We here at Geekadelphia honestly can’t wait to see Kick-Ass, and we also hate Dustin for seeing it almost 2 months early. (Read his great review here!) Kick-Ass is based on the comic book written by Mark Millar of Wanted fame, and tells the story of Dave Lizewski. It’s certainly a different take on the super hero genre.

Dave is an ordinary teenage kid in New York, who after pondering the fact that are no real life super heroes, decides to simply become one himself… named Kick-Ass. Dave finds his new path as a masked vigilante not quite as easy as it was made out to be in his comic books. In fact his first trip out as a masked avenger, he is not only stabbed, but hit by a car as well.

This is where Kick-Ass differentiates itself from most superhero lore we have been spoon-fed over the years, and what’s so great about it. It’s not afraid to dash our hopes and dreams, and show us what would really happen if we were to try and take to the streets in tights, and be the next Dark Knight. Kick-Ass relishes in the reality, of not only the violence, but also what kind of people would actually be crazy enough to try and do this in the first place.

Kick-Ass has been getting great reviews, not only from the critics but the comic book faithful as well, which is a rare feat to say the least. We here at Geekadelphia, thanks to the great folks over at Lionsgate Films, have 2 awesome Kick-Ass prize packs and 13 passes for 2 to an advance screening of Kick-Ass to give away to our lucky readers. The two prize packs, consist of 4 shirts each depicting a different character in the film, a set of 4 posters, a keychain, a hat and 2 passes to the screening. Try saying that five times fast.

To enter for a chance to win, I will riff off an idea from a recent twitter conversation we Geekadelphians had; if you could be any superhero who would you be, and why? The two best entries will win the prize packs, and the other 13 notables will win passes to the screening, which will be held at the April 8^th at the AMC in Cherry Hill, NJ. The deadline for entry is April 7^th. You’ll need transportation out of the city for this one. So good luck and check out the trailer after the jump!

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I don’t know how she finds these things, but my pal Rommel has a gift for finding hilarious internet memes. Such as the Godzilla haiku Tumblr.

The premise is simple enough. Still from Godzilla films, with haiku poetry written within.

Visit the Tumblr, and fall in love.

Thanks for the tip, Rommel.

Godzilla Haiku
godzillahaiku.tumblr.com

What if you woke up after a horrific car accident in a funeral home, still feeling very much alive? The funeral director assures you; while he prepares your body, you died in the accident. But because he has the ability to communicate with the dead, only he can hear and see you.

This is the plot of After.Life the new film starring Christina Ricci and Liam Neeson. Christina Ricci stars as Anna, the girl who suffers the accident, only to wake up terrified, and unable to believe she has truly passed on.  Liam Neeson plays Eliot Deacon, the funeral director who is trying to convince her she is merely transitioning into the afterlife, and he is the only one who can help her in that task.

Trapped inside the funeral home, with nobody to turn to except Eliot, Anna is forced to face her deepest fears and accept her own death. But Anna’s grief-stricken boyfriend Paul (Justin Long) still can’t shake the nagging suspicion that Eliot isn’t what he appears to be. As the funeral nears, Paul gets closer to unlocking the disturbing truth, but it could be too late; Anna may have already begun to cross over the other side.

After watching the trailer for this, I was hooked, and you will be too. This looks like a very creepy film, and one not to be missed. The film open April 9^th, but we here at Geek have 30 passes for 2 to an advance screening April 7^th at the Ritz five at 7:30pm courtesy of Anchor Bay. All you have to do to win a pass is leave a comment with your favorite Christina Ricci film, and I will put your name on the guest list for this one. Cutoff for entries is Tuesday April 6^th.

Writers of Geekadelphia and their families are not eligible for prizes. Limit one entry per person. No cameras, camera phones, or other recording devices permitted in screening. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Theatre capacity is limited and passes won do not guarantee seating. (So show up early!) Theater is not responsible for overbooking. Ticket holder and guest must enter theater together.

Burger King for my money, has always had some really interesting marketing campaigns. From viral videos with Sir Mix-a-Lot, to taking utter glee in their super creepy King mascot; Burger King is not afraid to take chances and possibly offend some people.

This latest campaign is nothing different, and it definitely got my attention right out of the gate being a huge horror fan.  Their newest campaign by Dubai based agency Tonic, is using some of the biggest names in horror to let us know about Burger King’s new late night hours.

To tell you the truth, when I first saw these pop-up in my Google Reader I thought they were some great fan concoction, Photoshop Friday anyone? But they are indeed legit, and will start popping up in press and print pretty soon. I honestly have to say, using serial killers, albeit fictional ones is a pretty edgy way to sell some burgers, and might lead one to question, what is in those all beef patties? Which would explain the absence of Leatherface, I wonder if Wendy’s chili is looking for a spokesman.

See Chucky, Freddy and Ghost Face from Scream after the jump!

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Wow, that went up fast!  Apparently Ninjas came through sometime this past weekend and installed our Fiesta Movement mural onto a wall on 1108 South Street.  We’ve got a handy-dandy video clip (featuring Mikey) explaining the story and concept behind the artwork.

Don’t forget that we’re also throwing an awesome party to celebrate the Mural this Friday, April 2nd @ North Bowl! It’s open to all, just RSVP HERE.

Check in @ the Mural using Foursquare! It’s labeled as “Geekadelphia Fiesta Mural” and we’ll be handing out drink tickets at our party to those that check in. The Mayor of the mural by April 11 might also find themselves winning some pretty cool stuff too, but more details on this will be posted shortly!

There’ll be Free Food, @fatboymonster will be spinning some tunes, Giveaways from our sponsors and friends, and more Free Food!

