Zombies, you guys. They’re kind of a big deal these days. The Walking Dead. Dead Island. Humans vs Zombies. That one Cranberries song. Everywhere you look, there are zombies. but did you know that there are real live zombie hunters? No really – you can see a teaser trailer right here.

Ok, so maybe its more of a mockumentary. Point is, people take this whole zombie thing preeeetty seriously. What with Halloween coming up and all, you can expect to see more and more zombie stuff invading pretty much every type of geekdom. Why not get a head start showing your love of all things zombie and help Larry DeGala and his team do some serious green screen work for their next project? Enter Larry:

It’s a grand experience of a lifetime! The dead will come back to life with the magic of green screen and special effects makeup. Two local Pennsylvania talents, Delia de Cock of New Hope, PA, and Larry DeGala of Exton, PA, have teamed up to make this event happen.

Contagion is an annual event where 150 real-life zombie hunters gather together in the sleepy Amish town known as New Holland. The zombie hunters test their skills at axe throwing, house-to-house fighting, and long range engagement. All this to prepare for the much anticipated “Zombie Apocalypse.” Everything in the zombie hunter’s arsenal is real. Obviously, live extras must play the Undead forces. And to keep everyone safe, zombies will be green-screened into the action. Delia de Cock will have professional footage to show to Hollywood clientele and at industry exhibitions how her SFX makeup look on green screen / CGI.

Zombies, you guys. Bad news. Help a brother help a zombie hunter out, won’t you?

The Project: The Great Philly Zombie Green Screen Bloc Party

Creators: Larry DeGala and Delia de Cock

The Sweet Spot: $20 will net you a “thank you” on the official website and a pre-sale copy of the completed mockumentary. It’ll also buy you some time when the inevitable zombie apocalypse hits since you’ll be able to bone up on your zombie-hunting skills with some help from the experts.

Funding Deadline: October 1st, 2011

More Info: Check out the original on Amazon Instant Video and hit up the official Kickstarter page for all the info on the creator.

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Every Monday Geekadelphia features a Kickstarter created by local Philadelphians. Check ‘em out and support our local geek scene. If you have a project that you’d like featured on site, contact geekadelphia@gmail.com

Former Geek of the Week Jeffro Kilpatrick (whose inspired Doctor Who/Harry Potter mash-up t-shirt was recently featured on this site) is back with another essential piece of geek apparel, this time inspired by the Wes Anderson classic Rushmore. Entitled “Glory Fades,” the design is available as a T-shirt, hoodie, kids tee or onesie for today only over at RIPT. I had the opportunity to speak with Jeffro, and here’s what he had to say about the creation of this Max Fischer-worthy shirt.

What inspired you to make this design?

Jeffro: Rushmore is one of my favorite movies. I had been designing a bunch of shirts lately, mostly sci-fi movie and TV show stuff. But I wanted to try some designs based on my favorite movies and shows. I sketched out a few ideas that reference some of my favorite films without directly using drawings of the the actors or characters. I did some research and could not find any Rushmore movie images or parodies that used Mount Rushmore. I was surprised, because the idea came to me pretty quick.

How long did the creation of this shirt take, from the initial idea to the completed illustration?

Jeffro: I went through a few sketch phases, then inks, layout and digital color. So I guess it took me about 6 or 7 hours.

What is it about Rushmore that personally resonates with you?

Jeffro: It was just a really funny film that caught me off guard. The situations in the film are really ridiculous, but the material is delivered so seriously and so dry. I just think everyone on the film did a good job too, because the characters seem real and sympathetic. It’s hard to do that in comedy. Plus, I always love a good underdog story.

So there you have it. Jeffro Kilpatrick saved Latin. What did you ever do?

For more information visit Jeffro’s blog and the Philadelphia Cartoon Society.

Philly-based composer and vocalist Matt Campana is currently in a contest to have his work featured in the next Assassin’s Creed.

Matt’s work with music stretches back nearly a decade, starting with private music lessons. In recent years he’s acquired some additional skills and knowledge through Drexel University’s Music Technology and Berklee College of Music’s Composition and Game Audio programs.

He’s created quality music and audio assets for film, TV and video games. Some of his past work includes arrangement for Video Games Live. In an effort to run with that idea, he’s now looking to get his work included in the upcoming Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.

Let’s help a fellow Philadelphian and geek out by casting our vote on UJAM. It’s simple, just head here and click the Facebook “like” button. At the time of writing this, he’s number 9. After the voting ends, the top 20 will be reviewed by Hans Zimmer (top Hollywood and video game composer) himself.

