Geekanerd Spotter: Stormtroopers Take Keyspan Park

Hey did you see The Clone Wars when it opened yesterday? I didn't, making it the first Star Wars movie I haven't seen on opening day since I was born. Ooh, it just looks so bad. But I can't help feeling like I skipped an old friend's birthday party, even if that friend has turned into an infantile cash-monger. Sad.

But on a lighter note, yesterday at the Brooklyn Cyclones game at Keyspan Park, a troupe of Stormtroopers showed up to pass out posters. I love this picture, because the guy on the left looks very self-conscious about being photographed in a nerdy context, the girl in the middle is being a good sport, and the girl on the right is somehow pulling off a "Yeah, I'm holding a Clone Wars mini-poster, you jealous?" look.
Foaming Geek Analysis Moment: I do have to question exactly what sort of troopers these are supposed to be. Given that they're promoting Clone Wars, you'd think they're supposed to be Clone Troopers from the era between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The red guy is clearly a Clone Captain in Phase II armor, you can see the model here. So that checks out. But those other guys are just classic Stormtroopers, who weren't around until after (or at least the very end of) Revenge of the Sith. C'mon Lucasfilm, you couldn't spring for a few more Clone Trooper uniforms, you have to pull those old Halloween costumes out of storage? It never ends.

Thanks to loyal Gnerd reader Lena for sending these pictures in; here's her sister Alison in a classic photo op post with a trooper.

Weekanerd NYC: Comic Book Parties and The World's Greatest Wii Tennis Tournie

Friday, June 6

• Jason's Pocket Full of Rain Release Party
  
• $FREE, 8pm @ Rocketship, 208 Smith Street, Brooklyn
  

I have to admit I don't know much about European cartoonist Jason, except that he did the cover for the new sweet new Penguin edition of The Dharma Bums. But he's been puzzlingly called the "Kafka and Keats of the comic world", and his new book's in English so now is as good a time as any to get on board. And since Rocketship parties tend to mean free booze, if you can cram yourself into the itty bitty store they'll be serving beer and wine.

Two of our favorite geek events of the year, after the jump...

Saturday, June 7

• Second Annual Wiimbledon Wii Tennis Tournament
  
• FREE, 10am @ Barcade, 388 Union Ave, Brooklyn
  

Did you know Geekanerd has been around for a year now? And our first major story was of Wiimbledon, a home-grown Wii Tennis Tournie with a hilarious name that shockingly became national news. Our own Albo took home second place honors in last year's inaugural tournament, and I was humiliatingly defeated 2/3 in my first match. But this is my year! Registration is over, but there's open bar from 12-3pm, and Wii Tennis is one of the spectator-friendly video games out there. It's worth checking out just to see the latest in Wii Sporting Apparel.

Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8

• MoCCA Art Festival
  
• $10/day, or $15 weekend pass, 11am @ The Puck Building, 293 Lafayette, Manhattan
  

How does the MoCCA festival match up to the bigger cons? Less cosplay and more chance to interact with your favorite indie comic artists. Click the title link for a full list of guest and panels.

Video: NYC Zombie Crawl 2008

Photos are one thing, but in order to really understand the mood of the Zombie Crawl, you need to hear the groans of the undead, observe their lurching gait, and hear the the plaintive shouts of the organizer; "Don't break the windows!" Enjoy Gnerd Johnny's 2 minute highlight reel of zombies on the move through Williamsburg.

Photos: Zombie Crawl 2008

I walked in the 2008 Zombie Crawl in Williamsburg, and it was everything I had hoped it would be. And what I hoped it would be was an excuse to walk around slowly with my arms outstretched and move threateningly towards cars and people. Fun! While I enjoyed the experience from a zombie-eye view, Gnerd operatives Bishop and Johnny covered the event as humans; check out some of our photo coverage after the jump, and check out our video highlights!

Photos and write-up after the jump...


This being a 21 and over event, participants met up at Duff's, a bar which I was assured was the heavy metal bar in Brooklyn. Those shadowy figures on the roof are probably FBI agents making sure there's nothing actually supernatural going on.


A couple hours before the walk began, the event organizers had set up a make-up area on the bar's front porch where walkers could get bloodied up and rotted for the low low cost of nothing.

The woman who did my make-up had worked on the awesome ThrillerFest zombies a few months ago. I went with traditional grey, though other people were getting a more colorful dark green look, and some went with a more ghoulish white. Zombies come in a beautiful rainbow of colors, just like you and me.

