Weekanerd NYC: Japanese Art, Hippie Art and Cheap Art

Friday, June 27

• A Conversation with Satoshi Kon
  
• $12 Student, $15 Public, 6:15pm @ Walter Reade Theater, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, Manhattan

Is Satoshia Kon the second greatest Japanese animator working today? Zip over to the West Side to watch the visual orgasm that is Paprika and then hear the filmmaker (accompanied by onscreen clips from his works) describe his own genius.

Burning Man East and CHEEP COMIX after the jump!

Saturday, June 28

• Figment 2008
  
• FREE! All Day @ Governer's Island
  

There's so much crazy stuff going down at this festival I can't even begin to figure it all out. Singing, dancing, limbo, fake governers, silkscreening stations (BYOT), circus sideshows and a whole bunch more. People liken it to an East Coast Burning Man, without the nudity and probably less drugs. But don't let that dissuade you.

Sunday, June 29

• 70% Off Back Issue Sale
  
• All Day @ Jim Hanley's Universe, 4 W. 33rd St, Manhattan
  

Jim Hanley's crazy back issue sale has come around again! Each day it goes on another 10% gets knocked off the top. Monday it's up to 80% of course, but it'll be a madhouse and the selection will be quite picked over. I went last year and got a HUGE box of comics for $20 that I still haven't finished reading. If you read comics you can't miss this!

Weekanerd NYC: Comic Signings, Text Messaging and Drunken Game Shows

Monday, April 14

• Signing w. Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction & Jen Grunwald
• FREE! 6:30-7:30pm @ Jim Hanley's Universe, 4 W 33rd Street, Manhattan

The hottest writer in comics is joined by other big names for this quickie signing. A scheduling conflict came up last minute that keeps this event restricted to one hour, so get there early or you'll be crying all the way home with your un-scribbled upon comic books.

Text messages, drunken game shows and dolls for boys after the jump...

Tuesday, April 15

• Unprotected Text LIVE
  
• FREE! 2:30-10:30pm @ 42nd St b/w Times Sq and Broadway, Manhattan
  

Unprotected Text is a comedy performance troupe that collects text messages and then acts them out. Sounds like regular improv but without the yelping audience, right? Well maybe so, but they also have loftier goals, such as "conducting a video study of what role text messaging plays in participants lives." You want loftier? Something with more loft? Ok, how about "We want to explore the use and relations with have to technology that is already intergrated into our daily live." Throw about four [sic]s in there and you'll understand. If you're still unconvinced you can check out their YouTube channel, but I'm willing to bet it'll be more entertaining live so don't get discouraged.

Wednesday, April 16

• Dick Swizzle's Sudden Death Game Show
  
• FREE to watch/$5 to play, 8pm @ Union Hall, 702 Union Street, Brooklyn
  

This boozy Jeopardy-style game show is a significant upgrade to the standard bar trivia night. Buzzers, multimedia, all that jazz. The winners of each round get free shots; the finalist wins money; and the losers win a bottle of Budweiser and a special prize. Expect a sprinkle of raunch. Must be 21 or older, so stay away my young friends.

Thursday, April 17

• Captain Action Signing w. Fabian Nicieza and Mark Sporacio
  
• FREE! 6:30pm @ Jim Hanley's Universe, 4 W 33rd Street, Manhattan

It's back to JHU for another signing tonight. Don't know who Captain Action is? Well, he's "the original super-hero action figure," created by the same guy that created G.I. Joe. You would buy the "default" figure and then clothe him in sold-separately outfits that would turn him into Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Captain America and a slew of other heroes. He proved popular enough to get a comic book from DC, but they disappointingly dropped the "I can be anyone" gimmick and instead gave him some magical coins that granted him generic powers. Some big names worked on the five issue series, including Wally Wood, Jim Shooter and Gil Kane. Well anyway, Fabian Nicieza is resurrecting the franchise and he'll be on hand with the artist Mark Sporacio to sign issue #0.

Weekanerd Recession Edition: Free Booze, Ice Cream, Art and Anime

Friday, April 4

• The Star Street Screenings: Film, Free Beer
• $5, 8:30 @ Starr Street Space, 108 Starr Street, Brooklyn

Want to know what makes a good night out? Polish silent films from the 1920s with live brass band accompaniment. Want to know what makes a great night? Free Newcastle beer. Want to know what makes the greatest night of your life? FREE ICE CREAM. Holy shit.

