Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2391

You’ll Have to Wait a While for More Pixar Sequels

There are a lot of sequels in movie theaters these days, and you either love them or you hate them. Pixar hasn’t been immune to this trend, offering a handful of follow-ups over the years, returning us to the world of Cars and Toy Story. They’ve also got a solid lineup headed our way with Finding Dory, Toy Story 4, and The Incredibles 2. So naturally, fans of the studio’s films have been curious about when we’ll see continued stories from movies like Ratatouille, WALL-E, or Inside Out.

Well, it looks like like you’ll have to wait for quite a while for those sequels to hit theaters. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Pixar president Jim Morris said that the animation giant only has original films planned for the next several years after this round of sequels releases. The studio’s business model isn’t one to simply make grabby hands at sequels when a film performs well at the box office (which makes sense, because for them, “successful films” would be nearly everything). Instead, they only pursue the idea when the filmmaker behind the movie has a passion, vision, and an engaging story to tell. It also means when the studio takes on a story idea for a new film, that filmmaker is essentially off the table for any new projects until their current film is completed. For the time being, the concepts just aren’t there.

This is definitely a bummer to hear if you were really hoping to hear about Riley’s teenage years in Inside Out 2, or you wanted to check in on the humans in the universe of WALL-E. However, the silver lining is that Pixar takes sequels seriously. In a season where we’ve got a glut of follow up films, sequels, and prequels, it’s kind of refreshing to see a studio take a beat before continuing the story from a successful standalone film. You may have not loved every sequel you’ve seen from the studio, but you’ve got to respect the amount of thought and planning that goes into the follow up films. After all, they did a pretty fantastic job with the Toy Story movies, so we know they can make a franchise worth seeing. So maybe there aren’t more sequels in the works for them, but let’s not forget that just because it’s a good movie, a second (or third) film isn’t necessarily warranted. Some movies can be good all on their own. Plus, do we really need a movie showing us the confused, chaotic brain of a teenager? As a former teenager myself, I’m not sure we do.

How do you feel about Pixar sequels? Do you want to see more or less of them? Which do you think deserve a sequel? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

Image credit: Pixar 

PREACHER Review: Who Will Survive the “Sundowner”?

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

Okay, now we’re moving. After several weeks of spinning its wheels, Preacher‘s central narrative lurches forward in “Sundowner,” the show’s best episode since its pilot. Things pick up immediately after last week’s “South Will Rise Again,” with Jesse having just learned that the entity inside of him is not God, but is, in fact, the product of an unholy union between an angel and a demon. Named “Genesis,” it’s a “mistake,” a “scandal,” and an embarrassment to both Heaven and Hell. Fiore and Deblanc, the two angelic agents (or “custodians,” as they call themselves) who have been hounding Jesse, finally make their intentions clear. But before Preacher Custer can fully process what’s happening, another nastier angel, a Seraphim, shows up, and all hell proceeds to break loose.

“Sundowner” offers what is by far the show’s best teaser to date, with Jesse and the two heavenly helpers engaged in an orgy of violence and bloodshed in the episode’s titular hotel. As regenerated bodies pile up at an alarming albeit hilarious rate, much of the action is smartly (and affordably) depicted through a hole in the wall. Kudos to director Guillermo Navarro, who’s best known as Guillermo del Toro‘s celebrated cinematographer, for staging this mayhem so effectively. It’s the kind of opening that’s so damned engaging, it makes one forget the episode hasn’t really started yet.

The rest of “Sundowner” moves at a slower pace, but it makes good use of its time in advancing the show’s largely neglected plot. Tulip, hellbent on keeping Emily away from Jesse, begins forming a friendship with the soccer-mom organist, and we learn she too once had a daughter; which goes a long way in deepening the sadness and regret she’s been wearing since we met her. (One could have heretofore assumed it was primarily  due to Jesse leaving her.) And Cassidy discovers that Jesse and Tulip were/could again be a couple. But the biggest revelation by far occurs when Jesse learns the down side of having “the most powerful force ever known” stuck inside him.

The latter lesson comes at a massive cost. After long suffering scorn, torment, and ridicule from his peers and classmates, Eugene begins finding a kind of acceptance in this episode, the first peace he’s known that’s come from a source other than Jesse. Realizing he can survive on his own, he asks the Preacher to stop using his power to force his will on others, even if it lessens his own pain. It’s a great scene, in which the counseled becomes the counselor, and Jesse finally has, even more so than Tulip, someone who calls him on his shit. Unfortunately Jesse doesn’t very much like discovering he’s been making mistakes, and, in a moment of anger, he accidentally sends Eugene’s soul to Hell.