Vote now. It ends tonight at 11:59pm

For more info about Matt and his work, visit his website:
www.MattCampana.net

Let’s get this out of the way right now. Warhammer 40k: Space Marine is the biggest gaming surprise of the Summer. In fact, it might be the biggest game-related surprise I’ve ever had. When THQ emailed me about the title, I shrugged it off as shovelware… but wow, it’s as though Gears of War and Darksiders fell in love and had a beautiful baby clothed in an ostentatious suit of armor… wait, wait. Space armor.

Switching on this game, there is no opening cinematic, just a brief blip about something going wrong on some random planet. Right away, you’re thrust into a world full of questions. Why are there Orcs in space? Why do other soldiers treat your character like he’s a deity of some kind? Why do the Orcs (who are in space) have cockney accents? What’s with the floating skulls scanning dead people and emblazoned on every single door? What are these Titan war machines, and why do citizens refer to them as The Machine Gods?

All these questions and more are raised, but never answered. And you know what? It doesn’t matter. Because you’re too busy having fun to give a damn. All hail the Emperor, whoever the hell he is. (more…)

No matter how you feel about Bellflower, the first feature film by Evan Glodell, you have to admit his voice is one of the most original in indie film in the last few years. Bellflower is an obsessive work by an engineer turned filmmaker, who gives us a stark look at relationships from a very male point of view.

The film is the story of two friends, Woodrow and Aiden, who are busy planning for their life in a post apocalyptic world. They have a gang called Mother Medusa, a badass tricked-out car and a flamethrower. But things change when Woodrow gets a girlfriend and catches her cheating on him.

The film’s ultimate apocalypse turns out to be a very personal one as Woodrow violently struggles to make sense of his crumbling world around him.

The first thing that strikes you about Bellfower is the look of the film, with its grittiness and documentary-like feel contrasted by some really beautiful, almost dreamlike sequences. That coupled with solid performances from the cast of up and coming actors adds a level of realism you hardly see on the big screen today.

While I enjoyed the overall story of the film, I felt the pacing in the second act could use some work. Bellflower is the definition of a singular voice in a film and makes no compromises. Which is both the film’s strength and ultimately its greatest weakness. Bellflower is probably the manliest relationship film ever made and a great example of true DIY filmmaking in this digital age and with that I give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Bellflower opens today at the Ritz at the Bourse.

The other night, I had the chance to catch the Philadelphia premiere screening of Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles at the International House.

If you haven’t heard about this documentary or the Toynbee Tiles that they’re based on, you’re missing out on an incredible Philadelphia-based oddity and urban legend. While I’d rather not go into detail of anything that would remotely spoil the film, I can safely summarize my takeaway from the film as follows: I feel closure on something that’s been a mystery to me for half of my lifetime.

Sure, these tiles and their odd messaging was never something I obsessed over to a great extent. That job can be left to the film’s cast (primarily focused around Justin Duerr and including Colin Smith and Justin Weinik). (more…)

This is a message to all you fashionistas, fashion geeks, lovers of good clothing/style and generally you guys and gals who don’t have an entire wardrobe based on Threadless/Woot! Shirt tees with geeky obscure references.

There’s currently a pretty sweet foursquare promotion running right now. The promo ties together the fabulously elegant Le Méridien hotel, upscale clothing brand Lilly Pulitzer and VisitPhilly’s With Love, Philadelphia XOXO campaign. Tied together how per se? Well, the gorgeous XOXO scarf from Lilly Pulitzer (featured above, valued at $118) is the grand prize.

Eligibility? Simple, be the mayor by October 26th. You’ve got nearly two months to check into the hotel. Book hotel stays or simply check in when you swing by to dine atAmuse or Le Bar at Amuse.

Bellflower opens this Friday at the Ritz and in anticipation for its release I got a chance for a quick Q & A with the film’s director and star Evan Glodell. Evan started out his path to Hollywood while in college for engineering. One day he decided to just drop everything he was doing and to move to Hollywood to become a filmmaker.

The road to Bellflower’s release was not an easy one; Evan had a hard time raising funding and awareness for his film. But he continued to pursue and ended up doing it on his own terms for basically next to nothing, creating almost everything in the film with his own two hands.

Being interested in filmmaking myself I had a great time talking to Evan about the challenges of making his film and the lengths he went to get it completed.

First off tell me a bit about Bellflower, what was the origin of the project?

I got the original seed for the idea after a really intense relationship and breakup.  I started writing the script in 2003, and finished the first draft in early 2004.  I have been sort of working on collecting props for it and actors, and just trying to figure out how to get it made since then. We didn’t start shooting till 2008.