More cheapanerd happenings after the jump...

Saturday, April 5

• Japanimated! Arts and Culture of Japan
  
• FREE! 5-11pm @ The Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn
  

There's a crapload of programming going on at this event that's all about celebrating that "Japanese culture" skinny white guys talk about loving so much. There's a cosplay photo contest, a screening of Miyazaki's fantastic Kiki's Delivery Service, art lessons, rock music, a dance party... There isn't much that isn't happening tonight at the Brooklyn Museum, and it's all free thanks to corporate sponsor Target.

Sunday, April 6

• Gary Panter Exhibition
  
• FREE! April 4-May 10 @ Clementine Gallery, 623 W. 27th St, Manhattan
  

Did you enjoy Panter's guest art duties on Omega: The Unknown as much as we did? Well show up to the man's solo show and see what else he's capable of. For instance, did you know he was the head set designer for the surreal Pee Wee's Playhouse? Actually, I bet if you show up at the opening Friday night he'll probably be wandering about (not to mention there'll probably be free booze). Just let me know how loud he chuckles when you ask him to sign your Marvel funny book at his art opening.

Weekanerd NYC: Awesome Comics, Swag and Free Passes, and Dr. Zaius

Monday, March 31

Planet of the Apes
Various showtimes @ Ziegfeld Theatre, 141 West 54th Street, Manhattan

Sure, you could see the original movie, or you can just watch the video below, a screen adaptation of Stop The Planet of the Apes: I Want To Get Off...

The Ruins preview, Jonathan Lethem talks Omega, and crazy comic strip brilliance, after the jump...

Tuesday, April 1

• The Ruins Promotion
  
• 6pm @ Off the Wagon, 109 MacDougal St, Manhattan
  

The Ruins has a terrible poster. You'd think in this, the age of amputation pron, they could come up with a slightly creepier image than a person with leaves and twigs on their neck. Of course a bad ad campaign doesn't necessarily correlate to a bad film - April Fools! It almost always does. But seriously, from 6 - 8, there will be Ruins swag and free screening passes for a preview on April 3rd. Although the most worthwhile thing you will likely get out of the evening is the drink special; $2 Margaritas!

Wednesday, April 2

• An Omega the Unknown: Evening With Jonathan Lethem, Farel Dalrymple, Karl Rusnak, Gary Panter & Paul Hornschemeier
  
• 7pm @ Rocketship, 208 Smith Street, Brooklyn
  

If any comic on the stands deserves a Q&A it's this one; perhaps the creative team will help to decode a bit of the symbolism and straight-faced absurdity that characterizes this book. The talk starts at 7pm, with signing to follow, so bring yer books!

Thursday, April 3

• Ben Katchor: Reading With Projections
  
• 7pm @ Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, 58 West 10th Street, Manhattan
  

I was really excited when I saw this. Ben Katchor writes comics that get published in a number of places, including a San Francisco free weekly paper that I used to read. I LOVED reading his comic, but looking at his website, I have no idea which of his many comics I was reading- they all seem to be about hotels in one form or another. That may not sound exciting, but trust me, they're absurd and hilarious and the artwork is stunning. If you need to be convinced, check out this episode of Hotel and Farm about sleeping on beds of lettuce.

Weekanerd NYC: MySpace Politics, John Woo Anime, and Crazy Russian Sci and Animation

Monday, March 24

Morley Winograd & Michael Hais: Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube and the Future of American Politics
6:30@ Cooper Union, The Great Hall, 7 East 7th St, Manhattan

The future of American politics is MySpace? Are all the candidates trying to launch indie rock music careers? Winograd and Hais will lecture on how much the intra-net has effected the current campaigns, and will sign copies of their new book. How I long for the day Americans can use Wii votes for elections, and the long silent reclusive nerd voice will be heard.

Science Fiction Lounge, John Woo Anime, and Russian Animation...

Tuesday, March 25,

• Science Fiction Lounge Music: Aelita
  
• 10pm @ Monkey Town, 58 N 3rd St, Brooklyn
  

A weird 1920s Russian sci-fi movie with a live sound track by a "first class improviser's quartet". Hit the link to hear samples of the musicians. 10 bucks plus a $10 drink min, reservations are recommended.

