Profile: Sarah is a recent graduate with a B.A. in films studies; which she uses to impress customers with inane trivia as she sells popcorn at a local, single screen movie theatre. Completely obsessed with tales of the Stars, both Wars and Trek, as well as comic books, especially those featuring the Dark Knight, and video games that she can lose herself in for hours and hours and hours. Writing came to her as a way of release for all the stuff in her head as often Sarah finds herself with more useless knowledge than brain to contain it. You can follow her continual dispelling of nonsense on Twitter, @SarahThisIs.
Every day the internet produces an astounding amount of goodies and gems. Most hilarious, some amusing, but all worth at least a few seconds of your time. We here at Nerd Bastards try to bring you the best bits of news and nerdery the webz has to offer, with a bit of snark thrown in. But sometimes not everything makes the cut. Monday through Friday we’ll be bringing you our inbox leftovers, our forgotten bookmarks, the nerdy bits that simply slipped through the cracks. You can submit items to Nerdy Bits by emailing us at nerdybits@nerdbastards.com.
Above: Starting things off with Steven Moffat and Benedict Cumberbatch posing with “The Avengers” at Marvel Studios. Why? Because I can. Check out Comic Book Movie for more from their visit.
World’s collide when Game of Thrones creator, George R.R. Martin, or GRRM to most of us, reviews Marvel’s The Avengers. We already know GRRM is quite the Marvel fanboy, even having written a letter to Stan Lee back in ’60s, so what did he think of the “best superhero movie ever”?
I liked THE AVENGERS a lot… but maybe “loved” is too strong. I do have quibbles.
I definitely want to see it again, this time in 2D. I did not think the 3D added much, and the process made many of the scenes too dark. I am really not in love with today’s 3D process. Yes, sometimes it works very well, as on HUGO, but mostly it doesn’t.
Lots of lots of great stuff in THE AVENGERS, which most of the world has commented on, so I won’t. The action scenes were spectacular, and overall I thought they did very well with Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Captain America, and Nick Fury. All great characters, all handled well, their interactions were one of the best part of the films.
However, I think they wasted the Black Widow and Hawkeye. Hawkeye is actually one of my favorite Avengers, so that saddened me. I missed the dynamic from the comics, where it’s Hawkeye who is the cynical smartass (not Iron Man), always in conflict with the super straight guy Captain America. I guess, having capitalized on the undeniable talents of Robert Downey Junior to create a terrific character in Movie Iron Man, they did not feel there was room for a second wise-cracking iconoclast. Fine, but it left Hawkeye without a personality. Or much to do.
Same’s true of the Black Widow. Scarlett Johanssen looked great in that outfit, but she seemed to be there only as eye candy. The shot in the middle of the battle where she pulls out a pistol was silly. I don’t know who this Black Widow was, and I don’t think the screenwriter did either. She wasn’t the original comic Black Widow, the Russian femme fatale who seduces Hawkeye into trying to kill Iron Man. She wasn’t the later comic book Black Widow, who dons a costume, comes over to the good guys, and teams with first Hawkeye and then Daredevil. She was just… there.
My own golden rule for these Marvel movies is simple — stay with the way Stan Lee did it, and you won’t go far wrong. THE AVENGERS should have done that. Hawkeye was not actually a founding member of the group, he came in later… around the same time Iron Man and Thor were leaving. Black Widow came in even later than that. So I would have followed Stan’s scenario, left them out of this first movie, and replaced them with… Ant-Man and the Wasp! Who WERE founding members of the Avengers. They wanted a woman in the group, sure, but the Wasp would have done just as well as Black Widow, and Ant-Man… hey, I love Hank Pym.
All that being said… these are, ultimately, just quibbles. I did really like the film. The Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation Long Form next year in San Antonio is really going to be a fanboy bloodbath, with AVENGERS, PROMETHEUS, and THE HOBBIT all contending for the same rocket.
‘Nuff said.
I disagree with Black Widow not doing anything, but that’s probably because I saw her really do nothing in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers was a massive improvement. Hawkeye though, was kinda wasted, you got that right, George. It also seems he’d be a fan of those rumors of Ant Man joining the team and he must be excited about Edgar Wright trying to make the Ant Man movie happen.
It’s super cool GRRM shared his thoughts on The Avengers, but all I can think is, “GET BACK TO WRITING THE WINDS OF WINTER!! Love, an impatient fan.”
