Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2367

Schlock & Awe: COBRA VERDE is Herzog and Kinski’s Final Fight

Of the five filmic collaborations between German auteur Werner Herzog and manic film star Klaus Kinski, three of them deal with egomaniacal men from a “civilized” country going into a wild, “uncivilized” country via a boat to tame the land, make their fortune, and become legends. Most critics and scholars name the first two of the three films, 1972’s Aguirre, the Wrath of God and 1982’s Fitzcarraldo, as companion pieces without much of a nod to the third of these, 1987’s Cobra Verde which would also be the last time Kinski and Herzog worked together. But man oh man, it’s absolutely worth a look and offers one of Kinski’s great performances.

While it’s true that Cobra Verde is less technically remarkable than the other two, it is nevertheless the film that best exemplifies the director’s ongoing theme of a single man triumphing over adversity, only to be defeated by himself. The alternate title for this film could easily be: When Life Gives You Lemons, Do Any and Every Terrible Thing You Can Think Of To Get Back at Life, though surely that wouldn’t have fit on a marquis. It is the story of an unsympathetic man doing unsympathetic things, and yet somehow gaining the audience’s sympathy by the end. In this way, the film falls totally in line with every collaboration between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. In each film, Kinski plays the title character and anti-hero of the piece and with the exception of Aguirre, where the character of Aguirre is totally and completely reprehensible, each of them are successful at evil deeds while still being tragic figures.

Kinski plays Francisco Manoel da Silva, a Brazilian rancher who has lost everything in a drought. Kinski was adept, especially when working with Herzog, at playing a number of different nationalities, even though a more German-looking man cannot be found. Reluctantly, he goes to work for a gold mining company, but when he discovers he is being cheated, he murders his boss and goes on the lam to start a life as an outlaw. He adopts the moniker “Cobra Verde” (or “green snake”) and becomes notorious as the most feared bandit in inland Brazil.

During his nomadic life, he comes across and subdues an escaped slave, impressing wealthy sugar baron Don Octavio Coutinho. Don Octavio hires da Silva to oversee the slaves on his plantation and da Silva then promptly impregnates all three of the baron’s young daughters. Outraged, Don Octavio confronts da Silva, only learning then that he is, indeed, the legendary Cobra Verde.

As punishment, the Don sends da Silva on an impossible mission to Africa to reopen the slave trade. The bandit knows he is likely to be killed, but decides to accept the task regardless. Once in Africa, da Silva negotiates with the murderous King Bossa for the use of his people as slaves. These negotiations work, miraculously, and soon the slave trade is up and running again. Not long after however, the King accuses da Silva of a number of inexplicable crimes, of which the bandit has no knowledge, and sentences him to death. Narrowly escaping, da Silva then trains an army of African women to overthrow the King and reclaim his stranglehold on the trafficking of people. By the end of the movie, you’re left feeling decidedly bad about watching him succeed at horrible activities.

Cobra Verde is the ultimate up-by-your-bootstraps picture. Kinski’s character at the beginning truly has nothing. He was once successful, or at least stable, but then loses his livelihood via an act of God. He then is forced to take a nothing, low-level job and is cheated by his employer at it, precipitating his greater success as a bandit. Indeed, the more deplorable the task, the better Cobra Verde seems to be in performing it. He single-handedly jumpstarts the dormant African slave trade with nothing but sheer will and endurance. Then, when his needs suit it, he trains a massive horde of women to be warriors to get back at the king who double-crossed him, and he is supremely effective in doing that.

It’s perversely captivating to watch him do horrible things so astonishingly well. The same can be said for Kinski himself. Knowing anything about Klaus Kinski as a person and his penchant for flying off the handle into fits of uncontrollable rage, it’s a wonder A) that he could turn in anything resembling a sympathetic performance and B) that these movies got made at all. It speaks great volumes of Kinski as an actor, surely, but it speaks even greater to the patience and prowess of Herzog as a director. Kinski seemed right at home playing some of the most deplorable characters in screen history (see my earlier review of Il Grande Silenzio) and yet he always brings a distinct individuality to them. As Herzog himself has often said, no one but Kinski could have played these roles.

