Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2336
August 27, 2016
Jason Momoa Teamed up With Guinness to Make His Own Beer
As far as perks of being a famous actor go, getting your very own beer brewed by Guinness certainly ranks high on the list. A recent post on Entertainment Weekly brought to light some posts to Instagram by Justice League actor Jason Momoa showing just how excited he was to unveil Guinness’ first sour beer in his honor, “Mano Brew.”
A photo posted by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies) on Aug 23, 2016 at 7:22am PDT
At the time this article was written, there doesn’t appear to be any press about the “Mano Brew” on Guinness’ website so it’s hard to tell whether this will be a beer distributed everywhere or just an extremely limited release. If it was made especially for Momoa, we doubt many people would be willing to challenge Aquaman/Khal Drogo for a chance to taste some. However, he did share some with Game Of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Da MANO. Luckiest man on earth Ohana @guinnessus A photo posted by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies) on Aug 23, 2016 at 7:24am PDT
Some beer buffs out there might see this as somewhat fitting considering the Momoa/Guinness team-up happened so close to the brewer’s plans to discontinue the use of fish bladders in their beer production. Used to clarify beer, isinglass was pretty much always a part of Guinness but its use will be phased out by the end of 2016. We can’t help but think that Momoa’s involvement was some sort of covert Aquaman mission to make sure his underwater brethren are safe and sound.
Safety first. Let’s make beer. Mahalo @guinnessus
A video posted by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies) on Aug 23, 2016 at 5:17am PDT
Judging by how the bottles look, we can probably expect it’ll see some sort of release to the public and if it does, we cannot wait to get our hands on some of it.
What other actor/character beers would you want to see? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Images: Warner Bros. Pictures, Jason Momoa’s Instagram
Scream at a Wall: PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS return! New EVERY TIME I DIE!
Wipe the blood from your teeth and get in the pit: it’s time for a recap of this week’s best hardcore, metal, and punk rock. We dug through the record crates to find the new tunes we think you need to spin and rage to. Looking for some new death metal to bring into your life? Got you covered. Need some grindcore to get your wedding reception off on the right foot? Say no more. Strap in kiddies, it’s time to rock.
Planes Mistaken for Stars are back with their first new album in 10 years! We somehow missed the fact that these dudes were even recording a new album, so this is an amazingly awesome surprise. Sure, we knew they had reunited and played some shows over the years, but there was no big “WE ARE OFFICIALLY BACK!” until now. Prey is due October 21st from our BFFs at Deathwish Inc. and we are so freaking excited. You can listen to the first premiere track, “Fucking Tenderness” below and jam out to some of that Planes Mistaken for Stars post-hardcore goodness. The song sounds like the sound the band cultivated on Mercy is continuing on Prey, but this feels a bit more raw and emotional. And that guitar! Love, love, love it. Check out “Fucking Tenderness” and get hyped for Prey.
(AV Club)
Wolves&Wolves&Wolves&Wolves make some dirty and unflinching punk rock. Case in point, “Always the Rebel” off of their upcoming album The Cross And The Switchblade. This is damn good stuff: rough-edged melodic punk that will be stuck in your head for days. The lyrics for “Always the Rebel” hit us right in the feels, too. “Just give me one chance to make things right!” they growl and you kinda want to weep and just say “I get it, man. I get being the outcast and the loner.” Since we’ve had the pleasure of listening to the full album, we’ll tell you that all of The Cross And The Switchblade is this great and you should most definitely be pre-ordering it. We’re already prepared to put this record on our Top Ten of the Year list, and given how rad the output has been from everybody this year, that’s saying something.
What’s that you say? Another new Every Time I Die song? Damn, sign us up. This one’s probably the catchiest track to come off of Low Teens thus far, filled with some great vocals and melodies. It’s still a ripper of a track that builds to an angry and intense breakdown, the sort of thing Every Time I Die does better than just about anybody. It gives us goosebumps and gets us so hyped to hop in the pit with these guys this fall. Low Teens is less than month away and we aching for it so hard. Our bodies are ready Every Time I Die. Bring the hurt.
Here’s a band called Quick Piss. With name like that, you can probably guess what you are about to experience. This band plays low-fi punk-infused garage rock and it’s cool as hell. We’ve got the exclusive on the track “Southside and Gomorrah,” so take a listen below. It’s a fuzzy, angry track that sums up what Quick Piss is all about in less than three minutes. Their album, Rock ‘N’ Roll Impotence, comes out in September and it’s a winner for sure. It has a sound that captures that “recorded in your friends garage” feel with a hint of surf rock, post-punk, and plenty of angst. Look, the band is called Quick Piss, so you know what you’re going to get, right? They’re not shooting for big radio play here: they want to be cranked at full volume from your tape deck player. We can’t help but oblige them.