Are you burnt out on revamped, re-imagined, overdone fairy tales? Too bad! They just keep coming. This summer sees the release of Snow White and The Huntsman, a decidedly action packed version of the classic fairy tale, and the CW is bringing Beauty and the Beast back to TV with their updated series airing this fall.
First, above you’ll see our first look at Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan as the Beauty and the Beast, and uh, well yeah. She’s surely beautiful, not denying that, but what’s with his scar? They must be focusing on his inner beastly qualities. Like maybe he’s a huge asshole, or something. I don’t know, but that scar does more to make him appear rugged and handsome rather than beastly. And then I remind myself this will be a show on the CW, so of course he’s to be more hot throb than disfigured monster.
This series isn’t anything completely new, in fact it’s basically an updating of the 1987 Beauty and the Beast which starred Linda Hamilton as Catherine Chandler and Ron Perlman as Vincent, or the Beast. It also stars Brian J. White, Max Brown, Nina Lisandrello, Nicole Anderson and will air Thursdays at 9 p.m in the fall.
So, bastards, will you be giving Beauty and the Beast a shot?
Secondly, four new TV spots have been released for Snow White and The Huntsman, opening nationwide June 1st.
Honestly, I think this movie looks pretty darn good. Sure, it stars Bella Swan– I mean Kristin Stewart, but it also has Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron. Do you think you’ll see Snow White and The Huntsman when it comes out? Or is this one to see in the dollar theatres, or hell, even wait for it to hit he Redbox?
Fan films have improved by leaps and bounds over the past so many years, mostly due to filmmaking and effects technology becoming increasingly available. What’s so great is this allows fans who’ve always had the vision to create something really ‘effin cool. Like this new Harry Potter web series, Auror’s Tale. Just watch this trailer and try and tell me you’re not impressed,
This is what you imagined when you thought of wizard duels, right? We never got to learn much about Aurors in the Harry Potter books, at least we never got to see them in their element and that’s exactly what Auror’s Tale wants to deliver. Here’s a synopsis from the video’s description,
New York City is a battlefield. Dark magic rules the underworld. The NYC Department of Magical Law Enforcement (DMLE) is the only line of defense. Hawthorne is the force’s newest recruit and the dark criminals’ latest threat. Plunging into the nightmare that his occupation offers, he makes quick enemies of the most depraved wizard gang in America: the ever violent, ever twisted Hellhounds. AUROR’S TALE chronicles Hawthorne’s tempestuous adventures.
Auror’s Tale has a screenplay by Cassandra Johnstone, is directed by Leo Kei Angelos, and comes from Red Phoenix Pictures which I think we safely assume is staffed by a lot of die hard, Harry Potter fans. Here’s their official blurb,
Director Leo Kei Angelos teams up with screenwriter Cassandra Johnstone in this ground-breaking digital debut. The two die-hard Potter fans together will bring the underground wizarding world of New York City to life. A longtime dream of Angelos’, he and his talented team now have the opportunity to express their love for the Harry Potter series through the art of film.
Red Phoenix Pictures is proud to present this edgy, action-packed web series that’s a bold fantasy that Potter fans will love. It’s the wizarding world as imagined by fans that grew up with the series, created for fans that grew up with the series. It’s the magic of Potter as you have never seen it before: a high-speed, raw, and terrifically twisted ride.
I don’t know about you guys but I think this series looks awesome! It’s exactly what I need to get my Potter fix, what with no more movies or books. Since I’m pretty sure J.K. Rowling won’t ever revisit the series, and definitely not with the more adult tone so many fans would want, Auror’s Tale looks like the perfect remedy. What do you guys think of it?
Every day the internet produces an astounding amount of goodies and gems. Most hilarious, some amusing, but all worth at least a few seconds of your time. We here at Nerd Bastards try to bring you the best bits of news and nerdery the webz has to offer, with a bit of snark thrown in. But sometimes not everything makes the cut. Monday through Friday we’ll be bringing you our inbox leftovers, our forgotten bookmarks, the nerdy bits that simply slipped through the cracks. You can submit items to Nerdy Bits by emailing us at nerdybits@nerdbastards.com.
ABOVE: This is a pretty impressive fan-made poster for The Dark Knight Rises featuring the lovely Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Me-rowr. It was created by Randolph Carter. Head over to Comic Book Movie for more fan-made posters.