A close up of my "killer" neck scar (stop me).

Me in full zombie documentarian regalia. I was going for a film student who decided it would be a good idea to get footage of the zombie invasion. Wap wap waaa! You can't see it here but there's fake blood on my camera and lanyard/shooting permit as well.

At about six o'clock, Organizer Zombie announced it was time to get moving through the streets of Williamsburg.

Just before we left Duff's, a photographer got in his car and asked the zombies to attack him while he shot from the inside. The zombies were all to eager to oblige, and I swear that bumper damage was there before we started.

Our hunting instincts now fully charged, the walk began west through the warehouse lined streets North 3rd towards the main artery of Brooklyn hipsterdom, Bedford Ave. Our final destination was Passout Records, where zomb-friendly rap artist MC Chris would perform a free set.

Some zombies declined to get into character, but a good chunk really went for it, groaning, stumbling, and most importantly, walking towards any sign of fresh brains. This improvisatory aspect of the walk (the RPG aspect, if you will) was the real draw for me; being given an excuse to act out all the horror conventions you've ever seen on screen in real life, and on unsuspecting bystanders, is a very surreal and engrossing experience.

The mob's first big civilian encounters was this SUV as it drove down North 3rd, alone and helpless.


My favorite moment of the whole day was when we passed Radegast Hall & Biergarten, a huge restaurant with rusty iron bars on the window. The mob got one look at those gothic, presumably sturdy bars and attacked the facade in what must have seemed like a scene from Night of the Living Dead to the diners inside. Most of those inside looked amused at this impromptu attack, some slightly less so (hipster hate, or more likely hipster self-hate sometimes provokes extreme eye-rolling towards these kind of goofy events).

After about 20 seconds of mobbing the exterior and doorway, Redegast's black-aproned host ran out with a menu in hand and beat the zombies back, obviously willing to sacrifice his life for his customers. He even closed the wrought iron front gates in order to keep the undead out, and the horde moved on, defeated. I'd expect he got some serious tips.

Zombies continued to gravitate towards cars all the way to Passout Records. Since zombies move slowly and don't pay attention to cross walks any more than other New Yorkers, we clogged up traffic a bit and at least one humorless and hurried citizen lay on his horn, to little avail. That was actually the only person I saw all day that seemed to be genuinely annoyed with the display, pretty much everyone else we passed in a car or on the street responded with positive or at least passive attention, and usually with cell-phone camera in hand.


Walking through Brooklyn brownstones...

It took less than ten minutes to make it to Passout Records, where a band was wrapping up their set. There a grill setup outside with free hotdogs and burgers, which made for a lot of freeform eating by the zombies. At that point some of the mob went back to Duff's to drink and get ready for the spooky cabaret/burlesque show later that night, and some elected to stay for the MC Chris show.

The Gnerd crew had to cut out at that point, but we got a few more pics of the horde outside Passout. One of my favorite things about photo coverage of these events is seeing the different spins on the "zombie look" that people come up with. As with my own costume, I love it when people create outfits that indicate where they were and what they were doing when they got zombified. With that in mind, here is our Zombie Look Book.

Satan Worshipper Zombie.

Armless Cowboy Zombie. Rodeo accident, maybe?

Doctor Zombie, aka Jay, who's an actual medical professional who made his outfit with actual scrubs. Zombie doctors are great; as anyone who read the first issue of The Walking Dead knows, hospitals are zombie hot zones; people come in who've been bit, then they turn into zombies and bite the doctors...let's just say it goes from bad to worse.

Wedding Party Zombies. Poster Tagline: Till Death DON'T They Part!

A literal take on the iPod Zombie stereotype.

Geek cred alert! "Trogdor's the man! Actually he's the dragon-man!"

Milkman Zombie out of character on Bedford Ave.

And finally, because Star Wars cosplayers will use literally any event as an excuse to break out the costume, and who can blame them, we got to see some awesome Jango Fett on Zombie action.

After posing for the picture, I asked her (it's a girl in there if you can't tell) if she was there to hunt zombies, and she responded by shooting me. I really walked into that one.

Even zombie teeth can't penetrate Mandalorian armor.

Jango says something cool before blasting the zombie horde.

That does it for our photo coverage of the Zombie con. There's a little bonus material Geekanerd's Flickr account, if you absolutely cannot get enough of this stuff.

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...

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!

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: 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.

