Zombie Movie Madness!

Now I know you guys have always thought to yourselves, "Self, I wish I was in a movie about zombies." Well until now you probably haven't had the chance, but now you do (if you reside in the city of New York that is)!

This weekend, "Rising Up: The Story of the Zombie Civil Rights Movement" is going to be doing some shooting in Staten Island. They're still looking for people to play protesters and soldiers Saturday and Sunday, and they'll be providing free transport from Manhattan to S.I. and back, as well as meals. They're shooting during daylight hours, both Saturday and Sunday, and if you'd like to come down and be an extra for a day, just drop them a quick email at contact@risingupmovie.com and let them know that you heard about the shoot and want to be an extra Saturday or Sunday. You'll get to have pictures of yourself with a real live (well, not really "live") zombie and possibly get eaten.

Also, make sure to check out the trailer at their website, it's pretty darn hilarious.

Edit: Fixed the dang link, damn you html!

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.

Weekanerd NYC: Battlestar Classic, Film Geek Treasure, and The Best Movie Ever

Friday, May 30

• Battlestar Galactica
  
• $11.50, Midnight @ The IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave, Manhattan
  

Folks, we got a mystery on our hands here. MovieTickets.com says this is Battlestar Galactica (2004), but the girl at the IFC box office said all she knows is that it's a reel-to-reel copy from 1978, and it's two hours long. Soo, all signs point to the feature-length edit of Saga of a Star World, the original 1978 Battlestar pilot. So don't go if you're expecting Razor, but serious fans will probably want to brush up on their classics.

Bring me everyone. What do you mean, everyone? EVVVRRRYYYYYONNNNE!

Saturday, May 30

• The Central Park TV & Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt
  
• $26, 2pm @ Central Park, Manhattan (exact location comes with ticket purchase)
  

So Watson Adventures puts on these big relatively expensive scavenger hunts for adult nerds, and this is the most interesting one I've heard of so far. I'm not sure how much scavenging competition is involved, but at the very least you'll get indulge your film nerdism by visiting tons of film locations, including spots from Ghostbusters, Six Degrees of Separation, Fisher King, The Producers, and many other movies that unlike me, you probably like even more than those four (hit the link for a list). Photo ops, anyone?

Sunday, June 1

• Moviehouse Presents: Leon (The Professional) and Snatch
  
• $7/day, FREE!, 8pm @ Galapagos, 70 N. Sixth Street, Brooklyn
  

This screening series gives you a choice between two films, but HONESTLY, who is going to waste their time on an inferior Guy Ritchie film (and aren't they all?) when you could be watching Gary Oldman hamming it the fuck up as a psychotic, pill-popping DEA agent?! GIVE ME A BREAK. Plus you get free popcorn and locally produced shorts before the feature. So bring "EVERYONE" you know and enjoy.

*Animated Standfield GIF is the work of genius Jim Miles

Weekanerd NYC: Coverboy Chris Ware, They Might Be Giants, and Great Films That Aren't The Superbowl

Friday, February 1

• Chris Ware: Drawings for New York Periodicals
  
• 6pm @ Adam Baumgold Gallery, 74 East 79th Street, Manhattan

Remember that soul-crushing New Yorker cover we posted last Thanksgiving? That was a mere taste of what Chris Ware has to offer the magazine reading public. An exhibit celebrating his work for publications such as the New York and NYTimes, there'll be a reception from 6pm to 8pm. Click the title link for some previews, including this rough version of the aforementioned Thanksgiving cover...
The Johns and two great movies, after the jump...

Saturday, February 2

• They Might Be Giants
• 8pm @ The Beacon Theater, 76th btw Broadway and Amsterdam, Manhattan

The ultimate in geek rock. Tickets for the floor are already sold out, so if you want to snag some $30 dollar balcony seats, act fast.

Here's a reminder of just how awesome these guys really are.


Sunday, February 3

• Casablanca and Punch-Drunk Love
  
• 8pm @ Galapagos Art Space, 70 North 6th Street, Brooklyn

Sure, the Super Bowl is a great excuse to get horribly drunk, and apparently it does feature some sort of New York theme this year, but it can' t be denied that a significant chunk of the nerd population has either a natural or learned aversion to sports. So if you're looking for something else to do this evening, you can choose between Punch-Drunk Love and Casablanca, playing on two separate screens at Galapagos as part of their MovieHouse series. Included with the evening is free popcorn, a short film before the feature, and a Casablanca trivia contest. All for only $5, and you can watch the superbowl commercials on YouTube when you get home.

