Last Saturday morning over coffee, I got to chat with Derek Linderman and Jake Matthews the director & producer of Calendar Girl. The film will be playing at the First Glance Film Festival October 13^th at 8pm at the Franklin Institute with a fresh new edit.

I had a lot of fun getting to know these guys who are definitely doing some great things in the Philadelphia film scene. I hope you enjoy what started out as a simple Q and A and turned into a great conversation about films and real indie filmmaking in the City of Brotherly Love.

So why make a slasher film in Philadelphia?

Derek Linderman – The script came from a great writer named Faith Brody. Our producer John Guarnere had pitched this idea to her about this girl that falls for this serial killer, and she did this great thing where she wrote it as if it were herself when she was a student at UArts, and how she would react to it.

It just fit so well and its not just about the setting, its about the characters as well and it just so happens that the setting itself proved to be so fantastic; the city itself almost becomes a small character. Also, filming anything in the city logistically is great for us, because it’s such a great community.

If you behave properly and keep everything clean like when you showed up people will let you come back. So we have a great love affair with making movies in Philadelphia and fully intend to do everything here.

Derek, I saw on the IMDB page that you’re also listed as co-writer on the project.

Derek Linderman – I did a small re-write because originally Faith wanted to get in the Wanamaker building, she wanted to get here, she wanted to get there and we couldn’t afford any of that. So we stripped away a lot of the settings and replaced it with a lot more characters. So instead of having this photography studio lets replace it with a photographer.  That was kind of what we did.

It was originally written as college kids but we fast-forwarded to what they were doing after college because nobody cares about college kids. You can’t make a movie about actors because no one cares about actors, nobody cares about writers, so you make a movie about people just starving to death and that’s a good movie because people care about that person. (Laughs)

So we said lets get them out of college when they have their loans taken care of and they don’t have anyone to send them money and let’s see where they are at.

(more…)

Fact: Any reason to party at National Mechanics is a good reason, as far as Geekadelphia is concerned. Even the release of a new operating system.

A local chapter of Ubuntu lovers are hosting a release party for Oneiric Ocelot this Thursday, October 13th at the popular geek hangout.

For more information, and to register so they know you’re coming, visit their event page over on Ubuntu.

Oneiric Ocelot Release Party
Thursday, October 13th, 6PM – ?

National Mechanics
22 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 701-4883
www.nationalmechanics.com

After a couple weeks off, the Roundup is back with reviews of the second issue of Animal Man, the first issue of The Strange Talent of Luther Strode from Image and the newest issue in the saga of the Transformers.

Transformers #27
By Mike Costa and Brendan Cahill

Over the last few years, IDW has become the home of the familiar licensed properties of many a fanboy’s youth. Everything from G.I.Joe to Doctor Who to Ghostbusters has been reborn at IDW, but possibly the best of the bunch has been The Transformers. The ongoing series has long been both a critical darling and a fan favorite and it is easy to see why. (more…)

You can find geeks at the heart of creating just about everything. Code jockeys churning out the biggest games. Masters of the silver screen creating the latest cinematic masterpiece. Authors crafting entire worlds. At our core, it’s what we all do. We create, even if only in our own minds.

Some creations require a bit more equipment than others though. For those projects, the Philadelphia area needs a space where creators and artists can gather, work, and innovate in a safe, affordable place. The Philadelphia Sculpture Gym is that place. As you might expect, getting the best equipment to make that dream a reality isn’t necessarily the cheapest endeavor. Darla Jackson, one of the Gym’s founders, explains:

Our vision is to create a space for sculptors and craftspeople to make their work safely and affordably, while also building a strong community of artists versed in different processes and talents. We want to use the space to build a network of artists that are able to support, inspire and learn from one another. We also hope that the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym will allow artists to create work that would have otherwise been impossible, had they not had access to our facility.

