Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2383

Javier Bardem May Be Frankenstein’s Monster for Universal

Good news, monster fans: it looks like Javier Bardem may don the famed flat top as Universal’s new creature created by Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Before we go any further, it should be pointed out that while Variety reported the news and stated that Bardem would portray “Frankenstein,” reporting journalist Justin Kroll later took to Twitter to clarify that he meant Frankenstein’s monster, not Victor, the creator himself (I’m throwing monster nerd side-eye at you for that one, Variety). If the deal goes through, The Creature would appear in another Universal monster movie first before likely getting his own spin-off. This is interesting considering we’ve seen The Creature’s origin story so frequently in the Universal monster movies, is the studio assuming that we all know and recognize him by now and we can skip that step? Something tells me, that’s not likely…

(Nerdist has reached out for comment on the matter and will update the post as more information becomes available.)

Bardem is no stranger to playing menacing figures, winning an Academy Award for his portrayal of killing machine Anton Chigurh in the Coen Brothers 2007 Best Picture winner No Country For Old Men. Variety also notes that Bardem was first approached to play the iconic Dr. Jekyll (and assuming his alter-ego the villainous Mr. Hyde, as well) but passed; that role went to two-time Oscar winner Russell Crowe. We, personally, couldn’t be more pleased with the way it all worked out: we’re ready to see Crowe embrace his inner brute and unleash the crazy, while Bardem could potentially dive into a mostly silent, emotive performance in the tradition of Karloff’s that made the Universal Frankenstein monster one of the great classic characters.

While it remains to be seen how any of these films turn out, I have to say, Universal is signing up the best of the best that Hollywood has to offer for this franchise. Tom Cruise is currently shooting The Mummy with Kingsman‘s Sofia Boutella playing the titular baddie and Johnny Depp is onboard for The Invisible Man. There were rumors that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was in talks for The Wolfman, that Angelina Jolie was approached for The Bride of Frankenstein, and Scarlett Johansson for The Creature from the Black Lagoon but none of those stories became solidified. Come on, Universal, don’t forget about your lady monster movie stars, too!

In any case, one thing fans who may have been slightly skeptical can take solace in is that Universal not only seems to be locking in big time movie stars, but top-tier acting talent, as well. Here’s hoping they take their time and develop strong, tragic, and scary characters and hit the home run that these movies really could be.

Featured Image Credit: Universal Pictures

Pearl Jam Played “Angel” for the First Time Since 1994

The glory days of grunge are well in the “Rearviewmirror.” Pearl Jam, the grunge scene’s enduring forebear, is already celebrating its 25th anniversary as a band. The Seattle icons have been playing lots of deep cuts and unlikely covers on their recent tour to honor that full two and a half decades of repertoire. On Saturday, during the group’s headlining performance at Colorado’s Ride Festival, Pearl Jam busted out perhaps the rarest track yet: the 1993 Christmas single “Angel” that they hadn’t played live in 22 years.

“Some of you may know that this next song doesn’t get played much and some of you may not,” Eddie Vedder prefaced, according to a discussion on Pearl Jam’s website. “It was written by the guy who was our drummer, Dave Abbruzzese. We wish him well.” Abbruzzese was fired from the band in 1994 because of his “rock star” lifestyle and, in 2015, he was wanted for arrest on two different drug charges.

The dude can write a damn good song, though. At least he could back in the early ‘90s. “Angel” is standard PJ fare, and actually sounds a lot like “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.” Check out the fan-filmed clip, and then take a peek at another rendition of the song shot back in 1992, which features Abbruzzese on guitar:

According to Rolling Stone, Pearl Jam also busted out the rarely heard track “Santa Cruz” on Saturday. The song originates from a 2009 Christmas single and had only been played live one other time.

Any hardcore Pearl Jam fans catch any other rare songs on this tour? Let us know in comments below.

Featured Image: Deep Ghosh/Flickr

Banned JUDGE DREDD Comics Being Reprinted for the First Time

Fans of the Judge Dredd series known that “The Cursed Earth” was one of the great Dredd epics. Originally published in 1978, the story spanned over twenty strips and greatly expanded the world of Dredd and company. The thing is, unless you read it back in 1978 when it was originally being published, you have been reading an incomplete version. Parts of the story were “banned” by then-publisher IPC who decided they’d rather not reprint something that caused massive corporations to bring lawsuits against them. So what was behind the banning and why have reprints of “The Cursed Earth” been incomplete for years? Two words: Burger Wars.