Wednesday, March 26

• Appleseed Ex Machina
  
• 7pm (Doors at 6:15) @ The ImaginAsian, 239 East 59th Street, Manhattan
  

The original Appleseed movie was fun in a confusing, kind of boring way. But at the New York Anime Festival I saw a clip of the opening scene of this "upgraded" version of the film, produced by John Woo, and let's just say it featured flying birds and people shooting guns with two hands. IMPORTANT: RSVP at that link ASAP, you're supposed to do it by 12pm on Monday.

• Russia! Magazine Presents: Animator Aleksey Budovskiy
  
• 7:30 @ Freebird Books, 123 Columbia St, Brookln

Check out that animation - Miro, right? Budovskiy will talk about the past, present, and possibly future of Russian Animation. Though as far as I'm concerned, this is the last word in Russian animation...

Weekanerd NYC: Frank Cho, Little Ninjas and Pillowfights!

Friday, March 21

• Frank Cho Signing
  
• FREE, 6:00pm @ Jim Hanley's Universe, 4 W. 33rd St, Manhattan
  

Been sad since Cho left The Mighty Avengers and left you suffering through Mark Bagley's childish scribbles? Show up, maybe slap him once for not being able to draw fast enough to keep a job, but then give him a great big bear hug and let him know you'll love him forever and ever.

Little ninjas and pillowfights after the jump!

Saturday, March 22

• New York City Pillowfight '08
  
• FREE, 3:00pm @ Union Square Park, Manhattan
  

What good is your Thundercats pillow case doing you at home? No good, that's what. Take it out for a night on the town and beat down children of all ages in the third annual NYC Pillowfight. Feathers are encouraged.

Sunday, March 23

• Tiny Ninja Theater Presents: Treasure Island
  
• $10, 1:30pm @ The Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, Manhattan
  

AHR checked this out last weekend and had lots of good things to say about it. Something about acting out Treasure Island with small objects and... I wasn't really listening to her but it sounded pretty awesome.

EDIT: Tiny Ninjas do not appear in this production. Ninjas do not perform pirate-based plays. This is a one-man show, good for kids, or anyone who loves pirates. - AHR, matey

Hong Kong Action, Comic Book Luminaries, and Better Living Through Theoretical Physics

Monday, March 17

• Hard Boiled vs. Hard Boiled
• 8:30@ Monkeytown, 58 N 3rd Street, Brooklyn

I'm not going to lie. I saw Hard Boiled in high school, and I thought it was kind of boring. But I'm not an action connoisseur, and I do appreciate the status this film holds among many film geeks, in particular fans of Hong Kong ultraviolence. And even if you don't have a particular affinity for Hard Boiled, this screening has a pretty awesome gimmick - the film will run on three screens simultaneously, one showing the new, remastered DVD edition and the other two running the rickety old version. This is like porn for spec nerds. Plus it's totally free, oh except for a $10 drink minimum, but dude, it's St. Patrick's Day.

Real life teleporters, and Greg Pak, after the jump ...

Tuesday, March 18,

• Lecture: Physics of the Impossible
  
• 6pm @ The New York Academy of Sciences, 7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich St. at Barclay St., 40th fl, Manhattan
  

For all our advances in this modern world, iPhones and DSes just don't make up for the glaring lack of teleporters, time travel, and invisible planes. Theoretical Physics expert Michio Kaku will lecture on issues discussed in his book, Physics of the Impossible, and will hopefully give us all reason to believe that the stuff seen on Star Trek may someday make it into real life. Also I want a Portal Gun. RSVP is required on the website, tickets are $25 for nonmembers, $15 for students, and $10 for members.

Wednesday, March 19

• Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, Khoi Pham & Reilly Brown
  
• 6pm @ Jim Hanley's Universe, 4 West 33rd St., Manhattan
  

Got some Hulk-related fanboy questions for Greg Pak? Want to strike up a Socratic dialogue about Action Philosophers with author Fred Van Lente? Too bad, cause this discussion and signing is all about their work on Incredible Hercules, and how the book comes together from script to finished art. But you can probably sneak in some geeky questions about their other stuff too. Just make sure you bring a copy of Incredible Hercules #115 to get signed, so you don't look like a dick!

Weekaned NYC: Live Sci-Fi, The McFadden Code, and An Unexpected Return

Friday, March 14

• Fight Girl Battle World
  
• $18, 8:00pm @ Center Stage, 48 W. 21st St, Manhattan
  

This sci-fi stage show promises an exciting blend of stage combat, puppetry, and multi-media as the last human female in the universe has to blast through alien forces to find the last human male. Billed as "Star Wars meets Lara Croft," but I bet it's better than that.