This access will allow artists to think and create bigger than they had previously been able to (Yay!) The more artists that come to rely on the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym will also allow us to grow and expand, adding additional processes and upgrading equipment and materials. But since we are just starting out, we turned to Kickstarter for help getting two of the most important pieces of equipment needed to get our shops started: A Saw Stop brand table saw (the safest around!) and a Millermatic 350P MIG welder.

The Philadelphia Sculpture Gym was born from the idea of how much work it takes to gather all the big expensive equipment sometimes needed to make art. We have both been gathering said equipment since graduating from art school and have been continually looking for the perfect space to house it all and create our art in. We wondered what would have happened if we’d had access to a fully functioning space since graduating. Darla proposed the idea of the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym in response to the Knight Arts Challenge, for which she was one of 36 winners. We are currently in the process of looking for a location in which to house the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym and are creating a series of events leading up to the opening of the space in early 2012.

All artists need tools. Lend your support to a deserving cause and the entire city will reap the rewards. Geeks are all creators at heart; why not help share that gift with others?

The Project: The Philadelphia Sculpture Gym

Creator: Darla Jackson

The Sweet Spot: There are plenty of great rewards for this project, including what basically amounts to a “sculpture of the quarter” club at the $2,000 level for serious patrons, but honestly, $20 will get you all the joy your heart can handle in the form of a custom beatboxing music video from this incredibly talented little lady. Honestly, is your heart made of stone?

Funding Deadline: October 19th, 2011

More Info: Besides the main Kickstarter project page, you can find tons more info at the personal sites of the founders and the main Philadlephia Sculpture Gym websites:

• philadelphiasculpturegym.com
• darlajacksonsculpture.com
• justingrantsculpture.com
• philadelphiasculpturegym.blogspot.com

Every Monday Geekadelphia features a Kickstarter created by locals. 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

No word if there will be popcorn…

Attention beer geeks and Swedish food enthusiasts: have we got an event for you!

The American Swedish Historical Museum is throwing one Hemnes of a party on Saturday, October 15 from 4-7pm. Interested? Unleash your inner-Swede and cut a Flokati.

The event will feature beers from Yards, Triumph Brewery, and the Bottle Shop. Representatives from all three will be there to advise you on how to pair the beer with a selection of Swedish snacks – meatballs, mini sausages, cheese, and more!

Tickets (for geeks 21 years of age and up) are $25 each or 5 for $100 and all proceeds benefit the ASHM. Three hours of beer and food AND it benefits a great Philly spot? Win.

Smörgåsbeer’d
October 15th, 2011 4-7pm

American Swedish Historical Museum
1900 Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145
www.americanswedish.org

There was a new addition to the collection of fossilized bones, stuffed animals (not the cute and cuddly kind, the ones that used to be alive), and butterflies at The Academy of Natural Science this past weekend. Seashell collectors from around the world gathered to show off the plethora of beautiful shapes and colors that nature has made out of some calcium and natural variation.

The exhibition featured all sorts of shells mounted and classified for you to peruse and enjoy. Deep sea conch and scallops have been brought up from far beneath the waves for you to enjoy. What struck me was the sheer variety of shapes and colors of shells gathered here for the show. Being from the seashore myself and more at home in the water than on land (well, not really at home, just less awkward and gangly), I thought I had seen most of the varieties of seashells. Boy, was I wrong. (more…)

Here on Geekadelphia, we love us some It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The bizarre and hilarious show shines a wacky spotlight on our fine city, and several of us have openly admitted to having a man crush on Charlie Day.

Me? I love the show so much that it has become a traditional gift. Christmas, birthdays, Valentine’s Day (if the lady is a keeper), Easter… you bet your ass you’re getting a season of It’s Always Sunny on DVD.

But as the amount of friends who now own It’s Always Sunny grows, I find myself in trouble. What do I buy them? There’s no way I’m going to pick up some tacky poster off South Street or some lame merch at FYE.

So, I’m off to Etsy.