“The Cursed Earth” sees Judge Dredd traveling across America to deliver a vaccine to Mega-City Two. Along the way he encounters mutants, dinosaurs, monsters, and all sorts of bad folks. None of these bizarre scenes offend corporate America though. It wasn’t until Dredd came across two warring factions that things hit the fan. You see, these groups were lead by Ronald McDonald and Burger King. Fast food had become religion, and people were willing to die for it. Doesn’t really seem like a stretch, actually.

Now, like a lot of Judge Dredd, this was clearly a satire. The target was America’s obsession with fast food. It was commentary on the mountains and mountains of the stuff we consume. In fact, Judge Dredd is able to escape the McDonald’s clan’s clutches because they are too fat and lazy from eating so many burgers, fries, and shakes. It’s funny, violent, and bizarre. In other words, it’s pitch perfect Judge Dredd. 

As it turned out, McDonald’s and Burger King didn’t enjoy seeing their trademarked characters published without their permission. They probably weren’t too happy that the characters were portrayed as sadistic killing machines either. They certainly were not happy with the commentary that 2000 AD was making about their products and that they were inhabits of a placed called “The Cursed Earth.” So, lawsuits happened and the offending strips disappeared, never to be reprinted again. Until now.

Now, 2000 AD is reprinting the complete “The Cursed Earth” storyline for the first time in a glorious hardcover. This is all thanks to recent changes in the UK law governing parody. To give you a sense of just how badly IPC idd not want these panels to see the light of day, 2000 AD actually had to use the help of fans to find the art from the banned stories so they could reprint them. Thanks to those fans, you can pick up the full story and watch Ronald McDonald gleefully murder people. This features art from Judge Dredd heavyweights Brian Bolland and Mike McMahon, so it looks amazing, too.

“The Cursed Earth Uncensored” hits shelves July 14th, so devour a copy already.

7 of the Most WTF Moments in Comic Book History

Image: 2000 AD

CHVRCHES and Paramore’s Hayley Williams Have A New Animated Video

About a month ago, indie pop outfit CHVRCHES teamed up with Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams for an inspirational, ‘get-over-it’ track titled, “Bury It.” The joint anthem originated from a 2015 Nashville performance when Williams, a longtime CHVRCHES friend, performed the song with the Scottish trio. It went so well that they recorded it and released it as a lyric video, complete with tantalizing cover art of the foursome in stunning 2D animation. Today, the band elaborated on that image and released a full-fledged animated video.

In the clip (above), CHVRCHES is hanging out on a Manhattan-looking rooftop (complete with the household detritus that oft adorns them). They channel some telekinetic powers and send the debris flying through the air before passing it off to Williams, who’s standing on an adjacent rooftop. Like a badass, she manipulates the collection of objects into a makeshift staircase and bridges the gap to join her ad-hoc bandmates. They then proceed to fly around and generally have a great time with their newfound abilities.

The video, as Pitchfork reports, was created by frequent collaborator Jamie McKelvie and animated by Mighty Nice. McKelvie commented on the project in a press release:

“Music has always had a big influence on my work, and making a music video seemed like a natural progression of that. Getting the opportunity to work on this video with such great collaborators – CHVRCHES, Hayley Williams, and Mighty Nice – meant the reality turned out even better than I’d imagined.”

CHVRCHES’ Iain Cook added:

“Ever since Jamie McKelvie began working with us on CHVRCHES poster designs, we have been discussing ways in which we could further our creative relationship. His work on comics such as Phonogram, Young Avengers, and most recently The Wicked + The Divine have cemented his reputation as one of the most unique and exciting artists.”

“Bury It” originally appeared on CHVRCHES’s 2015 album, Every Open Eye. Check out the new video and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Image: Artist

MONDO Infographic Art to Go On Sale

Mondo, purveyors of some of the greatest geek culture related art on the planet, have been focusing a lot lately in the area of infographic art. For those few out there unfamiliar with the term, an infographic is a visual representation of data or knowledge, meant to convey that information quickly and easily. Often it’s just used for boring PowerPoint presentations at your office meeting, but lately, many pop culture-influenced illustrators have taken the infographic idea and turned them into genuine artistic works.

Recently, Mondo had an infographic inspired art show, which ran from June 24 to the July 9, which showcased stunning pieces by artists Kevin Tong, Tom Whalen, and Matt Taylor. The art in this show featured stats and details on properties like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Back to the Future, Star Wars, and the Avengers, all done as remarkable art pieces, any one worthy of framing and displaying in your home or office.