Leprechaun hunts and sketchy amusement parks after the jump...

Saturday, March 15

• Hunt for the Leprechaun's Gold
  
• $35, Sometime, Somewhere in Manhattan
  

Ravenchase Adventures sets up elaborate Da Vinci Code-like quests around the world, and they're coming to New York to set you and your buds on the trail of some Leprechaun Gold. If the experience is as complex as their website would make you believe, $35 doesn't seem like too much to pay. We all remember what happened last time there was some Irish gold to be had here in the States...

Sunday, March 16

• Astroland Opening
  
• FREE! Noon @ Astroland, Coney Island
  

And they said it would be gone in 2008! Where else would Marvel's villains build secret lairs and hold hostages if the crazy time-warp amusement park were decommissioned? Come down for the (no rly this time) last season of Astroland as we know it. The day begins with Miss Cyclone 2008 smashing a bottle of chocolate egg cream on the front car of the Cyclone. The first 100 in line for the rickety old coaster ride for free!

Weekanerd NYC: David Lynch, Dodgeball, Comic Bloggers, and LOST

Monday, March 10

• Eraserhead w/ J. Hoberman
  
• 4:30, 6:50, 9:30 @ BAM Rose Cinema, 30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn

Film critic J. Hoberman is celebrating his 30th year at the Village Voice, so BAM is showcasing a number of films he memorably reviewed, or just plain liked a lot. Hoberman will introduce this screening of Eraserhead, who called it a "piece of post-nuclear guignol" in his original 1977 review.

Comic bloggers, Lost, and gym class flashbacks after the jump...

Tuesday, March 11

• Heidi MacDonald (PW Beat), Brian Heater (The Daily Cross-Hatch), Kiel Phegley (Wizard Universe), and John DiBello (Bully Says)
  
• 8pm @ The P.I.T., 154 W. 29th Street, Manhattan
  

Comic bloggers on parade! If you have any questions about where the comic industry is headed (or the comic blogging industry), this is the place to get your voice heard. Tickets are, as always, a mere $5.

Wednesday, March 12

• Drop-In Dodgeball
  
• 7pm @ Some Gym in Manhattan (you need to RSVP for the address)
  

Dodgeball may generally be associated with positive memories for geekanerds, but you're all grown up now and surely decades of playing first person shooters have sharpened up your hand eye co-ordination. Registration is $15, which guarantees you at least two games. Winners get two pitches and free Pizza at the Boss Tweed after party. Losers get to feel bad about themselves. The website says it's co-ed, friendly, and 22 and over.

Thursday, March 13

• Get Lost!
  
• 6:30 @ Professor Thom's, 219 2nd Avenue, Manhattan
  

Free jello shots whenever someone says "oceanic 6" or punches Ben. I don't even like Lost, and I know that's awesome. I passed by this place last week, they've got the show on a bunch of huge screens and the volume is cranked, if you're concerned about missing some valuable info in a public setting.

Weekanerd NYC: Secret Missions, Brawlin', and Wild Stallions

Friday, March 7

• Causing Scenes: Improv Everywhere Discussion and Presentation
• 7:30 @ The New Museum Theater, 235 Bowery, Manhattan

Improv Everywhere is gently subversive organization responsible for the No Pants Subway Ride and recent internet video sensation, Frozen Grand Central Station. In their seven year history, the group has executed over seventy missions full of frivolity and good natured mischief. They're like the bizzaro version of Anonymous. This event is $8, and will include screenings of some of their past missions and a talk with founder Charlie Todd (ATTEND THE TALE). You should show up with no pants on, I bet they'd think that was hilarious.


Serious brawls and bogus journeys after the jump...

Saturday, March 8

• Smash Bros. Brawl Tournament
• 5pm @ Best Buy, 622 Broadway, Manhattan

This is actually the grande finale of a four-state tour, and the winner of NYC's qualifying round will go directly into the finals, battling it out with winners from across the nation. Full rules are on the official page, but basically 256 people can sign up, and registration starts at 3pm....so if you want to play you better plan on making a day out of it. Brawls are one-on-one, which is total bullshit, but whatever. The grand prize is a crystal-coated Wii (oh America/Japan and your embarrassing decadence), a home theater system, and of course the game. There are three other prize packs, again, check the link.

