanhomecoming #stunts A photo posted by ✌️ (@tomholland2013) on Sep 1, 2016 at 1:51pm PDT

[Ryan Seacrest Foundation]

Captain America: Civil War

In other Marvel movie news… We have two new clips today from The Making of Captain America: Civil War. It’s one of the bonus features that can be found on the film’s upcoming Blu-ray release. And it sees Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie, Elizabeth Olsen, and our other favorite Avengers actors getting all superheroic on the film’s set…

[Marvel]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Finally today… While it didn’t make quite the same dent in the box-office that Captain America: Civil War did, the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film in the rebooted big-screen franchise was not without some admirers, particularly those who are fans of Megan Fox and Stephen Amell. The latter is featured in a new bonus feature clip from the sequel’s Blu-ray release, which focuses on his hockey-stick-wielding Casey Jones…

[Coming Soon]

What do you think of today’s top stories? Let us know below!

Images: Lucasfilm/Disney

This Experiment Helps Us See What Invisibility Looks Like

Which superpower would you rather have, invisibility or flight? It’s the age-old conversation sparker. Among two of the most common powers in fiction lore, which would you choose?

I’ve always been in the invisibility camp because, if I could fly, I figured the FAA and/or military would either shoot me from the sky or expropriate my talent so they could commercialize and/or weaponize it, District 9 style. But invisibility has its question marks, too. For instance, who am I invisible to? Even if I’m no longer emitting lightwaves within the spectrum of human visibility, surely there are some creatures that could see me. What would my invisibility look like to them? Thanks to an experiment by Brusspup (and to Sploid for finding it), now we can kind of imagine what that might look like.

The Schlieren Effect is a phenomenon that allows us to see differences in air density that we can’t normally perceive, like changes in heat and pressure. To replicate this event, Brusspup placed a razor blade over a camera, creating a shadow effect that would reveal said disparities. With a light source and a concave mirror that sent light back to the camera, Brusspup captured air density changes while doing things like opening a soda can, using a hair dryer, and operating a regular old lighter. It’s quite beautiful, actually, like portraits of the wind.

So, now that we know how cool invisibility looks like to those keen enough to see it, maybe we should introduce a third superpower option: would you opt for flight, invisibility, or the power to see those invisible to others, an expansion of the visible spectrum itself? I like number three. Check out the video above and let us know which you would choose in the comments.

Image: Brusspup

Cheeseburger Perfectly Falls into Place in Beautiful but Complex Shot

There is no more perfect, no more American food than a cheeseburger. It is a culinary symphony of meat, cheese, and bread, arranged in an aesthetically perfect tableau of warmth and sustenance. I’d say I love everything about them, but truth be told I’m obsessed with them. I eat them religiously in every city I visit, read biographies about them, ask chefs about their ground beef composition and cooking techniques, and debate things like “meat-to-bun” ratio and patty size (literally all of that is true without any exaggeration). So you can imagine how I feel about this slow-mo video of a deconstructed burger perfectly falling in to place in one harmonious moment of burger nirvana.

We first came across this video at LaughingSquid, and it was made by Vimeo user Steve Giralt, who also shared a behind-the-scenes video to show how he brought all of the burger elements together in one swift set-up, using an “Arduino-based timing control system” and “custom 3D printed scalpel blades” cutting through elastic bands that held up the food. The entire shot took less than half a second in real time, but required over a month of preparation.

I’m eschewing my typical admonishment of putting ketchup on a burger because he did so for the visual effect, and also because it meant he got to use a double catapult to make it happen. Plus, that looks like Thousand Island dressing on the bottom bun, so he knows what’s up. He gets it.

Look, I’m not saying my reaction to this food video is weird–I’m not Jim Gaffigan. But, as strange as it sounds burgers are my “thing,” and this is like watching one of my dreams come to life–the perfect food perfectly falling in to place, served with a cold beer. What more could any person want?

Minus the ketchup.

What’s on your perfect burger? Celebrate the glory of cheeseburgers with us in the comments below.