It’s incredibly rare for people to know while it’s happening that they’re doing something for the last time. One always laments it in retrospect, thinking there should have been more fanfare or hoopla to commemorate such a moment. Such is arguably the case with Cobra Verde. Kinski passed away four years after completing the film, meaning we’d never get another Herzog/Kinski collabo, nor a proper sendoff. For a last movie together, it’s fairly unceremonious. While not nearly as iconic as the others, Kinski has a much more realistic person to play, one whose delusions of grandeur reach only as far as his next battle. He is no longer “The Wrath of God,” but the wrath of man, one man, singular. For all his posturing and blustering, Francisco da Silva is just a simple creature who can’t even pull a boat into the water by himself. In Werner Herzog’s view, there’s no better metaphor for Klaus Kinski.

Image: Werner Herzog Filmproduktion

Real-Life LEGO Minifig Cosplay is Disturbing and Amazing

As The LEGO Movie illustrated, part of the reason why LEGO bricks and figures are so appealing is because they allow kids (even adult kids) to put themselves in a world that’s of their creation, a world that bears their rules, and a world that’s as separate from reality has they want it to be. With enough imagination, it can feel like your minifigs are real, but what would it be like if they actually were?

Terrifying. It would be absolutely terrifying.

In a new video from Adam Savage’s Tested, Norm Chan and Frank Ippolito show off a disturbing (but amazing) new mask of Ippolito’s creation, which looks like a humanized version of a LEGO minifig, complete with life-like skin that bears lifelike creases, wrinkles, and imperfections. The eyes are black, bulbous, and soulless, and the mouth is slightly agape, as if to signify that this creature was thrust into a confusing new world. The flattened ears are also a nice, creepy touch, and the hands really bring the costume together, which have two giant fingers and huge finger nails. Needless to say, the cosplay got quite the reaction on the Comic-Con floor.

Chan and Ippolito promised a video series demonstrating how the latex mask was made, and while that video series isn’t yet available, we would imagine that the process was similar to Ippolito’s construction of his Zoidberg (from Futurama) costume, which he created in 2014 and is equally impressive, and admittedly a bit less unsettling.

In the meantime, watch them walk the floor at Comic-Con above, and let us know what strategies you plan on using to fall asleep tonight, because we’re going to have a tough time.

Featured image: Tested

MR. ROBOT Recap: Init1

Editor’s Note: This post contains spoilers for USA’s Mr. Robot. Proceed with caution. 

Similar to last week’s episode (which kicked off with the FSociety arcade hideout’s backstory), “init1.asec” answered several questions we forgot we wanted to know, including: how Darlene came back into Elliot’s life, why he was seeing a therapist, and how he got a job at Allsafe in the first place. With everything that’s been going on, it’s easy to understand why those inquiries got swept under the rug. But they were given their time in the spotlight tonight, as the protagonist and the audience received more insight into how everything started, what Elliot wants out of life, and how he’ll be able to achieve it.

Much to our surprise, the episode started with a knock at Elliot’s apartment door—but not the one you think. Despite being at his desk doing what he was doing in the final few moments of last season (will we ever find out who was knocking?!), the moment takes place before the hack ever happened. In fact, it was before we were even introduced to Elliot in season one. If you couldn’t tell by the image above, the knocker was Darlene.

Seeing as Halloween used to be their thing, she came over to cheer him up with one of their favorite films (which features the mask). During her visit, Darlene asked Elliot about his job. Apparently he worked for “Wall Street psychos” who fired him and sent him to a shrink. Their reason? After locking him in the server room to work, he fell asleep. When he woke up, all of the servers were destroyed, and he had no memory of what happened. The standout moment, however was when Elliot brought out their dad’s old jacket, put it on (along with the mask Darlene was wearing) and hatched the plan to bring down down Evil Corp.

Catching up with the siblings in their more current state, Darlene has made a trip to see Elliot to ask for his help with their current situation. Of course, her question was met with a hesitant Elliot, who’s still battling with his inner demon. He wants nothing to do with the hack, and told her she needed to stop. When she reminded him that he knew what they were getting into when he planned the hack, his internal monologue criticized her for for not being completely honest and upfront with him.

Of course, we know that what she was holding back: the news that Romero was killed and the FBI is on to them. Because she doesn’t want to freak him out in his clearly fragile state, Darlene decided to keep the information close to the chest until later on (which we’ll get to in a minute). The problem at hand now is that the newest character, an FBI agent named Dom, located the group’s arcade hangout. Despite Darlene’s affirmation that the group didn’t leave any prints behind, Dom and her team found a single bullet behind one of the machines.

