The Chernobyl Diaries is yet another entry in the ever expanding reality horror sub-genre. This time the set-up is almost a mash-up of Hostel and Paranormal Activity with a group of 6 young American tourists going to Chernobyl for an “extreme tour” of the devastated post meltdown city. Things go wrong, of course.

The film is the directing debut of Bradley Parker who worked as a visual effects artist on films like Fight Club and Let Me In. The film writer’s have credits ranging from the original Paranormal Activity and the classic Titanic 2.

We have 50 passes for two to check this film out this Thursday, May 24^th at 9:00pm at the Ritz East Theater. Want to go? Simply go to www.gofobo.com/rsvp and enter the code GEEKADNYTQ. It’s first come, first served. Once they are gone they are gone. In the meantime, check out the trailer below!

Be aware you will not be allowed to bring in cameras, camera phones, or other recording devices into screening, so leave them in the car. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Theatre capacity is limited and passes won do not guarantee seating. So please show up and line up early, this is a highly anticipated film and the screening will be packed so be warned.

What if you could use science to make sure that your significant other is the one? That is the premise behind the romantic comedy Losing Control, a film by native Philadelphian Valerie Weiss.

The story of the movie follows a young scientific protegee who is trying to get results from her long term experiments as well as her long term boyfriend by using the scientific method. The cast includes Miranda Kent and Reid Scott and the film is written and directed by Weiss.

She explains that the genesis of the film came to her while in school.

“While I was in grad school I wondered what would happen if a woman in her 20’s could understand science and use it to her advantage in gaining control of her love life,” Weiss explains. “It made me wonder what if you could use your brain to make sure you have an everlasting romance.”

Losing Control is playing at the Landmark Ritz at the Bourse starting through May 24th and Weiss will be holding a Q&A session after the 7:30PM shows through Wednesday.

So head out to the Ritz at the Bourse, support a Philly native and learn all about better love through science.

Losing Control @ the Bourse
Now through May 24th, 2012
400 Ranstead Street Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.losingcontrolmovie.com

YOU’RE TEARING ME APART, LISA!

If you’re a fan of bad cinema like me, you have probably heard of the insanity that is Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. The film is the story of a happy-go-lucky banker (Wiseau) that sees his world fall apart when his friends begin to betray him one-by-one. It’s one of those films that is simply so bad it’s good, that you have got to see for yourself to understand why.

It’s no surprise that the film by one of the most eccentric writer/director/actors around has turned into a midnight movie cult phenomenon. Folks show up in costume to not only interact with the film, but recreate their favorite scenes as the film plays as well. You can read more about that here.

I bring this all up because the film will be screening at the Colonial Theater on Friday, May 18^th at 9:45pm, sponsored by the folks at the You’ve Got Geek On You podcast.

I have 10 passes to give away to the screening courtesy of You’ve Got Geek. Want to win one? Just leave a comment with your favorite line from The Room with YOUR FULL NAME and 10 folks will be picked at random this Thursday night to be put on the guest list for a free ticket!

Mega-Mad Movie Night returns to the Academy of Natural Sciences at the end of the month, on Thursday, May 31st. This time around, they’ll be showing the Oscar winning cinematic gem, Sharktopus.

On stage for the live commentary are Jason Poole, Paul Callomon, and Mark Sabaj-Perez, the Academy’s shark expert. The event is adults only, and guests can look forward to light snacks, beer, and roaming the museum from 6:30 to 8pm when the movie begins in the theater.

Oh! And this time around, the Academy will be hosting a raffling, dishing out a copy of Sharktopus signed by Roger Corman, a bunch of Sharktopus t-shirts, and an (adorable?) Sharktopus plush.

We’re giving away three pairs of tickets to some lucky readers. Just leave a comment with your dream mashup monsters, and I’ll select three of you at random at the end of next week. You’ll score two tickets and be given the opportunity for the best first date ever.

Sharktopus @ the Academy of Natural Science
Thursday, May 31st, 2012
mbmnsharktopus.eventbrite.com

Time stopped for a few minutes on May 4^th last week when word spread that Adam Yauch, better known as MCA of the iconic band The Beastie Boys, had died. Only 47 years old, he had been fighting a courageous battle against cancer since 2009 and leaves behind an impressive legacy of music and fighting to bring freedom to Tibet.

In honor of Yauch and his work, The Awesome Fest and the Trocadero are holding a special screening of the Beastie Boys concert film “Awesome; I F*ckin’ Shot That!” on this Thursday, May 17th. The 2006 film was directed by Yauch and was filmed by giving camcorders to 50 members of the audience at the band’s show at Madison Square Garden.

The event is a 21 and over, free event with a charitable donation of $5 to go toward a charity of the Yauch family’s choosing. The doors open at 7:00 and the movie begins at 8:00 with a DJ and an anthology of Beastie Boys videos before the movie.

So head down to the Troc this Thursday to celebrate the life and work of someone who was truly a unique voice in music.