Image: Steve Giralt

Bugs Bunny’s Origin and Legacy Explained in New Video

It saddens me to think that the further we are from the 20th Century, the less prevalent the Looney Tunes will be. I remember growing up when pretty much every single day, we could watch a half-hour smattering of the old Warner Bros shorts that were nearly 50 years old even then. Even though some of the references were lost on me, the zany slapstick and wry wit of characters like Bugs Bunny transcended any and all time barriers. A world without Bugs would be a sad one indeed, and it’s with this in mind that video essayist kaptainkristian looks at Bugs’ origins and legacy.

Bugs Bunny, unlike most animated characters, doesn’t have a single defined origin, having been created, changed, modified, and molded over several years and many different directorial hands, each with their own distinct take on the character. Under Friz Freleng, Bugs would mind his own business and, when forced, react and own an adversary. Bob Clampett went a completely different direction, making Bugs a much less composed figure, often screwing up his retaliations or even instigating and being made the fool. And under Chuck Jones, perhaps the character’s most famous take, he’s the near-omnipotent trickster, a constantly cool and slyly malevolent force. Crazy how that changes.

But regardless of which version you favor, Bugs has become much more than simply collection of catch phrases and quirks, and he’s much more than just an emblem for the corporation of Warner Bros. As kaptainkristian points out, the difference between Bugs and Disney’s Mickey Mouse is more than just aesthetic; Mickey is a recognizable figure, but Bugs is a fully realized character. While Mickey’s iconic for marketing reasons, Bugs is an icon for comedic reasons. And who’d want to be Mickey when they could be Bugs?

Share some of your favorite Bugs Bunny moments/shorts in the comments below!

Image: Warner Bros

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. You can find more of his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!

The Real Life Conspiracy that Inspired STRANGER THINGS

What could make Netflix’s breakout hit, Stranger Things even stranger? It’s the idea that all of that craziness had some basis in reality. The Duffer brothers originally sold Stranger Things to Netflix under the title “Montauk.” That suggests that the Duffers drew some of their inspiration from Preston B. Nichols’ Montauk novels, which has things that make even the Upside-Down look tame! Today’s Nerdist News is on the case and we’re looking at Stranger Things‘ connection to a truly bizarre conspiracy theory that some people really believe.

Take this with all of the salt, but Nichols claims that his Montauk trilogy is based on his experiences at Camp Hero. Think of it as the East Coast’s answer to Area 51. Camp Hero was supposedly a secret government instillation where science as we know it was pushed into the realm of science fiction. We’re talking time travel experiments, psychic warfare, and even children from small towns who were abducted and experimented upon. Does that sound like any eleven-year-old girls that we’ve recently seen on Netflix?

Now, we’re not saying that we buy into this gonzo theory, but there are some uncanny parallels between the Montauk books and the events in Stranger Things. For example, the account of a creature escaping from the realm of the sub-consciousness and going on a rampage in the lab sure sounds a lot like our ol’ pal, the Demogorgon breaking out of the Upside-Down. And we do have to add that the idea of monsters from our worst nightmares leaping into our reality is just terrifying.

Nerdist News host and cryptozoologist Jessica Chobot has all of the important details, as she dives into the even crazier territory explored in the Montauk books that may have implications for future seasons of our new favorite show.

What do you think about the possible connection between Stranger Things and Nichols’ Montauk? Schedule a remote viewing and share your thoughts below!

TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE’S Matrix of Leadership Recreated with 3D Printer

Thirty years ago, Transformers: The Movie rewrote the mythology of the franchise and introduced the Matrix of Leadership, which was passed from a dying Optimus Prime to his successor. An earlier form of the Matrix had previously appeared in the Transformers comic book series, but this is the most famous version, and the one recently created with a 3D printer!

Via Gizmodo, the latest episode of Bob Clagett‘s YouTube series I Like To Make Stuff unveiled his take on one of the most coveted objects in the Transformers universe. According to Clagett, it was far more difficult than he initially assumed it would be. By his own admission, he made several mistakes along the way.