There seems to be a rich mythology in the film, from Lord Humongous to the gang of Mother Medusa; how thought out was that and how did you come up with a lot of it?

Its one of those things where the first version of the script really just focused on the relationship of the two friends, between mine and Jessie’s character who were building a flamethrower.  That is where it started and after years of rewriting the script sort of evolved into the gang, the Medusa car and Tyler and Aiden’s obsession with Lord Humongous.

There are clearly things we referenced, but we were afraid we would just dilute it. Everything that he talks about that Lord Humongous is supposedly like is all kind of a joke too.  They are saying Lord Humongous is like the perfect man and they are just making up their own rules as to who he actually is.

So the name Lord Humongous is just a way to joke and talk about it.

(more…)

I LOVE me some flea markets. In fact, just this past weekend I was busy rummaging around Eastern State Penitentiary, thanks to the bi-weekly Center City flea markets. Nothing like scouring bins of junk to hunt down rare treasures.

This Saturday, head over to FDR Park to browse through the American Swedish Historical Museum’s 2nd Annual Flea Market and Museum Open House. The market runs from 9am to 2pm, and during the market, you can visit the museum for free.

You can also look forward to fresh baked goods, food, beverages, etc. So swing by and rummage. I’ll see you there.

2nd Annual Flea Market and Open House @ ASHM
Saturday, September 17th, 2011 9AM – 2PM
www.americanswedish.org

Hey, Philadelphia area writers!

WragsInk, a new indie publisher based here in Philly, is putting together an anthology full of short stories written by local writers. They’ve already published two books, one of which (The Z Word by Dennis Finocchiaro) we reviewed here on the blog. The same guy behind that zombie title will be editing the anthology.

The plan to get folks into the book? They’re hosting a writing contest. First prize is $50, while two runners-up will get $25 each. Those three winners will “automatically be included in the upcoming anthology, slated to come out at the end of the year.”

What if you don’t win the three prizes? You can still be featured in the book. According to WragsInk, “any other short stories selected to be included in the anthology will receive an author’s copy of the book and will be invited to take part in public readings of your work at some of the many local events run by WragsInk.”

To get all the details, visit WragsInk’s official website. The deadline for submissions / the contest is October 31st. Winners will be notified via phone by November 15th.

Get writing!

They only meet in the cover of darkness. Lies. Deception. This clandestine group gathers each month in carefully-guarded secret locations. Cover stories pass from person to person. It’s dangerous business, this game.

And it’s not what you think.

Each month, the Underground Rebel Bingo Club meets in cities across the world – London, Madrid, New York, LA – for a raucous night of dancing, drinking and the extremely exciting game of marking down numbers in little boxes. The rules are a bit vague (and it seems heavy drinking and skimpy costumes are encouraged), but one thing’s for certain: this isn’t the normal church basement type of Bingo.

“People come to drink, dance, scream and shout – but above all – to play hardcore Rebel Bingo and win weird prizes,” organizers say.

And now, they’re in Philly for one night only. This Saturday, these crazy BINGO players are meeting at a secret location somewhere in the city, to fulfill their addiction to this rebellious underground game (our sources tell us it’s at a certain popular music venue on South Street).

Get your cover story straight and buy tickets on the club’s website. Entrance is $7 for now, but gets more expensive as the game draws closer. Doors open at 9, but the party lasts until 2 a.m.

Want tickets? We’re giving some away. To enter, leave a comment below about your favorite BINGO letter/number combination. We’ll choose at random and notify the winner tomorrow morning!

Have you ever imagined what it’s like to be undead? All you zombie fans out there have had this thought but at this year’s Fringe Festival, Zacherle production’s explores this theme with 5 short plays entitled The Undead.

Zacherle’s focus is on gothic and horror themes and with their direct inspiration by Zacherly , The Cool Ghoul of “Shock Theatre” fame, this year’s production is sure to be killer.

The Undead is rooted in the “Philly Bake-Off,” a playwriting event that took place 2 years ago with the theme of “zombies.” The Frogg Prince, a zombie fairy tale that was featured at the Bake-Off will be presented, in addition to Dallas (think JFK and Jackie Kennedy back from the dead), The Death Card (a comedy about tarot cards and foreshadowing), The Haunting (a ghost play), and a as yet un-named piece that will combine improv and Microsoft Powerpoint as well as bring back Rick Horner’s “Zacherle” character from last year’s Fringe performance of the same name.

Leave your pulse at the door and check out The Undead at The Playground at The Adrienne; performances will be taking place from Thursday Sep 8th – Saturday Sep 17th. Tickets can be purchased online at www.livearts-fringe.org.