I’ve rounded up my favorite It’s Always Sunny Etsy picks below. Have a look, and enjoy all the creativity. (more…)

Science on Tap is back at National Mechanics this Monday, October 10th, featuring a special talk on the Science of Demonology with Jonathan Seitz, Ph.D. Here’s some deets from the Science on Tap folks:

In our modern age, we have largely banished the study of things that go bump in the night to the margins of respectable society: to parapsychologists, reality TV shows, or costumed guides giving “ghost tours.”

But in medieval and early modern Europe, the study of demons — demonology — was very much a serious, scientific business. The true nature of demons, their abilities and limitations, and the extent of their activity in the world was much debated by physicians, philosophers, theologians, exorcists and others.

Seitz, a historian “of science, magic and religion” and author of Witchcraft and Inquisition in Early Modern Venice will spend the evening discussing European demonology, while National Mechanics dishes out appropriate beer specials.

See you there!

Science on Tap @ National Mechanics
Monday, October 10th at 6 pm
www.nationalmechanics.com

Nosferatu a Live Film Score Show will once again be retuning to Philadelphia on October 15th at 8pm. The classic silent vampire film will be played on the big screen and accompanied by all-star quintet of some of Philly’s finest, at the iHouse.

If you’re not familiar with this German Expressionist horror film it’s the story of Hutter, a German man who travels deep into the Carpathian mountains of Transylvania to visit the castle of Count Orluk, a “Nosferatu”. The film was unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula so they couldn’t get the rights to “Dracula” or “vampire.”

Tickets are $10 and I missed the last time they did this at the Rotunda to a sold out crowd. I will not make the same mistake again. Check out the trailer below!

I am a huge fan of the The Thing and when I heard they were making a prequel I was more than just a little skeptical. But as footage and stills slowly leaked, those feelings slowly subsided and I began to look forward to the film that takes place just three days before the events of the first.

The Thing is the story of the Norwegians that first encounter the creature and the events that lead up to the beginning of the John Carpenter film. The film opens Friday, October 14th but we have 30 admit 2 passes to an advance screening Tuesday, October 11th at 7:30 PM at the Ritz Five.

Want to check the film out early? Simply comment by midnight, Friday October 7th, with your favorite alien invasion film and why. The most entertaining answers will be checking out the film thanks to Universal Pictures and your pals here at Geekadelphia.

In the meantime check out the trailer below.

I’m starting October off right with an interview with the director of The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) Tom Six and the star film of the film, Laurence R. Harvey. The Human Centipede was one of those rare films that transcended being a simple genre curiosity and became part of the pop culture consciousness (like it or not) thanks to an insane premise that simply had to be seen to be believed.

With the viral success of the first film Tom set out to raise the bar he had already set pretty high with the sequel, and has succeeded with the film banned in the UK due to some pretty disturbing things. So disturbing in fact even the US theatrical edition will also be trimmed down.

It was great getting a chance to talk to one of the most controversial minds currently working in the horror genre today and his silent menace from the film; who is actually a really nice guy when you get to know him.

Why did you decide to shoot the film in black and white, was it simply for stylistic purposes or for content purposes as well?

Tom Six – Part one has those clinical colors and the camera rack is very steady and that really helps the story of Doctor Heiter. For the second film I wanted a complete opposite look. I wanted a film that was dark and has a dirty feel.

It’s all shot hand held and I think that really helps the story of Martin. It gives you a very uncomfortable feeling. So I really like the black and white.

(more…)

It has been a big year for Philly’s own Zenescope Entertainment. In addition to their first big summer crossover, The Dream Eater Saga and the success of Raven Gregory’s new book Fly, they launched a companion title to their flagship book, Grimm Fairy Tales: Myths & Legends. When I asked Gregory, the writer of Myths & Legends about the reason for the new title, he explained that the book would be “where readers could get a whole fleshed out story over a story arc that was a nice mixture of dark horror but still tied into the roots of the main series”.

The success of that principle is on display in the just released first trade paper back collection of the title. It collects the first five issues of the series, written by Gregory with art by David Miller, and features the return of Red Riding Hood, last seen in the very first issue of Grimm Fairy Tales. (more…)