Awesome; I F*ckin’ Shot That @ The Trocadero
Thursday, May 17th, 2012
http://www.thetroc.com/

The most complimentary thing I can start my review of  Dark Shadows with, is that the film bares little to no resemblance to those horrible trailers that peg the film as a fish out of water comedy. I can happily report that Dark Shadows is first and foremost a horror film with some comedic, Tim Burton wackiness… that somehow still manages rack up a pretty decent body count.

Dark Shadows focuses on the story of Barnabas Collins, a wealthy playboy whose family owns almost the entire fishing town of Collinsport. After finally finding true love, a spurned servant who just happens to be a powerful witch kills the woman he loves, turns him into a vampire and buries him for 220 years.  He is then accidentally dug up in 1972 and must not only acclimate himself to his new surroundings, but battle the witch who cursed him and his family.

Dark Shadows is typical Burton fare and is one of his better films in recent memory. The film actually started as a passion project for Depp, who purchased the rights to Dark Shadows just so he could eventually play the role of Barnabas, a childhood hero of his.

The source material and Burton’s usual style of directing compliment one another, as the television show was known both for its bizarreness, cheesiness and also its overdone melodrama.

Some folks probably won’t get that though and didn’t at the screening I attended.

Burton’s usual troop of actors devours the material, while Depp is right at home as Barnabas. My only criticism of Dark Shadows is it can be extremely uneven at times. The film has some really great moments, punctuated by some really goofy jokes that often fizzle on screen and seem really out of place; basically the stuff from the trailer.

But beyond that the film is a decent enough adaptation of a property that probably many haven’t seen or probably remember.

For the horror fan Dark Shadows is a fun watch and gets a 2.75 out of 5 stars.

On Tuesday May 15th, The Awesome Fest is teaming up with the folks over at the Trocadero for a screening of Father’s Day, hosted by Mr. Troma himself Lloyd Kaufman. Father’s Day is the deranged tale of a serial killer/urban legend known as the Father’s Day Killer, that you guessed it kills exclusively fathers.  I will admit it’s a lot more sick and twisted then that, but coming from Troma I think you kind of expect it.

While the film is not for everyone, if you’re into exploitation throwbacks you might enjoy it. We’re giving away 2 pairs of tickets to check out the movie. Simply comment with your favorite Troma film by May 13th and two folks will picked at random thanks to Josh Goldbloom over at The Awesome Fest. Check out the trailer below.

The second annual Philadelphia Geek Awards are coming up this August and this year, instead of begging folks to enter into our new awards ceremony, I’m putting out an open call for entries.

After our first awardw show, I had quite a few folks ask how could they could enter next year. Well here is your chance to enter your film to be judged by the Geekadelphia Film Committee.

Want to submit your film for a chance to be nominated? Simply drop me a line at dan@geekadelphia.com with “Geekadelphia Film Submission” in the subject line and we will work out logistics and format. There is no charge (and there never will be) for entering your film.

Films do have to have a minimum length of 50 minutes, and be filmed/produced independently in Philadelphia. Those are the only rules.

Good luck!

If you’re not familiar with The Secret Cinema, they screen great 16mm films at various venues throughout the city and have been doing so for over 20 years. However this Friday, May 11th, at 7:00pm they will be doing something a little different with A Secret Cinema Blind Date: 35mm Archival Surprises at the iHouse.

Its called a blind date because they will be screening various 35mm films and shorts that they themselves haven’t seen, since the Secret Cinema hasn’t owned a 35mm projector for quite some time.

If you’ve been to any of their events you know you’re in for a treat and you are going to see some things you probably won’t see anywhere else. Tickets are a mere $9 for regular folks and $5 for iHouse members. Find out more on their Facebook page here. See you there!

The Dude Hates Cancer has grown exponentially since it’s inception in 2006. Started by Tim Maxwell right here in Philadelphia, the charity raised over $80,000 dollars last year for the Leukemia & Lyphoma Society (LLS) and this year has sparked sister events in 2 other cities!

Join “the royal we” for TDHC’s Kick Off Event for the 2012 fundraising season at Triumph Brewing Company this Thursday May 10th from 6-9pm. This event is primarily held for registration of teams for the bowling tournament that will be held on September 15th at North Bowl; teams are made up of 6 to 10 people and only 39 team sports are available.

But that’s not the only cause for celebration! Triumph and TDHC will also be serving up some mighty fine drink and food specials: $3 beer, $4 wine and $5 well drinks (that includes White Russians man) in addition to 10% off all food orders. Complimentary hors d’oeurves on top of that make this shindig hard to pass up. There will also be a Lebowski Costume Contest and Lebowski Wii Bowling. Prizes will be awarded to the best dressed and the highest Wii scores.

So get your team together or just head on over even if you don’t plan to bowl in the tourney! Bring friends for a fun night with cheap drinks and fellow Little Lebowski Urban Achievers. Be sure to RSVP on the Facebook event page.

And check out TDHC’s revamped site for more information.

The Dude Abides.