The implications for both Jesse and the show are intriguing. Can Eugene’s soul be reclaimed? And if so, how? Does the show’s much anticipated “road trip” begin with a visit to the Underworld? Will Jesse still want the power inside him after seeing the harm it can do to others? If he keeps it, can he learn to use it wisely, or is that the sole province of a higher power?

One thing’s for sure. The episode’s final scene, in which Annville’s mayor fakes the death of the Green Acre Group partners whom Odin Quincannon massacred last week, is hugely anticlimactic after the Eugene-Jesse confrontation. But it’ placement represents a crossroads where Preacher now finds itself. Will the show invest more, as it has recently, in the paltry affairs of mankind, or will it it now take the time to more fully explore the realm of the metaphysical? Here’s hoping that, like the comic on which it’s based, it finds a consistent way to do both.

Preaching to the Choir

— “You don’t have to go home but you can’t pray here.”

— Jesse’s reaction to the angel’s revelation shows how different he is from his comic counterpart. While the DC/Vertigo Jesse initially exhibited only disgust for those seeking Genesis, Dominic Cooper’s character is all wide-eyed with wonder and curiosity. He’s at first more concerned with what it feels like to experience death and rebirth at the hands of a Seraphim clone than in actually restraining it.

— “You just broke my kid’s art thing.”

— So Liz Taylor was a shitty tipper, huh? Go figure.

— “Genesis? What, like the bloody band? It’s a terrible name.”

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

Images: AMC

Babies Are Useful, and Will Clean Your House

If you aren’t a parent, you’ve probably heard that babies are hard work. You have to feed them, keep them clean, get them stuff, stop them from putting poisonous things in their mouths and generally thwart their attempts to unintentionally inflict great physical harm upon their person. You have to do everything for them, really. But what if they could do something for you in return, besides the cute smiles and first words?

YouTuber “How to Dad,” whose video we first saw at The Awesomer, seems to have it figured out. His baby–more of a toddler, really–obliges by doing all the household chores when asked nicely. Dishes, trash, windows, vacuuming…the kid does it all. Well, all except one thing. We won’t spoil, except to say it involves a fixture we all need, but babies aren’t quite trained to use properly yet.

Yes, granted, this is probably all movie magic, but it’s still cute as $#%@, and to be honest, that li’l one probably will grow up doing chores better than the other babies on the block. If Maggie Simpson were a real baby, she’d be a lot like this one.

How to Dad’s other advice videos are a bit more practical, but if this is any indication, it looks like he’ll be going farther afield than just parenting basics from here on. What would you like to learn, child-care-wise, from this master of manly and mannerly persuasion? Let us know your thoughts in comments.

Featured image: YouTube/How to Dad

Hardwatch: Week of July 4th, 2016

Hopefully you are spending your holiday weekend at more BBQs than you have time for. As always, our fearless leader is hard at work bringing you the laughs and entertainment, and you can find out all the places where you find him this week right here in your weekly Hardwatch.

As previously mentioned, tomorrow is a holiday so there are only three episodes of @midnight for you to watch this week, but they are filled with some of my personal favorite guests. Tuesday night has Emily Fleming, John Ross Bowie, and Jay Mandyam at the mics. Wednesday night will have Ron Funches, Marcella Arguello, and Matt Braunger there to make you laugh. And the week will finish up on Thursday with Natasha Leggero, Riki Lindhome, and Tom Lennon.

The Nerdist Podcast this week is pretty special. The legendary Dana Carvey will sit down with Chris to talk SNL, his HBO special, and The Secret Life of Pets. It’s such an epic episode that they are hoping that it will hit the airwaves on Tuesday instead of on Thursday.

San Diego Comic Con is right around the corner as well. In fact, it’s only three weeks away now. That’s going to be your next opportunity to see Chris on stage performing stand-up. You can grab tickets to his shows at the Balboa Theater on his Id10t tour website: he will have one night of stand-up and then two Nerdist Podcast Live performances over the course of the weekend.

As always, make sure you’re following Chris on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram for his latest updates.

Miracle of Sound’s New OVERWATCH Song Brings the Gang Back Together

Blizzard’s Overwatch has had one of the most successful video game franchise launches in recent memory, thanks in part to its energetic gameplay and its uniquely diverse cast of playable characters. The game has been out for just over a month, but it’s already the subject of a new original song by Gavin Dunne a.k.a. Miracle of Sound.