For more information on our Fiesta Movement, please see the related links below. If you’d like to sign up for more updates on what we’re doing over the next few months, please sign up here.

Related Links

Geekadelphia Mural Launch Party
Fiesta Movement Moves Your Way
Fiesta: Spanish for Party

Mural Launch Party
Friday, April 2nd, 8pm – RSVP HERE

North Bowl
909 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123-2301
(215) 238-2695

Everyone needs to let out a bit of that pent up aggravation every once in a while. I get that. However, after finally getting around to watching the most recent Medal of Honor trailer, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy on a few levels. Now, before we get assaulted with hate mail and rabid comments: these words and opinions are 100 percent mine and not representative of Geekadelphia as a whole.

In recent years I’ve been turned off to just about every first-person shooter (FPS) out there aside from Team Fortress 2, the Left 4 Dead series and the recent free-to-play offerings Quake Live and Battlefield Heroes for essentially one reason: the attempts at extreme realism. More on why exactly this is bothersome behind the cut. (more…)

Take notes!

Philadelphia’s chapter of the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts), is hosting two excellent lectures through the month of April.

On April 1st, visitors can meet Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson of 37 Signals, the folks responsible for Basecamp, Highrise, Backpack, and Campfire. And come April 15th, you can listen in on a talk with One Trick Pony, a creative advertising and branding firm.

I’ve posted the details from AIGA’s press release after the jump. Read up, and go get your learn on.

American Institute of Graphic Arts
www.aigaphilly.org

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Disney/Pixar seem to be taking a page from the Book of Cameron, and are going to be screening Toy Story 3 “The Cliffhanger Edition”, which equates to the first 65 minutes of the film, in theaters across the US later this month. Now here is where it gets a bit strange.

Unlike the Avatar Day where the tickets were first come first serve and open to the public, these screenings are only open to college students only.  You think they would be going after another demographic, like public schools or daycares. I am not sure if the film will be screened in 3D at these screenings, although I wouldn’t bet on it.

You can find more info here via Pixar’s Facebook page.

Happy Friday! Here’s your weekly helping of headlines about evolutionary science, new technology, extinct-things and The Final Frontier:

• So what if I watch an old VHS copy of Jurassic Park before I go to bed, sometimes… OK, fine– all the time. Geekologie enlightened me on the existence of Dinoogle , and search engines will never be the same (…especially for the Chicxulub crater).

• A Wired Science article discusses the social culture of chimps… and how new studies say it’s almost exclusively driven by females. Haaa-aay.

• You’ve heard of dark matter (Cavil wants to smell it!), you’ve heard of dark energy…. but have you heard of ‘dark flow’? Pop Sci continues to make my head hurt with a study on ‘dark flow’ –the gravitational pull of matter  beyond the edge of the known universe. Seriously.

• Triassic-Jurassic extinction explained! “Dinosaurs Rode Volcanic Armageddon to Victory” on Wired Science is about the series of mass extinctions before the rise of the ‘saurs. Read it! It involves Pangea and 610,000 years of volcanism!

• “A new member of the human evolutionary family has been proposed for the first time based on an ancient genetic sequence, not fossil bones… if confirmed, would have lived near Stone Age Neandertals and Homo sapiens.” The most recent discovery was made by studying a mitochondrial sequence… no word if our long lost hominid cousin is actually a Jedi.

This post has been brought to you by the letter B.

Associated Press’ Windows Phone 7 news application

Thanks for clicking your way into the Microsoft Student Insider Feature Series, where I get the incredible opportunity to speak with some of the movers and shakers of Microsoft’s various product offerings. While at MIX 10 last week, Jeremy Bray (Microsoft’s Windows Student Insider) and I sat down with Senior Director of Product Management on the Mobile Communications Team, Todd Brix. As you may have already guessed, his dreams are pretty much filled with dancing Windows Phone 7 devices, touch screens aglitter. Let’s get right into what’s in store for us this coming holiday season.

Normally, these types of products have a specific target audience be it enterprise or casual. Brix claims that Microsoft is trying to create something that brings those two walks of life together.

“We’re trying to build an experience that spans their personal life, their work life and the fun and playful things they do around that all the time,” says Brix referring to the Windows Phone 7 target audience.”That’s really the genesis of what we’re doing.”

The Windows Phone 7 team has accomplished this through apps and services that blend the consumer with the professional with fun services like Xbox Live integration or Zune functionality and useful ones like the Microsoft Office hub, according to Brix. It would be interesting to see a business professional use a Windows Phone 7 device to pull up documents during a meeting using the Office service only to check his Gamerscore compared to his work buddies’ during lunch. More on what Windows Phone 7 means for you and I after the break. (more…)

Our good friend Anna Goldfarb, who many of you know as the Shmitten Kitten, is celebrating Spring in style on Saturday. She’s once again taking over the upstairs at the Khyber for a Spring Fling Dance Party, and you’re all invited.

Swing by around 9pm. She’s booked five DJs, none of whom I’m cool enough to recognize. Treacle Pops, Jennacide, Roland Cassard: Diamond Dealer, Robot E. Lee, and Goy Toy. Party wraps up at 2am, and is free.

Oh, and make sure you wish that girl a happy birthday.

Spring Fling Dance @ the Khyber
Saturday, March 27th, 2010 @ 9pm
www.shmittenkitten.com

This weekend, our buddies at Hive 76 kick off two days of non-stop hacking and activities.

On Saturday, they’re hosting a Hack-a-thon, an event that will last all weekend. A full day of projects and building. More on the event here.

Bonus: Come Sunday, from 10am to 3pm, Maggie Avener and Stephanie Alarcon will be teaching a special Linux class. It’s a pay-what-you-can course, and you can learn more about it here.

Happy hacking!

Hive 76
www.hive76.org