Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2363

PEOPLE OF EARTH Is Like ‘Larry David’s Version of BLACK MIRROR’

Greg Daniels has given us comedies set in a paper company, in a small town government, and even in animation. But his next series is going out of this world to tackle alien abductions and how people go on with life after coming in contact with actual extraterrestrials.

TBS‘ dark comedy People of Earth, starring Wyatt Cenac (The Daily Show), Ana Gasteyer (Saturday Night Live) and Oscar Nuñez (The Office), from executive producers Daniels and David Jenkins, follows a skeptical journalist who investigates a support group for people who have experienced alien encounters. The more he digs into their oddball claims, however, the more he realizes there’s a semblance of truth to their stories and possibly even signs that point to his own alien abduction.

“One of the things that I like about where this show takes this concept [that believing in aliens is comparable to believing in God and religion] is that the ethic of character comedy is learning about these different people and seeing the world from their perspective,” Daniels told the room of reporters at the 2016 Summer TCA press tour. “And then finding what’s humorous about how they approach their lives and the lies that they tell themselves and the political struggles that they have and in this show, the aliens are intelligent life forms who also have their own circumstances and their own problems with their friends and coworkers. I was tickled by the idea that any sentient life form in the universe is going to run into some frustrations in their world. I like that thought, maybe as a way to curry favor with the aliens that I do believe are coming eventually and get them to not see us as food.”

Jenkins revealed that along with exploring the odd characters that make up the ensemble of the cast (both human and alien), they are also going to focus on the extraterrestrial mystery looming over the first season.

“The idea is to make it a serialized show that actually has spoilers through the season,” Jenkins said. “Even as we’re showing the aliens, we learn that they maybe have a more banal life that we imagined and they’re stuck in their jobs in some ways and wish they had romantic relationships that were working out. We’re trying to do Larry David’s version of Black Mirror a little bit, but also have episodes with cliffhangers.”

In addition to that analogy, Jenkins also described it as a “Greg Daniels comedy with J. J. Abrams sci-fi twist,” which is apt since it does come from the mind of Daniels.

And Daniels confessed that while they don’t exactly have a big budget for the special effects when it comes to showing aliens in outer space, they’re not going to shy away from showing those scenes.

“We’re doing a lot of practical stuff,” Daniels said. “And we’re trying to use people’s imagination and do it well when we do it. One of the bywords of the show is that it is not camp. It’s a very sincere effort at making a character comedy that has cool sci-fi elements to it.”

But in looking at the characters that make up the alien abduction support group, Daniels and Jenkins didn’t want to mock the real people and the real support group that the show is based on.

“It’s not just making jokes at their expense,” Cenac said. “It’s trying to explore who these characters are.”

Gasteyer agreed, adding, “They’re not just tinfoil-hats. They’re real people. And they’re right. There is extraterrestrial life and they are coming.”

“There’s a lot of them,” Nuñez deadpanned. “And they’re all voting for Trump.”

People of Earth will premiere on Halloween night, Monday, Oct. 31 at 9 p.m. on TBS.

Image: TBS

PREACHER Review: “Call and Response” Brings New Beginnings

Editor’s note: This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of Preacher! Proceed with caution. For reals, if you haven’t yet watched “Call and Response,” we highly suggest you do so before proceeding. Okay? We good? Then let’s go.

We’ve come to it at last–the tenth and final episode of Preacher‘s first season. And I’m happy to say that Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Sam Catlin’s adaptation of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s acclaimed DC/Vertigo comic sticks the landing. One could argue that’s not as hard a feat to pull off with just half the amount of episodes given to most every other show based on a funnybook (that doesn’t air on Netflix). But Preacher is such a unique beast, its style and subject matter so different from most everything on TV these days, that there have been at least as many opportunities for missteps as one finds in a series twice as long.

“Call and Response” goes a long way towards answering most of the questions raised this season. Most of the important ones anyway, as well as a lot of unfinished business. Yeah, I’m as disappointed as anyone that we weren’t treated to a showdown between Jesse and Graham McTavish’s Saint of Killers, especially when last week’s episode implied it was coming sooner rather than later. But I’d rather wait until season 2 for that no doubt gore-soaked spectacle than drag Tulip and Jesse’s issues out any further. Here, we learn what most of us have long suspected–that Ms. O’Hare didn’t want Jesse to kill Carlos so much as prove to her that he was willing to kill him. “That’s the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever done for me,” she tells him.

