©2012 Disney. JOHN CARTER™ ERB, Inc.

John Carter, the adaption of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Princess of Mars, is finally hitting our screens March 9, 2012, almost a full century after the book was originally published in 1917. It feels like the film adaptation has been in progress for almost, and finally landed at the house of mouse with a list of directors that includes the likes of Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) and John McTiernan (Die Hard and Predator).

The film stars Taylor Kitsch, who is probably best known for his work on the television show Friday Night Lights. And in another case of a Pixar director going from digital to live action, John Carter is directed by Andrew Stanton, responsible for both WALL-E and Finding Nemo. 

The $250 million sci-fi epic is the story of John Carter, a former Civil War Confederate Captain, who is mysterious transported to Mars where it is up to him to save the dying planet and end a war between the factions tearing the world apart.

While the previews for this one has left some mixed reactions with critics, I remain optimistic and have been looking forward to the film due to its almost legendary development. Want to check out the film March 1st at United Artists, King of Prussia in IMAX 3D, almost a full week before its release?!? Simply comment with your favorite Disney action film by Sunday, February 26th and 25 winners will be picked at random to check out this film!

Good luck and check out the trailer below!

You’re gonna hear a lot about love this week, some of it right here on Geekadelphia. But a lot of the time, the love that we all talk about is that Hollywood, “chick-flick”, shirtless Matthew McConaughey on horseback stuff that might be funny to watch, but really doesn’t have anything to do with the real world.

Ok, so maybe I watched The Wedding Planner recently.

Twice.

The point is, there’s a lot more to real love than that. It’s a complicated, sophisticated thing. This week’s Kickstarter, Maya, hopes to explore those nuances. Writer and director Dan Papa provides some details:

The Story: Maya is a story about love and the way it changes over time. It starts with the two main characters of Maya and Leo in a passionate relationship. They are intimately devoted and infatuated with each other. As time passes and they begin to move in different directions, they seek out attention from other people, and their dreams begin to reflect a new reality. Eventually they have to confront what the future will hold for their relationship. Maya is a Sanskrit word, used in Buddhism and Hinduism, that refers to the universe at large as a complex illusion or dream. This is one main theme that threads through the story.

The Style: We plan for the finished film to be in black and white. The performances will be guided by the script but we also plan to do a lot of improvisation, to capture real and truthful moments. We will also have mysterious surreal sequences that will reflect the inner workings of the characters. Shooting on locations in Philadelphia and Asbury Park NJ, we will give a strong sense of visual place to the movie. For music we will have an original improvisational jazz score.

The project is currently a little over half way funded and has a great shot at making it. With our annual celebration of the martyrdom of St. Valentine coming up tomorrow, what better time to help make this unique, Philadelphia-centric look at love a reality?

The Project: Maya, a film

Creator: Dan Papa

The Sweet Spot: $25 gets you a Kickstarter Producer credit and a DVD copy of the movie. Bump that up to $50 and you can score yourself free tickets to a screening of the movie as well.

Funding Deadline: March 1st, 2012

More Info: The main Kickstarter page expands on Dan’s thoughts above, and you can check out Dan’s blog, Sacred Geography, for more.

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

In Philadelphia, we have the cheesesteak. I have personally seen people argue about where to get the best cheesesteak and how it should be made (wit? onions?) for hours at a time. In Chicago it is deep dish pizza. In the south it’s barbeque. Every area has that one food that is distinctly theirs and theirs alone. And in Sweden it is the semlor.

Originally a pre-Lent dessert, it has since become a treat you can enjoy in Sweden all year long. For those that don’t know, a semlor is a puff pastry filled with almond paste and whipped cream, served alongside strong coffee. Swedes have been know to compete to see who can make the best semlor and take part is surveys to find the best in town.

Now you can find out what all the fuss is about as the American Swedish Historical Museum presents Selmor and a Movie on Saturday, February 18th. For $12 in advance or $15 at the door you can enjoy some fresh made selmor and coffee and watch a movie at the same time. Not a bad deal at all.

The American Swedish Historical Museum is located at 1900 Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia and they ask that you RSVP by February 13th. So put down your bagel or cheesesteak and go try something new. You might find that you have a new favorite dessert before the night is over.

The American Swedish Historical Museum
www.americanswedish.org

When doing pre-production on a film, one of the most important things to do before your cameras start to roll is the script read through.  The read through is a great way to not only let the actors practice their parts and get a feel for their characters; but it also gives the director and writer a chance to see if the dialogue works and feels natural.