Sunday, March 9

• Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey
  
• 7pm@ Hugs Drive-In Theater, 108 North 6th Street, Brooklyn

The myspace page is cryptic, but apparently this is free and you get free popcorn too. Presumably you don't need a car, but what do I know. I'll tell you what I do know...

...I used to watch this.

Weekanerd NYC: Six Comic Creators vs Paper Mache Dinosaurs (Dinos FTW)

Monday, March 3

• Shoot Her! Jurassic Park, The Play
  
• 9:30pm @ Market Hotel, 957 Broadway (at Myrtle), 2nd Fl, Brooklyn

I'm telling you people, low-fi recreations....they're reaching critical mass. This production promises to recreate live on stage, scene by scene, the entirety of Spielberg's finest work of cinema. How will they do it? Much paper mache is said to be involved, and probably no small amount of theatrical ingenuity. This event has been talked up quite a bit from the Village Voice to the NYTimes, so I know I'm getting there early.

UPDATE 3/4/08: If you missed this, we've got a full report.


Your chance to meet a whole bunch of comic creators, after the jump...

Tuesday, March 4

• Peter David and Jae Lee Midnight Signing
  
• Midnight @ Midtown Comics West, 200 W 40th Street, Manhattan
  

If you really want to stalk Peter David, you actually have two event options; at 8pm at Comic Book Club, Peter will talk nerd shop with the lads from The Stack, so if you go to that first you can have something to talk to him about during those all important 20 seconds when he's signing your copy of Dark Tower (or any of the other great books he's writing, for that matter).

Wednesday, March 5

• The Global Graphic Novel: Straight Out of Anguleme
  
• 7pm @ Housing Works Cafe, 126 Crosby Street, Manhattan
  

French comic-book creators Philippe Dupuy and Charles Berberian, the duo responsible for the award winning comic anthology Get A Life, will talk about "the global graphic novel", which sounds very grandiose and probably has something to do with Tin Tin.

Thursday, March 6

• Comic Signing with Danny Simmons & Floyd Hughes, Creators of '85
  
• 6:30 @ Forbidden Planet, 840 Broadway, Manhattan
  

Wow, so many comic artists are doing events this week! They must all be in town to see the Jurassic Park show. Adapted from the book Three Days as the Crow Flies, '85 is a graphic novel about NYC in a tumultuous time, with lots of drug addicts, artists, and other off-the-grid grittiness.

Weekanerd NYC: Supes Bday, David Bowie Fanart, and King Kong Classic

Friday, February 29

• Superman's Birthday: 50% Off All Superman Stuff
• All Day @Jim Hanley's Universe, both locations in Manhattan and Staten Island

Happy birthday Superman! Please note this is not some sort of lame publishing date sort of birthday, but Kal El's actual birthday, as cited by editor Julie Schwartz. Given that today is leap year, Kryptonian days are different than earth days, and a number of other crazy factors, this birthday thing is much more complicated than it seems, you can read about it here but it honestly it was too much even for me. THE POINT IS: 50% off all Superman merch at Jim Hanley's. This probably opens them up to lots of nerd arguments like, "Absolute Dark Knight: Hard Cover Edition is totally about Superman! He's in it, isn't he? He's an essential component of the story, he's in the last act!"

David Bowie sketch party and King Kong, after the jump...

Saturday, March 1

• David Bowie Tribute Night at Dr. Sketchy's
• @ 245 Grand St, Brooklyn

I hope you aren't sick of hearing about these David Bowie themed events, because I'm not sick of writing them. Dr. Sketchy's offers life-drawing sessions with a heavy emphasis on sexiness and geekiness, two things you so rarely see together. This month's event will feature the lovely Madame Rosebud in a variety of David Bowie guises, which promises to be all sorts of androgynous fun. Table reservations are all booked, so show up early ($10 at the door) if you want to grab a spot on the floor.

Sunday, March 2

• King Kong: 75th Anniversary
  
• 1pm & 4pm@ Film Forum, 209 W Houston, Manhattan

This is the absolute place to be this weekend if you have any interest in King Kong whatsoever. Come to the 1pm show to enter the Fay Wray Scream-Alike contest for a chance to win a year's Film Forum membership, a King Kong 2-Disc Collectors Edition DVD, a trip to the top of the Empire State Building, and a chance to scream on the Today's Show! I promise you that is the most you will ever win for your ability to scream like a girl. Hit the link for a list of very respectable celebrity judges and more neat prizes.