Weekanerd NYC: Correction Edition

Aw jeez. This is what happens when comics come out on the wrong day. It throws off my circadian rhythms and the whole site goes to hell. The dates on this week's Weekanerd were all a-jumble, but they're corrected now. Those who plan their weeks around our event recommendations (*tumbleweed blows by*) will want to check the updated post.

The Undead Walk The Streets of Manhattan

Zombiecon 2007 was yesterday, and NYC saw the dead rise up and terrify the living. Well, maybe not terrify so much as roll their eyes at and remark, "Damn hipsters!" Flickr has you covered for, well, coverage. The tag Zombiecon07 yields some excellent results, such as close ups of the more detailed make-up jobs, zombies on the subway, and photographic evidence of these zombies feasting on a human victim.

To-Do List: Cut & Paste Digital Design Tournie

Sorry NYC nerds, the Weekanerd Event Update is M.I.A this weekend, but will be back fresh on Monday. But we do have one serious recommendation for this weekend; The 2007 Digital Design Tournament.

The tournament pits eight designers against each other, in a battle for improvised graphic design dominance. Armed only with a MacPro Work Staion, Creative Suite 3, and a Wacom tablet, designers take on three fifteen-minute design challenges, with the added pressure of having their in-progress work projected live before an enthusiastic audience of design geeks.

Doors open tomorrow at 7pm at the Angel Orensanz Foundation, 172 Norfolk Street, NYC. For those who don't live in New York or can't fork over the $15 ticket fee, you can watch the event as a live webcast at CutandPaste.com. Check out a few of the coolest designs from last years event, after the jump.

Weeknerd NYC - Body Snatchers, The End of the World, Spooky Books, and Cronenberg

Monday, September 10, 2007

• Invasion of the Body Snatchers
• Various Times @ BAM Cinema, 30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn

If The Invasion didn't do it for you, give the 1978 original a shot.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

• David Pinchbeck - 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl
• 7pm @ McNally Robinson, 52 Prince Street, Manhattan

This isn't the most relaxing day to be a Manhattanite. Head over to this Nolita bookstore to be assured that the world actually won't end until 2012.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

• Brom
  
• 5pm @ Jim Hanley's Universe, 4 W. 33rd Street, Manhattan

Gothic artist Brom celebrates the release of his new book, The Devil's Rose. It's described on BromArt.com as a "tragic western set in Hell". There isn't a single thing about that description I don't like.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

• Eastern Promises (Preview Screening with David Cronenberg)
• 7:30 @ The Director's Guild Theater, 110 W. 57th Street, Manhattan

This new Cronenberg crime thriller stars two members of geek royalty - Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortensen. Something for everyone! This is a Moving of the Moving Image event, $12 members and $18 for non.

Photos: The Wii Tennis Virtual Open Has Crowned Their Champion

It all came down to these two gentlemen today at the Wii Tennis Virtual Open - Benjamin "Smelonzhay" Melinger (left), a player who had initially signed up for the tournament by chance while visiting a friend at Rockefeller Center, and Peter Reyes (right), who after winning his semi-final match, attempted to job-search the crowd by asking "Are there any principals here? I'm a fully qualified Special Ed Teacher!"

The final match was intense, and was decided only after several deuces. Hit that jump for total coverage and to see who won tickets to the Men's Final of the US Open and a 1-Year Lease on a Lexus IS F...

Melinger takes the gold! Ah, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Don't feel too sorry for Peter, whose smile never wavered throughout the heat of battle. He won tickets to the US Open Semi-Finals, although he admitted, "The car would have been nice." You said it, brother!

As corporate PR events go, this was a pretty sweet setup. The playing field was reportedly a scaled down replica of the actual US Open Tennis Court. Some fair sized crowds formed around the event, although the miniature stands on either side of the court never quite filled to capacity.