The Dysfunctional Screenwriters Society, a screenwriting/networking group in Philadelphia is holding an event called “The Big A** Read Through” at The Free Library of Philadelphia on February 22 from 6-9pm. The event will take scripts submitted by local screenwriters and pick 4 to have read aloud by local actors. There will also be a seminar by Adam Lebovitz speaking about the pre-production process and his experience in the film industry.

So check out their official website to submit your 10-30 page script to try and get it read at the event.

The 16th annual Israeli Film Festival is back, showcasing Israeli life and culture from February 25th through April 1st.

With screenings of 9 films in venues throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs, the six-week Festival features prize-winning films exclusively by Israeli filmmakers. The Festival celebrates Israeli cinema with the aim of enriching the American vision of Israeli culture and society through film.

For a list of the films playing and advanced ticket sales check out their website at www.iffphila.com. A limited number of free tickets for high school and college students are available for each screening and can be reserved online as well.

The 16th Annual Israeli Film Festival
February 25th – April 1st, 2012
www.iffphila.com

If you’re a genre fan in Philadelphia, there are two events that have become mandatory throughout the year. The first being Exhumed Films 24 Hour Horror-thon and the second being Exhumed Films eX-Fest; now in its second year.

I attended last year’s eX-Fest, which was 12 hours of some really rare and amazing exploitation from almost every sub-genre you could possible think of… and a few I never even imagined.

Well, tickets just went on sale last week for this year’s iteration of eX-Fest and I can’t wait to see what the guys at Exhumed Films have in store for us. eX-Fest will take place at the iHouse on Sunday, April 29th from 11:00am until 11:00pm and tickets are a mere $25 for 12 hours films all projected in 35mm.

My only suggestion is if you are thinking about going, getting your tickets sooner than later. It seems like as word continues to spread about Exhumed these events they tend to sell out quicker and quicker. Get your tickets here, while they last!

Luck. Some folks seem to have it all, some can’t ever catch a break. Longshot, that clown from X-Factor? That guy is lucky. What if the reason some of us always have a rain cloud over our head is that there’s some dude following us around dishing out bad luck as the justice of the gods. Hey, you don’t know. Think about it. Dynamic Films wants to explore the possibility, Christopher Nolan style. Check it out:

The film is about a supernatural being, Agent Reckless, who’s in charge of distributing bad luck amongst humans and must now force The Mob into the path of self-destruction.

The film is about the properties of luck and chance, not only in our daily lives, but in reality as a whole. Agent Reckless represents a less powerful version of God; while over seeing the destruction of a mob known as “The Zodiacs,” Reckless’ sympathy for humanity makes it difficult to execute his mission, and his victims.

It is a poetic film with many characters and many motivations, all leading to powerful consequences.

The film is an homage to directors Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino, combined with the influence of several other filmmakers, The King of Hearts will be a “Supernatural Western.”

Oh, and one more thing. I’ve been assured there will be an explosion. A real one. Not bad for an indie film. Boom.

The Project: King of Hearts, a short film

Creator: Nathan Kadish and Antonio Jimenez

The Sweet Spot: You can get involved for just $5 bucks, which will get you a shout out and a link to a previous Antonio Jimenez joint, “It’s Tough Being Gareth.” At the $25 level you can snag a DVD of the film itself.

Funding Deadline: March 23rd, 2012

More Info: You can check out the Kickstarter page.

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

Mega Bad Movie Night comes lumbering into the Academy of Natural Sciences next Thursday, February 9th, and will be poking fun at the second Jurassic Park film, The Lost World.

I’m psyched for another night of Mystery Science Theater 3000-esque hilarity with the Academy’s brilliant scientists, as they spend the evening pointing out the inaccuracies in the film. Make sure you show up early (doors open at 6:30pm), as the Academy’s staff will be showing a number of fossils from their vast Paleontology Collection.

Now, giveaway time.

I’ve got three sets of two tickets to dish out thanks to the folks at the Academy. How can you enter? Easy. Just leave a comment captioning the photo below. My three favorite entries will score a set of passes for two. I’ll contact the winners on Monday.

Good luck!