Weekanerd NYC: Brian Cox, Comic Talk, and Late Night Gaming

Monday, February 25

• Brian Cox & Ian McShane: Dramatic License/Actors on Broadway
  
• $27, 6:30pm @ The Times Center, 41st St b/w 7th + 8th, Manhattan

Advanced tickets are sold out, but there's going to be some available at the door at 5:30pm. Now if you couldn't tell from the heading this talk is supposed to be about theater or somesuch nonsense, but don't let them get away with that. Rise up and demand Cox and McShane improvise a William Stryker / Al Swearengen showdown.

Comic talk and drunken video gaming after the jump...

Tuesday, February 26

• Comic Book Club: "Cable/Deadpool Special"
  
• $5, 8pm @ The People's Improv Theater, 154 W 29th St, Manhattan

Just about the only big weekly event in NYC that's unabashedly, unironically geekanerdy. Oh, and it's funny. This week's edition features Cable/Deadpool creators Fabian Nicieza, Reilly Brown, and Nicole Boose.

Wednesday, February 27

• Customer Appreciation 20% Off Sale
  
• Jim Hanley's Universe, 4 West 33rd St, Manhattan
  

You're gonna buy new comics today anyway (aren't you?), so you might as well get a 20% discount on them! Yeah yeah, I couldn't find anything better going on today.

Thursday, February 28

• Video Game Night
• FREE! @ The Blue Seats, 157 Ludlow St, Manhattan

These guys have Rock Band, two Wiis, a PS2, N64, NES, Atari and a buncha big screens. Sounds like a load of casual gaming fun, and word is free tequila may be flowing...

Weekanerd NYC: Live Art, Classic Jack, and The Award Show That Almost Wasn't

Friday, February 22

• Art Battles
• 8pm @The Bleecker Street Theater, 45 Bleecker St, Manhattan

Not entirely unlike the Cut & Paste Design Tournament, an Art Battle is an exhibition of work that artists create right there in the gallery. It'll be like one of these cheesy speed-painting videos, but much slower and more artsy.



Movies movies movies after the jump...

Saturday, February 23

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
• @ The Museum of Modern Art (Titus Theater 1), 11 W. 53rd St, Manhattan

If you're still trying to get your Oscar betting picks together, this film might deliver some insight on what it has historically taken to win the big ones, having won Best Picture, Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Director, and Screenplay in 1975.

Sunday, February 24

• The 2008 Oscars
  
• 8pm @ Various Places

There are many Oscar parties around the city, but none I thought looked particularly interesting or geeky, and all of which are expensive. It's a living room sort of event anyway.

Weekanerd NYC: Amadeus, YouTube, Cell Phone Docs and Dunnies

Monday, February 18

• Amadeus
  
• 6:30pm @ Museum of Modern Art (Titus Theater 1), 11 W. 53rd Street, Manhattan

Milos Forman's best movie screens at MoMA tonight.

Bad quality video and fancy toys after the jump...

Tuesday, February 19

• YouTuebsday
  
• 10pm @ CynLounge, 216 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn
  

A communal YouTube party, where attendee's requests are played on a big screen.

Wednesday, February 20

• CELLuloid: Cell Phone-Made Documentariest
  
• 6:30pm @ Museum of Modern Art (Titus Theater 2), 11 W. 53rd Street, Manhattan
  

Boy this sounds horrible. Shitty cell phone video quality blown up to fill a theater-sized screen? If you say so, MOMA! I can't help but be curious. One entry is called "They Can Shoot Me But They Can't Kill Me And Neither Can You" and that sounds really good.

Thursday, February 21

• Dunny Trading Party
  
• 6pm @ Kid Robot, 126 Prince St, Manhattan
  

Ain't no party like a toy trading party cause a toy trading party don't stop! Get the Dunnies you need for your collection in a more socially gratifying environment than eBay. Plus eBay buyers usually won't accept original artwork or other toys as payment, and chances are some of the cool cats at this trading party will.

Weekanerd NYC: Propaganda Shorts, Oscar Shorts, and Shorts You (re)Made!