Aside from his wife Joanna’s belief that he’s still alive, Tyrell is still missing, which doesn’t bode well for the character, especially with the bullet found by the feds.  If he does come back, however, ECorp’s CTO Scott is determined to nail him for the murder of his wife. Needing money, Joanna told Scott she would testify against Tyrell as long as she’s given his severance pay. Speaking of Mrs. Wellick, we’re still not sure how to feel about her, or how genuine her act is. She seemed desperate for money to care for her child, but didn’t hesitate to tell her lover she was with him because he didn’t have much money.

Motivations that were revealed, though? Elliot’s for getting back into the thick of things. In short, he wants a life where his family and friends find happiness. And we got a montage of these desires set appropriately to an instrumental version of Green Day’s “Basket Case”—if there’s anybody’s mind that’s playing tricks on them, it’s Elliot’s. The music seriously gets better with each episode.

The important thing was that Elliot realized (via a creative chess dilemma) he wasn’t going to be able to push the Mr. Robot side of him out of his life because it’s there for a reason. During a therapy session, Krista planted the seed that destroying Elliot’s alter ego may be dangerous. Even Leon weighed in on the situation (though we’re not quite sure what he was saying), and giving a spiel about self-improvement. After making a deal with Mr. Robot that whomever won a game of chess would get to take over, Elliot came to the realization that fighting was a waste of time, because he’s in control of everything his alter does.

While all of that was going on, Angela was dealing with Price’s mind games. The two men she ate dinner with (and was given evidence about) last week ended up arrested, which was both good and bad for her. On one hand, two people who did some shady things regarding her father’s death were sent to prison. But on the other, Angela isn’t buying it (or the fancy apartment and perks she’s been given). She’s suspicious of Price’s motives, and worried she missed something in the settlement drafts. When she brought the possibility of him using leverage up to Price, and offered her cooperation in exchange for her boss’ job, he sloughed it off and told her it was all in her head.

Angela wasn’t the only one penciled in for a meeting with Price: He also had a phone conversation with none other than White Rose (B.D. Wong), who is impatiently waiting for a plan. She has an issue with Price’s rash decision to use the “e-coin strategy” and demands more information on the FBI’s investigation into the arcade. White Rose is getting nervous, which isn’t good for FSociety because she is the head of the Dark Army.

At the end of the episode, Elliot decided to contact his sister about the trouble they’re in using Ray’s computer. After finding out about Romero’s death—and the fact that he was looking into the FBI’s top-secret “Berenstain” surveillance mission—Elliot came up with a brand new plan: He’s going to hack the FBI and fight for his future. Hacker Elliot is back and we’re excited to see what’s  in store when the show returns next week (hopefully with Tyrell in tow).

What did you think of this week’s episode? Let us know in the comments below, join the conversation on Facebook, or reach out to me on Twitter: @Samantha_Sofka.

Image Credit: USA

COLONY Cast & Creators on Doubling Down the Sci-Fi for Season Two

This weekend at Camp Conival, we had all sorts of wonderful television casts and creators come by, from Preacher to Sherlock and American Gods, all to talk about their science fiction or fantasy series with our live audience at Petco Park. And one of our favorite new shows of last season, Colony, stopped by the stage to chat with Clarke Wolfe about what’s coming up for season two.

The first season of Colony takes place in a not-so-distant future when the world has been colonized by an unknown force. Families have been ripped apart, lines have been drawn, and one family is trapped in the middle of it. Along with cast members Josh Holloway, Sarah Wayne-Callies, Tory Kittles, Amanda Righetti, Adrian Pasdar, and Peter Jacobson, showrunners Carlton Cuse and Ryan Condal shed some light on season two… What happens when there’s a greater level of oppression? We find more extreme versions of these characters, of the resistance, and even more science fiction.

Plus, real-life pals Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne-Callies shared some insight about their friendship as actors, their characters’ relationships on opposite sides of the resistance, and a few silly stories. (Did you know Josh Holloway secretly wants to cosplay as Adam West Batman, tights and all?)

Don’t miss the rest of our SDCC coverage and Conival interviews all week long, and let us know in the comments what you’re looking forward to next season on Colony.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist Industries is a subsidiary of Legendary Entertainment.

Comic Book Club: San Diego Comic-Con Wrap-Up

Time to make sense of all the news coming out of Comic-Con, and the Club has you covered:

Who won San Diego Comic-Con? Marvel? DC? THE FANS??? Comic Book Club wraps it all up, plus reviews of Snotgirl #1, DC Rebirth: The Hellblazer #1, and Superman #3.

