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10) James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell Innocent Blood The second book in the Order of the Sanguines series continues the story of The Blood Gospel, weaving a tale of supernatural forces at work in the modern world. The heroes of the first book -- archaeologist Erin Granger, soldier Jordan Stone and Father Rhun Korza -- embark on a in a world-spanning adventure, following the prophecies of the Blood Gospels to save a child who may be an angel in human form and avert the apocalypse. Authors James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell will be on hand to read from and sign the book.The reading starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 13 at the Tattered Cover Highlands Ranch. Admission is free; the book is $27.99. For more information, visit the Tattered Cover website.
9) Superman Before superhero movies were a dime a dozen, there was Superman. The 1978 take on the Man of Steel casts Christopher Reeve as the last son of Krytpon, pitting him against Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor in a cinematic classic that's stood the test of time. See it again and relive your childhood, or for you young 'uns, see it for the first time and realize why every man that's donned the tights since has lived in Reeve's shadow.
See Superman at 7 p.m. Monday, December 2 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Tickets are $10.50. For more info and to buy tickets, visit the Superman event page at the Alamo Denver website.
8) The Benson Movie Interruption: Lethal Weapon Geek staple Mystery Science Theater 3000 proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that making fun of shitty movies wasn't just something you could do with friends, but something you could watch and love. Now stoner-favorite comic Doug Benson is getting in on the act with The Benson Movie Interruption, where he joins forces with some other comics to make fun of Hollywood's most ludicrous material, live in theater. First up in Denver is Lethal Weapon, the crazy-cop classic classic that features Gary Busey and Mel Gibson at both of their scenery-chewing best, which should give the comedians ample material to work with.See it at 7 p.m. Sunday, December 15 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Tickets are $20.00. For more info and to buy tickets, visit the Benson Interruption event page at the Alamo Denver website.
7) International Robot Olympiad Do you like robots? Of course you do. You're a geek! Geeks are a robot's best friend. Or maybe it's robots that are a geek's best friend? Either way, like gin and tonic, robots and geeks and at their best when paired up, and the International Robot Olympiad is as good a chance as any to get your robot on. Come watch teams from all over the world show off their mad robot skills in a variety of competitions designed to develop their skill and creativity.
The robot fun starts Monday, December 16 at the Colorado Convention Center. Admission is free. For more info and to reserve tickets, visit the International Robot Olympiad website.
6) Star Wars sweetness The good folks of the Denver Film Society have programmed a special two-day celebration of every geek's favorite saga of a galaxy far, far away. First up is a one-night only screening of 5-25-77, director Patrick Read Johnson's based-on-real-life tale of a young sci-fi geek who gets a chance to see Star Wars before its release and has his life changed. As a bonus, Johnson will be in person to talk about the film and the real-life experience that inspired it. Then, once you remembered all that's good about Star Wars, dive deep into all that's shitty about it with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special on the big screen. It's a made-for-TV crapfest with all your favorite Star Wars actors being whored out and embarrassing the hell out of themselves.
See 5-35-77 at 7 p.m. Friday, December 20, and the Star Wars Holiday Special at 9 p.m. Saturday, December 21, both at the Sie FilmCenter. Tickets for 5-35-77 are $12, or $10 for DFS members. For more info and tickets, visit the Denver Film Society website.
5) Puella Magi Madoka Magica If you need a dose of anime to get you through the holidays, the Alamo has what you need. The latest installment of the magical girls vs. witch battles of Puella Magi Madoka Magica is making its Denver premiere, and they even scheduled a double feature of parts one and two for earlier in the day if you need a refresher course.
See a double feature of parts one and two at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, December 8, followed by part 3 at 7 or 7:45 p.m. the same day at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Tickets are $15. For tickets and additional info, visit the Alamo Drafthouse website.
4) The Phantom Carriage In case you missed it in October, the Denver Film Society is offering an encore presentation of The Phantom Carriage. The film is a Gothic tale of a man doomed to spend a year collecting the souls of the dead, but the real draw -- at least for anyone who's not a fan of nearly 100-year-old Swedish cinema -- is the reimagined score, performed live by Paul Buscarello. Utilizing a combination of electronic and acoustic instruments, Buscarello has created a soundtrack that's a melange of horror cinema's most iconic sounds.See it at 4 p.m. Sunday, December 29 at the Sie FilmCenter. Tickets are $12, or $10 for DFS members. For tickets and more info, visit The Phantom Carriage event page at the Denver Film Society website.
3) The Mark Putt Holiday Explosion Computer programmer by day, entertainer by night, Mark Putt is Denver's answer to Jonathan Coulton. Performing his songs with the accompaniment of a laptop and goofy multimedia videos, the Mark Putt Holiday Explosion promises a nerdtastic take on the season. With songs about Santa accidentally eating pot brownies and the shittiness of the weather, this is not your typical holiday family fare, which is why it might actually be a holiday spectacular worth seeing.
The Mark Putt Holiday Explosion debuts at 9:30 p.m. Friday, December 13 at the D Note, with additional dates to follow throughout the month. For more information, including an updated schedule, visit the Mark Putt Explosion website.
2) Motel Hell The largely forgotten Motel Hell is one of those odd horror movies that earns its WTFs. It's about a bizarre brother-sister duo who run a shady motel that they use to lure tourists to their doom. People check in, then get buried up to their necks and force-fed until they're ready to be slaughtered and made into sausage. Yummy! Plus, the crazed redneck farmer/butcher dons a pig's head, which is always a nice bonus. This is the final film in Theresa Mercado's Cruel Autumn series, which means movie-themed souvenirs as always, plus an announcement of the the next batch of films for Cruel Winter.
The film starts at 7:30 p.m. at Crash 45, but get there early to find a good seat. Admission is free. For more info, visit the Cruel Autumn Facebook event page.
1) Silent Night, Deadly Night There are only a handful of horror movies about Christmas, and when you're in the mood for a little holiday murder, Silent Night, Deadly Night hits the spot. Little Billy becomes an orphan after a psychopath in a Santa suit chops his parents up. Now he's all grown up and ready to do some chopping of his own... The cult classic holiday favorite is a good way to clean all of the holidays' saccharine sentimentality out of your mouth with a wash of blood. Happy holidays!
See it at 9:30 p.m. Friday, December 13 at the Sie FilmCenter. Tickets are $10, or $7 for DFS members. For more info and tickets, visit the Silent Night, Deadly Night event page at the Denver Film Society website.
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