Of course there’s still room for debate as to whether or not Jesse was bluffing. But do two people in a relationship ever really know each other? And isn’t that part of what keeps them together? We definitely now know what tore them apart. Since we’re finally treated to an extended flashback sequence in which we see she suffered a miscarriage when Carlos left them to take the fall for their robbery.

Cassidy, meanwhile, spends a long day in prison being “interrogated” by Sheriff Root, who we discover really does want his son Eugene back more than anything. Though I’m still slightly puzzled as to why Root lets Cass go when he got him to admit Jesse was responsible, and it’s clear that he has even more information. Hey, what’s a few more rounds between friends?

As for the climax that we and all of Annville had all been waiting for, the promised appearance of God in Jesse’s church… I knew as soon as Tulip’s “white guy” appeared that something was amiss. (Well, that coupled with the fact that the angels had already told Jesse God had abandoned them after Genesis was born.) It’s no less amusing, however, to see the false deity avoid questions ranging from Eugene’s fate to “What did you do to the dinosaurs?” before being dragged off his throne by a couple of heavenly bureaucrats. Prompting the congregation to destroy Jesse’s church, the town’s mascots (both the racist and non-racist ones) to hang themselves, Mrs. Loach to smother her comatose daughter Tracy (while her son takes a selfie), and Annville’s children to murder their pedophile bus driver. Shortly before the negligent operator at QM&P’s “methane electro reactor” allows his ball-gagged mistress to destroy the town.

It’s comedy of the blackest sort. And it all serves as mere preamble to the point at which the Preacher comic book begins–with Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy in a diner (hey, the woman’s gotta have her french fries), and embarking on their long-promised road trip to find God; and either help him or kick his ass.

It’s largely futile to say what could be improved in the show’s second season, since the format will most likely change radically. Yet whether or not its structure falls more closely in line with that of the comic, I’m all in favor of the Preacher the show maintaining the tone it’s so steadily developed over these ten episodes. Its comedy is broader than that of the book, with a lot more quirk, a lot less ugliness, and far more jokes per installment. But it suits this version of Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy–as well as Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, and Joe Gilgun’s performances–to a tee. My fingers are crossed that as Preacher loses its small-town setting, its humor still works in the larger world it’s poised to explore.

Preaching to the Choir

— If Annville’s been obliterated, are we to believe that Emily and Root are gone for good? Root I can live without, but the thought of losing Lucy Griffiths’ wide-eyed hilarity is a little too much to bear.

— “Uh oh. Manila folder type.”

— After watching the extended flashback, I’d say Jesse’s hair has definitely improved over time. (Mullets just don’t work after 1987.) But is it wrong to admit I find Tulip’s old ‘do a little more flattering?

— Gorillas in the Mist… Now who says Donnie’s not a intellectual?

— “Miles isn’t coming.” “He doesn’t want to meet God?” “He’s meeting him somewhere else.”

— “Cruise’s final flight. Ashes shot into space.” Godspeed, Tom. May Xenu embrace you in his loving arms.

— “Can I get my dick back on?”

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

Images: AMC

Hardwatch: Week of August 1st, 2016

We are into that final stretch of summer that is both a delight and a total bore. All the best shows are on hiatus until the autumn, and your friends are in and out of town until the weather cools. Our fearless leader Chris Hardwick is still at work, though. Here are a few places to find him this week, and things to look forward to in the future.

Your @midnight entertainment is on a break until next week, but in the meantime, you can find Chris on a special season finale episode of Talking Preacher tonight at 10:20pm ET on AMC just after Preacher‘s finale. The guests tonight include Ian Coletti (Eugene “Arseface” Root), and executive producers Seth Rogen and Sam Catlin. If you’ve been watching all season, this will not be a post-episode chat that you want to miss–that’s for sure.

There’s also a new Nerdist Podcast this week. Our pal Mike Birbiglia returns to the podcast for the fourth time to promote his new movie Don’t Think Twice. He will be talking about the state of comedy, and his writing process with the guys. (He’s also on You Made It Weird in case just one podcast on the network is not enough.)

That’s about it for this week, but there are things to look forward to! The Walking Dead isn’t back on the air until October but Talking Dead returns towards the end of August so keep an eye out for announcements about that. There’s also another stop on Chris’s ID10T Tour to look forward to. He’ll be in Boston at the Wilbur Theater on November 4th. You can buy tickets for it here.

Make sure you’re following Chris on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr for all his up to the moment updates.

STAN AGAINST EVIL’s Dana Gould Just Dissed Tim Burton, Big-Time

Watch out, Tim Burton…Dana Gould is not your biggest fan.