One of Clagett’s mission statements for I Like To Make Stuff is that he uses it as an opportunity to chronicle the learning process behind his various custom projects. In this episode, Clagett spent the early part of the video showing a few clips of the 3D Matrix model that he created in Fusion while figuring out how to use the program. Clagett noted that it took between 35 to 40 hours just to print out all of the pieces. Some of that included pieces that didn’t come out correctly, or those that were “just wrong.” Clagett also put a considerable effort into making sure the buildlines were eliminated before moving on to adding several layers of paint. After assembling the pieces, Clagett even added a working light to the Matrix. We have to say that it came out quite nicely. It’s very impressive, and we’d buy it if we could!

You can find more of Clagett’s videos at the I Like To Make Stuff YouTube Channel.

What did you think about this 3D Matrix? Transform and roll out to the comment section below!

Image: Bob Clagett

Deleted Scene from THE FLASH Reveals Caitlin Snow and Jay Garrick’s First Date

Not that the men of the hit TV series The Flash have much better love lives, it’s just that Dr. Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) seems to have the worst luck of anyone in Central City. Let’s recap, shall we? Her first boyfriend, Ronnie Raymond, is thought vaporized in the same accident that gives Barry Allen his speed powers. Bummer, right? Then he turns up alive, and as one half of the Firestorm matrix….only to seemingly die all over again on his and Caitlin’s wedding day. And that was all in just the first season of The Flash.

Then in season two of the show, Caitlin tried to heal her broken heart and get back into the dating world, and fell for a hunky dude from a parallel Earth named Jay Garrick (Teddy Sears). He’s a Flash too. What could go wrong? Well, it turns out that Caitlin Snow has the same luck when it comes to dating hot dudes as a certain Buffy Summers did back in the day, when the CW was still called the WB.  SPOILERS for season two, but it turned out that Jay Garrick wasn’t really Jay Garrick at all, but a serial killer named Hunter Zolomon who went by the name Zoom.

Let’s all hope that Caitlin’s dating prospects improve greatly in the third season, because it hardly seems that they could get much worse. In the meantime, Warner Brothers have revealed a deleted scene from the second season of The Flash, via Entertainment Weekly, which is due to hit home video this week. In it, you can see Caitlin’s first cute and awkward date with Zoom Jay Garrick, back when she was still blissfully ignorant of his true self, and still had hope that love springs eternal. You can relive happier times and watch the deleted scene down below.

The second season of The Flash hits DVD and Blu-ray on September 6th, and the third season of the show returns to the CW on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. ET.

Were you bummed when Jay Garrick turned out to be all evil-like, and broke our poor Caitlin’s heart? Who do you want to see Dr. Snow date next year? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.

Images: Warner Bros. Television/ The CW

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD Recap: “Do Not Disturb” Is Good Advice

Editor’s note: This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of Fear the Walking Dead! Proceed with caution, survivors. For reals, if you haven’t yet watched the latest episode, “Do Not Disturb”, we highly suggest you do so before proceeding. Okay? We good? Let’s go.

There are times when the Walking Dead universe reminds me of that old joke about the plane that’s coming in for a landing. The one where the pilot says to his co-pilot, “Look how short that runway is,” and the co-pilot responds, “Yeah, but it sure is wide.” Which is to say that even if most of the characters in Fear the Walking Dead don’t possess quite as much depth as we’d like them to, the show’s plotting and mise-en-scene can still find a way to hold our interest.

Such is the case with “Do Not Disturb,” in which the show returns to Travis and Chris’ storyline for the first time in this back half of its second season. Tired, hungry, and thirsty, the two have, presumably, been waking their way south. Though not too south, since–as Chris points out–despite his bluster about wanting to start over and making a new life with his son, Travis doesn’t want to stray all that far from where he left Madison.

