The dog days of summer are upon us. Luckily, we geeks have nothing to worry about, because August is full of opportunities to beat the heat and have some nerd-friendly fun at the same time. From gaming conventions and classic geek films to the world’s nerdiest county fair, August offers…
Human blood is an unusual artistic medium. Who better, then, to explore the possibilities of blood work than Andrew Novick, a man whose name is synonymous with weird art — from his time in the infamous Warlock Pinchers band to his work with Peeps. In Blood Lustre, Novick utilizes the…
Welcome to a new column called Geek Speak, in which we take on an aspect of geek culture each week. One Christmas, either 1981 or 1982 — it’s hard to be sure now, thirty-plus years later — I received a gift that would change me forever. It came in a…
You know The Zombie Survival Guide backward and forward. You’ve seen all the classic zombie films a dozen times. Your zombie apocalypse plan is worked out, down to the smallest details. There’s just one more thing to do: a practice run. Get the experience you need to survive the real…
Dead-eyed, mindless and covered with sores, meth addicts — wandering an urban wasteland and driven by an insatiable hunger — are the closest real-world equivalent to zombies. So what happens if you take those tweakers and make them the sole survivors in a world overrun by actual undead? That’s the…
Dead-eyed, sore-covered and mindless, wandering an urban wasteland driven by an insatiable hunger, methamphetamine addicts are the closest real-world equivalent to fiction’s zombies. So what happens if you take those tweakers and make them the sole survivors in a world overrun by actual undead? That’s the premise of Colorado author…
Welcome to a new column called Geek Speak, in which we take on an aspect of geek culture each week. On this day 27 years ago, moviegoers got their first look at one of cinema’s rare perfect films when Aliens hit almost 1,500 theaters. Audiences loved it. Critics loved it…
The normally placid waters of Longmont’s Union Reservoir will be churned up today by all manner of oddities. You might see sharks or even a UFO skimming across the surface. Don’t worry, though: It’s not some kind of sci-fi movie come to life, just the 34th annual Kinetic Sculpture Race…
Zombies have built their cultural cachet on the inherent dread of moldering, hungry death that stands up and comes after you. Still, the grisly cannibal corpses have always had a lighter side as well, and some of the very best zombie films, from Return of the Living Dead to Shaun…
Welcome to a new column called Geek Speak, in which we take on an aspect of geek culture each week. Pacific Rim, a movie about giant robots fighting giant monsters, is about to open in hundreds of theaters nationwide, released by a major studio and accompanied by a gigantic ad…
Horror fans looking for a return to the golden age of anthology horror were disappointed by the initial installment of V/H/S because of its lack of real scares. Keith Garcia, who’s one of those fans, is also programming manager for the Denver Film Society, and he wants you to know…
Anyone with even a passing knowledge of the cinema of the ’80s and early ’90s knows the majesty of Patrick Swayze. Over the course of a handful of films, Swayze crafted a composite character who was somehow the toughest of tough guys while simultaneously the sensitive sweetheart who knew just…
“It’s one of those magical movies where you have Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze and Gary Busey in a story about surfing bank robbers,” says Karla Rodriguez, audience development manager for the Denver Film Society. “It sounds like it should be a shitty movie, but it’s actually amazing. It’s this crazy…
The drive-in movie theater is a dying institution, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still roll up and enjoy a double feature on a warm summer night. Now you just leave the car at home and pedal your way to Blake Street Tavern’s Bike-In Movies. “This is great for all…
Whoever said that crime doesn’t pay was clearly doing the wrong crime. The global drug trade is a multi-billion-dollar industry that continues to grow, and now you can learn the secrets of this entrepreneurial enterprise in How to Make Money Selling Drugs, a provocative new documentary from director Matthew Cooke…
Captain America made me the patriot I am today. I’m sure there were some other influences. Probably a little Red Dawn, a splash of GI Joe and perhaps even some stuff that didn’t come from comic books, movies or after-school cartoons. But it was Captain America, specifically a two-year story…
The original Maniac hit theaters in 1980, and quickly became a slasher classic by heralding a new era in on-screen depravity. The grimy, gritty film about a serial killer who scalps women and collects mannequins famously depicted a close-up of a shotgun blast to the head, multiple scalpings and other…
If fireworks and baseball games aren’t your thing, July has plenty of geek entertainment on tap — whether you’re looking to flex your gaming muscles, get the latest book in the classic Shannara series signed by the author or just sit in the blessedly cool air-conditioned embrace of a movie…
There’s no better way to celebrate a geek movie about shooting asteroids out of the sky than getting a bunch of geeks on stage to show off their skills doing that exact thing. No surprise, then, that the Alamo Drafthouse’s Action Pack team will be doing exactly that Sunday, Jun…
Welcome to a new column called Geek Speak, in which we take on an aspect of geek culture each week. We geeks watch a lot of bad movies. It’s not like we have a choice, really. We like the kind of movies that we like, and the sad truth is…
Forty years ago, two Danish boys with a Super 8 camera, some LEGOs and a lot of free time unwittingly launched a film movement. Today, that film and many more made in the decades since will be on display at the Longmont Museum’s LEGO in Motion: Animation Festival, a showcase…
These days, there’s no shortage of loud, obnoxious jerks on TV getting paid to basically yell at you, but it wasn’t always this way. Until Morton Downey Jr. helped pioneer the new age of television hate in the late ’80s, the TV landscape was a much more civil place (with…