Dunne’s “Get the Gang Back” is an incredibly catchy tune that primarily focuses on Winston, as he brings Overwatch back together after the team was disbanded years before. The lyrics of the song also acknowledge the previous fall of Overwatch, while mirroring the game’s relentlessly positive outlook as the new and returning heroes come together. And of course, there’s lots of Tracer in the accompanying video as well!

We’ve featured several of this Miracle worker’s original songs before, and it’s become a tradition to include a bonus song that is thematically appropriate with the primary song. In this case, we’re going with “Messing with the Best,” Dunne’s Bayonetta 2 inspired song that was released last year.

You can find both of those songs on Dunne’s Bandcamp page, which also has six albums of his Miracle of Sound music, a Heavy Metal album, instrumental albums, and other recordings. Additionally, he frequently updates his Miracle of Sound YouTube channel, which features video game and movie inspired songs, as well as a new series of videos that go behind-the-scenes of his creative process.

What did you think about Dunne’s original songs for Overwatch and Bayonetta 2? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

The White Walkers’ Secret Weapon: Tim From Accounting

With a workforce as massive as the White Walkers army from Game of Thrones, there’d have to have a good support structure behind it. Benefits, transportation, weapons inventory, and expense reports have got to be extremely confusing when your staff consists of pretty much everyone who has ever died north of the wall. So far, not having seen this part of White Walker Incorpse-orated always bothered us a bit, so we’re glad YouTube’s GREGandLOU introduced us to Tim, the White Walkers’ accountant.

The video consists of “Tim” (played by the comedy duo’s Greg Burke) crunching some of the numbers of the battle at Hardhome between cuts of real Game of Thrones footage. He’s clearly a pragmatist when it comes to his job and pretty much has to be the voice of reason, considering the way the Night’s King irresponsibly uses his staff. It’s also made clear that Tim is pretty much the Dwight Schrute of the White Walker office, since it’s apparent he’s regularly picked on by the others. Tim was also present when the Three-Eyed Raven met his end which caused him to reflect on his and the rest of his co-workers actions. Someone had to point out that “everyone thinks we’re assholes,” after they had killed all the Children of the Forest, sliced the Three-Eyed Raven in half, and started chasing a mentally handicapped guy (Hodor) and a physically handicapped kid (Bran).

If they keep ignoring Tim’s concerns, I’m sure we’ll see at least one White Walker fighting for Jon Snow in the coming seasons. Or at least doing Winterfell’s taxes.

What other office workers of the White Walkers would you like to see? HR? Janitorial? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image: HBO/GREGandLOU

New Video Goes Behind-the-Scenes of SAMURAI JACK’S New Season

Twelve years ago, Cartoon Network’s Samurai Jack ended its four season run without a definitive conclusion to the series. But that’s going to change later this year, when Adult Swim debuts a new 10-episode fifth season of Samurai Jack, with series creator Genndy Tartakovsky at the helm and Phil LaMarr reprising his role as the title character. And unlike another recent revival, this one is going to give fans some much needed closure.

“For the last ten years, we’ve been trying to develop a [Samurai Jack] movie,” said Tartakovsky in a newly released video from Adult Swim (via Cartoon Brew). “The movie never gets going, for whatever reason. And I was thinking, ‘You know what? I have a little bit of free time before the next project grabs me, and maybe I should just finish it the way it really should be done, in a miniseries for television. So I just wrote an e-mail and [Mike] Lazzo called me the next day. Within two weeks, the deal was done and we’re off!”

Clearly, bringing Samurai Jack back was a no-brainer. However, Tartakovsky was quick to say that he won’t be taking the violence of the series too far beyond the previously established parameters now that it’s on Adult Swim instead of the younger skewing Cartoon Network. “Because people watch it with their kids through the generations…I didn’t want to go full-on heads getting chopped off, blood spurting everywhere,” noted Tartakovsky. “But at the same time, I also wanted it to be kind of newer and exciting…and take advantage of some of those things.”

The video teases the new status quo for Jack in the decade since his last appearance in the series, while also addressing how Tartakovsky dealt with the death of Mako, who provided the voice of Jack’s nemesis, Aku. Adult Swim hasn’t set a date for the new episodes yet, but they will premiere later this year.

Are you excited about the new season of Samurai Jack? Slice through a robot or two, and share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Image: Adult Swim

Matthew McConaughey Is Teaching a College Class This Fall

Next stop on the McConaissance train: bona fide professor. And I’m not talking about playing one on TV. According to The University of Texas at Austin’s Facebook page, Matthew McConaughey will be teaching a filmmaking class at his alma mater this fall with Hunger Games director Gary Ross.