Friday, January 18

• Dawn Of Japanese Animation: Propaganda
  
• 7pm @ The Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, Manhattan

Animated war propaganda is as entertaining as it is unsettling, as anyone who's watched Walt Disney Treasures - On the Front Lines will attest. As a sheltered American, I've rarely had the chance to see propaganda from other countries, and this sample of animated shorts from 1930-40s Japan promises a very different brand of ambiguity-free emotional manipulation. These films will be presented with recently created music and live narration, and the program includes titles such as Momotaro's Sky Adventure and Sankichi the Monkey: The Storm Troopers. $10, $4.50 for students.

This year's crop of Oscar Short Docs and Michel Gondry invites you to (re)make art, after the jump...

Saturday, February 16

• Be Kind Rewind Exhibition
  Noon to 6pm@ Deitch Gallery, 18 Wooster Street, Manhattan

Do you want to make a lo-fi recreation of your favorite movie, but you need the process to be within a carefully structured environment? You're in luck! As part of a new exhibit of Michel's Gondry's art/promotion for Be Kind Rewind, Gondry will be making over the Deitch gallery in the image of the video store from his film, complete with a backlot with ready-made sets and video equipment so attendees can (re)make their own movies. The videos will then be exhibited in the gallery, so this is your shot at fame, people. Commercial New York Art World Fame!

Sunday, February 17

• 2008 Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts
  
• 5pm@ The Museum of Modern Art (Titus Theater 1), 11 W. 53rd St, Manhattan

The bane of every Oscar Pool is the Documentary Shorts category. Usually an educated guess amounts to looking up the synopsizes and trying to pick something about the holocaust. But thanks to MOMA, you can now watch the four nominees yourself and either vote your heart or gauge for yourself what those squares in the academy will like. $10 or $6 for students.

Weekanerd NYC: Sidney Lumet, Ancient Anime, Rock Band for Cash and Trivia Time

Monday, February 11

• An Evening With Sidney Lumet
  
• 7pm @ 209 W Houston St, Manhattan

I finally saw Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, and it was lots of nasty fun. I love it when a plan comes apart. Film historian Foster Hirsch will moderate a conversation with Sidney Lumet, who has a directed a whopping forty-four features in his fifty year career, and I guarantee you've heard of at least ten. A limited number of tickets will be available at the box office on the day of, call (212) 727-8110 for details.

Nerd trivia, Rock Band tournie, and old timey anime after the jump...

Tuesday, February 12

• Nerd Alert! Trivia Night
  
• 8pm @ Black Rabbit Bar, 91 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn
  

The website says this is "the world's nerdiest trivia night". I think the world's nerdiest trivia night is not being held in a bar, but in a tenth grader's basement. But enough about me and my sordid past. Timmy Williams of ubiquitous The Whitest Kidz U Know hosts with pseudo-celeb Amiee Carlson. Smarties win shots and a there's a $25 bar tab for the winner.

Wednesday, February 13

• I Love Rockband Tournament
  
• 6:30pm @ Virgin Megastore Union Square, 52 East 14th Street, Manhattan
  

What's it take to win these things? Skill? Showmanship? Pink and red valentine's day themed costumes? I don't know, but you can win a $500 Virgin gift if you figure it out. Sign up ahead of time at NYC Virgin Megastores, it's free.

Thursday, February 14

• Dawn of Japanese Animation: Horror & Comedy
  
• 7pm @ The Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, Manhattan
  

Seriously old school anime from the early 30s! Originally silent, these shorts are accompanied by new music and live benshi narration. $10 or $4.50 for students.

Weekanerd NYC: Brian Wood, Wrestling Monsters and Professor Layton

Friday, February 8

• DMZ/Northlanders Art Party, Signing
  
• FREE! 8pm @ Rocketship, 208 Smith St., Brooklyn
  

Get out to one of the hippest comic shops in town and check out some original art, drink some beer and wine, and get your books drawn all over by Brian Wood, Davide Gianfelice, and Riccardo Burchielli.

Monster battles and Nintendo parties after the jump...

Saturday, February 9

• Kaiju Big Battel: New York Blackout
  
• $20, 8pm @ Webster Hall, 125 E 11th St., Manhattan
  

Live giant monster fights? For realz? If the ticket price sounds kinda steep to you, check out some Kaiju battles on YouTube. Now add in some "experimental, highly unorthodox" black boxes that house mysterious weapons and you're looking at a unique experience, not to be missed!

