Author: The DHK

Baz Lurhman’s latest musical epic “Elvis” takes a look at The King himself. The lens through which it approaches the number-one-selling solo artist of all time (to date) is certainly an odd one. Former Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” star Austin Butler steps into Elvis Presley’s (blue suede) shoes for the flick. However it’s Tom Hanks as Elvis’ corrupt manager, Colonel Tom Parker.  Hanks is generally an incredible actor, but not one we’d say is good at disappearing into roles. His affable off-screen personality is often what helps pad his more recent performances. But Parker…

Poppy Liu of “Hacks” is joining Disney+’s upcoming series “American Born Chinese.” The project is quickly turning into the Avengers of Asian and AAPI talent. The show is based on Gene Luen Yang and Lark Pien’s graphic novel of the same name. The source material follows the adventures of Jin Wang, a high schooler who after meeting a new student, Wei-Chen, finds that his life becomes intertwined in a battle amongst Chinese mythological gods. He’ll need to navigate his immigrant home life, this fabled entanglement, and oh yeah, school. It was a National Book Award finalist and won the Printz…

It’s a whole new “Westworld” in season 4. Okay maybe not wholly new. That said, season 4’s premiere has dropped us well outside the confines of the nightmare park we started with six years ago. The end of season 3 felt like a big old memory wipe, and to be frank, we’ve forgotten a considerable amount going into season 4.  It’s tough on a show where now characters can die but also come back as hosts. Or we aren’t sure if they were hosts to start etc. Consequences feel muted even though the premiere was trying to set the stage…

Legendary animator Phil Tippett’s 30 year in the making passion project “Mad God” has been unleashed upon the world. The film which finally came to fruition thanks to a KickStarter campaign is available to stream on Shudder. Tippett is the mastermind behind the chess scene in “Star Wars” and the AT-AT Imperial Walkers. Most notably, he was the Dinosaur Supervisor for “Jurassic Park.” A film that we’d argue set the standard for what visual effects SHOULD look like, and continues to do so. Listen on Apple Podcasts He started his own VFX house in Berkeley, California in 1984 and he…

It’s been 10 years since the debut of Disney Channel series “Gravity Falls” (and about 6 since it went off the air). In commemoration of this anniversary, series creator Alex Hirsch has been sharing various goodies this past week. Let us draw your attention to a truly spectacular and unhinged series of exchanges between Hirsch and the Disney S&P team regarding “Gravity Falls.” S&P are Standards and Practices, they are typically the internal department at a television network who regulate the content of the show. Think internal censorship. While television shows are held accountable to the television content ratings of…

“Spiderhead” shows us that sometimes short and sweet is the way to go. Based on The New Yorker short story “Escape from Spiderhead” by George Saunders, the sci-fi / psychological thriller probably should have stayed in its original format. The film centers around a private penitentiary run by Steve Abnesti. Inmates at said prison are allowed to lead relatively cushy lives. The tradeoff is they have volunteered as lab rats in mind-altering drug trials in order to be afforded such comforts. Abnesti is played by Chris Hemsworth, and this is not to say that brilliant scientists can’t be model level…

Let the Squid Games really begin! Right on the heels of their official greenlight announcement of a season 2 of “Squid Game,” Netflix has announced a new reality competition show based on the smash hit series. “Squid Game: The Challenge” is going into production with the teams behind “The Circle” and “24 Hours in the A&E.” This announcement has felt inevitable, we’re honestly surprised it took them this long.  Director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s show is currently the most popular Netflix series of all time. It clocked 1.65 billion views within the first 28 days of the release. It spawned countless costumes,…

Fans of the most wholesome bear around can rejoice, as Paddington will be returning to the big screen in “Paddington in Peru.” Director Dougal Wilson will be stepping in to take over the franchise from Paul King. King was responsible for the first two films, but is currently working on “Wonka.” Personally, we’d pick Paddington over Timothee Chalamet any day. (We think Nic Cage, Pedro Pascal, and Queen Elizabeth II would agree with us). “Paddington in Peru” will take place in the titular bear’s homeland. This marks Wilson’s feature film directing debut. He has an extensive resume in the commercial…

We ain’t afraid of no Ghost…busters… Ecto-Fest announcements! On June 8th aka “Ghostbusters” Day, we got a slew of updates on the Bustinverse. Sony Pictures hosted a fan event on the famed Hollywood lot filled with a bevy of delighted attendees. Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson) himself kicked things off, and there was a video appearance from Dan Akroyd.  The biggest news came from “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” director Jason Reitman (son of original film director Ivan Reitman) and film co-writer Gil Kenan. It should come as no surprise that a sequel to the sequel is on the way. The current code name…

Feeling the FOMO from Star Wars Celebration? Fear not as you can still get your hand on some of the official Funko Pop Vinyls from the convention!  Funko had one of the more exciting presences over the event, with giveaways, photo ops, guest appearances, and bumpin ‘music. We had the chance to chat with the team about returning to events, what makes a convention exclusive special, and more.  Interview Nerdbot: What’s the most exciting thing about returning to live in person events? Funko: Just seeing fans again and being face to face with them, it’s been almost three years of…