On July 12, at a randomly selected time, Mondo is releasing the 2nd round of posters for sale that were featured in their Info•Rama gallery show online. This set includes Batman’s Utility Beltpiece by Kevin Tong, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle posters (each inspired by different TMNT eras) by Tom Whalen, and Matt Taylor’s incredible Avengers print. You can find out more about the Mondo Info•Rama gallery show here.  The Posters will go on sale at a random time on 7/12 a tmondotees.com.

Kevin Tong’s Batman inspired Utility Belt will come in a 36″x24″ screen print, in an edition of just 275, selling for $45. The TMNT pieces will come each in a 12″x36″ screen print, also in a very limited dition of 275, available for $40. Finally, The Avengers by Matt Taylor will come in a 24″x36″ screen print, in an equally limited edition of 325, which will retail for $45. Be sure to follow Mondo on  Twitter for the on sale announcement. And for a preview of each of the pieces going on sale, make sure to check out our gallery below.

Which one of these amazing prints do you have to get your paws on the most? be sure to let us know in the comments.

Images: Kevin Tong, Tom Whalen, and Matt Taylor via Mondo

 

MR. ROBOT’s Twisted Tale Goes to War in a Horror-Lensed Season 2 (Review)

Hello, friend: are you ready to go to war? Because by the looks of season two of USA Network’s very good Mr. Robot sure seems to be hankering for one. With the ramifications of the E Corp hack taking center stage—and all the questions and unknowns they left us with during season one—it definitely takes the two back-to-back, hour-long episodes to dive back into the world that fsociety’s created. For all the world-exploding the hacking group set up, Elliot, Darlene, and Mr. Robot have a lot less control over the situation post-takedown than they would’ve probably liked, setting up a blistering social commentary, psychological headgame, and horror-flecked hunt for the move to take it all down.

The sophomore season—which hits airwaves on July 13 at 10PM (and had a sneak-attack FB Livestream premiere on Sunday)—kicks out with a time jump that answers (at times slowly but to great effect) many of the questions left off at the end of season one: What actually happened when the hack went down? Is Tyrell alive? Did the hack work? Will we see Mr. Robot again? Is Gideon OK? But it also sets up a ton of unnerving unknowns, too: Will the FBI get involved? Is Elliot in control of his sanity? What’s going on with Angela’s lawsuit and promotion? Will Darlene go too far? Will Tyrell actually take the blame for all of this?

For as calm as so many people seem, the stress is ratcheted up to eleven from the get-go, thanks to creator Sam Esmail’s well-placed camera movements, broody lighting, and lingering shots. The show’s aesthetic is as strong as ever, and its look at the fallout of the world’s biggest hack does not end as cut-and-dry as anyone would have hoped or anticipated. And with the reveal that Mr. Robot is a creation of Elliot’s subconscious—a voice in the sea hoping to change Elliot’s tide—at the end of season one, the conceit of his mystery may be gone, but how and why he controls Elliot’s actions most certainly is not. The fugue states are still very real, folks.

Perhaps the most fascinating and riveting storyline, though, is Darlene’s. Seemingly separated from her brother Elliot, Darlene goes full war general, leading the digital charge against the corporations and banks that have held the people hostage for so long. Her first scene in the series finds her a woman reborn from the ashes of the E Corp takedown. She’s fascinating, vengeful, determined, and making the moves that must be done to build upon the hack’s damage. Dissatisfied with the results—and the seriousness with which her team does not take too kindly to her rules—Darlene’s determination reaches new heights in the season two opener. As the main cast turns this series into more of an ensemble show rather than told strictly from Elliot’s mind, Darlene’s storyline is the one with which we are most intrigued.

Speaking of Elliot, an expanded look into his mental illness proves it an even more layered and confounding piece of the puzzle. Here is a portrait of a man desperate to be good, so intent on being in control of that which maybe has more control over him than he might think that it may be doing him more harm than good to attempt it. Mr. Robot, himself, is unhappy with Elliot’s attempts to disconnect from his “past life,” and becomes more and more inventive to get his attention. A Mr. Robot not in control of Elliot—and being actively ignored by Elliot—is, perhaps, more dangerous, scary, and unhinged than ever before. Sam Esmail, the creator of the show who also wrote and directed the first two episodes, has managed to reinvigorate the danger and mystery behind Mr. Robot’s capabilities that may have been lost for some when his true identity was revealed in season one.

That isn’t to say it’s all strength, though. Some fans may take issue with Angela’s trajectory. As it currently stands, her 180, though telegraphed in the season one finale, feels the least fleshed-out and compelling. Of all the characters, Angela is given the least insight into her and her mind after the hack—bafflingly chanting affirmations in the middle of the night aside. With a fancy new job at E Corp that, she insists, respects her potential, Angela looks (somehow) even more unhinged than Elliot (she’s just masking it really poorly with all this stressed-out work maneuvering).