During the panel for Gould’s new IFC horror comedy series Stan Against Evil, The Simpsons scribe took a few jabs at the iconic film director. And the room of reporters actually laughed at the joke, which is a rarity during the two-week-long television network press conference.

“The show looks so beautiful,” Dana Gould said while discussing Stan Against Evil. “As is the IFC model, we shot every episode and cross-boarded it. We shot all of the episodes like a big movie and then we pieced them together with the same director for every episode and we had a team who worked with a really wonderful director of photography, oddly named Tim Burton, who, unlike the real Tim Burton, knows what a second act is.”

After a pause, the room of reporters erupted in laughter when they realized what he said.

“Oh yeah, I said it. I’m just saying, only a genius could make Planet of the Apes,” Gould continued with a straight face. “It’s hard to take that premise and make it boring. Only a genius could make it.”

But all jokes aside, he continued to call the new IFC series “beautiful and so rich visually.” Stan Against Evil follows Stan Miller (Scrubs alum John C. McGinley), a perpetually disgruntled former sheriff of a small New England town who was forced into retirement. Stan has trouble relinquishing his authority to Evie Barret (You’re the Worst’s Janet Varney), the tough and beautiful new sheriff in town, but they form an unlikely alliance when both begin to realize things are not quite right in their quaint New England town. Together, they valiantly fight a plague of unleashed demons that have been haunting the town, which just happens to be built on the site of a massive 17th century witch burning.

“This is a show that I’ve had in my head for a long time,” Gould said. “People primarily know me as a comedian and a comedy writer but I’ve always been a horror junkie. The original concept for this show, I originally envisioned it based on this premise: what if my dad had to fight monsters? What if my dad was Buffy the Vampire Slayer?”

According to Gould, he crafted the main character after his gruff and tough father.

“He is my dad,” Gould said. “I lived with this character. When my grandmother was passing away, he called me up and said, ‘You better get yourself on a plane; your grandmother has one foot in the grave and the other one on a banana peel.’ He’s the real deal. So I didn’t have the create the character, I just had to remember him. He’s still around. 85 years old and can still put you through a wall. And that’s how my brothers and I gauge his health. ‘How’s dad doing? Can he still break your jaw?’ ‘Oh yeah.’ ‘Oh, he’s fine.'”

And Gould credits one classic movie with having a major impact on the series. “If there’s any one film that this show is informed by, it is An American Werewolf in London,” he said.

Stan Against Evil will air the rest of its eight-episode first season Wednesdays at 10 p.m. through the fall, and season two premieres with two back-to-back episodes Wednesday, November 2 at 10 p.m. with a special airing of the premiere episode on Halloween night, October 31 at 10 p.m. on IFC.

Image: IFC

Own Your Own GHOSTBUSTERS Holtzmann Glasses

Whether you loved 2016’s Ghostbusters–like me–or whether you can’t stop complaining about the audacious reboot, one shining thing people of both camps can at least try to agree on is the greatness of Kate McKinnon’s Jillian Holtzmann character. Holtzmann was the lovable eccentric of the gang, and it was her innovative technical prowess that created the Ghostbusters’ arsenal. I mean, cripes, she had dual proton pistols that retracted into her power pack. She was the primary comic relief of the ‘Busters and the action hero all rolled into one package; a badass package that has inspired tons of cosplayers already. And while a major part of serious cosplay is the fabrication of one’s own gear, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to accessorize with, say, some authentic-looking final touches. That’s where these glasses come in:

Holtzmann’s signature yellow lenses and silver mesh goggle cages (with vintage wrap-around ear loops, no less) are available for preorder from the O’Riginals Trading Co. The current preorder for the Spectres–that’s the on-theme model name for the lenses–is actually for the second production run. The first round sold out before the film even premiered, and demand has only increased since then. The release of the Sterling Spectre frames is the second half of November this year, so if you want a pair it would be advisable to get your orders in now. The sale page even includes a buyer testimonial that should quell any qualms you might have about the quality of the $87* pair of spectacles:

“The frames somehow manage to be both very light and substantial; they have a “heft” to them that shows off their quality without weighing too heavily on your face.” – Spectre owner, cosplayer Heather Marshall Mason

The Sterling shielded-cage model also comes in other colors besides the canary-tinted Spectre, so if you’re looking for a new pair of shades, they’re probably available in a color that suits your mood.

Booyah! Is your ghost-busting future so bright you gotta wear these shades? Let us know in comments if you’re buying in.

*advanced knowledge of proton physics not included in sale price. 

