All posts by Jonathan Hardesty

Writer/Creator/Web Guy for After the Hype. Created an animated fantasy webseries called Flagon. GM for Demon Dayz: An Actual Play Podcast, which you can conveniently find here on athpod.com
A Hype To Remember, Blog

A Hype To Remember: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

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All of us here at After The Hype love Star Wars, because… well… it’s STAR WARS!

In honor of Star Wars Day (May 4th) we will be releasing one “Hype to Remember” a day to cover all 8 of the released Star Wars films!  I get the honor of talking about the BEST film in the series thus far – THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK!

 

I jumped on board the Star Wars train roughly around ’97 when they re-released the original trilogy back in theaters, so I had the benefit of knowing that this was part of a larger saga that would (hopefully) be ongoing. It’s weird to go back and watch the original marketing materials for these movies, especially after living through the updates, re-releases, and the marketing for the new movies still to come.

 

This trailer feels very much like a sales pitch, stating matter-of-fact what we’re getting in the movie, which is more of what made the first one so great, plus this new guy LANDO CALRISSIAN. It also spoils a lot of the movie (minus the big reveal), which I wasn’t really expecting.

 

And yet I don’t really mind all that much. There’s a rough-around-the-edges charm here that the franchise has lacked for a long-ass time, and I hope we can get back to that somehow.

 

Anyway! The trailer!

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A Hype To Remember, Blog

A Hype To Remember: Hellboy (2004)

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There are all manner of things that go bump in the night. This trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s HELLBOY (2004) bumps back.

 

Hellboy was my first introduction to Guillermo del Toro as a filmmaker, and what an introduction it was! This trailer is pretty tame by today’s standards, but it also doesn’t spoil any of the best moments from the film. I can count a few iconic moments that would have easily made their way to a trailer today. Now to dig out my copy of this movie and revisit this fun flick!

HELLBOY (2004)

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ATH Plays

RYAN’S FIRST SOULS GAME | DEMON’S SOULS

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When we discovered that Ryan had never played a Souls game, we knew we had to rectify that.

When Bryan and I found out that Ryan had never played a Souls game before, we wasted no time and made him play the game that started it all – DEMON’S SOULS. Watch him learn about that big gaping hole in the beginning of the game. Watch him discover the “fat roll.” Watch him learn that sometimes you have to die on purpose. Watch things go to complete and utter shit. Watch him create perhaps the derpiest character ever!

 

It will be fun. We promise!

 

SPECIAL THANKS TO GRAHAM T MASON FOR FILMING AND STREAMING THIS FOR US!

 

TWITCH LINK!

Want more of this? Subscribe to our new TWITCH.TV channel and our YouTube Channel.

 

A Hype To Remember, Blog

A Hype To Remember: Dragnet (1987)

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Just the facts, ma’am. We’re looking back to a time when Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd joined forces to fight crime.

 

It’s been awhile since I’ve seen this film, and I’d like to revisit it again soon. Watching this trailer, I’m struck by how much the marketing for these kinds of movies has changed while remaining largely the same. That said, there’s a sense of goofiness here that has largely disappeared in the modern trailer. Would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little sad about that.

DRAGNET (1987)

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A Hype To Remember, Blog

A Hype To Remember: Resident Evil (2002)

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Let’s take a walk down memory lane to a time before happiness existed, a time before we knew the fullness of Milla Jovovich’s Resident Evil series.

 

Movie trailers are interesting time capsules that don’t get enough credit for being a commentary on the past. They reflect the perceived notion of what was cool at the time, and almost always feature some kind of visual gag, trope, or thematic element that really drive it home that this movie is “of its time.” Since we’re a podcast about looking at media post-hype, I thought it would be interesting to dig into the ol’ trailer vaults on YouTube and find a piece of cinematic history:

RESIDENT EVIL (2002)

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Movies That Define Me: Scott Pilgrim

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I’ve never been able to lock down a favorite film, but there are films out there that get close. They define me through moments, themes, characters, or story, and I think that’s worth exploring. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is one such film.

 

“What’s your favorite movie?” It’s a question that people ask primarily to initiate small talk. For me, it’s a chance to project who I am out to the world. It’s a question I take very seriously, and unfortunately it’s a question I can’t seem to answer. The reason for this is because “favorite film” as a concept is weird to me. How can one film be THE ONE to rule them all? How can it be better than the thousands before and the thousands yet to come? I believe that we can find that deep, defining connection in more than just one movie, and that limiting it down to one experience doesn’t do us (or those movies) any favors. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD is the first movie I would say defines me. Let’s unpack that.

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5 Moments in Video Games That Nearly Made Me Quit

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I’m fairly level-headed when it comes to video games, and not the type of person to rage quit and cause property damage. There are a few scenarios where I get close, and I’d love to share these pain points with you!

Hi. You might remember me from the After The Hype podcast. I talk sometimes on that, and am responsible for the video content you see. You might also notice that I bring up video games often on our WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING segment of the show.

 

If you’re thinking, “hey, this guy is a gamer,” you’d be right, except I’m not THAT type of gamer. I don’t dox anyone or threaten lives or participate in those subreddits. I do occasionally feel a sense of “black out” rage when it comes to gaming, but they’re very specific circumstances and almost always involve some kind of mechanic in the game that is just too much for me. There are also a few instances in which the content itself is a bit much for my taste, stepping over a very subjective line that just ruins the whole experience for me.

 

You’re probably thinking at this point, “wow, these games aren’t that difficult,” or “jeez, what a little whiny snowflake.” That’s perfectly fine. It’s also perfectly fine for me to murder you in my mind over and over again, so maybe let’s be on our merry way and check out the FIVE MOMENTS IN VIDEO GAMES THAT NEARLY MADE ME QUIT!

 

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Top 10 Movies in 2016 That ATH Made Me Watch

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I generally dislike lists, and I can never seem to keep track of what I’ve watched in a year, but here we are.

2016 was perhaps the worst year in moviegoing for me…because I didn’t really see all that many films. The only reason I can present this dumb list to you is because I HAD to watch films for the podcast in order to talk about them.

 

Turns out, I watched JUST enough to come up with a (in my opinion) barely passable TOP TEN list. I’m sure a few of the movies listed will surprise you, but a majority of them won’t if you’ve listened to us ramble about movies all year. There’s also a television show on this list in the honorable mentions because – like I said – I’m not a huge fan of lists.

 

In order to write as little as possible for this post, I’ve resorted to using gifs from one of my favorite films – GALAXY QUEST. Turns out, you can use GALAXY QUEST gifs for pretty much anything in life. That said, let’s get crack-a-lackin’ on my TOP 10 MOVIES IN 2016 THAT THIS SILLY PODCAST MADE ME WATCH!

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