It isn’t long, of course, before father and son encounter trouble, in the form of some stupid kids from San Diego caught south of the border during the virus outbreak. Reveling in their newfound freedom, they indoctrinate Chris into their group. Travis  believes they’re a bad influence on his son, and that belief is immediately justified when they find a farmhouse and, within minutes, Chris shoots its owner dead. Granted the man had already shot one of Chris’s newfound buddies, but that was after they A.) broke into his barn, B.) began hunting his livestock, and C.) refused to leave his property.

Despite the resourcefulness he shows in the episode’s early scenes, when he attracts the attention of his idiot pals by saving their lives and stealing from them, Chris is still as much of a moron as he was when we last saw him hovering over Alicia’s bed with a knife in the midseason finale. What makes “Do Not Disturb” watchable, however–what widens that short landing strip–is its staccato cross-cutting between Chris’s story and that of Alicia.

Still trapped in Hotel Hell, and cut off from the rest of her group, Alicia is determined to find her mom at all costs. Even if it means fighting her way through the most zombie-infested high-rise since [Rec]. She’s helped by the manager of the hotel, whom we learn was responsible for trapping most of the deceased guests in their rooms, as well as an entire wedding party in its banquet hall. I’d be lying if I said “Do Not Disturb'”s opening scene–a flashback in which we watch this grisly scenario play out–wasn’t the show’s best teaser yet, even if the bride’s dad turns a lot quicker than he should at this stage of the outbreak.

There’s even a nicely understated bit of social commentary, when the bride’s mom tells the Latina manager that she wants her to end the reception so that she and her fellow (whiter than white) guests can leave Mexico, presumably to its destruction, before the border is closed and return home to California.

By episode’s end, however, Alicia has brokered a deal to get the hotel manager’s nephew back from the the bride’s mom and the few surviving wedding guests. After which she sets their deceased friends and family on them, so that she can run off and reunite with Madison and Strand. It’s a victory the plucky lass well earns.

In Travis and Chris, however, we’re left with an even more dysfunctional father-son pairing than Rick and Carl. And since we’ve already seen the younger Grimes mature a lot quicker and at a much younger age than Chris, I suspect I’m not the only one growing impatient with his counterpart on Fear the Walking Dead. Call me a sadist, but I’m hoping next week’s episode begins with Travis offing the brat.

Undead Afterthoughts

— Chris’s new friends are so insufferably written that one could easily make a drinking game out of this episode. Just take a shot whenever you hear the word “bro.”

— “I had the hotel to think about. We were at capacity.” Doing the service industry proud.

— The father of the bride collapsing after their dance and then, when she gives him mouth-to-mouth, biting his daughter’s face off? Well done, Fear the Walking Dead. Well done indeed.

What did you think of this week’s episode? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter (@JMaCabre).

Images: AMC

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Son Recreates a Key TERMINATOR 2 Scene

YouTube channel Film Riot regularly posts “Monday Challenges,” in which they give filmmakers a particular assignment (Create a two-minute suspense scene, for example) and challenge them to post their best. In response to another challenge of theirs, director Ben Hess remade a scene from Terminator 2, but with a secret weapon: Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s son, Joseph Baena. As it’s a non-dialogue scene, it’s hard to tell how Baena is as an actor, but it’s easy to tell–despite his last name–where he gets his looks. That’s a jaw that will drive enemies before him and make the women lament.

Hess has posted two versions: one for the challenge, that uses legally cleared music (above) and another (here) which uses the movie’s choice of tunes, George Thorogood’s “Bad to the Bone,” which, since 1991, has become the go-to tune for every filmmaker whose name might as well be Captain Obvious.

If he can in fact act, Baena, whose mother is Schwarzenegger’s former housekeeper Mildred Baena, might have a decent future ahead of him, as his physical presence onscreen is imposing. If nothing else, he can probably be a professional Ahnuld imitator when he’s a bit older. And am I alone in thinking Son of Commando is something that should happen? Fine. I’ll be a proud loner.

Do you think Baena has a a shot, or was this just a funny tribute to his famous father? Does the eternally in-development King Conan movie need a prince? Let us know what you think below.

Featured image: YouTube/Ben Hess