Images: Sony Pictures, O’Riginals Trading Co. 

JK Rowling Is Now ‘Done’ With Harry Potter’s Story

Last night, many Harry Potter fans assembled in book stores across the country for the midnight release of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child script books. In fact, several members of Team Nerdist were among them! And we hope everyone enjoyed the experience, because according to JK Rowling, this is it for Mr. Potter. But perhaps not for his children.

According to Radio Times, Rowling spoke to the press during the official launch of the Cursed Child play in London and said “[Harry] goes on a very big journey during these two plays and then, yeah, I think we’re done. This is the next generation, you know. So, I’m thrilled to see it realized so beautifully but, no, Harry is done now.”

Take into consideration that Rowling has made similar comments before after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. And while she has reiterated her stance that the Harry Potter novels were finished many times, the world she created has lived on through her own short stories on the Pottermore website, the Cursed Child play, and the upcoming film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which runs the clock back several decades to explore the life and times of Newt Scamander. That movie is coming out later this year, and we’d be shocked if it weren’t a blockbuster as well.

For fans who want to make the trip overseas to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child performed as intended, its stint in London’s West End has been extended through December 2017.

What do you think about Rowling’s latest Potter comments? And would you be up for more adventures about the next generation of Potters and Weasleys? Cast your spells in the comment section below!

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

How the Zika Virus Affected Hader and Armisen’s DOCUMENTARY NOW!

Even in comedy, safety always comes first. Bill Hader and Fred Armisen‘s IFC series Documentary Now! learned this lesson during filming on its second season when it had to deal with the Zika virus, of all things.

The original comedy series which parodies the most well-known documentary films took on the 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi in season two with the episode “Juan Likes Rice & Chicken.” Since it’s set in Colombia, “they actually went to Colombia and shot it,” Hader told the room of reporters at the 2016 Summer TCA press tour. But since the CDC has issued an alert for travel to areas where Zika virus is spreading through mosquito bites–and it currently has no cure or vaccine–that definitely presented some issues for the IFC series.

“How high did you have to go in the elevation?” Hader asked co-creator Rhys Thomas.

“We went to Bogota and there’s the whole Zika thing. It’s still a thing,” Thomas said. “So we had to search South America for a place that we could go high enough up in elevation to get above the Zika line when we did it.”

“Juan Likes Rice & Chicken,” the second episode of the season, centers on young chef Arturo (Armisen) and his brother as they learn the tricks of the trade from their stern, no-nonsense father Juan who runs a highly-acclaimed restaurant that only serves one dish — chicken and buttered rice. The premiere episode, however, “The Bunker,” is inspired by the 1993 political documentary The War Room with James Carville and George Stephanopoulos, but Hader and Armisen promised that they didn’t focus the premiere on political events to make a statement on the current election.

“It’s more of a time piece than anything else,” Armisen said. “It’s not as much of a political piece as more of a take on ’90s films. The politics is really blurry in it. It’s more about these two guys.”

Hader agreed, adding, “I’m sure some people will find some correlation with what’s going on now but we never wanted to make a statement on what’s going on now. We wanted to show some general truths about people running a campaign.”

And Armisen couldn’t get over the ’90s fashion they had to rock for the episode. “The jeans are really weird,” he said with a laugh. “They come up on your hips weird. I just thought it didn’t fit me right, but that’s the fit.”

During the panel, Hader remembered a musical episode they did in season one where he actually got so lost in the parody that he forgot that they weren’t making an actual documentary.

“We were really focused on learning the songs for this concert,” Hader said. “We put out a thing expecting 200 people to show up, and over 1,000 people showed up. It was set in the ’80s and everyone was in ’80s garb. It was really cool.”

“We shot it live,” Thomas added. “We thought it would be really fun to do something in one night in front of an audience. Fred wrote all the music for that episode and there are some genuine songs in it.”

But director Alex Buono loves getting involved in all the tiny details of each episode.

“We treat this as if it’s a real documentary for us,” Buono says. “And it makes it more pure.”

As as for why co-creator Seth Meyers wasn’t on the TCA panel, Armisen quipped, “I just wanted you guys to know, Seth Meyers isn’t here because he’s at a breakfast on Melrose.”

Documentary Now! season two, which premieres Sept. 14 at 10 p.m., will feature guest stars including Maya Rudolph, Anne Hathaway, Mia Farrow, Peter Fonda, and Peter Bogdanovich.