Upon first glance, it looked like the players might actually compete on separate sides of the court, but sadly game technology has not yet reached that level of realism - both players in a match faced the same screen, as per the usual.

Color commentary was provided by former professional tennis player Luke Jensen. At first he seemed to be a bit at a loss on how seriously to take the proceedings, but by the time the final four matches rolled around, he seemed comfortable using Wii tennis terms such as "fire serve" and "unreturnable return". In the above photo, Jensen confers with Nintendo's touring Wii Tennis Pro, El Diablo (not there to formally compete, just to showboat).



"How did the Virtual Open compare to Wiimbledon?", loyal G-Nerd fans may be asking. The biggest difference I could see, other than the considerable bankroll behind the Lexus-Sponsored Open, was the pageantry of Wiimbledon versus the more business casual attitude of the Open. No bear costumes or country club attire here. And no, the Rockefeller Center Guard uniform doesn't count as a costume.

It should be noted, however, that grand prize winner Melinger was wearing appropriate tennis attire, which may have given him just the edge he needed.


Here's a handful of other photos from the event, if you just can't get enough.

I still believe Albo could have won this car...

A rare example of physical enthusiasm

Fan Favorite Peter Reyes wins his semi-final match

Dude just won a car - you can't "fault" him for being excited (*dodges brick*)

And finally, what's a PR stunt without a wacky photo op?

Related: Geekanerd's Coverage of The Virtual Open
Geekanerd's Coverage of Wiimbledon (including video)

Weekanerd NYC - Fun Sized Movie Time Edition

Saturday, September 1, 2007

• Coney Island Film Series: Big Top Pee Wee
  
• 8:30 @ The Coney Island Museum, 1208, Surf Ave, Brooklyn.
  

Relive some golden era Tim Burton, in preparation for the Burton Renaissance that will surely commence with the December release of Sweeney Todd. Keep hope alive. $5 ticket includes free popcorn.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

• The Last Movie
• 5:30 @ The Museum of the Moving Image, 35 Ave at 36th St, Astoria Queens.

Okay so I've never seen this, but the description sounds amazing; directed by Dennis Hopper, it's "a fictional western directed by Sam Fuller and becomes a bizarrely imploding comic documentary." Free with admission to the museum, which is $10 for adults or $7.50 for students.

Weekanerd: Fighting Chocolate Pirates II Turbo

Frankly, if you're a real Geekanerd you should be in your house playing BioShock all weekend. But maybe you don't have an Xbox 360 or high-end PC or maybe you just feel the need to get out of the house. So for you sorry lot, here's some "cool" shit to do in New York this weekend.

Friday, August 24

• Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
  
• Dusk @ Hudson River Park's Pier 46, Manhattan
  

This is the kind of entertainment kids don't get anymore, so it'll be well worth it (FREE!) to go see them all traumatized by the hallucinatory tunnel boatride.

Saturday, August 25

• Jollyship the Whiz-Bang
  
• 10pm @ Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, Manhattan

This "Pyrate Puppet Rock Opera Consortium" is a puppet troupe, rock band, and theater production company that has garnered praise from all over. Their salty show should get you in the spirit for International Talk Like a Pirate Day, which will be here before you know it.

Sunday, August 26

• STREET FIGHT! - The Street Fighter II Challenge
  
• 9pm @ Rope Bar, 415 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn
  

Throw down two bucks and flex your World Warriors on the SNES version of the classic fighter. The winner of the tourney gets all the cash and a sweet trophy. The losers get to sit at the bar and feel like E. Honda's butt cheese.

Weekanerd NYC - Hitchcock Galore, High Concept Bar Trivia, and Bio-Shock Comes Out Intentionally

Monday, August 20, 2007

• Bryant Park Summer Film Fest: Psycho
  
• 5pm @ Bryant Park, 6th Ave btw 40th-42nd St, Manhattan.
  

Reet! Reet! Reet! Reet!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

• Bio-Shock Is Released (intentionally)
  
• Stores everywhere
  

Didn't get a copy when this game was accidentally released two weeks ago? Here's the real nationwide release date for this first person shooter, currently rated at an impressive 99 at Metacritic.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

• Dick Swizzle's Sudden Death Game Show
  
• 8pm @ Magnetic Field, 97 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn
  

The only trivia contest in NYC with a full game show setup - contestant podiums, buzzers, flashing lights, and of course a sleazy host. Supposedly also one of the easier big quiz contests around, so serious trivia nerds could win some cash. $5 entry fee.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

• NYC Noir: Rear Window and Rope (2 for 1 admission)
  
• Various showtimes @ Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St, Manhattan.
  