Check out the website at comicbookclublive.com to find out how to watch the show live! And follow the show on Twitter: @comicbooklive, @azalben, @jtsizzle, and @realpetelepage

The INHUMANS Take on X-MEN, and More Marvel SDCC News

Tons of news was dropped by all the major publishers at Comic-Con last week, so let’s catch up with the stories you might have missed, starting with all things Marvel….

Inhumans vs X-Men, and more Marvel SDCC announcements

Marvel Comics made several announcements at Comic-Con this past weekend, chief among them the news that an Inhumans vs X-Men event series is coming soon, opening up that long simmering conflict in a much bigger way. Inhumans vs. X-Men will be a six part event series, and would tie into the recently announced Death of X and Inhumans/X-Men: Terrigenocide series.

According to Joe Quesada at his yearly “Cup O’ Joe” Comic-Con panel, this event series will have “the fate of their species at stake.” Writers Charles Soule and Jeff Lemire, along with Leinil Yu will be the creative team on this series. No release date has been given yet.

Also announced was Black Panther: World of Wakanda, which explores stories spinning out of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s current Black Panther series, and focuses on two former Dora Milaje. Coates is co-writing with Roxane Gay, with Alitha Martinez on art chores.

But maybe the coolest Marvel announcement was the upcoming release of the illustrated storybook Goodnight Groot, a parody of Goodnight Moon starring the Guardians of the Galaxy characters. Joe Quesada joked on the panel that Samuel L. Jackson should narrate an audio version, and I wholeheartedly concur. [Newsarama]

Assassin’s Creed: Templars Coming from Titan Comics

UK publisher Titan Comics have announced Assassin’s Creed: Templars, an all- new mini-series of Assassin’s Creed manga, collected for the first time in English. The series is written by Yano Takashi, with interior art and covers by Oiwa Kenji. Assassin’s Creed: Awakening is the latest in a line of comics based on the Assassin’s Creed universe including the upcoming Assassin’s Creed: Last Descendants – Locus. Below is the official description of the series from the publisher:

“Jump back into the world of Edward Kenway, lead character of the best-selling fan favorite game, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, in this beautiful manga adaptation. Return to the Golden Age of Pirates is this swashbuckling adventure set in the time period featured in the hit Ubisoft video game Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag!” You can check out the cover for the first issue above.

Wildstorm Characters Will Be Joining DC’s Rebirth Soon

One of the big omissions upon DC’s big Rebirth was the total lack of any Wildstorm characters. Although we now know that Wildstorm characters Apollo and Midnighter are returning in an all-new mini-series in October, what about the rest of them?

According to a comment made by DC co-publisher (and Wildstorm comics creator) Jim Lee at Comic-Con, he said DC Comics will soon have an announcement about the Wildstorm characters joining the DC Universe again, and it will “blow our minds.” But the announcement for just what that is won’t be coming until New York Comic-Con in October. So patience, Wildstorm fans. All good things to those who wait. [Bleeding Cool]

The Justice Society Will Also Return to the DC Universe 

Speaking of characters missing from the DC Universe, ever since the New 52 era began, the WWII heroes of the Justice Society of America have been missing in action — essentially erased from history. But in Geoff Johns’ DC Rebirth special it hinted that they might be back, a fact confirmed by Johns at a panel at SDCC. When a fan asked about a potential return of the JSA, he said “I one-thousand percent have plans for Justice Society,” and mentioned they would also be appearing on TV in Legends of Tomorrow. What the comic book plans are for the JSA is not yet known, but it’s good to know there are plans in motion. [CBR]

Jem’s Rivals The Misfits to get their own IDW series

If you loved the Jem and the Holograms cartoon as a kid, chances are the real reason you watched it was for Jem’s rival “bad girl” band, the Misfits. Publisher IDW is looking to capitalize on Misfits mania, and announced at SDCC that Pizzazz, Roxy, and Stormer will be getting their own Misfits series, spinning out of the ongoing Jem and the Holograms comic.