There’s a slew of new characters that come into view, too, with varying degrees of mystery surrounding them, including Craig Robinson, rapper Joey Bada$$, and Grace Gummer. Robinson’s character is, perhaps, the most confounding, and we’re intrigued to see people’s response to his more serious presence in the show. With the show’s penchant for eerily mirroring and/or preempting what’s happening in the real world, there’s plenty to look forward to as the world continues to spin madly on in season two.

Mr. Robot has managed—in its first two episodes back—to remain one of the most gripping, thrilling, horrific looks at our digitized culture that we’ve ever seen. Fans will not be disappointed by the series’ expanded point of view—particularly as the fallout (or lack thereof) begins to unfurl.

4.5 out of 5 encrypted burritos:

Are you going to tune into Mr. Robot? Let us know in the comments below.

Images: USA Network

Blink-182 Bumped Drake From the Number 1 Spot in the Charts

What’s our age again? To be honest we are not quite sure–Pokemon is popular and Blink-182 have a number one album–and it feels like it is 1998. Blink came back with such momentum that they managed to bump Drake from his number one spot in the Billboard charts. Also, Check out Chvrches and Hayley Williams’ rad video for “Bury It” below, the Spice Girls’ partial reunion, the Oasis brothers’ potato insults, Schoolboy Q’s chilling video, Flea’s signature Fender bass, and El-P’s pokerap.

For the first time in 15 years, and for the second time ever, Blink-182 have a number one record on their hands with their brand new LP, California. This is cool news to pop-punk kids everywhere and very sad news for Drake, whose album Views was bumped from the top after spending 9 weeks at number one. Maybe this will prompt Drake to release a pity-me single, or perhaps he’ll just join Blink-182 as a permanent member.

This past Friday, the Spice Girls‘ biggest hit, “Wannabe,” turned 20. To celebrate, three-fifths of the girl group recorded messages hinting at a possible reunion. Though it’s only a minute in length, the video sees them thank fans and pack a punch of energy given it seems a side-project may be in the works. At least that’s what Emma “Baby Spice” Bunton, Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown and Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell suggested. Watch it above to see for yourself. [Rolling Stone]

POTATO pic.twitter.com/C13BbKFyCH

— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) July 9, 2016

In what is by far the most bizarre and petty sibling rivalry, we have new updates between Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis. The two brothers bicker quite often, but things went to a new level back in May when Liam called his brother a potato and promptly turned down rumors of an Oasis reunion. It’s a strange insult, but one that’s stuck around. A month later, Liam called Noel a potato once more. That leaves us here today, in July, where Liam has not once, but twice called his brother a potato. The best part is there’s no sentence. It’s just the noun in all caps accompanied by screenshots of his brother. Boys, calm down and eat your vegetables. [Stereogum] With Blank Face released just last week, rapper Schoolboy Q shared another video from the album’s video trilogy. Album character Groovy Tony has a lot going on in his life, and “By Any Means” and “Tookie Knows II” have chronicled those ups and downs so far. That storyline continues in “Black THougHts,” a hearing and plea in the face of jail time. Jack Begert and Dave Free directed it, so prep yourself for some heated energy. [Consequence of Sound]

Image Credit: Fender

There’s a steadily growing list of iconic bass players. Right near the top sits Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His funky lines and slapped parts are hard to get out of your brain, nevertheless to sit still to, so naturally it’s time he gets to design his own bass. Fender teamed up with him to create a Flea Jazz Bass as a part of Fender’s Signature Series. It’s an exact replica of his own Shell Pink ’61 Jazz Bass which a fan gifted him. Now that fans can buy the exact one, it’s his gift to them at large. [Consequence of Sound]

  Pokemon rappin   A video posted by thereallyrealelp (@thereallyrealelp) on Jul 9, 2016 at 4:08pm PDT

Pokémon Go has taken America by storm over the course of the weekend. Most kids understand it because, well, they grew up playing Pokemon and getting to catch them in real life was always the dream. Some adults, however, do not understand it. Take, for instance, El-P of Run the Jewels. The rapper took to Twitter to rag on the game before offering an “apology” freestyle rap, encouraging fans to make remixes of it. The whole thing, both his freestyle and the resulting remixes, are a mess, but perhaps that’s the point. Good luck, players. [Stereogum]

See you back here on Wednesday for another Music Dispatch!