Mega-Bad Movie Night: Jurassic Park
Thursday, February 9th
mbmnthelostworld.eventbrite.com

Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1009
www.ansp.org

If you missed the sold-out limited engagement of Resurrect Dead when it played International House this past September, you’re in luck. This week’s Movie Monday event at the Trocadero will be a screening of the flick that will also serve as its DVD release party.

For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Resurrect Dead is an acclaimed documentary from Philly-based director Jon Foy (whose work earned him an award at the 2011 Sundance Festival) about the Toynbee Tiles. These mysterious plagues that are placed throughout our city’s streets, as well as those of other major metropolis areas and as far away as Brazil, contain variations on a message that reads “TOYNBEE IDEA IN KUBRICK 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER.”

The otherworldly messages caught the eye of Philadelphia artist Justin Duerr, and his search to find their creator/decipher their meaning provides Resurrect Dead with much of its drama. Investigating the mystery with an assortment of other creative individuals from our area, Justin embarks on a strange journey that is downright Lynchian at times. (Which is fitting given how Erasherhead was a “dream of dark and troubling things” that was directly inspired by Lynch’s time spent living in the City of Brotherly Love).

Directly following the screening, Foy will host a Q&A session that will certainly shed even more light on this uniquely Philadelphian mystery and the lives it has touched….and continues to.

Movie Monday: Resurrect Dead
Monday, February 6, 7pm. $3

The Trocadero
1003 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
www.thetroc.com

The saddest thing about all the recent press for Red Tails are the bitter fanboys who seem to be using it as a chance to rage against George Lucas for the recent Star Wars Blu-ray release, rather than talk about what is a very important film.

Yes, Red Tails happens to be the long-in-gestation passion project produced by the creator of Star Wars. But like The Tuskegee Airmen it portrays, George Lucas also faced great adversity… in Hollywood, to the tune of paying for the $58 million film out of pocket.

The film is a pulpy look back at the 332nd Fighter Group in World War 2, The Tuskegee Airmen, also known as the Red Tails due the distinctive paint on the tails of their planes. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American military aviators in the United States armed forces. This film focuses on a very specific period in the history of the Airmen to give audiences the most bang for its buck.

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If Starship Troopers has taught me anything, it is ‘know your enemy’. Let’s face it, bugs are out to destroy us all so we better learn as much as we can about them before their flesh eating giant alien cousins come visit us.

The Academy of Natural Sciences is the perfect place to learn about creepy crawly insects. Entomology Curatorial Assistant, Greg Cowper, and Live Invertebrate Specialist, Karen Verderame, explain why they collect bugs and butterflies at the Academy, how to treat different kinds of insect specimens, and the uses of the specimens in research and education.

Learn how to pin a specimen and take it home. Freak out your roommate. Scare random girls on the street. It’s good to instill some fear for the impending invasion. Or you could just start your own insect collection.

For more information, visit the Academy of Natural Sciences’ official website.

Pinning & Preserving @ the Academy of Natural Sciences
Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 6:30–9:30 pm
Teachers can earn three Act 48 credits
www.ansp.org/adult-programs/workshops.php

Last month I chatted with Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, the Swedish directing duo behind the fourth entry in the Underworld franchise Underworld: Awakening. The first Underworld film in my opinion was A LOT of fun and really added something new to the then tired vampire vs. werewolf sub-genre of horror.

But like all franchises you deal with the law of diminishing returns, and by the third film Kate Beckinsale was no longer starring and some people argue the franchise had gotten pretty far off the beaten track. Well, looks like for number four they are rebooting the franchise with Kate back in the lead and a firm goal to give the people what they expect from an Underworld film, and in 3D no less.

I hope you enjoy this interview with two well known Swedish directors coming into a very established US franchise, trying to breathe some fresh life into it.

So how did you guys come about directing Underworld: Awakening?

Björn: Our agent was representing one of the writers who was writing with us and working on the script. We weren’t on their list of directors they were thinking about.

But we looked at the script, read it and really liked it.

We were fans of the prior films as well and really worked on our pitch and then they got to see our little Swedish film called Storm (A great little sci-fi flick!) and pretty quickly after that we got a call from Gary Lucchesi who is one of the producers and he was really excited because they thought we hit on some of the notes that they were concerned about.

After that we had a conference call with Len Wiseman who is the creator of the series and we found we were very similar in the backgrounds of stuff that we liked with regards to films, music and things like that.  He really responded well to Storm and after that meeting we hit the ground running, scouting locations in Vancouver. These things usually take months and years, but it took us a couple of weeks.

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