The new series will be written by Kelly Thompson, with covers by M. Victoria Robado, and interiors by an artist to be announced at a later date. Writer Kelly Thompson had this to say about the new Misfits series: “We’re very excited about The Misfits getting a chance to have their own spotlight, especially since everyone knows their ‘songs are better.’ (nice reference to the Jem theme song there, Ms. Thompson). [Comics Alliance]

Robert Kirkman has changed the ending of The Walking Dead again

For years, creator Robert Kirkman has said that he had a set plan for the end of his hit comic book series The Walking Dead in mind. Now, that set plan seems to have changed. While speaking on a panel at SDCC with series artist Charlie Adlard and Skybound’s Sean Mackiewicz, Kirkman revealed that  “the end has changed. There was one version that would have had it ending as soon as everybody reached Alexandria.”

Obviously, fans of both the TV series and the comic know it didn’t end there. Considering what a cash-cow The Walking Dead is in comic book form and TV form, it makes sense that Kirkman would want to keep the story going for as long as possible. Let’s just say I don’t see Rick Grimes and the gang catching a break anytime soon. [Comic Book]

Dark Horse Announces Tomb Raider Archives

Also announced at SDCC, publisher Dark Horse Comics have revealed that they are releasing a Tomb Raider Archive later this year. Described as “all 50 issues of the best-selling Top Cow comic, Tomb Raider Journeys, and one-shots” Tomb Raider Archives will be released in four volumes, with volume one out in November. With a new movie coming soon, it’s no wonder Dark Horse is looking to get in on some of that Tomb Raider action before the movie hype starts. [Bleeding Cool]

Images: Marvel Comics / DC Comics / Dark Horse Comics / Image Comics / IDW Entertainment / Titan Comics

Battle Lines are Drawn in CIVIL WAR II #4 (Review)

There are spoilers ahead for Marvel’s Civil War II #4! So don’t say that you weren’t warned!

When the premise of Civil War II was revealed, it was widely compared to Philip K. Dick’s Minority Report. In Civil War II #4, writer Brian Michael Bendis is going full Minority Report. Iron Man has analyzed Ulysses’ power and determined that he isn’t actually seeing the future, he’s profiling the future. And those profiles are not necessarily exact representations of what will happen. Sound familiar?

Bendis does put forth the interesting idea that these profiles are slowly driving Ulysses mad and affecting his visions of the future, but it’s all from Tony Stark’s mouth as opposed to something that we see in action. Ulysses himself is still a non-entity in this story, although we do finally witness what happened when he seemingly targeted an innocent woman as a potential terrorist threat. No one in the story grasped the obvious divergent point of the vision: the woman took the wrong briefcase to work. This is spelled out in the script, and yet Captain Marvel didn’t even think to send someone to check this.

But before this happens, the so-called trial of the century wrapped up, and Hawkeye got off for murdering the Hulk. Bizarrely, this made Hawkeye the most popular hero in the Marvel Universe, although we didn’t really see Clint Barton in this issue. There’s only a ridiculous image of Barton in his old Hawkeye costume, back when it actually looked like something a superhero would wear. Considering howmuch of the previous issue built up to this verdict, it landed with a thud and it was inconsequential to the rest of the book. Aside from She-Hulk’s reaction, it could have been cut out entirely.

A large part of the issue intercuts between Stark’s appeal to his fellow heroes and Captain Marvel’s strike team in action. This had better pacing than the majority of the miniseries, but it’s still taken the story four issues to get to heroes on the verge of war against each other. This time, Iron Man has Captain America on his side. But considering what we know about Cap’s true loyalties, that’s probably not something that Stark will be proud of when the truth comes out.

Your reaction to this issue’s cliffhanger will probably depend on how you view the Guardians of the Galaxy. They have no real dog in this fight, and yet here they were suddenly on Captain Marvel’s side. She used to be a member of their team, but only people who read their comic would know that. It isn’t stated here, and Carol Danvers was once again given less to work with than Tony Stark. We know that Carol and James Rhodes were supposed to be lovers, but it’s been largely ignored in the miniseries aside from someone saying that Carol misses Rhodey. As crazy as Tony Stark can be, Captain Marvel is coming off infinitely worse in her ruthless desire to prove Ulysses’ visions are correct.

David Marquez did his usual job on the art, and by “usual,” I mean fantastic. Marquez and colorist Justin Ponsor are continuously delivering the best work of their careers for a story that doesn’t live up to the quality of their output. Early in the issue, there’s a visually arresting splash of Miles Morales and a large crowd in Times Square reacting to the verdict. That was stunning. Marquez’s faces convey a lot of emotion and he makes his superheroes seem larger than life. We’ve said this before, but Marquez and Ponsor are the biggest selling points on this story. The next issue is poised to finally let them cut loose with a superhero battle, even if it is poorly motivated. There’s still time for Bendis to make this story sing, but so far, it’s hit all of the wrong notes.