Image: Blink-182’s Instagram

STAR WARS and GAME OF THRONES Collide in These Beautiful Mash-Ups

Alright, the internet. Pack it in and go home. Someone’s gone and mashed-up the two worlds we just might love the most. Combining Game of Thrones characters into the Star Wars universe hits an Achilles heel we probably should have known we had. Actually, if you were to throw a sonic screwdriver into the mix somewhere, you’d end up with pretty much the entire internet’s fandom just drooling to order prints.

Created by illustrator Andrew Tran and featured on a recent post from io9, these incredible mash-ups of GoT and SW worlds seem almost too good. Like they’re just waiting to be made into a cross-over graphic novel. Each Game of Thrones character re-imagined as either Sith, Jedi, or smuggler seems to be a perfect balance between both worlds without seeming outlandish or unbalanced. 

Tran–who goes by doctaword on Instagram–blended the worlds so well that we simply must go over the subtle and wonderful details of them. Daenerys may have a dragon-equivalent rancor by her side but it’s her golden flame lightsabers with clawed hilts that show Tran took care in what he was mashing up. It’s pretty easy to draw the parallel from The Night’s King to Darth Maul, but to know that a powerful character like Melisandre would more than likely never fight hand to hand results in her portrait where she’s menacingly force-controlling her multiple light sabers. Then there are the small touches of having a Needle-like light saber for Arya that’s held in confident elegance, or the robotic sword hand of Jedi (?) Jaime Lannister. And of course we can now never un-see Tyrion as a scoundrel because he is absolutely the Han Solo of the GoT universe.

Take a look at all the mash-ups in the gallery and let us know which one is your favorite. And let’s discuss in the comments section what characters you wish Andrew Tran would mash-up next!

Images: Andrew Tran

Selling Your Blood on eBay Is a No-No, Lord British

The famed game developer Richard Garriott (creator of the Ultima series and known as “Lord British” in the game) was selling his blood on eBay. And oddly, the online auction company isn’t fond of allowing their users to sell their own blood–who would have thought? Pro tip: Don’t sell blood on eBay. But really, it’s not as strange as it sounds. Garriott had his blood drawn on a live stream (via Kotaku) which was then placed in six reliquaries made by artist Steve Burdniak to promote his upcoming RPG, Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues. Okay, maybe it’s still weird.

If you’re prepared to check it out, skip ahead to the 19 minute mark in the video above.

The final product is actually a pretty sweet display piece–if you can get over the fact that there’s real blood in there. But yeah, you obviously can’t get this on eBay anymore. If you really want one, though, the reliquaries are up for sale on Portalarium’s Make a Difference store. Some of the proceeds will go to charity. At the moment only two are still available, and are going as high as $11,000. Pricey, for sure, but at least a portion of it does benefit a good cause.

This is definitely an interesting way of promoting your game. If anything, it has people talking, so good on Garriott and Portalarium.

What do you think about the route Portalarium took to promote Shroud of the Avatar? Does this get you more interested in the upcoming RPG? Would you spend that much money on a famous developer’s blood in a reliquary (I know, that sounds creepy)? Let us know in the comments below!

Image: Richard Garriott/eBay

Groovy New EVIL DEAD 2 Board Game on Its Way

It’s probably the best time ever to be a fan of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise. After years and years of clamoring for an Evil Dead 4 on the big screen, fans got something even better last year when the Ash Vs. The Evil Dead television series debuted. Why just get one movie when you can have potentially years worth of Bruce Campbell kicking ass and taking demonic names instead??

And now there’s potentially yet another groovy new addition to all that gory Deadite goodness, as Space Goat Productions, the company who has been producing the Evil Dead 2 comics, have announced their plans to create an Evil Dead 2 board game. This would be an officially licensed game, made with permission from rights holders Studio Canal. Although the game is already funded on Kickstarter, new backers can still get special cool new bonuses once the game is released.

The Evil Dead 2 Board Game is the tabletop experience that fans of the movie never knew they wanted–the game would feature at least 8 custom figures with art depicting Ash and the other memorable characters, demons and a certain cabin in the woods from the cult classic film. 2-6 players will work together in 60–90 minute sessions to gather pages of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, all while trying to survive demon attacks and creepy lullabies, and avoid turning into evil deadites themselves.

Space Goat Productions have also revealed that there will not only be a standard edition of the game, but an even cooler deluxe edition that comes in a Ex-Mortis game box, as well as with an exclusive “Combat Ash” miniature and more. To learn all the details of the game, be sure to click on their Kickstarter page, and also be sure to watch the video below:

Are you stoked about this very groovy board game? Does it make your geek heart go boomstick? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Images: Studio Canal