Need some atmosphere? Something that sounds huge and all consuming, the kind of heavy that fills a room and tugs on your soul? Check out SubRosa’s new album For This We Fought the Battle of Ages. It’s a huge record that is all at once deeply personal and massively etheric, the sort of music that takes you somewhere and demands you peer inside. It’s at times crushing, only to whip away a moment later and soar into beautiful and spacey realms of darkness. It’s good, really good, and you should give it a listen. It’s the perfect soundtrack for a road trip into the unknown. Just get in the car, crank this to 11, and drive. It’ll take you places.
(Noisey)
Need even more moody and consuming darkness? Well, there’s a new Esben and the Witch track that’s a nightmare of a head trip (which is a compliment). Epically beautiful and filled with grace and doom, Esben and the Witch are in a class all their own. I mean, to release a 13-minute long track as your first single from a new album? A 13-minute long track that wisps and buzzes about without a chorus? Not a lot of bands can pull that off, but Esben and the Witch demand your attention. Listen long enough and they’ll haunt your dreams, filling your head with an escapable night. We’re excited to hear more from this band and when their album hits on November 2nd, you better believe we’re picking it up.
Lastly, check out the video for Gatecreeper’s “Desperation.” These Arizona heavyweights grind and grind hard. There’s no grace here, no beauty, just crushing riffs and fierce growling. Gatecreeper wallow in ugliness and grim, and this video is a showcase for that. You like your metal to punch you in the face until you are bloody and broken? Gatecreeper is your band. If Satan and a bunch of bears started a band, it’d probably sound something like this.
That’s it for this week. Go forth; throw some horns up and keep spinning in the black circle. If there’s a metalcore, grindcore, hardcore, or any other core song you think the world needs to hear, sound off in the comments below. \m/
Image: Planes Mistaken For Stars/Deathwish Inc.
Gif: Teen Titans GO!/ Cartoon Network
Benjamin Bailey writes for the Nerdist and can be found on Twitter talking about Godzilla, comic books, and hardcore music.
STRANGER THINGS Gets a Stylized ’80s Adventure Game You Can Play
Stranger Things is beloved for its shrewd ’80s pastiche and the sentimentality-laden references to its ’80s forebears—E.T., Poltergeist, The Goonies and so on. It’s a spooky, immaculately made, feel-good adventure too, of course, but there’s no quantifying our love of that singular ’80s vibe. All that considered, it was only a matter of time before the smash TV show spawned a stylized ’80s video game.
Infamous Games, a group of people “who love old school adventure games,” took it upon themselves to build a non-authorized, playable fan tribute to the new Netflix series, as Kotaku reports. It isn’t a complete version, unfortunately, but rather a snapshot of one of the show’s scenes. It’s still plenty worth your time, though. You get to help Hopper and his deputies, Powell and Callahan, look for a clue to Will’s disappearance in the woods, the last place Will was known to be. Then you find the clue and the game is over.
Like its now antiquated predecessors—King’s Quest, or even Cavern of the Wizard, the game created for Big—you direct Hopper’s actions by selecting one of various bits of dialogue. The best part is the dry Hopper humor embedded in the text, and you can even make him smoke cigarettes! The game can be downloaded for free right here.
Buyers beware: when I opened the game and was hit by the Stranger Things theme song, an old crosshairs cursor, and a MS-DOS-like Terminal font prompting me to “click to continue,” I about fell off my chair in a staggering fit of nostalgia. Somebody fund a full version of this game!
Until that happens, take this demo for a spin and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Image: Netflix/Infamous Quests
Take a Tour of FALLOUT 4’s Nuka-World With Bottle and Cappy
Before you start packing your bags to head down to Fallout 4‘s Nuka-World, you might want to familiarize yourself with the post-apocalyptic wonderland–or as I like to call it, messed-up Disneyland. Bethesda finally gave us our first peek at the sixth (and final) Fallout 4 expansion, Nuka-World, last week, and today, we got another glimpse of the amusement park. Your tour guides for the day will be Bottle and Cappy, and if I were you, I’d pay close attention, because you might find yourself in some deep trouble if you ignore your gracious guides. Fasten your seat belts, keep your hands inside the ride at all times, and enjoy the video above.