RATING: 2 OUT OF 5 BURRITOS

What did you think about Civil War II #4? Unleash your thoughts in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel Comics

Big Paper #22: The Cosplayer Is IN

About Big Paper, the new Nerdist comic strip!

Abandoned as an infant, Everett, a living and breathing cartoon dinosaur, was adopted by a loving human couple. Within a reality where cartoons live and work among us, Everett navigates what it is to be 8-years-old along with his two cohorts: a cartoon turtle and child actor called Mel, and a brooding instigator and human girl named Keaton. They reside in a place where geek and pop culture have physically manifested itself, from the Incredible Hulk studying in your acting class to having the great Pumpkin King over for dinner.

About Michael McCusker:

Michael McCusker is an actor, improviser, and artist originally from Boston, MA. At an early age, he fell in love with the theater and live comedy. Michael discovered the North End’s Improv Asylum in 2005 and has been performing regularly since. Upon graduating from Bentley University in 2007, he moved westward to Los Angeles where he continued his improv education with IO West, Second City, UCB, and The Groundlings. Michael has since been featured in a string of commercials, music videos, online sketch, and some of those sweet, unaired pilots for major networks!

Thanks for taking the time to read Big Paper. If you dig the art, please check out his online portfolio, or grab something for yourself in his Society6 store.

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New strips of Big Paper debut every Wednesday, right here on Nerdist!

Inked Wednesday #97 – DOCTOR WHO, Leia and Han, and More Geeky Tattoos

July has been a month, y’all. I got to apply all my nerdy tattoo enthusiasm to the extreme when I hosted the Star Wars tattoo competition at Celebration Europe. I saw all manner of ink from the galaxy far, far away come across the stage–including two very different Salacious Crumb pieces and a BB-8 milkshake design (which was maybe my personal favorite because it combined Star Wars and dessert). But I’m not only about Star Wars and to prove it, please admire this detailed Doctor Who design:

Doctor Who ink | Source: Annie Hill

That art is all about villains and confirms I’m still thoroughly wigged out by the concept of Weeping Angels.

Visit the gallery below to see more examples of geeky tattoos. You’ll find a Dia de Los Muertos spin on Han and Leia, a Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword symbol from Indiana Jones, and more.

Want to see your permanent body art featured in Inked Wednesday? Excellent, because I’d be happy to include it in a future gallery. Send me pictures of your tattoos inspired by games, comics, science, etc. You can leave links to photos of your ink in the comments, tag or mention me on Instagram (no direct messages, please), send pics to me on Twitter, or tag your ink with the #InkedWednesday hashtag. Finally, you can email me at alratcliffe at yahoo dot com. Please let me know the name of the artist that did it too because credit is cool and maybe your ink will inspire someone out there to visit your tattoo artist for one of their very own.

Watch Blink-182 Perform Thunderous New Track, “Cynical”

Blink-182 have experienced a glorious return to pop culture’s helm since they announced their new studio album, California. The path to the new record, which arrived on July 1, has been dotted with quirks and various subplots—Tom DeLonge left the band to search for aliens; Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba took over guitar duties—but it was all worth it. A couple weeks ago the pop-punk band dethroned Drake atop the charts, claiming their first number one record in 15 years.

Over the weekend, Blink played new track, “Cynical,” at their Viejas Arena show in San Diego, as NME reports. Check out the fan-shot footage below. Travis Barker is laying down some serious kick, and, despite the album’s brief public availability, all the fans already know all the lyrics. That’s dedication, folks.

Blink-182 will soon take their act to Europe, where they’ll tour by boat. Since experiencing a plane crash in 2008, Barker has (understandably) suffered from a flight phobia and still refuses to fly. “We are looking into it. Hopefully we can make it work,” frontman Mark Hoppus told NME. “Travis is looking into the possibility of taking a boat from LA, which is a very long trip.”

Maybe they should turn that into a reality TV show, where they pick up a few lucky fans in every major coastal city along the way and then live with them for a few days. People could be voted off the boat, Survivor style, until a single fan remained. Grand prize: alien hunt with Tom DeLonge?

Check out the latest video and let us know if you’d hop on this imagined Blink-182 glory cruise.

Image: Blink-182’s Instagram