Some may be scratching their heads as to why we’ve been reporting on this new series at all. It’s not sci-fi, it’s doesn’t have zombies, so why do we give a shit about a new detective show on CBS. Well, to be honest, I’m mostly interested in Elementary because I want to see it fail. See, there’s this phenomenal show across the pond from Steven Moffat. No, not Doctor Who, though it might as well be about his non-time traveling brother from another mother. It’s called Sherlock and it is a modern re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes from Moffat and Mark Gattis. Did I mention it’s incredible? How about spectacular? Guys, it’s mind-blowingly good television you need to watching! (You’re in luck too because the most recent season is available on PBS’ site.) Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the detective and Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson. You might be familiar with them from a couple, low-key projects they have coming up, Star Trek 2 and The Hobbit. Sherlock‘s loaded with plenty of geek cred and is really worth checking out. Would I lead you astray?
Okay, enough gushing about why Sherlock is like, the best thing ever. Elementary appears to be CBS’ attempt to capitalize on the modern-Sherlock Holmes popularity. It should be noted that earlier on CBS optioned to adapt Moffat and Gattis’ Sherlock for American television. Moffat smartly replied, fuck no, learning from the train wreck that was an American version of his British sitcom, Coupling. So, it’s a little suspicious when CBS comes out with their own modern-Sherlock Holmes TV show after Moffat turned them down. Hmm.
Earlier today we shared our first official look at Elementary stars Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Lui as Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson, respectively. “See! Look! We’ve got a girl Watson. This is completely different!” said CBS trying to defend their blatant ripoff. Now we’ve seen the first bit of footage from Elementary in this behind-the-scenes promo,
Miller’s doing a nice job as Holmes, I really can’t complain about anything he does here. It’s just, I’ve seen it done better, by Cumberbatch, funny enough his co-star from their widely acclaimed stage show, Frankenstein. And Lui, well, she’s Lucy Lui. I’ve never seen her act in anything that’s been dramatically different from what I’ve seen her do before, and this seems to be much of the same.
From what we can see in the short behind-the-scenes promo this just screams Americanized Sherlock. But of course, I’m sure they’re skirting that line very carefully and making their show just different enough the BBC won’t have a reason to release the legal hounds.
Here’s the official synopsis,
ELEMENTARY stars Jonny Lee Miller as detective Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson in a modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD’s most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare – a sober companion, Dr. Watson. A successful surgeon until she lost a patient and her license three years ago, Watson views her current job as another opportunity to help people, as well as paying a penance. However, the restless Sherlock is nothing like her previous clients. He informs her that none of her expertise as an addiction specialist applies to him and he’s devised his own post-rehab regimen – resuming his work as a police consultant in New York City. Watson has no choice but to accompany her irascible new charge on his jobs. But Sherlock finds her medical background helpful, and Watson realizes she has a knack for playing investigator. Sherlock’s police contact, Capt. Tobias “Toby” Gregson (Aidan Quinn), knows from previous experience working with Scotland Yard that Sherlock is brilliant at closing cases, and welcomes him as part of the team. With the mischievous Sherlock Holmes now running free in New York solving crimes, it’s simple deduction that he’s going to need someone to keep him grounded, and it’s elementary that it’s a job for Watson. Rob Doherty, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Michael Cuesta, who directed the pilot, are executive producers for CBS Television Studios.
What do you guys think? Does it look any good to you? Does appear to be a blatant Sherlock ripoff? (Come on! He’s even wearing a scarf!) Or is there room for two, equally good, modernizations of the famous sleuth?
The cast of Community has appeared in both claymation and Japanimation, now they’re going 8-bit. In these exclusive images of their upcoming season finale see the Greendale Seven imagined as video game characters from a bygone era.
This episode is about Pierce battling for his rights to his father’s fortune. Finally, an episode where Chevy Chase will actually do something, I’m sure he’s thrilled. How this all takes place within a video game though, is beyond me, but I already know I’m gonna love it.
Make sure you tune in this Thursday at 8:00pm on NBC, and then again at 9:00 and 9:30 because for some reason they’re burning through three new Community episodes in one night. Oh! And next season, you’ll have to catch Community on Friday nights because NBC seems committed to killing any hopes for a larger audience.
UPDATE!IGN has scored an exclusive clip from Community in 8-Bit, check it out!
Still don’t know why they’re in a video game, but who cares, this episode looks awesome!