As you just witnessed, Bottle didn’t have very much fun, because he chose to ignore the rules. Don’t be like Bottle. In the game, the park is actually a scary lawless city of Raiders. The good news is you’ll still be able to explore the new location that’s filled with park zones like Dry Rock Gulch, Safari Adventure, Galactic Zone, and Kiddie Kingdom. As you’d expect, this new expansion will also include new enemies along with new loot. And knowing Bethesda, there must be plenty of secrets to uncover in this deadly theme park. You can download the expansion on August 30 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Want a better look at the park layout? Check the map out right here. I can’t wait to see what modders do with this new expansion, because it’s going to be wild! What’s the first thing you’re going to check out once you download the Nuka-World expansion? Which platform will you be playing this on? Let us know in the comments section below!
Image: Bethesda
Giancarlo Esposito Won’t Be Satisfied By a Marvel TV Role
Giancarlo Esposito has been acting for 50 years, but it was his role as Gus Fring on Breaking Bad that put everyone on notice that he was a world class talent. It was inevitable that Marvel or DC would eventually reach out to Esposito for a role, and in fact, it’s already happened. In a new interview, Esposito noted that an offer has already been made by Marvel TV, but he has his sights on a much larger prize.
“I love those guys at Marvel,” Esposito told ComicBook.com. “We’ve been trying to figure out how to collaborate on something. I’m hoping that it is something. They came to me with something for their television department, then I realized if I did that, I’d never be able to have that same character be in that film department. Once you’re in a Marvel character in the television version, you have to stay in the particular character. They can’t carry that over to film.”
Esposito didn’t specify which role he was up for on Marvel’s TV side, but we’re guessing it was probably Dominic Fortune, a starring role in Marvel’s Most Wanted that ultimately went to Delroy Lindo. That show didn’t go forward at ABC, which would have still left Esposito without a MCU role even if he had been signed for the project.
We should note that Alfre Woodard is one of the few performers to have a role in a Marvel Studios film (Captain America: Civil War) and a TV series (Luke Cage) as two different characters. But Esposito is right: crossovers between the two sides of Marvel’s live-action universe are rare. That said, we have at least three roles in mind for Esposito on the big screen for Marvel: Bill Foster a.k.a. Giant Man and Black Goliath, a colleague of Hank Pym who became a hero in his own right; Blue Marvel, a more recent addition to Marvel’s superhero lineup; or Achebe, a character who might be a little too crazy for the MCU. Achebe isn’t very well known outside of the comic book world (or even within it), but Christopher Priest created him to be the Joker to Black Panther‘s Batman. Esposito could definitely pull that off.
What big screen Marvel role would you like to see Esposito take on in the future? Or should he jump to DC? Let us know in the comment section below!
Image: AMC/Sony Pictures Television
These Superhero Designer Suits Will Have You Fighting Crime in Style
In a world where cosplay is the norm, dressing up in nice clothes can actually feel MORE like wearing a Halloween costume. Thanks to Fun.com (kudos for grabbing that domain name early), we have a way to combine the two. Now you can show off your geek love, and look great doing it.
Fashionably Geek has reported that Fun has released their line of designer suits for pre-order. There are three styles to choose from. It just depends on how subtle you want to be in showing off your geek pride at a buddy’s wedding.
This Batman suit represented the “Alter Ego” line, which also includes Iron Man and Superman. Does it take too long to get into your superhero costume? These suits are for you because the suit IS the costume.
The “Secret Identity” line has the most options to choose from and also has a more toned down look. The tie, handkerchief, and coat lining are adorned with your favorite hero’s logo. Other than that, it’s just a set a spiffy looking threads (do people say “threads” still? Or “spiffy,” for that matter?).
The final line, “Authentic,” gives you a choice between the Riddler and Joker. If you would like to start your own copycat criminal empire, these are a GREAT choice.
The suits are available in both adult and youth sizes and range between $169 and $349. Thanks to these suits, we can now fool everyone into thinking we are into the whole “adulting” thing.
You can check out more suit designs in our gallery below, and can pre-order any of them here.
So what do you think? Which of these suits is your favorite? Are you wishing these were around BEFORE senior prom? Let me know on Twitter or sound off in the comments below.
Images: Fun.com
Pikachu Gets His Revenge in POKÉMON GO Parody Video
Have you had enough Pokémon Go this summer? You may be finished with this year’s mobile gaming fad, but it’s not finished with you! Pokémon can be small and even adorable, but a pocket monster is still a monster, and you can only keep it chained for so long. Today is the day that Pikachu fights back, in a new parody video.