In the class, 30 students at the college’s Moody School will be taken behind the scenes of the duo’s latest film, Free State of Jones (Ross directs and McConaughey stars as a disillusioned Confederate army deserter that rallies a liberal southern militia).

Now before you get as gushy-eyed as Jodie Foster in Contact at the prospect of McConaughey all gussied up in professor wear, drawling coyly from the front of a classroom, it’s not quite all that it seems. According to Entertainment Weekly, the class will be taught with prerecorded videos of the Ross/McConaughey duo. (Personally, given that tidbit, I think I’d designate that class block to just watch Interstellar over and over again). BUT, McConaughey will make “at least” one in-person appearance. I guess I’d go to class that day.

According to the San-Antonio Express News, McConaughey also “taught” a similar class last spring, but students had to sign a non-disclosure agreement since the film hadn’t yet been released.

Free State of Jones is now in theaters everywhere. Check it out and see if you can’t find one of those lecture videos floating around. Rumor has it that McConaughey just says “alright, alright, alright” in various inflections and tones until students understand whatever he’s trying to say. At the time of publication, these rumors cannot be confirmed, since we basically made them up ourselves.

Are you one of the lucky few headed to this UT class? If you are, tell us what you’re expecting in comments below. If you’re not, tell us what you’d like to have McConaughey teach you in an ideal setting.

IMAGE: Lincoln Motor Company

Watching This 7 Pound Burger Challenge Go Wrong Is Not Appetizing

Warning: Do not watch this while actually eating yourself, because it contains multiple instances of men throwing up into buckets…and then something even more disgusting happens.

This July 4th weekend you might find yourself downing a burger or two, but how many pounds of that perfect American food do you think you’ll actually consume? One pound? Maybe two? How about trying to down seven pounds of bread, meat, and cheesy goodness?

All in an hour.

That’s just what the guys from the YouTube channel and CMT show Dude Perfect attempted to do, when they had two members take on the El Jefe Grande seven pound burger challenge at Kenny’s Burger Joint in Frisco, Texas.

Before they even sat down to the behemoth burger though, they had competitive eater Ramsay Hilton come in to try and train the combatants. Who knew preparing to eat a mammoth plate of meat and bread involved so much lettuce and broccoli.

When they finally sat down to see who could eat more of the burger–only four people have ever finished it, including their trainer Ramsay Hilton, so this was about who would eat the most–it was Cody (a.k.a. “The Disposal” and his great “chipmunking” ability) vs. Coby (a.k.a. “The Consumer”), facing El Jefe and each other.

“The Consumer” in red won the burger war when “The Disposal” threw up (all of America lost with those stupid names), but somehow the champion came away the biggest loser in all of this.

Because he pooped his pants.

Yup. Throwing up is an automatic disqualification, but having “an accident” feels like the more shameful outcome. So this holiday weekend, don’t try to eat seven pounds of hamburger, but if you do, definitely don’t wear white shorts.

What’s the biggest burger you think you could eat? We’re hungry to hear from you in the comments below.

Image: Dude Perfect/CMT

Three LEGO Minifigs Are About to Enter Jupiter’s Orbit

This week, on July 4th at around 9 p.m. Pacific, NASA‘s Juno spacecraft will reach the end of its five year trip to Jupiter and enter into the orbit of our solar system’s largest planet. It’s been a long journey to travel those 2.8 billion kilometers, and the probe still has much work to do, so it’s nice that NASA made sure to send it on its way with some LEGOs to play with to help pass the time.

That’s because when Juno launched back in August of 2011, NASA announced that it would be traveling with three LEGO figures on board: the astronomer Galileo, the Roman god Jupiter, and his wife Juno. The inclusion of the figures was part of NASA and LEGO’s joint partnership to encourage kids to study science and math.

Galileo’s likeness on a to Jupiter is especially fitting, because among his many discoveries are four satellite moons of Jupiter, named in his honor as the Galilean moons.

As for the spacecraft, manageded by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), it will engage in a series of burns and moves to help place it in capture orbit, so it can save fuel, and then it will begin a 53.5 day orbit, followed by a “14-day orbit that will occur during the mission’s primary science collection period.”

A journey to Jupiter? LEGOs going for the ride? Space and adventure?

Everything really is awesome.

What appropriate LEGO figure would you have included on Juno? Help build our comments section below by telling us your answer.

Images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/KSC