Image: IFC

Behold the Movie SWAMP THING You’re Not Getting

Swamp Thing is one of those characters we’d love to see get a revamp in the age of CG. Wes Craven did the best he could with a rubber suit, while Jim Wynorski tried to do an upgrade in 1989, and the USA Network did its utmost on a low budget in 1993 (Rest in Peace, …you gave the role your all every time).

When Guillermo del Toro announced a Justice League Dark movie a few WonderCons back, it seemed like the time for Swamp Thing’s resurrection onscreen might be nigh, yet it never quite happened. Turns out that del Toro was not the only potential director–Joseph Kahn, best known for Torque, Detention, and various Taylor Swift and Eminem videos, was also a potential cultivator of the botanic beast, and he has posted some Vimeo footage, which we saw first at Heroic Hollywood, of just how his Swamp Thing might have looked onscreen:

Swamp Thing Animation from Joseph Kahn on Vimeo.

While you might not necessarily have chosen the Torque guy to do Swamp Thing, that reel alone shows just how much truer to the character we can be in the modern age. We’ll probably never get a full-on body horror flick like the early Alan Moore issues, but a rendition of Swampy who can regenerate, change size, and tap into all the ambient vegetation is no longer a concept that only exists as mental fiction. Technology can realize him; we just need a director to do the concept justice.

Will there be blood? Let us know if you think there will in comments below.

Featured image: Joseph Kahn

HONEST TRAILERS Declassifies THE JASON BOURNE TRILOGY

This weekend, Matt Damon‘s Jason Bourne is once again kicking a lot of ass at the box office on his way to the number one slot. It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost ten years since The Bourne Ultimatum gave the title character some closure…at least until the inevitable sequel.

To mark the return of Bourne, Honest Trailers has targeted The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum for perhaps the ultimate movie sin: recycled plot and character beats across three movies! The villains of the Bourne films were also largely interchangeable. They had less personality than Mr. Amnesia Super-assassin himself! But is that really a problem if the audience loved it? The action was almost always top notch in every movie. Even the HT team acknowledges that the trilogy had a highly successful formula. It also seems to be working again with the fifth film.

A more ripe target for ridicule is the infamous shaky cam of director Paul Greengrass. Those touches added to the realistic feel of the Bourne movies, but also made some of the fight scenes very hard to follow. The example shown in this video was particularly disorienting.

Amusingly, the HT team almost completely ignores the Jeremy Renner led movie, The Bourne Legacy. That’s fair, since the newest film in the series also seems to ignore it. Sorry, Renner!

What did you think about the Honest Trailers take on the Bourne trilogy? Unleash your close combat moves in the comment section below!

Image: Universal Pictures

Werner Herzog Questions the Nature of POKEMON GO

The Pokémon Go phenomena is showing no signs of slowing down across the U.S. as it continues to spread across the world. Now the game itself has come to the attention of acclaimed filmmaker and documentarian Werner Herzog, whom you may also know from his oft-imitated accent and existential proclamations.

Via Gawker, Herzog was recently interviewed by The Verge when the subject of Pokémon Go came up. By his own admission, Herzog doesn’t own a mobile phone or really have a great grasp on what the game entails. But the questions he asked about it were illuminating and oddly funny.

[Herzog:] Does it tell you you’re here at San Vicente, close to Sunset Boulevard?

[The Verge:] Yeah, it’s basically like a Google map.

But what does pokémon do at this corner here?

You might be able to catch some. It’s all completely virtual. It’s very simple, but it’s also an overlay of physically based information that now exists on top of the real world.

When two persons in search of a pokémon clash at the corner of Sunset in San Vicente is there violence? Is there murder?

They do fight, virtually.

Physically, do they fight?

No—

Do they bite each other’s hands? Do they punch each other?

The people or the…

Yes, there must be real people if it’s a real encounter with someone else.

Is it wrong that we now want a feature length Pokémon Go documentary directed and narrated by Herzog? Even if it weren’t a parody, it seems like an idea that is ripe with comedic potential. But the thing is, Herzog isn’t necessarily wrong about the game’s potential for violence, although that negative outcome doesn’t usually occur between two Pokémon Go players, most of whom seem to get along even with random strangers. Instead, any violence is coming from people preying upon gamers. For example, a new report in The Guardian relates the tale of teenage Pokémon Go players who were robbed of their phones at gunpoint in London. There have been similar reports in the U.S. as well. Now, if only we had Herzog to say something about humanity’s inherent nature.

What do you think about Herzog’s Pokémon Go comments? Nerdist readers, we choose you to share your thoughts below! And then you can get back into your cramped Pokéballs.

Image: The Pokémon Company