Via Laughing Squid, filmmaker Joe Murayama has created and starred in a new short on YouTube called Pokémon Invasion, which features everyone’s favorite electro-rat breaking free from the confines of Murayama’s phone in search of a little payback. Fortunately for Murayama, this Pikachu doesn’t have the greatest aim. But he does have at least one friend, as Charizard also makes a brief appearance to rise up against their would-be Pokémaster.
Clearly our hero here hasn’t done enough to win the loyalty of his Pokémon, and that’s coming back to bite him. However, Murayama’s character has obviously seen Pixels, and he was prepared for the inevitable day that gaming characters became real. I mean, who doesn’t have semiautomatic weapons modified to affect only video game creatures hidden around their home? That’s just smart strategy.
Unfortunately for Murayama, Pikachu has more than one way to win this battle, and he’s gonna have to deal with a much smaller living space inside of a Pokéball. It’s a fun short, and Murayama credits his roommate “Dennis” for filming the scenes that he appeared in. Murayama has two other video game inspired shorts on his YouTube page, and both are worth checking out.
What did you think about Pokémon Invasion? We choose you to leave a comment below!
Image: Joe Murayama
August 26, 2016
The Super Neumanns Project Captures Everyday Hero Life, Includes Pop Culture Mash-Ups
What is day-to-day life like for Superman and Lois Lane? Danny Neumann tackles that concept in his picture-a-day project, The Super Neumanns. This endeavor is ambitious: Aside from the ideation stage, Danny’s had to create tons of dioramas and little vignettes, and he doesn’t spare details. Though the project began as a way for Danny to motivate himself to take more photos, it’s taken on a life of its own and become quite complex with the incorporation of additional characters from the DC universe and the occasional homage to films and television series. Case in point, these Say Anything and and Stranger Things tributes:
I adore the mash-ups, but I like the shots of Superman and Lois doing mundane things like enjoying a cruise. Danny manages to pack a lot of story and emotion into the images with how he poses and lights the plastic toys.
I’ve pulled a few more highlights from the lives of The Super Neumanns over the past few months. You’ll find another Stranger Things nod in the gallery below, an image that shows what happens when Superman goes to the eye doctor, a photo depicting how Superman’s super strength comes in handy for housework, and more. Each and every photo can be seen at Instagram and Facebook (a couple of the recent shots have Game of Thrones nods). With about 30 days left, Danny’s nearing the finish line of the massive project, so go cheer him onward.
Do you make fan art? I want to see your projects for future Fan Art Friday round-ups. Get in touch with me via email at alratcliffe@yahoo.com.
Images: Danny Neumann
Ms. Marvel Quits the Avengers in CHAMPIONS #1 Preview, Plus More Comic News
Happy Friday, and welcome back to Comics Relief! Before you head into the weekend, we’ve got the biggest comic book stories to wrap up the week. In today’s column, we’ve got the first preview pages from Marvel’s Champions, the first teaser for MU, the return of Youngblood and Battlestar Galactica, and a very big move on the horizon for Image Comics.
MS. MARVEL LEAVES THE AVENGERS IN CHAMPIONS #1
We all knew this was coming: The youngest Avengers from All-New, All-Different Avengers are leaving the team to join with young Cyclops, Viv Vision, and the Totally Awesome Hulk to form the Champions. Marvel has released the first few pages from writer Mark Waid and artist Humberto Ramos‘ first issue of the series, which gives Ms. Marvel a very good reason to quit the team. You can find the rest of the pages in our gallery below along with the various covers.
But before we move on, check out this visually arresting (and currently unfinished) cover by Mark Brooks that unites the modern Champions with their ’70s counterparts! Champions # 1 hits comic stores on October 5.
WHAT IS MU?