Didn't get your Hitchcock fix on Monday? Get a double shot of with an AFI- stamped classic and an earlier, technically adventurous, subtext-heavy work.

Weekanerd NYC - Star Trek Improv, The Warriors, Super Cheap Comics

Friday, August 17, 2007

• Start Trekkin' New York
  
• 7:30pm @ The Tank, 279 Church Street btwn Franklin and White, Manhattan
  

Need new Star Trek episodes? FanFic leaving you cold? Check out these fully improvised live episodes based on the Kirk-era series. The critically acclaimed (really?) show originated in Austin, where it's still performed. Visit the NYC Crew's MySpace here.

Friday and Saturday, August 17 & 18, 2007

• NYC Noir: The Warriors and Superfly
  
• Various times @ Film Forum, 209 W. Houston Street, Manhattan

The Warriors is one of those few cult films that is even better than what you've heard. At least if you like campy machismo, gangs who aspire to Dick Tracy villain levels of visual gimmckery, and fights with baseball bats. If you played the fantastic Rockstar videogame based on the movie, you'll probably appreciate it on a deeply personal level. Superfly is pretty fun too.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

• 70% Off Back Issues (under $20) at Jim Hanley's Universe
  
• All day @ 4 West 33rd St, Manhattan or 325 New Dorp Lane, Staten Island
  

This giant back-issue sale conntinues, and will peak at a whopping 90% off on Tuesday the 21st. But Sunday will likely be your last chance to get anything good, so grab your Indy fedora and do some comic execvation.

Sales This Week At Two Major NYC Comic Shops

NYC comic fans are so spoiled. Two of Manhattan's major comic stores are having sales over the next few days.

Forbidden Planet is offering 15% off all posters in the store today and tomorrow, with this coupon. If you've ever thought of buying that really ugly poster with all the Simpsons characters standing in a big clump, now is the time.

Jim Hanley's Universe is having a huge sale on back issues under $20, starting on August 13th with 10% off, and then knocking off another %10 percent per day all the way to 90% off on August 21st. Yow! Forget that poster sale, buy these in bulk and wallpaper your apartment!

Weekanerd NYC - Movie Premieres and Yo Yo Fun

Friday, August 10, 2007

• Stardust Premiere
• Theaters Across America
  

The ad campaign has been awful, but do it for Neil Gaiman.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

• National Yo-Yo Open
• 11:30am @ South Street Seaport, Pier 17, Manhattan
  

Geekanerd loves weird sporting events almost as much as we hate regular sporting events. World champions will be showing their stuff all day. Click the title link for

Sunday, August 12, 2007

• The King of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters (New York Premiere)
• 3 @ The Museum of The Moving Image, 35 Avenue at 36 Street, Astoria, Queens

This trailer kicks ass! The screening will feature Q & A with the documentary's director, writer, and underdog hero. (in William Shatner voice) KOONNNNG!

Weekanerd NYC - Free Readings and Film Geek Exibitionism

Monday, August 6, 2007

• Reading Comics - How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean
  
• 7pm @ Barnes and Noble, 675 Sixth Avenue, Manhattan (Chelsea)
  

Author Douglas Wolk reads from his book of critical theory on comics.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

• Aaron Bollinger: The MySpace Social Guide
  
• 7pm @ Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street, Manhattan
  

A free talk about how to best use MySpace as a tool to promote independent projects, organize non-profit work, and help with other worthy causes that won't make Dateline come to your house. Expect many New Media Hippies to be there, and lots of disparaging remarks about Rupert Murdoch.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

• Movieoke
• 9pm @ The Den (in Two Boots Pizza), 3rd Street and Avenue A, Manhattan
  

Do you like acting out scenes from your favorite movies in front of the mirror? That's not weird, right? Take it to the next level with Movieoke, and get up on stage and perform scenes in front of a live audience as the actual scene is projected on a screen behind you.