Sunday, February 10

• Professor Layton and The Curious Village Launch Party
  
• FREE! 1-3pm @ Nintendo World Store, 10 Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan
  

The event promises cool prizes, so at the very least show up and school some little kids for a free copy of the game that you can sell for a profit. Jeez, that was cynical. This game actually looks pretty cool, and is a big hit in Japan. Where they like this cute crap. Cynical again, sorry. Seriously, the game is such a big deal that Masakazu Kubo is planning a live action movie based on it. He's the guy that produced the Pokemon movies. ::clears throat::
UPDATE: Turns out one of the prizes will be that sexy new Cobalt Blue DS, so if you don't currently own the greatest gaming system alive you should really give this a shot.

Weekanerd NYC: I Have Powers...Political Powers!

Monday, February 4

• 16mm Short Films Based on Ray Bradbury Story's
  
• 6pm @ 192 East Broadway, Manhattan

As part of their Science Fiction Films at Seward Program, our librarian friends will be screening half-hour film versions of "Quest" and "All Summer In A Day". I have to admit to never having read Quest, but it appears to share a endless-night theme with All Summer In A Day, which I think is on most grade-schoolers reading lists. And it should be read by all kids everywhere to make them conscious of how truly horrible and cruel they and their peers really are. Self knowledge is the only path to self improvement, after all. I hate kids.

Political powers and George Romero in person, after the jump...

Tuesday, February 5

• Super Tuesday
  
• 6am - 9pm @ your local polling place
  

C'mon, you love voting on Wii Votes. This is just like that, there might even be a computer voting terminal. Make sure you know your polling site by hitting the title link, and have at it.

Wednesday, February 6

• Diary of the Dead w/ George Romero in Person
  
• 7pm @ AMC Empire 25, 234 West 42nd Street, Manhattan
  

So of COURSE this is sold out, but the website says some stand-by tickets may be available on the day of the event. So get to the theater like, that morning, ask the ticket people, and you may have a chance to see the man himself talk about his latest work of zombie carnage. This one is satire of both internet addict and film students, which is weird because I don't recall Romero ever calling me up and asking for my life story, but there it is. Tickets are $18 bucks.

Weekanerd NYC: Comics Sell, Hulk Smashes, Lou Reed Waffles, and So It Goes

Monday, January 28

• 30% Off Everything in the Universe
  
• Jim Hanley's Universe, 4 W 33rd St, Manhattan
  

Usually comic shop sales stall out at 20-25%, so take notice of this 30% off sale for "customer appreciation month." It's a better deal than you may ever get again, so get to JHU and stock up on all those sexy hardcovers you can't afford. The sale runs through Tuesday, and it also applies to their Staten Island location, if you are so... inclined.

Hit the jump for a sitdown with Greg Pak, a meditation with Lou Reed, and a stage adaptation of some book you read in high school...

Tuesday, January 29

• Comic Book Club w/ Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente
  
• $5, 8pm @ The People's Improv Theater, 154 W 29th St, Manhattan
  

The boys that host this show are getting more press attention everyday, so go see 'em while their still in a cramped room for five bucks. This week's show features Greg Pak, mastermind of the recent World War Hulk saga, which was brilliant in concept but fell apart in execution. Ask him about that. Also on the extremely saggy couch is Fred Van Lente, founder of Evil Twin Comics.

Wednesday, January 30

• Lou Reed Discusses Hudson River Wind Meditations
  
• $25, 7pm @ Rubin Museum of Art, 150 W 17th St, Manhattan
  

"Lou Reed introduces his latest meditation compositions and discusses them with mind science scholar Rob Hogendoorn." I think that if you attended this talk and thought of Lou Reed as a Jedi Master coaching you in the ways of the Force (transcending the body and all that), you will come away with a greater understanding of yourself and the energy that surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together.

Thursday, January 31

• Slaughterhouse-Five or: The Children's Crusade
  
• $25, 8:30pm @ 59E59, 59 E 59th St, Manhattan
  

Kurt Vonnegut's time traveling anti-war opus has been brought to the stage by Godlight Theater Company, the same folks that brought you stage adaptations of Fahrenheit 451 and A Clockwork Orange. Get some tickets and prepare yourself for what The New York Times calls "a pressure-cooker production, an intense, kaleidoscopic 90-minute tour without intermission through Vonnegut’s nonlinear narrative." Runs through February 17.