Okay, Marvel. You’ve got our attention. What is MU? Marvel Universe would be our first guess, but Marvel is holding off on answers until September 1. So far, all we know is that superstar artist Steve McNiven and writer Cullen Bunn will be working on it. It’s unusual for the artist to get top billing in comics, which suggests that McNiven may be co-writing this project as well.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA REBOOT SERIES RETURNS TO COMICS
Dynamite is far from done with the Battlestar Galactica franchise. This November, writer Karl Kesel and artist Alex Morgan will be the creative team of Battlestar Galactica: Gods and Monsters, a new miniseries that takes place during the second season of the 2004 BSG reboot. So far, we know that it takes place somewhere between episodes 8 and 19 of the second season, and the core storyline revolves around Baltar successfully creating a Cylon Centurion out of scrap parts. That’s definitely not going to come back to bite him and end horribly. Not at all.. For more about the new series, check our story on it. [Nerdist]
ROB LIEFELD’S YOUNGBLOOD LIVES AGAIN
Love it or not, Rob Liefeld‘s Youngblood kicked off the Image revolution nearly 25 years ago. It was Liefeld’s first major crack at a creator owned superhero team, and Youngblood has popped up a few times over the last two decades with some impressive creators. Now, it’s coming back with a new modernized take by Liefeld, with X-Men ’92 co-writer Chad Bowers and artist Jim Towe, who wasted no time sharing his new designs for the characters. [Nerdy Pop]
Cat’s out of the bag — I’m drawing an all-new Youngblood book coming out next year! pic.twitter.com/2uExMmkSEZ
— jim towe (@jimtowe) August 24, 2016
IMAGE COMICS IS ON THE MOVE
Heidi MacDonald of The Beat is reporting that Image Comics is relocating from Berkley, California to Portland, Oregon in the near future. Image Comics has not confirmed the news, but it makes perfect sense. Portland has a very active community of comic book creators and fans, lower rent, and several other nearby publishers including Dark Horse Comics and Oni Press. This move shouldn’t affect the production of any Image Comics’ titles, but it should make for some exciting times in Portland if the report is accurate. [The Beat]
That’s all for today’s Comics Relief. Let us know what you thought about the stories in the comment section below!
Images: Marvel Comics/Dynamite Entertainment/Image Comics
Bandcamping: The Best Underground Albums of August
August has been a huge month in music, whether it was because of Frank Ocean’s albums or because LCD Soundsystem confirmed that they’re working on the fourth record. Still, beyond all the big names are plenty of artists who are making worthwhile music under the radar. Thankfully, they’re uploading it to Bandcamp, where we can find it and share with you, so here are the strongest underground albums we came across this month, in the August edition of Bandcamping.
5. Inflatable Spaceship by Name Does Not Matter
Inflatable Spaceship by Name Does Not Matter
Genre: electronic, house
If you like: Chromatics, Four Tet, Metro Area
Although house is capable of being a huge-sounding genre, it’s when it tries too hard to sound gigantic and bombastic that is starts to come undone and turns into an overwrought mess of blip-bloops and overly complicated rhythms. This Czech artist keeps everything pretty even keel, and thus, Inflatable Spaceship is subtle but engaging, effective in both the background and foreground of attention.
4. Brothers & Sisters by Lakuta
Genre: R&B, Latin, World
There are a ton of global influences on Lakuta’s debut album, which features everything from upbeat African percussion to jazzy horns to some disco and funk influences. It’s a wildly boisterous and fun romp that switches up genres the second you figure out what you were listening to. It keeps you on your feet in a charmingly disorienting way and is filled with seemingly limitless energy.
3. Slow by Sport
Genre: indie rock, alternative rock
If you like: American Football, The Front Bottoms
It’s not quite mainstream ’90s-style rock and it’s not quite emo either. It’s also kind of math-y and a bit hardcore, so all-in-all, what we have here is a fun and interesting rock record. The instrumentation is relatively straightforward, but it’s also used in creative ways, so that, along with consistently engaging composition and song structures, leads to a worthwhile listen.
2. Rags and Pearls by Yellow Teeth
Rags and Pearls by Yellow Teeth
Genre: country, folk, blues
If you like: Wilco, Paolo Nutini
If you happen to be reading this on a lazy Saturday, this is the album you’re going to want to put on as you sit outside, close your eyes, and enjoy the sun. Country works best when it’s intimate (look to Kacey Musgraves for evidence of that), and this album is the definition of actively relaxing.
1. Record 2016 by Madd Comrades
Genre: post-punk, indie rock
If you like: The Walkmen, Interpol
When post-punk is done well (Interpol, Joy Division, stellastarr*), it can be the most cinematic and moving genre out there, and Madd Comrades have certainly achieved an absolutely massive-sounding debut album. The female vocal wails go perfectly with the dark and propulsive instrumentation, all culminating to make a beautiful, raw mess.
Honorable Mentions
Electro Travel in California by Adonai
Genre: electronic, house
If you like: Four Tet
I by The Rogue
Genre: electronic, synthwave
If you like: Com Truise
That’s all for August, but until next month, 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).
Chris Hardwick's Blog
- Chris Hardwick's profile
- 132 followers