You might be tired of hearing about The Avengers, but guess what? Becoming one of the highest grossing superhero movies of all time tends to get you some press. Which is why we’re already talking about Avengers2. Specifically, whether or not Joss Whedon will return to direct. Whedon spoke recently with L.A. Time’s Hero Complex about his plans, if any, for the sequel.
You know, I’m very torn. It’s an enormous amount of work telling what is ultimately somebody else’s story, even though I feel like I did get to put myself into it. But at the same time, I have a bunch of ideas and they all seem really cool.
It’s true Whedon is more well know for spearheading is own creations: Buffy, Firefly, Dr. Horrible, to name a few. But he did very much put his own stamp on The Avengers and it’s a stamp I’d like to see on the sequel. What do you guys think, should Whedon jump right in for a sequel or let someone else take the reins?
‘Course, before we see an Avengers 2 all those other Marvel movies need sequels first. Take Thor 2 for instance, The Avengers already gave us a nice lead in to where they might go, what with Loki being taken back to Asgard as Thor’s prisoner, will that play a part in the sequel? I’m going to go on record with a, “Yes.” I think it’s a no brainer we’ll see the ramifications for Loki’s action in The Avengers play out in Thor 2. He’s already been banished once, what new punishment will Odin have for him now?
Chris Hemsworth has a different take on it, though. He sees the possibility for Loki’s redemption in Thor 2. In this short, red carpet interview from MTV Hemsworth talks about his thoughts of the Loki/Thor relationship and what Loki needs to do if he ever wants his brother’s forgiveness.
Oh, and skip to 1:10 mark if you want to miss out on Hemsworth discussing the height difference between him and Kristin Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman…SNOOZE!
Ah man, can we really get a scene in Thor 2 where Loki brings muffins to apologize! That’d be awesome. Do you think Loki redeemable?
If you love the classic, expressive look of Converse‘s Chuck Taylor All Star shoes and you’re a comic book fan have I got exciting news for you! Converse and DC have been partners is superhero footwear for some time now, offering a bunch of designs based on Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, Catwoman, etc., but now they’re offering you the opportunity to design your own!
Using their online Converse Builder you can create your own Chucks based on either Batman, Catwoman, The Joker or The Riddler. You’re able to manipulate the color or print of the canvas, emblems, rubber soles, lining, lacing, and if you’d like, add a personalized heel stripe.
Here’s my design. I, being a huge Joker fan, just had to make this exceptional pair for the Clown Prince of Crime. What d’ya think? Do I have a future in sneaker fashion?
I think they’re pretty snazzy and I’m currently fighting the urge to press “Add to Cart.” A customized pair of Chucks will set you back $75 bucks and at the moment I just don’t have the funds. But believe me, when I get paid I think a pair of these are in my future.
My one gripe is you can’t alter the Bat logo on the top of the tongue. Sure, that looks great on your pair of Batman kicks, but on these it looks out of place. Guess if I do order a pair I can even further customize them by adding a red slash through the logo. It just needs something to Joker-ize it, y’know?
I am currently suffering from some serious Doctor Who withdrawal, how about you? We’ve learned we could be seeing new Who as early as late August but that’s still unconfirmed. In the meantime is looks like Beeb will give us something new, just maybe not of the usual quality we’ve come to expect. It’s time for the winners of the Script to Screen competition to be announced. What is Script to Screen? It’s a chance for young Whovians to submit their own short Doctor Who story and BBC picks the best one to film. And according to this listing for next week’s Blue Peter (A BBC kid’s show with a long history of interacting with Doctor Who) we’ll be seeing the winning minisode of May 24th.
Photographer Rankin shares his secrets of taking the perfect portrait, and there is the premiere of a new Doctor Who mini-episode written by three viewers. Helen Skelton and Barney Harwood present.
I mean, it’s something, right? For a taste of what we’ll see in the Script to Screen winning minisode here’s last year’s winner,
Bite your tongue, this was written by children!
Now, you’ve heard of Community, right? The ultra-cool show NBC seems committed to killing by any means necessary. One of the hundred of totally awesome things on the show is their Doctor Who spoof, Inspector Spacetime. And guess what!? Karen Gillan, also known as Amy Pond, has seen it, loves it, and wants a part on the show! It’s an internet call to arms with BBC even supplying the hashtag #AmyMeetsAbed to make it happen. Watch Karen being utterly adorable talking about Community below.
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