Gone Idiotarodin'

No Weekanerd till Monday, cause Geekanerd is out racing a shopping cart down the streets of New York in the 2008 Idiotarod. That picture is not of us; it's a team in a past race that must have had some sort of time-looker forward machine because they stole our great idea. We came up with something else, but you'll have to wait for our coverage of the race to find out what.

Weekanerd NYC: Fantasy College Edition - Free Nerd-Oriented Lectures & Screenings

Monday, January 21

• Wholphin Shorts Program
  
• 7pm @ Barbes, 376 9th Street, Brooklyn

Wholphin is a quarterly DVD magazine from McSweeneys, named after the hybrid spawn of a dolphin and a false killer whale. Whimsy! This screening will feature various Wholphin approved films, including selections from their upcoming Spring 08 volume. Let's hope it Death to the Tinman, a visceral take on the tin man's story from the Oz books, which plays like a cross between Wes Anderson and Salvador Dali.


Tuesday, January 22

• Adult Education: The Micro-Genre
  
• 8pm @ Union Hall, 702 Union Street, Brooklyn
  

First of all, this event is being put on by a Brooklyn magazine called Stay Free!, and that makes me upset because "Stay Free" used to be my email sig. It's from my favorite Clash song. I don't like it when people steal my shtick. This is a Secret Science Club-esque lecture series, but with lower attention span requirements (yay!). Tonight, five speakers will discuss examples of Internet-enabled "micro-genres" such as the architecture of converted Fast-Food Restaurants and Photos of Tourists Taking Photos. This is in many ways the essence of geekery.

Here's that Clash song, because it's great.

Wednesday, January 23

• "Author Interview: Lee Siegel and Against the Machine
  
• 7pm@ McNally Robinson, 52 Prince Street, Manhattan
  

This talk would actually make a pretty good companion event to the Micro-Genre lecture. Against the Machine is writer Lee Siegel's critique of how the internet has changed the way we think about art, privacy, commerce, and other aspects of life and culture. Spoiler alert: For the worse. Siegel will be interviewed by National Book Critics Circle prez Jon Freeman, and will take questions from the audience as well.

Thursday, January 24

• Jack Repcheck Lectures and Signs Copernicus' Secret
  
• 6:30 @ Cooper Union's Wollman Auditorium, 51 Astor Place, Manhattan
  

Here's a hard history of science lecture for any of you who aren't impressed by all that socio-anthro internet nonsense. Repcheck's new book focuses on the last 12 years of Copernicus's life, when it still seemed unsure if his radical anti-earth research would ever see the light of day. The most scandosious part of his book is that Copernicus had a mistress, so be sure to bring that up in the Q and A.

Weekanerd NYC: A Brand New Day for Pee-Wee to Get Back the Rock

Monday, January 14

• Rock Band Night
  
• 9pm @ Angels and Kings, 500 East 11th St, Manhattan

There have been a number of Guitar Hero nights at bars around town, but this is the first Rock Band weekly event I've heard of so far. Word is it'll be tournament style in upcoming weeks, but here's your chance to play for fun and work on your act. Because this game is more about exuding rock stardom than anything else.

Tuesday, January 15

• Comic Book Club Brand New Day Special: All Four Amazing Spider-Man Writers and Editor Steve Wacker
  
• 8pm @ The People's Improv Theater, 154 West 29th St, Manhattan
  

Do you have an opinion about this whole Brand New Day Spider-Man Boyslut thing that I hear is happening in the Marvel Universe? This is your chance to express it to those who make the magic happen. Or maybe not - the show is toootally sold out, but last time they sold out a limited number of tickets were available when the box office opened on Tuesday. Check 212-563-7488 for availability. And of course, you can always just wait on the dark, desolate street outside the theater and yell out your questions as the writers leave....that's still like half a step above posting on a message-board.

Wednesday, January 16

• Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
  
• 2:30pm @ The Donnell Library Center, 20 W. 53rd St, Manhattan
  

Does the dark as night Sweeney Todd make you yearn for a bygone age when Tim Burton films were whimsical and hilarious? Well you're in luck because the New York Public Library is showing the masterpiece known as Pee-Wee's Big Adventure FOR FREE, preceded by the animated short The Wizard of Speed and Time.

Thursday, January 17

• Borders Manga Book Club: The Get Backers
  
• 5pm @ Park Avenue Borders, 461 Park Ave, Manhattan
  

The GetBackers is a manga and anime about a two-man repossession service who use supernatural powers to do their repo work. Their motto is: "We get back what is being taken or lost." HELL YEAH. Of course if you are actually interested in this event, you know all this. The club meets the second Thursday of every month, all are welcome.